Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: 28. At Last, the Catastrophe (3)
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'What...?'
Yeongwoo rubbed his eyes as he read the quest details.
Even the "Headhunter" quest—cutting off the heads of the seven First Swords—had been blatant enough. But this one was a real-time quest thrown right in his face.
[Dogo] "Romanticism"
<Mission> Engage in a bare-handed one-on-one duel with Cha Du-seong and emerge victorious.
<Reward> 2 million karma
<Special> You must disclose the fact that you're receiving Dogo's support for this mission.
It was spelled out plain as day: the duel opponent was Cha Du-seong.
This was proof that whoever issued the quest was watching his every move.
'I haven't even cleared the first quest yet, so why drop another one...? Did they not like my choice?'
The first Dogo quest in Seoul, "Headhunter," had popped up right when all the Seoul Federation's First Swords were gathered in one place.
In other words, Dogo had been aiming for an all-out clash between an outsider like Jeong Yeongwoo and the First Swords' assembly.
A showdown between a Special-class inspector backed by Dogo and the seven strongest in Seoul.
The reward? A whopping 5 million karma.
'Sure, it's big money... but I can't just leave all of Seoul defenseless.'
Maybe that's why this new quest had come.
This time, only Yeongwoo had to take the risk.
And 2 million karma wasn't chump change either.
'So, to clear this quest, the key requirements are...'
<Mission> Engage in a bare-handed one-on-one duel with Cha Du-seong and emerge victorious.
'Bare-handed, one-on-one duel...'
No weapons allowed. No one else could interfere.
'Out of everything, pulling off a true one-on-one will be the hardest. Two more are on their way soon.'
Sure enough, swift footsteps approached from behind Yeongwoo.
Thud thud!
Songpa First Sword and Seocho First Sword had finally arrived on scene.
"You crazy bastard."
Seocho's Choi Nam-hee, the ex-cop, flipped out instantly.
The park was piled high with corpses—it was enough to make anyone see red.
Shing!
He drew his sword without hesitation, but Yeongwoo pulled back from Cha Du-seong and blocked Choi Nam-hee's path.
"Nam-hee, hold on!"
"...What?"
Choi Nam-hee spat through gritted teeth, irritation flaring.
He was ready to smash mutant skulls left and right, and now this guy was interrupting.
But Yeongwoo couldn't afford to lose 2 million karma the second Choi Nam-hee jumped in. He had to talk his way into making this one-on-one happen, no matter what.
"I want to fight him first. Alone."
"...?"
"What are you talking about?"
Even Oh Yeon-hee, who had kept her cool so far, went wide-eyed.
It made zero sense.
The Gwangjin District survivors, who hadn't dared speak up until now, lost it like cornered animals.
"Why go solo?"
"What's wrong with you all of a sudden? Why now?"
"Don't you know who you're up against...?"
It was pure madness—no one could think of anything but "lunatic."
And amid the chaos, the only one chuckling was the mutant, Cha Du-seong.
*What a riot this guy's turning out to be.*
He'd had a hunch that the blockhead with the weird title wasn't some pushover. Still, he wasn't scared.
The former Gwangjin First Sword he'd scrapped with earlier had been a total weakling.
So what if this was another region's First Sword? Probably just a smidge tougher than the dead guy.
*Of course. When else would a chump like him get a shot at me? Stupid, but gutsy.*
Oh Yeon-hee sidled up behind Yeongwoo, grinding her teeth.
"Are you insane? Fighting alone on purpose? What the hell?"
Yeongwoo glanced between her and Choi Nam-hee.
"I've got this achievement thing. Feels like now or never. Bear with me, please."
"Even so, this is..."
"If it looks bad, I'll call for backup. Jump in then."
"..."
The two First Swords still looked unconvinced.
There were limits to eccentricity.
But a rookie First Sword was dead set on going solo—who were they to force a team-up?
"This is nuts."
Oh Yeon-hee finally threw up her hands, and Choi Nam-hee stepped back accordingly.
"If you're losing ground, we'll jump right in."
"Got it."
And so began the one-on-one duel between Gyeongbuk First Sword and the mutant Cha Du-seong.
But the real shock was just getting started.
Yeongwoo, facing Cha Du-seong, slammed his Underdog into the ground. Then he mirrored his opponent, dropping into a fighter's stance.
An amateurish one, at that—you could tell he'd never even heard the word "stance."
So naturally...
*Heh...!*
Cha Du-seong, who'd been staring blankly, burst out laughing.
*You wanna scrap with me like that?*
But then his face hardened.
*This punk... Dodged one lucky shot earlier and thinks I'm chump change?*
Cha Du-seong was a boxer first—human before mutant—with pride in his fists and his medal.
Some slob who couldn't even stance up properly challenging him to fisticuffs? Ultimate humiliation.
*I'll pound him till his bones shatter.*
Cha Du-seong's eyes sharpened as he charged Yeongwoo.
Pow!
A gold medalist's advance step.
Choi Nam-hee—the only one here with any martial arts training—slapped his forehead at the sight.
"Fuckin' idiot."
He was talking about Gyeongbuk First Sword Jeong Yeongwoo.
Daring to go bare-handed against a top-tier boxer? Out of his mind.
And Cha Du-seong was piloting a 2-meter ghoul body right now.
The reach gap alone made front-line exchanges impossible.
Yeongwoo would eat punches non-stop.
And Yeongwoo was feeling it firsthand now.
"Hoo."
The moment he exhaled through his sloppy guard, a fist rocketed in from farther than expected.
Whip-crack!
So fast it whistled like a lash. Oh Yeon-hee tightened her grip on her crescent blade.
She figured it was hopeless.
But.
Swoosh.
Up until then, Yeongwoo had been in that awkward pose. Suddenly, he snapped his guard up tight and bent his knees.
His torso naturally sank low along a diagonal line.
Whoosh!
Cha Du-seong's fist whipped through the space where Yeongwoo's head had been—a total whiff.
"..."
Yeongwoo had dodged another punch.
Which meant that move just now was...
"...The king."
Choi Nam-hee muttered despite himself.
A basic boxing slip: dodge a straight like a jab and set up a counter.
In other words...
*If he actually knows what he's doing, then right now...*
Anticipation gripped Choi Nam-hee, pupils dilating. Yeongwoo—who'd dropped low with the slip—twisted his torso in an oblique loop.
'What...?'
Clumsy, sure. But it was unmistakably a weave, prepping for the follow-up.
Tactically speaking, this Gyeongbuk First Sword was operating at least at a city-level tournament standard.
*This bastard!*
Cha Du-seong's enraged right straight tore through empty air.
Whiiip!
But Yeongwoo's torso was already twisting aside. It sliced nothing but inches from him—another miss.
'What the...'
At this point, Cha Du-seong was convinced.
The opponent had some inexplicable power.
Every time he threw a punch, something indescribable sapped its speed and power.
And judging by the opponent's half-baked techniques, this had to be pure cheese from that mystery ability.
"You, what the—"
Cha Du-seong twisted his face, about to call him out.
Screech.
Yeongwoo's weaving torso halted abruptly.
Shwoooom!
From low to high.
A hefty light uppercut exploded upward.
"Whoa...!"
Choi Nam-hee gaped even wider than before.
Slip, weave, uppercut combo—against a boxing gold medalist.
Without eating a single shot in between.
To Choi Nam-hee, it was a miracle.
And to...
*...Fuck.*
Cha Du-seong, who'd lived his life as a fist prodigy, it was a catastrophe.
Shwick!
Thanks to his ingrained evasion instincts, Yeongwoo's uppercut whiffed into empty air.
Too predictable a pattern, at least for him.
But the key point was...
"What... what?"
"Is that guy a boxer too?"
"What's even happening?"
As the Gwangjin survivors reacted, from the outside, it looked like a proper fight was underway.
And Yeongwoo was steadily getting the hang of bare-handed combat.
*This... I can handle it?*
He was still fumbling through "Realm of the Floor"'s awkward instructions for now. But instinct told him:
Nail these moves right, and he could drop this guy.
"...Hoo."
Meanwhile, the hologram before his eyes struck a new fighting pose.
Another round with the heavenly boxer.
*Boxing style again...? Facing a gold medalist, wouldn't wrestling be better...?
Tackles worked great against Jeong Hyun-sik.
Yeongwoo silently prodded his martial art.
No answer, of course.
*Fine. One more go.*
The hologram stepped forward, so Yeongwoo lunged ahead blindly.
Cha Du-seong prepped a slip to counter.
Screech.
Time it with the opponent's attack, slip low-side, then rip a check hook.
Plenty of chances to flatten temple or jaw in one shot.
Thus began the fighters' third clash.
Shoom!
Mirage cloaked Yeongwoo's foot as it shoved off the ground hard.
"..."
Mistaking it for an advancing one-two, Cha Du-seong dropped his chin and torso.
Boom!
Suddenly, Yeongwoo's right foot slammed the earth, knee snapping up into empty air.
Yeongwoo—no, the Realm of the Floor fighting like a prisoner—had unleashed a flying knee.
*You son of a—!*
Cha Du-seong whipped both arms up to shield his face, thinking:
*Bo... boxing rules, right?*
Before the thought finished, the knee smashed his guard.
Kwaaang!
Then, from behind Yeongwoo's knee, a trembling voice leaked out.
"This battle is supported by the pan-universal weapon brand Dogo..."