Training

Charles Kettering, head of research at General Motors, once said, "A problem well stated is a problem half solved."

In other words, if you can clearly define what's wrong, you're already on your way to fixing it. The issue was, I had more problems than I could count. If I sat down and wrote them all out, I'd probably need a whole notebook just to get started.

So I started with the first problem, my next major fight story wise.

Kang Sehun.

Borame's so-called Granite.

I wasn't gonna pretend I remembered everything about him but I knew his deal. The guy was built like a tank. Something about shedding all that fat and turning it into muscle had made the dude's body hard as fuck. Strong too. Essentially he just outperformed me in every way physically, much like Manchun, just a lot more.

I needed a way to crack that stone.

Brass knuckles helped against Manchun, but I couldn't rely on them forever. If I wanted to stand a chance against guys like Sehun I needed better options. Stronger attacks. More impact.

The Maximum Capacity card came to mind. It let me increase my weight by 220 pounds for five seconds. If I timed it right, I could use that weight shift to add serious force to my strikes. Maybe even land a finishing blow.

I remembered how Dowan had managed to proc a critical hit and then proceeded to attack his nose when he was down, winning the fight by making him yield.

If I launched a maximum capacity straight at a vital body part while he's distracted… surely I could do the same.

I tapped the pen against my lip as I pondered. The fact was that as of now, my straight was too weak. So was my jab. They needed further grinding but the only way their skill level increased was if I used it on a person, the level increasing faster depending on the strength of the person.

A snicker escaped me as I imagined going up to Eunsung and asking if I could punch him. Yeah that wasn't going to happen. Yesterday I'd managed to beat up another bully during school with the Jab card, just a regular guy so I'd only managed to get it up to rank D. It was already pretty strong, if I jabbed the chin of a regular guy they'd go down for the count.

It's just that the people I was going to fight were far from regular.

If only I had the Copy Cloud, the card that just copied and pasted a person. Hell, even if I had the Peek at you card, everything would be easier. I'd be able to compare myself to others much more accurately. Though that one only showed letter rankings, not exact numbers.

I wondered what someone like Eunsung's stats would look like.

Probably too high for me to even see at this point.

I sighed and refocused, writing down my first objective.

But yes, Solution to problem 1…

I wrote.

Upgrade skills and upgrade stats.

Not much of a solution, really. More of an ongoing goal. But it was what it was.

Before I could dwell on it further, a soft chime rang in my ears. My vision blurred for a split second as a translucent blue screen popped up in front of me.

New Level up Quest!

Defeat up to 100 delinquents in Boramae. [0/100]

Time Limit: 10 hours.

Reward: Platinum card, Gold card, up to 20 Lesser Level up Cards

I blinked.

Then I grinned.

This was it. This was exactly what I needed. If I could complete this quest, I'd be able to grind my skills, boost my stats, and gain some serious rewards all in one day.

And then my eyes trailed back over the quest conditions.

Wait.

Did that say 100?

My smile vanished.

"…Are you fucking kidding me?"

The realization hit like a car.

I could barely beat three people yesterday, and now they wanted me to take down a hundred in ten hours?

I nearly ripped my hair out.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING MEEEE?!"

***

Jinho flicked his lighter open, letting the flame dance for a second before snapping it shut. The kid in front of him flinched at the sound.

Pathetic.

"You hear me, man?" Jinho exhaled, tilting his head. "I said... where's my money?"

The kid, Minjae, or Minsoo, or some shit, kept his eyes down. His hands trembled as he dug through his pockets, pulling out a few crumpled bills.

Jinho snatched them up, quickly counting. 8,000 won.

His eye twitched. "This ain't even half, dipshit. What, you think I'm running a charity?"

"I-I'm sorry," the kid stammered. "I'll get the rest next week, I swear-"

Jinho sighed. Same old story. They always promised next week. And next week, it was the same bullshit all over again.

He grabbed Minjae by the collar and yanked him forward. "Yeah? And what if I don't feel like waiting?"

The kid's breath hitched. His eyes darted around the alley, looking for a way out, for someone to step in. But there was no one. Just him, Jinho, and a couple of Jinho's guys leaning against the wall, watching with mild amusement.

Jinho smirked. "How 'bout I take interest?" He reached for the kid's bag. "What do we have in here? Maybe your phone, huh? That should cover some of it."

"N-No, please-"

A voice cut through the alley.

"Hey?"

Jinho looked up, annoyed at the interruption.

A guy stood at the entrance of the alley, hands in his pockets. Black hoodie, cap pulled low, a mask covering the lower half of his face. His posture was casual, but there was something off about him. Something tense. 

Jinho squinted. "The fuck do you want?"

Finally, the guy spoke. "…I need to fight you."

Jinho blinked. "Huh?"

The guy shuffled his feet. "Uh. I mean. You and your guys."

Jinho exchanged glances with his boys. One of them, the shorter dude with the nose piercing, actually laughed. "Is this guy serious?"

The masked guy cleared his throat. "Yeah, I, uh… I need to beat up bullies. For a quest."

A quest?

The alley was silent for a moment.

Then Jinho sighed, rubbing his temples. "I don't have time for this shit."

He turned back to the kid he'd been shaking down. "Alright, where were we-"

He barely caught the movement in time. The masked guy lunged.

Jinho instinctively braced, but instead of something wild, the punch looked clean, practiced.

A straight punch, thrown with too much precision for his posture, like the guy didn't fully understand what he was doing. It still hit hard, slamming into Jinho's stomach and making him double over with a wheeze.

What the hell?!

Jinho staggered back, gasping. He looked up, eyes wide.

The guy stared at him, just as wide-eyed.

"…Oh," the masked guy muttered. "That worked?"

Jinho wiped his mouth, growling, glaring at the masked guy. "Get this dumbass."

His boys didn't hesitate. Nose Piercing was first, charging in with a wild swing.

The masked guy actually flinched, like he wasn't used to fights starting this way. But then, at the last second, he didn't dodge.

CRACK.

A jab. Short, quick, barely looked like it had any power behind it. But Nose Piercing's jaw snapped back like he'd just taken a bat to the face. His legs wobbled, then folded, and he collapsed onto the pavement.

Jinho blinked.

What?

The second guy, Big Ears, stepped in. This time, he was more cautious, but that didn't seem to matter.

The masked guy took a breath. "Okay, okay… just one more-"

CRACK.

Another jab. Another fucking jab.

Big Ears' eyes rolled back, and he hit the ground like a sack of rice.

Jinho's hands clenched into fists. His pulse pounded in his ears. What the fuck was happening?

The last two guys hesitated now, glancing between each other.

The masked guy exhaled, flexing his fingers. "Uh… You still wanna do this?"

Silence.

Then they both looked at Jinho.

He gritted his teeth. "Get him."

They rushed forward.

And then, something changed.

The masked guy took a step forward, just a tiny shift in weight, and suddenly, both of his attackers went flying.

Not because they got hit. Not yet. It was like they'd run into a brick wall. They staggered, completely off-balance, and in that moment-

The masked guy swung.

THUD!

A straight punch right into the first guy's stomach. It didn't even look that powerful, but the impact sent him crumpling instantly, choking for air.

The last guy tried to recover, throwing a desperate punch-

But the masked guy moved first.

A quick step in. A hook to the ribs.

Jinho actually heard the wind get knocked out of him.

The guy's body spasmed, and then he collapsed onto his side, wheezing.

And then it was just Jinho.

The masked guy turned to him. His stance was loose, like he wasn't even trying.

Jinho swallowed.

"…You know what," he said, raising his hands slowly. "I think we should—"

CRACK.

Jinho didn't even feel himself hit the ground.

By the time he came back to his senses, the masked guy was standing over him, holding the money Jinho had just taken.

"Uh…" The guy glanced at the terrified kid still pressed against the wall. "I'm just gonna return this."

He shoved the money into the kid's hands.

The kid took it without a word, still staring like he'd just witnessed a horror movie in real life.

The masked guy nodded.

And then he bolted.

Not walked. Not jogged. He took off down the alley at full sprint, like he was late for an exam.

Jinho groaned, rolling onto his side.

What the fuck just happened?