As the signal light changed color, Handsome charged at the Fishman. Every muscle fiber in his body worked in sync, channeling immense power through his punch. The Fishman took the blow head-on, reeling back from the force of Handsome's 200-unit punch. Despite the pain, the catfish-breed Fishman showed no signs of fear.
"Duh," the Fishman let out a strange sound as its inner energy flared, an incredible surge of power coursing through its slimy black hand. It grabbed Handsome's arm with a crushing grip.
"Huh?" Handsome felt the intense pressure. The grip was strong enough to obstruct blood flow, causing a painful tightness. The Fishman twisted its body, using its core strength to lift the 180-kilogram man off the ground. It threw Handsome to the floor with a resounding crash that echoed throughout the exam arena.
Each Fishman species had unique traits. For the catfish breed, it was their heightened senses. It could have dodged Handsome's punch if it wanted, but chose not to, wanting to demonstrate its superiority.
"Now that's the kind of power I want, my friend!" Handsome leapt up and immediately backed off to create distance. He wasn't scared of the Fishman's brute strength—he was thrilled. He eyed the creature's muscles beneath its slick skin, curious if this was its limit.
"This guy," Higgs muttered, watching Handsome get up almost immediately. Being thrown by a Fishman that once killed a grizzly bear with its bare hands would have left anyone else unable to move a finger, but Handsome had trained his muscles to the extreme. Normal physical attacks couldn't faze him—only bullets would irritate his skin.
To make his skin as resilient as possible, Handsome endured daily beatings that left his skin bruised, followed by consuming massive amounts of protein to repair the damage. His body had adapted to withstand severe impacts, whether blunt or sharp.
Eventually, he could punch a bear with his bare hands.
"Hrrm!" Handsome flexed, unleashing his inner energy to envelop his body, using a technique to enhance his physical strength further. The Fishman stepped forward, hatred burning in its eyes, moving at a steady pace until they clashed.
"Duh," the Fishman swung its right leg, aiming low at Handsome. He didn't dodge; instead, he lifted his own leg, opting for a direct counter. They collided with full force, a loud crack echoing. Handsome used a weight-shifting technique, anchoring his mass to the ground. Without it, the Fishman's kick would have sent him flying.
"Since you took my punch, I won't dodge either!" Handsome let out a crazed laugh, throwing a stronger punch at the Fishman. The Fishman staggered back, immediately raising its guard.
"Hit me back! Let me taste your power, my friend!" Handsome threw punch after punch, like a sledgehammer pounding down, the force increasing with each hit.
"According to the data, his punch force is around 232 units, but it seems like it's going higher," Fujioka watched the screen, estimating Handsome's current punch strength to be around 240 units. Keen observation was his talent as a scout. The recorded 232 units were meaningless if Handsome could exceed that in real combat. However, the punch in the physical assessment was meant to be his maximum force. He shouldn't be able to sustain it.
"His muscles are resonating with each other," San said. San, a physical combat Miner who focused on body-to-body fighting, could see what made Handsome unique.
"The longer a living creature exerts force, the more fatigue builds up in their muscles, leading to diminished strength. Strong individuals endure more, while weaker bodies tire faster. But..." Swan could see right through Handsome's ability.
"Ego, awaken!" Handsome flexed his muscles to their utmost, releasing all his inner energy. Inner energy was a miraculous life force, gathering and condensing into a yellow mass of power. Handsome's shadow seemed to dim slightly, while the yellow energy took on a clear form—a muscular golden figure wearing nothing but underwear.
On its chest was a heart-shaped "J" symbol.
Jack Card!
Asura Cards bore numbers from 2 to 10—the higher the number, the stronger they were. Then came Jack, Queen, King, and Ace, which were rare special cards. When in Ego form, Asura Cards bore additional symbols: spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds.
The expectations of the sponsor representatives skyrocketed. The Fishman summoned its inner energy to boost its combat capabilities, determined to crush Handsome with the next attack. But Handsome was different now.
"Behold my Ego! Muscle Engine!" Handsome shouted the name of his Ego. The golden muscular figure raised its arms and flexed every muscle, a sight so blinding and grotesque that onlookers turned away.
"Duh!" The Fishman was visibly shaken by the golden muscle man. Since birth, it had never seen anything so bizarre.
"Muscle Engine!" Handsome exhaled golden breath, tightening every muscle to the limit before throwing his hardest punch at the Fishman. The Fishman swung back, realizing that Handsome's strength now matched its own.
"Duh." Sweat trickled down the Fishman's face as it punched harder and faster. Handsome responded in kind, not holding back. The more Handsome moved, the more efficient his body became.
A powerful punch struck the Fishman's face, leaving it unable to keep up. It went from attacking to desperately raising its arms to shield itself against the relentless blows. Even though it was fighting at full power, it couldn't gain the upper hand against Handsome. Instead, it was the one getting driven back.
Handsome kept going without rest, like an unending storm. The more force he used, instead of tiring, his energy seemed to overflow.
"Muscle is power!" Handsome chopped down on the Fishman's shoulder, making it slump.
"Muscle is unyielding!" He raised his leg, kicking the Fishman in the side, bending it like a shrimp.
"Muscle is justice! Muscle is the law of the universe! Muscle is righteousness! Only those with muscle are strong! And I stand at the pinnacle of muscle building! My spirit dedicated to muscle has manifested as my Ego! Remember this well—this is the power that will take you down: Muscle Engine!"
The power of Muscle Engine allowed its user to utilize their muscles like an engine, burning protein, blood sugar, and fat beneath the skin into immediate usable energy. As long as there was food in his stomach, fatigue would never set in as long as the Ego remained active.
Just like an engine that doesn't tire, it only stops when it runs out of fuel.
An engine needs warming up to perform at its best. Handsome's body was the same—initially, it took time to unleash power, but once it started, the energy was limitless.
Fatigue?
That meant nothing to him.
Other than the weight-shifting technique he used at the start, Handsome didn't rely on any secret techniques or martial arts. It was pure brute force. Within two minutes of relentless punches at 240 units of strength, the Fishman fell, collapsing to the ground.
Muscle Engine allowed Handsome to keep punching the Fishman with 240-unit force non-stop. He gathered power into his final punch, uppercutting the Fishman into the ceiling. The catfish-breed monster crashed back down, bruised and battered, its body covered in imprints of Handsome's fists.
"Unbelievable. He actually killed a Fishman with his bare hands," Higgs grinned widely, unable to hide his excitement. The content creators at the federation must be thrilled as well—they had prime footage for their channel this month.
A rookie Miner taking down a Fishman with nothing but his fists? That was definitely going viral.
Handsome was being reevaluated. His potential suggested that he might grow to be a four-star or even a five-star Miner. The scouts were barely holding themselves back from rushing to sign Handsome on the spot.
"Congratulations, Mr. Handsome," the examiner approached to congratulate him. With this performance, a two-star Miner license was a certainty. After proving his worth by taking down the Fishman with his bare hands, Handsome's future looked bright, and they wanted to flatter him a little.
But in front of them, the giant man stood with his arms crossed, like he was still at war.
"Mr. Handsome?"
Prt.
"..." Why did it smell like rotten eggs?
Prtttttt.
"Agh, cough, cough—toxic gas!"
"Run!" The examiners scrambled to get away before they were poisoned. Those closest to Handsome weren't so lucky, knocked out cold by the fumes. Handsome stood there, unmoving, arms crossed, showing no expression. Though, in his heart, he apologized.
Muscle Engine's power relied on using sugar, fat, and protein as energy. The usage ratio was 10% sugar, 30% fat, and 60% protein. That's why, before using his power, Handsome consumed a massive amount of protein bars, boiled eggs, and chicken breast.
When his Ego activated, Handsome's stomach was forced to digest food, converting it into energy immediately. Consuming too much protein led to excessive gas, which was why Handsome always passed gas after using Muscle Engine.
The stench of the toxic gas expelled from his rear was a tragedy in itself. This was why Handsome avoided using his Ego unless absolutely necessary. Whenever he used it, not only did he embarrass himself, but others around him suffered too.
They say your own farts don't stink, and Handsome could handle it—but others definitely couldn't. Back at the training school, he was secretly called the Farting Giant.
This incident would definitely go down in Handsome's biography if he became a famous Miner in the future.
He defeated a Fishman with ease, along with two examiners!
In the control room, a man in glasses and a light brown suit stepped in. His red hair and a small mole under his eye caught everyone's attention, even among the scouts.
"Well, well, well, I thought I recognized that face—isn't that President Roland?" Swan raised a hand and clapped to welcome the newcomer. They were just personnel managers, company employees, but the man who had walked in was a real boss.
A six-star Miner under 30 years old, founder of Avalex Steel—Roland Ironheart.
Roland had earned the nickname Ironheart not because of his last name, but because of his strength and leadership. At just 28, he had gathered talented Miners to form a team, working his way up from a mining contractor to now developing areas in the new world.
Roland founded Avalex Steel right after graduating from Miner School at 18, finishing first in his class with just $3.5 million in starting capital. Ten years later, his company was worth $240 million.
Avalex Steel was responsible for many village-level projects and would soon take on city-level projects, giving Roland's company the rights to manage land, property, and transportation in those cities.
The reason he could grow his company so quickly was that Avalex Steel monopolized essential construction minerals and metals. This guaranteed profits and long-term growth. Any company looking to build a village or city had to buy materials from them.
Roland became a billionaire before turning 30, along with being a six-star Miner.
Roland had a peculiar habit—if he had the time, he wouldn't send scouts to the Miners Federation office. Instead, he would come to find raw talent himself. He had reviewed the profiles of key applicants that his secretary had gathered, and he rushed here as soon as he saw a name he hadn't seen in years.
Asic Quadro.
"Can I go in and speak with an applicant, Chief Examiner?"
"No," Higgs refused flatly. Even if a sponsor asked directly, he couldn't make an exception.
"But if you happen to run into each other in the cafeteria during lunch, that's out of my control."
"Thank you, Chief Examiner." Roland had no interest in other applicants. His goal was singular—to recruit Asic Quadro.
Roland had graduated from Miner School ten years ago, topping his class. At the same time, there had been another outstanding student who vanished from the mining scene after graduating, finishing fourth in their class.
That student's name was Asic Quadro.