In all the fights Fang Cheng had been through before—whether with Kanzaki Rin, a few of the tough guys at school, or Yagawa Ryoka—no prompts had ever appeared.
The appearance of this prompt had taken Fang Cheng completely by surprise.
But it was definitely a pleasant surprise.
"Get up, now. Don't lie there pretending to be dead, you piece of trash."
Takeda Masumi was still taunting Fang Cheng with insults.
Fang Cheng had no time to think through the differences between those earlier fights and this training session.
He got back to his feet. He was still annoyed, but the prompt had calmed the restlessness in his heart.
He attacked Takeda Masumi again. His blows were still straightforward, with not a hint of technique.
Takeda Masumi dodged as if she were playing with him, hopping nimbly from side to side and twisting her upper body rapidly to evade his clumsy punches.
But this time, Fang Cheng didn't rush to land a hit. Instead, he patiently watched her movements and the paths she took.
Takeda Masumi seemed to notice how calm he'd become. Even nastier insults poured from her mouth, all in an effort to provoke him.
He should've let Kanzaki Rin hear this and decide whose mouth was filthier.
Fang Cheng did his best to block out Takeda Masumi's verbal attacks. He thought he'd figured out her dodging pattern and began testing it with a few attacks.
Thud!
His attack failed. Takeda Masumi spotted an opening and knocked him down with a punch.
[Combat Training +1]
The prompt greatly eased the frustration Fang Cheng felt after being knocked down.
"Get up. Don't lie there—"
Before Takeda Masumi could finish her scolding, Fang Cheng sprang up and attacked her again.
He stuck with his strategy, watching her movements as he attacked.
He realized that Takeda Masumi wasn't faster or stronger than him. If anything, she might even be weaker in terms of strength.
But her fighting skills were exceptional, and her reflexes were far superior. That more than made up for the difference in strength, letting her toy with Fang Cheng like he was a monkey.
Thud!
Fang Cheng was knocked down again.
[Combat Training +1]
Before Takeda Masumi could say a word, Fang Cheng had already gotten back up and charged at her.
Thud!
[Combat Training +1]
Thud!
[Combat Training +1]
By the twelfth time he got back up, Fang Cheng wasn't even breathing hard. He launched a fierce attack at Takeda Masumi.
He'd figured out that Takeda Masumi didn't follow any fixed dodging pattern. Each time, she predicted what he was about to do, then used her incredible reflexes to dodge.
That meant there were only two ways to hit her.
First, he could be so fast she wouldn't have time to react. Second, he could hide his intentions.
For the first, Fang Cheng would need to become at least fifty percent faster. For the second, he'd need fighting skills on par with Takeda Masumi's.
Neither was something he could achieve in a short time. But Fang Cheng had his own special method.
He tried attacking and, sure enough, Takeda Masumi spotted an opening and punched him in the chest. The impact sounded like an iron rod striking a leather drum.
Fang Cheng grunted. He quickly braced himself with one foot to keep from falling, then swung a punch at Takeda Masumi's face.
That was his special method: take a hit to land one. It came down to who had thicker armor and more health.
Smack!
Unfortunately, the punch didn't hit Takeda Masumi in the face. At the last moment, she blocked it with her palm.
"Not bad, you little punk."
Takeda Masumi gave a cold laugh, though she was somewhat surprised.
If she hadn't reacted so quickly, he would've punched her right in the face.
Fang Cheng had been knocked down so many times, but instead of getting discouraged, he'd used his strengths to fight back. That alone made him stand out among the trainees, most of whom were already crying for their mothers after Takeda Masumi beat them up a few times.
Even though Fang Cheng had the Self-Healing ability and wouldn't get injured, the pain of being beaten could still wear down a person's will.
Despite her surprise, Takeda Masumi didn't let it show. Instead, she continued to berate him. "You think such a simple feint will fool me? Do you think everyone's as stupid as you? Even a monkey's smarter than you."
"Did you wipe shit on your little mouth? Your breath stinks."
Fang Cheng finally fired back, swinging his other fist at her at the same time.
Before it could connect, he lost his balance. Takeda Masumi tripped him with her foot, then kicked him away.
[Combat Training +1]
Fang Cheng lay on the ground, taking a few breaths. Then he got up again and charged at her.
[Combat Training +1]
[Combat Training +1]
[Combat Training +1]
Knocked down countless times, only to get back up each time, Fang Cheng was like a machine that neither felt pain nor grew tired.
Takeda Masumi still had an overwhelming advantage, but the longer they fought, the more astonished she became. She even wondered if Fang Cheng was a masochist.
Every time he was knocked down, he sprang back up at once, looking exhilarated. If that didn't make him a masochist, what did?
Finally, after being knocked down for who knew how many times, the prompt in Fang Cheng's field of vision changed.
[Combat +1]
Fang Cheng stood up and felt as if his whole body had grown lighter.
Excited, he charged at Takeda Masumi again, aiming for her face as usual.
Takeda Masumi knew that people found her mouth obnoxious, and plenty of them wanted to punch her in the face.
So she guarded her face more carefully than anywhere else. She easily judged where Fang Cheng's punch would land and leaned back.
His fist grazed past her face, so close that she could feel the wind it stirred against her skin, stinging faintly.
"What..."
Takeda Masumi's heart jolted. Her prediction had been wrong.
Fang Cheng's punch missed, but he kept attacking her relentlessly.
His attacks were still as direct as before, but no longer wild and aimless. He was choosing the most advantageous angles based on their distance, positions, movements, and other factors.
Takeda Masumi could still dodge his punches, but her astonishment grew with each passing moment.
She could still predict what Fang Cheng was going to do, but his attacks had become simple and effective, with no wasted movement.
Takeda Masumi had focused entirely on defense and evasion. Faced with Fang Cheng's sudden improvement, she'd lost the initiative.
Fang Cheng threw a powerful punch at her chest. She crossed her arms to block it, but the force sent her sliding backward until she crashed into the ropes.
Enduring the pain in her arms, she looked up at Fang Cheng, her astonishment plain on her face.
This guy had gone from a total beginner with no technique to someone who could almost be considered a novice fighter. How long had it even taken?
If she hadn't experienced it herself, Takeda Masumi would never have believed that anyone could improve so absurdly fast after only a few dozen beatings.
"Come on!"
Fang Cheng shouted exuberantly at Takeda Masumi. "Aren't you so tough? Come on! Keep going!"
After taking a beating for so long, he'd finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. How could he not be excited?
Takeda Masumi's expression darkened as she strode toward Fang Cheng. "You think you can stand up to me with just that? You're too naive, kid. I'll show you what real fighting looks like."
Fang Cheng didn't think Takeda Masumi was bluffing. From the start, she'd been choosing to defend and dodge. She'd never once attacked him first.
Now she was finally going on the offensive.
Fang Cheng wasn't afraid. His blood was pumping as he charged to meet her.
If he couldn't knock this woman flat, how was he supposed to survive in this world full of danger?
They closed the distance quickly. Fang Cheng had just raised his hands when Takeda Masumi suddenly darted aside and vanished from his sight.
"Holy shit!"
Fang Cheng whipped around to look for her, but all he could catch was the afterimage she'd left behind.
Then his chin hurt, and his whole body shot into the air. He spun around four and a half times before crashing heavily to the ground with a thud.
[Combat Training +1]
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