Dead Dragon's Combat Manual

Chapter 1: Hybrid Style

Some say that humanity's concept of combat was introduced by a caveman who created a spear with merely a rock and branch. However, the disciple of the world's strongest martial artist had to disagree. His opinion was that the concept for combat had long been ingrained into humanity's very bloodline far back in ancient times.

In his view, the creator of humanity's way of combat wasn't the caveman who created the spear, but the caveman who began to use his limbs for battle!

It was that prehistoric man who created the concept of weakening an opponent through combat, and as time passed, the modern era evolved that concept to the martial arts of today.

The disciple who believed in the theory of man being born for battle since he was a practitioner of a certain style of martial arts which prioritised on killing using everything one could muster up.

The disciple's master had once asked him a series of questions: "What is the purpose of your arts? What is your way of martial arts? Why do you fight? A man must follow their own path while training, so what is your martial way?"

However, the disciple laughed in response: "What 'way' is there in martial arts? Martial techniques themselves are dead, but we are the living. In the end, my 'way' of martial arts will obviously be to do as I see fit!"

'Hah... Whether it is Northern, Eastern, Western, or Southern styles of martial arts.... All forms of martial arts are lifeless techniques practiced by the user in order to search their life's goals' Was what the disciple firmly believed in his heart. Not once did his opinion change of waver in the face of numerous foes.

It's harsh to the ears but reality is just that cruel. Take Boxing as an example of that: Even though Boxing is a martial arts that's centred around weakening its opponent, if the user desired, he could change it to become a savage martial art used on the street.

Boxing can easily become Street Boxing if the martial artist wasn't able to accept it as an art for self-defence. That is because only the living can 'desire' while martial arts themselves are dead.

The disciple didn't deny that martial arts cultivated diligence, but cultivating diligence alone doesn't change a person at their core. It is the martial artist himself who decides how he will use his power to control his own life. No one can take this 'freedom' away from him.

In the garden of a expensive mansion built atop of a private island was a white-clothed man admiring the intricately ordered plants around him.

"Alex." The disciple's master, an old grandmaster of unarmed martial arts named John Stuman called out to him.

"What's wrong?" Alex, who had the same surname as his master, curiously asked in response. His voice was filled brimming with vigour as he turned around to look at his aged teacher.

He was now thirty eight years old today, about twenty years younger than his master in age. His body was more lean than his master's and looked less muscular on the outside, but only he knew how much effort he put into training his body to have no excess fat.

Alex was quite a handsome man with manly facial features, combining his looks with his strength, it wouldn't be surprising if he already had children.

However, oddly enough, despite the obvious advances of several women over the years, a martial art fanatic like himself wasn't interested in anything besides martial arts. He purposely estranged himself just to train his martial arts and techniques to the perfection he had always dreamed of.

"You've changed a lot..." His master answered while giving him a deep look.

Alex's master was someone respected by the government as a secret martial arts instructor with a lot of war merits on his shoulders to display his valour.