In a quiet room inside the tournament's medical facilities, Byeoto was lying on a bed with his right arm completely wrapped in a heavy cast.
He stared at the television with a bored expression, yawning every now and then as he mindlessly flipped through channels without much interest. The tournament was still broadcasting live.
Suddenly, the door opened. Dogyu limped in slightly, several visible bruises marking his face and parts of his body wrapped in bandages. He looked beaten up, yet he still wore his usual sleepy expression.
"You look pretty relaxed," Dogyu commented, sitting down in a chair near the bed. "I thought it was your friend fighting right now."
Byeoto glanced at the screen, then back at Dogyu.
"He is."
Currently, Byeoto couldn't move around much by order of the medical staff, which was why he was stuck in the medical ward.
Dogyu let out a short, dry chuckle.
Settling into a more comfortable position, Byeoto spoke up.
"It's like you said... But I think he should win."
Dogyu raised his eyebrows.
"Are you sure about that? Haven't you seen Seungwoo Lee fight? He's pretty damn strong. His martial art is Sanda."
Byeoto nodded, though in reality, he had no idea what Sanda even was. Dogyu narrowed his eyes, observing him closely.
Now that he thought about it, during their fight, Byeoto truly looked like someone experiencing Jiu-Jitsu for the very first time. Not only that, but the way he moved to avoid it was clearly that of a complete beginner.
"You... have you ever fought in tournaments before?" Dogyu asked.
"Nope. First one," Byeoto answered nonchalantly. "I don't really have much knowledge about martial arts either. So if you talk about tactical stuff, I won't understand a word. So, what's Sanda like?"
Dogyu opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he simply shook his head.
"You really are infuriating..."
On his end, Byeoto turned his gaze back to the TV with an indifferent look, though internally, he was seriously considering learning more martial arts.
Still, he had his doubts. At first, one might think martial arts are everything in this world, but then... didn't monsters like Kitae Kim exist? What martial art did he use? None.
Tom Lee was another one who used no formal martial art and was extraordinarily strong. There were plenty of examples. Except now, Byeoto had personally hit that wall called "technique."
That fight had been his worst yet because he didn't even know how to position himself properly. Even with his superior physical strength, he had been taken down repeatedly.
...
Meanwhile, at the tournament, the announcer's voice boomed with excitement over the loudspeakers:
"Alright! The final match of the day is about to begin! Who will emerge victorious in this showdown of Taekwondo vs. Sanda?!"
In the waiting area, Taehun looked at Dowoon with an arrogant smirk.
"I expect you to make it through this round. I need to test how much stronger you've gotten."
Dowoon gave an embarrassed smile, scratching the back of his neck.
"I'll see what I can do..."
With that, Dowoon stepped into the ring. Entering from the opposite side was Seungwoo Lee. He had silver hair and matching silver eyes, possessed an athletic build, and carried a calm, serious composure.
The referee gave the signal to start.
At first, neither took the initiative. Finally, Dowoon made the first move.
He closed the distance quickly, but Seungwoo threw a straight punch aimed directly at his face. Dowoon stepped back, only for Seungwoo to drive a hard low kick into his thigh.
Following up, Seungwoo bent low, hunting for a takedown. Dowoon pressed both hands firmly against Seungwoo's shoulders to keep him from closing in. However, Dowoon was already trembling; he was clearly at a physical weight disadvantage.
Out of nowhere, Dowoon hoisted his lower body up, balancing himself on Seungwoo with his feet suspended in the air. Shifting his weight mid-air, he spun and drove a heel strike straight into Seungwoo's head. Seungwoo fell toward the floor, but he didn't crash onto the mat completely—he kept his torso rigid and steady.
Dowoon disengaged and stepped back. Seungwoo pushed himself up, charged forward with terrifying speed, and burst right into his guard. Dowoon side-stepped to dodge, but Seungwoo pivoted on his heel and landed a sharp elbow right across his nose.
Dowoon felt the impact instantly as blood began to trickle down from his nose.
Seungwoo had no intention of stopping. Rotating his body once more, he delivered a side kick to Dowoon's torso, followed immediately by a straight right to the face. Dowoon raised his guard to block the last strike, but it was a feint.
Seungwoo dropped low, caught Dowoon's leg, trapped it against his side, and twisted, tearing away Dowoon's balance and sending him crashing sideways onto the tatami.
With Dowoon caught in an awkward position, his opponent came down with a descending hammerfist. Sensing the danger from the ground, Dowoon braced himself with one arm and launched a kick straight into Seungwoo's chin, keeping his legs in the air while balancing on his hand before quickly springing back to his feet.
Seungwoo wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, exhaled, and finally spoke:
"You're quite annoying. Honestly, I thought you'd be the weakest one in this round, so I was planning on saving my energy... but it looks like I'll have to try a bit harder."
Dowoon frowned. His opponent was taking things seriously now.
To avoid falling behind, Dowoon fired a low kick, but Seungwoo lifted his leg to check it. Retracting his leg, Dowoon leaped into the air, spun, and launched a spinning hook kick aimed at Seungwoo's face.
Seungwoo raised both forearms to block it. The moment Dowoon landed, Seungwoo wrapped his arms tightly around his torso, hoisted him up, and slammed him backward without letting go. Dowoon crashed heavily onto the mat.
Seungwoo stood up and stepped in to finish it, but Dowoon rolled across the floor to dodge. Sweat poured down his face, and his expression was twisted in pain; the impact had knocked the wind right out of him. He took a deep breath to regain his composure.
Except Seungwoo gave him no room to breathe, attacking even more violently than before. He took a short leap, twisted, and drove a kick straight into Dowoon's solar plexus.
Dowoon took the strike head-on, grit his teeth, and counterattacked with an ascending kick straight to Seungwoo's chin. Seungwoo's head snapped back violently. Yet, his eyes never left his target.
He grabbed Dowoon's leg, aiming for another throw, but without a second thought, Dowoon jumped off his free leg and drove a knee straight into Seungwoo's face.
Blood filled Seungwoo's mouth, but he refused to release his grip. Dowoon was left at a massive disadvantage, suspended in mid-air with no leverage.
Seungwoo didn't waste the opportunity. Driving his hips forward, he slammed Dowoon into the mat with immense force, making Dowoon spit saliva from the sheer impact.
Seungwoo narrowed his eyes. Every single time this happened, the kid kept getting back up. It was getting repetitive. However, that slam had been far heavier than the previous ones—this should be it. He threw a finishing punch.
Out of nowhere, Dowoon caught Seungwoo's wrist with both hands, twisting inward to clamp the arm against his chest. With a rapid swivel of his hips, he hooked his leg around Seungwoo's arm and trapped it tightly between his thighs, completely immobilizing him.
...
Back in the medical room, Dogyu stared at the television screen, his mouth opening slightly in mild surprise.
"Isn't that... my technique?"
He didn't say it out of arrogance; it was simply that he was the only one in this tournament who fought like that. Furthermore, the kid was supposed to only know Taekwondo, not to mention the execution was so clean it was virtually flawless.
With a smirk, Byeoto shook his head.
Copying... That talent really is terrifying. I'm jealous. I wonder what it feels like to replicate things so perfectly.
...
Back in the ring, Seungwoo looked dark and cold. He spoke in a chilly voice:
"I see. I think I'm starting to understand you now. You're weak."
Right after those words, something unbelievable happened. Seungwoo intentionally dislocated his own arm to slip out of Dowoon's lock. With his free hand, he delivered a crushing hammerfist directly into Dowoon's face, driving his head into the mat.
Seungwoo stood tall, and with a quick motion, popped his dislocated arm right back into place as he explained:
"Surprised? Just like you, I have a talent of my own. It's just not as impressive as yours. Anyone can tell you're just a genius... a pretty strong one from what I can see."
He continued calmly:
"All of your attacks are great, but that's all they are. There's no weight behind them, let alone a physical frame built for those skills. And while my talent might be complete trash compared to a prodigy like you... I simply happen to have looser joints than normal. Pretty simple, isn't it?"