Jack, unconscious on the ground, was a reminder for Ryan and Buck that they were facing a man that was immensely stronger than them. All he had to do was headbutt him, and Jack was down on the ground. It was a one-hit K.O., end of story.
They were now thanking their lucky stars that they didn’t win the Power, Fame, Money game that they did before. If they had, then they would have been the first one to witness Patty’s seemingly indestructible head. They didn’t want to have a taste of the afterlife when they were in the prime of their youth. And most especially, they didn’t want to have a glaring lump in their forehead to remind them of their failure.
They looked at each other and had a silent agreement that they would work together to try and take down Patty. They realized that it was the only way that they could realistically hurt Patty. If they were stupid and continued to go one on one, they would eventually lose out against Patty.
They didn’t know how stupid they were that they even tried to go one by one. Now that there’s only the two of them, they would have to coordinate their attacks in one spot to concentrate their firepower and get through Patty’s thick skin. It was ideal for all three of them to attack all at once, which would give them a much better chance at finding a kink in Patty’s armor-like skin, but Jack was unconscious on the ground.
The worst part was that Patty warned them himself that they should attack all at once, but they just thought he was being arrogant. But he wasn’t. He just knew that this wouldn’t be a fair fight unless all three of them pooled their powers together.
Ryan squatted on the ground and activated his D-class Spring Legs Teqx. The power in his legs increased as the lumps and springs on his shin squished together. He was using the power of his thighs and gravity to store explosive force that can be unleashed whenever he wanted. The more he had time for preparation, the more powerful his legs became.
Buck, on the other hand, rushed towards Patty. As he ran towards Patty at full speed, the soles of his shoe started to catch fire and burn until the shoe became nothing but melted rubber on his feet. However, his skin seemed to be unharmed from all this heat. In fact, if you had a microscope, you would see that it was actually the cells on his feet rubbing against each other so fast that it created the fire that started the whole thing.
With each stride, Buck’s legs became more and more enveloped in a fire with a pure red glow. But this fire did not only produce heat and light, it also made the muscles in his legs stronger and therefore produce more power.
And as he came closer and closer to Patty, Buck started to perform his dojo’s secret taekwondo moves. This was a set of moves designed to create momentum and speed that will be ultimately unleashed at the very last move. This was perfect for his Teqx since every time he kicked with his flaming leg, his power got stronger.
He started by using his fingers to imitate a Tiger’s claw, which was then followed by a front kick and an immediate axe kick that pushed his body forward. Then, he turned around for a spin kick, which created a circle of flame that was impressive to see. He continued with different kicks and moves until he finally reached close enough to unleash the final move.
And just as he did, Ryan finally finished his preparation and let go of the internal resistance in his legs. Just like a spring that was let go, all the power he was storing was suddenly unleashed in explosive twitch muscle movement that rocketed his whole body towards Patty at alarming speeds.
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They timed it perfectly. Just as Buck turned his torso and used a 45 Degree kick aimed directly at Patty’s head, Ryan rocketed in front of Patty and used both of his arms to create a solid punch that headed directly at Patty’s forehead at terrifying speeds.
Patty looked at the two attacks and did nothing as they reached him. The only thing he did was ready his head and gave them a big welcoming smile as if he was ready to receive their gifts. After all, from Patty’s perspective, they weren’t attacking, they were offering their Teqx for him to copy and earn lots and lots of rewards from.
“Didn’t I tell you guys–”
Buck and Ryan’s attack landed on Patty’s chin and his forehead respectively, each from different directions in hopes of doing enough energy to break his neck and finish the fight. But they didn’t expect him to just stand there and take it. They finally realized how crazy Patty was! He was even smiling like a masochist!
DUGGG
“--that I’m also bullheaded?”
A bright light once again flashed for a millisecond as both attacks hit Patty’s skin. But aside from creasing his skin and making his cheeks ripple, they did absolutely no damage to him–not even a drop of blood. Even Buck’s prideful flame on his feet was snuffed out the moment it made contact with Patty’s chin. It didn’t even burn one hair. They couldn’t even get rid of the lazy smile on his face!
[SSS+class Gluttonous Adephagia skill activated]
[D-class Flame Kick Teqx identified!]
[D-class Spring Legs Teqx identified!]
[You have gained 50 Yi Power for discovering a new Power Teqx]
[You have gained 50 Yi Power for discovering a new Power Teqx]
[DNA information about the two new Teqx available to sell in the System Store]
[Will you sell this information for 6000 Credits?]
[Y/N]
[You have received 6000 Credits]
[You have received an additional 150 Credits due to your Interdimensional Merchant minion’s skill]
[Teqx successfully copied!]
[Two new D-class Power Teqx added to skill repertoire]
[Do you want to replace the Drop Shot Teqx you already have equipped?]
[Warning: if you replace this Teqx, you will have to pay Energy to equip it again]
[Y/N]
His guess was right. It looked like he could permanently store the Teqx that he touched. He wouldn’t be losing the Teqx he already equipped if he touched another Teqx, so that was a relief. And he only had to pay a few Energy to re-equip it again, which was acceptable since he could equip the Teqx whenever he wanted.
Having all of these Credits just falling on his lap without even doing anything was an addictive feeling. Was this the reason why people love fighting? Was this the reason why there were meatheads and martial fanatics always looking for a fight? He doubted they were getting the same rewards as he was, but he understood their desire to fight new opponents and get rewards from them.
As Patty was busy looking at his system screen, Buck and Ryan quickly tried to retreat when they found out that their attacks were meaningless. It didn’t hurt him. In fact, he seemed even more pleased than before. He must truly be a masochist who loved to get hurt.
“Where are you going? You know I won’t let you go, right? I’m…hard-nosed…about that.”
Patty quickly grabbed Ryan’s legs before he could get away. Ryan felt his heart pump a million times per second as he felt like a demon clutched his legs and was about to drag him down to hell. His entire body jerked as hard as he could to try and get out of his grip. Unfortunately Patty’s hands were as tough as a diamond.
As a last resort, Ryan compressed his right leg as much as he could just using his muscles. But without the ground, he couldn’t compress it like before. His attack wasn’t that strong, but it was the only thing he could do.
He unleashed his Spring Legs at point blank towards Patty’s arms to make his grip loosen and allow him to escape.
“That won’t work because–” Patty said as Ryan attacked his arm.
Buuggg
His attack was nothing more than a gentle slap on the skin that was not even as painful as a mosquito bite.
“--I’m...inflexible…about that.”
Ryan felt his whole world turn upside down as Patty pulled him closer. He hated that he knew what was going to happen next. Patty pulled his head back and issued a monstrous headbutt on the defenseless Ryan.
BAAGGGG
With Ryan knocked out on the ground, Patty said, “Guess you weren’t as…tough-minded…as me”
And just as he said that, Buck used this opportunity to land another flaming kick on his head. This was a last resort because Buck knew if he couldn’t topple Patty now, then he would only be suffering the same fate as the others.
Unfortunately, just like before, his flame was nothing against Patty’s thick skin.
“Sorry,” Patty said. “I shouldn’t be so…stiff-necked…”
Buck didn’t even try to run. He knew what happened to Ryan. there was no running away from this literal hard-headed monster in front of him. He just accepted his fate as Patty headbutted him and knocked him out in one go.
Patty took a deep breath when he saw that there was no one left to fight. “Are you all done? Good. I was running out of synonyms.”