Inside the glowing blue hues of the portal, Eun-ak found himself panting, blood dripping down his chin as his knees threatened to buckle under his own weight. In front of him stood his clone — a perfect, stronger version of himself. The aura it emitted was suffocating, dark and thick like a storm cloud. Its cold eyes locked onto Eun-ak with the intensity of a predator stalking its prey.
Eun-ak wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand and staggered forward. He threw a punch, aiming straight for the clone's face, but it moved like water. The clone tilted its head to the side with minimal effort, making Eun-ak's attack look sluggish in comparison. Before Eun-ak could recoil, a powerful fist slammed into his gut. The impact sent him flying across the rocky terrain, his body skidding across the ground until he crashed into a jagged stone wall.
"Ugh… damn it…" Eun-ak groaned, coughing violently. His vision blurred for a moment as pain surged through his chest.
"This isn't working…" he thought. In desperation, he reached for his system cards, hoping to check the clone's stats — to understand just how overwhelming this opponent was. But as soon as he activated his Middlemist Red Card, the system's message flashed in front of him.
[Error: The Middlemist Red Card cannot be used in the Training Room.]
Eun-ak's heart sank. "Of course," he muttered under his breath. The rules of the training room made this even more difficult. He was on his own.
The clone wasted no time. It dashed forward with terrifying speed, the ground cracking beneath its feet. Eun-ak barely had time to roll out of the way as a foot crashed down where he had been lying a second earlier. Dust and debris exploded into the air.
Eun-ak countered with a roundhouse kick aimed at the clone's ribs, but it caught his leg mid-air. A split second later, Eun-ak found himself hurled across the field again, slamming into the dirt. His breath left his lungs in a ragged gasp.
"This is ridiculous… Is this what I'm supposed to become?" Eun-ak clenched his fists, dragging himself to his feet once more. He could barely stand, but his will to keep going burned brighter with each passing second.
The clone cracked its neck, its expression emotionless as it slowly advanced.
Meanwhile, in the Basement...
The atmosphere in the underground parking lot was thick with tension. Park Hyun-woo adjusted the bandages on his hands, rolling his shoulders as he prepared for the fight. Across from him stood the silver-haired guy — the newest and most mysterious member of Eun-ak's group. He stood with his hands in his pockets, his posture calm and relaxed.
"Come on," Park sneered. "I hope you can at least last a minute."
But before the fight could begin, the sound of metal bats clanging against concrete echoed through the space. Five students emerged from behind the parked cars, weapons in hand. They wore the colors of Pipik High School, their expressions cocky and aggressive.
"Tsk," Park clicked his tongue. "You idiots just ruined my mood."
One of the students sneered. "Watch your mouth."
The tension escalated when another figure stepped forward from the group. He had blue-textured cropped hair, dark brown eyes, and a confident smirk plastered across his face. His build was solid — the kind of physique that screamed power.
"I'm Baek Ji-hwan, fifth ranker of Pipik High," he announced. "And we're here to take over."
Park laughed dryly. "You're just another guy who's going to kiss the floor."
Without waiting for a reply, Park charged forward. He was a kickboxer with six tournament wins under his belt — fluid, fast, and deadly. His foot slammed into Baek Ji-hwan's side with a sharp thud, but Ji-hwan barely flinched.
"My turn," Ji-hwan growled.
Park stats —
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 - 𝗦𝗦𝗦
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 - 𝗦𝗦+
𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 - 𝗦𝗦
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 - 𝗦
𝗘𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 - 𝗫
He drove his fist forward. Park barely had time to block, but the sheer force of the impact sent him sliding back several feet. His arms trembled.
"What the hell…?" Park whispered.
The stats didn't lie.
Baek Ji-hwan's Stats —
Strength: SSS+
Speed: SS+
Potential: SSS
Intelligence: D
Endurance: X+
He was a monster.
Baek Ji-hwan followed up with another barrage of punches. Park weaved and ducked, narrowly avoiding most of the hits — but when one connected, it felt like getting hit by a sledgehammer. Blood dripped from Park's lip.
On the other side, Bong and Dong, Lee Jun-ho, and Seo Do-hyun faced off against the other armed students. They moved as a coordinated unit, disarming their opponents and fighting with fierce determination. Bats clattered to the floor.
Back at the center of the fight, Park and Ji-hwan continued to exchange blows. Park launched a spinning back kick, connecting with Ji-hwan's ribs. For a moment, the larger fighter staggered. Park grinned.
"Got you," he said.
But the grin faded as Ji-hwan's eyes narrowed.
"Not even close."
Ji-hwan grabbed Park by the throat and slammed him into the ground with a deafening crash. The concrete cracked under the force. Park gasped, blood filling his mouth. Ji-hwan raised his fist for the final blow.
But then —
BAM!
A blur of silver streaked through the air. Ji-hwan staggered backward, clutching his face. He spat out blood.
"What the…?"
The silver-haired guy lowered his fist. The shockwaves of his punch still echoed through the basement. He cracked his knuckles.
"That's enough," he said calmly.
Everyone stood frozen. Even the armed students hesitated.
Ji-hwan wiped his mouth, staring at the silver-haired guy in disbelief. "You…"
"I said," the silver-haired guy repeated. "That's enough."
He didn't raise his voice, but his presence filled the room.
Park gritted his teeth, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Tch… I was about to win," he muttered.
No one said anything. The fight was over before it even began, as it looked like it. But ji-hwan wasn't going to stop.
On the other hand in portal, Eun-ak gasped for breath, barely able to lift his arms. His clone stood over him, untouched, unbothered. Blood dripped from Eun-ak's mouth, his vision hazy.
"You… won't… break me," Eun-ak whispered.
He pushed himself up again. His body screamed in pain, but he stood firm. The clone tilted its head slightly, as if acknowledging his resilience.
The fight was far from over.