It was already past noon, but the two people in the ring had both forgotten that. Their bodies and minds were completely immersed in the intense fight.
Thud!
Takeda Masumi punched Fang Cheng in the head. He saw stars and crashed to the ground, his arms and legs seemingly drained of strength.
[Combat +1]
He had already forgotten how many times he'd been knocked down since morning. Maybe a hundred?
The pain of each hit had gone numb. It felt as if his body no longer belonged to him.
Only the defiant spirit in his chest kept him going.
Again and again, he forced himself back to his feet.
"Whew... whew..."
Takeda Masumi stood with her hands on her hips, panting nonstop.
She was drenched in sweat, as if she'd just been fished out of a pool. Her thin tank top was soaked through and clung tightly to her body.
She'd spent the whole morning cursing him, but at some point she'd stopped and started knocking Fang Cheng down again and again in earnest.
Insulting someone with that kind of determination with foul language would be an insult to herself.
Looking at Fang Cheng lying motionless on the ground, Takeda Masumi let out a heavy breath.
It was finally over.
She couldn't help thinking that Rin's judgment had been spot-on. This guy was worth training.
The days ahead were sure to be interesting.
Takeda Masumi turned to leave the ring, but a sudden voice made her stop.
"Where are you going?"
Takeda Masumi slowly turned around and looked at the man in the middle of the ring with a complicated expression.
Fang Cheng propped himself up with one hand and slowly got to his feet.
"It's not over yet. Are you trying to run away?"
"..."
Takeda Masumi looked at him sternly, without a trace of anger. "I admit you're incredibly tenacious, but if we keep going, you really will die."
Fang Cheng grinned. "Whether I die or not is my business. But before I die, I'm going to knock you flat."
"You'll never manage that in your lifetime."
"Then let's find out."
"If you don't care about your own life..."
Takeda Masumi strode toward Fang Cheng. Her long legs bounced rapidly against the floor as if they had springs in them, and she used the momentum to dart sideways.
This time, Fang Cheng didn't lose track of her. His eyes and body followed her movements.
Takeda Masumi was as fast as a ghost. She weaved and darted until she'd moved to the other side of Fang Cheng's field of vision, then threw an uppercut at his chin.
At the instant her punch connected, Fang Cheng turned his head to dodge, stepped sideways, and drove his shoulder into her chest.
Takeda Masumi planted her back foot against the floor to steady herself, and a fist rapidly grew larger in her field of vision.
She reacted instantly, raising a hand to catch the punch with a smack.
A surprise uppercut shot up from below.
Thud!
Takeda Masumi took the punch on the side of her face. She staggered back several steps before coming to a stop.
Holding her face, she stared fixedly at Fang Cheng, shock and disbelief in her eyes.
Fang Cheng didn't waste words. He raised a hand and beckoned to her. "Come on! Don't stop!"
Takeda Masumi's expression darkened. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
In the end, she drew a long, deep breath. Her eyes flashed with a fierce light as she charged at Fang Cheng.
It wasn't until ten that night that Kanzaki Rin returned to Training Ground 05.
She took the elevator to the lowest level and went to the boxing ring. Fang Cheng was lying on the mat spread-eagled and motionless, but Takeda Masumi was nowhere to be seen.
"Looks like you got beaten pretty badly."
She hadn't deliberately wanted to humiliate Fang Cheng, but if the opportunity arose, Kanzaki Rin was happy to see the foul-mouthed guy get taken down a peg.
She climbed into the ring, walked over to Fang Cheng, and nudged him with her foot. "Get up. We're going home."
Fang Cheng seemed to be asleep, but suddenly he clamped a hand around Kanzaki Rin's calf, scaring the life out of her.
His face was gaunt and sallow. Like a zombie, he began crawling up Kanzaki Rin's leg with both hands.
"Quick... take me to get something to eat... I'm starving to death..."
"Let go of me... Let go... Don't pull—aaah!"
Kanzaki Rin struggled, punching and kicking. Fang Cheng nearly pulled her pants off.
There was no way to say goodbye to Takeda Masumi under the circumstances, so Kanzaki Rin could only drag the starving ghost back to the car and drive to the nearest barbecue restaurant.
"Go on, eat... Don't be shy..."
Fang Cheng wolfed down his food while urging Kanzaki Rin, who sat opposite him, to eat.
A vein popped on Kanzaki Rin's forehead. I'm paying. What the hell do I have to be shy about?
But since Fang Cheng had spent the whole day getting beaten up, Kanzaki Rin decided not to make a fuss over it.
She picked up her chopsticks and reached for a plate of barbecue.
Before the chopsticks could touch it, Fang Cheng snatched the whole plate and dumped it straight into his mouth.
Kanzaki Rin reached for another plate. Before she could touch it, Fang Cheng pulled that one away too.
She set her sights on the grilled meat patties. The moment she reached out, Fang Cheng skewered several of them on one chopstick and swallowed most of them in one bite with his Abyssal Maw.
Crack!
The chopsticks in Kanzaki Rin's hand snapped.
Fang Cheng swallowed his food and looked at her in confusion. "Do you think I'm eating too much? I don't think I'm eating much more than you do. And didn't we agree you'd cover my daily expenses?"
Kanzaki Rin gently set down her chopsticks, her expression blank. "I'm not angry. Keep eating."
"Then why aren't you eating?"
"I'm not hungry."
"Oh. Then don't eat. Give it all to me. We can't waste it."
Fang Cheng reached over and took all the barbecue in front of Kanzaki Rin.
Kanzaki Rin: (_)
She pressed a hand to her forehead and silently cursed him with the foulest words she could think of. I hope you eat yourself to death, you jerk.
After devouring everything in sight, Fang Cheng, who had nearly starved to death, was finally back to full strength.
Kanzaki Rin looked at the mess on the table and the stacks of plates. She secretly checked her wallet, her heart aching at the sight.
The worst part was that she hadn't eaten a single bite. That made it hurt even more.
She should've just dumped the jerk back at home and left him to fend for himself.
Once Fang Cheng had finished eating, Kanzaki Rin finally got her emotions under control and asked, "How did training go today?"
Fang Cheng was picking his teeth. Just thinking about it made him angry. "That female gorilla's not even human. She went way too hard on me. She was trying to beat me to death."
Hearing Fang Cheng complain made Kanzaki Rin feel a little better about the money she'd spent. She was quite pleased.
But that pleasure lasted only until it was time to pay. Kanzaki Rin took out her credit card and handed it to the cashier.
"Miss?"
The cashier gripped the card and tugged at it several times, but it wouldn't budge. Confused, she asked, "Is something wrong?"
Kanzaki Rin silently let go. She felt as if her body had been emptied along with her credit card.
After dropping Fang Cheng—the "culprit"—off at home, Kanzaki Rin called Takeda Masumi.
"Masumi, how did training go today?"
"It was all right. Nothing special. That kid's got potential."
"If you can, go a little easier on him over the next two days. Don't beat him until he runs off."
Takeda Masumi's surprised voice came through the phone. "Are you serious?"
Kanzaki Rin asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
"Haha, nothing. Since you put it that way, I'll see what I can do tomorrow."
"Sorry for the trouble."
"Hey, you don't need to say that to me."
After chatting for a few more minutes, Takeda Masumi tossed her phone aside.
She was standing naked in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror.
The reflection showed a body with clearly defined muscle lines, each muscle perfectly proportioned. It was powerful without losing its beauty.
But there were quite a few bruises and injuries on her body.
Takeda Masumi was carefully applying ointment in front of the mirror, sucking in a breath of pain.
"That brat. He really went too hard on a woman."
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