Don't Chicken Out
“Fine, I’ll give you the first move. Go on—put on a little show for me. Keh-heh-heh...”
The man called Seok-yong licked his lips, eyes glittering with pure delight. That alone was enough to tell anyone how much he loved a fight—how much he lived for combat.
This is driving me crazy...
Min-hyeok felt the unease settle deep in his gut, both from the man’s presence and the sheer bulk of him. Back when he’d worked the streets as a nightclub tout, guys like this had always been the worst to deal with. Sure, the organization sent guards to handle rowdy customers, but for Min-hyeok they’d always been a heavy burden.
“I said I’m giving you the first shot. You not coming...?”
“Looks like that guy’s already pissing himself, heh heh heh...”
“Who wouldn’t? Seok-yong’s an Awakener, sure, but that face alone is enough to make people fold. Heh heh...”
“True~ Anyone who doesn’t freeze looking at that bear of a guy is the weird one.”
“Seok-yong~ Go easy. That bastard’s gonna cry. Heh heh...!”
Even with the jeers coming from behind him, Min-hyeok couldn’t bring himself to step forward.
“You really chicken out on me...? Keh-heh-heh...”
“Wh-who said I chickened out?!”
“Then come at me.”
Min-hyeok clenched his teeth. Standing still wasn’t going to solve a single thing.
Screw it... Fine. Like hyung said—I’m not gonna die, right...?
Steeling himself, Min-hyeok released his power.
Saaaah...
In an instant, blue haze of psychic energy shimmered and rolled off him.
“Oh, look at that—he opened up his power.”
“So he really is an Awakener~”
“An Awakener rolling around on a construction site. Disgrace to the whole damn lot of us.”
That was when Min-hyeok, resolve locked in, charged straight in.
“Die, you son of a bitch!”
He snapped a straight kick right at him.
Thud—!
The solid impact rang out as Seok-yong raised an arm to block, then skidded backward, feet dragging across the ground.
“Look at that guy. He’s got some real power, huh?”
“Dragging his feet while getting pushed back...”
“At least he’s not bottom-tier.”
Everyone knew Seok-yong had deliberately given up the first move just to test the kid’s strength. The fact that a single kick had forced him to slide back meant this wasn’t some rock-bottom Awakener.
“Keh-heh-heh... Not bad. Even if I took it on purpose, making me slide back like that... Still—that’s nowhere near enough.”
Damn it.
He’d poured psychic energy into that one solid hit, and it still hadn’t done a thing.
“Alright. I gave you the first shot... so now let’s properly play.”
The words had barely left his mouth before the massive man closed the distance in a blink, bulk be damned.
Whoosh—
A heavy fist shot forward.
“Huh?!”
Startled, Min-hyeok twisted his upper body sideways and ducked his head.
Shiiing—
A fierce blast of wind scraped past his cheek, raising goosebumps.
And that was only the beginning.
Shiiing— Whoosh—
With footwork far too quick for his size, Seok-yong unleashed a relentless barrage of punches. The air itself howled along the arcs of his fists, proof of just how much force rode behind each one.
“Hah!”
Faced with the storm of incoming punches, Min-hyeok scrambled back, weaving his torso left and right like a boxer slipping punches, dodging by the skin of his teeth.
“You dodge pretty well for a little rat!”
Seok-yong pivoted and snapped a kick at him in the same breath. Min-hyeok leapt back in pure panic, barely clearing it.
“That guy dodges like crazy, huh?”
“You know the type. Too scared to fight, figures they’ll lose, so they specialize in running and slipping out.”
“Coward bastard...”
“Hmph.”
The girl chewing gum—Mi-ju—snorted through her nose. Watching Seok-yong get pushed back had been a mild surprise, but now it looked like that single kick had been the full extent of what this guy could do.
Min-hyeok kept weaving, body and torso flowing around every swing with hair-raising agility. Taking even one of those punches clean would hurt like hell.
“You little—!”
A vicious, power-charged punch came in at an awkward angle. For the first time, Min-hyeok looked certain to eat it square in the solar plexus.
“Got him!”
“It’s over!”
The onlookers were sure that single blow would put the kid down hard.
“Hrrk!”
But in that instant Min-hyeok showed astonishing physical reaction—he threw his upper body back, planted a hand on the ground, and flipped into a back handspring, springing clear.
“Whew... That was close.”
Seok-yong’s face twisted the moment the kid slipped the opening he’d deliberately created and the full-powered strike he’d poured everything into.
“You... little rat bastard...!!”
“He dodged that?”
“He can’t do anything else, but his dodging is insane.”
“What the hell is that guy?”
The Phoenix Guild members, who’d been certain this blow would land, stared in shock and confusion at the retreating Min-hyeok.
That bastard...
And right at the front, Jin-su—leader of the Phoenix Guild—watched with a hardened expression.
“Hmph. Not bad. Doesn’t change a thing, though.”
Mi-ju looked irritated too; she’d expected a pathetic spectacle and instead watched him slip free again. Dodging well still wouldn’t let him beat Seok-yong.
“All you know how to do is run like a little rat, huh...?”
“I’m not running—I’m just dodging...!”
“Scared little rats always make the same excuses. Keh-heh-heh...”
The mockery made Min-hyeok’s blood boil, but it wasn’t wrong. He still couldn’t answer properly—only keep dodging.
“Min-hyeok.”
A voice came from behind him. He glanced back and saw Seong-min watching him steadily.
“Don’t chicken out.”
“Huh?”
“You’re going to win. No question.”
For a second Min-hyeok could only wonder what the hell that meant.
“What’s your name, huh...? You’re saying this little rat’s definitely gonna win? Keh-heh-heh... I’ll beat this bastard into paste, then turn you into mush right after.”
“Go ahead. If you can beat Min-hyeok.”
“Oh, I will... I’ll make damn sure of it.”
Hyung, why the hell are you saying stuff like that?
Watching Seong-min keep needling the other side left Min-hyeok flustered.
“Believe in yourself.”
“...What?”
“Believe in yourself. You’re strong.”
Min-hyeok turned back to the front.
Seok-yong licked his lips again and grinned wide.
“That guy saying you’re stronger than me is just ridiculous. Talking about a little rat who only knows how to run...”
He cracked his neck left and right, loosening up.
“I’ll shut that flapping mouth of his for good...!”
Saaaah...
Psychic energy surged and rolled around him.
Fwoosh.
In a single burst Seok-yong lunged forward, upper body tilting sharply—
Whoosh—!
A vicious punch tore through the air.
Shit!
Startled, Min-hyeok moved to dodge.
“Don’t dodge!”
Seong-min’s shout from behind made him miss the timing completely. The straight punch was already in his face—he had no choice but to meet it head-on.
Ah, screw it!
He poured power into his own fist and threw it straight into the incoming punch.
BOOOOM!!!
A thunderous impact exploded between them.
Min-hyeok’s feet skidded back a short distance—
“Guhhhhk!”
—while Seok-yong, the one who’d thrown the punch, was blasted backward and tumbled across the ground.
“Huh?”
Min-hyeok’s face went blank with pure bewilderment.
“S-Seok-yong!”
“What the hell was that?!”
“Seok-yong got pushed back!”
“Seok-yong lost a straight-up power clash?!”
“I-I can’t believe it!”
Compared to Min-hyeok’s slight slide, Seok-yong had been launched like a ragdoll. The Phoenix Guild members reeled in shock.
W-what just happened?
He’d missed the dodge because of Seong-min’s words and just thrown a punch on pure “whatever happens, happens” instinct—yet the result left him completely stunned.
“Khhh... You... you bastard...!”
Seok-yong slowly pushed himself up off the ground, face twisted in disbelief that he’d been sent sprawling so disgracefully.
“Min-hyeok.”
He turned. Seong-min simply gave a small nod—no words needed. A quiet “well done.”
Min-hyeok faced forward again.
Murderous eyes glared at him, ready to kill. Behind them the Phoenix Guild members were shouting in pure panic.
Something in Min-hyeok’s expression shifted.
“Come on. I’ll take as many as you want.”
He crooked a finger at them.
“I’ll kill you... you little...!!!”
The taunt with the beckoning finger sent Seok-yong over the edge. He poured power into his body and charged hard.
Whoosh—!
A fierce punch sliced the air. Min-hyeok simply turned his head and let it sail past.
Fwoosh! Whoosh! Whoooosh—!
Punch after savage punch hammered in—none of them touched him.
“What the hell is that bear doing?”
Mi-ju frowned, still chewing her gum.
“Running away again, are you?!”
Seok-yong’s enraged roar tore out of him.
“Who the hell’s running?!”
Min-hyeok shouted back, slipped another punch, then pivoted and drove a hard kick into him.
Thud—!
The blow slammed into Seok-yong’s lower abdomen and sent him reeling backward. Instantly Min-hyeok closed in, fists hammering into the man’s chest in a rapid flurry.
Thud-thud-thud-thud! Thud! Thuuud!
“Gyaaah!”
The brutal combination rocked Seok-yong’s upper body and drove him back. His chin lifted, exposed—
“Eat this, you bear bastard!”
Thud!
A clean, crushing punch cracked square into his jaw.
“Ghk!”
A choked gasp, head snapping back—Seok-yong flew, crashed limply to the ground, and only twitched.
“S-Seok-yong!”
“No way!!!”
The Phoenix Guild members stared in horror at their fallen comrade who couldn’t even get up.
The girl called Mi-ju had stopped mid-chew, gum hanging forgotten, eyes blank with shock.
Min-hyeok lifted his head.
“Hey. What now?”
He grinned, teeth bared, at Jin-su’s rigid, murderous stare.
“I just won.”