That day, after watching Cloud and Mai's "flirtatious sparring session," Terry lounged against a post chewing on a blade of grass and drawled:
"Cloud, you're improving fast—but something's missing."
"Missing what?" Cloud asked curiously.
"Pressure." Terry's eyes turned uncharacteristically serious.
"Your sparring with Mai is too 'gentle.' It lacks that sense of dancing on the edge of death."
"Real fighters are forged under extreme pressure. You need to find someone who can grind you into the dirt, someone who makes you feel like breathing is a luxury—and really experience that."
Terry's blue eyes sparkled with excitement. "More importantly, training alone is too slow! You need real opponents to sharpen yourself against! Just like back in the day—we didn't hold back on our 'sparring' here in South Town!"
Cloud deadpanned: "...Terry, are you just translating 'turf wars' and 'street brawls' as 'sparring'?"
"Details, details!" Terry waved dismissively, adopting an elder's sage demeanor. "The point is it'll make you grow faster! Sure, you've got some skills now, but it's all theoretical. When it's life or death, no system's gonna save you!"
System: "???"
Cloud: "Ahem. System, did you hear that? Terry says you won't help me in a life-or-death situation!"
System: "...Host, please focus on the challenge at hand. Guilt-tripping and passive-aggression will not contribute to this mission."
"So what you're saying is... you want me to go get myself killed?" Cloud's mouth twitched.
"That's about the size of it." Terry flashed a toothy grin.
"I've got a great place for you—the Kyokugenryu Dojo on the east side. The master there? He's an absolute monster. 'One-Punch Man' levels of scary."
Kyokugenryu Dojo? The master?
Cloud's mind immediately conjured an image: a man in an orange or white gi, wild brown hair, eyes as hard as iron.
Ryo Sakazaki!
"The Invincible Dragon." The protagonist of Art of Fighting.
One of KOF's poster boys, right up there with Kyo Kusanagi and Terry Bogard!
Gulp. Cloud swallowed hard.
Challenge Ryo Sakazaki? That wasn't seeking death—that was speedrunning creative ways to die!
That guy's "Haoh Shoukou Ken" could double as an RPG launcher!
However, when he mentioned this to the system, it dangled an offer he simply couldn't refuse.
[Ding! Special Challenge Mission triggered: Kyokugenryu's "Tiny Bit" of Shock!]
[Mission Objective: Go to the Kyokugenryu Dojo and survive ten minutes in an official match against Dojo Master Ryo Sakazaki.]
[Mission Rewards: Source Points ×15,000, Special Item "Dragon-Tiger Spirit (Faint)" ×1, Ryo Sakazaki Affection +30.]
[Failure Penalty: One month of bedrest and the humiliating title of "South Town's Toughest Punching Bag."]
"Fifteen thousand Source Points! Plus a special item!" Cloud's eyes went red with greed.
Fortune favors the bold!
Let's do this!
And so, the scene at the chapter's opening came to be.
With Terry's introduction, Cloud found himself facing Ryo Sakazaki in a match.
...
Kyokugenryu Dojo. Center of the training hall.
Every muscle in Cloud's body was taut. Sweat had already soaked through his tank top.
He didn't feel like he was fighting a person—it felt more like going hand-to-hand with a speeding tank!
Across from him, Ryo Sakazaki stood casually with his arms crossed, not even bothering to assume Kyokugenryu's signature stance.
Yet the aura radiating from him pressed down on Cloud like a towering mountain—heavy, solid, suffocating.
It was pure, refined warrior's spirit.
No killing intent. No malice. Just an unshakeable strength and confidence as immovable as bedrock.
"Kid. You're not bad." Ryo spoke, his voice booming like a temple bell, full of power.
"Lasting this long against me already puts you ahead of ninety percent of South Town's challengers. But the warm-up's over."
Cloud's heart screamed in protest.
Warm-up?! You call THAT a warm-up?!
In just the last five minutes, Ryo had used only the most basic jabs, hooks, and kicks. He hadn't even taken a single step.
Yet those seemingly simple attacks had put Cloud through hell.
Every punch carried unstoppable, crushing force—like it could tear through the air itself.
Cloud felt like he wasn't blocking fists, but battering rams!
Each collision made his arms go numb and his blood surge.
His prized [Shiranui Battle God Style] footwork looked clumsy and laughable against Ryo's almost precognitive attacks.
No matter how Cloud dodged, those fists always found the most direct, efficient path to cut off every escape route.
[Mind's Eye] had been passively triggering at maximum capacity.
In his perception, Ryo Sakazaki's entire being was a blazing, impossibly dense mass of concentrated qi—without a single obvious opening!
"This... this is the power of the 'Invincible Dragon'? He hasn't even used his special moves, and he's already pushed me this far..." Cloud's breathing grew ragged.
"Your style is interesting. Hard with a touch of soft. I like it." Ryo slowly uncrossed his arms, feet spreading into Kyokugenryu's classic ready stance.
"As a reward for your courage—I'll show you what true Kyokugenryu looks like!"