MAXIMUS: System Of The Underdog

Chapter 19 – The Unlikely Bodyguard

The school break the next day felt heavier than usual. Max leaned against the wall of the courtyard, staring at the ground as though the tiles themselves had answers hidden beneath them. Lois stood in front of him, hands on her hips, repeating his own words from the day before with a sharp look on her face.

“So… let me get this straight,” she said slowly, raising a brow. “You lost the check, and now you have no choice but to take up my father’s offer?”

Max sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. That’s basically it. Not like I planned for it. But what else can I do?”

Lois tilted her head, studying him with that mischievous spark she always had in her eyes. Then, suddenly, she leaned closer. “Max… do you own a suit?”

Max blinked. “A suit? What does that have to do with—”

“Never mind,” Lois cut him off with a wave of her hand, smirking. “Don’t worry about it. After school, I’ll get you one.”

Max frowned. “Wait, what—”

The bell rang, cutting off his question. Lois simply winked and marched off toward her class.

When school was finally over, Max barely had time to grab his bag before Lois appeared, practically dragging him by the arm. “Come on, no wasting time,” she ordered.

“Where are we even going?!” Max complained, stumbling after her.

“You’ll see.”

She hauled him straight to her car. The driver was waiting by the door, looking bewildered as Lois climbed in and shoved Max inside with her. Once seated, Lois turned sharply toward the driver.

“Give me your suit.”

The driver blinked. “...Pardon, Miss?”

“Your suit. Now. No questions. Hand it over.”

The man hesitated, staring between Max and Lois. “But, young lady, why would I—”

“There’s no time! Just give it to me!” Lois snapped.

Grumbling under his breath, the driver shrugged off his jacket, quickly followed by his tie and neatly pressed shirt. Lois grabbed it all and shoved it into Max’s arms.

“Here. Put it on later. You’re going in as a recruit.”

Max’s eyes widened. “Recruit? What are you talking about?!”

Lois leaned back in her seat with a sly smile. “You’ll understand soon enough.”

By the time Max could demand a real explanation, the car had already stopped in front of a tall, modern-looking building with tinted windows. Before he could even move, Lois shoved him out of the car, tossed the suit onto his chest, and rolled down her window.

“Good luck, Max!” she called sweetly, before the car sped away, leaving him standing there utterly confused.

“…What in the world just happened?” Max muttered, clutching the suit.

After changing in the bathroom, Max walked toward the entrance, the sleeves slightly loose on him. Two large men in black suits stood at the door.

“You’re late,” one of them growled. “Get in.”

Still dazed, Max obeyed. Inside, he was greeted by the sight of at least two dozen grown men, all dressed in suits, sitting silently with intimidating stares. The air was heavy with tension, like walking into a lion’s den.

Max raised a hand nervously. “Uh… hi?”

No one responded. He sat down beside a broad-shouldered man and whispered, “Hey, uh, what exactly is this place?”

The man gave him a strange look. “You serious? This is a job interview. For bodyguards.”

Max froze. “Bodyguards?”

Before he could process that, a door opened and a sharp-voiced man in another suit stepped out.

“The first task,” he announced, “is the physical test.”

Max was given gym clothes and led into a training hall where weights and wooden dummies were set up. He started with the weightlifting challenge. Nervously, he grabbed the bar and managed to lift eighty kilograms. Gasps echoed through the hall.

Not long after, another competitor stepped up and heaved one hundred kilograms with ease, earning impressed murmurs from the crowd.

Max felt their eyes on him, but instead of competing further, he moved on to the reflex test. He struck at the wooden target with rapid precision, his blows clean and sharp.

The man who had lifted the hundred kilograms watched him carefully. His lips twisted into a smirk. “You look strong, kid,” he said. “Too bad you’re in Group A, and I’m Group B. I won’t get the chance to fight you.”

He suddenly grabbed a glass of water from a nearby table and splashed it over Max’s head. The hall went silent, waiting for Max’s reaction.

But instead of anger, Max simply grinned and said, “Thanks. That was refreshing.”

The man’s smirk faltered, and he clenched his fists tightly before walking off.

On his way out, he bumped shoulders with a heavyset man and sneered, “Move along, fatty.”

The fat man stopped, eyes narrowing. “What did you say?”

But before the tension could explode, the instigator noticed the fat man’s name tag. Group A. A wicked idea came to him.

Minutes later, the announcer called for two people from Group A to face each other in a sparring match. The room was silent. One by one, the competitors avoided stepping forward. It turned out Max had already beaten them all during earlier trials.

“I’ll fight him,” the smirking strongman from Group B suddenly declared, pointing straight at Max.

The announcer frowned. “You’re not in the same group—”

“There’s no one else left in Group A. If he doesn’t fight me, then there’s no match.”

Reluctantly, the announcer agreed.

The room buzzed with whispers. “Poor kid… he’s fighting a successor of the Cheon Moo Do style!”

Max tilted his head, curious. “Cheon Moo Do, huh? Sounds fancy.” His cocky smile irritated the crowd.

The man smirked. “I’ll even give you the first strike. I’ll count to ten. If you haven’t beaten me by then, you lose.”

He began counting down. “Ten… nine… eight—”

Max didn’t wait. With one swift, perfectly-timed strike, he smashed his fist into the side of the man’s head. The successor collapsed instantly.

The entire hall went silent.

Max dusted off his hands. “That’s it?” he asked casually.

The spectators were speechless. Even more shocking, Max had unknowingly mimicked the very founder of Cheon Moo Do’s strike—thanks to Grimm’s soul link using the soul of lee so hype .

Slow clapping broke the silence. Everyone turned to see Hank—Lois’s father—standing near the entrance. Beside him was Lois, who waved at Max with a grin.

“I told you he could fight,” Lois whispered to the man beside her.

The head of the bodyguards, a stern figure named Hal Allen, stepped forward and extended his hand. “Impressive. My name is Hal Allen. I’m in charge of protecting Lois and her father. And from today… so are you.”

Max blinked. “Wait, what—”

Hal smirked. “Don’t bother introducing yourself. I already know your name. Hank told me about a boy who not only fights but protects his daughter. I didn’t believe him until I saw it myself.”

Lois giggled. “See? Told you I had an idea.”

Hal continued, “You’ve got the job, Max. Don’t worry—you won’t always need to be around Lois. Others can step in if you’re busy.”

Hank then approached Max personally, his expression warm. “Lois told me about your… lost check problem.”

He handed Max a heavy briefcase. Max opened it, eyes widening at the stacks of cash inside.

“With this,” Hank said with a smirk, “you can’t lose your money again, right?”

Speechless, Max nodded.

As Lois led him back to the car, Max turned to her and said, “Thanks, Lois. Really.”

But Lois shook her head. “No, Max. Thank you—for always saving me.”

The car doors closed, and as it pulled away, Max leaned back in the seat, humming happily, the weight of confusion finally lifting from his chest.