Whoosh!
After a careful probing phase, a left jab extending its reach ca flying.
Thud!
I lightly evaded the attack with a duck, then delivered a lead hook counter with perfect timing.
But.
'Oh?'
As if he had been waiting for this mont, Geon-woo tensed his trapezius muscles to withstand the attack, then attempted to grab and twist my arm.
'Trying to subdue
right after being hit?'
The intention was good.
But since I had thrown the hook without putting much weight behind it, retrieving it wasn't difficult, and.
No matter how first-class a judoka's hand speed might be, he couldn't match my speed of seeing first and then responding.
Thwack!
I executed a calf kick directly striking the muscle in his shin, contorting Geon-woo's expression.
"Ugh!"
Nevertheless, as Geon-woo charged forward again, I strongly deflected his hands and then consecutively landed a short uppercut, rear straight, lead hook, and a surprising high kick while retreating, completely breaking his montum of pursuit.
"Urgh."
The high kick, being too large and high-risk, was like a haymaker in terms of punches.
But for that very reason, if landed through proper setup and mind gas, it was an attack that could bring down an opponent with a single strike.
Thanks to this, even though the kick didn't land cleanly, Geon-woo barely managed to get up and avoid a knockdown after nearly being driven to his knees.
"They're really landing. Was my durability always this weak?"
"That's not it. You're impressive for still standing after taking this many clean hits."
"Sigh. You really are a frightening guy."
'Neither the difference in strength nor speed matters.'
My favorite saying is that accuracy beats power and timing beats speed.
'That's precisely what defines a fight between veteran fighters.'
In other words.
'Skill conquers specs.'
Whether it's a slugger like Geon-woo or a speed star like Kim Ho-su, anyone can be brought down by feeding them counters based on accurate guards and evasions with precise timing.
Bwack!
With his middle guard weakened by continuous low kicks, I strongly struck Geon-woo's solar plexus with a front kick.
"Hng!"
Geon-woo's breathing montarily stopped.
In that opening, I closed the distance and planted a feinting motion as if extending a jab, then as he reflexively countered with a right straight, I spun around to evade it and delivered a back spin blow.
Thud!
'That landed well.'
Seeing his guard rising back up, I threw a middle roundhouse kick with my left foot targeting his liver area.
Bwack!
"Urgh."
As the damage accumulated, even Geon-woo's solid durability was beginning to show its limits.
'Even light rain will thoroughly soak you if you stand in it long enough.'
Therefore.
"Kaaah!"
Knowing that he had no answer as the fight dragged on, Geon-woo chose to launch another big attack, aiming for a one-hit reversal.
'A right straight thrown without setup. Too big and monotonous.'
Like the heavyweight grappler with insufficient striking fundantals that he was. I deflected his big and powerful but too telegraphed haymaker hook with a lead long guard.
Then, after deflecting his grabbing hand with my rear hand.
I grabbed the back of Geon-woo's neck with my lead hand and drove a lightning-fast flying knee kick into his face.
Bwack!
"Ugh!"
But the gorilla's characteristically thick bone structure protected his brain even from the knee kick.
'Let's see if you can withstand this too.'
Riding this montum, I sacrificed compactness and speed to throw a full-power overhand hook, once again rattling Geon-woo's brain.
Thud!
After having his brain violently shaken twice, even his size couldn't help.
Thump!
As Geon-woo's legs gave way and he collapsed, I backed away without following up with additional strikes.
"Whew."
Having declared that I would end the fight with a throw.
I had no intention of finishing it with strikes.
'Of course, if we went grappling versus grappling, my defeat would be as clear as day.'
Forcing an opponent into an unfavorable fight.
That's the basic and essence of mixed martial arts.
"Why don't you finish it?"
Geon-woo glared at
as if feeling humiliated.
"I just didn't feel the need to enter an uncertain grappling situation."
I answered with a shrug.
"Sigh."
Geon-woo rose to his feet again.
'He's thoroughly wary of strikes.'
I thought as I observed Geon-woo's posture tightening his guard.
'That ans any thought of grappling has completely vanished from his mind.'
This was the mont when the striking advantage I had been building up all this ti would shine, and.
"Hmph!"
I imdiately caught Geon-woo off guard by attempting a single leg takedown.
"!"
The surprised Geon-woo quickly lowered his stance to prepare for the tackle, and.
Swoosh!
I slamd on the brakes by planting my left foot, then landed a short uppercut that lifted Geon-woo's chin as he ducked his head.
"Ugh!"
Then I imdiately circled to his back and hooked his outer leg.
"Not a chance!"
Confident that he could withstand it with strength even in an unstable situation, Geon-woo leaned his weight forward to block my attempt, and.
'I had anticipated that reaction too.'
With Geon-woo's weight shifted to one side making him unstable, I smoothly hooked his supporting leg again and bounced my waist, successfully executing my ultimate throw.
'Take this!'
Though I couldn't achieve a posture with enough centrifugal force, the explosive power generated using my waist and lower body strength created enough destructive force to crack the asphalt floor, and.
Crash!
With a thunderous sound, Geon-woo expelled all the air from his lungs.
"Kahaak!"
Another knockdown.
"Hah... hah..."
After suffering multiple knockdowns and accumulated damage enough to make groundwork pounding or submission unnecessary.
Geon-woo's transformation wore off, and he returned to his original form as he fell into a groggy state.
"I lost. A complete defeat."
He acknowledged his defeat in a frustrated voice.
[You have won a 1-on-1 fight against Cadet Kang Geon-woo!]
[Achievent points 100 rewarded!]
'Not bad.'
"It was a good fight."
I glanced at Geon-woo's fading form as the connection terminated and turned my head.
Hong In-hyeon, who had just blown away the tenaciously resisting Ahn Jun-tae with a Wind Cannon fired at ultra-close range, bared his teeth as he looked in my direction.
"Now it's ti for a round with , right?"
??????°??☆????°??????
"Impressive, Jeong Su-hyeon. In many ways."
Kim Cheol-han said to Su-hyeon, who had secured victory in the team match by defeating Hong In-hyeon in an aerial battle using Mana Shields.
"I apologize for unilaterally changing the rules."
"Hmm, though it wasn't the process I expected, unfortunately, this isn't a class where I can deduct points for your actions."
Kim Cheol-han indirectly expressed that he wouldn't make an issue of it.
'Besides, I already accepted the penalty of fighting without a sword.'
Su-hyeon laughed inwardly.
Above all, if it had remained a 2-vs-2, Su-hyeon would have been at a much greater disadvantage against those two's coordination.
The fact that he used the opponent's psychology to guide them toward rules favorable to himself and ultimately won.
'That too is sothing to be praised.'
Kim Cheol-han thought.
'Jeong Su-hyeon's fighting style is evolving in an increasingly unique direction.'
Today, Su-hyeon maintained composure throughout and won against Kang Geon-woo, who was undoubtedly among the top-level barehanded fighters among the cadets with his weight class, strength, and technique.
He also won in characteristic combat against Hong In-hyeon, who possessed the excellent characteristic of wind and sensible utilization thods.
Cases like Su-hyeon, who could handle both weapons and barehanded combat so proficiently, were rare even among active-duty personnel.
'It ans he can demonstrate his abilities in any battlefield. And he doesn't easily fall victim to disadvantageous matchups.'
Moreover, he had reportedly shown fighting that utilized kicks and his left hand even while wielding a sword.
'The Unlimited characteristic. I thought its blooming would take a long-term view of three years... I didn't expect him to stand out this much in just one month.'
Kim Cheol-han, recalling Instructor Lee Ho-seung's face these days blooming with smiles, sighed with regret.
'Well, it seems going that way was the better choice.'
"Su-hyeon, good work."
Lee Yu-jin approached Su-hyeon and said.
"You did very well today too."
"Yeah. Thanks to you, Su-hyeon."
"You did well yourself."
Seeing the heartwarming scene between sparring mates, Kwon Seung-yeon bumped fists with enthusiasm.
"Alright, then next ti I'll be the one to demonstrate the excellence of the Su-hyeon School!"
"What Su-hyeon School?"
"Hehehe, just you watch!"
Seung-yeon made a flexing gesture and showed a reliable expression.
'She's a bit silly.'
Su-hyeon was a man who knew well which words should not be said aloud.
anwhile, the subsequent matches between Seo Jun-seong's team with Jang Seong-min and Choi Min-ah's team with Park Chang-jun proceeded as orthodox 2-vs-2 confrontations.
Park Chang-jun with his Mana Tank characteristic, and Choi Min-ah with her rare "mage" individuality.
The two of them concentrated their attacks on Seo Jun-seong by firing off various attack spells with overwhelming volu, but even with their combined power, they couldn't break through his psychokinesis.
"Wow, Seo Jun-seong is really broken, just broken."
"I know, right."
The watching cadets stuck out their tongues.
"Actually, those two don't really have good synergy."
Su-hyeon said.
As he pointed out.
Choi Min-ah tried to create openings for Seo Jun-seong using various spells like illusions and fog, but her synergy with Park Chang-jun, who hadn't evolved beyond tactics focused on firepower using basic magic, wasn't great.
And the result was as good as decided.
"Match over!"
Seo Jun-seong first easily retired Park Chang-jun by returning his energy shots, then subdued even Choi Min-ah with overwhelming psychokinetic output.
"Seong-min's just coasting."
"It's because Jun-seong is too strong."
In the following match, the situation eventually narrowed down to a 1-on-1 between Kwon Seung-yeon and Han So-yul after a chaotic battle, and.
Seung-yeon, who had been struggling against the formidable leg strength and dazzling kick patterns of the Were-gazelle Han So-yul, executed a submission after a montary kick catch, twisting her ankle to achieve a narrow victory.
With the completion of the final matchup, the long afternoon class concluded.
"That's it for today's class! Everyone worked hard."
"Thank you!"
"Based on today's experience, perform well in the evaluation. That is all."
??????°??☆????°??????
"Uuugh."
Kwon Seung-yeon poked Hwang Ji-su's side as she groaned.
"Co on, just try talking to him!"
"It hurts my pride."
"Oh please, as if you don't have plenty of pride to spare."
"I do have plenty."
"So should I go alone?"
"No. Just a mont."
"Geez, she's acting like a little kid."
When Seung-yeon grumbled, Ji-su wrinkled her lips.
"...And I was always snippy to him."
"So you do know."
"It's embarrassing to ask for help after that."
"But it's not like you're only that way with Su-hyeon."
"What's that supposed to an? You're making
sound like a weird person."
"No, it's just that your tone and coldness are kind of your thing."
"Hmph."
Ji-su, with her arms crossed, let out a faint sigh.
"I wondered why Yu-jin was so intent on sparring with Jeong Su-hyeon."
"There was a reason for it all?"
Seung-yeon, who herself was gaining enhanced performance capabilities and muscles through training with Su-hyeon, smiled brightly.
"Yu-jin has changed a lot since middle school."
"Yeah. I didn't expect to get baited by her psychological tactics."
Ji-su clenched her fist as she recalled the unexpected defeat.
"Right. This is no ti to be picky. We should do whatever we can."
"Hmm?"
Su-hyeon, who had co to the appointed place for training with Seung-yeon, blinked in surprise at Ji-su's unexpected presence.
"...What's going on?"
"Hahaha. Well, you see..."
Seung-yeon scratched the back of her neck and passed the baton to Ji-su.
Poke, poke.
Prodded by an elbow in her side, Ji-su bit her lip and stepped forward.
"Um."
"?"
"Could I also ask you for sparring sessions?"
"...!"
A request from the mouth of Hwang Ji-su?
"What's with that expression? Did I say sothing offensive?"
When Ji-su's eyes narrowed into triangles, Su-hyeon shook his head.
"...No."
Rather than sothing offensive, it was more like hearing sothing he rarely ever heard.
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