Chapter 7: A Battle with No Retreat

“Looks like your luck has run out, little Joss!”
As Joss stepped onto the dueling platform, Jason was already waiting, his face twisted into a cruel, undisguised grin.
He’d disliked Joss from the start. During the timed trial, he’d been provoked into volunteering as everyone’s guinea pig, and his abysmal performance had been an embarrassment. And now, this person he’d always looked down on had somehow aced the test with a perfect score—a fact Jason simply could not accept.
But none of that mattered now, because he could finally teach Joss a lesson himself.
“I’ll show you the difference real strength makes!”
With no restrictions in place, and the examiner having just repeated the rules for victory, Jason exploded into action, charging at Joss.
There was nothing fancy about his attack—Jason struck brutally and simply, his massive fists raining down on Joss in a relentless barrage. All Joss could do was evade, twisting and turning to avoid the blows.
Both of them had trained in military hand-to-hand combat, which prized speed, precision, and ruthlessness—every move was efficient and dangerous.
Yet, combined with Jason’s enormous frame and terrifying power, he seemed like a walking meat grinder. His long arms were lethal—any contact could maim, any blow could kill.
In battle, strength is the core attribute. The old saying, “one force can overcome ten skills,” isn’t mere rhetoric; when power reaches a certain threshold, speed or technique become little more than jokes.
Jason knew this well, and his confidence in his own strength was absolute, which was why his attacks were so straightforward.
“What’s wrong? All you can do is dodge? Pathetic loser!”
A bloodthirsty smile curled Jason’s lips, as if he could already see himself crushing Joss on the spot.
What could be more satisfying than grinding your opponent down with sheer, overwhelming force?
“Ah… Don’t mind me, I just haven’t used this move in a while, so I was taking a moment to recall it,” Joss replied nonchalantly, shrugging off Jason’s taunts.
“Hmph! With that scrawny frame, there’s no way you’ll turn the tables!”
Jason’s temple twitched at Joss’s words, and with a sweep of his long arm, he threw a straight punch. “Hmph! Still mouthing off when you’re about to—what?!”
Without warning, Jason felt the world spin and suddenly found himself sprawled on the ground.
A few seconds later, searing pain invaded his body and his mind, causing him to cry out involuntarily.
“Tsk tsk. If you want to overpower ten skills with one force, you need to actually have that force.”
Joss didn’t pause for a moment. His hands looped around Jason’s neck, and in an instant he locked in a rear-naked choke, holding Jason firmly in place.

“How does it feel? The jiu-jitsu I’ve been practicing since childhood isn’t bad, is it?”
The rear-naked choke is a ruthless maneuver—though it appears simple, it strangles the neck and suffocates the opponent, allowing one to subdue them quickly.
Before crossing over into this world, Joss had studied various martial arts to strengthen his body, and he’d discovered he had a remarkable talent for fighting.
If not for his heart condition, he might well have become a professional fighter.
But out of caution—not wanting to push himself too far—he’d always kept his training moderate. Who’d have thought it would prove so useful now?
If Joss’s fighting talent was as formidable as a lone cowboy in the wild, his body was as outdated as an old learning console from last century.
Now, in this new body, ten times stronger than before, paired with his skills, he could easily overwhelm Jason!
“You little bug…!” Jason’s thick arms flailed, but he couldn’t threaten Joss at all.
In jiu-jitsu, chokes have a defining feature: once the lock is secured, there’s almost no way to escape.
The only counter is to break free before the choke is fully applied, but Jason had clearly missed that window.
“Get off me!!!”
Suddenly, Jason let out a deafening roar, his muscles swelling by nearly thirty percent. The raw power radiating from him was palpable, even from a distance.
As soon as Jason stirred, Joss sensed danger and released his hold, leaping back.
Clearly, Jason was activating his ability—a transformation not unlike the Hulk’s.
Joss retreated a few steps, his eyes wary as he watched Jason on the platform.
Jason, already over six feet tall, now stood more than two meters, his arms nearly as thick as Joss’s thighs.
…
“Natasha, what do you think?” Nick Fury stood with hands clasped behind his back, observing Joss and Jason’s duel from afar.
“I’m watching with my eyes,” Black Widow Natasha replied, arms crossed beside Fury, her expression tinged with annoyance. “You called me out here just to watch a bunch of recruits spar? I’m a busy woman, you know.”
“Trust me, this is far more important than anything else you’re working on.”
“Pff, it’s just another mutant. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve taken down at this level.” Natasha was clearly unimpressed by Fury’s words.
But Fury shook his head. “No, I meant the other one.”

“Oh…? His fighting skills are decent, but he’s clearly inexperienced in real combat, and otherwise seems quite ordinary. What’s so special about him?”
Seeing Fury’s insistence, Natasha looked at Joss with renewed interest, curious what had caught the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s director.
Fury smiled mysteriously, his expression inscrutable. “Because he thinks my rap is pretty good…”
“Huh?” Natasha turned, startled and uncertain, to look at Fury.
Fury coughed. “Ahem—not that. I meant he scored a perfect mark in that test.”
Natasha: “What was that about rap?”
Fury: “Don’t mind those details… Just remember what I told you.”
Natasha shrugged. “Alright then. If that’s the case, he definitely has the makings of a super-agent. As long as his combat ability holds up, he’ll be a tremendous asset.”
She couldn’t help but smile, though. “That’s all well and good, but looking at him now, he might just get killed by that brute, don’t you think?”
Fury said nothing, his tone cool: “I just want to see where his limits lie. That’s why I called you here—if anything unexpected happens, I’ll need you to step in and save him.”
“Of course, nothing good ever comes from you asking for my help.” Natasha sighed, rolled her neck, and walked toward the dueling platform.
…
On the stage, now that Jason had unleashed his ability, his combat strength had soared.
Joss couldn’t even attempt chokes or jiu-jitsu holds—there was simply too great a gap in power.
Jason could now lift and swing Joss, who weighed barely sixty kilograms, with just one hand; in such a situation, jiu-jitsu was utterly useless.
“Tsk, you forced my hand—I wasn’t planning to use this move.” Evading Jason’s latest charge, Joss’s expression darkened. He reached into the backpack he’d brought onto the platform and pulled out a bottle of water.
“Today, I’ll show you what it means to fight with your back against the wall.”
With that, he slung the water bottle onto his back.