Golden Fist Triumph
Choi Muhyun, who had barely dodged Skann's attack, whispered.
"Have you ever lost to my father?"
"...What?"
Even exhausted, Skann's movements had been lightning-fast, but he suddenly froze in place. It was Choi Muhyun's question that had stopped him cold.
'I have to end it in one shot. Otherwise, I'll be the one going down.'
Choi Muhyun gathered every ounce of his mental focus into his fist. He knew if he didn't drop Skann now, he'd be the one collapsing.
The fist, glowing with golden light, smashed into Skann's face.
The sturdy mask shattered. The sun emblem scattered into fragments.
Skann flew over the arena wall, crashing into the crowd.
People screamed and scattered out of the way. Slumped over a chair, Skann didn't move again.
Choi Muhyun raised his hand and examined it. The golden sheen on his fingers, palm, and the back of his hand slowly faded away.
'This is... the Geumgang Fist!'
The arena, which had been cheering for Skann, fell into stunned silence. No one there could have imagined that a total rookie making his underground arena debut would defeat a crowd favorite like Skann.
One man in the audience shouted.
"Total beatdown! Total beatdown! Total beatdown!"
Those who'd bet wrong trembled in fury.
Only when the medics loaded Skann onto a stretcher and carried him out did the crowd realize a new hero had been born.
The applause began.
Soon, chants of "Total beatdown!" echoed through the stands.
Only then did Choi Muhyun spot his father sitting near the front. Reading his lips, Choi Muhyun smiled and slowly raised his hand.
The crowd erupted in even greater cheers for the victor.
* * *
The medics were waiting in the lounge.
It took just over an hour to set his broken bones and heal the wounds. There were even official healing items supplied by the Dungeon Association to the guilds.
His father walked into the lounge.
"Well done. As expected of my son."
"...I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You went through real training today. The genuine article."
"That was a fight."
"Exactly. A fight is training. Running laps on a track or dodging balls from a pitching machine? That's just playtime."
Choi Muhyun couldn't deny it. Skann had been a real enemy.
"You know who Skann is, right?"
"A coward. That guy."
His guess had been spot on. Skann had been thoroughly thrashed by his father, Choi Min-su, in the past.
"Did you see that last punch?"
"Geumgang Fist, huh."
His father knew exactly what his son meant.
"I never even thought about using Geumgang Fist. I just... just..."
"You focused?"
"Yeah, I was just focused!"
"Looks like the Moon River Geumgang Heart Technique has taken deep root in your mind. With enough practice, the forms seep into your subconscious. That's when you can say you've truly learned a martial art. At that stage, the forms lose their meaning. You just extend your hand, and the technique manifests in its purest form. For a moment, you reached a very high level. Whether you climb back there through your effort and focus... or spend your life wandering in search of it... that's up to you."
Uncharacteristically long-winded for his father. His son's achievement had clearly fired him up.
"I'll definitely get back there."
Choi Muhyun declared it like a vow.
"Today's match was thrilling, right?"
"...Yeah."
Choi Muhyun grinned.
The moment he'd felled his opponent, raised his hand, and felt the entire crowd roaring for him—that was a memory he'd carry forever.
"There's something even more thrilling."
His father set a black bag down in front of him. When he opened it, it was stuffed with cash.
"...Dad?"
"I bet a million won on your victory. It turned into ninety million. A ninety-to-one payout."
His father beamed with pride.
Choi Muhyun was floored. Sending his own son into the pits and betting on him? If Mom found out, Dad would be out on the street.
"This stays secret from Mom, right?"
"Of course."
"Five-five split?"
"Seven-three. I placed the bet."
"Then I'll tell Mom."
"...You really take after her, don't you?"
"I'm her son, after all."
Choi Muhyun flashed a wide smile. He no longer felt anxious about being on his own. Though the method was unconventional, today's special training had made him stronger—he could feel it in his bones.