I Thought I Was Bullying a Nobody, But He's a Martial Arts Genius - Chapter 46

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

The Martial Arts Genius Nobody Knew About — Episode 046
The Referee grasped Seojun’s wrist.
Seojun was still breathing hard.
His chest heaved in great, labored sweeps.
Sweat and blood dripped from his chin.
The Referee’s arm rose.
Seojun’s right arm shot skyward.
Roooooaaaaarrrr—!
The Stadium erupted.
[Champion! Featherweight Tournament Victor! Baek! Seojun!]
The announcer’s voice pierced through the roar.
Seojun’s face blazed across the scoreboard.

Seojun stared at those words with a dazed expression.
Championship victory.
He had made it this far.
In the Team Jujak Corner, Taesu was shaking the cage.
Doyun was grinning.
Ayeon had both hands pressed to her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears.
Then Lee Wuseong approached.
His face was a wreck.
Blood had crusted under his nose, and his left cheekbone was badly swollen. Yet his stride remained unbroken.
He stopped in front of Seojun.
Lee Wuseong extended his hand first.
“Congratulations.”
Seojun looked at that hand, then clasped it.
Lee Wuseong’s grip was hot.
“I lost this time.”
Seojun lowered his head.
“I learned so much from you.”
Lee Wuseong’s eyes flickered for just a moment.
Then he pulled gently at the back of Seojun’s neck.
His voice low enough that the crowd couldn’t hear.
“The Champion is far stronger than I am.”
Seojun’s eyes stilled.
Lee Wuseong said nothing more.
He released his grip and turned away.
His coach approached and steadied him by the shoulder.
Lee Wuseong held his head high all the way out of the Octagon.
Seojun watched his retreating figure.
‘Far stronger than I am.’
Those words stayed with him.
The ring announcer approached.
The microphone came forward toward Seojun.
“Seojun, congratulations on winning the Featherweight Tournament Championship! How are you feeling right now?”
The crowd’s roar swelled again.
Seojun took the microphone.
His hand trembled slightly.
“I still…”
As he opened his mouth to speak.
The audience stirred.
It began as a low murmur.
Then it spread like a wave.
All eyes turned in one direction.
The camera swung sharply.
The Octagon door opened.
A man in an immaculate suit stepped through.
Black hair.
Eyes like ice.
An unhesitating gait.
People parted before him instinctively.
As the Red Sea had once divided.
Even the ring announcer fell silent.
He stepped back.
[Ah…….]
The commentator’s voice dropped.
[The current AXIS Korea Featherweight Champion, Lee Seongjun.]
The roar transformed into something strange.
It was not a warm ovation.
A muted gasp.
A sound that mingled fear with anticipation.
Lee Seongjun stood before Seojun.
He said nothing.
Simply faced him.
That was all.
Yet Seojun’s breath caught in his throat.
This was different from Lee Wuseong’s pressure.
Different from Hwang Daegun’s madness.
It was quiet.
And for that reason, it was heavier.
As if the very air of the Octagon were sinking downward.
Cold sweat traced Seojun’s spine.
His fingertips went numb.
Lee Seongjun spoke.
“Congratulations.”
Bone-dry.
Devoid of emotion.
No acknowledgment.
No caution.
No anger.
Only those words.
Then he turned.
He did not wait for Seojun’s reply.
He walked toward the Octagon door.
Every camera followed him.
The lights shifted with him.
Seojun, who moments before had been the victor, remained in place.
Microphone in hand.
At the edge of the spotlight.
Cold sweat beading on his skin.
His gaze fixed on the Champion’s back.

* * *
A fortnight passed.
Seojun stood before the Gym.
The wound beneath his eye had healed cleanly.
The swollen lip had subsided.
He grasped the familiar handle.
He opened the door.
Ding.
The bell chimed.
And he stopped short.
“……?”
The Gym was packed with people.
Before the Heavy Bag.
On the mat.
Beside the treadmill.
Even the stretching area.
Not a gap to be found.
Unfamiliar faces lined the gym.
Some wore gloves, others held jump ropes, and a few studied themselves awkwardly in the mirrors.
“One, two! Hands up!”
“Don’t drop your guard!”
“That’s not a punch—that’s just flailing your arm!”
Coaches’ voices erupted from every corner.
Ayeon stood behind the counter.
A tablet in her hands.
Her lips showed no sign of drooping—quite the opposite.
“Thirty-seven new registrations.”
She murmured it to herself.
“Sixty-one trial bookings. Twenty-four on the consultation waitlist.”
Her face glowed.
The face of someone who’d caught the scent of money.
Doyun, by contrast, looked half-dead.
“Ayeon.”
He stood with his arms crossed.
“Hire more coaches.”
She grinned and shook her head. “Sure. Eventually.”
“When, exactly?”
“Once more money comes in.”
“It’s already coming in!”
“When more money comes in.”
Doyun’s face darkened.
“Is this a gym or a marketplace?”
“If it’s a marketplace, that’s even better. Money flows in markets.”
He grabbed the back of his neck.
“I’m losing it.”
In one corner, Ryu Jinhyeok jumped rope in silence.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
No matter how crowded the gym grew, the space around him remained oddly empty.
A few newcomers glanced his way, but none ventured closer.
His eyes were too cold.
He murmured without breaking rhythm. “Too loud.”
That was when Taesu spotted Seojun.
“Oh!”
His voice split the gym.
“The champion’s here!”
In an instant.
Every head turned toward the door.
“It’s Seojun Baek!”
“For real!”
“Wow, he looks thinner in person.”
“His face is smaller than in photos!”
“Congratulations on your victory!”
The new members swarmed toward him like a cloud.
Seojun froze in the doorway.
“Ah, hello.”
He bowed awkwardly.
“Thank you.”
“Could you sign something for us?”
“Can we get a photo?”
“I registered after seeing you fight!”
“Me too!”
Seojun took a step back.
But behind him was only the hallway.
Doyun watched and let out a suppressed laugh.
“You’ve gone full celebrity.”

Seojun looked at Doyun with an awkward expression.
“Coach…….”
Doyun seemed to have no intention of helping.
Instead, he gestured toward the Heavy Bag with his chin.
“Since you’re here, give the new members a show and work the Heavy Bag.”
“Pardon?”
“Let the rookies feast their eyes. They should get their money’s worth from their registration.”
Ayeon nodded immediately.
“Good idea.”
“Even you, Ayeon?”
Seojun exhaled softly.
Still, he pulled on the Gloves.
The new members split to either side.
The space in front of the Heavy Bag cleared.
Seojun began moving his feet lightly.
Tap. Tap.
Loosening his knees.
Dropping his shoulders.
He exhaled once.
Whoosh.
A jab flew out.
Thump.
The Heavy Bag swayed slightly.
Another jab.
Thump.
This time he found his rhythm.
Thump. Thump. Crack.
One-Two.
A short hook.
Body shot.
Another Straight.
The Heavy Bag swung away briskly and returned.
Seojun didn’t overextend himself.
Light, yet precise.
Each point of contact produced a different sound.
Crack.
Thump.
Boom.
The new members’ jaws dropped.
“Wow…….”
“That’s him just going easy?”
“The sound is insane.”
Then a bright voice rang out from one side.
“Did you see that?”
Everyone turned.
It was a handsome new member who’d spoken.
Tall, with a sharp jawline.
Even his training clothes hung on him like a model’s.
His hands were clasped together in front of his chest.
His eyes gleamed.
“Look at the trajectory of that jab!”
Doyun’s eyebrow twitched.
The new member didn’t stop.
“It’s not just the arm extending. His feet, hips, shoulders, and wrists are all aligned in a single line. The mechanism of that perfect Straight!”
The other rookies nodded, entranced.
“Oh…….”
“It does look like something special.”
“He must be really something.”
The handsome newcomer spoke with growing fervor.
“Seojun’s fist is no mere strike. It’s art born of survival!”
Thwack!
Doyun’s palm connected with the back of the handsome newcomer’s head.
“Ow!”
The newcomer wrapped his hands around his head.
Doyun spoke with an irritated expression.
“Did you come here recruiting for some new-age cult?”
The Gym erupted.
Taesu clutched his belly and laughed.
“That’s the art of survival! Hey, what’s your name?”
The handsome newcomer rubbed the back of his head and spoke indignantly.
“Kim Jihun.”
Doyun let out a scoff.
“Kim Jihun. From today on, your nickname is Fanatic.”
“I’m sorry?”
“First disciple of the Church of Seojun.”
The newcomers burst into laughter.
Seojun stopped in front of the Heavy Bag.
His face had flushed slightly.
“Look, I’d rather you didn’t…”
Ryu Jinhyeok set down his Jump Rope and spoke.
“It suits you. High Priest.”
Seojun stiffened.
Taesu fired back immediately.
“High Priest, would you strike the Heavy Bag once more for us?”
“Show us a miracle!”
“No, please don’t…”
Seojun’s small voice was drowned out by laughter.
Doyun chuckled and clapped his hands.
“Alright, disciples, that’s enough chatter. Everyone back to Basic Footwork!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Gym stirred back to life.
People dispersed, smiling, to their places.
Seojun quietly removed his Gloves.
Ayeon stood grinning behind the counter.
Doyun still grumbled under his breath.
Ryu Jinhyeok spun his Jump Rope again.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
Seojun stood amid the commotion.
It felt strange.
But not unwelcome.

* * *
Jingle.
The Gym door opened.
An unfamiliar man entered.
Neat suit.
An AXIS Korea Access Pass hung around his neck.
Doyun’s eyes narrowed first.
“What brings you here?”
The man bowed his head briefly.
“I’m from headquarters. I have something to deliver to you, Doyun, and to you, Manager Ayeon.”
Ayeon’s expression changed.
“Let’s go to the Office.”
Doyun too wiped away his playfulness.
The three entered the inner Office.
The door closed.
Click.
Behind the soundproofed door, not a whisper escaped.
Those left outside simultaneously leaned their heads forward.
Taesu approached first.
“What’s going on? Why’s the mood so thick?”
Kim Jihun craned his neck from beside them.
“Could it be about a documentary with Seojun?”
Thwack.
Ryu Jinhyeok’s knife-hand strike landed on Kim Jihun’s back of the head.
“Keep quiet.”
“Why me, though…….”
Seojun glanced toward the office.
Ayeon’s face was too serious.
Doyun’s was the same.
This was no light matter.
A moment later.
The door opened.
An AXIS Korea employee emerged first.
He bowed again and slipped out of the Gym.
Click.
The door had barely closed before Taesu rushed over.
“What is it? What’s happened?”
The newer members of Team Jujak drifted closer.
Seojun stepped in as well.
Doyun folded his arms without a word.
Ayeon took a moment, scanning everyone’s faces.
Her expression was grave.
“Doyun’s next fight is booked.”
The Gym fell silent.
Taesu’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
Ayeon nodded.
“In two months.”
Her voice dropped.
“A Lightweight Provisional Title Match.”
Murmurs erupted immediately.
“A provisional title?”
“A championship fight?”
“But two months?”
Taesu looked stunned.
“I mean, isn’t that too tight? The opponent has to be a top ranker, and the preparation period…….”
“The champion got injured, so they scheduled it.”
Ayeon explained.
“While the belt’s vacant, they’re appointing a provisional champion. If he refuses, who knows when the next chance will come.”
Everyone looked at Doyun.
He stood motionless.
Then, slowly, he rose.
His mouth curved upward.
It was radiant.
At the same time, he looked like a beast.
“Two months?”
He rotated his neck left and right.
Crack.
“That’s perfect.”
Taesu stared blankly.
“Perfect……?”
Doyun laughed.
“My body’s been itching for a fight.”
He pulled his Gloves from the shelf.
He slipped them on.
Creak-creak.
The Hand Wraps tightened.
He walked straight toward the Heavy Bag.
Bang!
The Heavy Bag lurched violently at the first punch.
The new recruits gasped in unison.
Doyun’s eyes were ablaze.
Seojun watched him and clenched his fists.
Heat surged through his chest.
“Coach!”
Doyun stopped mid-strike and turned his head.
Seojun’s voice rang out clearly.
“You have to become Champion!”
Doyun let out a short laugh.
“Of course I will, kid.”
Ayeon spoke quietly then.
“You shouldn’t talk, Seojun—not about anyone else.”
Seojun froze.
“What?”
Every eye in the Gym turned back to Ayeon.
She held up a Tablet.
The screen displayed an official schedule.

Seojun’s breath caught.
Ayeon spoke again.
“Your Title Match is confirmed.”
The Gym fell silent as a tomb.
“Six months from now.”
Seojun went rigid where he stood.
Champion.
Lee Seongjun.
The man who had choked off his breath with a single word inside the Octagon.
His name hung before Seojun’s eyes.
Bang!
Doyun’s fist drove into the Heavy Bag again.
Bang! Bang!
The bag shuddered as though it might tear apart.
Doyun grinned fiercely, his gaze fixed on Seojun.
“Kid!”
His voice reverberated through the Gym.
“I’m not becoming Champion alone.”
Seojun’s eyes locked onto Doyun.
Doyun struck the Heavy Bag once more.
Bang!
“You’re going to earn that Belt alongside me!!”
In that instant.
Seojun’s heart began to pound wildly.
The air inside Team Jujak ignited.

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