Geon moved and this time
It wasn't just strength, a blue aura wrapped around his body.
At the same time, his fist burned with a red glow.
Speed and strength, together.
The moment Hyunjin saw it, his instincts screamed.
Geon vanished
Hyunjin's eyes snapped wide, he turned
Barely, fist grazed past his cheek.
Too fast! Then.
BAM!!
Another hit landed.
His body jerked violently, stumbling backward.
Geon didn't stop, he flowed, like wind.
A punch.
A kick.
A feint.
Then another punch.
Hyunjin tried to react, he did react.
He dodged some.
A tilt of his head, shift of his shoulder, desperate step back.
But it wasn't enough.
Because even when he dodged, he couldn't counter and couldn't touch him "Tch."
Hyunjin's breathing grew heavier, his ribs screamed with every inhale.
His fingers trembled, barely responding, his legs, unstable.
Cracks spreading through the bones from repeated impacts.
He stood, barely, his eyes burned red from strain.
Across from him, Geon paused for a moment, the red aura around his fist faded
The blue also.
He exhaled.
He was recovering from, the damage from earlier "You're persistent."
Then, he disappeared again.
This time, hyunjin didn't even see it.
BOOM!!
A fist slammed into his stomach, everything inside him twisted.
Air vanished from his lungs instantly, his body lifted
And crashed into the cage.
CRASH!!
The steel behind him shook violently.
Hyunjin dropped, both knees hit the ground.
His arms hung loosely.
Lifeless.
His head lowered, blood dripped steadily onto the floor.
Geon walked toward him, he reached down and grabbed Hyunjin by the hair.
Lifting his head "You said I was weak," His voice was calm "Compared to First Generation fighters."
A slight tilt of his head "I wonder." his grip tightened "Do you still think that now?"
Hyunjin didn't answer, because he couldn't.
His vision blurred.
Geon clicked his tongue "Pathetic."
BAM!!
His fist slammed into Hyunjin's face, Hyunjin's body dropped instantly.
One more hit, and it would be over for him.
The crowd roared.
The cage door opened, the commentator rushed in, voice booming through the arena "WE HAVE OUR WINNER!!" He raised his arm dramatically "THE CHAMPION-GEON!!"
The crowd exploded.
Geon didn't react, he looked down at Hyunjin's unmoving body for a moment.
He turned away, but before leaving
He stopped "Hey," He glanced back slightly "For lasting 15 minutes against me."
"I'll give you something." His voice remained neutral "Twenty million won."
He walked out.
And the noise slowly faded.
(Two days later.. )
The hospital doors slid open, Hyunjin stepped out.
Bandages wrapped around almost his entire body.
Even his legs.
But he walked anyway "Damn." a small breath escaped him "I got destroyed."
"I'm just disappointed." His grip tightened "I couldn't even push him to his limit."
A faint smile appeared "But." His eyes narrowed "I got stronger."
That was undeniable, fighting Geon, surviving that long.
It forced his body to grow.
Adapt to it.
"I'm getting closer." Images flashed in his mind
Vasco, Zack Lee, Vin Jin.
"Not there yet."
"But close." He kept walking.
....
The door to his apartment opened, Hyunjin stepped inside.
A laptop sat on the desk.
A brand-new phone rested beside it.
He dropped his keys lightly "Twenty-five million won."
"Made a bank account just for this.."
After spending "Nineteen million left." He nodded slightly.
His phone buzzed.
A message.
J-High: Approval confirmed..
Start date: next week.
"Heh." Hyunjin sat down on his bed, he smiled "Life's not bad, I guess."
His body ached, Hyunjin leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Yeah.."
"Life's good."
----
Two days had passed.
Hyunjin's sweats like a second layer, dripping slowly down his torso, His shirt lay somewhere on the floor, Bandages wrapped tightly around his ribs and shoulders, slightly damp now, faintly stained but not nearly as bad as they had been before.
He stood in the middle of his room, chest rising and falling in a steady, eyes locked onto his own reflection.
He flexed his fingers then clenched his fist "Is the law different for recovering to?" he muttered.
His gaze dropped to the bruises, to the healing cuts beneath the bandages.
"Yesterday I could barely move properly, But now," He rotated his shoulder no sharp pain Just a dull "At least forty percent recovered, maybe more."
He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as "Three days until I go to J-High" he continued, whispering to himself "At this rate I'll be fully recovered before I even step through those gates."
His expression hardened "No that's not enough."
He dropped to the floor without hesitation.
Push-ups.
One.
Two.
Ten.
Fifty.
A hundred.
His arms trembled, muscles tightening, veins standing out as his body screamed at him to stop but he didn't.
When he finally pushed past a hundred, he collapsed onto his back, staring at the ceiling, chest heaving.
"My stamina is garbage." He clicked his tongue.
"If two hundred reps already drop me to mid stamina, then the answer's obvious."
Slowly, he sat up, then stood.
"From now on, everything I do is multiplied by four."
He cracked his neck "Four hundred reps and every exercise."
"And for stamina, I'll run."
"I'll run sixty kilometers." His voice was calm.
"Thirty is average, so I double it." He walked toward the door, grabbing a pair of shorts without a second thought.
"Then breathing techniques, controlled breathing pushing my lungs past their limits." His hand rested on the door handle.
"Rest is for the weak," The door opened "Grind is eternal."
And he was gone.
(Two hours and 10 minutes later)
His breathing heavier, like he was chased by aggressive dogs.
Hyunjin stumbled through his front door like a man who had just escaped death itself.
His shirt now soaked completely clung to him, dripping onto the floor in small.
His legs shook violently beneath him.
He reached the couch and practically collapsed onto it.
His body gave out instantly "Tch."
He forced his eyes open, staring at the ceiling "I can run around 100 meters in 13 seconds.." he muttered, his voice barely audible now.
Even now… he was analyzing "Zack and Daniel," A tired smile across his lips "At the sports festival 100 meters in 10 seconds."
His eyelids grew heavier "Daniel ten sec…"
"Zack, 10.04 full going all out." His fingers twitched "I'm still three seconds behind."
Frustration That single thought lingered and then, Darkness.
(Two hours later)
His eyes snapped open, for a moment, confusion clouded his mind.
"I passed out?" He turned his head slightly, glancing at the clock.
"Two hours."
A frown formed "That's inefficient-" He stopped, mid-sentence.
Something felt, different.
He slowly sat up.
No pain, stiffness and exhaustion no..
His body felt.. light.
His brows furrowed "What?"
He stood up clenched his fist again, then threw a quick feint.
Fast, faster than before, His eyes widened slightly "I'm faster."
He jumped lightly, his body responded instantly "And lighter.."
Silence fell.
Then, understanding crept in "Did I.. break my limit again?"
His lips slowly curled upward "And evolve? No I adapted. "
He moved again testing, feeling, measuring every motion with intense focus.
No doubt about it.
This wasn't just recovery, this was adaptation "I underestimated myself."
His voice was quieter now "More importantly.." His eyes darkened.
To damage, stress, limits and surpassing them.
A grin spread across his face "This," A chuckle escaped him, Then grin grew "Hah."
"Hahahaha." He was laughing.
"This is it."
"My path.." His grin widened further, almost unnatural now "To the pinnacle of strength in this world." His laughter rang out again wild and uncontrolled.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Then it stopped.
His expression twisted into Dangerous.
"Oh" He lowered his gaze, staring at his own hands, a devilish smile formed "How I'm going to abuse this.."
His fingers slowly curled "And every single limitation on me."
"I think, I have something more powerful then Second body or similar.."
Then..
"Hahahahaha." Hyunjin laughed like mad man.