MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

Time seemed to fly as the fight against Cellan Gustalam loomed closer. Being back home had made training feel different, better.

Damon felt safe and stable in the places he knew well, and his intense focus on his plans kept him sharp.

His training sessions grew faster, more intense, and relentless.

With the help of the health elixirs, Damon could recover in record time,

The exhaustion was starting to feel normal, but Damon noticed something strange, almost as if the health elixirs were working faster, their effects kicking in sooner with each use.

He didn't know if the stuff was changing his body, but he had laughed it off, thinking it was probably just because he used it too much.

The elixirs became an essential part of his regimen, boosting his motivation to get better as well as his physical recovery.

But Damon didn't stop there. He had begun to embrace a strategy that would maximize every waking moment.

He trained hard during the day, sparring, drilling, and conditioning with his gym partners and under Victor's watchful eye.

By night, instead of resting as most fighters would, he pushed himself further.

And then, after drinking a health potion, Damon would go into the Simulation and fight an exact copy of Cellan Gustalam for hours on end.

He started by sparring for an hour or two straight, watching Gustalam's moves, trying out counters, and seeing how his plans worked.

But then he'd switch the Simulation to its most grueling mode, the physical strain option.

This feature that allowed every gain and strain he experienced in the Simulation to carry over to his real body.

It felt like doubling his training load, his muscles and mind pushed beyond what should have been possible while he remained physically still on his bed.

In this way, Damon trained twice as much as anyone else, making the most of his planning.

It was both tiring and exciting to follow the schedule that included both intense real-world training and precise simulations.

Every day, Damon could feel his progress. His moves were getting faster, his counters were more accurate, and his plan was getting better.

Gustalam wasn't just going to be an opponent, he was a proving ground.

Or rather... a playing ground.

.

.

.

.

Walking into the house, he dropped his bag by the door and let out a tired sigh. Tomorrow, he'd head to Las Vegas for the fight at the Apex Center.

But right now, all he wanted was to get to his room.

He locked the door behind him, securing the house for the night, and passed by the living room. "Mom, I'm back," he called out, expecting a reply.

Silence.

He glanced at the sofa and saw Aoife slumped over, completely out cold.

She must've fallen asleep waiting for him, a blanket loosely draped over her legs. Damon smiled softly, shaking his head.

Making his way to his room, Damon kicked off his shoes, his mind already drifting to the fight.

Damon walked into his room, his muscles still faintly aching despite the health elixir he had taken earlier.

As usual, he had already showered at the gym, sparing himself the trouble of dragging his tired body to the bathroom.

He tossed his bag into the corner, kicked off his shoes, and sank onto the bed with a groan.

Laying back, he stared at the ceiling for a moment, letting the quiet of the room wrap around him.

It was now normal to buy a health potion, drink it, and then go into the Simulation. He had been doing it every night for a few days, and it was a mix that pushed his body to limits most people could only dream of.

With a flick of his wrist, the holographic screen appeared in front of him. Damon pressed the button to purchase the health elixir, but instead of the usual satisfying chime, a sharp, grating erhhhhhhh sound blared, and the screen flashed red.

"What the hell?" Damon muttered, his brow furrowing. He pressed the button again, convinced it must've been a glitch.

Erhhhhhhh. The same sound blared again, and the screen turned red once more.

Damon sat up, confusion giving way to irritation. "System, what's going on?" he asked aloud, half expecting an answer.

Instead, the screen remained frozen, the red glow casting an ominous hue over his room.

Something wasn't right.

Damon pressed the button again, his finger tapping with impatience, when a new message flashed across the screen:

[Unable to go through with the purchase. Due to overuse of the health elixirs, which might harm or change the body, the system has blocked any purchase for a week. This is for the sake of your health, Host. Please drink responsibly.]

He paused, staring at the message. For a moment, he didn't know how to react. Did the system just call him out?

With a heavy sigh, he leaned back against the headboard, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Great," he muttered. He had to admit, though, the system might have had a point.

He had been using the elixirs like candy over the past week, pushing himself to the brink every single day.

He had gotten obsessed, maybe even a little addicted to the idea of training relentlessly.

A part of him was frustrated by the block; he felt like the system was punishing him for his dedication.

But it wasn't like the end of the world, it was just a week. He'd manage.

His thoughts shifted, and something clicked in his mind. The gacha wheel.

He hadn't spun it in a while. Not because he didn't want to, but because he had decided to stack his spins.

The mega spin required ten spins, and with only one spin awarded per official match, he was holding out.

Right now, he had eight spins. This upcoming fight would be his ninth, and he was already confident he'd win.

The simulation had been a game-changer for his preparations.

He felt like he had already fought Gustalam a hundred times in his mind, analyzing every weakness and fine-tuning his counters.

That confidence wasn't just bravado, it was the product of countless hours of work.

With a smirk, Damon closed the holographic screen and muttered to himself, "One more win, and I'm that much closer to a mega spin."

||UPDATE!!||

STATUS

Strength: B+

Speed: C

Stamina: C+

Endurance: B

Agility: C+

||END||