“Didn’t expect to run into such an interesting guy.” Quentin King laughed heartily, the scar on his face flushing red with excitement. “If this guy isn’t even 18 yet, he’s truly a promising talent! Edward Brooks, no matter what, let me have this one, okay? You can have all three of the others.”

Edward Brooks smiled and murmured softly, “If he’s really under 18 and has already perfected the basic combat techniques? Heh, with that kind of martial arts comprehension, if I let such a talent slip by, I’d be fired on the spot.”

In the center of the hall not far away, a “virtual combat simulator” suddenly opened, and a burly man burst out, his whole body trembling, face twisted with rage, roaring, “One Punch Blood, get out here! Let’s fight face to face again!”

“One Punch Blood! If you’re a man, come out! I, Butcher, will beat you to a pulp in person!”

“One Punch Blood! Stop pretending to be a coward, come out, come out! Come out…!”

But no matter how much he raged, no one responded. The people around watched coldly, whispering among themselves, as if all mocking Butcher for his recent defeat.

Unaware of everything happening in the combat hall, William Clark, after defeating Butcher with a single blow, immediately exited the “virtual combat simulator” and sat dazed on the metal chair, cold sweat covering his forehead.

“What just… what just happened?”

William Clark’s heart pounded wildly, his mind replaying the scene just now in vivid detail. The first time Butcher used the [Bear Ape Slam] on him, if it had been the old William Clark, he would have lost the ability to keep fighting right then.

Although [Bear Ape Slam] was only a first-grade combat technique, William Clark’s [Three Forms of Soldier] was just at the beginner’s level. Trying to use the whip form to defend against a first-grade technique was nothing but wishful thinking.

Yet, he actually managed to defend against it. At the moment [Bear Ape Slam] struck him, his arms became as flexible as whips, and he used his back to transfer the impact to the wall, neutralizing Butcher’s lethal attack.

The second time Butcher used [Bear Ape Slam], William Clark seized the fleeting opening and shattered Butcher’s Adam’s apple with a whip-hand strike, securing victory in the match.

Staring at his own hands, William Clark was in disbelief. “What’s going on? That whip form just now was clearly at the perfect stage. How could I have pulled that off? How could I have caught that opening?”

“Wait, wait…” William Clark rubbed his flushed cheeks. “Could it be that I, your big brother, took a nap, had a weird dream, and suddenly became enlightened? That’s not scientific!”

Recalling the strange dream he had in the ancestral house, William Clark clenched his fists and nodded hard. “Maybe it was just that Butcher suddenly lost his edge, and I got lucky. I’ll try again, yes, try again—facts speak louder than guesses.”

Taking a deep breath, he put the helmet back on. The screen before his eyes dimmed, and the cold voice of the AI rang in his ears: “Codename: One Punch Blood, points: 347.”

After defeating Butcher, William Clark’s points immediately became 347, a reward calculated as about 1% of his opponent’s points. It’s this kind of reward system that makes many people dream of defeating strong opponents, but unfortunately, such dreams are usually just fantasies.

“Please wait 15 minutes while we match you with an appropriate opponent.”

Fifteen minutes? Isn’t the usual wait time just 30 seconds? So it really was an illusion just now—even the AI is acting up.

At the same time, on the top floor of the Starry Sky Combat City, in a luxurious hall, an elderly man in a tailcoat with short silver hair looked at the AI screen on the wall, then turned and pressed the blue button beside him.

A crisp bell rang, and a hidden door in another wall opened. A young man walked out from inside.

The youth wore a spotless white uniform, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, his face sharply defined. As he walked, he exuded a certain aura, like a dragon or tiger, as if he were a perfect sculpture.

The youth sat straight down on the sofa. “George Brooks, why did you wake me?”

“Young master,” George Brooks bowed slightly, “just now in the combat hall, we discovered an interesting person.”

“Oh, an interesting person.” The youth’s gaze shifted to the screen, then he was surprised. “Butcher? Someone defeated Butcher? Which one was it? The skewer guy, or the combat maniac?”

“One moment, please.” George Brooks pressed a button on the screen. “Young master, take a look and you’ll understand.”

The screen replayed the recent battle between William Clark and Butcher in slow motion. The youth’s starry eyes lit up. “Codename: One Punch Blood, points: 347, perfect-level whip form—interesting!”

George Brooks smiled and bowed again, asking, “Young master, how would you like to handle this?”

The youth stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and smiled. “Simple. Whoever has the highest points in the combat hall right now, match them against him.”

“Yes, young master.”

……

“Please wait 8 minutes while we match you with an appropriate opponent.”

Hurry up, I’m dying of boredom here. William Clark sighed inwardly. His feelings were complicated—he felt the last fight was too surreal, yet he hoped it wasn’t just a dream.

Becoming an outstanding martial artist—wasn’t that his lifelong dream?

But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment!

Two voices kept circling in his mind, and William Clark felt the wait was just too long.