--- [Jin’s perspective]
“After the massive upset in the previous match, I’m sure the crowd is craving more! Jin and Kuro, get on stage!” – Bob
Instead of walking up the stairs, I fly up using my specialty.
I got up first, but I can tell he’ll be here soon too…
He’s tall enough for me to see the top of his head despite being at the bottom of the staircase.
But that’s not even why…
With each step he takes, the arena quivers…
No, that’s not it…
It’s the whole stadium…!
As he gets up, it settles in how abnormal his build is.
I’ve never seen anyone as tall as him before, and I’ve definitely never seen anyone with muscles like him before.
The announcers said something along the lines of him not using Divinity…
That can’t be true, right?
There’s just no way…
“Seems the fighters are ready! Let the third round begin!” – Bob
He doesn’t move.
He doesn’t guard.
He doesn’t attack.
All he does is stand there, looking down on me…
I know how strong I am, I know I’m going to win, but…
Something about him just sets off all the alarm bells in my body.
I need to be careful; I can’t approach him without using my ability first.
My specialty activates, turning my body into dark smoke.
Right now, all physical objects pass right through me.
If it’s true that he doesn’t use Divinity, then that means he doesn’t have a specialty either.
If that’s the case, then all he has is physical attacks.
He can’t touch me.
The problem of course is that just like his attacks will phase through me, mine will phase through him.
I’ll need to selectively materialize parts of my body when attacking.
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I just need to be careful and make sure he can’t take advantage of that.
As I inch myself closer to him, I get ready to attack as soon as I get within range.
His eyes follow my every movement, but he shows no sign of moving himself.
Just when I get within an arm’s length of him, I throw a punch, materializing my fist just a few centimeters before contact.
The attack lands cleanly, but…
Nothing.
He isn’t hurt.
He isn’t pushed back.
He doesn’t even flinch.
To him, it makes no difference whether I attack or not.
What the hell is he made of?
How can he possibly be this sturdy?
Is he really a D-ranker?!
I myself will probably rank up next time the exams roll around…
An average C-ranker would not take a hit from me nearly as well as he did…
Could he be beyond even that…?
No…
No!
He’s a D-ranker, just like the rest of us.
He’s not out of reach, and he’s not unbeatable.
I’ll just have to hit him harder!
I throw another punch, this time with even more power behind it than before.
Suddenly, I see his fist approaching me…
It’s so big and intimidating that it feels like it’s taking up my entire field of view…
He intends to clash fists with me, but there’s no way I’m risking that!
I turn my arm back into smoke, and his fist passes right through me.
“Won’t be that easy to beat me!” – Jin
“Hmm.” – Kuro
He extends both arms, almost like he’s trying to grab me.
Then he…
He…
What…?
He just let himself fall forward, catching himself on the ground with his extended arms.
Then just as he landed, he started doing push-ups…
“One, two, three, four, five…” – Kuro
What the hell is he doing?!
We’re in the middle of a match!
“145, 146, 147, 148, 149…” – Kuro
Well, if he’s going to do something stupid like that, I’ll make sure he’s punished for it.
Even if he’s not focusing on the match, that doesn’t mean I won’t!
As he keeps doing his push-ups, I throw a barrage of attacks at him.
“4866, 4867, 4868, 4869, 4870…” – Kuro
It’s not working…
I’ve attacked him hundreds and hundreds of times, yet none of them could put a scratch on him.
On the flip side, my limbs are getting more and more damaged with every hit.
Attacking him feels like punching a mountain!
No matter how much I throw at him, it will never be enough.
“7641, 7642, 7643, 7644, 7645…” – Kuro
As I breathe heavily from exhaustion, I put together the little energy I have left, and throw one last attack.
On contact, the bones in both my fist and forearm shatter…
“GUAAAH!” – Jin
“7998, 7999, and 8000.” – Kuro
He gets back up and dusts his hands off.
“I’ve given you a chance to prove yourself, but now it’s my turn.” – Kuro
With every step he takes, the ground shakes.
He sets down his foot for the final time, and the shockwave alone is enough to make my hair blow in the wind.
As he clenches his fist, I hear his muscles contracting…
He pulls his arm back, then quickly launches it right at me.
The fear of what’s going to happen completely paralyzes me, making me unable to activate my specialty.
As I watch his fist approach me, I feel something wet trickle down my leg…
I close my eyes, and instinctively look away.
Suddenly, a massive gust of wind knocks me over…
But…
I’m fine.
He pulled his punch right before hitting me…
“Why…?” – Jin
“Because it’s against the rules to kill.” – Kuro
“I see…” – Jin
He knew I’d die if I was hit, so he had no choice but to stop himself…
I can’t beat him…
I don’t know if anyone here can beat him…
There’s no point, he’s simply too strong.
“I…” – Jin
I take a breath, disappointed in myself for losing in the first round.
“I surrender…” – Jin
Throughout our match, he threw exactly two punches.
The first one passed right through me thanks to my specialty.
The second one stopped before hitting me.
Despite not having laid his hands on me even once, his victory was decisive…
“You’re way too strong for a D-ranker, it can’t all be from BDM. Is your specialty the source of your power?” – Jin
“I use no such thing.” – Kuro
“What do you mean…?” – Jin
“True strength comes from within. It is not something that can be achieved with borrowed power.” – Kuro
This guy is crazy…