It closed the distance faster than I thought was humanly possible.
Pain exploded in my jaw, and the force spun me half around. I staggered, barely catching myself on my hands before I faceplanted on the floor.
"Okay… ow," I muttered, spitting something that I hoped wasn't a tooth.
My clone just grinned wider, rolling its shoulders like it was warming up for round two.
"Wait, I don't think I'm even this good at punching to begin with. Are you really my clone?" I patted my cheeks.
DING!
[This is Axel's Johnson clone, and although neither of you has combat abilities, he's still better at fighting—especially when emotions aren't involved.]
Shit, no wonder. That straight punch was solid.
Luckily, I could handle its punch, which meant that I could win.
"Right," I said, trying to sound confident. "I've got this. I just… need to remember every fight scene I've ever watched in anime."
Swoosh!
My swing missed as it leaned back easily, then a quick jab slammed into my stomach.
I bent over, gasping for air, one hand holding my ribs.
"Okay… wow. It's actually strong. Really strong."
Standing up, I wiped the blood from my lip and planted my feet wide, knees bent, my guard low but tight. I started swaying from side to side, testing my rhythm.
In my head, it looked like something out of a championship boxing match. In reality, I probably looked like an idiot.
My clone tilted its head, eyes narrowing, that smirk still plastered across its face, as if it already knew I had no idea what I was doing.
I darted forward with what I hoped was a lightning-fast jab.
The punch landed—well, it connected—but it was more of a polite tap than a knockout blow.
My clone didn't even blink. Instead, it stepped in and answered with a hook so clean and sharp that my vision went white for a heartbeat. I stumbled sideways, my knees buckling.
"Okay… okay… I'm still fine," I groaned, trying to stay upright.
I threw another punch, then another, chaining them together in a desperate attempt to push it back. Somehow, one actually grazed its cheek.
It tilted its head back toward me slowly, smile widening, eyes glowing brighter.
Then we got stuck in a rough cycle of trading hits—except most of the time, I was the one getting beat up.
Every time I swung, it blocked. Every time I blocked, it hit harder. My arms hurt, my chest hurt, and I was one punch away from just lying down and calling it quits.
But then, finally, I saw a chance.
It threw a punch too far, and I grabbed it in a messy tackle. We crashed to the ground, rolling around like kids fighting in the dirt.
I didn't even think. I went straight for its ear and bit down hard.
"Fucker," I mumbled through my teeth, "this is a real move used by a world champion."
The clone let out a weird growl and tried to shake me off, but I held on like my life depended on it.
And then I remembered a move I saw on TV before.
I wrapped one arm around its neck and clamped down, going for the sloppiest chokehold in history. My grip wasn't tight, my form was awful, but I squeezed like I was trying to pop the lid off a stuck jar.
The clone thrashed harder, its hands clawing at my arm, but I refused to let go.
Finally, I heard a crack, and the clone's body went still.
Seconds later, it crumbled into ashes right in my arms.
"I actually won,"
If the real Axel Johnson fought it, he would have a much harder time winning because they would share the same habits and tendencies. I didn't have that disadvantage.
DING!
[Congratulations for passing the Trial of Self]
[You have earned S Rank. Would you like to accept it, or go for the Unbound?]
Damn it
Why did it have to offer me something stronger?
I would've been perfectly happy with S Rank. I was fine with it. No problem. Done deal.
But no. Now it had dangled another upgrade in front of me like some, and my brain refused to let it go.
"What is Unbound?"
[Unbound is gaining an ability from entities that have a higher life rating than this world. In context, Unbound could give you power ranging from SS to SSS.]
I blinked at the message, my mouth going dry.
"How much more powerful is an SS Rank compared to S Rank?"
[A dozen S Ranks would be comparable to one SS Rank, and a dozen SS Ranks could be comparable to an SSS Rank.]
I shouldn't have asked that question. Now it was going to be way harder to settle with S, knowing the other options were that much better.
[Take S Rank or Continue?]