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Zack was now in a real combat stance—no more of his usual sarcastic smirk. His expression had hardened, his eyes locked onto his opponent, and his body poised to move at any moment. He stepped back, trying to steady his breathing after the heavy blow he had taken, but he refused to let the pain take control. This was just the beginning, and now he had to fight seriously if he wanted to walk away from this battle on his feet.
"Alright, no more messing around." Zack thought as he planted his feet firmly on the ground, analyzing the Butcher's movements.
On the other side, the Butcher was grinning confidently, convinced the fight was already over. But Zack had noticed something—his opponent was growing slightly frustrated by his speed. It was clear the Butcher relied mostly on raw strength rather than technique. His strikes were devastating, but they were also relatively slow and predictable once Zack recognized the pattern.
The Butcher raised his fist again and launched a straight punch toward Zack. This time, however, Zack didn't just dodge. Instead, he used the momentum to slip behind him with incredible speed. In one fluid motion, he delivered a powerful punch to the Butcher's kidney. The hit wasn't strong enough to drop him, but it was enough to make him grunt in pain and bend forward slightly.
"Good, even monsters can feel pain," Zack thought with a small smirk before quickly retreating to avoid a counterattack.
The crowd erupted with excitement. They hadn't expected the fight to be this thrilling. Everyone had assumed Zack would go down after one or two hits, but now, they were starting to see that he might actually have a chance to win.
The system yelled inside Zack's mind:
"Alright, genius, you've got an opening! Keep this up, don't try to match his strength—wear him down and target his weak spots!"
Zack didn't respond, but he understood exactly what he needed to do. He started circling around the Butcher, forcing him to turn with him, making him burn energy while he stayed sharp, dodging those heavy blows that were becoming more reckless. It was obvious now—the Butcher was getting impatient. And that was exactly what Zack wanted.
"The next attack will be my chance."
When the Butcher attacked again, this time with a powerful side kick, Zack ducked under it in an instant. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he shot forward—raising his knee and slamming it hard into the Butcher's stomach. As soon as his foot touched the ground, he spun and landed a quick punch to his face before swiftly backing away.
The Butcher staggered for a moment, his massive frame rocking slightly backward. He didn't fall, but he wiped his mouth, then gave a faint smirk as he spoke in a deep voice:
"Not bad… but it's not enough."
Zack smirked as well—but it was a different kind of smirk. The smirk of someone who knew the fight wasn't over yet… It had only just gotten more interesting.
"Alright then, let's keep playing."
The system sighed dramatically:
"Just break his damn jaw already, Zack, you're dragging this fight on!"
Zack wasn't in the position to argue with the system, but he still muttered under his breath as he tried to steady his breathing:
"Oh, sure, just break the jaw of one of the biggest guys I've ever seen… Sounds so easy!"
The system laughed inside his head, then added sarcastically:
"Don't worry! Maybe if you make him laugh hard enough, he'll fall over on his own!"
Zack ignored the comment and refocused entirely on his opponent, who was now breathing heavily. The Butcher was still standing strong, but Zack noticed something important—he was sweating profusely, his shoulders were no longer as tense as before, and his breathing had become uneven.
"Good, he's wearing himself out." Zack thought, narrowing his eyes as he waited for the perfect moment to strike.
On the other side, the Butcher was feeling frustrated. This kid wasn't just some amateur fighter like he had initially thought—he wasn't even someone who could be taken down easily. He was cunning, fast, and knew exactly how to make his opponent waste energy for nothing. However, the Butcher wasn't the kind of man to give up easily. In fact, he loved a good fight and enjoyed facing someone who could withstand his attacks like this.
He raised his hand and wiped the blood gathering at the corner of his lips, then grinned again and said in a booming voice, "Not bad, kid, but I'm not done yet!"
"Neither am I..." Zack muttered as he planted his feet firmly on the ground, preparing for the next move.
At that moment, the Butcher decided to end the fight quickly. He realized that letting it drag on like this wasn't in his favor. With all his strength, he launched a brutal hook aimed straight at Zack's head—but this time, he wasn't fast enough.
Zack saw the punch coming as if it were in slow motion. Maybe it was thanks to his mixed martial arts experience, or maybe it was because exhaustion was slowing his opponent down. Either way, this was his golden opportunity.
Zack suddenly ducked, dodging the punch, then shot forward at blinding speed. In one swift motion, he drove his knee straight into the Butcher's lower jaw with every ounce of power he could muster.
"Break the lower jaw?! I'm gonna make this guy regret every piece of meat he's ever eaten in his life!"
"BOOM!!!"
Zack's knee slammed into the Butcher's jaw with bone-crushing force, so hard that the sound echoed throughout the arena, followed by a sickening crack. Just as the system had predicted, the Butcher wasn't ready for such a sudden and devastating attack—and he paid the price for it.
His eyes widened for a moment before rolling back into his head. His massive body swayed… for a second, it looked like he might stay standing. But in the end, he completely lost consciousness and collapsed like a falling mountain, crashing onto the ground with a heavy thud.
"Impossible!! The Butcher is down!!"
"Oh my god! I didn't see that coming!"
"That kid… who the hell is he?!"
The crowd erupted into deafening cheers. No one had expected Zack to win, especially against one of the strongest fighters in the arena. All the bets had been placed against him, but now… he was the one still standing while his opponent lay motionless.
The system screamed excitedly in Zack's mind:
"Oh my god, you did it!! I can't believe you actually did it!! Hahaha! I told you it was a genius plan! You owe me a free meal for this!"
Zack was panting, his knee throbbing with pain, but he couldn't stop himself from grinning as he looked at the fallen Butcher. He raised his hand and waved to the crowd before turning to leave the ring, muttering under his breath, "A free meal? I'd make myself pay you if I could."
Still gasping for air after the fight, Zack felt his body drenched in sweat and exhaustion. So when he spotted that free shower in the locker room, he didn't think twice. He smiled in relief and headed straight for it, ignoring everything else in his path.
The system, still celebrating inside his head, suddenly froze when it realized where Zack was going. It went silent for a moment… then remembered the horrifying scene it had witnessed in a public restroom before.
Back then, it didn't know that some things could cause it psychological trauma.
But now… now it knew.
"No, no, no, Zack! STOP! STOOOOOOOOP!!"
Zack didn't care about the system's warnings. He turned on the cold water and let it flow over his body, sighing in relief.
"That's much better…" he said, feeling the cool water soothe his tired muscles.
But the system wasn't feeling relieved at all. On the contrary, its voice grew more frantic as it pleaded, "Zack, please, don't do it this time! I'm begging you! I have feelings, do you understand?!"
Zack slowly opened his eyes, smirked mischievously, and looked down.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
The system started screaming and sobbing again, as if its very soul had been torn apart. "Why are you doing this to me?! What did I ever do to deserve this?! Is this your way of getting revenge on me?! I'm just an innocent system!!"
Zack burst into laughter, enjoying the cold water cascading over him. "Man, you really need to learn how to handle trauma. What you saw wasn't the end of the world."
"Not the end of the world?!!" the system shrieked in outrage, still sobbing. "I have seen things that should NEVER be seen! I've had nightmares because of you!! Every time you close your eyes, I see that damn scene again!!"
Amused by the system's suffering, Zack playfully said, "Maybe you should erase your memory, then."
"If I had the option to delete part of my data, that scene would be the FIRST thing I'd wipe!!"
The system kept whining and complaining while Zack finished his shower, stepping out feeling refreshed and full of energy—while the system could barely speak from sheer emotional damage.
"Alright, enough drama," Zack said as he put his clothes back on. "Let's focus on what's important."
Still traumatized, the system muttered weakly, "The only important thing now is figuring out a way to never see anything from you again… ever."
Zack smirked, already planning how to torment the system like this again in the future.
Afterward, Zack sat on a bench in the locker room, relaxing after his intense fight. It wasn't long before a familiar transparent blue screen appeared in front of him, announcing his reward:
[Congratulations on completing the mission: A Good Combat Challenge!]
Rewards:
600 Experience Points
$200
Zack had barely processed his reward when another screen popped up, this one carrying even more exciting news:
[Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 3!]
Available Stat Points: 1
Level-up Reward:
$1000
Random Box
Zack smiled as he saw these generous rewards. He wasted no time and immediately said, "Stats."
Instantly, his personal screen appeared in front of him, showing his updated level:
Name: Zack Morkey
Level: 3 (450/1400 XP)
Health: 100/100
Strength: 8
Agility: 9
Intelligence: 8
Vitality: 7
Skills:
Master of Mixed Martial Arts (Currently not upgradeable)
Basic Accuracy (Slightly improves aiming)
Observation (Level 1 - Helps detect small details)
Available Money: $1415
Random Box: [Unopened]
Available Stat Points: 1
Without hesitation, Zack immediately placed his new stat point into Strength.
The system, which was slowly recovering from its previous trauma, whistled mockingly and said, "You seem really focused on strength. I just hope you don't forget that without tactics, strength alone is useless."
Zack smirked and replied, "I have mixed martial arts. Don't worry about me."
He glanced at his money again, seeing that it had reached $1415, which gave him a sense of satisfaction. Finally, he looked at the random box he had received for leveling up but decided to hold off on opening it until he returned to his base, where it would be safer.
After that, he went to the registration office where he had signed up for the match and collected an additional $300. As he slipped the cash into his pocket, he whispered, "Store," increasing his total money to $1715. Feeling quite pleased with himself, he told the system, "I'm ready to take on any mission—as long as it comes with money like today's."
The system, still emotionally scarred, screamed, "You know what, Zack? You'll regret what you did! I'll make your missions ten times harder! You'll suffer for this!"
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
If you liked the story and want to read more
or just to support me, copy the link below.
You will find a special membership for:
3 chapter
and another one for:
7 chapters.
patreon.com/zakx205
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