Two days had passed. Now the competitors were seated, watching the first match, which was Mary Kim vs Joo Woo.
The announcer spoke loudly.
"Judo vs Boxing, who will be the victor and win the first match of this round?"
Mary was big, muscular, and had a bit of body fat. She had short yellow hair and wore glasses. In contrast, her opponent was shorter and slimmer.
Dowoon said.
"I hope it's an interesting battle."
Byeoto, yawning, replied.
"This fight won't last at all."
Taehun, who was beside him, nodded. He thought that weight classes existed for a reason, and in this case, the difference was huge.
And that's exactly how it went.
The boxer advanced cautiously, but Mary Kim didn't wait. She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and his arm with a firm grip. In a single motion, she rotated her body and lifted him.
The boxer left the ground, his body spinning completely through the air before crashing into the floor.
Mary Kim remained standing, bowed, and returned to her spot.
The match ended at that instant.
The crowd shouted, cheering her on.
"Two-Second Empress!"
"Two-Second Empress!"
"Two-Second Empress!"
Then she was announced as the winner and left the combat area.
The announcer spoke again.
"Alright, now let's begin the second match. Taehun Seong vs Seonjun Kang."
Dowoon said.
"Good luck."
Taehun smiled confidently.
"I don't need it."
And he walked toward the center.
When they stood face to face, Seonjun looked confident. His hair was dyed blond at the tips while his roots were brown, and he had green eyes. He was tall and wore an arrogant smile.
The announcer announced.
"Taekwondo vs Taekkyeon! Who will win?"
Seonjun spoke first.
"Taekwondo? I've heard you're a little genius."
Then he bowed slightly.
"So if I beat you, I'll be recognized as a genius superior to you. I guess I'll have to show off."
Seeing that arrogance, the veins on Taehun's forehead bulged.
The announcer gave the signal.
"Begin!"
Both attacked at the same time. Taehun threw a kick with his instep at Seonjun's cheek, while Seonjun launched a kick toward Taehun's jaw. Both stepped back.
Taehun wiped a bit of blood away. That kick had been strong.
Seonjun touched his cheek and said with a smile.
"Hey, what are you going to do if you mess up my face? I've got plenty of admirers."
He winked at some girls in the audience, and they screamed.
"Kyaa!"
"He's handsome!"
"Did you see how he smiled at me?"
Taehun ignored that, rotated his body, and threw a backward kick, but Seonjun raised his knee and stopped it. Then he grabbed Taehun's leg and kicked his supporting leg.
Taehun frowned and pulled his leg back forcefully.
Seonjun jumped and spun in the air, launching a kick. Taehun crossed his arms to block, but Seonjun spun again and struck him in the abdomen with his heel.
Taehun smiled, caught the leg, and responded with a knee strike directly to the trapped leg.
Then Taehun yanked Seonjun's leg hard to the side, jumped, spun in the air, and struck his face with his heel. Seonjun fell.
Taehun jumped with his leg raised to finish him, but Seonjun got up quickly and raised his leg.
"You're way too obvious, Mr. Genius."
He pressed his heel against Taehun's face in midair, smashing him into the mat.
Taehun fell, but sprang back up. Then he said.
"Interesting… it seems you're a strong guy."
He cracked his neck.
"I'm going to kill you."
He launched an upward kick to the chin. Seonjun responded with a kick to the ribs followed by punches. Their blows collided, and both stepped back.
Taehun punched Seonjun in the cheek, and Seonjun responded with one to the chin. Both shook from the impact.
Taehun threw another kick, but Seonjun blocked it with his forearm. Taehun pulled his leg back, spun, and attacked his chest with his heel. Seonjun staggered back.
Taehun advanced, but Seonjun launched a low kick. Taehun lifted his leg and clashed shin to shin. Then he counterattacked with his instep to the face.
He was about to continue, but Seonjun pressed down on his leg with his heel and kicked his thigh.
"Tch…"
It hurt. His body tilted involuntarily.
Seonjun took advantage and kicked him in the back of the head, followed by another heel strike to the face.
Taehun staggered back, blood on his face.
Seonjun threw a punch, but Taehun answered with a heel kick, pulled his leg back, lifted it, struck the shoulder, dropped it, attacked the chest, spun, and delivered a backward kick.
Seonjun grabbed his chest, sweating.
"Tch… damn it."
Taehun ran and jumped, hitting him with a powerful kick to the cheek. Seonjun was violently shaken, spitting blood.
Taehun tried to sweep him, but Seonjun jumped back, spun in the air, and landed on his feet.
He wiped the blood with the back of his hand and smiled.
"What are you waiting for, genius?"
Taehun charged furiously, but Seonjun jumped. He didn't attack. He grabbed Taehun's shoulders, pushed off by stepping on his shoulder, spun in the air, and kicked him in the back.
As Taehun was being pushed backward by the blow, he rotated his body to keep his opponent in sight, but as he turned, he received an upward heel kick to the chin, followed by a sweep that made him lose his balance.
As he fell, Seonjun smiled.
"So that was the strike you wanted to land? You're way too impulsive."
He raised his leg to stomp him.
Taehun raised his hands to grab the leg, cushioning the impact a bit.
Seonjun whistled.
"You avoided most of the damage, huh?"
He raised his leg again, but Taehun used momentum to get up from the ground, and as he did, he threw a punch to Seonjun's face, followed by a knee strike to the solar plexus.
"Looks like you're the arrogant one."
He punished him with kicks to the ribs, spun, and struck his jaw. He jumped, spinning faster than before to increase speed and power, and delivered a kick to the face.
Seonjun spun from the impact he received and fell to the ground.
Dowoon, nervous, said.
"Finally… he won."
Byeoto narrowed his eyes.
"No. That guy is going to get back up."
Taehun stepped back, relaxing his body.
Seonjun got up, holding his jaw.
"Ouch… that hurt a lot, bastard."
Taehun smiled and raised his middle finger at him.
Seonjun advanced with a kick. Taehun raised his forearm, but the kick changed direction and struck his thigh. Then Seonjun threw a punch.
When it landed on his cheek, Taehun smiled and let the blow start the rotation of his body.
With a short jump, he followed the rotation in the air and extended his leg at the end of the spin.
The heel struck Seonjun square in the face.
Seonjun was sent flying backward and fell to the ground.
Taehun landed on his feet.
For a second, there was silence.
Then….
"OOOOOOOOH!!"
The crowd exploded.
Some stood up, others shouted Taehun's name, while the girls who had been cheering for Seonjun were left with their mouths open.
The referee reacted immediately and stepped between them.
"Seonjun Kang cannot continue! Victory for Taehun Seong!"
The announcement unleashed more applause and cheers.
Taehun took a deep breath. His face was marked, blood running down it, but his arrogant smile remained intact.
"Tch… you talked too much."
He turned around and walked back to his corner.
Dowoon let out the breath he had been holding.
"T-that was insane… the fight was really close."
Byeoto watched in silence, his eyes sharp.
"That guy… even though he looked like an arrogant idiot, he was pretty strong."
He was more impressed by how he managed to keep up with Taehun. Even though he lost in the end, he had to admit he was strong. He was also unsure whether to ask for his contact number, since he wanted to fight him later as well.
Taehun arrived and, hearing that, smirked without looking back.
"That's why it was fun."
On the ground, Seonjun was being assisted by the medical staff. Even so, he raised a hand with difficulty and smiled, as if accepting his defeat.
The announcer took the microphone again.
"What an intense match! The 'Genius of the Spin' advances to the next round!"
Taehun sat down and drank water in a long gulp.
"Tch… that idiot almost ruined my mood, even though it was fun. He was an annoying bastard."
Dowoon looked at him with a mix of relief and admiration.
"But you won… and that's what matters."
Byeoto nodded slowly.
"Yeah. By the way, that last move you used was pretty good."
Taehun raised an eyebrow.
"That thing? It's pretty effective. I practiced it a bit before, but I didn't think it would come out that well."
Byeoto nodded and then looked toward the screen, where the next announcement was already being prepared.
"I think it's my turn now."
The announcer raised his voice once more.
"And with that, we begin the next match of the day!"
The three of them fixed their gaze forward.
And indeed, it was so.
Dogyu Na vs Byeoto Nam.
Byeoto stood up and began walking toward the combat area.
"Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs Taekwondo," the announcer announced.
Already at the center, Dogyu watched Byeoto while yawning.
"Ah… I wonder what your level is. You know? From your previous fight, a lot of people are saying you're weak… or that you won by pure luck. Honestly, I thought so too."
He stretched a bit before continuing.
"But seeing you up close… you don't look weak at all, not even as a joke. That karate guy was never a real rival."
He tied his hair calmly and smiled to the side.
"I feel like you might give me some trouble. I wanted to win this while taking it easy, you know? After all, it's not the final. So try to be gentle, pretty boy."
Byeoto narrowed his eyes and replied with a calm smile.
"Wow… so you're one of those guys who 'analyzes the aura' of his opponent. I thought that only happened in movies. Is that why you have that ridiculous hairstyle too?"
Dogyu's expression turned grim. He took a step back and assumed his stance.
"You're pretty annoying, you know that?"
Byeoto smiled a bit more.
"You are too."
And he meant it. The way Dogyu talked, the way he acted, as if he were above everyone else, was irritating. It annoyed him even more, but he also knew that Dogyu was truly strong.
The announcer raised his hand.
"Begin!"