I Thought I Was Bullying a Nobody, But He's a Martial Arts Genius - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Unknown Combat Genius — Episode 10
Do Yoon’s battered SUV came to a stop at the mouth of the alley leading to Seo Jun’s house.
“We’re here. Get out.”
“Thank you, Coach.”
Do Yoon called out to Seo Jun just as he was opening the passenger door to step down.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Look, on the night before your first match, your head’s going to spin with every thought under the sun and you won’t sleep. But force your eyes shut anyway and get some real rest. Once you step into that ring, your stamina is everything.”
Do Yoon tossed out the advice casually.
Seo Jun nodded lightly in acknowledgment.
In the back seat, Tae Soo was already sprawled out with his eyes half-closed.
“It looks like Tae Soo is quite exhausted.”
“He’s drained from cutting weight. I’ll dump this kid off at home too. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at eight, so don’t be late.”
“Understood. See you tomorrow.”
Vroom.
Do Yoon’s car slipped out of the alley.
Seo Jun walked toward his house with light, easy steps.
As he opened the door and stepped inside, the rich aroma of soybean paste stew pricked his nostrils.
“You’re home? Did you pass the Weight Check?”
His mother, apron tied around her waist, greeted Seo Jun from the kitchen.
On the dining table sat soft, easy-to-digest foods.
“Yes. I passed without any problems.”
“Thank goodness. Go wash your hands and come eat.”
At the dinner table, facing each other.
His mother smiled as she always did, but the tips of her fingers holding the spoon trembled faintly.
Tomorrow, her son would step into a real fight.
There was no parent in the world who wouldn’t worry.
“Jun, you have to be really careful tomorrow and not get hurt. If it feels like too much, just forfeit right away.”
“Don’t worry. I trained really hard under Coach. I’ll dodge before I get hit.”
Seo Jun smiled calmly and took a large spoonful of rice.
After finishing dinner, Seo Jun lay down on his bed.
Do Yoon had said he wouldn’t be able to sleep because of nerves.
But.
‘I feel oddly at peace.’
The moment Seo Jun closed his eyes, he sank into a deep, gentle slumber.
Compared to those years when he’d been beaten, spending each night trembling with fear and tossing restlessly, this tension now was merely a pleasant thrill.

* * *
The next morning.
Seo Jun climbed into the passenger seat of Do Yoon’s car after leaving his house.
“Good morning.”
“Huh, you came out early. Did you get some sleep?”
Do Yoon asked as he turned the steering wheel.
Seo Jun’s face was as neat and composed as always.
“Yes. I slept very well. My condition is at its peak.”
“…Really?”
Do Yoon raised his eyebrows with a skeptical look.
Then a groan came from the back seat.
“Ugh, I didn’t sleep a wink.”
Tae Soo, with dark, hollow eyes, stirred to life like a zombie.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes as if they might drop past his chin.
At the stark contrast between the two, Do Yoon burst out laughing.
“Good grief. Here’s a guy who’s been training for two years with weaker nerves than a newbie who’s been at it one month.”
“Hey, Coach! You said everyone gets like that in their first tournament!”
Tae Soo let out an indignant cry.
Thanks to Tae Soo’s irritation, the atmosphere in the car actually lightened.
Seo Jun smiled faintly as he watched the scenery slip past outside the window.

* * *
Axis Korea Stadium.
The athletes’ shared waiting room was already packed to the gills.
Fighters from various gyms bounced medicine balls and worked through Shadow Boxing, loosening up their bodies.
“Phew.”
Tae Soo stretched out flat on a mat in the corner and closed his eyes.
His Lightweight match wasn’t until the afternoon anyway.
Seo Jun, on the other hand, had already changed into his Fight Shorts for the first match of the morning.
Do Yoon began wrapping Hand Tape around Seo Jun’s hands as he spoke.
“Your body won’t be fully warmed up for your first fight. Once you’re in the cage, start with light footwork to get the sweat flowing.”
“Understood.”
Do Yoon finished the taping meticulously.
A few Axis staff members in business suits passed through the waiting room and spotted Do Yoon.
“Wait, aren’t you Do Yoon?”
“Oh, yes. Hello.”
Do Yoon gave a light nod.
The staff members brightened and approached to greet him.
“We’re really looking forward to your next fight. What brings you to the Rookies Tournament today?”
“It’s my gym’s fighters’ debut match, so I came to corner them.”
“Ah, so you’re with Team Jujak! Your students, no less—we should definitely mention that to the broadcast team.”
The staff members fussed over him before moving away.
Coaches and fighters from other gyms nearby caught glimpses of Do Yoon and murmured among themselves.
It was a moment that made real how much standing Do Yoon had earned with his winning streak on the Axis Pro Stage.
‘Can I become like that someday?’
Seo Jun clenched his fists, then opened them.
The firm sensation of the Hand Tape transmitted through his fingertips.
“Come on. Get ready. It’s time.”
Do Yoon caught the signal from a tournament official and gave Seo Jun’s shoulder a quick tap.
Seo Jun shot to his feet.
This was finally his debut.

* * *
He passed through the waiting room corridor and stood at the entrance to the arena.
Seo Jun’s heart was pounding beneath the surface.
When he’d gone to watch Do Yoon’s matches before, there had been the grand bass music that shook your chest and the brilliant lights that seared your eyes.
Anticipating such a flashy entrance, he swallowed hard.
“All right, let’s go in!”
The tent flap drew back at the official’s signal.
Seo Jun stepped forward confidently.
But then.
‘Huh?’
It was quiet.
There was no flashy lighting, no entrance music to split the eardrums.
Only the fluorescent lights from the ceiling dimly illuminated the cage.
The bleachers held only a sparse scattering of staff and people from other gyms.
Seo Jun turned around in bewilderment.
“Coach, where’s the entrance music?”
Do Yoon let out a soft laugh and gave the back of Seo Jun’s head a light tap.
“This is an amateur tournament. There’s no entrance music here. This place is about proving yourself through skill alone and earning your pro ticket. Save the showmanship for the professionals.”
“Ah…”
“But look over there.”
Do Yoon gestured with his chin toward the cage’s front.
The broadcast desk where the commentary team sat was visible, along with the large broadcast cameras standing guard beside it.
“The YouTube Live Broadcast is rolling. That means thousands of people are watching in real time. Don’t get nervous—just do what you’ve learned.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
Seo Jun bit down on his Mouthguard and climbed the cage steps.
The moment he stepped inside the iron mesh, the distinctive smell of sweat, blood, and disinfectant hit him hard.
The opposite corner.
Kang Cheol Jin—the yellow-haired fighter whose shoulder he’d collided with in the hallway yesterday—was already warming up.

* * *
[Welcome to the Axis Korea Rookies Tournament! This is the first High School Division Featherweight match.]
YouTube Live Broadcast screen.
The caster’s vibrant voice filled the speakers as she gripped the microphone.
The commentator beside her checked his tablet and chimed in.
[Yes, this match pits Kang Cheol Jin from Black Tiger Gym in the Blue Corner against Seo Jun from Team Jujak in the Red Corner.]
[Team Jujak—isn’t that the gym run by Do Yoon, the fighter currently dominating the Axis Pro Stage?]
[That’s right. Do Yoon is working his corner himself. This should be quite the matchup.]
While the broadcast team continued their spiel, the real-time chat window floating transparently on the right side of the screen began scrolling up frantically.
-Oh, Do Yoon’s student showing up?
-Look at those faces. The red corner guy looks like he belongs in a library lol
-LMAO honor student vs street thug matchup for real?
-Isn’t that Kang Cheol Jin the guy from that street fight video?
ㄴYeah I saw that. He was brutal.
-I’m calling five-second KO lol Blue’s gonna smash him.
The viewers’ verdict was harsh.
Kang Cheol Jin with his snake tattoo on display, swaggering; Seo Jun with his short hair, standing like a model student.
By appearance alone, the outcome seemed already decided.
Then Kang Cheol Jin turned toward Seo Jun and made a throat-slashing gesture with his finger—a taunt.
[Oh! Kang Cheol Jin! The psychological warfare starts even before the bell!]
The commentator cried out with relish.
The referee inside the Cage shook his finger at Kang Cheol Jin and issued a verbal warning, but the chat erupted instead.
-Damn, that’s some showmanship right there lol
-That’s the kind of guy who makes fighting fun.
-Honor student’s shaking in his boots, won’t even make eye contact lol
But the moment the broadcast camera zoomed in on Seo Jun’s face.
The chat’s scrolling slowed.
Seo Jun’s expression was utterly composed—no fear, no readable emotion of any kind.
His gaze was fixed with relentless focus on the throat of the man who’d just taunted him—a cold, empty stare.
His Fighting Stance was textbook perfect, steady as bedrock, not a tremor.
[Now the referee calls both fighters to the center!]
Two men stood face to face.
“Watch your Vital Point Attacks, and Elbow Strikes are forbidden, understood?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“Okay, agree to a Clean Fight and touch gloves.”
The referee called for the glove touch, but Kang Cheol Jin simply spun on his heel and walked back to his corner.
The referee bristled, but when Seo Jun also turned and returned to his corner without a word, there was little to penalize.
[Oh—! No glove touch!]
[Kang Cheol Jin seems to have already entered full combat mode.]
The referee swallowed his displeasure and checked with both fighters.
“Ready?! Ready?!”
Both fighters nodded.
The referee’s hand dropped sharply as he shouted.
“Let’s fight!”
A thunderous call to start the match.
The gong rang, and Kang Cheol Jin exploded forward like a beast.
His footwork was crude but packed with power.
Seo Jun didn’t retreat—he planted himself firmly in place.
-He’s coming, he’s coming!
-Blue’s rush is insane!!
The viewers cheered at Cheol Jin’s ferocious charge.
Cheol Jin closed the distance completely, drawing his right arm back in a wide arc.
The Light Overhand Hook he’d thrown countless times in street fights—a wild, unthinking blow.
A vicious whistle of air as his fist rocketed toward Seo Jun’s face.
‘Shoulder’s open. Too slow.’
Within Seo Jun’s aberrant Dynamic Visual Acuity, that fist seemed clumsy and predictable—like slow-motion playback.
Seo Jun twisted his upper body slightly to the left.
Whoosh!
Kang Cheol Jin’s fist scraped past Seo Jun’s ear by the barest margin.
Close enough that the wind ruffled his hair.
But it didn’t land.
The instant Kang Cheol Jin’s eyes widened in panic.
Seo Jun’s rear foot drove into the Cage floor as if to shatter it.
Crack!!
The ground’s recoil traveled up through his calf and waist, rotating into his right shoulder.
The flawless weight transfer that he and Do Yoon had refined ten thousand times over.
Whoosh!
Seo Jun’s short, precise Counter Straight drove in a dead line toward Kang Cheol Jin’s chin—now wide open and defenseless.
Crack—!!
A bone-chilling rupture sound that echoed clearly beyond the Cage.
“……Huh?”
A dazed exclamation escaped the caster holding the microphone.
On screen, Kang Cheol Jin’s head snapped around at a sickening angle.
The man’s legs went rigid as old deadwood, his eyes rolling back into vacancy.
And then.
Thud!!
Kang Cheol Jin’s body collapsed onto the Cage floor in a sprawl, utterly ruined.
Not a single finger twitched—a flawless knockout.
It had all happened far too fast.
Both the broadcast team and the officials on-site held their breath.
Only the referee reacted, diving forward in panic, shoving Seo Jun back and calling a halt to the match.
“Stop! The fight is over!!”
The referee’s urgent cry.
Round one, nine seconds.
Devastation delivered in a single blow.
The YouTube Live Broadcast camera zoomed in on Seo Jun.
His face unmarked, not a drop of blood on it.
Seo Jun stood motionless, breathing steadily, and looked down at his fallen opponent with complete indifference.
-???
-What was that just now?
-Didn’t even see the punch?
-Holy shit that counter was insane
-5 second knockout for real????
-That guy’s technique is absolutely brutal!!!
The chat window, frozen for a moment, exploded into chaos.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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