King of Tennis (POT)

A shutout!

Another shutout!

The news of Ishikawa's 6-0 victory over Nioh spread like wildfire throughout Hyotei's tennis club.

In an instant.

The club erupted into heated discussions.

The second and third-year members, when they looked at Ishikawa now, did so with even greater respect.

At this point.

Being a first-year was no longer a reason to underestimate him. In Hyotei, where the philosophy was "strength is everything, failure is not tolerated," performance on the court was the only thing that mattered.

Defeating Nioh meant that Ishikawa's strength had reached the level of a second-team captain. He might even have a shot at becoming a regular.

After all, this was a shutout victory!

Aside from the second game, where Nioh had given Ishikawa some trouble, the remaining four games had been completely one-sided.

However.

After the match, Ishikawa remained remarkably calm.

After shaking hands and exchanging a few words with Nioh, he left the court and headed toward the rest area. It was as if the match had just been a practice game, and Nioh was just another ordinary player.

"This guy..."

Nioh's expression turned complicated.

When he had shaken Ishikawa's hand earlier, he had still felt a bit of resentment, thinking that he had missed his chance in the crucial second game.

But now, it was clear that Ishikawa's victory wasn't just a matter of luck.

If nothing else.

Just the composure Ishikawa had shown, unfazed by victory or defeat, was something Nioh couldn't compare to.

Taking a deep breath.

Nioh also turned and left.

Even though losing to Ishikawa had made his chances of becoming a regular almost nonexistent, he hadn't given up. He planned to rest up and prepare for a decisive match against Shishido.

"I never expected it to end like this."

Watching Nioh's retreating figure, the regulars, especially Mukahi and Shishido, looked somewhat uneasy.

"A shutout!"

Mukahi shook his head, a hint of fear in his expression, then said with relief, "Good thing I'm in Group B. I won't have to face that guy."

As he spoke.

He glanced at Shishido beside him and noticed the uneasy look on his face.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Shishido snorted coldly and walked away.

"He's nervous."

Oshitari chuckled.

"True."

Atobe also smiled and nodded. "It's rare to see Shishido react like that."

In fact.

Even Atobe himself was surprised.

He had expected Ishikawa to win, but he hadn't anticipated such a lopsided score.

Now.

The extreme scoreline of 6-0 had its effect. Shishido, who was usually carefree and laid-back, had become visibly tense.

However.

Atobe was pleased to see this.

"That kid is like a ferocious catfish thrown into Hyotei's pond, making everyone else feel the threat."

This was something Atobe had always wanted to do but hadn't been able to.

His strength was indeed overwhelming, and he had unquestionable authority within the team. But because the gap between him and the other regulars was so vast, players like Mukahi and Shishido had lost the drive to compete with him.

As a result, they lacked the motivation to improve.

But now.

Ishikawa had appeared. As a newcomer, his astonishing performance had given Shishido and the others a wake-up call. It had instilled a sense of urgency in these usually relaxed regulars, pushing them to improve.

Even Oshitari, who was always calm, had shown a faint trace of unease.

"Too bad Jiroh wasn't here."

Atobe sighed inwardly, then had a thought. "No, I can't let his talent go to waste!"

With that in mind.

He quickly left with Kabaji.

Oshitari watched Atobe's retreating figure for a moment, then also turned and left. The court was now empty, save for the murmuring crowd of players.

Rest area.

Ishikawa lay on a bench, a warm towel over his face, reflecting on the match he had just played.

"From what I can tell, Nioh's overall five-dimensional stats are around 11 points."

"Which makes sense."

"He hasn't experienced the crushing defeat against Ryoma yet, so he hasn't awakened the deep desire to improve."

In the original story.

Nioh was part of the loser group.

At the U-17 training camp in Japan's mountains, he underwent rigorous training under Coach Mikuni, which greatly boosted his strength.

But now.

It was still seven months before that time.

If Ishikawa wasn't mistaken, even top players like Atobe and Tezuka hadn't yet reached the level of strength they had during the U-17 period.

Of course.

There was one exception.

That was Seigaku's captain, the so-called "Child of God," Yukimura Seiichi!

"However."

Thinking of Yukimura, Ishikawa's expression turned thoughtful. "Not long from now, his illness from last year will flare up again, severely weakening his strength."

Even so.

Rikkai Dai remained a boss-level team, which made Ishikawa realize that his current strength wasn't enough to tip the scales in Hyotei's favor.

At this thought.

He opened his character panel and focused on the special item that Nioh had dropped.

**[Ancient Martial Arts: Upon use, grants a new side skill, Ancient Martial Arts.]**

"Use."

Without hesitation, Ishikawa chose to use it.

*Buzz!*

Immediately.

A peculiar energy surged through his body, warm and enveloping. However, its quality was far inferior to his max-level kendo.

At the same time.

A wealth of knowledge about ancient martial arts flooded his mind. He now understood the significance of the stances Nioh had used earlier.

**[Ancient Martial Arts: Side skill. At level 3, increases Strength by 1 point; at level 6, increases Speed by 1 point; at level 9, increases Technique by 1 point.**

**Additional Ability 1: Unknown (unlocks at level 6)** 

**Additional Ability 2: Unknown (unlocks at level 9)** 

**Current Level: 1]**

For now, the new side skill didn't provide any additional five-dimensional stats.

However.

The moment he comprehended **[Ancient Martial Arts]**, Ishikawa did feel a change in his body.

He guessed that this change was similar to the mental development from **[Go]**. Each level would enhance certain physical attributes.

Such as flexibility, balance, explosive power, and so on.

By the time he reached level 9, it would undoubtedly grant him a special effect, just like his other two skills.

But before that.

He needed to accumulate enough experience to level it up.

So.

After a short rest.

Ishikawa resumed his training, continuing until the start of the afternoon's second match.

He easily defeated his opponent.

The other player, realizing that his probing attacks were futile, quickly gave up. In the end, Ishikawa finished the match in eight minutes.

The match only gave him 30 experience points and nothing else.

This made Ishikawa ponder that only by facing named characters from the original story—what the system called **[Elites]**—could he gain substantial experience and special items.

*Thud!* 

*Thud!*

Meanwhile, on another court, two figures were locked in an intense battle.

It was none other than Nioh, who had just lost to Ishikawa, and Shishido, one of the regulars.

Both were aggressive players, and the match was fiercely contested.

But in the end.

Nioh, despite his efforts, was no match for Shishido's greater experience and lost 3-6, completely dashing his hopes of becoming a regular this time.

With this, the regulars for Group D were confirmed: Ishikawa, Shishido, and Oshitari. Everyone was eagerly looking forward to the thrilling matches that would unfold between these three in the coming days!

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**(End of Chapter)**