Chapter 4 Part 20

He looked formidable just by looking at him. Jeong Tae-ui wanted to hope that he might only appear ferocious but actually be ridiculously weak, but it was all too clear that those muscles were gained through actual combat, not in a gym, and his eyes and expression were utterly calm.

He was clearly one of the strongest among that group… I really have terrible luck.

After the preceding sparring sessions concluded, the instructor finished summarizing key points and the members’ discussion, and when Jeong Tae-ui’s name was finally called, he stood up feeling as if he had bitten into a bug.

“Win and come back!”

“Smash him, smash him!!”

“I trust you. Master of dirty tricks!!”

None of the shouts pouring in from around him sounded pleasant. The best he got was “Win.” But he had no confidence whatsoever that he could live up to that expectation.

He wasn’t confident in winning, but he was reasonably confident in judging people. Jeong Tae-ui looked at the man standing before him and thought bitterly. He couldn’t defeat that man.

In that case, the best method was still the same.

“Getting hit less painfully is the best strategy.”

Jeong Tae-ui mumbled to himself and braced himself. Soon, the instructor gave the start signal, and he began to clash with the opposing man.

The man was someone who had formally and thoroughly learned various types of martial arts from the ground up, step by step. Moreover, he was flexible and skilled. It was difficult to win against such a person in a direct confrontation. Far from winning, it was hard even to stand against him. Simply avoiding was the best course of action.

But in a situation where even avoiding was impossible, there was nothing he could do but try to get hit less painfully.

If there was one fighting skill Jeong Tae-ui was better at than others, it was that: getting hit less painfully.

It was a survival technique mixed with a fair bit of cunning, and in fact, he had used it quite effectively during his time in the military. There were several methods, but the most basic one Jeong Tae-ui easily employed was to press his body close to his opponent when a punch was thrown, then slightly pull back the moment of impact – a method others might scoff at if they heard it. However, if used well, such a useful trick was rare.

But even so…

“It doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, damn it.”

Getting hit not just once or twice, but repeatedly, of course, hurt. Even if he got hit less painfully, it was only slightly less painful; the pain wasn’t halved or reduced to almost nothing.

As an aside, each time he was hit, Jeong Tae-ui looked for an opportunity to land a punch or kick on his opponent once or twice, while repeatedly thinking, ‘This hurts so much I’m going to die.’

However, the man sparring with Jeong Tae-ui also seemed displeased with the ambiguous feel of his punches, his expression growing increasingly twisted. When he occasionally received a light hit or two, his complexion grew even harsher.

Judging by that look on his face, if Jeong Tae-ui got hit properly one more time, he would definitely be carried off to the Medical Ward.

Just as Jeong Tae-ui thought that, the man, finally exasperated, threw a punch straight at him. Jeong Tae-ui, who was briefly considering whether to just take this one hit and fall, was struck squarely with the punch that came much faster than his thoughts, leaving him no time to dodge.

“Ugh…”

A proper scream didn’t even escape him. The moment he took that punch, Jeong Tae-ui realized, ‘I really was getting hit less painfully until now.’ It hurt so much his breath hitched, and it felt like his insides would burst out of his mouth. And at the same time, he considered it a good thing and quickly lay down.

He desperately wanted to end it right there, and in fact, it hurt so much that it was difficult to stand upright.

As Jeong Tae-ui lay flat, declaring, “I concede,” the opposing man seemed even more exasperated. His expression showed that he hadn’t been able to have a satisfying bout, and his opponent lying down so soon left him unable to calm his anger. Seeing that expression, Jeong Tae-ui, despite the pain, managed a refreshing smile.

You goddamn son of a bitch, I’ve taken this many hits, isn’t that enough? How many more do you want me to take?

Whether that meaning was conveyed or not, more anger flared on the man’s face, but the stop command had already come from the instructor. The man, though breathing out dissatisfied sighs, stepped back.

Jeong Tae-ui lay there, hoping one of his colleagues would come and carry him out, but all he got were cold words telling him not to feign injury and to quickly make way for Wien-ho.

“Tsk, worthless colleagues,” Jeong Tae-ui grumbled, slowly getting up and leaving.

Behind him, Wien-ho, who went last, was mercilessly beaten like most others, but he also hit back mercilessly. By the time he finished his sparring session, which took a considerable amount of time, and was dragged out, it was already past regular working hours.

The actual fighting time for each person wasn’t very long, but the time the instructor spent reviewing the fights and the members spent discussing them was several times longer, so even though there were only seven or eight sparring matches, a considerable amount of time had passed.

Even as they ferociously hurled insults, jeers, and taunts at the opposing side, signs of fatigue began to show on their faces as the workday drew to a close. Simply observing and analyzing was tiring enough, but they also had to step in and fight at least once during that time, so it was understandable that they were exhausted.

Jeong Tae-ui was no different; the moment the instructor announced the end of the workday and left the Free Sparring Room, he collapsed onto a desk. Next to him, his colleagues were once again starting a fight, behaving just as they had in the cafeteria at lunchtime, but Jeong Tae-ui had no energy or inclination to stop them, then or now.

Tou, who had been squabbling for a while, gulped down some water, then saw Jeong Tae-ui and approached him.

“You got beaten up pretty hard earlier, did it drain all your energy? Go to your room and get some sleep.”

“You looked like you were covered in blood from head to toe earlier, but now I see you’re perfectly fine.”

“What can I do when those bastards make even a stone Buddha jump up from lying down!”

Jeong Tae-ui closed his mouth. He figured that was the wisest way to protect himself here.