I Thought I Was Bullying a Nobody, But He's a Martial Arts Genius - Chapter 22

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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 Fighting Genius, Bullied Outcast — Episode 022
Center of the Cage.
Seo Jun and Oh Gun-woo faced each other.
The Referee placed his hand between them.
“Listen to my commands. No strikes to the back of the head, groin, or spine. When I call break, separate immediately.”
Oh Gun-woo looked down at Seo Jun.
His eyes gleamed with savagery.
As if he might bite down at any moment.
Seo Jun did not meet that gaze.
His eyes were lower.
Oh Gun-woo’s front foot.
His heel.
The angle of his knee.
The direction his hips were weighted.
Oh Gun-woo let out a low chuckle.
“What. Can’t look me in the eye?”
Seo Jun said nothing.
Oh Gun-woo’s left foot was half a span ahead.
His weight was sixty percent forward.
Forty percent back.
He wasn’t in a position to strike immediately.
But the outer edge of his front foot was scraping the mat.
A setup for a Level change at any second.
Seo Jun’s eyes dropped one beat lower still.
‘He’ll push with his front foot, and his right shoulder comes loose first.’
Oh Gun-woo took that for fear.
His grin widened.
“Rookie.”
His voice low and taunting.
“The moment this starts, you’re eating mat.”
Seo Jun slowly raised his head.
Their eyes met.
Oh Gun-woo’s smile faltered, just slightly.
Seo Jun spoke quietly.
“I’ll give it my best.”
The Referee dropped his hand.
“Gloves touch.”
Oh Gun-woo thrust his Gloves forward perfunctorily.
Seo Jun met them lightly.
Tap.
Brief contact.
Both fighters retreated to their corners.

* * *
[Axis Korea Stadium, KCR Featherweight Tournament 1st Round!]
The commentator’s voice filled the entire arena.
[Broadcasting live simultaneously on cable channels nationwide and YouTube!]
The camera swept around the Cage.
The stands were already electrified.
Placards were visible.

A spectator in the front row held up his phone and shouted.
“Hey, isn’t that the Rookies guy who finished it in 9 seconds?”
“The one who ended it with a knee in the finals!”
“Is he getting a 1st round Knockout today too?”
“But I heard his opponent’s a wrestler. Could get pinned.”
“If he can stop that, he’s the real deal!”
The camera found Seo Jun’s face.
Expressionless.
Mouthpiece in place.
Eyes narrowed, fixed forward.
The next camera cut showed Oh Gun-woo.
He rolled his neck side to side, testing his footing on the mat.
He moved with weight.
[The pivotal question in this match: will the prodigy striker’s spear pierce the veteran grappler’s shield?]
[Seo Jun has recorded a 1st Round finish in every bout since joining Axis Rookies. His striking impact has been absolutely devastating.]
[True. But today’s opponent is Oh Gun-woo, a ten-fight professional. He’s a different breed than our rookies.]
[Oh Gun-woo has never suffered a knockout loss. His cage control and takedown execution are exceptionally refined.]
[So the question becomes: will Seo Jun end this with early striking, or will Oh Gun-woo drag it to the ground and impose his wrestling? That’s the key.]
Do Yoon crouched just outside Seo Jun’s corner.
“Listen.”
Seo Jun turned his head slightly.
“First minute—stay sharp. Don’t get cocky.”
“Yes.”
“He didn’t come here to see your hands. He came to study your feet. The second you anchor to throw, he’s in.”
“Understood.”
Do Yoon tapped the cage lightly with his palm.
“Where’s your vision?”
“Chest.”
“Your base?”
“Low.”
“If you get caught?”
“Underhook first, then explode out.”
Do Yoon let out a short laugh.
“Go.”
The opposite corner.
Oh Gun-woo’s corner man was shouting too.
“Push from the start! See that first punch, then swarm him!”
Oh Gun-woo nodded.
His eyes never left Seo Jun.
The Referee walked to center.
He raised his right hand.
The crowd noise dipped for an instant.
As if everyone were holding their breath.
[Here it comes! Seo Jun’s professional debut!]
[Can Axis Rookies’ biggest sensation carry that momentum into KCR!]
The Referee’s hand dropped.
“Fight!”
Roooaaaaarrr—!
The crowd erupted.
Seo Jun stepped to center first.
Oh Gun-woo moved at the same instant.
The distance between them shrunk.
One step.
A half-step.
Seo Jun’s left hand flickered in front.
Oh Gun-woo’s lead foot scraped the mat.
Feeling each other out.
But they both knew the truth.
One misstep.
One shift of the shoulder.
Miss that, and the whole match tilts.
Seo Jun’s gaze locked on Oh Gun-woo’s chest.
Oh Gun-woo exhaled low and closed the distance.
At center of the cage.
Their first exchange was about to begin.

* * *
Seo Jun placed his left foot half a step forward.
His knees were low.
His chin tucked in.
His gaze fixed on Oh Gun-woo’s chest.
Oh Gun-woo didn’t advance easily.
He flicked his front foot out, tap-tap.
He swayed his upper body.
He raised his right hand slightly, then lowered it.
All of it was fake.
Seo Jun didn’t move.
‘The feet come first.’
Oh Gun-woo’s front foot moved inward.
Inside the distance.
Seo Jun’s left hand shot out.
Snap!
A sharp jab.
The trajectory aimed straight at Oh Gun-woo’s face.
In that instant.
Do Yoon shouted from outside the cage.
“Idiot!”
Oh Gun-woo disappeared from Seo Jun’s sight.
No—
He dropped below.
‘Too late.’
The moment Seo Jun’s eyes dropped.
A massive boulder came rushing in.
Oh Gun-woo’s head was wedged beneath Seo Jun’s chest.
Both his arms already wrapped around both of Seo Jun’s legs.
Perfect timing.
Two-leg Takedown.
Seo Jun quickly shot his legs back.
Sprawl.
But Oh Gun-woo was faster.
He drove his feet forward.
He pressed his hips in.
He broke the center of balance with his shoulder.
Thud!
Seo Jun’s back slammed into the mat.
Air expelled from his lungs.
“Ugh!”
[Ah! Seo Jun finds himself in the ground situation he most wanted to avoid right from the start of the match!]
[Oh Gun-woo’s timing was perfect! A level change the instant the jab came out—that’s veteran-level technique!]
The crowd stirred.
“He’s pinned!”
“This is dangerous!”
“Get up! Seo Jun!”
Oh Gun-woo didn’t lift his upper body.
He pressed his head firmly against Seo Jun’s chest.
His forehead beneath the chin.
His shoulders at the sternum.
His arms locked around the hips.
Seo Jun tried to throw short punches from underneath.
His arms couldn’t generate proper force.
There was no space.
Oh Gun-woo’s head was pressed against him.
He couldn’t see the chin.
The temple was too far away.
‘I can’t see anything.’
Seo Jun tried to establish a frame with his left arm.
In that moment.
Thack!
Oh Gun-woo’s right hand shot out sharply.
Along the side of the face.
Not powerful-looking, but heavy.
“Ugh!”
Seo Jun’s head rocked to the side.
Back to framing.
Thack!
Left-hand pounding this time.
The flesh below his cheekbone flared hot.
[Oh Gun-woo showing excellent poise! He’s keeping his head glued in, completely neutralizing Seo Jun’s lower striking angles!]
[That’s right. Seo Jun needs to create striking distance, but there’s none left. He doesn’t even have room to extend his fists!]
Seo Jun moved his legs.
He tried to slip one knee through.
Oh Gun-woo pressed down on his hips immediately.
The weight settled back in.
Thud.
Seo Jun’s lower back flattened against the mat.
“Hhhh……”
His breath seized.
Oh Gun-woo’s chin ground down against Seo Jun’s collarbone.
Small adjustments.
Each one cutting off another escape route.
The instant Seo Jun tried to pull his right arm free.
Thack!
More pounding.
Straight down this time.
The taste of blood bloomed in his mouth.
Seo Jun’s face flushed crimson.
His eyes burned hot.
The crowd’s roar faded distant.
All he heard was Oh Gun-woo’s breathing.
Low and ragged.
“Rookie.”
Oh Gun-woo spoke, still pressing down.
“This is professional.”
The moment he finished, another fist fell.
Thack!
Seo Jun’s guard wavered.
Outside the cage.
Do Yoon’s expression hardened.
‘He’s been completely caught.’
Oh Gun-woo didn’t overextend.
He didn’t chase submissions.
He struck only when Seo Jun moved.
He hammered fists into the path of escape attempts.
He pressed his head in whenever an opening for a counterattack from below appeared.
His weight stayed distributed between chest and hips.
Seasoned.
Infuriatingly so.
Do Yoon’s jaw tightened slightly.
‘At this rate, he won’t last even the first round.’
Ah-yeon couldn’t spare a glance at her notebook.
Both hands clenched tight, she stared at the cage.
Tae-su bit his lip.
“Come on…… get up.”
Seo Jun gasped for breath atop the mat.
Oh Gun-woo’s shoulder filled his vision.
Thick neck.
Hair pressed against him.
A weight pressing down on his chest.
Another strike rained down.
Thud!
Seo Jun’s head snapped sideways.
But his eyes remained open.
Through the haze of his vision,
he watched Oh Gun-woo’s shoulder movement.

* * *
Thud!
Oh Gun-woo’s fist came down again.
Seo Jun’s guard wavered.
Heat radiated from his temple.
The taste of blood pooled in his mouth.
Still, Seo Jun didn’t close his eyes.
Oh Gun-woo’s shoulder.
His elbow.
His hip position.
He kept watching those minute shifts.
Oh Gun-woo lifted his torso slightly.
Just the briefest gap.
Seo Jun tried to create a frame with his right elbow.
In that instant,
Oh Gun-woo’s left elbow fell from above.
Crack!
A sharp impact split open the skin beside his left eye.
Seo Jun’s head whipped to the side.
A cry erupted from the crowd.
“Ah!”
Warmth streamed down from above his eyebrow.
One trickle.
Two.
Red blood ran down past his left eye.
His vision blurred.
[That elbow strike landed clean!]
[A cut! We have bleeding!]
The camera closed in on Seo Jun’s face.
His left eyebrow was split open.
Blood soaked his eyelid.
[This is bad! For a striker, obscured vision is catastrophic—distance control is everything!]
[Especially for Seo Jun, who reads and reacts to his opponent’s movements. With one eye compromised, both his striking timing and wrestling defense will suffer!]
Oh Gun-woo immediately intensified his assault.
He saw the blood.
The moment his opponent wavered,
he seized it.
Thud!
A quick strike,
hammering through Seo Jun’s guard.
Thud!
Again, this time targeting the split wound.
Seo Jun’s face grew even more crimson.
Beyond the cage,
Tae-su clenched his teeth.
“It’s fine. It’s still early. A cut like that—”
“Shut it.”
Do Yoon’s voice dropped low.
Tae-su fell silent.
Do Yoon’s expression had hardened into something grim.
“You’ve never had a cut during a match before, have you?”
“……No.”
“Blood looks different when you’re inside the cage.”
Do Yoon studied the interior of the cage.
“Seeing your own blood up close—it triggers something primal in a fighter.”
Ah-yeon’s grip tightened on the cage’s chain-link fence.
Do Yoon continued.
“Blood streams into your eyes. Your vision narrows. Your breath comes hard. And above you, the fists keep falling.”
His jaw set rigid.
“Some fighters—their minds go white in that moment.”
Tae-su’s expression grew serious.
“Panic……?”
“It can happen.”
Do Yoon looked at Seo Jun’s face.
Crimson blood traced down from his eye.
It dripped past his guard.
A single drop splattered onto the mat.
“Getting past that—that’s what makes a true professional.”

* * *
Inside the octagon.
Oh Gun-woo held Seo Jun pinned and exhaled slowly.
‘It’s over.’
He was certain of it.
Rookies crumble the moment they see blood.
Especially their own.
The instant the eye splits open, when vision floods red.
Most newcomers panic.
They thrash clumsily to escape.
They turn their back.
They claw desperately to stand.
That’s when he locks the throat or presses down to finish it.
Oh Gun-woo had witnessed this scene countless times.
So he waited.
Waited for Seo Jun to panic and move.
“How’s that feel?”
Oh Gun-woo said quietly.
“Starting to get real now?”
He lifted his torso slightly.
He readied another strike.
He looked down at Seo Jun’s face.
Covered in blood.
The left eye was swollen crimson.
Normally, the pupils should have been dilating.
Breath should have been ragged.
Hands should have grown frantic.
But.
Seo Jun’s eyes did not waver.
Even as blood flowed.
Even as his eyelids grew wet.
His gaze remained unchanged.
Empty.
Cold.
Not the eyes of someone afraid.
Watching eyes.
Tracking Oh Gun-woo’s elbows.
The angle of his shoulders as they rose.
The precise instant his torso lifted.
Every detail catalogued without flinching.
A chill crept up Oh Gun-woo’s spine.
‘What is this.’
Seo Jun’s lips parted slightly.
Ragged breath escaped him.
“Haah…….”
That was all.
No scream.
No rage.
No fear.
For the first time, Oh Gun-woo’s momentum had slowed.
In that instant.
Seo Jun’s right hand moved.
Not an attack.
He braced against the inside of Oh Gun-woo’s elbow.
Positioning.
A hand reading his opponent’s next move.
Oh Gun-woo’s eyes narrowed fractionally.
‘This bastard.’
Even bleeding.
Still calculating.
‘Something’s off.’
Oh Gun-woo’s fist rose again.
But this time, there was no certainty behind it.
Below.
Seo Jun looked up at him, his face streaked with blood.
His gaze had grown deeper, colder.

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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
—————