For a moment, the thugs fell silent, daunted by the prospect of confronting Ryan. The expression on Ryan's face was like a harbinger of a dark aura, so chilling it made the thugs' hair stand on end.
The standoff, however, was brief once the boss's shout echoed.
"Don't be scared! He's alone! Attack now!"
The eight men regained their courage and moved to attack Ryan simultaneously. Ryan, seeing them approach again, merely pulled a wry smile. He had hoped they would be intimidated enough to give up without a fight. But, it wasn't that simple.
A cleaver quickly approached Ryan's face with a swift swing from one of the thugs, but Ryan deflected it with his baseball bat.
Clank!
The sound of hard objects colliding rang out. Not only blocking, but Ryan's left leg also executed another blow.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
The kick landed solidly in the attacker's stomach. He staggered backward ten paces from Ryan, writhing in intense pain. After kicking the man, Ryan quickly dodged an incoming blow from another thug's baseball bat from behind.
Swish..
The blow whistled through the air. Barely recovering from his evasion, Ryan was now facing a knife thrust coming at him. He wanted to dodge but seemed to have no chance.
Ryan stepped back, then jabbed forward with his baseball bat.
Thwack!
The end of the baseball bat hit an eye of the knife-wielding attacker. The man retreated, howling in pain, his bleeding eye grasped in his hand.
From another direction came consecutive attacks by his other six opponents, wielding machetes and cleavers. Ryan spun, swinging the baseball bat.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Clank! Clank! Clank!
His quick defense caused the attackers to lose their balance slightly. With no time to waste, Ryan swiftly delivered surprise attacks to all six.
Thud! Thwack! Thud!
Thwack! Thud! Thud!
"Aaakkhh.."
The six men screamed as they absorbed the blows from the baseball bat. They all fell, groaning with pain, and two immediately lost consciousness after Ryan hit the back of their necks.
The boss, along with his forty remaining henchmen, couldn't believe their eyes. Ryan had defeated nine of them in less than five minutes! Could this young man be too formidable? They pondered.
"Hehehe.. Not bad!" Ryan's remark made their hearts race even more.
"Come on! Advance all of you! This kind of sport is something I enjoy immensely!" he continued in a chilling tone.
The remaining thugs hesitated upon hearing Ryan's statement. Even the boss began to tremble with the burgeoning fear.
Trying to dismiss his apprehension, the boss convinced himself that the youth before him was just a normal human with finite strength and stamina.
With his remaining forty underlings, the boss was convinced that the young adversary would fall and be powerless under his command. Additionally, he was a formidable martial artist. He wouldn't have his men merely serve as target practice for Ryan.
"Everyone, fall back! Let me handle this snotty brat myself!" the boss instructed his men.
"Yes, Boss!" they complied.
The boss approached Ryan with a fierce glare and venomous hatred. Stopping four meters away, he declared,
"Boy, your arrogance knows no bounds! Don't get too cocky just because you defeated nine of my men!"
Shing!
The boss unsheathed his katana, pointing it at Ryan's face.
"When my sword leaves its sheath, your fate is sealed!" he snarled.
"Hohoo.. We'll see about that, uncle! Perhaps my baseball bat can snap your katana, followed by a beating you won't forget!" Ryan taunted provocatively.
"Hahaha.. If you can, then prove it!" the boss laughed boisterously.
"Of course! I'll gladly do just that! And mind you, don't blame me if I lose my manners and show no mercy to my elders! Hehehe.." Ryan chuckled.
"You think you can defeat me, brat? Ha! In your dreams!" the boss answered spitefully.
"Remember my words! Don't complain when your head is lumpy afterward!" Ryan retorted with equal venom.
Both readied themselves in their strongest stances. The boss took several breaths to stabilize himself – an expected procedure because any fighter needs not just agility or skill but also well-regulated breathing.
A fighter who doesn't control their breath will tire easily and lose their composure. Moreover, anger can assure defeat in battle.
When the boss's breathing was steady, he inched closer to Ryan, ready to put an end to him.
Ryan did likewise. He recognized the boss's martial prowess and knew he couldn't take him as lightly as the boss's previous nine men.
"System!" Ryan called out to the System in his mind.
[Yawn... Yes, Master! Have you defeated those thugs and made them your underlings?] the System asked lazily, as if just waking up.
Ryan nearly stumbled in his stance at the System's languid tone.
"Are you sleeping?" he muttered in annoyance.
[Come on, Master! Even I occasionally yearn for sleep, just like humans!] the System responded lethargically.
"You're one odd system that likes to sleep!" Ryan grumbled.
[What's wrong with that? It's my choice, Master!] the System replied indifferently.
[So, you still haven't beaten them? So slow!] the System sighed.
"Beating fifty people is as easy as flipping your hand? Damn it!" Ryan yelled internally.
[Okay, okay... So, what do you need me to do now?] the System asked.
"Scan him! Find out more about this boss!" Ryan instructed.
[Alright!]
[Scanning initiated...]
[5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Complete!]
[Name: Rio Anjaryana
Age: 45 Years
Status: Gang Leader + Headmaster of the Black Skull Martial Arts School
Skill: Skilled Swordsman
Strength: 10
Probability of Master's Victory: 80%]
A smile crossed Ryan's face as he perused the holographic screen. He didn't expect the gang leader to also be the headmaster of a martial arts school.
With only a meter and a half between them, neither had made the initial move.
"Come on, uncle! Let's see the prowess of the Black Skull Martial Arts School's headmaster!" Ryan smirked confidently.
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