Speed Faction Base
BOOM!!!
Two kicks connected. Dirt and debris scattered everywhere. Jaegyeon Na knelt on one knee and huffed for breath. Baki also seemed slightly winded.
Sung Jegal, Roy Kwon, Boknam Lee, Sebastian Kang, and Yeowool Ha watched everything in shock.
"Who is he?! How is he pushing Jaegyeon Na back?!"
Baki smiled. "This fight—let's spice it up a bit. Otherwise, it won't be fun. What do you say?"
Jaegyeon Na grinned. "You've become a monster."
Both of them vanished from their spots. Their bodies blurred as they clashed, using only their legs.
Jaegyeon Na jumped and struck Baki with a spin kick. Baki ducked and countered with a jumping roundhouse kick.
Jaegyeon Na caught Baki's leg with his palm and performed Void Overturning, redirecting the force back at Baki. Baki flew backward, flipped in midair, and landed on his feet. "Huh? What was that? A unique skill?"
Jaegyeon Na rushed at Baki and shoved him off balance, then hit him with three roundhouse kicks aimed at his face. Baki blocked the kicks with his arm, spun around, and lifted Jaegyeon Na over his head using the top of his foot. He then slammed Jaegyeon to the ground, creating a crater.
But when the debris cleared, Jaegyeon Na was missing. He appeared behind Baki and threw a roundhouse kick at the back of Baki's head. Baki turned and performed a jumping, high-aimed split kick at Jaegyeon Na's jaw.
Jaegyeon Na once again used the Void Overturning technique to redirect the force toward Baki. But Baki had learned from his mistake. He performed a handstand and hit Jaegyeon Na with a back kick.
Jaegyeon Na hadn't expected Baki to use the ground to absorb the impact and counter—the strike connected.
Baki stood straight. "Is that a unique skill you're using?"
Jaegyeon Na flipped in midair and landed on his feet. "Yeah. It's called the Void Overturning technique."
With that, Jaegyeon Na cartwheeled briefly into the air and brought his leading foot down on Baki. Baki raised his arms to block, but Jaegyeon Na slightly twisted his leg to attack from a side angle. Baki reacted in time and blocked the attack with his palm. Suddenly, Jaegyeon Na was sent flying backward. As he flipped through the air, he thought, "Void Overturning technique? No. Something's missing. What is it...? Yes! Technique mastery! But he still executed it so perfectly?"
Just as he was about to land on his feet, Baki rushed at him and performed two spinning kicks aimed at his shoulders, then a third spin kick using both feet. Jaegyeon Na crossed his arms to block, not having enough time to use Void Overturning. The sheer impact sent him crashing into a wall.
From the dirt and debris, Jaegyeon Na rushed out. He jumped with one leg while kicking with the other, then moved the kicking leg down and the jumping leg up into a kick, landing with the first kicking leg—all while spinning. It was a perfect butterfly kick. But sadly for him, none of the kicks touched Baki.
Baki struck a low roundhouse kick with his shin that hit the back of Jaegyeon Na's calf. Jaegyeon Na's feet slipped off the ground. He performed a single-handed handstand and kicked at Baki. But Baki used the Void Overturning technique to redirect the force and slammed Jaegyeon Na down with a high axe kick. The kick stopped just above Jaegyeon Na's head.
Nearby, the Speed Faction members were shocked. "Did Jaegyeon Na lose?!"
Jaegyeon Na got up and smiled. "I didn't know you could copy someone's attack. I've heard about people having that kind of talent."
Baki shook his head. "It wasn't a perfect copy. By the way, what's up with this tunnel base? Is it a hideout or something?"
Jaegyeon Na smiled. "That's a long story. But to cut it short, Incheon has been taken over."
Baki was surprised. "Did another gang do it or something?"
Jaegyeon Na shook his head. "No, it was outsiders."
Baki seemed curious. "Outsiders? From where?"
"China. They want to take over Korea—Incheon is just the start. They're called the Dark Crocodile Society. We've been resisting them from here," Jaegyeon Na said.
Baki asked, "Want help? I'd like to fight some strong guys."
Jaegyeon Na's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Baki nodded. "Why not? How big's the enemy force? Dozens or hundreds?"
Jaegyeon Na extended one finger.
Baki asked, "One hundred?"
Jaegyeon Na shook his head. "One thousand."
Baki's eyes widened in shock. "What?! With so many invaders, why didn't the South Korean authorities intervene?"
Jaegyeon Na smiled bitterly. "Politics. So, are you still in? Incheon isn't as gentle as Cheonliang, got it?"
Baki grinned and extended his hand. "You bet!"
Jaegyeon Na clasped Baki's hand. "I'll call you when the time comes. Don't forget."
Baki laughed. "Don't worry about that. I'll be going then. You'd better upgrade your base by the next time we meet. Also, did you get my bike fixed?"
Jaegyeon Na nodded. He watched as Baki was escorted out of the tunnel by Boknam Lee.
Yeowool Ha came to him and asked, "Did you lose intentionally?"
Jaegyeon Na ruffled her hair. "Kicks aren't his main attacks. He limited himself to kicks only to spar with me."
---
Convenience Store
Daniel did as Koji instructed and called his friends. Jay Hong and Zack Lee appeared, but Vasco didn't answer. He was about to try again.
"Huh? What's happening here? What are you kids doing here?" Seongji asked, confused. Then he pointed at Koji. "And you, why are you sitting on the counter?"
Daniel was shocked to see Seongji. "H-Hyung, what are you doing here?"
Seongji didn't answer. Instead, he said, "That's what I should be asking you. What are all you kids doing here?"
Daniel stuttered, "S-Sorry, hyung. We're just trying to help our friend."
Seongji asked, "Huh? What happened to your friend?"
Daniel explained the whole illegal Toto incident to Seongji. Seongji nodded. "So your friend gambled and lost all his money. Then he took out a loan against his house, finally won the money back, and now he can't withdraw it or contact the website developers?"
Daniel nodded. "Yeah. That's basically it. Now we're helping him get his money back."
Seongji Yuk shook his head in disappointment and said to Jiho Park, "Kid, you shouldn't have gotten involved in such things in the first place. If you wanted money, you could have done part-time work like little Daniel."
Jiho Park looked down in shame.
Seongji Yuk shook his head. "Okay. You guys can help him, but be cautious."