Chapter 141: Lawless Land (3)
January of this year.
At the time, while still staying in Daesan, Kim Hyun-seong was undergoing separate training with Kim Si-woo.
*Pak!*
*Bang bang bang—!*
The sandbag shook violently.
Although Kim Hyun-seong had quit Jung Doo-cheol’s gym, Go Chang-beom had arranged a space for him to use for a while. Even though it would only be used for a month or two at most, the facilities were comparable to a decent gym. Thanks to that, Kim Hyun-seong was able to train, sweating blood and tears, right up until the day he left for Seoul.
*Drip, drip.*
Sweat dripped down.
The floor was soaked, and each punch left him breathless, making him feel dizzy.
But.
He didn’t stop.
His muscles twitched as if he were hitting a living being, and he struck the sandbag with full force.
*Paak—!*
*Rattle rattle.*
The sandbag shook noisily.
After continuing to pound away, Kim Hyun-seong finally collapsed to the ground after reaching his target number of punches.
*Thud.*
“Hah, hah.”
He was out of breath.
The sky seemed to spin, and the extreme exhaustion made him feel like his insides were twisting. It was the same pain he felt every day. Even though Kim Hyun-seong had made a dramatic improvement compared to a year ago, he always pushed himself to the limit. Instead of going to bed without breaking a sweat, he would end his day running to the bathroom, complaining of muscle aches, refusing to conclude his training moderately.
Kim Si-woo approached him and said.
“Are you okay?”
“…I’m fine.”
“Do you really need to go that far every time? You’ve already proven yourself in Seoul. Even pro fighters couldn’t handle you. If you keep pushing yourself like this, you’ll end up in the hospital.”
“Maybe.”
He let out a faint laugh.
Lying down, Kim Hyun-seong stared at the ceiling.
His ragged breathing began to calm down a bit.
“If there were rules like when I fought pro fighters, or if it was just a one-on-one fight, I wouldn’t train this hard. But everything related to the Golden Circle is beyond reason. You never know what’s going to happen, and there won’t be any fair fights. That’s why I always have to prepare for the worst. Even if I’ve exhausted all my strength, I need to be able to throw one final punch to knock down my opponent. I endure this pain for that moment.”
It was something he said habitually.
In case, just in case, to prepare for any unexpected variables.
Kim Hyun-seong had formulated his plan while living as a vegetative state, but reality was filled with countless unexpected variables.
So he had to be ready.
He wasn’t complacent in his victories.
Although his strength had been proven, he had achieved nothing yet.
“Ugh—.”
He stood up again.
His body, now cold, drove him to throw another punch at the sandbag.
* * *
*Paak—!*
His muscles twitched explosively.
He had already swung his fists at dozens of people, yet the raw power in his punches still crushed his opponent’s face.
“Graaah!”
*Thud!*
He lifted his head.
There were still many opponents left.
Choi Myung-hoon had called in every fighter he could, from first-year to third-year students.
Most of them didn’t even fully understand the situation they were in, but the fear of Choi Myung-hoon had pushed them down the stairs. Because of that, Kim Hyun-seong had to face dozens of opponents. Even though he hadn’t reached Choi Myung-hoon yet, his entire body was screaming with fatigue from constantly throwing punches.
*Whack!*
His face twisted as a punch landed on him, but Kim Hyun-seong pressed forward without showing any sign of pain.
*Bam, baam—!*
One by one, with each hit.
A surge of exhilaration ran through his body.
Even though he was breathless and exhausted, the destructive power of his punches brought him immense satisfaction.
‘I was right.’
All the time spent.
It hadn’t been in vain.
Even though there were days when he ran to the bathroom and vomited everything out, the relentless training he had endured had seeped into his body. It didn’t mean it wasn’t hard. After taking on more than ten opponents, his mouth was filled with the metallic taste of exhaustion, but this kind of pain didn’t bother him anymore. He could still assess the situation with sharp eyes and strike first before his opponent could react.
*Whoosh.*
*Paak—!*
The opponent’s head snapped back.
Beyond the fallen enemy, he saw the fear on the faces of those who remained.
*Thud.*
“…This guy’s insane.”
“He’s seriously trying to take us all down by himself?”
Fear spread like a contagion.
If it had only been a few people, they might have fought back, but seeing the fallen bodies that filled the staircase left them terrified. Kim Hyun-seong was a monster. The rumors about him taking control of Daesan alone weren’t exaggerated, and the fact that he dared to challenge Choi Myung-hoon was proof of the strength he possessed.
Kim Hyun-seong climbed the stairs again.
No matter how many enemies were waiting for him, he never stopped ascending.
“…Damn it, seriously.”
“Hey, hey. You do something about him.”
The enemies were slowly retreating.
Kim Hyun-seong alone was pushing them back.
Kim Hyun-seong spoke.
“Choi Myung-hoon must have told you. No matter how much noise we make, the teachers, the police… no one will get involved. It’s a messed-up reality. It’s hard to believe something like that can happen in this day and age. But you know what?”
“You bastard… Ugh.”
*Paak!*
He sent the charging opponent’s head flying.
As the guy collapsed, legs giving way beneath him, Kim Hyun-seong bent down briefly, grabbing his arm.
Then.
He made eye contact with the fearful gazes staring back at him.
“That reality doesn’t necessarily work in your favor. It means no one will intervene, no matter what happens here.”
*Crack.*
*Snap snap.*
He twisted the arm.
Whether his opponent screamed or not, it didn’t matter.
“Aaagh—!”
*Snap.*
He broke the arm.
* * *
Kim Hyun-seong trudged forward.
His steps, filled with fatigue, finally brought him to the fourth floor.
“…Move, move!”
“Don’t block the way!”
A path opened.
Though they had all been following Choi Myung-hoon’s orders, no one tried to stop Kim Hyun-seong any longer.
Everyone who had gone down had been taken out.
It wasn’t just a few people, it was dozens. The screams that echoed from the bottom of the stairs were terrifying. Kim Hyun-seong was truly insane. The thought of taking on all those people by himself was crazy, and the overwhelming strength he displayed was beyond comprehension.
They all stepped back.
With his hair drenched in sweat, Kim Hyun-seong walked down the path lined with third-years.
Then.
He stopped.
*Rattle.*
He opened the door to one of the classrooms.
As expected, Choi Myung-hoon was inside.
Sitting by the window, Choi Myung-hoon stared at Kim Hyun-seong with a bewildered expression.
“What the hell are you? Did you really break through all of them by yourself?”
It was insane.
If he knew it was a trap, if he knew that dozens of people were waiting for him.
The normal reaction would be to avoid the situation or think of another solution, but Kim Hyun-seong had pushed through the crowd to get here. The report that Park Hyung-joon had given him was wrong. While it had explained how dangerous Kim Hyun-seong was, it had underestimated just how dangerous he truly was.
But.
That was all.
Seeing the exhaustion on his opponent’s face, Choi Myung-hoon got up from his seat and sneered.
“Impressive. Really impressive, but this isn’t how it works. You think you can just come here and find me when the teachers are all turning a blind eye? Do you even know what’ll happen next?”
Outside the hallway window.
Others could be seen.
They couldn’t bring themselves to come in but were watching the situation unfold between the two.
“Let me explain the scenario. You picked a fight with those guys outside. All the kids lying around will say you attacked them first. While fighting them, you accidentally lost your footing and fell. Boom! The police will come later to investigate the situation, but everyone will have agreed on the same story. The media will report it as a tragic accident caused by school violence. You’ll be labeled both the perpetrator and the victim, but no clear culprit will be found, and the case will quietly disappear.”
*Crack crack.*
Choi Myung-hoon twisted his neck from side to side.
He stretched his body as he walked forward.
“How’s that sound?”
It was pure malice.
Seeing Choi Myung-hoon approaching him.
“That sounds good.”
Kim Hyun-seong also took a step forward.
* * *
Neither of them rushed.
As they walked toward each other, Kim Hyun-seong was the first to throw a punch when they finally met.
*Whoosh!*
A quick jab.
As Choi Myung-hoon pulled his head back to avoid it, Kim Hyun-seong immediately followed with a
swing of his rear hand, capitalizing on the forward momentum.
*Paak—!*
The first jab.
It was intended to gauge distance.
After measuring the distance between him and his opponent, Kim Hyun-seong, without a moment’s hesitation, targeted Choi Myung-hoon’s face with a strike from his rear hand. To his opponent, it must have felt like he had appeared in front of him in an instant. No one had been able to react to the combinations he’d used while coming up the stairs, but Choi Myung-hoon was different.
*Pak!*
He blocked it with his arm.
As Kim Hyun-seong continued to throw punches, Choi Myung-hoon stood his ground without taking a single step back, skillfully blocking every hit.
*Whisk, whisk.*
He dodged the punches.
After brushing off Kim Hyun-seong’s attacks.
*Paak!*
He landed a counterattack on his opponent’s face.
Since Kim Hyun-seong had been advancing, there was no avoiding the blow, and Choi Myung-hoon capitalized on the momentum, striking his face once again. Despite blocking, the thudding sound was chilling. Each time Choi Myung-hoon’s heavy punches connected, Kim Hyun-seong’s body jerked. Clearly, Kim Hyun-seong’s condition was sluggish. No matter how hard he had trained, it was impossible to be in peak form after fighting dozens of people.
His reactions were noticeably slower.
Because of that, he got hit.
Perhaps finding it easier than expected, Choi Myung-hoon grinned and kept throwing punches.
Then.
*Smack!*
Kim Hyun-seong’s face snapped to the side.
At the same time.
*Paak!*
He struck back, sending his opponent’s head flying.
No matter how strong Choi Myung-hoon’s punches were, they were nothing compared to the savage blows from Jung Doo-cheol in the octagon. Kim Hyun-seong pushed forward with overwhelming force. His hair, drenched in sweat, was disheveled, and his mouth was filled with the bitter taste of exhaustion, but facing Choi Myung-hoon in this moment, giving in to fatigue wouldn’t change anything. From the beginning, this fight had been unfair, and without enduring the pain, defeat was inevitable.
*Bam!*
He took a hit to the head.
When Kim Hyun-seong sent Choi Myung-hoon’s chin flying, Choi Myung-hoon turned his head and slammed it back down on him.
He was strong, without a doubt.
The destructive power of his punches and his sharp reflexes.
The immediate counterattacks proved that his S+ ranking hadn’t been earned by luck.
*Whoosh.*
By a hair’s breadth.
Kim Hyun-seong dodged Choi Myung-hoon’s attack.
Even though they were close enough to feel each other’s breath, Kim Hyun-seong’s eyes never lost track of Choi Myung-hoon’s movements.
A twitch.
He sent a signal with his shoulder.
The signal indicated he would aim for the face, and sure enough, Choi Myung-hoon reacted.
It was a trap.
Kim Hyun-seong’s punch didn’t target the face, but instead slammed into Choi Myung-hoon’s side.
*Paak—!*
“…!”
Choi Myung-hoon’s face twisted in pain.
If he hadn’t been capable enough to react to Kim Hyun-seong’s signal, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid that blow. The intense pain surged up his side. Stunned by the powerful strike that knocked the wind out of him, Choi Myung-hoon hesitated, and Kim Hyun-seong didn’t waste the opportunity to rain down punches.
*Bam, baam—!*
He sent his opponent’s face flying.
As Choi Myung-hoon raised his guard after taking a few hits, Kim Hyun-seong targeted his abdomen.
*Paak!*
“Hah.”
He gained the upper hand.
And just as he was about to launch another attack.
*Whoosh.*
*Paak—!*
Kim Hyun-seong’s head jerked back.
It was intentional.
While the blow to his abdomen was real, Choi Myung-hoon had deliberately shown a weaker reaction to lure him in.
Then.
*Crunch!*
He sent a punch flying straight to his face.
Blood spurted from Kim Hyun-seong’s face as he stumbled back.
“Damn, this is intense.”
*Crack crack.*
Choi Myung-hoon loosened his jaw.
Kim Hyun-seong.
He was undeniably strong.
Even after fighting dozens of people, he had still pushed him this far, and Choi Myung-hoon couldn’t help but feel genuinely impressed.
But that was all.
The last hit had landed perfectly.
He thought that if he could end it now, he’d have him beat.
But.
*Drip, drip.*
Blood dripped to the floor.
Kim Hyun-seong’s face was covered in blood, and as he lifted his head, his face, now crimson, came into view.
Kim Hyun-seong wiped the blood off with his hand.
“…This is definitely tough.”
He felt dizzy.
The blow just now hadn’t been insignificant, but strangely, in this moment, Kim Hyun-seong felt his heart pounding with excitement. The Golden Circle had ranked students. The S-tier were the strongest in the Golden Circle, and S+ like Choi Myung-hoon meant that he was practically unrivaled. This meant that among the enemies he would face, there would be no one stronger than Choi Myung-hoon in a one-on-one fight.
And so.
A faint smile crept onto his face.
He was struggling.
But not because his opponent was strong.
Compared to Shin Chang-hoon, the pro fighter he had faced before, Choi Myung-hoon was clearly weaker, and it was only the exhaustion from fighting so many people that made this difficult. In other words, he could still handle this. The fact that he had taken on dozens of people and wasn’t finding his opponent insurmountable was proof that his hard work hadn’t been in vain.
He lifted his head.
Running his blood-soaked hand through his hair, he started walking toward his opponent again.
“I’ve got to finish this.”
At that sight.
Seeing Kim Hyun-seong wiping off the blood and approaching him again.
Choi Myung-hoon’s eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and fear.
