"Next group: Jason Luo, Abram Papari Plaka… Uh! Sorry, contestant, but it's your turn to step in." The referee at Competition Point 79 looked a little embarrassed.
Jason Luo finally saw his opponent—a young kid, fresh-faced but lively. When both men shed their jackets, Jason Luo's muscular physique immediately drew attention. After enhancing his Strength and refining his natural agility, his body was nearly perfect. His complexion only made him stand out even more.
Raul tied his gloves, fitted the mouthguard, and dabbed on a little Vaseline. After the referee's final inspection, the match began.
Even though this was just the audition stage, Jason Luo didn't dare relax. Losing even once could derail his advancement—he needed a flawless record. That meant treating every opponent seriously. At the opening bell, Jason Luo held a defensive stance, planning to size up his rival first. But neither threw a punch. They just stood there, locked in a battle of patience...
The crowd chuckled at the stalemate. In the preliminaries, this wasn't unusual—better to stay cautious when you didn't know your opponent's strength.
Finally, the fighter called Abu made the first move, firing off a quick standard combo. His Punch Speed was sharp, his offense looking fierce.
Jason Luo slipped aside, then deliberately absorbed one shot behind his guard to test its power. He frowned instantly—not because it hurt, but because it was too light. No sting, no threat. Still, that had only been a lead punch. Some fighters built their game around rear heavy hands...
But Abu kept up the flurry—six, seven punches in a row. If Jason Luo didn't counter soon, he'd lose momentum. After parrying a left hook, he launched his counter: a rear-hand uppercut angled straight for the jaw. Abu had been braced for this, pulling back to defend as soon as Jason Luo threw. But he hadn't expected the raw force packed behind it. Even though the shot landed on his gloves, Jason Luo now knew how to channel power—from his core, chest, and arms all at once. The impact was nothing like before training.
"Boom!" The Jamaican fighter felt the shockwave surge through his gloves into his jaw, then explode like a cannon. His head whipped violently to the side...
Damn—that was terrifying!
Abu stumbled back, panic on his face. Even with his head whipping to absorb most of the force, that was while blocking. What if he'd taken it clean? He didn't dare imagine.
Back in school, Abu had always dominated sports—basketball, boxing, you name it. When the Golden Gloves opened, he signed up to test himself. But his very first match threw him against Jason Luo. That single punch shattered his confidence. He'd never risk taking Jason Luo's rear hand directly again...
This was the difference in power!
Whether or not you carried true menace was clear the moment you threw a punch—your opponent knew instantly.
...
In the ring, it's all about strength and guts. Abu now lacked both. Though Jason Luo had thrown only one punch, Abu instantly switched to full defense, backing away from center ring and circling.
Jason Luo was honestly stunned his opponent was this weak. Seriously? No heavy shots, no durability—and he still dared enter a major tournament?
As soon as Abu started circling, Jason Luo pressed forward, seized center ring, and began cutting off space to trap him. Abu tried to adapt, flicking out jabs to keep distance. But Jason Luo ignored them, ducked low, and surged inside, unloading a furious combination straight to the head!
Abu tried to clinch, but Jason Luo's heavy left hook knocked him off balance. Before he could recover, a body shot crashed through his guard, sending him staggering until he slammed into the ropes, snapping the barrier, and fell flat in the sand.
The skill gap was massive.
Jason Luo realized then just how far he'd grown from ordinary fighters without even noticing. He couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
Abu scrambled up, but the referee was already counting. He wasn't badly hurt, but he knew—he had no chance. Their levels weren't even close. Like a high schooler bullying an elementary kid, the fear alone made it pointless to keep going.
Abu lowered his head and shook it, signaling surrender. The referee, almost relieved, quickly declared Jason Luo the winner. The next bout began immediately.
...
"Ding. Congratulations on defeating your opponent in an official match. The Greedy Wolf talent has automatically extracted one point of Punch Speed from your opponent's superior attributes. Additionally, for achieving the milestone of five consecutive wins, the system has awarded you one free Attribute Point. Please check your stats."
That was it?
Seriously?
He'd thrown maybe five punches—three blocked, not a single clean hit—and he won?
After nearly a month of grueling training for this tournament, Jason Luo felt a wave of disappointment rise in him...
Tony Huo, filming with his phone, was fuming. Damn it! This clip won't even get clicks online. That Jamaican kid—couldn't he hold out a little longer? Why quit so fast?
What a waste of a match!
Jason Luo felt no excitement at all. To anyone watching, he looked more like the loser. Dejected, he returned to his coach and Raul—only to find neither even looking at him. Their eyes were locked on another fight. "Ha, that kid's finished. His punches are slow, and his defense is wide open."
"I'm not so sure. His rear-hand hook is dangerous. Coach Pedro, want to bet on it…"
...
Jason Luo's temper flared. What the hell was this? Ignoring their own fighter to watch somebody else?
"Coach, I won!" he shouted.
"Oh? Done already? Pack it up, then." Pedro didn't even blink. Raul quietly removed his gloves and mouthguard, saying nothing.
Jason Luo pressed again. "Did you hear me? I won! Can't you at least react?"
Raul chuckled. "What do you want us to say? The moment you threw your first punch, Coach Pedro knew the outcome. You just got lucky with a rookie. Still, one round's down. But you've got two more. Keep that record perfect. Don't expect freebies every time. Look around—there are plenty of real fighters here. Don't get careless."
Jason Luo finally glanced around. Sure enough, most other matches were brutal—fighters hitting the canvas, then getting back up to fight again under roaring cheers...
Yeah. Getting an easy draw here wasn't bad at all. Beyond auditions, he wouldn't lack for tough battles. No need to rush.
PS: Look, I didn't mean for Jason Luo to win this easily. Do you believe me?