I Thought I Was Bullying a Nobody, But He's a Martial Arts Genius - Chapter 56

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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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Undefeated Fighting Genius Bullied Without Knowing It – Episode 56
A week later.
A video was uploaded to the official Axis Korea YouTube channel.
[Undefeated vs. Undefeated. Featherweight Title Match Promotion]
The video contained no ordinary CGI or sensational sound effects.
Just the white lighting of a waiting room.
Two figures standing face to face beneath it.
That was all.
Yet the tension radiating from them felt like a carefully crafted noir film itself.
[That won’t happen. It won’t.]
The Champion Lee Sung Jun—wearing an affable smile one moment, his eyes shifting in an instant to the gaze of a predator.
The raw pressure he emanated came through vividly even through the screen.
But the challenger refused to yield.
[I will absolutely take that Champion Belt from you.]
Baek Seojun, eyes blazing like a wild beast, stepped forward.
When this breathless confrontation was laid bare before the public without filter, the reaction was nothing short of explosive.
The view count easily breached several million in just half a day.
The comment section seemed ready to burst with the fervor of enthusiastic fans.
-Lee Sung Jun’s presence is insane. I swear my spirit was crushed just watching him through the screen;;-
-Look at Baek Seojun’s sheer audacity lololol He doesn’t back down even in front of the Champion. This match is guaranteed to be legendary.-
-Champion who beat Lee Woo Sung twice vs. undefeated rookie who took down Lee Woo Sung. My heart swells just thinking about it.-
At the end of the video.
Bold white text materialized against a black screen.
[Axis Korea 200th Anniversary Tournament]
The date and venue were announced, and ticketing opened immediately thereafter.
And then something unbelievable happened.
Shortly after launch, traffic surged and the booking server crashed completely.
Historically in combat sports, the Featherweight division lacked the box office draw of the heavier weight classes—it was an unpopular tier.
But this time was different.
Once the emergency repairs were complete, seats on the seating chart vanished in real time, faster and faster.
Just two days.
That was all it took for every seat in the prepared large stadium to sell out completely.
In Axis Korea’s history, it was the first time a Featherweight title bout had ever sold out this quickly.
The internet’s fever pitch ignited even the media.
Sports outlets rushed to lead with articles about the matchup.
Eventually, even the major broadcast evening news began to focus intently on the two fighters’ showdown.
Behind the anchor in formal attire on screen, a massive face-off poster of Seojun and Lee Sung Jun loomed large.
The anchor opened his mouth with a weighty tone.
[An undefeated Champion and an undefeated challenger. Two monsters finally clash in the Octagon.]
Dazzling highlights and finish sequences from both fighters’ records played across the screen in alternation.
The anchor’s narration continued.
[When this confrontation is over and one of them steps down from the Octagon, an indelible scar will be left on someone’s career.]
All of South Korea’s combat sports fans began to turn their attention to the two fighters’ match.

* * *
Team Jugjak Gymnasium.
The members gathered close, peering down at the tablet screen.
Kim Ji Hoon threw both arms up in the air and let out a cheer.
“Wow! Boss, did you see this? The video already has two million views—two million! And there are over ten thousand comments!”
He rattled off words in rapid-fire succession, unable to contain his excitement.
“I mean, a Featherweight bout selling out? That’s unreal! It even made the main story on broadcast sports news! Our boss is officially a nationwide star now!”
“Ugh, be quiet.”
Crack—!
Do Yun rapped the back of Ji Hoon’s head lightly as he was about to ramble on further.
Ji Hoon’s mouth snapped shut with a yelp, and Do Yun turned his head toward one side of the gymnasium.
Thud! Thud!
Baek Seojun stood working the Heavy Bag, punctuating each strike with a dull, meaty sound.
“Seojun!”
“Yes!”
Seojun stopped pounding the bag and came running at full speed.
Do Yun chuckled and spoke.
“All of Korea’s buzzing about you. The expectations are sky-high—you can’t let them down, can you?”
“Of course not.”
Baek Seojun’s eyes gleamed.
Do Yun’s mouth curved upward sharply.
“Good. Then it’s time to crank up the training intensity. Real sparring, starting now.”
Creak.
The Gymnasium door swung open on cue.
Broad shoulders.
A thick frame.
A man with a noticeably more muscular build than Baek Seojun, who competed at Featherweight, stepped inside.
“Ah, you made it!”
Do Yun strode forward eagerly and bumped fists with the man.
Do Yun slung an arm around the man’s shoulder in a familiar gesture, then turned to introduce him to Seojun.
“Meet Park Yeon Sung. Axis Korea’s Lightweight Division, ranked third. His base is Kickboxing. He’s your sparring partner today.”
“Hello. I’m Baek Seojun.”
Seojun bowed politely.
Park Yeon Sung accepted the greeting with a generous smile and began warming up casually.
As Seojun rewrapped his Hand Wraps, Do Yun approached and spoke in a low voice.
“Do you understand why I picked someone from a higher weight class?”
“Because of the Champion’s weight.”
“Exactly.”
Do Yun nodded and continued his explanation.
“The Champion, Lee Sung Jun—that old man’s natural weight is Lightweight. On fight day, he’ll rehydrate in the hours before, and when he steps into the Cage, he’ll outweigh you by a considerable margin.”
It wasn’t merely a matter of technique.
“The crushing power he generates inside that Cage isn’t your standard Featherweight force. So for the next month, you need to become completely accustomed to the heavy, destructive power and strength of a higher weight class.”
“Understood.”
Seojun picked up his Headgear.
Meanwhile, over in one corner of the Cage, Park Yeon Sung was loosening up with Shadow Boxing.
Whoosh! Swish!
The sound of his strikes cutting through the air was sharp.
His frame was undeniably solid and thick.
Yet the punches and kicks flowing from him were fluid and rapid, like whips.
“Wow, he’s moving that fast with all that bulk?”
“A Lightweight ranker moves on a completely different level…”
Murmurs of admiration spilled naturally from the onlookers.
Perfect movement—heavy and powerful like a higher weight class, yet possessed of genuine speed.
Seojun absorbed that overwhelming display and slowly brought the Mouthguard to his teeth.

* * *
-Beep-!
Do Yun’s short, sharp whistle.
With it, Round 1 began.
Seojun stepped forward without hesitation.
The distance closed in an instant.
Crack!
Seojun’s shoulder rotated as a sharp jab sliced through the air.
Speed and timing alike were near-perfect.
But Park Yeon Sung showed no sign of panic.
He watched the incoming fist and flicked his hand out lightly.
Seojun’s sharp trajectory slipped past with ease.
In the fraction of a second when the attack missed—a gap.
Park Yeon Sung’s body exploded forward like a spring.
He dropped low and burrowed into Seojun’s guard.
He drove his arm deep under Seojun’s exposed armpit.
A textbook Underhook.
Without hesitation, he locked down Seojun’s upper body and forced him into a Clinch.
“Ugh…!”
A sharp gasp tore from Seojun’s throat.
He had to create distance, no matter what.
Baek Seojun squeezed every ounce of strength into both arms to push back.
He planted his feet firmly and braced himself with everything he had.
But Park Yeon Sung stood rooted to the Octagon floor like a massive boulder, unmoved.
It felt as though he were being crushed beneath a colossal wall of stone.
This wasn’t a matter of technique alone.
It was pure brute strength.
It was the overwhelming mass and weight that came with the higher weight class.
Baek Seojun’s breath caught as he was driven brutally backward into the Steel Cage.
On the day of the match.
Champion Lee Sung Jun would step into the Cage carrying every ounce of water weight.
Now Baek Seojun was experiencing firsthand the terrifying physical presence that old monster possessed.
Every fiber of his body screamed as he was crushed, and he felt it down to his bones.
“That’s it!”
With Do Yun’s shout, the first Round ended.
“Haah……! Hah……!”
Baek Seojun braced himself on his knees, breathing in harsh, ragged gasps.
Just one Round. Five minutes.
Yet his energy expenditure was more than twice what it normally was.
His lungs felt as if they were burning away.
He’d burned through too much strength in the Clinch exchanges, and every muscle in his body screamed in protest.
But on the opposite corner, Park Yeon Sung was a different story.
He strolled casually through the center of the Octagon, rolling his shoulders loose.
Only a few beads of sweat dotted his forehead; his breathing remained steady and unruffled.
Do Yun stood outside the Steel Cage with his arms crossed, letting out an amused laugh.
“How’s it feel? Like you’re dying, yeah?”
Instead of answering, Baek Seojun swallowed hard through his Mouthguard, his mouth dry.
Do Yun’s voice cut through, cold and unsparing.
“Take a good look. That’s what Lee Sung Jun will look like when you face him on match day.”
Baek Seojun’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
“This isn’t the end. For the next month, you’re going to grind through suffocating Sparring sessions with higher weight class monsters like this every single day. You think you can handle it?”
It was a deliberate taunt, meant to shake his resolve.
The intention was to make him feel despair before the overwhelming wall of the higher weight class.
This was the kind of moment where a fighter would normally crumble under the weight of his own limits.
But.
“Hoooo…….”
Baek Seojun closed his eyes and drew in a long, deep breath.
Then he lifted his hands from his knees.
His upper body snapped upright, and his eyes blazed open.
Not a trace of fatigue remained.
Instead, a sharp fighting spirit burned in his gaze like a starving beast’s glint.
“Let’s go!”
Baek Seojun clapped his Gloved fists together sharply—bang!—with fierce energy.
“Round 2, right now!”
His cry was bold and reckless, with no thought for pacing his energy.
A flicker of astonishment crossed Do Yun’s face for just a moment.
But then a satisfied smile broke across his lips.
“Crazy bastard. I like it.”
Do Yun raised the whistle to his lips again.
“Round 2 starts now!”
-Pweeet-!
Round 2 began immediately, with no rest period.
Park Yeon Sung’s eyes had shifted noticeably as well.
The fierce determination that refused to yield despite his body’s exhaustion.
It had struck a nerve with Park Yeon Sung’s pride as a higher weight class ranker and his competitive spirit.
‘Arrogant little bastard. This round, I’ll flatten you out cold.’
Park Yeon Sung pressed his Gloves tight against his chin and began to advance, methodically closing the distance.
Tap!
Baek Seojun exploded off the canvas again.
The exact same timing as the start of Round 1.
The identical footwork pattern.
And it was a sharp jab extending along the exact same trajectory.
Park Yeon Sung’s lips twisted upward.
‘Predictable.’
He reached out his left hand lightly to deflect Baek Seojun’s arc, just as he had in the first round.
At the same time, he shifted his weight forward to dig under Baek Seojun’s armpit.
But.
Whoosh—!
Park Yeon Sung’s hand cut uselessly through empty air.
His fist found nothing.
Baek Seojun’s jab had been a feint that never fully extended.
“……!”
Park Yeon Sung’s pupils dilated with shock.
Baek Seojun’s body twisted with uncanny speed.
He withdrew the hollow jab and unleashed tremendous rotational power from his lower body in the same instant.
Crack—!!
Baek Seojun’s devastating Low Kick lashed brutally across Park Yeon Sung’s front leg.
A perfectly timed ambush, catching him completely off-guard.
Park Yeon Sung’s center of gravity, already shifted forward, collapsed entirely from the foundation up.
“Ugh!”
Park Yeon Sung stumbled badly, his lower body giving way.
A critical crack had just opened in the wall of the higher weight class.
Baek Seojun did not waste that brief opening.
He drove hard off the mat and launched upward like a spring.
An explosive weight transfer flowing from his hips through his core, across his shoulders to his fist.
Baek Seojun’s sharp Right Straight shot out like a cannonball.
Boom—!!
A chillingly dull impact echoed through the entire Gymnasium.
The fist sank directly into Park Yeon Sung’s face beneath the Headgear—straight into the vital point.
A perfect Counter strike.
Park Yeon Sung’s sturdy frame could not absorb the impact; his upper body snapped backward pitifully.
His pupils flooded white with shock.
‘He’s adapted this quickly?’
In just one round, the boy was already adapting to his movements.
This degree of adaptation was something he’d never witnessed before.
“Continuing!!”
Baek Seojun began unleashing a barrage of strikes at the dazed Park Yeon Sung.
Whether his opponent was from a higher weight class or ranked above him, Baek Seojun did not care.
‘All I have to do is knock him down!’
Baek Seojun’s training to topple the Champion pressed on.

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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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