Chapter 188: Street Fighter (1/2)
A few days ago, in a quiet market square near the New City docks, a young beastman was exercising. Specifically, he was lifting barrels as part of the training regime a certain irresponsible master had proscribed before disappearing once more. The drunk had seemed a bit irritated that his student had acquired the new skill so easily, and had gotten sulky before his sudden departure.
”You've got talent, lad. Just keep practicing like I showed you, and you'll be stronger before you know it.” The old man had said dismissively while walking away. Since then, the young beastman had been working tirelessly to enhance his new skill, which currently involved lifting barrels.
Brenden had recently graduated from ones filled with water, and was now attempting to lift one filled with scrap iron, finding the process a bit more challenging, but doable nonetheless. ”102…103…104…”
[This is a little difficult with one hand. I'm not looking forward to switching to fingers.]
Through a rather intense bout of training, he'd picked up the Minor Power Enhancement skill. It was an unusual one that required him to surpass the mortal limitations of the body in order to even unlock it. In exchange, it allowed him to perform superhuman feats, even at the first rank.
After reaching two hundred repetitions, he finally took a break, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He'd already taken his shirt off, but it had done little to combat the oppressiveness of the late summer heat.
[What I wouldn't give for some of Mike's resistance skills right about now…] He was thinking to himself, when a strange group burst into the square, dragging their troubles behind them.
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”Run! They're right behind us!” Jorn yelled from his position at the rear of the group. The sturdy dog beastman was the closest thing they had to a real fighter, but even he was outmatched by the adults that were chasing them.
”Yuni fell behind! We have to go back for her!” Pearl cried, a look of absolute misery on the young lizard beastman's face as she looked askance at their leader.
Gritting her teeth, Lara shouldered the barely conscious George once more. ”We can't. If we go back now, they'll get all of us. We need to make for Sounding's Square. If we can lose them there, then we'll have a chance.”
Taking the lead, she started hustling as best she could while supporting the rat beastman. It was awkward going, but if they could just make it…
They rounded the corner and came face to face with a shirtless dog beastman, glistening with sweat. For a moment, Lara's mind went blank at the sheer unexpectedness of it. He looked a little older than her, probably around 17, but had the rippling and muscular physique of a warrior. A mop of shaggy dark nearly obscured his curious, but unworried gaze.
Once her brain was working again, Lara quickly dismissed the hunky male as a bystander, and proceeded to focus on the more immediate problems.
”Come on everyone, we need to move!” She urged her comrades onto greater efforts despite her own flagging stamina.
[If we can just make it across…]
They had nearly succeed in crossing the square when the other group of pursuers cut them off. They had broken off early in the chase, and Lara hadn't had the time to think on where they might have gone. Evidently, she'd led her friend's right into their trap. In moments, they were surrounded by over twenty adult humans.
Karl, the leader of Yonbliss, smiled. ”Well, well. Looks like it's the end of the line for you, pups. Why don't you be good little kids and surrender? I would hate to hurt you more than necessary.”
”Damn you!” Lara growled. ”You won't get away with this.”
The man laughed maliciously. ”Ah, but you already know I will. After all, who is going to-”
A fist drove into Karl's face, sending him flying. After nearly ten meters of traveling through the air he crashed into an empty fruit stand, breaking it into pieces.
”Hm, looks like I don't know my own strength, anymore.” The bystander from earlier muttered to himself while examining his clenched fist in an almost disinterested manner. ”Luckily, a good chance to practice has fallen into my lap.”
With that, he launched himself at the surrounding gang members, and began to effortlessly overwhelm them.
[How cool…..I'm mean, this isn't good. I need to warn him!]
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Brenden lazily dodged another punch from the thug, before delivering an elbow to his jaw. He didn't even bother to watch as the man collapsed into a boneless heap.
[I wonder why they're fighting without weapons. They're pretty good at hand to hand, but it's hardly sufficient to warrant this level of confidence.]
Grabbing one of the attackers by the wrist, he whipped the man horizontally at two others, sending all three of them sprawling. Brenden couldn't help but marvel at the ease of it. The man had felt lighter than a pillow.
He'd always been pretty strong, especially once he picked up the Strength Enhancement passive skill as a child, but it paled in comparison to now.
[If this is what Rank 1 can do…]
Delivering a knee to another gang member's gut, Brenden felt his blood boiling. He was beginning to see the path forward.
”Wait, you don't-” The female rabbit beastman who seemed to be the leader of the group started, before being cut off by a much louder yell.
”What's the meaning of this?! Who are you, and why are you interfering?” A walking boulder yelled as it pushed its way through the increasingly timid thugs.
Brenden blinked, before realizing that the boulder was actually a man, just an unusually shaped one. He stood nearly 2m tall, and was about as wide. The massive muscles of his limbs were coated with a solid layer of fat, while his torso appeared to be almost spherical. A proportionately tiny head, with beady eyes glaring at him, gave the impression that he had been simply inflated through some bizarre process.
Brenden returned the glare, ”I saw something I didn't like, so I decided to get involved. Simple as that.”
The boulder frowned, ”You weren't part of the original team. Adding another member in the middle of a match is grounds for disqualification. As such the Hunter's Paw forfeits this round by default.”
[...…What?]