Chapter 4: Survival Match (2)

Chapter4. Survival Match (2)

The next day at 8 PM.

In a site known to the public as a ‘broadcasting’ internet platform, ‘Serengge Il’.

One of the popular streaming channels of this site, ‘Fight Club,’ went live.

After a 10-minute wait time, when the main broadcast started, the number of viewers was around 1200.

Considering it was a weekday and the site was a 19+ specialized underground platform, this was quite a lot of viewers.

“All 1200 of them are placing bets?”

“Yes.”

Lee Dongshik answered Yang Joong-geun’s question as he watched the monitor.

“Really, if they’re not betting, there’s no reason to watch such amateur fights, is there? They’d watch the higher-tier Colosseum or famous hunters’ broadcasts on I-Tube.”

“Hmm.”

It was a valid point.

“How often does this happen in a week?”

“At least twice, and sometimes up to four times,” replied Lee Dongshik.

Yang Joong-geun thought to himself,

‘That Representative Jo is making a fortune…’

“When does Kim Jinsung show up?”

“He’s in the first match. Here’s the matchup schedule.”

Lee Dongshik pointed to the matchups displayed on the monitor screen.

At the very top of the list, the names ‘Lee Hyungjun vs. Kim Jinsung’ caught Yang Joong-geun’s eye.

“Hmm…”

————————————

Kim Jinsung sighed again from tension.

He was in the ring wearing only trunks, facing his opponent Lee Hyungjun.

The fact that he was about to start a fight for survival caused sweat to pour from his body, and his heart raced uncontrollably.

‘God, Buddha, Almighty anyone, please help me just this once, please…’

Praying with his eyes closed, his hands were shaking so much it was noticeable to his opponent just in front.

The arena announcer began the introductions,

“From now on, we’ll begin match number 82 for the new fighters of Fight Club! First up, the blue corner!”

The announcer pointed to Kim Jinsung.

“Height 170cm, age 16, a forced laborer. With a record of two murders! New fighter. Kim! Jin! Sung!”

There was no cheering.

The announcer then turned to the opposite side.

“Red corner! Height 186cm, age 18. With a record of 12 wins, 0 losses. A forced laborer with charges of assault, murder, and assault again! ‘The Energizer’, Lee! Hyung! Jun!”

“Woahhh!”

The external audience erupted in unison.

Lee Hyungjun, who had been on a winning streak for almost a year now, was one of the most popular fighters of Fight Club.

“Ready!”

After the arena announcer left, the referee was about to start the match.

Two people were watching from the back of the stands: Representative Jo Kanghyun and his right-hand man Daejoon.

“Did you also cut out the stare-down?”

“The total betting for this match is less than a thousand. And on Lee Hyungjun’s side, it’s 1.1…”

“Man…”

A 1.1 odd means if you bet ten thousand won, you win eleven thousand won. It also meant everybody was betting on Lee Hyungjun.

Because it was a match no one expected to be profitable, naturally, people didn’t place bets, and thus very little money was collected.

“You’re trying to finish and dispose of it quickly?”

“That’s right. Let’s focus on the main event.”

As Representative Jo responded,

“Start!”

the match began on the referee’s shout.

Lee Hyungjun approached aggressively, taking up a fighting stance, while Kim Jinsung looked terrified and unsure.

There was a clear difference in momentum already. And with the significant difference in weight classes…

The outcome seemed quite apparent.

“Just finish it quickly.”

Representative Jo checked his smartphone with a nonchalant expression when suddenly there was a sound.

Thump!

Alongside the sound of a dull thud, someone collapsed to the ground.

Representative Jo quickly turned his gaze back to the ring.

Lee Hyungjun lay on the ground, struggling to get up.

(TLN:lmao)

Wait, Lee Hyungjun?

“What happened?”

Stunned by the completely unexpected scene, Representative Jo mumbled in confusion.

And so, it had been just at the start of the match.

Lee Hyungjun, confidently approaching Kim Jinsung, smiled mockingly at the sight of Kim all tensed up.

“Heh, scared? I’ll finish you off quickly!”

He shouted as he threw a huge punch.

At that moment, Kim Jinsung instinctively felt,

‘Isn’t that… slow?’

It felt like everything was playing in slow motion at 0.5x speed.

Naturally, Kim Jinsung easily dodged the punch and immediately counterattacked.

In contrast, Kim Jinsung’s fist landed precisely on Lee Hyungjun’s chin.

With a thud, Lee Hyungjun’s jaw turned at an awkward angle and he went flying backwards embarrassingly.

That was the moment Representative Jo had missed earlier.

“Uh…?”

Even Kim Jinsung was stunned, standing motionless at the sight.

Because of this, Lee Hyungjun had the chance to regain his senses and get up.

“Ha, haha!”

Lee Hyungjun wiped the blood from his nose with his hand and forced a laugh. The embarrassment was overwhelming him more than the pain in his jaw.

I got knocked down by this skinny punk!

How much will my gang tease me when I get back to the waiting room?

“You little runt. You’re quite something, aren’t you? It’s no coincidence you’ve killed two people already.”

The look in Lee Hyungjun’s eyes changed as he muttered to himself.

“I won’t hold back anymore.”

Then Lee Hyungjun charged, relentlessly swinging punches.

Kim Jinsung dodged and slipped past each one, but he had to step back repeatedly under the relentless approach of Lee Hyungjun.

Backed against the wall of the arena, Lee Hyungjun swung with even more power, seeing his chance.

Kim Jinsung had no choice but to raise his guard and block the punches.

After several blows, Kim Jinsung realized,

“They don’t hurt much, do they?”

Even the occasional punches hitting his torso were bearable.

Seriously, the punches from Yang Dongju, which he suffered for over two years, hurt at least twice as much as these.

‘I could just take the hits and fight back!’

Suddenly emboldened, Kim Jinsung dropped his guard and threw his own punches.

Whack!

“Uh…!”

Hit on the chin by that first punch, Lee Hyungjun staggered back a good distance.

The tables had turned.

Now, Kim Jinsung was the one advancing and swinging, while Lee Hyungjun was struggling to defend.

Lee Hyungjun wanted to counter but couldn’t.

‘Why is this punk’s bat so hard?!’

The power behind each punch that found its mark, even on the arms, was no joke. Not surprisingly, his arms were already feeling numb.

The sight of Lee Hyungjun, wobbling despite focusing on defense, prompted Representative Jo to exclaim in disbelief.

“What the hell is that guy doing?”

It was baffling why someone put into a match to win easily was getting beaten up.

Thump!

Clatter!

“Whoa?”

Even failing to defend properly, Lee Hyungjun took another solid hit and fell again.

Kim Jinsung climbed on top of him, and then it was just a one-sided battering.

Thump, thump—dull sounds kept coming, and with each hit, Lee Hyungjun’s face was turning bloodier.

Representative Jo clicked his tongue.

“Jeez, idiot… If he somehow survives this, he’s guaranteed to die in the next match.”

In Fight Club, where fighters must compete at least once a month, not only is victory important, but managing injuries is also crucial.

Especially with serious injuries like fractures, if not fully recovered by the next match, the probability of dying next time skyrockets.

And right now, that was the direction Lee Hyungjun was heading.

“Um, sir. This is going completely against the result you were supposed to deliver to that person you promised…”

At Daejoon’s words, Representative Jo shook his head.

“No, the outcome won’t change.”

“Huh?”

“Kim Jinsung, that kid, he doesn’t have the look of a killer in his eyes. Guys like that don’t know how to finish things properly.”

At that, Daejoon looked back at the ring.

Kim Jinsung, who had been energetically pounding away, had now stopped throwing punches and was asking the referee,

“Excuse me, doesn’t this mean I won? There’s no movement…”

However, the referee simply shook his head, indicating the match wasn’t over.

Kim Jinsung didn’t understand.

‘Does it really not end unless I kill him…?’

As he hesitated,

Lee Hyungjun, who was thought to be unconscious, suddenly reached out his hand towards Kim Jinsung.

“Ah!”

Kim Jinsung, temporarily blinded, covered his face with both hands.

Taking advantage of this, Lee Hyungjun headbutted him with all his might, causing Kim Jinsung to fall while bleeding from his nose.

The situation had turned around once more.

Lee Hyungjun mounted the fallen Kim Jinsung.

“This bastard! Die!” Lee Hyungjun screamed like a demon, burying his fists into Kim Jinsung’s face.

Momentarily losing his sight, Kim Jinsung had no choice but to take all the hits, his face turning bloody.

Representative Jo quietly spoke,

“It’s over now. Lee Hyungjun knows how to finish it.”

True to his word,

Lee Hyungjun, sensing Kim Jinsung’s slowed reactions, immediately grabbed Kim Jinsung’s neck with both hands.

“Dieee…huh?!” Lee Hyungjun’s eyes widened in shock.

Kim Jinsung, previously unresponsive, suddenly gripped Lee Hyungjun’s neck in return, his eyes filled with an unprecedented look of ferocity.

Why should I die here?!

I can’t die yet!

You’re the one who’s going to die!

Die! Just die!

“Ughhhhh!” With all his might, Kim Jinsung threw everything he had into his grip.

Then,

Crack.

Lee Hyungjun’s head tilted to the side lifelessly as his neck snapped, instantly killing him.

“No…!” Representative Jo sat up abruptly, widening his eyes in disbelief.

Not just him, but the staff and other spectators were equally stunned.

An unbelievable, shocking result.

In front of Kim Jinsung appeared this notification:

You have eliminated a villain.

You have earned 5 Beast Karma points.

You have acquired the trait ‘Tenacity’ of the opponent.

▷ Tenacity: Permanently increases stamina by 5

Your stamina has increased by 5 due to the ‘Tenacity’ trait.

Also visible was another line of notification he hadn’t seen before:

Your HP is below 50%.

You can recover HP using Beast Karma points. Would you like to recover?

But Kim Jinsung was in no state to check the notification window.

“Pant, pant, pant…I, I survived….”

Lying on the floor with a bloodied face, the intensity that had filled his eyes up until then had vanished.

After the shocking first match,

Representative Jo, with a troubled look, was on a phone call,

“Hey, buddy, take it easy. How much more can I do? Lee Hyungjun was the best I had!”

Really? Why did it end like this?!

Lee Dongshik’s voice argued in response.

-You said Lee Hyungjun would easily kill him! What’s this?!

“Ah, did I know it would turn out this way? The odds were 1.1 to 81! You know what that means!”

-Yes, I know! But isn’t there someone stronger? What about Go Jun Kyung, isn’t he the best there?!

“This is it. You want me to toss the champion in there? Get chewed out by the bettors and ruin my business?”

– Then get the runner-up or someone on that level! Don’t you feel sorry for me, getting lashed at by a so-called master at my age?

“It’s not that simple. Hang up. I’m still working.”

– Just do me this favor, buddy, what are friends for, huh?

“Ah, bye!” Representative Jo abruptly ended the call.

Runner-up, my ass! A new star attraction just emerged, and they want to throw it away?”

Against his slight frame, Kim Jinsung had shown dominating performance against Lee Hyungjun.

Especially that last moment, ending the match through sheer brute force, would work perfectly as a highlight clip to promote online.

‘Maybe it’s too soon to tell, but from what he showed today, he has the potential to be a star.’

Representative Jo started plotting.

Who could be Kim Jinsung’s next opponent to further raise his profile?