"Weak... weak?" Charanko stammered. "Would that be enough?"
This was already the limit of martial arts he could imagine.
"Maybe you should imagine some more badass effects," Morien replied. "It's all fantasy anyway, so there's no need to hold back like this."
Charanko immediately wanted to argue.
"Charanko," Bang interrupted before he could speak, "Morien is right. You're still too honest. You need to be more passionate."
Bang looked at Morien again.
"If you want tuition waived... that's not impossible."
Ah, alien privileges.
Bang extended a hand that looked somewhat shriveled.
"Then let's do a pre-enrollment test."
"If you truly have talent, reducing your tuition—or even waiving it entirely—is perfectly possible."
"Since you call yourself a 'Melee Scholar,' then in academic terms, this would be called a 'scholarship.'"
"Huh? Here?" Morien also extended his hand and shook Bang's.
"Whoa!"
The next instant, the world spun.
Morien felt himself fly up as the ceiling and floor endlessly spun past his eyes.
He had been flung away.
Watching the scene before him whirl around, Morien seized an opportunity and pressed a hand against the ceiling as it happened to "sweep" past him, landing steadily on the floor some distance from the tea table.
At some point, Bang had already moved behind him, almost back-to-back with him. Tilting his head to the side, he said:
"Yes, right here."
"Oh..." Morien drawled.
"Fine!"
The moment the word left his mouth, Morien stepped back with his right leg, threading it between Bang's feet and hooking one of his legs.
At the same time, he twisted his upper body back and drove his elbow toward Bang's head.
Although Bang looked like an old man who could be knocked over with a shove, Morien knew his sneak attack definitely would not work.
Sure enough.
Bang!
Morien's elbow collided with Bang's raised arm.
"Not bad strength," Bang commented, immediately extending his palm behind himself in a strike.
Whoosh!
His palm struck empty air.
Morien instantly widened the distance between them.
Just a second ago, he had completed the process of converting all his energy into Cursed Energy, then converting the Cursed Energy through a Binding Vow into physical power.
Unfortunately, this version of Morien from One-Punch World had not inherited Fortune-Collecting's memories. He had never experienced a Black Flash, so he could not yet convert all his Cursed Energy into other forms of energy at the instant the Binding Vow took effect.
Otherwise, he would have been even stronger now.
"Oh?" Bang raised his eyebrows. "That speed... no... did you use that energy that suddenly appeared earlier to strengthen your body?"
"Yeah, pretty great, right?" Morien raised his hands into a boxing stance. "The next punches will hurt. Don't try to catch them barehanded, old man."
"Hehehe." Bang chuckled and raised his hands as well. "All right. What a good lad who respects his elders."
His hands were not clenched. They resembled fists and palms at once, seemingly ready to change at any time.
"Then here I come."
Maintaining his boxing stance, Morien made two small hops in place.
The next second, he was already in front of Bang, swinging his arm and throwing a punch at the old man.
Whoosh! Smack!
Bang raised one hand, extended it, and slapped. Morien's hook was easily deflected.
Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.
Morien's fist was deflected, but he was not discouraged.
Tiny points of starlight glimmered faintly in his eyes. Then he steadied himself, maintained his stance, and threw punch after punch.
Bang stood where he was, calm and unhurried as he neutralized every incoming punch.
Bang's blocks were effortless, and every one of Morien's punches was easily neutralized. Whenever Bang caught one, Morien felt as though he had punched water.
He had clearly hit something solid, yet his strike simply passed through it, without the feedback of hitting something like a rock.
The sensation was extremely unpleasant for Morien.
So, during one of his punches—
His thrown fist was pulled off course by Bang once more. Morien followed the motion, tipping his center of gravity forward and falling diagonally ahead.
Then he planted one hand on the ground and swung his leg with the momentum.
This kick was not a martial arts move. It was more commonly seen in street dance.
Bang raised a hand to catch it and was just about to lift it upward when Morien seized the opening, launching his entire body backward into the air and punching toward Bang's chest.
"So fast!" Charanko cried out from the side.
From the very beginning, he had been almost completely unable to see Morien and Bang's movements.
Morien, who had been continuously exchanging blows with Bang, gained an even deeper understanding.
It feels... a bit like Jeet Kune Do and Tai Chi.
Morien came to a conclusion.
He did not know any martial arts, but after becoming a "Melee Scholar," he had searched up instructional videos on his computer.
For a "Melee Scholar," watching a tutorial was practically equivalent to "completely mastering" it.
Though he was still a little short of true mastery, Morien was undoubtedly an expert in martial arts now.
The punch aimed at Bang's chest was caught by a palm.
This time, Bang did not choose to deflect it.
Over the past few seconds, he had noticed that Morien's stamina in his current form seemed nearly endless. It did not drain heavily from continuously throwing punches.
So, after catching Morien's punch, he suddenly borrowed Morien's force and spun with the momentum, rapidly turning in a circle. Then he struck out with the back of his other hand, slapping Morien, who was hanging upside down, in the side of his abdomen.
Smack!
Morien maintained his upside-down punching posture and was sent flying several meters without moving. Only then did he forcibly twist his body around and land on the ground.
At the instant Bang's hand collided with Morien's chest, every muscle in Morien's body tensed, turning himself into an "iron block."
"Your level of control over your body is remarkable too..." Bang gave another assessment.
After sliding several meters, Morien steadied himself and resumed his boxing stance.
Seeing that Morien was ready, Bang closed in, diving toward him.
Bang!
A winding, twisting fist struck Morien's palm—the same palm that could deflect bullets—making his entire arm go numb.
This time, Bang took the initiative to attack.
The particles of starlight in Morien's eyes grew brighter.
Eyes of Mystery Prying!
His mind rapidly analyzed the situation.
Old Man Bang could be considered one of the more "materialistic" S-Class Heroes.
After all, more than half of his combat power came from martial arts.
Most of the other S-Class Heroes were far more idealistic.
Take Tanktop Master and Puri-Puri Prisoner, for example. Rather than coming from their physical bodies, their abilities seemed more like the product of unwavering faith in certain things.
Morien even suspected that Bang's steadfast faith in "martial arts" might also be one of the sources of his strength.
But that was unavoidable. This was an absurdly idealistic world where someone who loved eating crab might turn into a crab Monster. Many powerful heroes were less like humans than Monsters who believed themselves to be human.
Watchdog Man deserved special mention here.
No matter how one looked at him, he was a Monster called "Watchdog," and it seemed more likely that he had simply become a hero because the concept of "watchdog" filled him with an explosive sense of justice.
Then, did Morien also need some kind of Mind Force?
Morien had never believed in gods. Even in a world where gods truly existed, he would not believe in them. So faith was not an option.
Then he could only start with faith in "things."
While pondering internally, Morien did not stop talking.
As he countered each move, he smiled and asked:
"Isn't your fist technique about borrowing force to return force?"
"Why are you still so strong?"
Bang threw punches as he answered with a chuckle.
"Oh, that?"
"After all, sometimes I worry that someone might not be willing to lend me any."