Part-116

  As they (James and Zia) caught their breath, James felt a deep sense of aplishment. He had e a long way since his first day at the Judo club.

  The primary reason James had the upper hand against the experienced Zia wasn't just because of his basic Judo skill set, but also due to his superior stats.

  Currently, James boasted a biat total of 132 points, whereas Zia had only 93 points. The difference arent and pyed a signifit role in their match.

  Zia, catg his breath, smiled wryly. "Looks like I o practice more. I didn't expect to lose to you in terms of pure Judo teique."

  James smiled back. "You’re still superior when it es to Judo teique."

  Zia chuckled and said, "You’re really something else. You're a natural in bat. You should sider joining the defense forces or the police. You’d excel there."

  "You think so? I wish I could be one," James replied thoughtfully. "But I want to be a detective, like my third uncle."

  Zia looked surprised. "Oh, your uncle is a detective? That’s cool!"

  James grinned. "I knht? Detectives are cool."

  Their versation tinued as they cooled down, both refleg oense sparring session. Zia couldn’t help but admire James’ rapid progress and raw talent. Despite his superior Judo teiques, he realized that James' enhanced physical attributes made him a formidable oppo.

  James, oher hand, felt a renewed sense of purpose. He appreciated Zia’s encement and was motivated by the idea of one day following in his uncle's footsteps. The jouro being a detective seemed more attaih each passing day.

  As they ed up their training session, James couldn't shake off the excitement of his ret victory. He knew he had a long way to go, but the taste ress was sweet. The bination of his stats and growing skills gave him fidence, and he was eager to see where this path would lead him.

  As James packed his gear, preparing to leave the Judo club, he noticed an unusual se unfolding on the far side of the mat. Ryan and Sourov, usually engaged in their own interaining sessions, were huddled together, their faces illuminated by the s of a smartphohere alpable tension in their body nguage, a stark trast to their usual camaraderie.

  Curiosity piqued, James approached the duo, his voice cutting through the silent tension. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked, his tone casual.

  Ryan, visibly startled, quickly lowered the phone, a flush of embarrassment c his cheeks. "Oh, it's nothing," he stammered, a forced ugh esg his lips.

  Sourov, however, seemed less ed about hiding the situation. "Sourov ordered a camera," he expined, his voice ced with frustration. "A really good one, but cheap."

  James raised an eyebrow. "And?" he prompted, his i piqued.

  "And," Sourov tinued, his voice filled with exasperation, "the seller isn't responding. He already paid an advance, and now he is worried he scammed us."

  James nodded in uanding. Scams involving online purchases were being increasingly on. He felt a pang of sympathy for Sourov. Losing money was always unpleasant, but losing money on something you've been looking forward to was even worse.