Robson didn't let Jon off the hook. He followed closely, giving him no chance to catch his breath.
The previous blow had been powerful—heavy enough to leave Jon dazed, his thoughts spinning.
Luckily, he hadn't blacked out. [Stone Free] kept fighting in his place, parrying two rapid Nen bullets with sharp, precise punches. But something felt off. Jon could sense it—[Stone Free] wasn't strong or fast enough. Not yet. The Stand's speed was barely on par with Robson's, and with Jon's lack of experience, he couldn't press any advantage.
Robson was different from the reckless Jackmann. He was a trained Hunter, refined by years of combat and formal martial arts instruction. Each move was calculated. Jon found himself slowly pushed back, overwhelmed by the rhythm and tactics of a professional.
[Stone Free] began to falter under the pressure. Jon tried to reposition and find an opening.
Lying on the ground, he pushed himself up, only to be hit with a wave of dizziness.
"What the hell…? Why can't I stand up? Is this... a Nen technique?" Jon gritted his teeth and tried again, but his limbs refused to cooperate.
"You clueless brat," Robson scoffed, watching him struggle. "The human brain floats inside the skull. Take a solid blow to the chin, and it slams against the inside of the skull—classic concussion."
Jon blinked, stunned. So that's what this was.
Robson laughed and knocked [Stone Free] back with a sharp burst of power, then closed the distance in a flash.
"Sorry, kid. You lost."
He stood over Jon, whose awareness hadn't fully returned. No defense. No escape. Robson sighed inwardly—Jon was still just a rookie. Couldn't even use En properly. Beating Jackmann had been a fluke.
But his fist didn't hesitate.
The punch roared toward Jon's stomach like a cannonball—if it landed, the match would be over.
Jon's pupils shrank.
Too close. Too fast. [Stone Free] couldn't make it back in time.
So Jon gambled.
[Stone Free] shot past Robson's side and launched a punch at his back instead—aiming not to block, but to force him to hesitate.
But Robson smirked coldly. "You're too close for me to care."
His fist crashed into Jon's stomach—
—or rather, it passed through it.
Robson's eyes widened. "What...?!"
Facing him, Jon gave a toothy grin. "My [Stone Free] is made of thread. I can unravel my body—turn flesh into thread. I just usually keep it under my clothes so people don't freak out."
Then came the retaliation.
"ORA ORA ORAAAAA!"
A rain of fists hammered into Robson's back, driving him forward. Jon held back—it wasn't a death match, after all. No need for a seven-page beatdown.
Robson seemed to lose consciousness for a moment and fell forward.
Then suddenly—snap!
His hand shot out, grabbing Jon's shoulder, and he spun, slamming Jon into the ground with a brutal wrestling throw.
"Impossible...!" Jon gasped. "He took all those hits and still...!"
Robson groaned. "You think I didn't take damage? It hurt like hell. But I used Flow to reinforce my back before the barrage."
Jon's eyes narrowed. Of course—he couldn't see Nen clearly, so Robson had taken advantage of that.
Threads erupted from the holes in Jon's body, snaking out like a living net and binding Robson tight.
Jon smirked. "Looks like I win."
Robson glared at him. "You wish."
He opened his mouth wide.
BZZZT! A laser beam shot from his throat, grazing the ground beside Jon's head, leaving a line of scorched earth and trailing smoke.
Jon froze. Then swallowed.
"Alright! Alright! I give up! You psycho, are you trying to kill me?!"
He let the threads loosen and both collapsed to the ground, breathing hard.
Robson was tough—way tougher than he'd expected. Not just in strength, but skill. A true pro.
Jon had originally planned to ask for some Nen tips, but with Robson's smug expression, he decided against it.
He looked up at the sky, rain still drizzling.
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river… Don't bully the young and poor. Just wait until I get Wonder of U and Star Platinum—you'll be calling me daddy."
Jon noticed the golden coin counter from the system flicker and tick up again. It wasn't much—but it was something.
"Huh," he muttered, eyeing it. "I actually got gold from losing?"
The last time he fought Jackman, he'd been showered in coins for his victory. But this time? A loss—and still a reward. Small, sure, but it confirmed a hunch he'd been forming.
Five minutes later, Jon was grinning, despite the swelling around his eye and the blood crusting on his lip.
"I knew it. There's a bug in the system. This thing's broken. I'm gonna be invincible. Next year? I dominate the world!"
He turned back to Robson with the face of a lunatic. "Hit me again."
Robson blinked. "No. You're a freak."
"Lil' bro," Jon taunted, wincing but smirking, "don't tell me you can't handle a little tap?"
"Tf… You're a psychopath." Robson rubbed his temples. "This is the weirdest thing anyone's ever asked me to do..."
Still, the man obliged—and Jon got exactly what he wanted.
Each time Robson beat him down, Jon's system quietly rewarded him with a sliver of gold. It wasn't a huge payout, but five minutes of beatdown was equivalent to a whole week's worth of daily missions.
"Take the most poisonous beating... become the strongest person," Jon whispered to himself like a mantra, vision blurry but eyes gleaming.
At one point, he started looking at Robson like he was nothing more than a walking, talking gold coin. It was unsettling.
Ten minutes passed.
"Okay, okay, don't hit me! Stop!" Jon cried out, curled up in the dirt.
Apparently, the system had limits—he could only farm Robson three times a day. After that, Robson just kept punching because he was pissed.
Later That Evening...
Jon limped through the streets, body aching but spirit buzzing. The sky had darkened, and the city's neon lights buzzed faintly through the misty air.
He made it back to his apartment, locked the door behind him, and collapsed onto the couch with a groan.
He brought up the system interface with a flick of his fingers. The menu shimmered to life in the air before him.
Gold Coins: 143/200Daily Limit Reached (Robson: 3/3)Stand Draws Available: 1Next Unlock: 2nd Stand Slot (Unlocked)
Jon's eyes lit up. That last line.
Unlocked.
He sat up straight, every ache forgotten. "So… it's finally time."
He opened the draw menu, a shimmering wheel of Stand cards forming in front of him. Each one glowed faintly, indistinct and mysterious.
His heart raced. A second Stand would massively increase his potential. Depending on the synergy, it could change everything—his tactics, his survivability, his entire fighting style.
He took a deep breath.
"Alright. Let's see who fate gives me this time."
He tapped the draw button.
The cards spun rapidly, blurring together into a wheel of light.
One slowed down... stopped... and locked in with a metallic chime.
A single card floated forward.
Jon caught it.