CHAPTER 42: YOU’RE A MONSTER.

[Would you like me to scan their stats?]

The system asked as its voice chimed clearly in Ryan’s mind.

"Yeah, do it, system," Ryan said, without looking away from the fight.

A blue panel suddenly materialized in front of his eyes.

[Scan Complete—Target: Leon Krais]

[Strength: S-]

[Endurance: S]

[Agility: S]

[Intellect: S]

[Technique: S]

"All S-rank stats... That’s the same as Arthur, what the fuck?" Ryan muttered under his breath, his fingers trembled a bit as his sweat rolled down his temple, and his eyes widened in shock.

[Correct. He’s at the peak of human-level stats for your current stage.]

[Now scanning Arthur Kane...]

The system’s panel shimmered again.

[Scan Complete—Target: Arthur Kane]

[Strength: SS]

[Endurance: S+]

[Agility: S+]

[Intellect: S]

[Technique: S+]

Ryan’s jaw suddenly dropped as his eyes widened even more; a small, shaky smile curled up on his lips. "He... he fucking got stronger than before."

[Much stronger, I’d say, Host,] the system replied. But stats aren’t everything. Leon’s stamina is draining fast. Look at his movements.

Ryan looked closely at the match as he noticed that Leon’s breathing slowly started turning ragged and heavier—his sweat dripping down from his temple as it slowly reached his cheek. His shoulders moved slightly with each exhale.

Arthur, meanwhile, looked calm. Not even winded, completely fine.

[Arthur can do this all day, host. Leon can’t.]

Ryan swallowed hard. ’So, Arthur’s not fighting seriously yet; he doesn’t consider Leon as a worthy opponent, or what?’

[No, Host. Arthur definitely considers Leon as his opponent, but Arthur just doesn’t want to end it so soon.

Leon slowly took one of his steps back, his arms shaking a bit. His grin didn’t fade as his face curled up in the feeling of excitement. "You know, Arthur. I’ve waited for this match for like a year."

Arthur tilted his head a bit as he said without wasting any kind of emotion, "Then stop wasting my time; come hit me with your moves."

Leon’s smirk slowly widened. "Fine. Let’s end this properly then."

He dashed forward—way faster than before, body moving in a blur. The air cracked a bit as he moved; a rapid combo of high-low feints, double kicks, and elbows came straight towards Arthur—his signature chain.

Ryan could barely follow his movements with his eyes and missed half of it. The sound of the impact filled the arena; the mat beneath their feet started shaking with each blow.

Leon’s knee hit Arthur’s guard—a loud thud, followed by a spinning hook that grazed Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur’s head tilted slightly, but his eyes stayed fixated on Leon.

Leon moved to follow up—only for Arthur to slip past his kick and deliver a sharp right cross to Leon’s ribs. The impact of that cross echoed through the arena like a gunshot.

Leon’s body staggered, eyes widening—not from pain, but from sheer surprise; that punch caught him off-guard.

Arthur stepped forward, his fists steady as always, and his voice came out with a calm tone. "You’re slowing down now."

Leon gritted his teeth; his grin returned back, smiling excitedly. "Then watch this, Arthur Kane," Leon said loudly with a wild smile on his face.

He raised his arms as he exhaled sharply, trying to calm his breathing. "This is the best combo of mine, Arthur. This is something that I saved just for you."

Ryan leaned forward, tension climbing. "Best combo?" Ryan muttered under his breath.

Leon blurred into motion once again as he hit Arthur with a roundhouse kick. Arthur ducked low, then came a fake spin, a jump knee, and a reverse kick—one after another, faster, sharper, and deadlier. The air cracked with every motion he performed.

Each strike was a master’s work—deadly precision, explosive speed.

Ryan held his breath, completely focused on the match, his eyes trying their best to keep up with the speed of Arthur and Leon.

But Arthur didn’t block all of his attacks; he let some of them get through his guard.

Every kick was met with a shift, every strike deflected or parried like it was rehearsed a thousand times. Arthur didn’t flinch, didn’t break his rhythm. He moved like water, calm yet unstoppable.

When Leon’s final kick—a high turning strike which was meant to end the fight—Arthur’s hand moved with a flow just like that of water; his hand caught his ankle mid-air.

Leon froze, his eyes widened a bit, and his smile wavered.

Arthur’s fist came in slowly, stopping just one inch from Leon’s face, almost hitting him. The faint breeze of that halted punch brushed against the right cheek of Leon.

Leon blinked once, then he raised both of his hands up in the air—he surrendered. A crooked grin appeared on his face, and a voice came out, with a pinch of satisfaction buried inside of it. "Tch... damn it. You won."

The referee jumped from his seat in excitement as he picked his mic up; a voice came through the speakers—shouting, "And the winner of the Inter-School’s Final is Arthur Kane and Boxing Club!"

The crowd exploded—half in awe, half in disbelief. Some of them screamed the name of Arthur, others just stared, and fans of Leon were disappointed.

Arthur let go of Leon’s leg, stepping back a bit. His expression didn’t change; there was no sign of pride, no smugness on his face.

Leon straightened his back a bit, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the help of his wristband. "You’re a monster. How did you grow that strong in just a year?" he said with a faint chuckle. "You’re the same as ever, huh?"

Arthur didn’t answer. He turned and walked back toward the dugout, his silence saying more than any victory speech could.

From the dugout of the Kickboxing Club, Maya stared at the arena, completely shocked, eyes fully widened as her skin slowly started turning pale—like she had just seen a ghost or something.

Maya stared at Leon. ’He lost? Here I thought that Arthur is near the level of Leon; I never expected that it was the other way around.’

She slowly looked at her right forearm, with which she blocked the punch of Arthur. ’I remember that he said it was not even half of his strength... That guy is a monster.’

As she lifted her head a bit and looked at Leon again, with a glint of motivation in her eyes—her mouth let out a slow sigh as she looked at Ryan. ’I don’t know, but whenever I saw Ryan training with Arthur and also today during his fight... The only one who can take on Arthur in the future might be him.’

In Boxing Club’s Dugout.

Ryan’s heart was still pounding; the adrenaline was rushing through his blood. He slowly moved his eyes to look at Arthur—tall, unshaken, untouchable.

He felt something stir inside of him once again—it was not envy, but pure drive.

’That’s the level... That’s where I’m going to reach. I will be the strongest, even more than Arthur.’