KABOOM!
The ground exploded. A single stomp caused an earthquake throughout the entire nameless mountain. Remarkably, this huge tremor resulted from pure physical strength, with no trace of inner qi.
"Keuk...!" Geo Sangwoong groaned, staggering.
Two massive bodies collided like boulders. The two boys fell in a tangled heap, groaning.
By the time he steadied himself, Number Four was already standing right in front of him.
Is this really possible without inner arts? he thought, but he had no time to process the shock.
A fist filled his vision, too close to dodge. He crossed his arms to block.
CRASH!
"Keoheok!"
His muscular arms had always been a reliable shield, but not this time. Number Four's fist launched his massive body, weighing well over 120 kilograms, hurtling through the air.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
"At first, I was pissed off. I wondered why you were pushing us like you wanted to kill us. But now, I'm starting to get it."
Seeing Geo Sangwoong crash through several trees, Ya Suhyeok sprang into action, targeting Number Four's exposed back. Erasing his presence like a predator on the hunt, he lunged forward.
Geo Sangwoong and Ya Suhyeok bellowed as they charged forward again.
I'll use my full power right from the start!
Every muscle in his body writhed as he told himself he had to fight this opponent the same way he would face off against Baek Suryong. That meant holding nothing back.
WHOOSH!
His leg, as thick as a log, whipped toward Number Four's neck with enough force to dent thick iron plates.
THUD!
Number Four caught the kick that even Baek Suryong would have dodged or deflected with one hand.
Dirt covered the boys' half-naked bodies, but they staggered to their feet and clenched their fists anyway, their eyes burning with stubborn resolve.
"Crazy..." Ya Suhyeok groaned. He had already planned his next three moves, but this outcome hadn't been in any of them.
The curse barely left his lips before Number Four swung him sideways like a club right at Geo Sangwoong, who had just recovered and was charging back in.
Dirt covered the boys' half-naked bodies, but they staggered to their feet and clenched their fists anyway, their eyes burning with stubborn resolve.
SLAM!
"Keoheok!" Ya Suhyeok doubled over and dropped to his knees, hacking up blood.
Two massive bodies collided like boulders. The two boys fell in a tangled heap, groaning.
"Kkeueuk...!"
"Damn it! Again!"
Geo Sangwoong stared at Number Four in disbelief, while Ya Suhyeok ground his teeth in frustration. They knew from the beginning that they couldn't win. They just hadn't expected it to be this one-sided.
"......" Number Four approached them as they struggled to get up. His gaze was cold. Indifferent.
Dirt covered the boys' half-naked bodies, but they staggered to their feet and clenched their fists anyway, their eyes burning with stubborn resolve.
"...Please, let's go again!"
"Senior Brother Meatbun! You'd better be ready this time!"
Geo Sangwoong and Ya Suhyeok bellowed as they charged forward again.
They knew from the beginning that they couldn't win. They just hadn't expected it to be this one-sided.
Number Four nodded, deciding to ramp up the pressure. His figure blurred, reappearing suddenly in front of Ya Suhyeok.
Reaching out, he pressed down on Geo Sangwoong's shoulders with both hands. Surprisingly, the larger giant succumbed to the force without so much as a moment's resistance.
"Keuheoeong!" Ya Suhyeok roared like a tiger as his fist shot forward, his bronze muscles rippling explosively. Mid-strike, he bent his fingers into talons, switching from fist to claw technique. His fingers ripped through the air, aiming for Number Four's throat.
Number Four responded with a claw technique of his own. Each time their fingers clashed, Ya Suhyeok's grimace deepened. After just a few exchanges, he felt his bones screaming in protest.
CRACK!
Number Four met their venomous gazes and nodded approvingly.
Number Four bent his fingers backward. Ya Suhyeok bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
Number Four was impressed that he didn't scream, but he had never learned to give praise during training. Rather, he drove his fist into Ya Suhyeok's abdomen, capitalizing on the opening.
"Keoheok!" Ya Suhyeok doubled over and dropped to his knees, hacking up blood.
Number Four turned away apathetically. Geo Sangwoong was lunging at him from behind.
"Uwoooo!"
The ground shook violently, as if an enraged bear was charging through the forest. Geo Sangwoong executed a shoulder tackle that used his full body weight. The move was simple, yet devastating.
Number Four didn't dodge. He spread his feet and tensed his thighs. His muscles swelled. Standing firm like a thousand-year-old tree, he extended both hands to stop the charge.
KRRCRACK!
Geo Sangwoong flinched from the overwhelming aura, but he was half a head taller than Number Four. They weren't in the same weight class. He possessed herculean strength that few in the world could match. Even Ya Suhyeok had never beaten him in a contest of pure strength.
His pride was shattered in an instant.
"Mr. Baek said it was too early for us to learn this, and I finally understand why. Copying you is incredibly difficult, Senior Brother."
"Kkeueuk...!"
Number Four regarded Geo Sangwoong coolly, scrutinizing the massive martial artist's desperate attempts to push him back even an inch.
Reaching out, he pressed down on Geo Sangwoong's shoulders with both hands. Surprisingly, the larger giant succumbed to the force without so much as a moment's resistance.
KABOOM!
This feeling was even more profound because every time he tried to teach the Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest in the Blood Cult, he had failed miserably.
Geo Sangwoong slammed into the ground, stirring up a giant cloud of dust. He was normally fastidious about cleanliness, but right now, he didn't care about the filth. He pushed himself halfway up and muttered in a daze, "No way..."
"Senior! Snap out of it!" Ya Suhyeok exclaimed, running over and helping him up.
He was normally fastidious about cleanliness, but right now, he didn't care about the filth. He pushed himself halfway up and muttered in a daze, "No way.
"......" Number Four didn't attack, judging the boys needed a moment to catch their breaths.
Now, however, Number Four was toying with them like children—making them collide, break, fall, and crumble.
Students at Azure Dragon Academy gave Geo Sangwoong and Ya Suhyeok the nickname 'Monochrome Bears' because of their overwhelming strength and superior physical abilities. Besides each other, they had no rivals in physical prowess.
Now, however, Number Four was toying with them like children—making them collide, break, fall, and crumble. None of their martial prowess or experience in life-or-death battles against strong enemies mattered.
His pride was shattered in an instant.
"One more time..."
"Am I doing it right?" Geo Sangwoong asked, taking the same stance as Ya Suhyeok.
"We ask for another round!"
The curse barely left his lips before Number Four swung him sideways like a club right at Geo Sangwoong, who had just recovered and was charging back in.
They charged again and again, but the outcome never changed. Overwhelming, brutal defeat. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't even make Number Four frown.
His face remained expressionless as he continued pushing them.
Time passed. Their expressions twisted in pain. Their screams echoed more frequently, the agony unbearable.
The training was horrific. Baek Suryong's harshest training session paled in comparison. The merciless barrage felt less like instruction and more like a one-sided beating. Number Four pushed them relentlessly, not allowing them a moment to recoup.
They quickly reached their limits.