It had been 4 days since Michael began reading about more advanced combat techniques and skills.
He had boosted the progression level by quite a good margin, and by now, it was already in its final stages, at 97%.
At the moment, it was already night time, at around 11:00 p.m.. Michael had not yet slept, still going through a few videos that he had downloaded online.
As usual, he was watching them in fast forward, and at the same time, he was paying attention to the progress bar.
A few minutes later, the progress reached 98%. This made his heart begin pounding, looking forward to the changes that would occur after he got an intermediate level skill.
Several more minutes later, just as the video that he was watching ended, the progress bar reached 99%.
Without any hesitation, Michael went ahead and clicked on another video, and the video began playing.
He fast forwarded it, this time, watching it at a speed three times normal speed.
Due to the fact that he was watching at such a fast speed, there was no need for the voice, considering that he could not hear clearly at such a speed.
Additionally, there was no need for the voice, as just looking at the actions was enough for the system to be able to collect the information.
So, at the moment, the entire apartment was silent, and Michael was sitting in the living room on a couch.
As he was watching the video, Michael suddenly heard the sound of footsteps.
It was quite normal to hear the sound of footsteps, since the floor on which his apartment was located was shared by several other tenants.
But even then, this time, Michael felt that the sound of footsteps that he was hearing was completely different from normal.
Due to the enhancement that he had received from gaining the unarmed combat skill at the beginner level, his hearing had been enhanced slightly.
And adding to the fact that at the moment, everything was silent, it was normal for him to pick up the sound of footsteps outside.
Considering the time, Michael eliminated the possibility of this being a neighbor of his own.
While it was true that in this district, most businesses operated late into the night, this apartment, at least the few neighbors that he had, did not seem to be quite active at night.
Having been here for over a week now, Michael had kind of understood the routine of most of his neighbors.
Another point was that, the sound of footsteps was quite slow and deliberate, as if someone was trying to sneak around.
The reason why Michael paused the video to listen was simply because from the sound of footsteps, it felt as if the person was approaching his door.
Michael was not sure if this person was just passing by, or they were coming to his house.
Regardless, he remained silent, vigilantly watching the door. He was prepared, in case it was someone who came for him, he would have to take action.
If it had been before his parents passed away, Michael would not have been this cautious. But at the moment, considering that there was a possibility of being targeted by the Shadow Assembly gang, Michael could not afford to be careless.
As the sound of footsteps continuously approached the door, Michael became more certain that whoever it was that was outside, was coming for him.
If this was a thief, or a gangster who had realized his location and was intent on capturing him, Michael was not sure.
But even then, he understood, if it was either of the two, it was clear that they did not have any good intentions.
Slowly, Michael got up from the couch, trying as much as possible not to make any noise.
At the same time, he approached the small corridor that led from the door to the living room.
Currently, inside his house, there was nothing that he could use as a weapon, at least one that was comfortable to use.
But, he did not actually need to use one, since he wanted to ambush whoever it was that was approaching.
From the sound of footsteps, it was pretty clear that it was one person that was coming over. If it had been multiple opponents, things would have gotten more complicated.
And at this point, Michael would have the advantage of ambushing this person. So, he hid on the side, just at the end of the corridor.
He made sure that the light in the room would not cast his shadow in front of the corridor, which would end up alerting the person who was going to break into his house, if it was true.
While waiting, Michael looked towards the door. He was observing, wanting to see if this person was going to enter into his apartment by breaking the door, or they had another method.
And as he waited, the person finally arrived in front of his door. And in the next moment, Michael picked the faint sound of keys jiggling as they collided with each other.
Then, the sound of the key being inserted into the keyhole followed, and the sound of the key twisting could be heard.
If Michael had been sleeping, it would have been impossible for him to be able to pick up the sound, as this person was quite careful.
There was a possibility that this was a repeat offender if they were a thief. And if it was a gangster who had come looking for him, they had some skill.
Michael did not eliminate the possibility that, if this was a gangster, there might be other gangsters waiting outside.
So, he was prepared, if there were more gangsters, he would just deal with the first person to enter, then look for a way to slip away.
About two seconds later, Michael could see the handle of the door being twisted, and as the door was unlocked, it was pushed open slowly.
The moment that the door began opening, Michael immediately retracted his head, afraid that he might be spotted by the intruder.
As he waited, he could hear the footsteps coming closer. And at that point, he clenched his fist, waiting to strike.
And just as a figure appeared to his right, Michael did not hesitate to attack.
Bam!
A solid punch landed on the cheek of the person who had broken into his house, catching them off guard.
Due to the attack, with Michael not holding back, the trespasser stumbled to the side, almost falling, but managed to support himself by using the wall.
It was also at this moment that Michael could clearly see the person who had broken into his apartment.
From the frame of the person, it seemed to be a man. And, this person was quite tall, about 2 meters in terms of height.
He was wearing black clothes from top to bottom, with his face covered by a black cloth, leaving only the eyes and the blonde hair exposed.
Michael did not stop after a single attack. Instead, seizing the chance when the opponent was still disoriented by the attack, he attacked once again.
He kicked towards the abdomen of the man in black, once again, not holding back.
The man, who was caught off guard by the first attack, was not able to react to the subsequent attack at all.
As the kick landed, the man who had just begun struggling to steady himself while holding his cheek was aggressively pushed backwards by the kick.
Bam!
"Cough! Cough!"
His back heavily collided with the wall behind him, and as he collapsed onto the ground clutching his belly, he began coughing, as if he wanted to vomit.
Michael did not waste anymore time, rushing towards the man who was curled up on the floor.
He thoroughly searched him, realizing that apart from the knife that he was holding in his hand, he did not have any other weapon.
This relieved him, as if this guy had a gun, things would have gotten more complicated.
Leaving the guy still rolling on the ground while grunting in pain, Michael quickly headed towards the door, then using the key that was at the key holder beside the door, he locked the door once again.
After that, he went back to the place where the man was still on the ground.
From his actions, Michael could tell that this guy did not want people to find out that he was here.
After all, if he screamed from the pain, the neighbors would realize that something had happened, and someone might even call the police.
Additionally, his ability not to scream despite the pain that he was experiencing implied that he was not a newbie in what he had been doing.
"Speak up, what is your reason of breaking into my house?" Michael asked as he gazed at the man in black.
Despite his question, the man continued grunting, completely ignoring Michael’s question. It was clear, he did not want to answer.
"If you don’t speak up, I have ways of making you do." Michael spoke up.
Before the man could even reply, Michael kicked him on his back, making him grunt louder.
After that, Michael grabbed one of his hands, before he began dragging him towards the kitchen.