12:42 PM, Underground floor of a gym.
Huh?
Besides Enma himself, his friend, the manager, and even Liam was surprised by his exclamation.
Enma's friend was stupefied, the manager was fascinated, Liam was interested.
"Ah. Young one, can you repeat that again?" The manager asked with his narrowed eyes.
"I want a real match with him for 800 dollars."
As soon as the old manager heard the word 'dollars', his eyes shone with a dollar sign.
"Ah, yes, of course. Haha. Eight hundred dollars... Sure..." He trailed off his sentence when his eyes stumbled into Liam.
"Uh... But... Hm... L-Let's hear that kid's consent first..."
Liam smiled as he heard his manager's care for him.
'Did he just say 'damn it' in the end...?'
Believing he just heard it wrong, he shook his head and glanced at his manager.
"I don't mind, manager. I also would like to be acquainted with him after this." Liam said.
"Aha. What a good kid. Alright, Enma is it? He already agreed so we're fine." The manager said.
"And also, a serious match here means people betting for you two like you said, are you fine with that?" The manager's glared at him with his serious eyes.
Enma agreed without any complaints. He really just wanted to fight Liam.
In any case, the two fighters soon went on to a different boxing ring just right near the entrance.
A long moment of some preparations came by before they went in the middle and took their stance.
In just a few minutes, the match between them will start.
A moment later, the betting match on the other side concluded, making half of the people delighted while the rest were regretful.
Most of them already decided to go home while the others still want more money.
And they saw Liam and Enma on the other ring.
"Hey, look. Another match is going to start. We're in luck today."
A guy said as he saw two unclothed men standing on the ring.
"Ah, you're right. Wait. Look at that guy. His body is way more ripped, he's going to be the favored fighter, and it's obvious that he's gonna win."
Another guy said as he took a close look at Enma.
Then more people became interested in the new upcoming match.
As the crowd finally stopped increasing, the manager went in the middle of the ring.
After taking a look at both of the fighter, he nodded, and started explaining things.
Then he announced their statistical records.
The manager first told their body measures which include their height and weight.
Just by that information, one could clearly tell that Enma was stronger than Liam.
Then what he said next was that they are obviously new in the underground match and were only able to have a sparring match.
He said both of them have a useful and incredible ability. Enma have a quick recovery against attacks and Liam have a great speed and flexibility.
Both of them hit each other in the vital spots only once with different techniques.
"...Although Liam Keene has an inferior body compared to his opponent, it gave him the advantage to move quickly, and it made him not getting hit for almost two minutes,"
The manager stared at all the people who were listening to him obediently before he continued,
"Not until Enma immediately took the slightest chance he could possibly get and hit him in the chest, then the unbelievable moment started there,"
He smiled as he talked, obviously being proud by his lackey's achievement.
"Liam ducked and dodged a hook, took a sidestepped, came back, instantly made a clean stance, and did a perfect hit to his opponent's face."
The manager turned around.
"By normal means and facts, Enma Lee is stronger than Liam Keene here so... Should we start the round and the gamble?"
The crowd became a bit noisy before they all nodded in agreement.
"No kicking, biting, or shots below the belt. Sixteen-ounce gloves are provided. Because there are only three three-minute rounds, we all know that..."
Every hit landed on a fighter's body, equals to a point that ranges from 1 to 5 depending on how effective the strike, which was caused by the attacker. Whoever has the most points will apparently win the match. And there's these two judges who would assess everything.
-300 for Enma Lee, -260 Liam Keene
Enma Lee, the favored fighter, went up to -100 money line. This means that a player who likes the favorite to win must put up $300 for a chance to win $100.
While the ones who bet on Liam, the underdog, will have to pay $100 to win $260.
But as the manager expected, only a few people played for Liam.
A third of the crowd bet on Enma and the rest bet on Liam.
"The match will now start!"
As the match commenced, the two immediately concentrated on each other.
Although they felt slightly uncomfortable about people betting on them, they didn't care much because they have a much bigger reason to continue fighting. They were both intrigued by each other's strengths and immersed by each other's capabilities.
Not wanting a few seconds to pass any further, Enma took the initiative. He took a step forward and jab Liam with his left fist and another one with his right.
Liam easily blocked the first strike and dodged the second one by slipping and made it pass through him. He moved slightly forward while a stance that indicates a straight was made. He shot it towards his opponent's chest.
Enma turned his body to Liam, stepped back, and moved his arms upwards, and successfully protected himself from the attack.
Then came a seemingly heavy hook which he dodged by bending his body downwards.
While Liam was still pulling his right fist, Enma, whose center of gravity was still lowered, moved his right foot farther behind the other, then he shoved his right fist aiming at his opponent's face.
Thwack! A direct hit!
A blow landing on Liam's face, or more precisely, his jaw, made quite a commotion amongst the crowd.
Not just because of the outstanding attack hat Enma made, but also by the intense actions that they showed within those fifteen seconds.
They were filled with excitement that they actually forgot about their bets for a moment.
Someone could even say that they're not so far from the level of the professional boxers judging by their skills, and no one would object.
Going back to the ring, the two fighters were still in their usual calm and serious state.
Liam dealt with the impact of the blow in only a few seconds and brought his composure back.
He smiled inwardly as he thought,
'He's good, alright.'
On the other hand, Enma wasn't surprise by the outcome of his attack. His opponent wasn't affected that much, but somehow, he was a bit delighted.
'A fighter who don't lack endurance, speed, and strength. Hm, I shall gladly end this fight by beating you...'
...One shall have a deep respect for those who are born with considerable talent.
They were now starting to move again.
Liam moved forward, Enma moved left after deciding to encircle his opponent.
At that moment, Liam suddenly took a few steps towards Enma, signifying an incoming attack that was unexpected for the spectators.
They just started to regain their natural state and he was already pushing again?
However, Enma didn't lose his composure as he himself have a great recovery. He won't need a long rest to attack once again.
As he was seeing Liam coming towards him in a straight line he slightly lowered his body and folded his right arm. He was planning to strike before his opponent could.
But suddenly, he felt unsettled.
'Still in a straight line?'
As he thought that, Liam's body blurred in his vision.
'Huh?'
Then the clear image of his body abruptly appeared slightly left of him and even lower than him.
As he looked down, he saw a rippling fist. He immediately clenched his teeth.
Tak!
Another commotion occurred.
Because Liam just did an uppercut.
...Within the first 30 seconds of the match!
Liam didn't move at his spot and kindly wait for his opponent to regain his senses, and Enma saw him do it after recovering.
That five-second interval was enough chance was enough for a person to deal with two or three blows.
For the people in the professional boxing competitions, it was called naivete. Perhaps it really was like that, but for the two fighters standing in the ring, it was a form of respect.
Some of the spectators also noticed what he did, but they didn't dare to just shout it out.
Then a small part of Enma's consciousness have an entirely different thought.
'Is he starting to humiliate me?'
But he just brushed the unuseful thought off by stepping forwards.
Another moment of their exchanging will soon commence.
This time it took 30 seconds of their lifeless attacks before Enma carried out three continuous heavy attacks that Liam could only block.
Then Liam made one step and brought his situation better. He stepped outside his opponent's range.
While Enma was moving slightly forwards, a quick shot of a fist flew towards his face but he managed to dodge it by slipping through. As soon as he came back to his standard stance, he stretched his arm and made a straight punch towards Liam's chest, then after immediately pulling his fist, he did another one, jabbing his target's shoulder.
Those are two successful and decent hits.
For the first time since coming into the ring, Liam's face twitched, but he didn't let his focus flow out and instantly made quite a posture.
Just as Enma was about to slightly loosen up, his opponent moved his torso towards him and made their distance so much closer. He was surprised and engaged by Liam's sudden movement that he didn't even notice a fist coming directly to his abdomen.
The sound it made it obvious that it was painful, but it only took a few steps back for him to recover.
Unfortunately, it didn't end there. Liam already knew that recovery was his best ability so he wouldn't hold back anymore. He tried to hit Enma with a hook and a jab which he barely blocked, and another jab which scarcely hit him.
Liam finally stopped after his straight punch, which was his fifth attack within the recent series of his strikes, was a dodge.
He also began to sweat heavily and thought while he and his opponent, Enma, was standing still.
'This guy is amazing... and definitely scary.'
To think that he can still stand firmly and still looked composed after being hit three times continuously. It was just incredible even for Liam.
Both of them have thick beads of sweat, pouring down from their body, and their body was also beginning to get reddish, either because of tiredness or the pain.
Soon, Enma stepped forward just after several seconds passed, Liam put his guard on, and the spectators began to tense up once again.
The continuous sound of flesh getting hit echoed throughout their area. It was obviously made by the two persons exchanging blows to each other. Until the bell rang.
Liam and Enma lightly glanced at each other before taking down a seat to the chair that was brought up by the underground assistant.
The crowd became noisy as they began to talk, giving each other's opinion. Their impression on Liam greatly changed, and of course, also on Enma. It was always like that in every people's first match.
The ones who bet on their favored fighters were quite pleased, a few even want to bet on Liam but they can't do anything anymore.
But all of them have the thought that this was quite a nice matchup and no one could possibly tell who would win. It was mostly all up to their luck.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The starting bell rang again and both of the fighters soon went in the middle of the ring.
Both of them have a renewed gaze which wasn't looking down on each other's strength. The match this time would be like a second phase of fighting an RPG dungeon's boss where you would need to get serious and even more focused.
They already clashed earlier so obviously, now, they knew each other's fighting style and technique which brought them to think, analyze, and make a timely strategy for themselves.
Like for example, Enma was the first one to move, while he did a straight punch, he was just waiting for Liam to dodge or block, then he would do what he planned after.
He dodged that was not out of Enma's expectations. A second after his straight was dodged, he made a hasty footwork, pulled his fist, turned sidewards fronting Liam, and did a successful hook that hit his vital spot, the neck.
Now, what would come after would clearly be not part of his plan as he already did his.
Liam regained his balance after receiving the impact of being hit in the neck. He took a closed look and saw his opponent still making his defense. He stepped forwards and folded his left arm.
Enma first moved his right arm thinking his opponent would hit him there, but he learned that he made a wrong move when Liam took another step forward which was not going to go well if he continued striking with his left fist.
'A decoy?! I'm too late...!'
Just as he realized it himself, a fist was already targeting his head.
The swift blow landed just behind his ear.
"Urk!"
Enma's vision went blank once again.
'He also knew these vital spots! This is illegal but not in underground fights. I could lose my consciousness...'
He began to lose his balance quickly as his feet were going out of place.
'But I can't do that right now... I won't fall!'
He was about to trip while continuously stepping backward, but he managed to move his one leg and let his body stand firmly again.
'Ku- I should've done this earlier if I knew that he also understands the vital spots...'
Enma thought as he also retrieved his clear vision and saw his opponent two meters away from him.
Liam easily caught his breath for a few seconds while he watched Enma who almost immediately recover and regain his balance.
'Within those ten seconds, a normal person would lose consciousness, a normal fighter would already fall, but he actually managed to pull it off and just stand there...'
Amazing.
Liam just decided to bring a use to his assassination techniques, which was the knowledge of vital spots in a human's body. It was effective against a person without a counter ability, but he wasn't 100% if it was the same with his current opponent who has one.
Soon after, they began to move, with their guard against vital hits not loosening out one bit. But sooner or later would they be able to do so.
Liam move first, tried to hit Enma with a straight, but he was the one to get hit, two consecutive times, in his left shoulder and in his abdomen. He backed down and rest a few seconds before immediately moving forwards again.
Enma strike three times but it was all dodged by his target. It seems like his opponent's composure shot up to a great extent. He tried a few more strikes but it was still dodged. He didn't give up and made another hook, but this time he blocked it.
Then Liam was the one to attack now.
He did three successful jabs, one straight, and one hook. It was incredible, but it made him tired out.
He took a few steps back and relax, but just a few seconds after, Enma began to retaliate.
Just like that, the exchange of attacks began once again.
The crowd wasn't losing on their cheering too. The excitement in them wasn't even falling a single bit.
Every punch they heard or they saw inside the ring, was only making them to tense up more and more. This was more intense than most of the fights they saw in their life, even compared to the professional competitions.
But the commotion soon relaxed when the bells finally rang again.
Enma panted heavily, while you can't say the same with Liam who have a great endurance, he was also sweating at an awful rate. But both of them were tired and gulped a lot of bottled water.
Their last fight would soon start in just a half a minute, but Enma was also only half prepared.
His whole body was beginning to feel numb and muscle aches started to aroused.
But what could he do...
DING! DING! DING!
But to continue.
This would be the last fight.
The last phase where they would be dragged to push forwards with their own fighting will.
At some point, this could turn into a fight full of brawns or a fight full of brains.
After a minute of another intense combat, their fight turned from using strategies to just-hit-when-there-was-a-chance battle.
Liam managed to hit his opponent two times before taking a hit himself.
Enma made a series of dodge and hit two times and also made his opponent back away.
Liam was cornered but he got away by blocking and striking his opponent two times.
It doesn't even feel like a boxing anymore.
Another minute passed before the two stopped exchanging their blows.
This was the last minute so they started to use their brains to fight once again.
But they still ended up doing a fight of strength and within the last 30 seconds, both of them received a hit in their chin, their abdomen, their chest, and so on.
Until the bell finally rang when they let their body rested by just standing and halting all of their movements.
They soon laid on their seats.