novelraw Chapter 113 : A Fight Isn’t Decided by Strength Alone
Chapter 113 : A Fight Isn’t Decided by Strength Alone
Chapter 113: A Fight Isn’t Decided by Strength Alone
As my final words cut through the air of the banquet hall, a long, heavy silence descended.
Survival. The absolute weight carried by that word was like destiny itself to every Chinese resident on this land.
I did not return to my seat. I remained standing, taking the ripples created by my declaration head-on with my entire body.
From the tightly shut mouths and gazes of the leaders, who could find no words to refute me, I felt that words alone would never be enough to fully persuade them.
“I’m not asking you to trust a promise made only with words. Trust is something proven through action.”
Soon, my gaze passed over all the leaders seated at the table and settled on Jin Tae-gang. He was glaring at me with eyes that looked as though he wanted to tear me apart and kill me.
“It seems, however, that President Jin Tae-gang wishes for proof not through words, but through action.”
I turned my gaze away from him and bowed politely toward the elders.
“Yang Da-in, No Da-in. And Elder seniors. How about we put an end to this tedious war of words and decide things the old-fashioned way of the Chinese community?”
At my audacious proposal, the hall began to stir once more. Without giving them time to regain their senses, I declared,
“I propose that the first match of the Three Battles, Two Victories be decided by a duel between myself, Baek Min-woo, and President Jin Tae-gang of Gunsan.”
At that moment, the air in the banquet hall exploded. My proposal was like pouring boiling oil onto a burning house.
“What? A duel?”
“Has that brat lost his mind?!”
Just as several people reacted heatedly, pointing fingers at me and raising their voices,
Elder Jin Jung-san, who had been quietly observing the situation, let out a thunderous laugh that suppressed all the noise.
“Ho ho ho! This is quite the spectacle! That’s right—what use is it for a real man to discuss the world with words alone! Once fists are exchanged, even trust that didn’t exist before can be born!”
The other elders nodded as well, clearly intrigued, and joined in.
“This should be entertaining. Watching young men fight is a hundred times better than watching old men clash with words.”
“Now this is a real show, isn’t it!”
With the elders setting the stage, Jin Tae-gang licked his lips and rose from his seat. A beast-like madness flickered in his eyes.
“Fine, you brat! A puppy that doesn’t know fear charging at a tiger. I’ll carve it into your bones myself.”
“Brother Jin!”
No Deok-su urgently called out to Jin Jung-san, but he waved his hand and stopped him.
“Deok-su. Is there anything wrong with what this young man said? You said you couldn’t acknowledge that child, So-ryong, didn’t you? Then the Three Battles, Two Victories are inevitable anyway. If we’re going to do it, isn’t this a good chance to personally check this young man’s guts and ability? Or is it that you don’t trust Tae-gang?”
At Jin Jung-san’s words, No Deok-su hesitated. He couldn’t very well say that he didn’t trust the grandson of an elder.
“Tae-gang didn’t sit in that position so easily. Have you forgotten how blood-soaked Gunsan Port is?”
There was a reason Jin Tae-gang was called the Shark of Gunsan Port. With his massive build and natural strength, he was someone thoroughly accustomed to using his body.
After looking once more at his grandson, who resembled him so closely, Jin Jung-san turned his head toward Yang Sobo.
“Yang Da-in. For fairness’ sake, how about excluding Zhang Wei from this duel? If that fellow joins in, wouldn’t the match become far too one-sided?”
All eyes turned toward Zhang Wei, who stood stiffly behind Yang Sobo like a wooden statue. Yang Sobo nodded.
“Very well. Zhang Wei will be excluded.”
“Excellent. Then let’s see…… Baek Min-woo, was it? What about you, young man? Will you accept this proposal?”
“It’s exactly what I was hoping for as well. However, I would like to add one rule. Let’s proceed with consecutive victories.”
At my words, Jin Jung-san froze midair with the hand that had been bringing his wine cup to his lips. The cup trembled slightly from the sudden stop, and drops of liquor dripped down.
“What? Consecutive victories?”
“Didn’t Master Yang also remove Zhang Wei? I should make a corresponding concession as well. If I defeat President Jin Tae-gang, I will immediately fight the next person on No Deok-su Da-in’s side. Until I lose.”
Once again, a shocked silence flowed through the banquet hall. Naturally, it was Jin Jung-san who broke it.
“Wahaha! This is fun, truly fun! To see a young man like this in my later years!”
Laughing heartily, Jin Jung-san drained his cup in one go. With a sharp clack, he set the cup down and spoke in a voice filled with laughter.
“Deok-su. Will you accept the consecutive victory match?”
“……Brother Jin. My honor is on the line in this duel.”
“I know. That’s why I’ve put my own grandson forward. Just say yes or no. Yang Da-in is even removing Zhang Wei, so you should accept at least this much. Or do you lack confidence?”
“……No. I accept.”
“That’s it. That’s the Deok-su I know.”
Chuckling, Jin Jung-san turned once more to Yang Sobo.
“Yang Da-in. How about proceeding as decided?”
“Agreed.”
Yang Sobo rose from his seat.
“With the excitement already high, talking any further here will only drag things out. Let’s proceed with the duel first, and discuss the details afterward.”
Yang Sobo said this while directing his gaze at No Deok-su.
“Prepare immediately.”
After glaring at Yang Sobo and me as though he wanted to devour us, No Deok-su stood up and walked out.
Following after him, we all left the banquet hall. The place we headed for was a wide open ground behind Taehwaru, surrounded by tall walls.
That place would become the stage for the duel that would decide our fates tonight.
Under the elders’ command, the subordinates moved in perfect unison.
They pushed the people back to form a massive human circle, brought dozens of torches, and planted them around the clearing, lighting up the pitch-black night as brightly as day.
“Open the gates.”
At Yang Sobo’s low command, the main gates of Taehwaru opened.
Countless Chinese residents, who had been unable to enter the banquet hall and had been anxiously waiting for news outside, poured into the clearing in a noisy wave.
This was no longer a secret meeting. It was a public judgment carried out under the watchful eyes of the entire Chinese community of Incheon.
Once all preparations were complete, Jin Tae-gang, the Shark of Gunsan, stepped into the circle first.
He shrugged off his suit jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves. At the sight of the thick veins writhing along his massive arms and the gleam in his eyes like that of a wounded beast, a low murmur of awe escaped from the spectators.
I gave Yang Sobo a brief nod, then walked toward him.
The once-noisy clearing fell silent as if by a lie. I slowly took off my suit jacket and handed it to Zhang Wei, who stood behind me.
As I loosened my tie, unbuttoned the top of my dress shirt, and rolled up my sleeves, every single movement drew everyone’s attention.
There were no flashy tattoos, no bulging muscles. Compared to that man who had fought against rough waves all his life, my body was pitifully unimpressive.
But in my eyes dwelled a stillness colder than any storm.
At last, at the center of the circle, Jin Tae-gang and I faced each other.
Jin Jung-san stepped out between us and looked back and forth at both sides. Then, in a low but powerful voice, he declared,
“This duel is a fight staked on honor. The victor takes everything. Anyone who objects, step forward.”
At Jin Jung-san’s words, everyone swallowed hard. No one stepped forward. After sweeping his gaze across the crowd once, Jin Jung-san declared,
“Then I take it that all are in agreement. We will now proceed with the Three Battles, Two Victories.”
“Waaah!”
“Woooo!!”
The crowd erupted in loud cheers. Jin Jung-san stepped back and returned to his seat.
This time, Yang Sobo stood up.
“The first match of the Three Battles, Two Victories begins!”
As Yang Sobo’s words ended, a silence fell over the clearing so deep it seemed to swallow even the crackling of the burning torches.
Jin Tae-gang twisted his neck like a beast that had been waiting for this very moment, bones cracking audibly. His entire body was a weapon in itself.
“Brat. Got any last words to leave behind?”
Instead of answering, I took my stance.
He roared and moved first. The force with which he kicked off the dirt was truly that of a shark. His heavy body closed the distance at an unbelievable speed, and his determined right fist cut through the air toward my face.
I inhaled and lightly leaned my upper body back. The heavy fist barely grazed past the tip of my nose.
I sidestepped half a step to avoid the follow-up left punch. His attacks were rough and ferocious like a storm, but they were too big. Drunk on his own strength, all his movements were linear.
“Are you just going to dodge like a rat?!”
Jin Tae-gang sneered and unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.
To anyone watching, it probably looked like I was being overwhelmed by his crushing momentum, fleeing one-sidedly. Sure enough, mocking laughter came from those who had come from Gunsan.
Despite the distractions, I never took my eyes off Jin Tae-gang’s movements.
Not his threatening fists, but his breathing, the minute movements of his shoulders, and the rhythm of his feet grinding against the ground—that was what I was reading.
Then, Jin Tae-gang’s movement changed. He feinted a straight punch, then suddenly lowered his stance and spun his body like a whirlwind.
An unexpected low attack. A heavy kick slammed into my side without leaving me any room to dodge.
“Kgh!”
Along with a dull, bone-rattling impact, my breath was knocked clean out of me.
My body flew sideways like a sheet of paper and rolled roughly across the ground. A bitter, metallic taste of blood spread through my mouth.
“Serves you right, you bastard!”
Jin Tae-gang charged in as if he had seized victory. His foot flew mercilessly toward my fallen head.
I desperately rolled away to avoid the attack, widening the distance. My vision nearly went dark from the pain, but the intense agony and the ragged sound of my own breathing pulled me back to reality.
I barely managed to stand. Seeing me staggering, Jin Tae-gang mocked me with a laugh.
“That’s all you had? That’s your so-called legitimacy?!”
I spat the blood pooled in my mouth onto the ground. Then I smiled.
“No. Now it begins.”
The throbbing pain only sharpened my mind.
After landing a solid hit on me, Jin Tae-gang began moving with even larger motions than before. A heavy kick filled with arrogance, utterly convinced of his victory.
It was the moment I had been waiting for.
I stopped dodging. Instead, I dove into his range. His supporting foot—the axis of the incoming kick. I lightly kicked his ankle with the tip of my foot.
“Kgh?!”
In that instant, Jin Tae-gang’s massive body wavered in the air as he lost his balance.
I did not miss that fleeting moment. Rotating my body, I drove my elbow—carrying all my weight—into his exposed side.
Thud!
With a dull sound, a short groan burst from Jin Tae-gang’s mouth. Even as he let out a pained grunt, he forced himself to steady his stance and glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
I had driven it in hard enough to crack his ribs, yet he did not collapse.
“You… son of a bitch!”
Like a wild boar that had taken the first hit, Jin Tae-gang charged again.
I blocked his punches with my arms and braced against his kicks with my shins, using my entire body to read his attack patterns.
Giving up one hit, enduring two, I searched for the unconscious openings in his movements.
And at last, I saw it.
The very moment he swung his right fist wide to deliver the finishing blow.
With my left hand, I struck upward at his elbow joint, while my right hand precisely stabbed the vital point beneath his Adam’s apple. At the same time, my knee shot up into his solar plexus.
Everything flowed like water, accomplished in a single instant.
“Kuhhk…!”
Jin Tae-gang’s eyes flew open wide in disbelief.
Instead of a scream, a wheezing sound leaked from his mouth. I slipped behind his collapsing body and locked my arm tightly around his neck.
Then, in a voice low enough that only he could hear, I whispered,
“A fight isn’t decided by strength alone. And… we are not enemies.”
His unfocused eyes seemed to ask what I was talking about. I released the choke and brought my hand down hard on the back of his neck.
Jin Tae-gang’s massive body collapsed helplessly in front of me, like a puppet with its strings cut.