Alex POV:
"... Mr. Jung, I presume?" The Black Widow asked me, tilting her head to the side, red locks falling down the side of her face.
"Uhh- Erm... Y-yeah?" Ok, that was so smooth. Now she's gonna think I'm not just weak but also socially awkward or something.
"Since you're late, let's speed through the introductions. We'll start with introductions. You first. Say your name, your likes, your dislikes, your dreams for the future, and... hobbies, I guess." She urges me on, still staring at me with those piercing eyes.
Shit. I didn't prepare for this. BS Passive skill, don't fail me now!
"Hello, Ms. Romanoff. My name is Hyun Woo Jung, and my alias is Alessandro Kim." She quirks her eyebrows at the alias part, probably the Russian first name piquing her interest. "I like getting stronger, I dislike losing, and my dream for the future is honestly just to retire peacefully. My hobbies? I guess I enjoy working out and sparring."
Okay, great. That was the most generic Chinese MC introduction ever, but that's not too bad.
"Alright, let me go next, then. My name is Natasha Romanoff, as you already know, and my alias is Black Widow."
Her gaze flickers down to the ground for an instant, maybe she doesn't like her alias. But just as it went down, it came back up, still with that uninterested glare.
"I like precision, silence, and people who follow instructions."
She starts pacing in a slow circle around me. Oh no. This is predator behaviour. I've watched enough nature documentaries to know what this means.
"I dislike grandstanding, unnecessary chatter, and students who think they can bullshit their way through training."
I swear to god, I'm so done for if she finds out that I'm not supposed to be here. Once again, I rely on the stupid BS skill.
"Finally, my hobbies are beating new recruits like you until you know where your place is." She snarls.
Oh shit.
"Now, I'm only saying this because I'm legally contracted to, but are you sure you want to do this?"
Uhm, no? "Yes, Ms. Romanoff!" looks like I just dug myself a fat grave.
"Uhm- can I ask one final question?"
"Shoot."
"...How do I update my will?"
She smiles. It has the opposite effect that a usual smile is supposed to cause.
-o-
"Alright," Natasha says, cracking her knuckles. "We'll start simple. Hit me."
"Wait, like, actually hit you? What's all the sandbags and stuff for?"
She raises an eyebrow. "No, I meant emotionally. Yes, actually hit me. Also, those are for intimidating the weak of heart."
"O-okay sure," I reply, unsure.
I mean, I know shes like the black widow of the avengers, but like, I'm a strong grown ass man, and shes just a regular person.
I unconfidently throw a jab towards her, at like 20% power, making sure not to hurt her.
She grabs my incoming fist with ease, and her grip is a lot stronger than I expected. Not as strong as me, but around or higher than Peter's level before he got bit? Im thinking like C- tier strength?
[Skill acquired: Assess (Active)]
[By correctly guessing your opponent's stats, you unlocked the ability to read the opponent's stat page.]
Damn, that's going to be useful. How am I suddenly gaining so many skills? I might have to think more about it later. But right now, I need to train. Lets first use the skill though.
'Assess!' I yell in my head, and a small blue screen appears in front of the Black Widow's face.
[Status]
[Name: Natalia Alienovna Romanova]
[Stats]
[Strength: C-]
[Agility: B-]
[Durability: D+]
Damn, she hit B in agility? Isn't B- supposed to be like low superhuman levels of speed? maybe it has something to do with the red room?
Wait. I've been staring too long.
Natasha was still standing there, holding my fist in her hand, eyebrow raised and staring at me with those piercing green eyes.
"Mr Jung? Are you done zoning out?" She asked me with steel in her voice. "If this were a real situation, you would have been dead the second you zoned out. No, you would've been dead the second you decided to go easy on your opponent."
She pushes my fist away. "Now try again with all your strength. Every time you throw a punch, you have to throw one like your life depends on it."
I grit my teeth. Okay. Now I know she can probably take it, I'm not going easy anymore.
I throw a straight with all of my power towards her, pulling strength from all of the muscles in my body.
For a split second, I thought I saw a hint of surprise in her eyes, but it quickly disappears and turns into a cold grin.
She weaves under my punch, and grips the arm throwing the punch, and-
Why is the world upside down?
THUD
I hit the mats of the training ground. Hard.
"You're strong, kid. And fast." Natasha starts. "Too bad you don't know how to use that strength."
She kicks me in the gut while I'm down, making me curl into myself.
"Lesson one. Make sure to balance your center of gravity, or else somebody can use your strength against you." She boops me in the nose. "Now get up. Let's get started."
I regret coming here so much.
(a/n IM BACKKKK sorry for the hiatus I had to take my APs and that shit fucked me up bad- I think I failed most of them but its whatever since now I have time to start writing again. Short chapter today, since I need to ease myself back into the rhythm. Also, I'm writing this in school instead of taking notes.)