I teach judo in Tokyo.

Cammy walked out looking annoyed, and then...

A crisp "snap!" sounded.

She angrily clutched the cushion where she had been slapped, turned around to retaliate, only to find the door had already been quickly closed.

From behind the door came a teasing voice: "Or, if Ms. Cammy would like to have a very passionate and romantic date with me—I might just agree."

Jamie kicked the door, making it shake.

After a few seconds of silence, he turned and left without a word.

Inside the room, Sosuke curled the corners of his lips and raised his hand to recall the soft touch.

She slowly turned around and settled back into the sofa.

On the television screen, a cold-faced man wearing sunglasses appeared in front of his opponent with lightning speed, instantly knocking him away with a powerful backhand strike.

Hmm... this Albert is definitely got some skills.

However, if you want to beat me, this little bit of skill isn't enough.

Sosuke's eyes gleamed, and a confident smile curled at the corners of his lips.

......

There will be sixteen matches each day over the weekend.

Almost every match was a foregone conclusion, with the stronger side clearly being significantly stronger than the weaker one.

The game is usually over in three minutes.

Several of the powerful figures that Sousuke was paying attention to could completely defeat their opponents with just one strike.

Finally, the final 32 spots were decided.

The images and information of the thirty-two strong fighters, as well as the match schedule for the next stage, have now been fully published by the Luca Group on the official website of King of Fighters.

This has sparked heated discussions around the world.

Countless "professionals" posted videos and live streams, enthusiastically predicting and ranking the strength of these contestants.

Putting aside everything else, this King of Fighters competition directly supported a large number of video bloggers and live streamers.

Moreover, due to its explosive growth in popularity, this King of Fighters tournament is said to have almost recouped its initial investment even before entering its most intense phase.

Countless companies are waving large sums of money, vying to sponsor the competition.

Sponsorship and naming rights for each match, logo projection at the stadium, and interstitial advertisements.

And a cut of advertising revenue from live streaming and broadcasting channels.

The most outrageous thing is the display of each contestant's logo.

Each advertising space costs an astronomical sum.

It is said that the sponsorship fees alone amounted to two or three hundred billion US dollars.

Of course, the most lucrative part is the "gambling" function.

The KOF software feature called "Victory Point Support" is essentially a reskinned betting function.

With the support of a huge global audience, this feature has generated a massive amount of funds deposited in Luca Group's accounts.

Although Luca Group can only take a 3% commission when viewers redeem items in the store with "Victory Points".

However, the profit from the circulation of "items in the mall" itself, plus the accumulated commission income, has created astonishing wealth through the gambling behavior of billions of viewers.

The King of Fighters tournament, which was predicted by numerous economic experts to cost hundreds of billions of dollars and would inevitably bankrupt the company, has instead become a legendary commercial event.

If it were just a competition for ordinary people, it would be impossible to generate such an exaggerated commercial effect.

The reason is actually quite simple.

That is—the extraordinary individuals.

Only by relying on the final battle of "superhumans" that most viewers have never heard of can countless people flock to watch.

......

Chapter 348 Group

October 1th, Thursday.

The noise and disturbances outside did not affect the 32 contestants who were resting in the hotel.

Atobe Sousuke and several close friends were having breakfast together in the buffet restaurant reserved for the athletes.

After several days of getting to know each other, the 32 contestants gradually evolved into several small groups based on their familiarity and compatibility.

For example, Sosuke had several friends.

Sebastian, Shin Kyogoku, Kyotaro Shindo, Goro Daimon, and Tenbu Mutsu.

These individuals are primarily active in Japan. Apart from Goro Daimon, who achieved globally renowned success, the others are largely unknown to the general public for various reasons.

In fact, besides these people, Sousuke was also acquainted with people such as Fuka, Julius, and Mutba.

However, after advancing to the top 32, Fu Hua mysteriously disappeared.

She had previously told Sosuke that she would withdraw from the competition in the second round and then hide in the shadows to investigate the hidden secrets of the Ring Serpent and the Luca Group.

As for former rivals like Julius and Mutba, they seem to have their own friends and haven't joined Sousuke's side.

"Atobe, your next opponent is that gorgeous Cammy. I really wish I could switch places with you—"

At the dining table, a young man with long braids and a lecherous expression stared enviously at Atobe Sousuke. "Unlike me, my opponent is that American soldier named Guile. Maybe I should just admit defeat."

“Shindo, Cammy is no easy opponent,” Sousuke said with a chuckle, resting his chin on his hand. “If you were to face her, you might lose your life.”

"What a joke! She's just a woman. If she really ran into me, she'd probably scream under my invincible Extreme Style of groping techniques!" The young man made a grabbing and squeezing motion with both hands, looking just like a perverted lecher.

"Isn't your Kyokugenryu style karate? How come you also have ground techniques?" Shin Kyogoku asked seriously.

“A serious guy like you is not my type—” Shindo Kyotaro glared at him with disdain.

Atobe Sousuke also joked, "Kyogoku, don't let Shindo's appearance as a karate expert fool you. I reckon his grappling skills are probably on par with Mr. Daimon's."

As he said this, he smiled at the middle-aged man with a crew cut who was eating heartily to the side.

The middle-aged man was tall and strong, with an honest face and squinty eyes.

Upon hearing Sosuke mention him, the middle-aged man put down his bowl and gave Sosuke a sheepish grin: "Although I am proficient in judo, I am not good at ground fighting, but I am alright at throwing techniques."

It's more than just okay.

Sosuke looked at Goro Daimon in front of him with a flicker in his eyes.

The Pillar of Gentleness: Goro Daimon

Age: 48

[Entry: Towering Mountain]

[Possesses self-defense technique: Daimon-ryu Judo 55]

【Special Moves: Super Guard, Root Return, Izumo Throw, Super Large Outer Slash, Heaven and Earth Return, Hell Paradise Drop】

[Current status: I'm half full, I'll go get some more rice.]

A powerful and fierce individual whose strength is probably no less than that of the old steward.

I had heard about this person's deeds before when I was in the Golden Eagle Banner.

He quietly retired after sweeping global judo competitions twenty years ago and achieving an undisputed Grand Slam record.

Now, drawn by this unprecedented King of Fighters tournament, he has returned to action.

Beside him, the old butler Sebastian elegantly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief: "I'm full."

Then, he looked at Atobe Sousuke: "You'd better be careful. That girl named Cammy is pretty strong, but you should be able to beat her. However, in the next round, your opponent will most likely be that man named Albert. He... is no ordinary person!"

Sebastian's eyes flashed: "He's fast and incredibly strong. In terms of physical attributes alone, he seems to be no less than you."

“Indeed.” Sosuke nodded with a smile, not denying the old butler’s words.

He had certainly seen Albert Wesker's stats. Although his skill level was not as high as the old butler's, his stats indicated that this person's strength could no longer be measured by ordinary "superhumans".

However, he remained relaxed and joked, "Old butler, don't worry about me. Instead of worrying about me, you should think about how to hold back in the match the day after tomorrow so that Kyogoku loses in a more respectable way."

Shin Kyogoku almost choked on his milk after hearing Sousuke's words.

He glared at Sosuke speechlessly: "I don't need Lord Sebastian to hold back. If I can't beat him, I can't beat him. Losing isn't shameful."

Sosuke glanced at Kyogoku Shin's panel. Perhaps spurred on by their previous collaboration, Kyogoku Shin, the karate genius, had significantly improved his skills over the past few months.

It reached the level of "44".

For someone already at the "40" age level, without having a cheat code like Sosuke, improving solely through hard work is actually quite exaggerated.

However, defeating an old monster like the old butler is still too difficult.

Sebastian didn't say much, but smiled slightly: "Lord Kyogoku, just fight freely when the time comes."

Kyogoku Shin nodded, looking calmly at the one-eyed youth beside him who had already eaten his fill and was chewing on a blade of grass: "Mutsu, actually, if I could, I would like to fight with you and Shindo."

The one-eyed youth, named Mutsu Tenbu, smiled slightly and said casually, "If you really want to fight, you don't necessarily have to do it on the field. Let's go to the training ground and have some fun later?"

Shin Kyogoku's eyes lit up: "Great idea!"

......

So, after breakfast, Atobe Sousuke and the others went to the training ground.

This luxury hotel itself did not have any training grounds; it was temporarily upgraded and modified from a large banquet hall in a branch of the hotel, thanks to investment and price increases from the Luca Group.

Its main purpose, of course, is to provide daily training and maintain the condition of many strong competitors.

After all, the path of martial arts is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind.

The training ground is divided into a fitness area and a sparring area.

Other strong individuals are now using the equipment in the fitness area.

In the sparring area, there were also three or five pairs of acquaintances sparring and exchanging techniques.

As soon as they arrived, Mutsu Tenbu, Shindo Kyotaro, and Kyogoku Shin ran off to change their clothes in preparation for their sparring session.

Sosuke spotted a familiar figure, so he told the old butler and Goro Daimon, and walked over with a smile.

Soon we arrived at a piece of exercise equipment.

"Mutba, I've been wanting to ask you this for a while now. What are you doing here in the King of Fighters tournament?"

In front of the equipment, an acquaintance was calmly exercising.

It was his former opponent, a powerful figure hired by the "Black Crow" group, "The Slaughter" Mutba.

***

Chapter 349 The Harmless Killer Bees

The construction equipment specially designed by Luca Group for exceptional individuals has a weight and strength that far exceed conventional standards.

With his eyes white, Mutba is effortlessly pulling a weight that is unimaginable to ordinary people.

However, although he was blind, as a "psychic," he had already sensed Sosuke's approach by sound and smell.

He chuckled and said, "Brother Atobe, I'm a mercenary. The Luca Group paid me to be a guest champion, and I get a hefty commission for each round I advance in the main tournament. Why not?"

"However..." A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face, "I guess I'll have to go home in the next round. This money isn't easy to earn."

Sosuke thought for a moment and remembered Mutba's next opponent, nodding in agreement: "Your next opponent is that guy named Geese, right? You're really unlucky."

"That's right, there's a top-tier expert among the strong—Geese Howard. He has dominated the honorary deathmatch competition with his Aikido skills for many years and I've heard he's never been defeated. Even formidable guys like Tiger and Gaolang have fallen to him."

"I definitely can't beat this guy; I'll just be a stepping stone..."

Mutba put down the cable machine and then stretched his body.

He "looked" at Atobe Sousuke: "Your next opponent is Cammy, right? Be careful, that woman is not to be trifled with. She once chased me across half a continent."

“However…” he said, then suddenly threw a quick punch at Sosuke’s face.

The next second, the fist landed in the palm.