"Uwaaaahhhh!!!"
With a scream, the boxer toppled off the ring and fell to the floor, foaming at the mouth, no longer moving. Seeing this, the referee raised both hands.
"KO!"
"Whew… all done."
Duanmu Huai tightened his fist, watching the boxer below. After returning to Duel City, he had split up from Lorena and begun challenging various fighters throughout the city to earn Duel Points.
It wasn't hard to find opponents—Duel City had more dojos, gyms, and boxing clubs than convenience stores. Entire streets had four or five of them. Duanmu Huai simply walked into each one, challenged the owner, beat them effortlessly, and racked up points.
"Woooow… amazing!"
A voice called from outside the ring. Duanmu Huai turned and saw a girl watching him with sparkling eyes. She had orange hair tied into a small side-ponytail—quite cute, actually. She wore a short-sleeved T-shirt, denim shorts, and a purple glove on her right hand.
If I hadn't met her in a boxing gym, I'd think she belonged on a stage singing and dancing, not stepping into a ring.
"What? Do you also want to fight?"
He stared down at her. Hearing his question, the girl's eyes lit up.
"Can I? Then… here I come!"
With a hop, she leapt into the ring. The crowd erupted in cheers. The girl bowed politely toward him.
"My name is Honoka. Please take care of me—mister!"
"My name is Duanmu Huai. And for the record, I'm not old enough to be called 'mister.'"
His eye twitched. Hearing that, Honoka froze, then quickly bowed again.
"Ah—sorry! Mr. Duanmu!"
As she moved, the little cow-print on her T-shirt bounced vigorously.
Hmph… well, I suppose that design does suit her.
Duanmu Huai tore his gaze away from the cow-print and focused on Honoka, clenching his fists.
"Alright then—come!"
"Yes!"
Honoka clenched her fists as well, taking a fighting stance.
"Then—here I go!"
"ROUND ONE! READY——GO!"
With the referee's shout, Honoka dashed forward, charging at Duanmu Huai.
"Haaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"
"Hrah!"
Duanmu Huai roared and swung his right fist like a flood bursting forth, aiming straight at Honoka's head. But her reaction was quick—she ducked under his punch, grabbed his arm with both hands, and leaned upward against it.
"Heh—take this!! Eh?"
In her mind, this counter-throw should have shifted his center of gravity and slammed him onto the ground. But the moment she applied her weight, she realized something was wrong.
Duanmu Huai's arm felt like solid iron—it didn't move at all. No matter how she strained, she couldn't budge his balance. When she looked up, she saw his cold, ferocious grin.
Oh no!
Honoka's instincts screamed danger. She immediately let go, trying to retreat. But the instant she released him, Duanmu Huai grabbed her by the neck and slammed her head-first into the mat!
"BAM!!!"
Her skull smashed hard into the ground. A normal person would've died instantly. But Honoka gritted her teeth, kicking his chest to force distance.
"How is it? Still want to continue?"
She rolled upright, dazed. Duanmu Huai stared at her, asking calmly.
He knew very well who this girl was—players called her the Great Overlord, "Copy Ninja Honoka," "Duel City's Final Boss"… and those titles weren't exaggerations.
Yes—the girl before him was the NPC every Duel City player feared.
…Though not yet, at this stage.
At first, players thought Honoka was just a cheerful NPC who wandered through arenas to watch matches or occasionally challenge players. Early on, her abilities were weak—players jokingly called her a "free points dispenser." Some even farmed her to grind Duel Points.
But later, players discovered her fatal trait:
She could learn other characters' and players' techniques.
She learned everything she saw.
Players couldn't predict her moves at all. That was terrifying.
There were plenty of NPCs stronger than Honoka, but their movesets were fixed. Like Iori Yagami—cool guy, but everyone knew his combos by heart. Or Ken Masters—fireball, Shoryuken, Hurricane Kick, repeat. If you memorized their patterns, you could handle them.
Some expert players even fought Iori with their eyes closed, dodging purely by sound cues.
But Honoka was different.
Before she hit you, you never knew what move she would use. And if she grabbed you, you'd die without knowing how you lost. Her moves were a chaotic mix—players couldn't react, couldn't counter, and many described being combo'd by Honoka as "getting thrown into a washing machine."
Late-game, players avoided her like the plague. Early-game weakling, late-game god-tier—she was that kind of character.
The more she learned, the stronger she became.
So how did players deal with her?
Simple—
Power crushes technique.
She could have 180 different attacks—
but if she couldn't hurt you, and you could flatten her with one punch, it didn't matter.
Just like Duanmu Huai—she couldn't move him, couldn't throw him—and her unpredictability meant nothing.
"Uu… again!!"
At this stage, Honoka didn't have many moves, but her unyielding spirit was as fierce as ever. She shook her head, clenched her fists, and charged again. This time she jumped mid-run, kicking both feet at Duanmu Huai's chest.
But he didn't dodge. He simply caught her by the legs, swung her around, and smashed her onto the mat again.
"BOOM!!"
"Ugh!!!"
Even though Duel City prevented lethal injuries, two heavy slams left her dizzy and unable to breathe. A shadow suddenly blurred above her—the instinct to survive made her roll to the side. Duanmu Huai's boot stomped the floor right where her head had been.
But he didn't stop. Missing his stomp, he turned and kicked like he was shooting a soccer ball. Honoka barely had time to guard before she was blasted off the ring, tumbling across the floor.
"KO!!"
[You defeated Honoka. Gained 1000 Duel Points.]
As expected—high-profile characters do drop more points. No wonder players farmed her early on.
And that's how they created a late-game monster. Serves them right.
"Uu… you're really strong… Mr. Duanmu."
Honoka stood up shakily, staring at him.
"But I won't give up! I'll come challenge you again!"
With that, she turned and trotted away. A system message popped up before Duanmu Huai:
[You have been marked as Honoka's Rival]
[Your relationship with Honoka has risen to Friendly]
"Pff—seriously?"
He rolled his eyes. Rival status was a Duel City mechanic. Fighting games always had rival pairs—Ryu and Ken, Iori and Kyo, etc. In essence, if one fighter was strong and the other saw them as a target to surpass, a Rival bond could form.
Once Rivals, the NPC would frequently seek you out. Each time you beat them, their affection for you increased.
Huh… what do they call this again?
Written as "rival," read as "friend"?
Well, this meant Honoka would proactively come looking for him now—and all he had to do was beat her repeatedly, thoroughly crushing her spirit. Honoka would then willingly deliver Duel Points and affection right to his doorstep.
What kind of masochist-system is this?
If this weren't a dungeon, Duanmu Huai might've suspected some Daemon of Excess was behind this.
Whatever—he'd think about it later.
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
Anyway, he had earned enough Duel Points today. Time to go rest.
(End of Chapter)