After Jason Luo and Hebrey entered the ring from opposite sides, the referee briefly explained the rules and signaled them to touch gloves. Jason Luo extended his glove, but Hebrey ignored him, muttering through his mouthguard, "Kid, I'll put you down in the first round!"
Jason Luo pulled back his glove and glanced at the crowd. Kamman had rushed over, flashing a victory sign with both hands and shouting, "Go for it!"
The bell rang. The first round officially began.
Hebrey clearly didn't take Jason Luo seriously. The moment they clashed, he unleashed a fierce flurry of combination punches, aiming to finish the fight quickly. Jason Luo was forced onto the defensive.
But after weathering two waves of attacks, Jason Luo started to get a feel for him. Hebrey's heavy punches were much stronger than Jonathan's, but still within his tolerance. They seemed about the same level as Reches's. His punch speed was faster than Jason Luo's, but the gap wasn't huge. If that's the case… what makes you so arrogant?
Jason Luo decided it was time to counterattack. Let's see how much punishment you can really take!
Taking advantage of Hebrey finishing a barrage, Jason Luo immediately launched a combination of his own. That set Hebrey off. In his mind, if Jason Luo had just stuck to defense, maybe he could have lasted into the second round. But counterattacking? That was basically asking for death!
Hebrey figured this was the best chance to knock Jason Luo out. Suddenly, both fighters abandoned defense altogether and went into an all-out slugfest...
The crowd was stunned. On a boxing stage, the norm is one attacking while the other defends, or one attacking while the other dodges. But two men standing toe-to-toe, trading full-power shots? That was madness—this was fighting with their lives!
The arena erupted.
"What the fuck! You can fight like this? This is insane! Come on, hit him harder!"
People jumped to their feet, shouting wildly.
"Take him out! Oh no—he ate that punch like nothing? Damn it, I need a drink, this is too fucking good!"
Chaos swept the stands. The waiters were grinning ear to ear, running everywhere with beer orders—every glass was extra commission.
While the audience was thrilled, Raul and Kamman were nearly panicking. Had Jason Luo lost his mind? If he kept this up, someone could die! They had drilled defensive strategies into him before the match—so why was he brawling like this the moment he got in the ring?
Raul already had the white towel clenched in his hand. If Jason Luo showed the slightest sign of collapse, he'd throw it in immediately. This fighting style was just too dangerous.
Less than a minute into the round, the two had already exchanged sixty or seventy punches. And unbelievably, both of these monsters had taken them all. But stamina isn't infinite. Soon their punches grew lighter and slower, until neither had any strength left.
At that point, further fighting was meaningless. They backed off simultaneously, gasping for air…
They had endured it, but once they stepped back, the damage was clear—both of their faces were swollen beyond recognition, features distorted and puffing up more with every second.
Jason Luo felt his eyes nearly swollen shut. His head was buzzing, dizzy and numb—he couldn't even feel pain anymore. Damn, this brute can really take a beating. No wonder they call him the Little Bulldozer.
Hebrey, on the other hand, was in total shock. He had miscalculated. He thought this kid was just a rookie pushover—an easy KO win that would pad his record and impress the rich woman he'd just hooked up with. But this guy was tough as iron. How was he supposed to crack him?
Even the referee was at a loss. By the rules, fighters weren't allowed to rest mid-round. But here, both had practically lost all ability to fight. What was he supposed to do?
Luckily, the bell rang, ending the first round. The crowd groaned in frustration. That wild slugfest was cut short? Everyone was left wanting more...
Back in his corner, Jason Luo collapsed onto his stool. Raul rushed forward, wiping his sweat with a towel before pulling out ointments from the medical kit, applying them quickly as he scolded, "My God! You fool, have you gone insane? Fighting like that is suicide! Don't ever let pride drive you again!"
"No, Mr. Raul," Jason Luo said calmly. "His punch speed is faster than mine. If I play for points, I'll lose. To beat him, I have to fight head-on. Don't worry, sir, I can still handle his heavy punches."
"No, no, Jason, it's too dangerous. Even if we haven't signed the contract yet, I'm responsible for you. Listen—if you keep this up, I'll throw in the towel myself. I promise, even if we lose this match, the contract still stands, alright?" Raul was terrified. If Jason Luo kept fighting like this, something bad would happen—and this was only round one.
"No! Don't throw the towel!" Jason Luo panicked. "Sir, please trust me. I can do this. If you throw it in, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. I'm begging you, give me one chance to prove myself..."
Raul hesitated. If something happened to Jason Luo, what would he say to his father once he got out of the hospital?
In the stands, fans were buzzing about the match. Sonny looked particularly excited. "This is one of the rarest fights I've ever seen. That kid's physical strength is incredible—he dares to fight like that! And it doesn't look like Hebrey's heavy punches are hurting him much. At this rate, the outcome's impossible to predict."
He gave Pedro a meaningful glance, but Pedro's brows were furrowed deeply. He just couldn't figure it out—how could a newcomer to the boxing world have such insane durability? Could it be this kid trained in some kind of iron-body conditioning?
By the ring, Raul was still wavering. Jason Luo, seeing his hesitation, knew his time was running out. He pulled up his system panel and quickly assigned two Free Attribute Points to his Rear heavy punch and Punch Speed. Then he pleaded again, "Sir, I beg you—just one more round. Please believe in me. No matter what happens, don't throw in the towel!"
This time, Kamman spoke up. "I say give him another chance. Hebrey's under pressure too, and he's burned a lot of stamina. At this point, it all comes down to willpower. If he can't hold on, he's finished."
"That's right, that's right!" Jason Luo jumped in, anxious. "If you're ready to throw the towel at any moment, how am I supposed to fight?"
"This…" Raul wiped sweat from his forehead. But seeing Jason Luo's desperate, pleading eyes, he couldn't bring himself to crush his spirit. Finally, he sighed. "Alright. But be careful—this is no joke!"
...
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