Don’t Wake the Bear

After the current fight ended, Alex was up next, leaving Max and that boy named Silva for the last semifinal match. Silva didn't seem particularly remarkable in his fights, yet he had not been defeated so far.

Max's opponent was expected to be Alex if he made it to the final, but first, he had to deal with Silva. Silva was no ordinary fighter.

To reach the semifinals, one would have to defeat at least one tough opponent, so Max wasn't going to underestimate him.

"Should I get a full-arm tattoo too?" Max murmured as he observed the fighters' tattoos and their incredible hairstyles.

Devon had offered to braid his hair, but since they didn't have much time or the necessary tools, Max was left with just a simple ponytail.

There was no time for regrets. During the qualifiers for the semifinals, Max had closely observed the fights of participants who had a better chance of advancing. It wasn't hard to tell how they won.

During this period, the strongest opponents were always tied to the most powerful sponsors.

Since this was a moderately famous tournament, Ryan, with his father's help, had managed to sponsor it, drawing the interest of many influential people who wanted to promote their own fighters.

Max could clearly tell none of the participants were weak, but compared to Silva and Alex, those two were on a different level.

In just a few minutes, Alex had swiftly crushed his opponent, Otto, and secured his spot in the final. His arrogant gaze landed on Max, and he smiled slightly, murmuring that he'd be waiting for him in the final.

"His karate is designed to deal damage. Be careful not to let Silva hit your muscles. They focus on strikes aimed at numbing the nerves," Ryan advised.

Hearing Ryan's words, Max nodded and said, "Maybe Otto didn't realize it, but Alex's first strikes were to slow down his movements. He then scored points by taking advantage of that."

Devon returned with a few drinks in her hands, noticing that Max's fight was about to begin. She refocused, ready to offer any help if needed.

'I'll finish this quickly and save everything for the final—that's the only way to have an advantage,' Max thought as he walked toward the arena.

The referee looked at both competitors and nodded. He raised his hand straight up and said, "Both to your corners."

"Look at each other. Ready?"

Max and Silva locked eyes. The referee then started the fight.

"Fight!"

As Max raised his guard, the crowd erupted in excitement. His fights, especially after knocking out that large participant earlier, had caused quite a sensation. Many had started to enjoy the men's matches even more.

Max, however, wasn't particularly fond of the attention—not today, especially, as he was in a foul mood.

"Hoo... Hoo..." Max exhaled slowly and closed his eyes slightly. When Silva moved toward him, Max, with quick and fluid motions, delivered a right-high kick straight to his opponent's face!

Bam!

His high kick was unpredictable. Silva, who had intended to close the distance, took the full impact to his face and fell straight to the ground.

A single kick had taken Silva down, shocking everyone, especially Max, who had expected his opponent to withstand the attack easily.