Iron Fist vs. Chai Heizen
The examiner asked for their names.
"Iron Fist."
The opponent replied the same.
"Chai Heizen."
He nodded and shouted.
The duel between Iron Fist and Chai Heizen begins!
Sung Min-woo hurriedly summoned his spirits.
Eight small spirits.
And four massive ones.
A total of twelve positioned themselves protectively around Sung Min-woo. Chai Heizen gripped a dagger in each hand, and without a moment's hesitation, the two charged at each other.
Pa-ba-bat.
If Sung Min-woo and his spirits were a battering ram crushing the foe with overwhelming force, Chai Heizen was a needle piercing through gaps at blinding speed.
Like a bolt of lightning, Chai Heizen shot forward, passing straight through the lead spirit. In reality, he'd made a light turn, but it was so fast the maneuver was barely visible. Especially from Sung Min-woo's perspective.
It felt like Chai Heizen, briefly obscured by the spirit's view, had suddenly materialized right in front of him.
Instinctively, he swung his fist. Chai Heizen dodged effortlessly and closed in even tighter, exposing Sung Min-woo's opening.
Oh, shit.
Chai Heizen's dagger flashed toward him.
Seok.
-498 HP
-497 HP
His HP plummeted.
He couldn't just take it lying down.
If flesh was torn away, then bone had to be claimed in return.
He ordered the spirits surrounding him to unleash various magic attacks. But first, he commanded Earth to make the ground erupt.
Precisely the spot right under his own feet. Thanks to that, Chai Heizen ended up looking up at Sung Min-woo from below.
Sung Min-woo leaped back, out of range of his own spirits' attacks. Chai Heizen had nowhere to run.
Kwang, kua-a-a-ang!
He clearly saw it as he landed—the magic barrage engulfing Chai Heizen.
He ordered another wave of spells.
Kua-a-a-ang!
Immediately after, he sent the spirits in close.
Planning to finish it up close.
And me too.
Sung Min-woo clenched his fist tight.
Chik.
He extended his knuckle gloves and chased after the spirits toward Chai Heizen's position.
As the explosion's dust cleared, Chai Heizen came into view. Daggers crossed, one knee on the ground.
He looked precarious to anyone watching. But as Sung Min-woo approached, his expression hardened fast.
His instincts were screaming.
Danger.
The closer he got, the wilder the warning blared.
Still, he couldn't let this chance slip. Besides, it was too late to pivot now. He was already right on top of him.
At that moment, Chai Heizen looked up.
A gleaming gaze.
And a simultaneous flash erupting.
"Hup…!"
The blinding light enveloped the spirits and Sung Min-woo. His vision went pure white in an instant, sight erased. Senses, vision—all numb.
But in that void, one thing moved.
Chai Heizen.
*
The flash faded, revealing the training ground. Sung Min-woo stood frozen, while the spirits were getting one-sidedly shredded by Chai Heizen.
Spirits positioned above, below, left, right—taking hits in rotation. It felt like Chai Heizen was everywhere at once.
With that lightning agility, he wiped out all eight small spirits in a flash.
Around then, Sung Min-woo regained his vision and charged with his four main spirits.
Two daggers.
Two knuckle-clad fists.
Ka-gang, ka-ga-gak!
Metal clashing, sparks flying.
"Kuh!"
For every hit Sung Min-woo landed, Chai Heizen countered with three solid strikes. Of course, with the four spirits piling on damage too, Sung Min-woo didn't feel outmatched.
I can win this.
The opponent was a speed-based thief class.
I'm a martial artist class.
His stats were heavily invested in stamina too. So if they traded equal blows, Sung Min-woo's higher HP would prevail.
Hold on. Just endure.
He kept up the pressure regardless.
For that final shot.
Just one decisive blow. He stuck to minor techniques, baiting carelessness while enduring.
His HP dipped below half.
Chai Heizen still looked comfortable, though.
Higher HP than expected?
Or fewer solid hits?
"Hoo…"
No, Chai Heizen's damage was just abnormally high.
Still fine. Not over yet.
Just a tiny slip-up.
That was all he needed to induce.
A little more.
They clashed again.
Kak, ka-ga-ga-gak.
How many times?
No more…
As the thought of exhaustion grazed his mind, Sung Min-woo stumbled, losing balance without realizing.
Not feigned—real. Chai Heizen seized it as his opening and closed in fast.
Uh…!
Sung Min-woo's eyes lit up.
The spirits' positioning was perfect.
The chance.
Perfect setup for his ultimate skill.
Linked Assault!
Sung Min-woo and the spirits glowed red.
--------!
Fire's speed doubled in a burst, clamping onto Chai Heizen's nape.
Then the ground beneath him heaved, launching skyward.
Sung Min-woo stepped on Wind's air stairs, surging toward Chai Heizen.
As Chai Heizen tried to retreat, the risen ground morphed into a massive hand, swallowing his lower body.
Sung Min-woo rolled forward in that gap, slamming both feet into Chai Heizen's gut.
Kwa-ang!
A massive boom, and Chai Heizen rocketed higher.
Sung Min-woo jumped too.
Invisible stairs formed; he bounded up, hammering endless punches.
Puk, pu-bru-bruk.
Reaching the ceiling, Sung Min-woo flanked behind, pinning with hands and feet.
Then Water's water blade speared Chai Heizen's abdomen, stiffening him for 2 seconds.
The sand hand gripping his legs yanked downward. With Sung Min-woo's weight added, acceleration spiked.
Frighteningly fast.
As ground neared, Fire lunged to bite his feet; Wind swooped to crush his head.
Sung Min-woo released the pin, spun once, and heel-kicked Chai Heizen's back.
This ends it…?
Sung Min-woo's brow furrowed. At the last second, he'd spotted a faint glow enveloping Chai Heizen.
Kwa-a-ang!
Chai Heizen, slammed into the floor, sluggishly rose. Sung Min-woo rushed in, unleashing a flurry, but something blocked it.
"What the…?"
Chai Heizen grinned wickedly.
His class trait.
Undying God activated.
Invincibility for 3 seconds when HP hits 1%. Instant recovery of 20% HP. All physical stats +10% for 3 minutes—a monstrous perk.
*
Even without signs of reversal, Sung Min-woo fought to the end, clinging desperately with his spirits. But endurance had limits.
"Damn…"
A curse escaped as his body faded.
He was ejected from the arena.
Duel over! Chai Heizen wins!
Sung Min-woo shrugged and walked over to Mu-hyuk.
"Ha, so close, man. So damn close. If my HP was just a bit higher…"
He shook his head.
"Nah. If that freak hadn't pulled that bullshit skill, I'd have won! What even is that? No matter how much I hammered him, nothing stuck. Felt like at least 10 seconds."
"3 seconds."
"3 seconds feel that long?"
"Yeah, pretty long."
"Anyway! And after that, his moves got even faster."
Mu-hyuk listened to the griping for a while.
"Tch, well…"
It was basically over.
"You gave it your all."
His furrowed brow smoothed out.
No regrets in sight.
"Your top rival's out, so snag first place."
"Rival? You?"
"Obviously?"
"Bullshit."
"Kuku, anyway, I need a break now."
"Yeah, see you after."
"Cool, I'll watch live."
"Do that."
Sung Min-woo logged out.
He'd expected it.
Still, losing a close buddy stung a bit.
Well, I might drop too.
Too many unpredictable foes to claim victory for sure. Just looking at the next one, Kilimanjaro. Master of rapid fire. Cracking his endless arrow barrages would be key.
Rest till then.
He took a short break in the waiting room.
*
Out of the capsule, Sung Min-woo showered and grabbed a bag of snacks from the fridge. He flopped onto the bed, flicked on the TV, and Illusion tournament matches filled the screen.
"Still going?"
The round of 16 was wrapping up.
"Eh, almost done."
He muttered, focusing on the screen.
It was different.
"Ooh!"
This must be the power of production.
Multi-angle shots killed any boredom. More flashy and dazzling than being there live.
"Damn, this is good."
Lounging like this made it even better.
"Shoulda logged sooner."
Pure bliss.
"Oh, over."
Round of 16 ended; quarterfinals began.
The sixteen aiming for the eight spots.
First clash: Mu-hyuk vs. Kilimanjaro.
The duel begins!
He shifted into a comfy position.
Win this.
Cheering inwardly, he crunched a snack.
Agrak.
The screen zoomed dramatically.
At Mu-hyuk's gesture, dozens of skeletons flooded the arena—possibly the highlight reel moment.
With commentary, it was perfection.
Damn, killer.
Kilimanjaro loosed arrows at skeletons caught off-guard.
Who would move first this time?
The outcome mattered, but the process was unmissable entertainment.