Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Although Sano didn't know how the strongest was defined, he naturally wouldn't be careless.

However, given that they are high school students, even if they have been learning martial arts since childhood, they probably wouldn't be very strong in this area. So, there must be a problem with their attributes.

Something like innate superhuman strength?

Lost in thought, Sano followed Makoto Kyogoku to the open space behind the inn.

Makoto Kyogoku took off his apron and struck a pose.

Sano tightened the Kamen Rider keychain he was wearing inside his pants and then struck a pose.

"Senior, please enlighten me!"

After waiting a few seconds and not hearing any other movement, Makoto Kyogoku launched the first attack, shouting angrily as he charged straight forward.

It is very fast, but not just because of its high burst damage.

Is this a technique for generating power through footwork?

Shinichi Kyogoku threw a straight punch... though he clearly held back his strength after the punch, probably because he was afraid of actually hurting Sano.

Sano tilted his head and rushed forward, dodging the attack while simultaneously closing in on Kyogoku Makoto, delivering a hook punch to his face.

"Get serious, Kyogoku!"

what! ?

Kyogoku Makoto clearly didn't expect Sano to come right up to his fist, nor did he expect the other party to be so fast. Before he could react, his body instinctively froze, and his cheek was grazed by the fist, quickly turning red and swollen.

Sano landed a punch, then took a few steps back to create distance.

Kyogoku Makoto touched his left cheek, and in his surprise, his gaze toward Sano suddenly became intense.

"I apologize, senior. I was too arrogant and rude just now. However, for safety's sake, I will not use my full strength all at once."

"But if you manage to hold on, then I will gradually increase the intensity until I give it my all... Would you be able to accept that, senior?"

There's no need to say such things.

Isn't this child a little too honest?

Sano tilted his head and nodded somewhat helplessly: "Okay, let's go."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Makoto Kyogoku rushed out, closing the distance and unleashing a series of attacks.

Straight punch, hook punch, uppercut, knee strike, straight kick, side kick.

This guy's attack speed is more than one level faster.

Sano held his breath and was forced to retreat and dodge repeatedly, with no room to fight back.

Unless Sano attempts to block Kyogoku Makoto's attack, there is no chance of a counterattack.

...But feeling the pain on his face from the force of the punch, Sano had no doubt that if he dared to try to block it, Makoto Kyogoku would dare to send him to the hospital.

That's all there is to it.

Although Kyogoku Makoto's attacks, in terms of both speed and power, had reached a terrifying level, Sano could tell that this was the result of his martial arts skill, rather than the attribute he had originally guessed.

This made Sano want to complain about how outrageous it was, and it also laid the foundation for an irreconcilable gap between the two sides.

Sano's high agility attribute, reaching 100 points, resulted in an almost maxed-out evasion rate, making him impossible for Kyogoku Makoto to hit easily.

Therefore, the situation became awkward, with Sano unable to attack and Kyogoku Makoto's attacks unable to hit.

Is it just a war of attrition that relies on physical strength and focus?

In that case, I should have the advantage.

Unlike Sano, who only needs to dodge, Kyogoku Makoto's every attack utilizes martial arts techniques, meaning he uses more power than he should normally have each time—essentially "overloading."

That would naturally require more physical exertion than Sano.

Especially with such a high frequency, Sano had no idea how long Kyogoku Makoto could keep going.

Sano led Kyogoku Makoto around, not daring to be distracted for even a moment.

Because if there is even the slightest hesitation or flaw, Sano could very well be "killed in one blow".

Kyogoku Makoto's focus was no less than Sano's.

Although Makoto Kyogoku has now confirmed that Sano is quite strong, even exceptionally so in terms of "movement technique," he is still struggling to gauge the opponent's level of attack.

In the round before the practice officially began, Sano's hook punch was only so-so in terms of speed and power, but Kyogoku Makoto couldn't say whether his opponent felt that it was too unsportsmanlike to launch a sneak attack when he was careless.

That's why I deliberately let myself off the hook.

Therefore, Kyogoku Makoto cannot leave any openings, otherwise he might be "killed in one blow," which would mean immediate defeat.

...Of course, Kyogoku Makoto could have chosen not to move at all from the beginning and let Sano take the initiative to attack, so as to use stillness to control movement and avoid falling into such a disadvantageous situation.

But if Sano doesn't move either, the "battle" can't even begin.

Although this exercise was initiated by Sano, and he should logically be the one to take on this responsibility, Makoto Kyogoku is, after all, an honest person.

Facing a senior family member who had not practiced martial arts since childhood.

Kyogoku Mari rightly believes that he should be the one to suffer this small loss.

Of course, Makoto Kyogoku has also tried using feints or deliberately creating openings to lure Sano into a trap, thus revealing his weaknesses.

Unfortunately, none of them succeeded.

This wasn't because Sano had extensive combat experience and could see through Kyogoku Makoto's every thought.

It wasn't because Sano's combat instincts were particularly terrifying.

Such gambling-like behavior is even less likely to succeed every time.

It's simply a matter of overwhelming superior attributes, plus a desire for stability.

...Speaking of which, this guy's base stats seem pretty high too.

Once again seizing the opportunity when Kyogoku Makoto was gradually weakening and stiffened after his attack, Sano unleashed a whip kick, but it was still blocked by his opponent's hasty defensive maneuver.

The practice session had lasted for more than ten minutes. Sano and Kyogoku Makoto had both given their all and shown their limits. Their physical strength was being depleted very quickly, especially the latter, who also had issues with the system and the situation.

This has given Sano three opportunities to launch a counterattack.

However, Makoto Kyogoku's agility and physical attributes are obviously not low either. He can either return to defense in time or directly withstand Sano's attacks.

...Now it's not just a matter of not being able to attack, it's that we can't damage it at all.

Realizing that the current situation had turned into one side being unable to hit the target and the other side being unable to make a move, Sano took a deep breath. He saw that although Kyogoku Makoto was also a little out of breath, he still looked like he could fight you all day long.

After tugging at the corners of his mouth, Sano finally decided he didn't want to continue.

"I'm not playing anymore, I'm surrendering."

"Ok?"

Kyogoku Makoto, who was in the middle of an exciting session, paused for a moment. Although he didn't quite understand what Sano meant by "I'm surrendering," he knew that the other person didn't want to continue practicing.

Although it was a bit of a disappointment, Makoto Kyogoku couldn't force Sano to continue fighting, so he could only nod silently.

...In fact, judging from the results of the entire "practice", Kyogoku really suffered a loss, because he took a total of four punches. Although one of them was just a glancing blow and two of them were blocked, he still took a real punch.

There was obvious redness and swelling on the side of the neck.

At that moment, Sano suddenly said he was surrendering and didn't want to play anymore.

Most people probably wouldn't accept this easily.

It's like playing rock-paper-scissors and slapping each other. One person gets incredibly lucky, wins three rounds in a row, and then slaps the other person three times in a row, and suddenly says they're done playing.

Who the hell would admit that?

...Kyogoku Makoto can.

Because Makoto Kyogoku is not an ordinary person, but an honest one.

So it's not a big problem.

"...Senior, your skills are already quite good. To be able to do this in such a short time proves that your future potential is definitely not low. Moreover, you have extremely strong talent in physical coordination, reaction speed, and dynamic vision. You can mainly develop in these areas in the future."

Kyogoku Makoto still believes that Sano genuinely wants to practice with him, and even tentatively offered some of his own suggestions... although there were some ulterior motives hidden within them.

"Ah."

Sano nodded perfunctorily, but in his heart he was thinking about whether he could defeat the monster Kyogoku Makoto if he relied on the special attack suit.

...In fact, judging from the result of this "practice", although Sano threw, it should have been a draw. Furthermore, looking at the whole process, Kyogoku Makoto was taken advantage of quite a bit.

This practice was unfair.

So Sano should be the one who lost.

Sano was well aware of this... He still had self-awareness.

Chapter 337, 336: Another Chance Encounter

In such a fight, there are only two things to look at.

Combat skills are the software, while the three basic attributes are the hardware.

The difference between Sano and Kyogoku Makoto is enormous, needless to say. Sano has a huge advantage in agility, but his burst damage and constitution are lacking...

There is probably a significant gap between him and Makoto Kyogoku.

Ultimately, Sano's only real boost right now is his 100 Agility attribute. As for the other two attributes, they are just secondary boosts because this one attribute is so high. It's normal that he's not as good as Kyogoku Makoto.

...Of course, it's not entirely impossible to defeat Makoto Kyogoku with just the boost from these 100 agility attributes.

At least in those three opportunities that Sano seized but failed to achieve much, he could still try to use deathmatch techniques to deal with Kyogoku Makoto's joints.

Firstly, it's just a practice session, and Sano shouldn't and couldn't use such methods. Secondly, the possibility of success is still unknown.

That technique sounds impressive, but it depends on who uses it and to whom.

Even so, there were still many things that Sano hadn't taken out to try.

...The requirements for the mission to defeat Makoto Kyogoku were limited to three things: a head-on confrontation, a one-on-one duel, and bare-handed combat.

Sano saw the opportunity to exploit bugs and vulnerabilities almost immediately.

Sano was just too lazy to try them one by one.