Chapter 20: Bang's Dojo.

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It took over five minutes to reach the top of the staircase, and with each step, I considered my approach. The people struggling on the stairs, clearly unused to regular exercise, served as a stark reminder of the dojo's dual nature: a serious martial arts institution and a tourist attraction for those eager to experience its historical legacy. By the time I reached the top, my plan was simple—challenge Bang to a fight.

The dojo's door stood unguarded, which, in retrospect, wasn't surprising. After all, this was no bank but a sanctuary for one of the strongest men alive. Still, it felt awkward. After a brief hesitation, I knocked. Silence. I knocked again, harder this time, until I heard a shuffle behind the door. A man in the typical attire of Bang's students opened the door.

"What do you want?" he asked, his tone a mix of suspicion and irritation. I recognized him from the anime—the one with the prominent chin who always looked like he'd smelled something foul. He was the guy who spoke with Saitama during the Super Fight Tournament while disguised as Charanko.

"I'm here to challenge Bang," I said calmly. I had a feeling this would turn into a whole ordeal—people never seemed to handle these situations with simple courtesy. No, there was always posturing. Always.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" His irritation escalated into full-blown hostility. "Master Bang is the greatest martial artist in the world. His Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist is unmatched."

"Of course he is," I replied, keeping my tone even. "That's why I want to challenge him. I don't go around challenging random people. That would be pointless and stupid."

His face twisted in anger, and he made to close the door, but I slipped inside before he could shut me out. He reached to grab me, but I easily sidestepped. Attacking him would have been rude, given that I was an uninvited guest in someone else's dojo. But with the difference in our abilities and my heightened awareness, it was impossible for him to land a hit. I casually walked forward, staying just out of his reach.

Several other students were practicing inside the dojo, though there was no sign of Bang. As I walked in, every pair of eyes locked onto me. Apparently, the deity of blind stupidity had been receiving a lot of offerings that day because half a dozen students immediately charged at me, attacking with the zeal of novices who didn't know any better.

Contrary to popular media, knocking someone out isn't easy, and it can cause serious injury. I didn't want to hurt them but needed to find a way to restrain them without causing harm—or humiliating myself. An idea came to mind, but I dismissed it for now. Instead, I decided to toy with them, showing how easily I could lead them around by the nose.

I stepped aside, grasping one attacker's wrist and gently tugging him off balance. He stumbled into another student, sending them both crashing to the floor. Another student, startled by my sudden movement, threw a hasty punch, which I redirected towards the person next to him. Two more students attacked, no longer aiming to restrain but to actually hit me, though their attempts were clumsy.

I tapped the wrist of one attacker, redirecting his punch downward, and simultaneously nudged another's elbow, causing his fist to slam into his comrade's face. The Spin style I employed was perfect for redirecting force with minimal effort, using a simple touch to send their energy where I wanted it to go. While dodging and deflecting their attacks, my thoughts wandered. I'd never fully explored the potential of Spin, having only a vague idea of its capabilities. I recalled something about it being used for healing, but with Orihime's power at my disposal, healing wasn't something I lacked.

These idle thoughts occupied me as I deftly avoided or redirected their attacks, causing them to stumble into each other. No serious injuries, of course—I made sure of that—but hopefully, they'd learn something from this display of skill. What lesson exactly? That was for them to figure out. Suddenly, a sharp burst of killing intent snapped me out of my reverie.

I turned slightly to locate the source and was surprised to see a familiar face, though younger than I remembered. It was the Hero Hunter Garou. Of course, it made sense—Bang had trained him, and he'd likely been at the dojo for a few years by now. His attack was perfectly timed, aimed at my blind spot, and would have caught any normal human off guard. Unfortunately for him, he was about to learn that this world held monsters lurking beneath the surface.

His flawless surprise attack was effortlessly detected, and I considered how to deal with him. Treating him like the others felt disrespectful, not just to his current self but to the formidable person he would become. So, I decided to give him the gift of my full attention. I allowed his blow to land—a solid hit between my shoulder blades, aimed at my spine. I smiled at the attempt, though it was utterly ineffective. I spun around with incredible speed and gently returned the favor with a single punch to his cheek.

Even with my power restrained, I saw blood spray from his mouth, and he crumpled to the floor. He wasn't unconscious—I wasn't cruel enough for that—but the wind had been knocked out of him, and he struggled weakly to stand. The dojo fell silent. All eyes turned toward the entrance where Bang stood, his expression calm yet unreadable.

"Why did you only hurt the one?" Bang's voice was stoic, and I carefully slid my hands into my pockets before answering. This was a delicate moment. One wrong word, and this could turn into a real fight—a far cry from the duel I sought.

"Motivation," I said after a pause, hoping he'd understand. I liked Garou as a character, and I was beginning to like him as a person. If that punch could motivate him to improve or show him the strength of the strongest, then the temporary pain was a small price to pay. If I were in his shoes, I'd consider it a fair trade.

"Okay," Bang replied, never losing his calm demeanor. "Then let me, in turn, repay you by offering some motivation of my own."

His words were a clear challenge, and I responded by assuming a loose defensive stance. The students quickly formed a circle around us, showing their respect and unwillingness to get caught in the crossfire.

For a brief moment, we stood still, waiting for the students to clear the area. Then, without warning, Bang advanced. His movements were smooth and precise, and I barely managed to catch his first strike with my forearm. The force of his blow reverberated through my bones, and I was forced into motion as a dozen more strikes rained down on me, each one perfectly placed.

For the first time in a long while, I felt clumsy. My Spin style relied on specific movements to tap into an esoteric force, which increased power and imbued motion into matter. But this style had a flaw—too much extraneous movement. Many of my motions were specifically designed to generate Spin, not to simply hit harder, faster, or more accurately. Without the benefit of Spin, my martial arts style was… impractical.

Another flurry of blows forced me to retreat, blocking and deflecting as best as I could. I managed to land a few strikes of my own, but they were easily parried. To the onlookers, we were likely a blur of fists and shockwaves. A brief lull in the fight gave me a moment to glance at Bang's stats, and what I saw made me gasp.

**Bang**

*Martial Arts Master*

*Title: Silver Fang*

*Species: Human*

**Health**: 1,930,425 / 1,932,818

**Mana**: 0 / 0

**STR**: 1,568,951

**VIT**: 995,777

**DEX**: 3,689,145

**INT**: 868,201

**WIS**: 1,547,966

**LUK**: 5,960

**Martial Arts Style**: Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.

No wonder he was giving me such a hard time.