Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 106: So, This Actually Works?.

Before my regression, while on an overseas shoot, I had an experience where my forehead was split open while trying to stop a fan who was rushing to punch one of our idols.

Since then, I felt the need to learn at least one form of self-defense, so I went to a gym near my house and asked if I could learn self-defense there.

“Of course! I’ll teach you a full course.”

“Master, our gym isn’t really known for self-defense…”

“Hyoseop, stop ruining business and get lost, you brat!”

“Ouch! You hit my bones!”

“……”

“…If you start now, I’ll give you a 20% discount.”

I felt uneasy, but since he offered a discount, I decided to give it a try for at least a month.

The Master was unexpectedly competent.

He had a background in kickboxing and even competed in mixed martial arts, making him an excellent coach.

“Master, your lessons are great, but why am I learning vertical elbows? Isn’t that a banned technique? I came to learn self-defense.”

“Taeyang, what do you think self-defense is?”

“A technique to protect my body?”

“Good. Then, how do you protect your body?”

“I guess I should learn how to fall or guard?”

“No, that’s a way to reduce damage, not to protect your body.”

“I see. Then, what is the way to protect yourself, Master?”

“Eliminate the source of harm before it can cause damage.”

“…What?”

“If you take them out before they can hit, you won’t get hurt.”

“……”

He was crazier than I thought.

“I think I’ll stop here. Thank you for everything, Master.”

“Hey! I’ll give you a 30% discount! If you leave, no one comes at this hour!”

“……”

At that point, I continued, thinking I might as well just learn something.

He was a decent person, and though his methods were strange, he taught with sincerity.

About a year after I started going to the gym, he looked me up and down and said.

“Taeyang, your body’s balance is incredible. Physically speaking, you’re probably in the top 1%.”

“Hmm, considering how much effort I’ve put in, that’s really nice to hear. Thank you.”

“No, this is an objective evaluation without any bias. Honestly, if you didn’t have a certain flaw, I’d have considered recommending you to try competing, even as an amateur. But there’s a drawback, so that’s difficult.”

“A drawback?”

“…Honestly, calling it a drawback might be an exaggeration. Most people have that flaw naturally.”

I didn’t really plan on becoming a competitor, but his buildup piqued my curiosity, so I asked.

“What is this flaw?”

“Your sense.”

“Sense?”

“Fighters at the top are almost perfect in every way. They have honed physical abilities and fighting intelligence that make them efficient in battle. They’re basically killing machines.”

…What kind of mindset calls fellow fighters killing machines?

“The reason the top two fighters are separated is due to that difference in sense. It’s not an exaggeration to say that those at the top are like a different species.”

“We’re all humans with the same sensory organs. Can that sense really be that different?”

“It’s different.”

The Master looked at a faded bronze medal hanging on the wall as he spoke.

“For people like us, it’s beyond imagination.”

As soon as I activated the Swordmaster’s Sense, it felt as if I had fallen into another world.

No, rather than another world, it felt more like I could finally perceive the world properly.

I started to slowly understand the words the Master had once said.

In the eyes of people like him, most others must feel like they belong to a different species.

While I was overwhelmed by the chilling sensation, Ban Seongcheol waved his hand and spoke.

“Hey, I’m tired of dealing with him. Guys, just beat him up so he can’t act tough anymore.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, one of the goons behind me swung his fist at the back of my head.

I easily dodged it by stepping to the side.

“…He dodged?”

The man, offended that I had dodged his punch, twisted his whole body and threw a powerful hook.

The hook had enough force to knock me down in one hit, but it felt incredibly slow. I had enough time to think about multiple actions, feeling almost bored.

I moved slowly, as if testing out just two of the hundreds of possible moves that flashed through my mind.

I dodged the hook and lightly landed a straight punch on the exposed goon’s jaw, distributing the exact amount of force needed to shake his skull and cause a concussion.

However, the result wasn’t light.

Thud.

The goon, with a confused look after being hit, stumbled and collapsed onto the hallway floor.

“……”

A heavy silence filled the air.

In front of Ban Seongcheol and his gang, who stared at me in disbelief, I casually untied my tie and wrapped it around my right hand, as a substitute for a hand wrap.

The sight of me doing that must have bruised their pride, as one of the tattooed men behind me swung a punch at my head in a sneak attack.

I couldn’t see the movement as it was outside my field of vision. But I felt it.

The sound of the punch cutting through the air, combined with the eerie sensation on my skin, guided me on the perfect path to avoid the threat.

I followed that instinct.

Thud!

Another man collapsed in the hallway.

Seeing two grown men writhing on the floor within ten seconds, the other goons instinctively started backing away from me.

Ban Seongcheol, watching the scene, yelled angrily.

“What are you doing, idiots? He’s alone! Charge him all at once!”

At Ban Seongcheol’s scolding, the hesitant goons began to rush toward me.

I couldn’t let myself be surrounded. And I couldn’t allow the fight to go to the ground and turn into a grappling match.

No matter how sharp my senses were, physically, we were similar. Considering their average weight, I might even be at a disadvantage in terms of weight class. With the overwhelming difference in numbers, if the fight devolved into a prolonged brawl, I’d have no chance.

However, the Swordmaster’s Sense told me that as long as I maintained those two conditions, I’d have more than enough of a chance.

“Get him!”

And I agreed with that judgment.

I moved toward the emergency exit I had come through, where the hallway had narrowed even more after two large bodies had collapsed. One of the goons swung his arm at me, trying to grab me. In the narrow hallway, dodging seemed impossible. But I wasn’t afraid.

The Swordmaster’s Sense was truly extraordinary.

It didn’t seem to be just about wielding a sword well.

The sounds of people’s breaths, the movement of their muscles, things that were vaguely perceived as mere groups of people, became precisely measurable as if dissected under my gaze.

The system’s description of being the greatest in human history was no exaggeration.

This Swordmaster must surely be someone whose name had been etched into history.

And that, too, purely through personal strength.

“Shit…!”

I dodged the goon’s hand with a sway back, leaving my lower body still, and as I barely maintained balance, I landed an uppercut on his exposed chin.

I adjusted the impact so there wouldn’t be any lasting damage, but his skull shook violently, and without even staggering to regain his balance, he collapsed like a corpse.

Having taken down the obstacle, I successfully positioned myself with my back to the exit.

“Do it all at once! All at once!”

At Ban Seongcheol’s shout, the tattooed goons hesitated briefly, then charged at me together.

However, since I had already taken down those behind me and secured my position, it was too late for them.

The already narrow corridor was even more cramped because of the fallen men.

No matter how hard they charged, the situation allowed only one person to approach at a time.

In a place like this, the fight would inevitably become one-on-one.

Thus, the conditions for victory were set.

No matter how many rounds I had to fight, as long as it was one-on-one, there was no way I could lose with these absurdly heightened senses.

While adjusting the distance with my footwork, I punched each one in the chin whenever a gap appeared.

The Swordmaster’s highly activated senses allowed me to knock out opponents with a single blow without causing any lasting effects.

After I had swung my fists dozens of times and taken down dozens of people, an unusually large man with cauliflower ears lowered his body and tackled me.

It was a perfect tackle that made me suspect he was a former athlete.

Suddenly, a conversation with the Master came to mind.

‘In modern martial arts, assuming the presence of clothing, it’s hard for a striker to beat a grappler in a one-on-one fight.’

‘What?’

‘Especially if the guy knows real wrestling, it’s nearly impossible. One tackle and you’re slammed into the concrete; there’s no answer to that.’

‘Then what am I learning right now? Shouldn’t I be learning wrestling instead of striking?’

‘Hehehe, no need to be disappointed. A striker can also counter a wrestler. Well, if they’re nearly at the peak of striking, that is.’

‘What does that even mean?’

‘Strikers struggle against wrestlers because it’s really hard to block a low and fast tackle. But the best strikers can deal with that.’

‘…How?’

‘You just have to counter them by intercepting their tackle at exactly the right timing and position.’

‘…How many people on Earth could actually do that?’

‘Haha, and that’s why it’s hard to face a wrestler.’

But now, I felt like I could do it.

The opponent’s tackle was so low and fast that his upper body seemed to brush against the ground.

It was an incredibly threatening move, but to me, with my heightened senses, it felt slow.

I flexibly extended my left foot, aiming for the wrestler’s chin.

He reflexively tilted his head slightly to avoid a critical hit, but I anticipated the move and adjusted my foot’s trajectory.

As a result, my foot landed squarely on his chin.

Crack!

Thud!

Another goon was added to the list of those unconscious and rolling on the floor.

So, this actually works…

“…Wh-what the hell is that? Damn.”

Looking around, all of the goons had fallen.

I must have beaten them senseless without realizing it.

The only ones still standing were Ban Seongcheol and me.

Pretending as if nothing was out of the ordinary, I smiled at Ban Seongcheol, who was trembling in fear.

“You’re the only one left now, huh?”