[BANG!]
The door to the fighters' waiting room burst open, and Sang-cheol urgently looked for Min-chan.
"Hey! Kang Min-chan! What are you doing sleeping in here?!"
[GASP!]
Min-chan drew a sharp breath.
It was a dream. The same hauntingly vivid nightmare that appeared once in a while.
Sigh... It feels like the dreams are getting closer together these days. What exactly... is that dream about?
Just then, the commentator's voice boomed from outside the waiting room.
"Kang Min-chan! The monster of Korean MMA appears!!"
[WAAAAAH—!!]
The roar of the crowd and the heat of the lights poured down the hallway.
Min-chan lowered his head for a moment, slowly catching his breath and clenching his fists.
In the left side of his chest, his heart pounded beyond a mere beat.
[THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!]
Urgent footsteps were heard in the hallway, and the waiting room door flew open.
"Hyung-nim! You need to go quickly!"
"Why is your face so pale? Are you sick?"
The twin-ho combo of Young-ho and Young-beom ran in, panting.
Min-chan lightly shook his head and stood up.
"I'm fine. Let's go."
He clenched his bandaged hands and walked towards the door.
Beyond the hallway, at the cage entrance, Coach Kim Gab-su, Tae-geon, and Do-yoon were waiting.
"Hyung! Hurry! Hurry up!"
Do-yoon waved his arms, urging him on.
Beside him, Tae-geon examined Min-chan's face carefully, then quietly approached and put an arm around his shoulder.
"Is it because it's a title match? Are you nervous?"
Min-chan let out a small laugh.
"Nervous? What a disappointing thing to say."
But behind the laughter was a strange sense of unease.
Kim Gab-su placed a hand on Min-chan's chest.
"...Your body temperature is high, and your heart rate is fast. Are you really okay?"
Min-chan took a long breath and nodded.
"This is exactly how I should be."
"Min-chan—"
At that moment, before Kim Gab-su could finish his sentence, the commentator's voice echoed loudly from the stands.
"The challenger for the Korean MMA Heavyweight Champion! KANG—MIN—CHAN!! He finally makes his appearance!!"
[CLANG!]
The cage door opened.
Min-chan gave a brief greeting.
"I'll be back."
The moment he turned towards the cage, his eyes sharpened like a general before a battle.
He walked slowly towards the cage.
"Kang Min-chan! He's making his entrance!"
With the commentator's shout, the roar of the crowd came in like a wave.
"Wow... can you see those eyes? This is a beast. A true beast!"
"The myth of the undefeated 1st round KO! We have high hopes for Kang Min-chan again today!"
Stepping into the cage, Min-chan lightly moved his feet from side to side,
[HOOK, HOOK]
throwing quick jabs to warm up.
At that moment, the opposite entrance opened.
"The current World Heavyweight Champion! Brian is making his entrance!"
As the lights poured down and his entrance music blared, Brian walked confidently towards the cage. He made eye contact with Min-chan, then smirked as if it were routine.
But perhaps offended by Min-chan's lack of reaction, Brian flipped him the middle finger from outside the cage.
"Fuck—!"
And then he made a gesture of slitting his own throat.
Min-chan narrowed his eyes and stared at Brian for a moment. He then quietly turned and walked back to his corner.
"No need to get worked up. He's known for his bad manners."
Coach Kim Gab-su said in a low voice.
"A barking dog rarely bites."
Min-chan's eyes remained unshaken as he spoke indifferently.
"The way you're talking, I guess I don't have to worry. If you're gonna die, die out there. Just don't disgrace the gym's name."
Coach Park Sang-cheol said, patting Min-chan's back hard. His words were rough, but his hand carried the weight of encouragement.
"Hyung-nim! You must win and return safely!"
"Lay that bastard out in one punch!"
The twin brothers, Young-ho and Young-min, shouted from outside the cage.
"Both fighters to the center!"
At that moment, the referee motioned towards both corners.
Min-chan looked at his team and gave a fierce smile. He held out his right fist and said in a low voice.
"What is a man?!"
As he finished his words, the team's chant erupted.
"One-shot!"
"Who are we?!"
"UN-DE-FEA-TED! CHI-WOO-GYM!"
Min-chan turned to face Brian, clenching his fist, his broad shoulders and rock-solid muscles twitching.
[DING-DING-DING—!]
The bell for the start of the match rang.
Brian extended his fist as if to shake hands. Min-chan also extended his hand to meet his fist.
[WHOOSH!]
At that moment, Brian's fist narrowly missed Min-chan's hand and shot upward. It was a surprise jab.
"That! That bastard, he threw a cheap shot!"
"What the! Look at that son of a bitch!"
As Min-chan bent his upper body to narrowly dodge, the twin-ho combo's angry shouts erupted.
[BOOO!]
Despite the crowd's boos, Brian shrugged his shoulders, a relaxed smile on his face, and extended his hand again.
Min-chan let out a small laugh and thought to himself.
Wanna play rough?
The two fighters' fists met in the center of the ring again.
Brian muttered to himself.
Heh heh. That's why these Eastern punks who look for manners in a battlefield are no good. No mistakes this time.
[SMACK!]
The moment their fists touched, Min-chan's fist opened wide, gripping Brian's fist.
At the same time, he pulled Brian's body towards him and drove his forehead into his face.
[CRUNCH!]
[DRIP.]
With a heavy impact, blood streamed from Brian's nose.
He covered his face and stumbled back a few steps.
The referee immediately ran over, spreading his arms and pointing at Min-chan.
"Warning! A headbutt is a foul!"
Min-chan shrugged his shoulders and held up both hands. With a cheeky grin, he casually looked away as if it wasn't intentional.
Brian's eyes bulged. His boiling anger was clear on his face.
This bastard... I'll kill him.
After a quick treatment to stop the bleeding, the referee waved his hands again, resuming the match.
Min-chan slowly approached, taunting him.
"That was a pretty fast jab. Too bad it missed."
But Brian didn't reply. Instead, his eyes had a murderous glint.
[SWISH!]
[SWISH!]
They exchanged a few light jabs, quickly feeling each other out.
Having a general read on the attack distance and timing, Brian was the first to close the distance and advance.
[WHIP!] [WHOOSH!]
A quick right hook followed by an uppercut.
Min-chan ducked to avoid the hook aimed at his left temple, but a fist targeting his chin came right after.
[WHOOSH.]
Min-chan tilted and twisted his head, and Brian's fist grazed his cheek. Just as he was about to counterattack, Brian had already backed away.
He's quite fast for his size...
Min-chan had a premonition that this match wouldn't end easily due to Brian's unexpectedly nimble movements.
After a brief pause, similar exchanges went on a few more times.
That's enough bait... time to reel him in.
Min-chan gave a slight smile, watching Brian as he created distance.
At that moment—
Brian closed the distance again with a big step. His left foot pushed off the ground, and his right shoulder, bearing his weight, was pulled back as if about to shoot a bow.
Got him.
Min-chan saw where Brian's weight was shifting.
Before his right foot could fully plant on the ground—he aimed for the ankle and kicked precisely.
[THUMP!]
[STUMBLE—]
Losing his footing, Brian's body swayed and pitched forward.
At that moment—
From below Brian's sight, Min-chan's knee shot up.
[CRACK!]
His nose was hit square on, and Brian's head snapped back, his body falling forward in the opposite direction.
His vision blurred white, and his eyes felt like they were bursting.
[WAAAAH—!!]
The crowd's roar erupted.
But to Brian's ears, it sounded like a distant echo.
In the fraction of a second his consciousness faded, fragments of his past flashed through his mind.
—The sound of gunshots and the smell of blood in the ghetto.
—Surviving on the streets, never knowing when he would die.
—A sharper and faster, innate fighting sense than anyone else.
—And an opportunity that came by chance.
—A scout for fighting.
—Money, fame, and a championship belt.
I was a predator...
[THUD.]
His hands hit the cage floor.
His mind was blank, but a sliver of consciousness returned.
I can't sink again like this... I've always lived with death by my side.
He gritted his teeth.
Blood from his twisted nose dripped onto the floor from his chin.
After fiercely shaking his head, he looked up—
Min-chan, eyes wide like an angry tiger, was approaching with large strides.
[WHOOOSH!]
At that moment, above Brian's vision as he lay on the ground, a leg like a steel pillar swung around.
A soccer kick.
Just as the tip of his foot was about to hit his head—
[DING! DING! DING!]
The bell for the end of the first round rang.
Brian stared blankly at Min-chan's foot, which had stopped.
That foot would have surely shattered his head if it had been just a beat later.
Min-chan took a short breath and muttered softly.
"A champion, it seems... needs some luck too."
Brian, still not returning to his corner, looked up at Min-chan, who was standing tall.
That's when it happened.
[GRAB.]
Min-chan looked down at him and slowly, raised his thumb.
Is this a sign of sportsmanship?
Before Brian could interpret the meaning—
Min-chan slowly turned the thumb downward, and brought it to his own throat.
[SWISH.]
A gesture of slitting his throat.
Min-chan was smiling broadly as he looked down at Brian.
"...I've always wanted to do that."
Saying that, Min-chan turned his back without a single regret.
Brian watched Min-chan's retreating figure, trembling with shock, humiliation, and anger.
You arrogant bastard! I'll show you how we fight in the ghetto!
A moment later—
[DING! DING! DING!]
The bell for the start of the second round rang.
[THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!]
Min-chan started.
Charging like a bull, he rushed towards Brian, who was hunched over with his back against the cage, protecting his upper body with his arms.
[BAM-BAM-BAM!]
Min-chan's ferocious barrage of punches rained down like a storm on his guard.
The continuous strikes made the cage wall vibrate, and Brian, hunched like a turtle, watched Min-chan's movements through his guard.
Damn it... why are this guy's punches so heavy... just a little longer... I just need to endure a little longer.
The opportunity came sooner than he expected.
Min-chan briefly slowed his pace against the surprisingly solid defense.
After closing the distance, he pressed in, forehead to forehead.
And then—he thrust a powerful uppercut between the guard.
At that moment, a strange smile appeared on Brian's face.
[FWOOSH!]
Before Min-chan's uppercut could land, Brian's head snapped back.
At the same time, a crimson spray of blood spewed from his mouth.
"Guh...!"
The sticky blood covered Min-chan's face, staining his vision red.
"Foul! That's a foul!"
Outside the cage, Coach Kim Gab-su's sharp shout erupted—
but his voice was immediately drowned out.
The commentator's broadcast boomed through the speakers.
"Kang Min-chan's uppercut! It rips through the guard! Brian is taking serious damage!"
In one corner of the cage, Brian was leaning against the wall, covering his face, and panting roughly.
But—
Behind that guard, his unseen face was definitely smiling.
Heh heh heh... there are no rules in a ghetto fight. It's my turn now.
He began to move towards Min-chan, who was paused, wiping his eyes and hesitating.