Chapter 16: Unique Skills are Like Hidden Cards

Chapter 16

“Damn it!”

Springing up immediately after falling, Go Junkyung tried to wipe the blood dripping from his burst lip. However, Kim Jinsung didn’t give him a moment’s respite.

Kim Jinsung’s left fist flew towards him instantly.

‘Gasp!’

Go Junkyung barely dodged it by tilting his head back as far as he could. But he couldn’t avoid the following right fist attack to his side.

Thwack!

“Ugh…!”

The pain was intense enough to make him grimace. At least his bones seemed fine, though that was hardly a consolation.

Kim Jinsung continued to charge, swinging his fists, and above all,

‘Why is he so fast?!’

Unable to adapt to the significantly increased speed of the punches, Go Junkyung naturally focused solely on defense.

Thwack! Thwack!

“Ugh…!”

Even so, he couldn’t dodge them all and kept taking punches to his upper body. Each hit felt like it was rattling his bones, and Go Junkyung’s expression began to distort more and more.

Suddenly, the tide of the match had completely turned!

“Go Junkyung is being pushed back!”

“Yeah, press on! Finish him!”

“Didn’t I tell you? His punch is damn strong!”

The audience, especially those who had bet on Kim Jinsung, shouted excitedly.

“Boss! This looks like a comeback, doesn’t it?”

Daejoon, too, was surprised and said so to Representative Jo. However, Representative Jo, who wished for Kim Jinsung’s victory more than anyone, didn’t look pleased.

‘So that’s Kim Jinsung’s skill.’

Kim Jinsung, who had never shown his skill in the arena before, was expected to reveal it today, given his opponent.

And the skill’s stats didn’t seem bad, perhaps similar or even slightly better than those of the previous champion, Kang Kyungmo?

‘It’s good, but… if he can’t finish it soon, it’s dangerous…’

As Representative Jo thought anxiously,

Go Junkyung in the arena had also noticed the situation.

‘This guy, did he use a skill?’

Having never seen Kim Jinsung’s skill before, he was initially taken aback, but as he adapted, he began to understand the situation.

A sudden overall increase in physical abilities? He’s definitely activated a combat-related skill.

‘Okay, got it!’

Go Junkyung, while guarding against punches to his face, quickly thought of a counterattack strategy.

Yeah, that’s a good idea…

After finishing his calculations, Go Junkyung dropped his guard and swung his left hand widely, deliberately reducing his power.

Kim Jinsung ducked to dodge and then, with Go Junkyung’s guard down, launched a straight attack towards his jaw.

Seeing this, Go Junkyung thought,

‘Gotcha!’

Simultaneously, a notification window popped up in front of him.

• You are about to use your skill ‘Shock Absorption.’

▷ Shock Absorption: When used, you receive only 50% of damage from hits under 1,000 damage for 10 seconds. Consumes 50 mana.

Thwack!

Almost simultaneously, Kim Jinsung’s fist hit his jaw. However, his head only slightly turned to the side, receiving almost no damage.

‘Now!’

Go Junkyung immediately followed up with his second skill.

• You are about to use your skill ‘Deadly Strike.’

▷ Deadly Strike: When used, delivers a punch 150% more powerful to the opponent. Consumes 50 mana.

Go Junkyung’s punch, enhanced by Deadly Strike, flew rapidly towards Kim Jinsung’s face.

Kim Jinsung, having just finished his attack, couldn’t dodge.

So, he raised his left arm to guard against the attack.

The punch hit his left forearm,

Crack!

And simultaneously, the sound of breaking echoed throughout the arena.

The audience’s eyes widened.

“What?! His forearm?!”

“It’s broken!”

“One punch broke his forearm!”

On the scoreboard, Kim Jinsung’s left forearm was not straight but bent at about a 15-degree angle from the middle.

Even those unfamiliar with fighting could tell it was broken.

“Damn it!”

Witnessing the scene, Representative Jo clasped his head.

“I knew this would happen! I knew Go Junkyung’s skill would land a solid hit!”

Representative Jo, who knew what Go Junkyung’s skill was, had anticipated that if Kim Jinsung couldn’t finish the fight quickly, he would be counterattacked like this.

“Why is it that ominous premonitions are never wrong?” he reproached himself.

Representative Baek, on the other hand, showed no change in expression, as if he had expected this.

‘This is why in fights between masters, they try to use their skills as late as possible…’

Unique skills in battles between masters can be like hidden cards that turn the tide in one move.

If you can’t finish the fight with your hidden card, there’s a high chance you’ll be countered by the opponent’s hidden card, just like now.

‘It’s practically over.’

In a fight between masters where life and death can hinge on the slightest margin, one broken forearm?

If Kim Jinsung doesn’t have any more undisclosed skills, his chances of winning are now 0%.

That’s when it happened.

Crack! The sound of bone breaking was heard once again.

‘…This time it’s the ribs.’

Kim Jinsung, holding his side with one hand and stepping back, came into Representative Baek’s view.

“Kekeke!”

Having successfully landed a second ‘Deadly Strike,’ Go Junkyung’s smile returned.

“How’s that? Always smashing other people’s bones, and now it’s different when it’s your own, huh?!”

“You know what? I haven’t even really started yet!”

Go Junkyung charged at Kim Jinsung again with renewed confidence.

As he cornered Kim Jinsung, he continued to think.

‘I can only attack two more times. I have to use them wisely.’

His remaining mana was 96.

The mana required for each use of ‘Shock Absorption’ and ‘Deadly Strike’ was 50.

Considering the natural mana recovery over time, he could only use both skills simultaneously one more time.

It would be better to use ‘Deadly Strike’ two more times instead.

‘If I keep attacking the broken side to distract him…’

Go Junkyung deliberately targeted Kim Jinsung’s side.

Naturally, Kim Jinsung moved his remaining right arm down to protect his side.

‘Now!’

Go Junkyung launched another punch towards the side, this time using ‘Deadly Strike.’

The punch hit Kim Jinsung’s right wrist, and crack! The sound of breaking bone was heard again.

Ultimately, Go Junkyung had broken both of Kim Jinsung’s arms.

“Kahaha!”

Go Junkyung burst into laughter at the sight of Kim Jinsung with his arms hanging limp.

There was no need to use the last ‘Deadly Strike.’ How could Kim Jinsung, with both arms broken, defeat a vigorous Go Junkyung?

“Getting nervous now, huh? But we’re far from done! I don’t plan to kill you until I’ve broken all your bones!”

Go Junkyung’s attitude overflowed with ease, as he saw no angle for a counterattack.

The spectators felt the same.

“Ah, shit. It’s over.”

“Of course, it’s Go Junkyung for a reason… I was stupid to expect anything.”

“Kim Jinsung, you bastard! How much did I bet on you!”

The audience that had bet on Kim Jinsung began to curse and vent their anger. It was a typical scene in the stadium when the outcome was clear.

Representative Jo closed his mouth tight, his face set hard.

“Damn it… Go Junkyung, that guy’s popularity is over…”

He didn’t care who survived, but he had hoped for Kim Jinsung to win, as he had much more star potential.

But now it was over.

‘How am I going to make use of Go Junkyung in the future?’

Representative Jo was already contemplating a future without Kim Jinsung.

Meanwhile, in the VIP seats, Baek Jun was watching with a slightly different perspective.

‘It looks certain it’s over now…’

He was puzzled, fixating on Kim Jinsung’s emotionless face, which showed no sign of change.

‘Why is he so calm?’

In a situation where a terrible end seemed inevitable? Even assassins, who constantly skirt the edge of death, couldn’t manage their expressions in such situations. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen it while running the Colosseum program.

In such a case, for a mere 16-year-old boy to remain this calm, there must be something…

‘Could there really be something?’

Just as I was wondering, an astonishing scene unfolded.

Kim Jinsung, with both arms broken, charged forward and swung his right fist. Not a kick, but a fist.

“Pfft. Idiot.”

Go Junkyung snickered, seeing him like a moth flying into the flames. After raising his left arm to easily block, Go Junkyung was contemplating how to counterattack when,

Thud!

He was hit in the jaw with such force that his thoughts came to a halt, and he fell backward powerlessly.

“What?!”

“What’s going on?!”

The audience rose from their seats in shock. Could a broken arm deliver such power?

The most surprised was Go Junkyung himself.

‘How, how did this happen?’

Even as he fell, he couldn’t believe what had just happened and immediately got up to check Kim Jinsung’s right arm.

His eyes widened in disbelief. Had his brain been shaken by the attack, causing him to see things? He checked again to be sure.

But he hadn’t seen things.

‘Why is his right arm… fine?’

The right forearm, which should have been dangling broken, now looked as if it had never been injured.

And that wasn’t all.

‘Even his left arm and ribs are fine?’

Kim Jinsung, whose other injuries had also miraculously healed, looked no different from when he first entered the arena.

The intense moments of the second round, where every card was played, felt like a lie.

‘Is this a dream?’

Go Junkyung, overwhelmed by shock, was now in denial of reality.

The spectators were no different.

“What, what happened?”

Even Representative Jo was confused by the current situation.

Only one person, Representative Baek, seemed to have grasped the situation.

“Ha, haha! Hahaha!”

He laughed hollowly, as if he had realized everything.

‘He was hiding a healing skill!’

What is considered the highest grade among all skills existing on Earth? Without a doubt, it’s healing skills.

In an era where even SSS-ranked hunters can become disabled or lose their lives in an instant, having a companion with a healing skill can save you from death at least once.

That’s why the higher a hunter’s level, the more they try to keep an excellent healer as a companion.

Naturally, those with such skills are worth their weight in gold.

‘So that’s why he used his skill first!’

Now I understood all of Kim Jinsung’s actions. By using his skill first, he gave the impression of going all out. Go Junkyung would naturally think it was his chance and use up all his traits and mana, just like now.

Then, by using a healing skill to fully recover, the situation is reversed. Unlike Kim Jinsung, who has fully recovered his mana, Go Junkyung has not.

No matter how powerful a doping drug is, it’s impossible to instantly recover 100% mana during a match.

‘This is huge. Truly huge!’

Such a precious talent was rotting away in this underground!

As Baek Jun, unable to contain his excitement, was trembling with his hands, an alert appeared in front of Kim Jinsung.

・HP has been fully recovered. Beast Karma point usage will now stop.

Kim Jinsung, the cause of everyone’s shock, muttered as he looked at the notification.

“This used more points than I thought. I really shouldn’t use it unless it’s crucial.”

“What?”

“Now then.”

Kim Jinsung looked straight at Go Junkyung.

“I don’t want to use points on healing again, so let’s finish this quickly.”

As he finished speaking, Kim Jinsung’s eyes darkened even further.

Simultaneously, this notification appeared:

Using Beast Karma points to activate the user’s unique trait skill ‘Magi.’

All physical abilities will significantly increase.

‘Magi’ will continuously use Beast Karma points while activated.