The massive holographic screen flickered softly above the gaming arena.
Dust rolled across the abandoned Wild West town inside the simulation while the artificial wind whistled between old wooden buildings.
Everything looked absurdly real.
The cracked roads.
The shifting sand.
The distant creaking signs.
Even the sunlight looked natural.
Damien stood with his arms folded near the viewing platform while carefully watching the screen.
Honestly…
The simulation quality was terrifying.
If he hadn’t personally seen Bobby and Jack enter the gaming pods moments earlier, he would have believed this was real footage.
Inside the simulation, Bobby stretched his neck lightly.
“Man…” he muttered while looking around.
“This game is insane.”
Jack clenched his fists slowly while yellow Aura flickered around his hands.
“Focus.”
Bobby grinned.
“You sound nervous.”
“I sound prepared.”
The two stared at each other from opposite sides of the dusty street.
Neither moved immediately.
Even though it was technically just a game…
Something about the atmosphere felt serious.
Like the simulation itself demanded it.
Outside the pods, the system displayed their information on the side of the screen.
> BOBBY Superhuman Version II
JACK Superhuman Version I
Below that…
A glowing countdown appeared.
3…
2…
1…
BEGIN
The moment the countdown vanished—
Jack moved first.
BOOM.
Dust exploded beneath his feet as Aura surged into his legs.
He shot forward surprisingly fast.
“Fast,” Damien muttered quietly.
Jack’s fist swung directly toward Bobby’s face.
But Bobby reacted immediately.
He leaned sideways just enough for the punch to graze past him before countering with a punch toward Jack’s ribs.
Jack blocked awkwardly.
BOOM.
The impact still launched him several meters sideways through the dusty street.
“Damn!” Bobby laughed.
“You’re tougher than I thought!”
Jack slid backward before stabilizing himself.
“And you hit way harder than I expected.”
Outside the simulation Damien narrowed his eyes slightly.
Neither of them were using Aura efficiently yet.
Too much output.
Too rough.
But for their first actual fight…
They were adapting quickly.
Very quickly.
Inside the town Bobby rushed forward this time.
Aura exploded around his legs as he crossed the street almost instantly.
Jack barely raised his guard in time.
BOOOOM.
The impact shattered the wooden water barrel beside him.
Jack gritted his teeth while skidding backward.
“Okay…” he muttered.
“So that’s Version II strength.”
Bobby grinned.
“Scared?”
“No.”
Jack suddenly concentrated Aura into his feet.
Then vanished sideways.
Bobby blinked.
“Huh?”
Jack appeared beside him instantly and drove a punch toward Bobby’s shoulder.
BOOM.
Bobby stumbled sideways from the hit.
Not because of the damage.
But because of the timing.
Jack’s movement had suddenly become much smoother.
Damien noticed it immediately.
“He’s learning faster during combat…”
The simulator wasn’t just recreating them physically.
It was forcing adaptation in real time.
And Jack…
Had surprisingly good control.
Inside the simulation the fight began escalating rapidly.
Shockwaves kicked dust into the air.
The two moved through buildings, rooftops, and alleyways at increasingly absurd speeds.
At first they fought like enhanced humans.
Now…
They were beginning to feel superhuman.
Bobby ducked beneath another strike before grabbing Jack’s arm.
“Got you.”
He hurled Jack directly through a wooden building.
CRAAASH.
Wood exploded everywhere.
Jack rolled across the ground before immediately recovering.
Then—
Yellow Aura condensed around his right arm.
Far more concentrated than before.
Bobby noticed instantly.
“Oh?”
Jack swung.
BOOM.
The compressed Aura-enhanced strike exploded against Bobby’s crossed arms hard enough to send him sliding backward across the dirt.
Outside the simulation Damien raised an eyebrow slightly.
That control…
Was impressive.
Especially for Version I.
Jack had started understanding concentration far faster than Bobby.
Inside the simulation Bobby lowered his guard slowly.
A grin spread across his face.
“Okay…”
Yellow Aura erupted harder around his body.
“Now this is getting fun.”
BOOOOOOM.
The ground beneath him cracked.
Jack’s eyes widened slightly.
“That much output already?”
Bobby rushed forward again.
Faster this time.
Far faster.
Jack barely reacted in time before Bobby’s punch slammed into his guard.
The impact launched him through two buildings consecutively.
CRASH.
CRASH.
Dust clouds exploded into the air.
Jack coughed slightly while climbing from the rubble.
“Damn monster…”
Bobby laughed loudly while approaching.
“You’re not bad yourself!”
The fight intensified again.
Jack began using Aura more intelligently now.
Instead of full-body enhancement…
He concentrated it precisely.
Legs for movement.
Arms during impact.
Eyes during reaction timing.
His control improved almost visibly during battle.
At one point he even redirected Bobby’s strike by shifting Aura into his shoulder at the moment of impact.
The move surprised Bobby completely.
BOOM.
Bobby crashed through a saloon doorway.
Jack breathed heavily.
Outside the simulation Damien noticed something interesting.
Jack’s Aura reserves were draining faster.
His output simply wasn’t enough to maintain prolonged exchanges with Bobby.
Even with superior control…
The raw power difference still mattered.
And Bobby was beginning to realize it too.
Inside the saloon Bobby stood up slowly.
Broken glass and wooden debris fell around him.
Then he smiled.
A dangerous smile.
“You know…”
Yellow Aura intensified around his body violently.
“You’re actually pushing me.”
Jack steadied his breathing.
“I’m trying not to die.”
“That’s fair.”
BOOOOOM.
Bobby exploded forward again.
This time his Aura concentration became noticeably sharper.
He was learning too.
Fast.
The two collided in the center of the street.
Shockwaves tore across nearby buildings.
Wood shattered.
Dust erupted.
The fight had stopped resembling teenagers sparring.
Now it looked like monsters fighting.
Jack enhanced his vision.
Too fast.
Bobby appeared behind him instantly.
Jack twisted sideways at the last second.
But Bobby’s kick still clipped his ribs.
BOOOOM.
Jack was sent tumbling violently across the dirt road.
He coughed while forcing himself back up.
His Aura flickered slightly now.
Unstable.
Bobby meanwhile still looked relatively fine.
Breathing heavier.
But stable.
That Version II output difference was beginning to show clearly now.
Outside the simulation Damien folded his arms tighter.
Jack’s control was genuinely better.
Cleaner.
More efficient.
But Bobby’s sheer output…
Was overwhelming it slowly.
Exactly like Dr.
Frost explained.
Output and control.
Both mattered.
Inside the Wild West town Jack wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
Then smirked slightly.
“You’re ridiculously strong.”
Bobby cracked his knuckles.
“You’re ridiculously annoying to hit.”
Jack suddenly concentrated Aura around his legs completely.
Then his eyes.
Then one arm.
The control looked surprisingly smooth now.
Even Bobby paused slightly.
Jack rushed forward one final time.
His movement became almost fluid.
Precise.
Efficient.
For a brief moment…
It genuinely looked like Jack might turn the fight around.
Then Bobby’s Aura exploded outward violently.
BOOOOOOOM.
Raw yellow energy burst around his body like a miniature storm.
The pressure alone cracked the ground.
Jack’s eyes widened.
“Wait—”
Bobby’s fist slammed forward.
Directly into Jack’s guard.
The impact detonated across the street like a cannon blast.
The entire road shattered.
And Jack was launched backward violently through three buildings before finally crashing into the distant town clocktower.
CRAAAAASH.
The tower collapsed entirely.
Dust consumed the battlefield.
Silence followed.
Then the system voice echoed calmly:
> WINNER: BOBBY
Outside the pods the simulation ended instantly.
The giant holographic screen faded.
Then both gaming pods slowly opened.
Bobby climbed out first breathing heavily.
“…THAT…”
He pointed dramatically.
“…WAS AMAZING.”
Jack climbed out moments later rubbing his shoulder.
“That hurt way more than I expected for a simulation.”
Bobby laughed loudly.
“You almost had me near the middle there.”
Jack sighed.
“Yeah well…”
He glanced at his hands thoughtfully.
“You brute-forced the ending.”
“Correct.”
Damien walked toward them calmly.
“You lost because your output couldn’t keep up.”
Jack blinked.
“…Straight to analysis mode huh?”
“But,” Damien added calmly, “your control was better.”
That made Jack pause slightly.
Bobby nodded honestly.
“Actually yeah.”
He folded his arms.
“You adapted faster than me during the fight.”
Jack looked mildly surprised hearing that from Bobby.
Then Bobby grinned again.
“But I’m still stronger.”
“There it is,” Jack sighed.
And somewhere deep inside the underground base…
The Fighting King Simulator quietly recorded every second of the battle.