Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Random Mission
Word had already spread through the gym floor by the time Derrick and Keira stepped into the ring.
Fighters clustered near the railings above the basement pit, craning their necks for a better look, whispers wriggling through the small crowd that had gathered.
"Who is that kid?"
"No idea. Never seen him before."
"He’s challenging the owner? Is he insane?"
A thin man near the back leaned toward his friend, arms crossed. "Bro’s about to get folded by the gorilla woman."
The guy beside him froze, eyes going wide with horror. He slapped a hand over his friend’s mouth, hissing under his breath. "Shut up! She’ll hear you!"
The thin man’s face drained of color instantly, head whipping toward the ring, bracing for impact.
Keira didn’t so much as glance their way.
The man exhaled, shoulders sagging in relief. Then, like the fear had never existed, a smug grin spread across his face as he turned back to the ring, nudging his friend.
"Kid doesn’t even know who he’s up against." He shook his head, tone dripping with pity now. "Poor bastard. She’s gonna wipe the floor with him."
"Should’ve done his homework before running his mouth."
"Rookies never learn."
Down below, none of it reached Derrick. His world had shrunk down to the woman standing across from him, hands loose, stance relaxed, patient smile still hanging on her lips like this whole thing was barely worth her attention.
His pulse hammered against his ribs.
You can do this Derrick...
He sucked in a deep breath.
"Here I come."
Whoosh!
Derrick moved.
His body blurred, the motion so fast that half the crowd above lost track of him entirely, eyes darting around the ring in confusion.
A few of the sharper fighters, the ones who’d clawed their way to the peak of the Physical Strengthening Realm themselves, managed to catch fragments of his movement.
Everyone sucked in a cold breath and leaned forward involuntarily. The little kid they had been mocking before turned out to be so powerful they could not follow his movements at all.
Derrick closed the distance in a blink, driving a straight punch toward Keira’s ribs.
Keira’s eyes flickered with something like mild surprise.
She shifted her weight half a step to the side, letting the punch sail past her by inches.
She dodged it like it was nothing.
"I forgot to mention but every time you fail to hit me, I will hit back." Derrick only felt the air move before he even noticed the first stoping an inch before his face. "Since I did not tell you this before, I will not punch you but don’t you dare hold back on me."
Derrick paused. Indeed he was not able to give it his all because so many thoughts were clouding his mind.
Discard all distraction. Move the way you learned from Body Coordination Technique.
Derrick jumped back to create a distance between them and started focusing all of his attention on the battle, discarding all the useless thoughts.
Focus on just moving. One punch after another. Think of her like the tree or Imaginary Kenny you were fighting against.
He surged forward again, feet barely touching the mat, closing the gap in a blur of motion. A jab shot toward Keira’s jaw, followed instantly by a cross aimed at her ribs.
Keira tilted her head a fraction, letting the jab whistle past her ear. She grabbed his arm before he could pull back.
"Come on! You can go faster. Show me or I will slam your face into the ground until it bleeds white."
Her free hand snapped out, open palm cracking across his cheek before he could even react.
Smack!
The sound echoed off the basement walls.
Derrick’s head snapped sideways, a sharp sting blooming across his skin, but he didn’t stumble.
Oh, I will get you for that.
Just then, a screen flickered before his eyes.
___
[Random Mission: Smack That Ass]
[Description: You have been given a mission and you have to prevail in it. So why not do it in style while getting revenge? Surprise Keira Chen by smacking her ass and winning the bet.
Reward: 50 Unranked PED.
[Note: Radom missions are different from fixed ones, they are time and situation sensitive. So if you miss the opportunity, they will disappear.]
___
Her ass? Come on. Are you serious? Not like I haven’t dreamt about it... but will it be okay? Ahhh... Whatever stop thinking and just do it!
He didn’t get another second to second-guess himself.
Keira didn’t move from her spot.
She stood rooted in the center of the ring, arms loose at her sides, letting him come to her again and again, punishing every miss with a strike of her own.
Derrick lunged. A jab toward her ribs.
But... as expected, he missed.
Her elbow cracked into his shoulder before he could retreat.
He grit his teeth and came again. A low kick toward her shin.
Miss.
Without any mercy she slammed her kneed into his face, making his nose bleed.
She’s not even trying. She’s just standing there... But I am also starting to see her movements.
Once again Derrick jumped back, his chest heaving, sweat dripping steadily off his jaw now, mixing with the blood still trickling from his split lip.
Fine. Let’s see how she likes this.
He threw another jab, he did not even make it deliberately sloppy because he knew she was skilled enough to dodge it but he let his arm extend farther than it needed to, leaving his guard open on purpose.
Keira’s eyes narrowed slightly, catching the bait immediately, hand already snapping forward to punish the opening.
Now.
The moment her palm shot toward his face, Derrick dropped low, using her extended arm as leverage, planting one foot against her forearm like a stepping stone.
Woosh!
He surged upward, wrapping his other arm around her neck in one fluid motion, using the momentum to twist his entire body mid-air.
Keira’s eyes widened.
For the first time all fight, genuine surprise flashed across her face.
He clenched his hips and moved, dragging her off balance, flipping her clean over his shoulder.
She went airborne.
The crowd above gasped in unison, a wave of disbelief rippling through the railing. "Did he just—"
"He FLIPPED her—"
Keira twisted mid-flight, unbothered, an amused smirk already curling across her lips even as gravity pulled at her.
"What are you trying to do kid? Do you think I cannot dodge an attack in the air?" She read the trajectory instantly, calculating her landing, ready to dodge whatever followed.
"Then Dodge this!"
Derrick didn’t let her hit the ground.
He jumped after her, launching his own body into the air, closing the gap before she could reorient, fist cocked back like he meant to throw a real punch.
As expected. Keira’s smirk widened.
She read it as a real strike, twisting her torso sharply mid-air to slip past it, the same way she’d dodged every single one of his punches all fight long.
Which was exactly what he needed.
The moment her body rotated, exposing her from a completely different angle, Derrick uncurled his fist into an open palm.
Gotcha.
SMACK!
The sound cracked through the basement like a gunshot, echoing off every wall, loud enough to drown out the ringing in his own ears.
Keira’s whole body jolted mid-air from the impact, momentum stuttering for just a fraction of a second before she landed in a crouch, one hand braced against the mat.
"..."
Silence.
Absolute, suffocating silence.
Not a single person above the railing breathed.
Someone’s jaw had gone slack enough to nearly unhinge. Someone forgot to drink the cup attached to their mouth, letting the water fall from the sides of their open mouth.
Derrick landed a few feet away, chest heaving, staring at his own palm like it belonged to someone else.
...I did it again. But god, that felt so divine.
He recalled the plump feeling against the palm of his hand the moment his hand connected against her hip.
Keira remained crouched, perfectly still, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular.
Then, slowly, she rose to her full height, turning to face him with a clam expression.
What have I done?
[Ding! Congratulations Son—Ahem! Host, you have done it!]
Did you just—
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