**Chapter 81: King-style Teaching's Profound Meaning — Self-Interpretation**
Axel looked at the closed door, remaining silent for a while. After a long moment, he finally said in a deep voice: "Mr. King, we hope to ask you for a method to become stronger, so that we can possess greater strength to hunt Mysterious Beings."
"Become stronger?"
King's mouth twitched. "I want to become stronger too!"
Click!
He pulled the door open. "Come in and sit." A guest from afar is still a guest. Although he had nothing to teach Axel, he could at least offer him a cup of tea.
"Excuse me for bothering you."
Axel, with a respectful heart, walked into King's home with a slight awkwardness, his gaze immediately drawn to the shattered floor on the second story.
"Tea or a drink?"
King casually asked Axel a question, but received no reply. He turned back in confusion, seeing Axel staring blankly at the hole in his second-story floor. Recalling his own awkwardness at the time, King couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't look at it; I accidentally broke it a while ago."
"Accidentally broke it..."
Axel whispered, repeating the phrase, and then gazed deeply at King. *Indeed,* he thought. A powerful individual like King could move mountains and fill seas with a mere wave of his hand or a stomp of his foot. If he wasn't careful on a daily basis, even a slight leakage of his immense power could easily destroy furniture and houses. Truly terrifying.
"Sit wherever you like. Oh, there's cola in the fridge, tea leaves in the cabinet, and hot water in the dispenser. Feel free to get whatever you want to drink yourself."
After a brief introduction, King sat back down and picked up his game controller. "By the way, do you play video games?"
"Play video games?"
After a moment of being stunned, Axel said in a deep voice, "Mr. King, I am here on behalf of the Hunter Self-Defense Force to ask you to teach us how to cultivate—"
"Stop," King interrupted Axel, waving his hand. He glanced at him askance. "I have nothing to teach you. If you want to get stronger, work hard yourselves! Ask me? I'm just an otaku who loves playing video games. How could I possibly teach you how to become stronger?"
"If you want to learn how to play video games, though, I could teach you a thing or two."
"Play video games?"
Axel frowned in thought. This was the third time King had mentioned playing video games. A powerful individual like King would never speak without purpose. Emphasizing playing video games three times in a row... hmm, could King be testing me through video games?
His eyes shining with understanding, he stared at King and chuckled softly, "Heh, in that case, Mr. King, I am willing to learn how to play video games with you."
"Oh, get your game controller ready."
King glanced curiously at the serious Axel. It was just playing a game for fun; did he really need to adopt such a solemn attitude?
"Actually, playing video games is very simple. It's nothing more than Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, BABA. Among these, Up, Down, Left, Right are the most basic character movement controls. Up is jump, Down is crouch to defend, the Left and Right buttons move forward and backward. A is punch, B is kick."
Although Axel had never played *King of Fighters*, he had heard of characters having 'special moves' in it, so he casually asked, "I heard that characters in King of Fighters have special moves?"
"Special moves?" King said indifferently. "Don't rush. Since you're just starting, the most important thing is to become proficient with the basic character movements. As long as you commit the combinations of various basic moves to memory, executing special moves will naturally fall into place. After all, what are called 'character special moves' are merely evolutions of individual basic movements."
"King really is teaching me how to play video games?"
Axel looked at King, who was gravely explaining game controls, and his heart was filled with confusion. *I came to learn how to become stronger, not to learn how to play video games...* Hmm, wait a minute. How could a powerful individual like King have the time, and be so patient, to teach me game techniques? If I put myself in his shoes, if I were King and didn't want to teach others how to become stronger, I would definitely turn them away, not waste precious training time explaining a bunch of useless game techniques.
That's not right! Could King's words contain a deeper meaning that I haven't grasped? What exactly is King trying to express?
He fell into deep thought: playing video games, mastering basic operations, naturally executing special moves...
Hmm? I understand!
His heart stirred. King's true intention wasn't to teach me how to play video games at all. He was trying to tell me the secret to cultivation through teaching game techniques! So-called 'playing video games' *is* cultivation! And 'game techniques' *are* cultivation secrets! King said that to play games well, one must first master the basic operations. This means he's telling me that to become stronger, the primary condition is to train my body well and lay a solid foundation. This is the prerequisite for becoming stronger. And later, King said that once the foundation is firm, becoming stronger (executing special moves) will naturally fall into place.
No, that's not all. King's words must have an even deeper meaning: there are no shortcuts in cultivation; only perseverance will do. Don't wish for instant success; a steady, down-to-earth approach is the right path.
Axel's face was solemn as he carefully savored King's words.
King looked at the dazed Axel, helplessness in his heart. "Sigh, stop overthinking. It seems you're not suited for playing video games." It takes him half a day just to learn basic game controls. If I were to teach him the button sequence for special moves, wouldn't he ponder it for an entire day?
King's sigh startled Axel, who was deep in thought about life's philosophy. He looked at the disappointed King, his heart sinking. *Is King utterly disappointed in me? So much so that he's even canceled the promised teaching? What exactly did I do wrong?* Oh, right, I was spacing out... That's it! While King was teaching, I zoned out. King must be using this to tell me that in cultivation, one must not be distracted; one must be fully focused and persevere to reach the shore of true strength.
He took a deep breath, then respectfully bowed to King. "Mr. King, I understand now. Please forgive my rudeness just now and continue to teach me your game techniques."
King stared at Axel, stunned. For the first time in his life, he felt a little moved. *There's actually someone in this world who so sincerely wants to learn game techniques? How rare!*
Seeing Axel's sincere attitude, King reluctantly picked up his controller again and instructed, "When playing games, technique is secondary. The key is to be quick-eyed and quick-handed, always paying attention to your opponent's movements, and then reacting quickly based on them. Either counterattack, dodge, or defend; don't just act recklessly."
Axel was deep in thought. *Judging the situation and acting accordingly? Seizing opportunities?* King is right. Their Hunter Self-Defense Force generally isn't strong. They cannot act recklessly against Mysterious Beings; they should use correct methods and strategies to hunt Mysterious Beings in an orderly, calm, and composed manner.
"Many people say that characters in King of Fighters have strengths and weaknesses, but that notion is quite laughable. In reality, there are no absolutely weak characters. Whether one can win depends on whether the player holding the controller knows how to play. If the player operates skillfully, even a character generally considered weak can slaughter those seemingly powerful characters."
Axel's pupils contracted. *Command? Is King telling me that as the captain and combat commander of the Hunter Self-Defense Force, I bear a great responsibility? Only if my command abilities are strong can I lead my teammates to victory?* Yes, indeed. In a battle, the role of the commander is incredibly crucial. If the command is proper, the battle can achieve twice the result with half the effort; otherwise, it will be half the result with twice the effort. So, it seems I still have much to learn!
His expression grave, he let out a soft sigh, "Hoo... So that's it. I understand again."
Thanks to Hatsune Miku for a lifetime of support (you want to support Hatsune Miku?) and Chen Dong's Team (dropping 'Team' would send it to heaven) for the tips~
(end of chapter)