Hero Behind the Scenes

When one focused on something, time seemed to fly by. In the blink of an eye, a week had passed. During that time, Jonathan and Link studied the Ripple Hermit Style under Baron Zeppeli every day, while also learning quite a few strange techniques through sparring with him.

The Ripple Hermit Style used breathing techniques to generate ripples within the body and create energy. Yet the same Ripple power produced different results in different people. The reason was that everyone's physical constitution differed; the stronger the body, the stronger the Ripple power it could generate.

Because of this, Link discovered that with the innate limitations of ordinary humans, even after learning the Ripple Hermit Style and strengthening their bodies to a certain extent, they still could not compare to Stone Mask users in speed and strength.

After noticing this, Baron Zeppeli, a man full of ideas himself, came up with several unusual techniques.

For example, the Spring Punch, which used Ripple power to loosen the joints and extend one's attack range, as well as the Ripple Dash, which was especially effective against vampires.

Using these strange techniques, Baron Zeppeli had defeated many Corpseborn and vampires.

In terms of learning and mastering the Ripple Hermit Style, Link was somewhat slower than Jonathan. It took him more than five days to obtain the power of the Ripple Hermit Style, twice as long as Jonathan. However, when it came to physical limitations, Link instead held the advantage.

Even before learning the Ripple Hermit Style, Link's physical abilities had already surpassed Jonathan's in every respect. After successfully awakening the Ripple Hermit Style, Link's strength improved by leaps and bounds.

Ripple Energy was very similar to the True Qi found in martial arts novels. Both were forms of energy originating from life itself. As the breathing technique gradually circulated and deepened, the air drawn into the lungs would continually stir rings of invisible ripples within the body. Those invisible ripples would then swiftly transform into life energy and be stored within the body. Clearly, he could distinctly feel his body gradually growing stronger, and his life energy steadily increasing as well.

This was not merely a subjective feeling; it could also be seen on the Stats Panel.

Link Bennett

Biological Level: 1 Star

Attributes: The average attributes of a normal adult man are 10 points.

Strength: 17.6 (Muscle 17.5, Physical Robustness 17.7)

Agility: 18.25 (Hand-Eye Coordination 19, Flexibility 18, Reaction 18, Balance 18)

Constitution: 16.9 (Health 16.6, Endurance 17.2)

Intelligence: 16.5 (Learning Ability 16.9, Mental Activity 16.1)

Perception: 13.5 (Willpower 13.5, Common Sense Judgment 14.5, Perceptiveness 13.5, Intuition 12.5)

Charm: 13.2 (Courage 14, Persuasiveness 11.5, Personal Appeal 15, Leadership 13, Physical Attractiveness 12.5)

Skills: Baseball (Moderately Proficient), Mixed Martial Arts (Highly Proficient), Basic Science (Moderately Proficient), Basic Firearms Proficiency (Moderately Proficient), Violin Performance (Moderately Proficient), Piano Performance (Beginner), Ripple Hermit Style (Novice).

Special Abilities: None

Evolution Points: 0

Possessions: None

Space-Time Mission Function: Mandatory mission in progress.

After learning the Ripple Hermit Style, Link's strength, agility, and constitution all increased considerably. Of course, the initial gains were the greatest, and they would gradually become smaller afterward.

However, for Link, who possessed a system and could continuously and visibly increase his attributes, the boosts brought by the Ripple Hermit Style would also rise as his physical attributes continued to improve. The two could completely reinforce each other.

Aside from teaching them the power of the Ripple Hermit Style, Baron Zeppeli also told Jonathan and Link about his memories and experiences during his spare time. Link had seen these things in the manga, so he devoted more of his attention to cultivation.

Before he knew it, another week had passed. Link's strength had grown noticeably. While diligently cultivating the Ripple Hermit Style, he had not neglected his external training either. He had also studied Baron Zeppeli's Spring Punch and the Magnified Punch Jonathan had developed himself.

However, he did not focus most of his energy on this. Having some understanding of Eastern culture, Link felt that this manipulation of Ripple power was far too crude. Having watched countless novels, films, and television works, he wanted to develop techniques of his own. At this stage, he only had a few preliminary concepts, which would need to be refined through future study and actual combat.

But peaceful days could not last forever. That night, an Eastern merchant arrived where Jonathan was training. The moment he saw Jonathan, he immediately launched an attack.

As he attacked, the sharp fangs revealed at the corners of his mouth and the long claws on his hands fully showed that he had lost his identity as a human.

Jonathan had already been proficient in combat techniques before. Now, after studying under Baron Zeppeli, mastering Baron Zeppeli's Spring Punch, and developing his own Magnified Punch, his strength was no longer what it had once been.

Faced with the enemy's sudden attack, he did not even dodge. With one punch, he sent the Eastern man flying, while the Ripple power attached to his fist caused the other man's face to begin melting.

It was precisely because of this Eastern man's appearance that the group learned Dio's current location. The plan was simple: deliberately let the Eastern man go, then follow him to discover where Dio was.

After confirming Dio's location, the group set out from London early the next morning on a journey to subjugate the vampire Dio. Their destination was a town called Whirlwind Knight Town.

After passing through an ancient tunnel five hundred years old and more than three hundred feet long, the group could already see the distant outline of Whirlwind Knight Town through the carriage windows.

The town was surrounded by steep mountains to the east, west, and north. To the south lay sheer cliffs, and below them was a stormy sea.

The town had been established in the Middle Ages as a place specifically for training knights. Then, in 1888, the British authorities had a sudden inspiration and used its naturally fortified terrain to build a prison.

Coal was produced beneath Whirlwind Knight Town. To facilitate transportation, the locals had also used countless prisoners to construct a railway. Most of the other residents made their living through fishing and farming. Including the criminals, the entire town had more than five hundred people.

Besides Jonathan and Baron Zeppeli, Speedwagon also joined this subjugation party. In truth, he was Jonathan's most loyal companion. The two had become friends through a fight; after being defeated by Jonathan, Speedwagon became his best brother.

The JoJo family had fought vampires for nearly two hundred years. Along the way, Speedwagon had silently served as a hero behind the scenes alongside the JoJos, until he died of a heart attack in 1952 at the age of eighty-nine.

He had no powerful Ripple and no dazzling Stand, but Speedwagon had a vast foundation behind him. Even after his death, the Speedwagon Foundation continued supporting the adventures of successive protagonists, taking Speedwagon's place as it accompanied the JoJos onward. He was the hero behind every generation of JOJO.