Kanye and his friends burst into laughter.
"Boss, I'm sorry—I think he's a comedian, not a participant," the fat boy said.
"I think you may be right," Kanye replied, laughing.
"Go ahead and laugh," Harden said calmly. "But I believe actions speak louder than words. So why don't I show you?"
He stepped onto the platform.
"You shouldn't have tried to show off," Harden added. "Though I guess I should thank you. You've helped me learn a useful skill… and the best part? I can make it even better."
Harden smiled. He hadn't fully mastered using two skills at once for long, but after all his training, he was confident he could handle a minute.
He activated the assassin's skill Reflexive Riposte, and at the same time, the warrior's Skull Reinforcement.
The alarm buzzed—the game had started. Three lights flashed so quickly they seemed to blink as one.
Hit. Sidestep. Knee. Block. Jump. Palm strike. Elbow block.
Harden thought each move as he dodged, blocked, and struck the panels the moment they appeared.
"This guy… he's incredibly fast," Kanye said, disbelief in his voice.
"I didn't know Harden was this good," Kyle thought. "He's so fast, the panels don't even reach him—he goes to them. Like he's attacking them."
Three green lights flashed. Harden performed a triple kick, hitting each panel in rapid succession.
Then a red light— a panel shot toward him while he was mid-air. Harden twisted and dodged it with a backflip.
That was close, he thought.
He kept going. It looked like he might not only beat the high score—he might never lose.
"Hey Chase," Kanye called.
"Yes, boss?" the fat kid replied.
"You know what to do."
At those words, Chase rushed at Kyle, who was completely focused on the game, and grabbed him.
"I can tell you're from the assassin class," Kanye said. "So you probably have the poison skill. But my poison—it's mixed with toxins and venoms. You'll be immobile for a while."
Then Chase shot icicles at Harden, who was still on the platform. But Harden didn't falter—he continued dodging both panels and icicles.
He caught one mid-air—and slammed it into Kanye's face.
"Boss!" Chase cried, rushing to Kanye's side.
"You guys piss me off," Harden growled. A green light flashed. He slammed his fist into the panel so hard it sank back into the machine with a loud bang.
"That guy's scary," Chase whimpered, staring at Harden.
Harden was now in the last 10 seconds. The panels were moving faster than ever. Lights flashed like a disco ball.
Right foot block. Blink step. Dodge. Left hook. Right hook. Thigh kick. Dodge left. Elbow block—
Right jab!
Harden screamed as he punched the final panel. It cracked from the force, slamming into the machine so hard that other panels were misaligned—some even popped out.
Ding!
He'd passed. And of course, the high score updated—"HB" now sat at the top.
Harden stepped off the platform, eyes locked on Kanye.
"My name's Harden Blade. And pray we don't meet in the competition—because I won't hold back against any jackass like you."
He helped Kyle up. None of the boys said a word.
"This guy… he's dangerous," Kanye whispered, terrified.