The bell rang again, marking the start of the second round. The crowd erupted in cheers. People everywhere were the same—when it came to boxing, the bigger the spectacle, the more thrilling it was!
Just as Jason Luo turned, Kamman shouted, "Jason!" and discreetly pointed to his abdomen. Jason immediately understood. Right—Hebrey's head had shown remarkable toughness, but his abdomen and internal organs were another story. He could try targeting the body.
As the round began, Jason Luo, having regained stamina through the system's special effect after allocating Free Attribute Points, was in peak condition. Hebrey, on the other hand, hadn't fully recovered. Worse, his mindset had shifted—the fight had already veered far from his pre-match plan.
Seeing Jason Luo charge at him with relentless ferocity, Hebrey began to feel uneasy. Damn it, he had run into a reckless kid. At Jason's age, he feared nothing. Even after taking such a beating, he was still charging forward—all for just three thousand dollars? Was his life worth so little?
But Jason Luo was already on him, leaving Hebrey no choice but to meet the attack. This time, though, he refused to abandon his guard. Instead of going head-to-head again, he chose to defend and wait for an opening to counter.
It was the logical strategy. But after the explosive exchanges of the first round, the audience's expectations had risen sky-high. They had come to watch a slugfest. If the rookie had the guts to keep going, how could Hebrey back down? The crowd erupted in boos…
Hebrey had his plan: control the pace, let Jason exhaust himself, then strike when his stamina dropped.
Brat, no matter how tough you are, you're still just a rookie. When it comes to experience, you're miles behind!
But the moment Jason Luo's heavy punch slammed into him, Hebrey felt danger. Impossible! In their last exchange, both had nearly spent all their stamina. There was no way Jason could have fully recovered so quickly.
Without enough stamina, his punches should have weakened. Yet Jason's heavy punches were even stronger!
Not only that, but with his improved Punch Speed, Jason unleashed a storm of combination punches that left Hebrey unable to raise his guard, showing no signs of tiring.
If the first round had ended evenly, this second round was all Jason Luo. The dramatic turnaround stunned everyone.
"Oh my god! Buddy, this kid must be juicing. How else did he suddenly get this fierce? Keep it up, kid! That guy can't hold on much longer!" Sonny shouted excitedly from the crowd.
Pedro's expression tightened, his eyes fixed on Jason Luo. The kid had caught his full attention. As a professional coach, he immediately noticed the difference—compared to his debut, Jason Luo's Punch Speed, Reaction, and combination punching had all improved. With sharper reaction, he no longer looked clumsy...
Jason Luo paid no mind to the crowd. With stamina to spare, he fought with mounting rhythm, each punch sharper and more fluid.
Since Hebrey refused to trade blows and stuck to his defense, Jason had only one option: break through with sheer force. Hooks, crosses, uppercuts, and combinations—head shots followed by body shots—he treated Hebrey like a heavy bag!
Hebrey couldn't hold on any longer.
His toughness was solid, and his guard fairly tight, but against Jason's relentless, multi-angle assault, his defense inevitably began to crack.
Jason hadn't forgotten Kamman's advice to attack the liver. But his attempts had either been blocked or ineffective. It was only when he landed a crushing shot to Hebrey's ribs by chance that he saw results—Hebrey winced, baring his teeth, his guard dropping.
Jason's eyes lit up. He went all in, hammering his fists into Hebrey's ribs. After only four or five solid blows, Hebrey collapsed, one knee on the canvas, his face drained of color in pain.
The referee immediately jumped in and began the count. Hebrey glanced at the crowd, gritted his teeth, and forced himself up. But his injured side left him unable to raise his guard. The referee, experienced enough to know the fight was done, waved his hands.
The match was over.
Victory!
Jason Luo sprinted to the ropes, spat out his mouthguard, and shouted to Raul and Kamman, "Mr. Raul, I did it! Ha ha—I beat him!"
Raul and Kamman climbed into the ring, laughing. "Jason, that was incredible! What a fight!"
"Congratulations, Jason. You've taken down your first real challenge. Who would've thought Hebrey's weak spot was his ribs…"
The three embraced, savoring the joy of victory. But the referee didn't give them much time—this wasn't a championship bout. The result was quickly announced: Jason Luo had won by technical knockout.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, on another victory. The Greedy Wolf talent has extracted one point each of Jab Power and Recovery from the opponent's superior attributes. You've also achieved the minor achievement 'Rising Star,' earning two Free Attribute Points and one small reward draw. Please check your inventory!"
As Jason stepped down from the ring, the audience showered him with applause. Fans loved this hard-hitting, brawler style. Some even coined a nickname for him.
"Hey, kid, that was amazing! From now on, we'll call you the Iron Bull, ha ha!"
Jason pressed his fists together in thanks, though he didn't much care for the nickname. Still, he kept quiet.
Back in the locker room, Raul and Kamman pressed ice packs against his swollen face. Jason, still buzzing with excitement, said, "Sir, now that I've won, can we sign the contract?"
"Of course!" Raul said while unstrapping his gloves. "But Jason, once you sign, I'll control your training, diet, and fights. You're used to freedom—you may find it hard to adjust. You'll need to think carefully about this."
"Also, after signing, I'll pay you a monthly salary. But I'll take sixty percent of your fight winnings, and I'll work on finding you a professional coach. You'll need to be prepared for that. Of course, you're free to work with another manager if you want."
"No way!" Jason laughed. "Mr. Raul, I trust you. Don't worry—I won't let you down."
Raul chuckled. "You really shouldn't trust people so easily. Let's review the contract details tomorrow before you decide."
...
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