Taesoo Ma had had enough.
First, there was the boring trip he just took. The bus ride was cramped, stiff, and painfully uncomfortable. And after finally arriving in Cheonliang, he'd expected Apollo to take him straight to that person. Instead, the guy had simply vanished.
Now, not only had he been forced to fight a horde of men and children, but he also witnessed a kid being treated unfairly right in front of him.
And what kind of man would Taesoo Ma be if he let that slide?
"I don't like this… so I'll destroy it." He muttered internally, eyes locked on the crowd surrounding the frightened child.
What followed was carnage.
Every punch he threw sent multiple men flying.
Watching them scatter, terrified, almost made the trip worth it.
His next target? The so-called shaman.
Despite what people might think, Taesoo Ma wasn't a total brute. He played games—a lot of them. It was a secret hobby, but he was prolific across genres. Which is why he knew exactly what Apollo had done.
Gave them boss monster info.
Left them at the starting zone.
And then let the event play out—ruffians, residents, the whole damn chain quest—until they reached the final boss.
And now, that final boss stood before him: the Japanese brothers.
His blood surged. Words were no longer needed.
He did what he always did.
He raised his fist—and brought it crashing down on the first brother.
Except… nothing.
The man vanished.
Taesoo blinked. The ground where the blow landed cracked, but there was no one underneath.
"What?" he muttered, staring at the empty space his punch had just obliterated.
Then came the real surprise—a kick.
So fast, he didn't even see it coming.
BOOM.
"Huh?" Taesoo staggered, eyes wide as pain shot through his ribs.
'What the hell just happened?'
He turned, only to see Gongseob standing there, in front of him arms crossed and scowling...protecting him.
"Mr. Loser," Gongseob muttered, unimpressed. "You'd have been out cold if that landed."
The irritation Taesoo felt multiplied by ten by that comment. "Fuck you," he growled. Which, in his language, meant thanks. He knew he would have been injured had the kick had landed... however Gongseob didn't need to know that.
The brother who vanished earlier reappeared, raising a curious brow at Gongseob.
"Who are you?" he asked. "To block my attack like that… your physical ability is impressive."
Gongseob just stuck his tongue out—and disappeared again.
He reappeared beside the Kojima brother, delivering a clean right hook straight for the liver.
The Kojima smiled, easily dodging.
"Fast. But you're still just a kid."
' Still too tepid'.
But then something changed.
The hairs on his arms stood up, Like a small army of ants covering his skin...Shivers ran amok his back.
While he was busy with Gongseob…
Taesoo appeared beside him.
"Kid this," he growled.
Even the Kojima brother had to admit—he was slightly scared of Taesoo's punch, It split apart the winds roaring right at his face.
He barely had time to raise his arms before it hit.
BOOM.
A thunderous impact shook the air. The force of Taesoo's punch sent the Kojima flying like a ragdoll, a shockwave rippling through the ground.
Gongseob sweatdropped.
'Has this guy gotten stronger…?' he thought, forcing a strained smile.
The Kojima crashed to a halt nearly ten meters away. Coughing, he stared at his stinging arm.
"What strength," he muttered, his eyebrows scrunched up in the sheer perplexity of the situation,
A kid without mastery… is already this strong?
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Jichang and Jagyeon were engaged in a brutal clash with the second Kojima brother.
Using a hit-and-run tactic, Jichang struck in sync with Jagyeon—each taking turns creating openings. Jagyeon landed a hit, and Jichang followed with a blade-hand strike.
But the Kojima brother was calm. Smiling.
He blocked both attacks with smooth, deadly precision.
It wasn't just his strength or speed.
It was his technique.
Kudo.
A combat style similar to MMA—fists, kicks laced with brutal efficiency.
He deflected Jagyeon's strike with a sharp shin check, making the King of Incheon hiss through clenched teeth.
He weaved away from Jichang's blade hands with almost supernatural grace.
What kind of technique even is this…?
Both of them wondered the same thing.
But after another round of blows, it clicked.
It wasn't the technique.
It was him.
He was using Kudo so effectively that no matter what they tried, he could dodge, block, and counter with ease.
Jichang narrowed his eyes, locking gazes with Jagyeon. The redhead nodded subtly, creating distance.
Jagyeon exhaled a sharp breath.
'So he wants to use that… understandable.'
Everything else had failed.
Running his fingers through sweat-drenched hair, Jagyeon's muscles tensed.
Takkyeon.
That was all he had left.
That was what he would trust.
He closed his eyes. Every technique of the martial art flashed through his mind.
'I have to improve… right here, right now.'
Blood surged through his veins. His fists clenched and loosened as he sank into his stance.
Takkyeon demanded speed. And Jagyeon was ready.
With a blur, he closed the gap.
'Use everything. All I've got.'
He launched strike after strike—spinning kicks, feints, sweeps. Some were dodged. Others were blocked. A few got countered. But Jagyeon didn't stop.
He pushed.
He ducked beneath a wild swing and launched an upward kick. The Kojima dodged by a hair, eyes locked on Jagyeon—who twisted into a leg lock.
The Kojima sidestepped again.
But Jagyeon shoved off the ground with both hands, spinning into a vertical roundhouse kick.
The Kojima brother blocked—but his body trembled just slightly. He'd taken too many hits.
"No matter what you do," he sneered, "it won't work." His expression one of pure superiority.
Jagyeon grinned, teeth grit, expression strained but focused.
"I don't need them to work," he replied.
"I just need you distracted."
"...Huh?"
His ears perked up the sound of something whistling, is something coming towards me?.
Above them—rotating, descending with deadly force—was Jichang.
His hand was poised.
A blade aimed to strike.
Jagyeon exhaled, satisfied.
'I did my job.'
BOOM.