Honestly, I Want to Swing These Fists
In the living room of a luxury apartment, a large screen replayed footage from the Murim Tournament quarterfinals.
“Do Jeong-hyeok.”
Seo Ji-yeon crossed her arms as she glared at the screen.
“I told you clearly, didn’t I? Don’t go anywhere and use your fists like some lowlife.”
“Ah, about that.”
Do Jeong-hyeok scratched the back of his head.
“The guy was way stronger than I expected. I lost my weapon, so I didn’t have a choice…”
“What do you mean you didn’t have a choice? You should have held onto that spear no matter what! Don’t you know the stands were packed with scouts from the major guilds? That footage is going to be permanently branded on you like a label for the rest of your life.”
“…”
“I don’t want to see my son throwing punches like some street thug. A hunter’s image is just as important as his skill. Do you understand?”
Seo Ji-yeon’s lecture continued without pause.
“Mu-jin even said so. If you want to grow into an elite, you have to use the spear. So why do you keep making me waste my money?”
In truth, Do Jeong-hyeok had been receiving secret private lessons from the S-rank hunter Gye Mu-jin. The spear techniques had come from him as well.
“I’m sorry.”
“Have you been practicing punches behind my back again?”
“No.”
Do Jeong-hyeok knew exactly how much money his mother had poured into him. She had spent the vast inheritance left by his grandfather solely on raising him.
“If you understand, then never use your fists again. Winning is a given—but the way you win has to be elegant. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Mom believes in her son. You’re learning from the best spearman in the country, so just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”
Only after confirming that his mother’s expression had softened did Do Jeong-hyeok step outside. He planned to attend regular classes after arriving at school.
“Haa.”
A sigh escaped him.
Every time he gripped a spear, it felt like wearing clothes that were two sizes too tight…
He just wanted to throw punches freely…
But I can’t.
This was the mother who had devoted everything to him. If becoming the perfect elite son she wanted meant enduring this stifling feeling, he could endure it.
He got off the bus, passed through the main gate, and was trudging toward the new building when—
Hm?
Do Jeong-hyeok stopped in his tracks. He had felt a strange gaze on him.
Turning his head, he saw a man leaning against a shaded wall of the building, holding a whiskey bottle.
Professor Kang Hyun?
Do Jeong-hyeok flinched inwardly. Wasn’t this the most talked-about figure at the Academy these days? The eccentric who had turned perennial last-place students into the top of their year—and the dedicated professor of Han Tae-ho, the very opponent Do Jeong-hyeok had struggled against in the quarterfinals!
But why is he staring at me like that?
Was he holding a grudge because Do Jeong-hyeok had beaten Han Tae-ho?
Just as Do Jeong-hyeok was about to give a light nod and walk past—
“That spear.”
Kang Hyun tossed the words out casually.
“Doesn’t suit you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Fists suit you better. Your body wants to use fists, so why are you holding a spear?”
“…!”
Do Jeong-hyeok’s eyes went wide. Of all the countless hunters who had guided him until now, not a single one had ever said something like this. And never so bluntly.
Hadn’t the frustration of swinging a spear and the craving for punches been giving him a headache just moments ago?
How does he know?
As the stunned Do Jeong-hyeok stood frozen, Kang Hyun started walking.
“If you ever get interested in external arts or fist techniques, come find me in my office anytime. I’ll show you what real punching looks like.”
Whoosh!
The professor vanished with the wind.
Yet for some reason, Do Jeong-hyeok felt his heart pounding.
But I need to stay calm.
He steadied himself. There was no chance he would ever learn fist techniques from the professor anyway. He had to hold a spear—according to his mother’s wishes, and according to Hunter Gye Mu-jin’s wishes as well.
Kang Hyun watched Do Jeong-hyeok’s retreating back and let out a quiet snort of laughter.
As if one word would make him come running.
He planned to use a more certain and intuitive method from now on.
How do you lure a martial artist?
You show them martial arts.
That afternoon, Do Jeong-hyeok appeared at the new building’s training grounds—exactly as Lee Se-ah had written in her report.
After regular classes end, he always trains here for about an hour before heading home.
Kang Hyun had already claimed a spot.
Bang! Boom!
He was throwing punches at a training dummy. Even without loading a single ounce of inner energy, the air-splitting cracks of his fists thundered through the entire training ground.
“…!”
Do Jeong-hyeok, who had been warming up, froze.
It was nothing but simple punching—no technique, no flourish. And yet, every time those fists tore through the empty air, Do Jeong-hyeok’s heart hammered like mad.
Was this what it felt like when a sleeping beast heard the roar of its own kind and opened its eyes?
Whether Do Jeong-hyeok was watching or not, Kang Hyun finished his fist training in silence and left the grounds.
The next day, and the day after that.
Without fail, Kang Hyun appeared during the hour Do Jeong-hyeok trained with his spear, mercilessly drove his fists into the dummy, and disappeared.
Finally, on the fourth day—
“Um, Professor.”
Unable to hold back any longer, Do Jeong-hyeok called out to Kang Hyun.
“What.”
“May I ask you something?”
“Speak.”
“That thing you do every day… what fist art is it?”
“Curious?”
“Yes.”
“So fists pull at you more than the spear after all?”
“I’ve always had a little interest.”
“I figured as much.”
The corner of Kang Hyun’s mouth lifted. The bait had been taken cleanly.
“If you say you’ll learn from me, I’ll teach you.”
“…That.”
Do Jeong-hyeok furrowed his brow, hesitated, then answered.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s what my mother wants. I have to hold a spear.”
Damn.
Kang Hyun’s expression twisted oddly.
“The entire 21st batch is dead. The so-called top of the year turns out to be a mama’s boy.”
Do Jeong-hyeok pressed his lips shut. It wasn’t wrong.
“Is your life your mother’s?”
“Don’t speak so carelessly when you know nothing!”
“Of course I don’t. Other people’s family affairs are none of my business.”
And Kang Hyun didn’t really know how warm a mother could be, either. He had never had one.
“But I do know that the spear you’re swinging is pathetic. Keep swinging that thing and you’ll ruin your life.”
“Don’t insult the person who taught me the spear!”
Do Jeong-hyeok flared up. He knew Professor Kang Hyun was impressive these days, but compared to an S-rank hunter like Gye Mu-jin, he couldn’t be anything special.
“Don’t twist my words. Why drag some innocent person in as a shield?”
“What?”
“I insulted you. Specifically, the you who swings a spear in that sorry state.”
Those words struck Do Jeong-hyeok’s reverse scale.
Whoosh!
He lowered his wooden spear into a ready stance.
“Why are you picking a fight? Come at me once.”
“You told me to come at you first!”
Do Jeong-hyeok couldn’t hold back—he was curious about Kang Hyun’s skill. Among his peers, no one except Han Tae-ho could match him. So how strong was the professor who had taught that Han Tae-ho?
Swish!
The spear tip aimed for Kang Hyun’s upper and lower body at the same time. But Kang Hyun didn’t dodge. Instead, he strode straight into the spear’s trajectory.
That’s the spear’s weakness.
If you can just close the distance?
Its only advantage—reach—is sealed in an instant.
There was another reason he deliberately closed to short range while facing Do Jeong-hyeok.
Go on. Use your fists.
He was helping the boy break his own shackles.
Crack!
One punch from Kang Hyun shattered the wooden spear like a dry reed.
“Ugh!”
Do Jeong-hyeok’s pupils shook. Not only had he lost his weapon in a flash, but Kang Hyun’s presence was already pressing right up under his chin.
He’s strong!
There wasn’t even room to dodge. He tried to backpedal, but Kang Hyun’s shoulder surged forward as if it would crush his chest.
If I take this hit, I’m in serious trouble.
As the sense of crisis hit, his instincts went wild. Survival instinct outran reason. Just like when he had faced Han Tae-ho, the blood of his Geumgangche—his Vajra Body—began to boil.
I have to use my fists.
He couldn’t hold back. Whether the professor had intended it or not, an angle of attack that no fist-user could possibly ignore had opened wide.
Kang Hyun’s raised corner of the mouth seemed to say:
You really gonna leave this hanging?
How could he possibly endure it?
Do Jeong-hyeok’s body compressed like a spring. His right shoulder cocked far back, and raw, monstrous power drawn up from his lower body traveled through his waist and concentrated at the tip of his fist.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
With a beast-like roar, he exploded the fist he had suppressed all this time straight at Kang Hyun’s face.
KWAOOOOOM!
A thunderous boom like a cannonball detonating shook the training grounds. The heavy blast of wind from the punch tore the dirt from the floor and sent it flying in every direction.
But—
“…Huh?”
Do Jeong-hyeok’s eyes bulged. His full-power punch had stopped. No—it had been blocked by Kang Hyun’s solid palm.
From childhood until now, no one had ever caught his full-strength punch so lightly.
But why…
It felt so good.
What was this electrifying sensation racing through every vein in his body?
Liberation?
Every hair on his body stood on end.
I knew it. I’m only happy when I throw punches.
Had Kang Hyun felt that emotion too?
“See?”
Kang Hyun smirked.
“Fists are way better than a spear.”
He dusted off his hands and turned away. He didn’t even bother punishing the boy for insolently attacking a professor. The boy could pay that debt later by fighting Asura.
“Think it over carefully. Your life is yours to live.”
Just as he was about to leave the training grounds—
“Professor!”
Do Jeong-hyeok called out urgently.
“What.”
“…Why do you want to teach me?”
Kang Hyun stopped and answered honestly.
“I rate your talent highly. But that talent isn’t the you who uses a spear. It’s the you who uses fists.”
The words carried weight. They touched something buried deep in Do Jeong-hyeok’s chest.
“Then, maybe…!”
Do Jeong-hyeok’s lips moved.
“Hm?”
“Ah, never mind.”
“Boring brat. What is it? Spit it out.”
“…Promise you won’t yell at me after you hear it.”
“I promise.”
Do Jeong-hyeok swallowed hard and opened his mouth with extreme caution.
“Could you… maybe persuade my mother for me?”
At those words, Kang Hyun’s brow crumpled hard.
“You’re out of your mind.”
“See?! You said you wouldn’t yell!”
“I’m not joking—I’m completely serious. Why are you whining at me to solve your family problems?”
“Because you said you rate my talent highly!”
“No matter how outstanding the talent, I can’t stand mama’s boys. Handle your own household.”
As Kang Hyun turned away coldly, Do Jeong-hyeok shouted desperately at his back.
“I’ve been different since I was little!”
“…”
“I couldn’t control my strength, so I hurt my friends and smashed everything in the house. Because of my monstrous power, my parents fought every day, and in the end my father abandoned us and left.”
Kang Hyun’s footsteps halted.
“But even then, my mother never abandoned me. She raised me through every kind of hardship and poured the entire vast inheritance my maternal grandfather left her into turning my strength into an advantage. All so she could teach me spear arts that looked safe and elegant to other people.”
Do Jeong-hyeok’s voice trembled.
“How am I supposed to rebel against a mother like that? To her, my fists are the curse that destroyed our family.”
Silence settled over them.
Kang Hyun slowly turned his head.
“What a filial son you are.”
Do Jeong-hyeok bit his lip. He had expected not to be understood.
Was that why? Suddenly he craved a drink.
“That thing you always carry around, Professor… can I have a sip too?”
“What, booze?”
The corner of Kang Hyun’s mouth rose. He had never refused anyone who asked for a drink. Alcohol always tasted better shared than drunk alone.
With a casual motion, Kang Hyun pulled a whiskey bottle from his coat and tossed it to Do Jeong-hyeok. Of course, another bottle was already in his left hand.
Thud.
Do Jeong-hyeok caught the bottle and stared in disbelief.
“Where do you keep pulling these from? You were empty-handed just a second ago.”
“Don’t ask. It’s my secret technique.”
At Kang Hyun’s chin gesture, Do Jeong-hyeok opened the bottle and took a swig of the strong liquor. The fiery heat sliding down his throat finally let the feelings he had been holding back burst free.
“Honestly…”
Do Jeong-hyeok gripped the bottle tight.
“I want to swing my fists like crazy too. You’re right, Professor. In front of people I train with the spear, but every night I hole up in the west building library and dig through nothing but fist-technique manuals. That’s how I know. The fist art you show on the training grounds is ridiculously, impossibly incredible.”
“You’ve got an eye for it. Then just learn it.”
Do Jeong-hyeok looked Kang Hyun straight in the eye with resolute determination.
“Can’t you persuade my mother without hurting her? If you do, I’ll follow whatever you say from now on.”
Oh?
Interest flickered in Kang Hyun’s gaze.
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
“Yes.”
“Suppose the day the world ends, a demon that will take your life appears right in front of you. If I tell you to fight it with me, will you fight?”
“What?”
Do Jeong-hyeok tilted his head. He had no idea where this sudden nonsense was coming from, but—
“Just let me use my fists. I’ll knock that demon bastard’s jaw clean off.”
Tsk.
Kang Hyun clicked his tongue in good humor. A promise of this caliber was worth spending some time on.
“Give me your parents’ contact information.”
Might as well meet them once.