Chapter 4: Rising to the Top

Upon hearing the referee announce the start of the match, Nigru Gureli revealed a sinister smile. He immediately moved with surprising speed, considering his large frame, and appeared beside John Doe, reaching out with his massive hands to grab John Doe's neck.

John Doe dodged the attack with a quick duck and countered with a punch to Nigru Gureli's abdomen.

Nigru Gureli winced in pain, clutching his stomach. John Doe then delivered a sweeping kick to his face, sending him flying into the steel cage.

The cage, made of the strongest metal, Glassteel, was dented by the force of John Doe's kick, forming a large indentation.

Nigru Gureli slowly fell from the cage, landing heavily on the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. He immediately lost consciousness.

The previously noisy arena fell silent. The spectators who had been shouting for the Meat Grinder to tear John Doe apart were stunned into silence.

The outcome was unexpected for everyone, including those who had bet on John Doe. They had done so on a whim, never truly believing he would win.

But they had bet correctly, and a small number of them cheered, while the majority cursed, some at the Meat Grinder, some at John Doe, and some at the organizers.

John Doe paid no attention to the curses. After the referee reopened the iron door, he calmly walked out.

At the arena entrance, John Doe met Kano again, who was visibly excited. It was clear that he had followed John Doe's suggestion and bet on him to win.

"Big brother, I'll call you big brother from now on. You're truly amazing. You defeated the Meat Grinder with just a punch and a kick. I'm in awe of you," Kano said.

"Big brother, here's your money." Kano handed John Doe his card.

John Doe took the card and asked, "How much did you bet?"

Kano replied, a bit embarrassed, "Sorry, big brother. I didn't know you were so strong. I only bet 1,000."

"It's okay," John Doe said. "You believed in me and bet on my victory, that's already great. I thought you would bet 100 on me and 900 on my opponent."

Hearing John Doe's words, Kano shook his head and exclaimed, "How could I do that? Even if I didn't believe you would win, I wouldn't bet against you."

Well, John Doe had guessed right. That's exactly what Kano had been thinking. However, the potential winnings from betting on the Meat Grinder were too small, so Kano had decided to bet it all on John Doe. After all, it was only 1,000 galactic coins.

As the matches continued, John Doe participated in the competitions, and during the breaks, he trained in the 100-fold gravity room. Time passed, and three years went by.

By now, John Doe had become one of the top ten boxers on Planet Gante, with countless fans adoring him. Whenever he appeared, the crowd would cheer for him.

To his fans, John Doe's low number of fights was the only reason he wasn't one of the top three fighters. They believed that since no one could withstand more than ten moves from John Doe, he should be one of the top three.

Finally, the day arrived for John Doe's first match against one of the top three fighters, Ziong.

Ziong had a normal appearance, unlike others who looked more like animals. He resembled John Doe in many ways.

Ziong looked at John Doe and said, "I've been hearing a lot about a new strong fighter named John Doe. Everyone is eagerly anticipating our match. So, I agreed to this fight. If you win, you'll become one of the top three."

"How confident are you that you can defeat me?" Ziong asked.

John Doe wasn't fond of the way this senior fighter was talking to him. He had always been the one to admonish others, and this was the first time someone was admonishing him.

John Doe calmly replied, "It doesn't matter if I'm confident or not. Defeating you is an easy task for me."

Ziong was taken aback by John Doe's response. He had only been trying to be polite and encourage his junior, but he hadn't expected John Doe to have such a big ego.

Ziong's initially friendly expression turned cold, and he placed his hands in front of him. "Young man, I'll show you how cruel this world can be," he said.

John Doe also assumed a fighting stance and said, "Let's see who's better in the ring."

As the referee signaled the start, the two fighters engaged in a fast-paced battle.

Although the spectators couldn't see the fight clearly due to their low power levels, they could hear the sound of flesh colliding. However, a large screen above the ring displayed a slow-motion replay of the match between John Doe and Ziong.

After the initial clash, John Doe realized that his combat power in his normal state was slightly inferior to Ziong's. Especially in terms of combat experience, John Doe couldn't match Ziong, who had been fighting in boxing matches for decades and possessed various dirty tricks and unpredictable moves.

So, right from the start, John Doe was at a disadvantage.

But this was exactly what John Doe needed. He began to analyze and learn from Ziong's combat experience and techniques, all while ensuring he didn't die. John Doe constantly chose to exchange blows with Ziong, taking damage in the process.

Ziong became increasingly nervous as the match progressed. After several dozen rounds, he could clearly see that John Doe was a calm but crazy fighter.

He called him crazy because John Doe would sometimes choose to take hits he could have dodged, opting for a trade of blows.

He called him calm because John Doe always found a way to avoid fatal attacks, and Ziong couldn't land a killing blow.

By the end of the match, Ziong was afraid of his own fighting style. He had never encountered such an opponent in all his years.

The match ended with both fighters heavily injured, with John Doe's injuries being slightly more severe. The staff even thought John Doe was on the verge of death, barely hanging on to life.

Kano was shocked when he saw John Doe's condition. By now, he had become John Doe's manager.

Before the match, John Doe had told Kano that he would lose, so Kano wasn't surprised by the outcome. However, he hadn't expected John Doe to be so badly injured.

John Doe, however, wasn't concerned. Before the match, he had placed a Senzu Bean in his mouth.

If he suffered a life-threatening injury during the match, he would immediately eat the Senzu Bean. If not, he would wait until after the match.

If no one attacked him on his way back, he would eat the Senzu Bean at home. But if someone tried to kill him on the way, he would consume the Senzu Bean immediately.