"Man, did it have to be like this?" Terry shrugged helplessly.
The instant before the blade could reach him, he moved.
Terry simply leaned his body slightly to the side, effortlessly dodging the blade. His right hand shot out like lightning, clamping onto the blond's wrist with precision, and twisted.
CRACK! A crisp snap.
"AAAAAHHHH—!" The blond screamed like a slaughtered pig. The butterfly knife clattered to the ground.
The other two punks charged in from both sides, howling.
Terry didn't even look. His left foot kicked back hard, propelling his body forward. His right arm's muscles bulged as his fist surged forward, trailing a wave of scorching heat!
"Burn Knuckle!"
BOOM!
The punk charging from the right was hit like he'd been struck by a speeding truck. His body shot backward with a whoosh, tracing a graceful parabola through the air before crashing heavily into a pile of garbage cans. Only his twitching legs remained visible.
The one on the left hadn't even processed what was happening when Terry was already spinning into a roundhouse kick—clean, sharp, precise—connecting squarely with his jaw.
The guy's eyes rolled back. He spun two and a half times on the spot before collapsing in a heap.
The entire sequence flowed like water—clean, efficient. Under five seconds.
Terry dusted off his hands as if he'd merely shooed away some flies.
He even had time to flash a V-sign at the rescued couple, grinning wide: "OK!"
Sunny. Powerful. Confident. Completely in control.
This was the style of the Legendary Wolf!
Cloud watched from the crowd, jaw on the floor, heart racing.
This... this is what a world-class fighter can do? No guns, no weapons—just his fists, unleashing such terrifying power!
The faint aura wrapped around those fists. The speed too fast for the naked eye. All of it far exceeded anything he'd imagined.
This was a million times more shocking than watching gameplay videos or anime!
An unprecedented desire ignited like a bonfire in Cloud's chest.
He wanted to become strong!
Not just "getting stronger to survive"—he wanted to possess the same kind of power Terry had. The power to act on his own will. To protect what he wanted to protect. Absolute strength!
In this moment, even the hyena yearned for the brilliance of the sun.
That's when Cloud's sharp eyes noticed something.
The blond punk—the one whose wrist Terry had snapped—was using everyone's distraction to clutch his injury and crawl away.
Opportunity!
Cloud's body moved almost on instinct.
He slipped through the crowd like a slippery eel, cut through a shortcut, and positioned himself precisely in the punk's escape path.
"Hey, buddy. Where's the fire? Ditching without paying your medical bills?" Cloud wore an innocent smile.
The blond startled, looked up at Cloud, and a vicious gleam flickered in his eyes. "Get lost!"
Ignoring the pain, he used his uninjured left hand to pull a switchblade from inside his jacket, lunging at Cloud.
Cloud sighed. Yep, "friendly locals" indeed.
No more words. He sidestepped the thrust. The plundered Street Fighting experience surged to the forefront of his mind.
One precise groin kick. One hand-chop to the back of the neck. Clean and efficient.
Thud. The blond's eyes rolled back and he crumpled.
Cloud quickly crouched down, his hands moving with practiced efficiency as he searched the body.
[Ding! Initiate 'Plunder' on target 'South Town Street Punk (Severely Injured)'?]
"Yes!"
[Plunder successful! Obtained: $188 cash, Skill "Butterfly Knife Proficiency (Novice)," Item "Cheap Switchblade" x1.]
"Nice, nice. Today's show was worth watching." Cloud pocketed the cash with satisfaction, moving so fast his hands seemed to blur.
Task complete, he stood up.
He dusted off his hands—and looked up to find himself staring directly into a pair of curious blue eyes.
Terry had finished dealing with the other side at some point and now stood nearby, watching him with great interest.
"Hey, kid." Terry let out an appreciative whistle and walked over with a smile. "Those moves just now—you're no ordinary bystander. Pretty slick."
Cloud's heart skipped a beat. Crap. He'd been so focused on "looting" he'd forgotten about the big shot standing right there.
He hastily plastered on a guileless grin. "Huh? Haha, you're too kind! I just saw this guy trying to run, so I figured—y'know—be a good citizen and... trip him! Yeah, trip him! Give him a hand... or a foot!"
Terry looked him up and down. That gaze seemed to see right through him.
Cloud felt like a student caught cheating on an exam, the teacher standing right over him. Cold sweat was forming.
"Is that so?" Terry's smile grew even brighter. "But those moves after you 'tripped' him looked pretty well-practiced."
Oh no. He thinks I'm some kind of vulture.
Just as Cloud's brain was spinning at maximum RPM, trying to decide between begging for mercy or making a run for it—
Terry burst out laughing. He reached over and clapped Cloud on the shoulder—hard enough to nearly knock him apart on the spot.
"Just messing with you. Don't be so tense. Either way, you stopped him from escaping. That counts as a good deed." Terry pulled a can of cola from his pocket and tossed it over.
"Here, on me. Name's Terry. Terry Bogard. And you are, kid?"
Cloud fumbled to catch the cola. The icy coolness in his palm helped him settle down.
He looked at the legendary figure before him—that sunny smile without a trace of pretense, as if he really was just saying hi to some interesting kid he'd bumped into on the street.
Cloud took a deep breath and returned a genuine smile. "I'm Cloud. Nice to meet you, Terry."
At that exact moment, the system notification chimed clearly in his mind.
[Ding! Side Quest Issued: Meet the Legendary Wolf!]
[Objective: Earn Terry Bogard's initial recognition and friendship.]
[Rewards: Source Points x500, Random Skill Lottery Ticket x1.]
[Current Progress: Initial Acquaintance (1/2)]
Cloud gripped the cola can tightly, feeling its coldness against his palm.
He looked at Terry's face—so familiar from countless hours of gaming—and felt the fire in his heart burn even brighter.
South Town Survival Rule #1: Don't mess with the blond in the red cap.
And today, Cloud silently added Rule #2:
Get strong. As strong as the blond in the red cap. No—stronger.