Won't Waste Much of Your Time

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Marines, muscles straining, hammered thick wooden posts into the hard ground. Soon, ropes were stretched tight and tied to these posts. In just minutes, a simple square ring, about ten meters wide, was ready for a fight.

The Marine Training Field, usually a place for tough exercises, was now buzzing with excitement. Everyone was watching the ring. Even the Instructors, known for their stern faces, stood at the edge, curiosity clear in their eyes.

"Go, Linus! Teach that Rookie a lesson!"

"Show that upstart who's boss! He's been getting too cocky!"

The older Marines shouted their support, their voices a mix of friendship and jealousy. They wished they were the ones in the ring, giving the Rookie a beating. The Instructors usually favored promising newcomers, but Roya's quick success had made some of the other Marines bitter.

Inside the ring, the two fighters stood ready, not even a meter apart.

"They call me Reinforced Fist," Linus said in a deep, rough voice.

He bent down and picked up a sharp rock. He held it, feeling its weight. Then, with a sudden, powerful squeeze, his knuckles turned white. The veins on his hand stood out like thick ropes. In a show of incredible strength, he crushed the hard stone into a pile of dust.

"See that!"

Linus opened his hand, letting the stone dust fall to the ground. "My grip is stronger than a ton. I can crush stone, I can crush bone. That's why they call me Reinforced Fist." He grinned, his teeth looking too big for his mouth.

"Impressive!" Roya said, sounding genuinely amazed.

Roya, about 187 centimeters tall, looked small next to Linus, who was over two meters tall. Linus's fist looked big enough to swallow Roya's head.

A huge body meant a big advantage in strength, both for attacking and defending. The thought of giants, seven or eight meters tall, was hard to imagine. And the twenty-meter titans... what kind of power did they have?

"Then, let's begin!"

The two fighters turned and walked to opposite sides of the ring.

Linus, arms wide like a monster about to pounce, grinned wickedly. "Don't worry, kid. This will be quick. Won't waste much of your time." His voice was a threat.

"I believe you."

Roya raised his fists, ready to fight. Despite being much smaller and weaker, he didn't look scared. Instead, he felt a thrilling excitement.

I can win this.

"Begin!"

"Ooooh!" the crowd roared.

As soon as Fullbody, who was the referee, gave the signal, Linus roared and charged at Roya, arms outstretched like a battering ram.

The ground shook under his heavy steps!

Roya stood firm, his eyes narrowed and focused, watching Linus's every move. Fists clenched, he prepared to face the attack.

This is nothing like fighting Fullbody. Linus was like a wild beast, relying only on strength, with no skill or strategy.

He's wide open.

As Linus got closer, his thick arms reached out, trying to grab Roya in a crushing hug. One wrong move, and Roya's spine could snap like a twig.

"Too slow," Roya hissed, his voice barely heard over the noise. Linus's clumsy attack was easy to see coming. Roya smoothly stepped to the left, easily dodging the grabbing hands.

"Whap!"

Linus's massive hands grabbed at nothing!

"What?!"

Linus looked shocked. He didn't expect Roya to be so quick and agile.

Before Linus could react, Roya had already moved to his left side.

"Straight Punch - Assault!"

A lightning-fast punch, powered by focused energy, slammed into Linus's unprotected stomach!

"Ugh!!!"

Linus bent over, his eyes wide. He gasped and spit out a mouthful of stomach acid. Staggering back, he clutched his stomach in pain.

"Linus is hurt!"

The crowd was stunned.

No one thought that Linus, the strongest of them all, would be so easily hurt by the Rookie after just one attack.

"Damn it!"

Linus held his aching waist, sweat dripping down his face. He carefully pulled back his hand and saw a large, purple bruise on his side.

This kid hits hard!

"Linus, can you continue, sir?"

Roya's eyes burned with intensity. He smirked and waved Linus forward. "Don't worry, won't waste much of your time."

"..."

Linus's eyes narrowed. The Rookie's taunt filled him with rage, blinding him to reason. With a furious roar, he charged at Roya. "Just a lucky shot! Don't get cocky, you little brat! I'm going to crush you!"

"Come and try!" Roya shouted back.

He finally understood why he had struggled against Fullbody before.

His attacks were too obvious, too easy to predict. Clumsy, straightforward styles like Linus's, and his own previous attempts, only worked against weaker opponents.

"Spinning ~ Jumping ~"

Roya moved with new grace, dancing around Linus, easily dodging the heavy attacks.

Two months of secret dance practice had changed his body, making him flexible and fluid. He could bend in impossible ways, and his attacks and dodges flowed with a grace that hid his earlier awkwardness.

"Damn it! Why can't I hit him?"

Linus lunged again and again, each time missing because of Roya's amazing agility. Instead, Roya's surprisingly strong punches kept hitting him. The repeated failures made him lose confidence and become frustrated.

Knowing he was about to lose, his attacks became even wilder and more desperate.

He was completely exposed!

"Linus, losing your cool will only make you lose faster."

As Linus lunged again, Roya spun to his side and, with a quick, precise movement, swept his right foot against Linus's ankle.

"Bang!"

Linus lost his balance and crashed to the ground. Dazed, he looked up and saw Roya offering a hand.

"Thanks!" Linus grunted, his face red with shame and anger, as he grabbed Roya's hand and pulled himself up.

Final round!

The two warriors stood a meter apart, ready to fight. But things had changed. The attacker and the defender seemed to have switched places.

Linus was sweating, his body trembling, barely able to control himself. He swung his right hand, but Roya moved so fast it was hard to see.

"Whap!"

Roya slapped Linus's attacking hand aside with brutal force. His arm twisted, throwing him off balance.

And then, a storm of furious strikes came!

"Hah!"

Roya roared, his voice like a weapon. The hand that blocked Linus's attack snapped back, the back of his hand slamming into Linus's jaw. Then, in quick succession, a left palm strike, then a right fist!

Face, chest, waist, stomach!

From his head down, over a dozen rapid punches and palm strikes rained down on Linus, pushing him backward, defenseless.

As a final, crushing palm strike to the stomach sent Linus staggering, Roya seized the opportunity. With a fluid motion, he spun down, placed his hands on the ground, propelled his body upwards, and unleashed a savage, two-footed kick against Linus's chin!

"Crack!"

The sickening sound of bone breaking echoed through the silent field.

"Fly!"

Linus was launched into the air, his body flying over the ropes and landing with a thud on the sand outside the ring.

K.O.!

The Training Field was completely silent.

Looking at the unconscious Linus, the Marines couldn't believe what they had just seen. Their trusted "Reinforced Fist" had been so easily defeated by the upstart Rookie.

Even Fullbody was speechless. What secret training has Roya been doing while I was slacking off? How else could he have improved so much?

And that showoff even used dance moves in his fighting style! Why didn't I ever think of that?!

Suddenly, the older Marines felt a wave of fear.

The Rookie's burning gaze was fixed on them!