The straight punch.
It is a basic movement.
That thought has not changed even now.
But to defeat Gu Myeong-jun, a talent recognized worldwide, with that very basic move…
When Lee Seo-jun first learned of this, he had to be discouraged.
How could he possibly defeat Gu Myeong-jun by learning nothing but a straight punch?
However, the moment he saw that thrust, that movement, he had no choice but to change his mind.
He had no choice because…
The Flawless Thrust
What Kim Si-won showed him.
It was precisely a flawless thrust.
A movement that could only emerge after practicing the straight punch tens, hundreds, thousands, no, an infinite number of times. No, it was such a perfect motion that one doubted if they could ever replicate it even with immense time and effort.
The moment he saw the movement demonstrated without a single word, his body trembled as if struck by lightning.
Because his will, his very body, told him that it was the perfect straight punch.
‘What you must learn is this movement. If you perfect its form within a week, the spar will be your victory. However, if you fail to perfect the form….’
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. It was understood.
The only way for him, for Lee Seo-jun, to defeat Gu Myeong-jun was to mimic, even if poorly, the flawless thrust.
But was that possible?
Lee Seo-jun was doubtful.
To mimic, however poorly, a flawless thrust that he couldn’t even dare to claim he could copy, in just one week?
At first, he thought it was impossible.
Of course, that didn’t mean he harbored thoughts of giving up.
That Kim Si-won, a top-tier Awakener in the world, was willingly taking time out for him.
Regardless of the motive, he was sincerely grateful, so he poured his utmost effort into training for a week.
And the fact he discovered…
Kim Si-won was indeed a top-tier Awakener of the world.
And…
‘I… I had talent after all!’
It was his own talent.
Honestly, he had thought, just as Gu Myeong-jun and the Academy teachers had said, that he had no talent.
Tsk.
The only Trait he awakened was a sturdy body.
While suitable for training, it was useless for any ability other than physical conditioning. What use was a sturdy body in the face of powers that could level mountains with a snap of a finger?
But that was a mistaken thought.
The flawless thrust.
His was the only body capable of performing that perfect motion.
It wasn’t just sturdy; it was a heaven-sent martial bone capable of perfectly mimicking any physical movement.
Knowing this, Kim Si-won had willingly used his Super Pass on him.
And knowing this, he had proposed this wager.
His Insight Eye had instantly discerned the pearl in the mud, that talent, which no one else could see.
Just one week.
A time everyone would consider short.
But Lee Seo-jun, who possessed the seemingly useless Trait of a ‘sturdy body,’ achieved a remarkable transformation.
Astonishingly, he succeeded in mimicking the weighty Karma of the martial arts, accumulated over a thousand years.
He watches.
No, he senses.
Gu Myeong-jun, whose body, Trait, and will have all reached their peak, is approaching.
Watch?
Actually, he cannot see.
With Lee Seo-jun’s current eyesight, it’s impossible to grasp Gu Myeong-jun’s movements.
So he does not watch.
That wasn’t his own will.
‘Trying to see what cannot be seen leads to delusion. Focus on what you can do. Pour your utmost, your full strength into it.’
That was the only thing Kim Si-won taught him over the week.
Could that even be called teaching?
After showing the flawless thrust just once and delivering those words, he hadn’t shown himself for the entire week.
Thus, Lee Seo-jun plunged into grueling practice to mimic that movement and finally achieved a satisfactory result.
And now…
Swish.
He executes that movement.
‘Legs, firmly planted.’
As if taking root in the earth, both legs solidly support the ground.
‘Upper body, freely.’
Unlike the stiffly braced legs, the upper body is kept loose.
Not so much free, but comfortable enough to assume any posture at any time without awkwardness.
‘Arms, fixed.’
The fixed arms do not move.
The left arm extends forward, while the right arm, which will follow, is pulled extremely far back.
The preparatory stance for a straight punch.
By the time he reached that stance, Gu Myeong-jun was already…
“Too slow!”
Right before him.
The distance closed merely while assuming a preparatory stance.
It was a sight as if time and space were distorted.
Surprisingly, Gu Myeong-jun’s movement was a sword draw.
A single step that narrowed space-time—an astonishing supernatural ability.
Warrior and sword.
The ultimate technique Gu Myeong-jun, armed with the strongest synergistic Traits, obtained through relentless training.
“Whoa!”
“Wow!”
Even the surrounding instructors couldn’t help but exclaim at the incredible movement.
These instructors were first and second-year graduates.
Powerhouses recognized worldwide were marveling at Gu Myeong-jun’s move.
‘He’s strong.’
And Lee Seo-jun agreed.
Even though he couldn’t see it, he could feel it.
The true intent contained within this attack, within that sword draw.
Although he was a villain who tormented him, his skill was undeniable.
He once envied that talent.
‘But not anymore.’
Not anymore.
Over the week, he had changed.
Crack.
He clenches his fist so tightly that blood threatens to seep from it.
And then…
Swoosh.
Like flowing water, he thrusts the tightly clenched fist of the arm held back.
“Ah!”
A sigh of regret.
It was only natural.
Gu Myeong-jun’s sword, its drawing speed, was much faster.
It was only natural, as Lee Seo-jun realized his approach belatedly and then swung.
But he does not waver.
Even though the bastard’s blade is coming right before his eyes, aiming for his forehead, he simply does what he must.
The desperate struggle to approach the very movement Kim Si-won demonstrated a week ago.
Swish.
The motion traced by his arm.
It is no different from Kim Si-won’s movement.
Of course, it had to be.
The flawless thrust was, by definition, a movement without flaw, truly perfect.
Mimicking it identically without a single deviation.
That was the utmost of Lee Seo-jun’s current ability.
And the next moment…
Shhk!
A hand reached out, as if to envelop one fist and one sword.
*
Before they knew it, Kim Si-won and Leon had arrived.
The two stood between Lee Seo-jun and Gu Myeong-jun, blocking them…
“The winner is…”
The voice emerging from Leon’s lips.
“…Lee Seo-jun.”
And he announced the winner.
‘Ah!’
In that moment, Lee Seo-jun realized.
That he had succeeded in the flawless thrust.
That he had performed a straight punch more perfect than even during practice.
*
“…Impressive!”
Although I regained my personality, I had lived for over 500 years without emotions.
Therefore, to others, I likely appear as an extremely cold and emotionally restrained person.
And that is also true.
I am rarely shaken.
I probably wouldn’t be surprised even if Earth were to perish.
But now, at this moment, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
‘He’s not just a martial bone. He is truly a heaven-sent martial bone.’
Lee Seo-jun.
I recognized his talent early on.
But I cannot claim to have perfectly grasped it.
I thought it was a tremendous talent, but I never imagined that…
‘He perfectly completed the form.’
I never dreamed he would perfectly mimic the flawless thrust.
It’s only natural. To hone and realize this flawless thrust, it took me a full thousand years.
Of course, I had no talent.
But that period without talent didn’t last long.
After accumulating countless experiences and Karma, I broke through the concept of talent.
A realm not limited by talent.
After realizing that, I often displayed feats that couldn’t be called genius or talent.
That movement took me a full thousand years.
Although he couldn’t unleash the will, energy, and various elements contained within, merely perfecting the form is something worthy of being called a miracle.
If that isn’t a heaven-sent talent, then what is?
“Why!”
And a voice broke my reverie.
“Why? How is he the winner and not me?”
Gu Myeong-jun, refusing to accept the outcome.
“…”
I look at him quietly.
And then after a moment.
“You should know, shouldn’t you?”
He… knows.
He has to.
Before his sword could connect, Lee Seo-jun’s fist, drawn belatedly, had already reached his forehead.
The flawless thrust exists solely to produce the result of striking the enemy.
It even encroached upon the realm of fate, so if left alone, Gu Myeong-jun’s life would have been in danger.
He himself should know that best.
But he does not concede.
That is…
“This is strange.”
“Indeed. From what I saw, clearly…”
“Shh!”
The instructors were the same.
Tsk!
I couldn’t help but be deeply disappointed in those who were lost in doubt.
Although I didn’t teach them directly, they were, after all, graduates of the Siwon School, an academy bearing my name.
Thus, I resolved that after this spar, I would educate them to a usable level somehow.
“Is it that you don’t want to admit it?”
I asked Gu Myeong-jun.
“That’s what I want to say. Are you so unwilling to admit it? Enough to abandon a talent like me for such a dunce?”
He is saying it.
That the match was manipulated to recruit Lee Seo-jun.
Perhaps that is…
‘It’s not that he doesn’t want to admit it; he genuinely believes that.’
He is sincere.
He is so aggrieved that veins are bulging on his neck.
“…I see.”
His pride is preventing him from recognizing reality.
Then, I need to inform him.
“Look at your forehead.”
“My forehead? What about my…”
But before he could finish.
“Huh?!”
“My god!”
“When did that happen?”
The astonished instructors.
Their eyes wide, they were staring at Gu Myeong-jun in shock.
Reacting to their surprise, Gu Myeong-jun, who brought his hand to his forehead, similarly opened his eyes wide.
“Huh, when?!”
On his forehead…
Drip… drip…
Bright red blood was trickling out.
It was inevitable.
The flawless thrust Lee Seo-jun manifested is a movement that creates only the result of a strike, predetermining that result like fate.
If Leon and I hadn’t intervened, it would have ultimately produced that result.
But because we intervened at the critical moment, it ended as a mere scratch that slightly pierced his forehead.
“If it weren’t for the Master and me, your head would have been pierced. And yet, you still refuse to accept this outcome?”
Finally, Gu Myeong-jun recognized the fact, the reality.
He knew, but his haughty pride prevented him from uttering it.
“No. This… it must be manipulation…”
His refusal to admit it until the end.
Right.
That’s why I chose Lee Seo-jun over him.
Because talent, character, everything about him was disqualifying.
Because he pursued only visible talent, he cannot receive my teaching.
“The match is over.”
But whether he admits it or not doesn’t matter.
The winner of this match was Lee Seo-jun, and that will not change.
“Oh!”
“As expected of the talent chosen by Sir Si-won?”
“Indeed. We still have a long way to go.”
Cheers for the winner.
The loser has no choice but to leave the stage forlornly.
The stark contrast between winner and loser.
And Gu Myeong-jun, who was once the winner, now had no choice but to descend from the center of the stage as the loser.
The shots from the reception are really well captured. How did you manage the lighting in such a busy space?