Running forward the Crab Altered student swung his arm, but the other was able to duck down underneath. At the same time, he had used his leg to kick the other from underneath, causing his opponent to fall to the ground.
The Crab Altered could see a fist come towards him and moved his larger claw directly in front to block the attack. As the fists landed on the claw many of the onlookers winced in pain, imagining how much it had to hurt.
Rolling to the side and getting up, the Crab Altered looked at his opponent, expecting him to be in some type of pain, but he wasn’t where he had left him. Instead, before the challenger realised that his opponent had jumped up, a kick came down, aimed straight at the side of his head.
“Damn it, that was cheap!” The Crab Altered complained, his head was hurting, but thanks to his Altered physique he was at least still conscious. Unfortunately for him, starting with that moment he was forced to defend himself from the flurry of punches coming his way. Loud bangs were heard each time the knuckles of the student would hit the hard casing of his pincers.
‘What the hell?! How is this possible?! Are this guy’s hands made of metal or something? They should be broken by now… or at least injured, so why am I the one suffering all the damage?!’ The teenager thought in frustration.
Eventually, a cracking sound could be heard… the Crab Altered’s pincer. A shooting pain ran through his body and dropping his guard at that moment, a fist connected with his face, this time actually knocking him out.
‘Wow… I wasn't expecting that at all.’ Gary thought in amazement. ‘Still, this makes one thing clear, we weren’t just selected through a fluke. He might not be able to transform, but his body is already above that of a normal person. Just how strong will he be, when he learns to transform?’
“Well, after seeing this fight, does anyone else wish to challenge those we’ve passed?” Professor Hai asked with a large grin on his face. Around a dozen hesitantly raised their hand. “In case any of you wanted to be a smart-ass, you’re not allowed to challenge someone who has just fought.”
After that statement, those hands came down. The majority was now disheartened once again. They tried to put themselves in the Crab Altered’s shoes, but they couldn’t imagine beating the person who had just fought. They could see clearly how strong, and how fast his movements were.
Eventually, shortly before they dispersed, one person raised their hand and walked forward. They had short spiky hair and Gary recognised this person immediately. He was the one the Werewolf had shut up because he had made fun of Numba.
‘I bet he’s going to pick a fight with that Numba guy. Well, out of all those that could transform those horns looked the least impressive, and after seeing what one of those that couldn't transform could do…’ Gary wouldn't blame him if the guy challenged Numba.
“If only I could fight in his stead, I would love to shut him up without suffering any consequences.” The teenager mumbled to himself.
“I pick the green-haired one.” The spiky fellow pointed.
Hearing this, the onlookers were whispering amongst themselves, obviously as confused as Gary himself was. Out of all of those that had passed, his transformation had been undoubtedly the most vicious and deadly-looking Altered forms they had ever seen. Not to mention Gary had been able to transform at the snap of a finger, something only two others had been able to, yet his had been far more smooth.
‘The ones that can’t transform seem to have something special about them, which should be the reason why the professors picked them. They might actually be the strongest among them, and even if that guy was the strongest among the three, there’s no need to test out the other two. They could tell the difference between the talented ones that couldn't transform and the ones that couldn't. which means they are deemed better than any of us that could.
‘So if that's the case, then I just need to pick the one that stood out the most, since he should be the weakest!’ That was the student’s train of thought, but he also had another, more personal reason to pick Gary.
‘Besides, I have a trump card that suits this type of fight very well. Given their image, they shouldn’t go back on their word, and as long as I win, it doesn't matter how I beat my opponent. You dared to talk crap to me, so suffer the consequences.’ The student smirked.
In the end, Gary didn’t complain as he walked forward and stood where the other fighting teenager had stood.
“Now, since you are both able to transform, we’ll tweak the rules slightly.” Professor Hai announced. “Once I shout ‘start’, you’ll begin your fight, and only then are you allowed to transform, got it?”
The two nodded in agreement and at the same time, a notification appeared with a ding before the Werewolf.
[New Quest received]
[Honorable Fight 0.5!]
[Many people are watching, so don’t make a fool out of yourself.
Win the match!]
[Condition: Knock out or kill your opponents]
[Quest reward: 50 Exp]
[Failure: ???]
[Optional Quest received]
[Waste not want not]
[Consume the Altered]
[Quest reward: Additional stat points]
Subconsciously Gary licked his lips as he read over the message, yet he snapped out of it as soon as Hai shouted ‘start!’.
Immediately, the challenger’s feet started to transform, growing green in colour, making them look like that of an insect. Less than a second later, he pushed off, shooting from his position like a spring. The ground was kicked up and the dirt had hit one of the students behind.
‘Haha, I bet you never expected this, my one-shot-kill. I’ll take you out in a single hit and take your place!’
Even the three adults were surprised by this, since it had taken him a few seconds to transform his feet and hands previously. For a moment, Hai began to worry, for even a student in a stronger Altered form might have trouble dealing with such a surprise attack.
It was one of the reasons the three didn’t simply host a battle royale. Sure, the challenger might win, but it was a cheap victory and not one that had to do with their potential. Nevertheless, since it was the potential admission to the AFA on the line, they couldn’t blame him for using a cheap trick.
‘Honorable Fight 0.5… only 50 EXP… it means I don’t really have to worry about you.’ Gary sighed internally, as he shifted his front foot, taking a fighting stance. He lifted his heel off the ground slightly and was on his toes, before getting his fist ready.
‘You might think you’re fast… but you’re nothing but a snail compared to Kirk!’
Bouncing off his toes without transforming, Gary threw out his fist, landing right in his opponent’s face. A loud crack resounded as the Insect Altered’s jaw, and nose were shattered. Blood spilt backwards through the air, as he fell to the ground.
Gary just stood there looking down at his opponent with a bloody fist, happy to receive a free 50 EXP without the need to so much as transform and having defeated them with a single punch.
‘He’s on a different level.’ Mr Wood thought.
*****
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