Chapter 94 Testing in Progress
As for the second scenario, it must be that if the attack power is too weak, the "Bookworm's Glasses" won't collect or process any data.
King was deep in thought. Considering the staff member's previous actions, he had already vaguely guessed the second special scenario: either too strong or too weak, right?
As expected, Child Emperor held up two small fingers and wiggled them, saying, "The second scenario is, of course, when an opponent is too weak. Their attacks are deemed non-threatening by the 'Bookworm's Glasses,' which prevents it from functioning properly and thus from analyzing the opponent's punch trajectory."
Snek and the others pointed at the staff member with odd expressions. "So, you're saying his attack was so weak the robot just ignored it? Is that why it didn't defend against his punch and ended up getting hit in the chest by accident?"
Sucking on his lollipop, Child Emperor nodded and mumbled, "Mhm, about right."
"Uh..." An embarrassed expression appeared on the staff member's face. He gave a dry laugh. "Ha... hahaha... I'm usually too busy with work and have neglected my training. Sorry to make a fool of myself in front of everyone."
In the staff member's two previous attacks, the first punch was blocked directly by the Sparring Robot. For the second one, because he put most of his strength into his kick, the power of his punch was greatly reduced and muscle engagement was lowered, which might have caused the "Bookworm's Glasses" test to fail.
"An attack that's too weak will be ignored by the robot?"
A corner of King's mouth twitched. He was inwardly relieved that he no longer fell into the "too weak" category. After all, on his system's attribute panel, his strength already surpassed that of an ordinary person. Even if he couldn't compare to a C-Class hero, he was still considered a strong human. There was no way a full-power punch from him would end up in the embarrassing predicament of being completely ignored.
"Alright, let's have Quick-Fist Hero come up."
Seeing that the staff member was unlikely to provide any more useful experimental data, Child Emperor directly announced his departure and had the C-Class hero, Quick-Fist Hero, step up for the test.
Child Emperor reminded Quick-Fist Hero, "Uncle, go all out, okay?"
"Phew, don't worry. I will showcase my most perfect attack form."
Quick-Fist Hero's entire body tensed. The muscles bulged under his tight, white long-sleeved shirt, and his black trousers were stretched taut, accentuating every hard line of his physique to the fullest.
He said in a low voice, "I'm attacking now." Immediately, his fists shot out. Before one punch could retract, the next had already caught up. His punching speed was immense, giving the impression of a rocket launch as his fists arrived before the robot's chest in an instant.
However, what was even more astonishing was that the Sparring Robot's mechanical body leaned back slightly as its two mechanical palms swiftly blocked its chest, neatly catching Quick-Fist Hero's fists.
It wasn't over yet. Quick-Fist Hero put his full strength into it, each punch faster than the last. In the blink of an eye, King's vision was filled with what seemed like countless fists, raining down on the robot.
However, as impressive as Quick-Fist Hero's offense was, the Sparring Robot's defense was even more astounding. Its mechanical hands clanged as they blocked the punches in front of its chest, creating overlapping afterimages like a thousand-handed Guan Yin.
King watched, dumbfounded. Just a C-Class hero, did his punching speed really need to be this exaggerated?
One minute later.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Quick-Fist Hero stopped his attack, his forehead covered in sweat. Panting heavily, he waved his hand and said, "No... I can't... I... I'm out of strength."
"Uh, just one minute?" King's mouth twitched. "His stamina is just terrible. So his punches were so fast because he burned through every last ounce of his strength all at once?"
Tanktop Puncher scoffed, "Tch. Turns out he's all show and no go. Useless."
Snek shook his head as well. While that kind of high-burst offense could certainly take some relatively weak Monsters by surprise, he would be at a disadvantage against an opponent of equal strength.
"Hee, it's your turn, Tanktop Puncher." Child Emperor licked his lollipop, watching everything with keen interest.
"Crack! Crack!"
Tanktop Puncher cracked his neck, producing a series of sharp pops. He solemnly pulled on his gloves, banged his fists together a few times, and snorted, "Sometimes, even if you can predict my movements, you still won't be able to block my brute-force attacks."
He bounced a few times, loosening up his entire body and bringing himself to his peak condition. Then, his fist suddenly exploded with power as he threw a heavy, driving punch, so forceful it seemed to split the air.
*Thud!*
The Sparring Robot's reaction was just as fast. It extended a palm and firmly caught Tanktop Puncher's heavy fist. However, the force of the punch was so great that its mechanical body slid back half a foot.
"Oh, he's got some skill!" King exclaimed, his interest piqued.
King watched Tanktop Puncher with growing excitement. Compared to Quick-Fist Hero, who focused on explosive, instantaneous punching speed, Tanktop Puncher focused more on the power behind each and every strike. Nearly every punch was filled with immense force.
*Thud! Thud!*
Tanktop Puncher focused his full attention, hammering out one heavy, cannon-like punch after another. The Sparring Robot deftly blocked every attack. His fists slammed against its mechanical palms with muffled thuds, each one packed with enough power to force the robot to retreat step by step.
Snek watched for a while and judged, "Tanktop Puncher has lost."
Quick-Fist Hero, catching his breath, agreed. "Yes. Every one of his punches is packed with power, which creates a formidable offense in the short term, but he has no stamina. He can't fight for long. That kind of fighting style isn't sustainable."
King shot a sidelong glance at Quick-Fist Hero. *A one-minute man like you has no right to comment on anyone else's stamina, does he?*
"Oh, Tanktop Puncher, if you're tired, you can stop now. I've already collected enough reference data, so you don't need to push yourself anymore!"
Child Emperor looked at the sweat-drenched, panting Tanktop Puncher and said with a grin, "My Sparring Robot can eliminate Tiger-level Monsters, and with the 'Bookworm's Glasses' assisting it, it's no shame for you to lose to it."
"A robot that can defeat a Tiger-level Monster on its own?" King mused. "A bit weaker than Metal Knight, then. If I remember correctly, Metal Knight's robots possess the power of a Demon-level Disaster."
"Dammit!"
Tanktop Puncher slammed a fist on the ground in frustration, glaring at the Sparring Robot through gritted teeth. He desperately wished he could knock it down with a single punch, but despite his many attacks, he couldn't defeat it. He could only accept his failure and withdraw.
"It's my turn next."
Snek swung his arms a few times to warm up, then strode up to the Sparring Robot. With a strange cry of "A-ya!", he brought his hands together, fingers joined and bent like cooked chicken claws, mimicking the attack form of a venomous snake.
"A-Class hero, Snakebite Snek. Please teach me well."
Like an ancient master before a duel, he introduced himself with a solemn expression.
Child Emperor blinked. "The lowest-ranked one."
Snek's face darkened. "Can you not mention 'lowest-ranked'? Isn't the lowest-ranked A-Class hero still an A-Class hero?"
"Alright, please begin your match!"
(end of chapter)