After Jason Luo closed the distance, Kuhn retreated step by step. Yet under Jason Luo's relentless assault, he couldn't break free. Unable to unleash his long legs and lacking close-range techniques, he found himself trapped in a defensive position, taking blow after blow.
Even though Jason Luo was only using light jabs with his lead hand, a bare-knuckle strike to the face was devastating. Kuhn's face quickly contorted in pain...
"Stop! We concede this round. No more fighting!" The white man in charge, seeing the situation, urgently called for a halt.
Jason Luo promptly withdrew his fist. Having defeated two opponents, he now had a clearer understanding of this style of taekwondo: it simply wasn't practical. While the leg techniques were indeed flashy and fluid, they were all style with little substance. The kicks lacked true power, the practitioners couldn't take a hit, and their close-range options were practically nonexistent. For fitness, maybe it worked. But in real combat...
"Ding! Congratulations on defeating your opponent in an off-ring battle. The Greedy Wolf Talent has extracted one point each in Leg Technique and Leg Strength from your opponent's superior attributes. Please check your stats."
Clap, clap, clap.
Instead of panicking after seeing both companions beaten, the leader began clapping lightly. "Haha, never thought you actually had some skill, kid. Not bad, not bad. But next, I'll show you what real taekwondo is!"
With that, he shed his outer garment, tightened his belt, and slowly raised one leg. Suspended in midair, he unleashed over a dozen rapid kicks in succession. The air whistled as his kicks cut through. And he wasn't done—after the flurry, he lifted his leg even higher, holding it straight up in a skyward kick. Through it all, his body stayed perfectly steady, without the slightest wobble...
Jason Luo's expression hardened. This man was on another level. He could feel it—the aura alone was leagues above the other two.
He didn't yet know how much power lay behind it, but Jason Luo had to admit: those moves looked damn impressive. It was as if the man's legs were spring-loaded. He grew wary.
The man lowered his leg, pressed his fists together in front of him, and bowed his head with a solemn look. "Practical Taekwondo disciple, Philgen. Please grant me your guidance!"
What the hell? Just a moment ago in the pharmacy, this guy was acting like a thug. Now he was suddenly all polite? Seeing his serious expression, Jason Luo clasped his fist and returned the bow. "Boxer Jason Luo. Please guide me. But before we start—what do you mean by Practical Taekwondo? Is it different from theirs?"
Philgen glanced at his two companions. "Yes. They train in competitive taekwondo. I practice the oldest, most traditional form of Practical Taekwondo from the Korean Peninsula. That's why you're doomed to lose today!"
"Oh!" Jason Luo didn't dare underestimate him. He calmed his breathing, tightened his guard. Unlike the previous two, Philgen didn't rush forward recklessly. He crouched into a half-bow stance and closed the distance step by step.
When they reached striking range, neither made the first move. They locked eyes for a brief instant—then, with a sharp shout, Philgen attacked!
A chain of kicks exploded forth—a flying back kick, a swift snap kick, a sweeping roundhouse, a low leg sweep, then an upward skyward kick...
So fast!
Jason Luo was stunned!
His attack speed was at least twice that of the other two!
And his legs carried real power. Taking multiple hits from those would be no joke—legs were thicker than arms, and the force behind each strike was naturally greater.
On top of that, his arsenal was far more varied, mixing in knees and elbows. Jason Luo was forced backward again and again, left with nothing but defense. He couldn't even find a chance to punch.
And his defense wasn't airtight either. As a boxer, Jason Luo only trained upper-body defense—he had no drills for protecting his lower body. Philgen's kicks landed there again and again. Still, Jason Luo's size advantage and full-body Toughness attribute kept the damage manageable—for now.
But Philgen quickly noticed this weakness. He shifted his assault, hammering Jason Luo's lower body with relentless force.
This gave Jason Luo his first real opening to counter. He snapped out punches—only to see Philgen calmly parry them with his hands, neutralizing the jabs with ease.
Jason Luo realized he couldn't hold back any longer. Otherwise, he really might lose!
He launched a rear heavy punch straight for Philgen's chest. The head was too risky—if he landed clean there, the consequences could be serious...
Philgen, unaware of the danger, still tried to parry with his hand. But this time, his wrist took the full brunt of Jason Luo's fist. The impact sent him staggering back several steps before he steadied himself.
Philgen blinked in surprise, shaking out his stinging wrist. "Heavy punch. Not bad, kid. Again!"
This time, both men grew cautious. Jason Luo kept his focus on Philgen's legs. If Philgen targeted the lower body again, he'd answer with a heavy punch.
After several exchanges, Philgen's brows furrowed. This wasn't working. The boxing kid was too tough—kicks to his legs barely fazed him, while taking one of Jason Luo's punches actually hurt. Time to change tactics.
Philgen switched back to attacking Jason Luo's face, drawing his guard high before slipping in heavy kicks to the lower body. Now Jason Luo was taking damage without any chance to counter.
Jason Luo's toughness was great, but even he couldn't take endless punishment. His knees and hips began to ache. Frustration boiled over. Damn it, this was suffocating! His opponent's speed was too much, his legs too long. Under such pressure, landing a clean punch was nearly impossible.
He had tried punching before, but Philgen simply leaned back out of range, then blasted him with a front kick that shoved him back.
The repeated strikes were wearing down his joints. If his movement faltered, he was finished!
Furious, Jason Luo punched directly at Philgen's leg mid-kick. The blow landed squarely on his shin, making Philgen hiss through his teeth in pain...
The storm of kicks stopped dead. Both froze in shock!
Then it hit Jason Luo—of course! Legs aren't some special weapon—they're just part of the body. Why keep aiming only for his head? Ha! That's it. Every time he kicks, I'll punch his leg. Break him down at the source!
Philgen went pale. From Jason Luo's expression, he knew he was in trouble. This kid was going to start targeting his legs. Against a normal fighter, fists couldn't match legs. But Jason Luo's punches were different—too heavy. Philgen couldn't take that kind of damage!
Now he dared not throw his legs recklessly. He could only sneak in quick kicks when Jason Luo wasn't ready. But the moment the pressure eased, Jason Luo lunged forward.
Philgen had only one reliable answer to such charges: a front kick. But every time he kicked Jason Luo away, his leg ate a heavy punch in return.
After just two exchanges, Philgen couldn't stand it anymore. Planting his toes on the ground, he waved his hands frantically. "I quit! I quit! This isn't fair!"
Jason Luo frowned. This guy had been kicking him nonstop before, and now, after just a few punches, he was giving up? That didn't sit right with him.
"No way! We haven't decided the winner yet. Come on!"
"I'm done!" Philgen plopped onto the ground. "You win, you win! But this isn't fair—you're too damn tough! I kicked you all day and you didn't even flinch. Freak!"
Jason Luo laughed. "That's your own lack of skill. Don't blame me. Still, I'll admit—your kicks looked sharp and fast. Just not enough power."
Philgen gave him a sour look. "Fine. Just wait, kid. Give me two more years—I'll come back for you."
Jason Luo suddenly found himself liking this guy. He reached out and pulled Philgen up. "Alright, I'll be waiting. We'll have another match then. How's the leg—still okay?"
Philgen planted his toes on the ground and muttered stubbornly, "No problem. These past couple days I've been under the weather—that's the only reason you got lucky!"
"Hahaha..."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser