Capítulo 4: Chapter 4
Take over Daehak? Two weeks ago, I'd been nothing but a half-hearted kid, barely able to fend off a bully. Now, I was apparently supposed to infiltrate and overthrow an entire gang's operation.
I closed my eyes, the roar of the crowd in the underground fight club reverberating in my ears. The stench of sweat, stale smoke, and cheap cologne filled the air, swirling in the dim neon glow. Faces of every kind littered the stands—students, middle-aged men, the rougher crowd I'd only ever seen from a distance. The way they threw their fists in the air, wads of cash clutched tight, reminded me of some twisted form of tribal warfare.
The Quest windows cycled around, allowing me to actually read the screens in order.
The Bully council? What the fuck was that? Who named it like that? I'd have laughed if I hadn't come here before reading that name. Whoever they were, they had influence, and if I was seeing all the money correctly, all the wads of cash exchanging hands with minor cuts being taken out and put into small metal trays… they were making a tonne of cash too.
They weren't a council, they were a freaking Corporate Gang. This was merely an affiliate too… did they have more affiliates in Gwanak? In the other neighbourhoods?
My thoughts were interrupted as I noticed one of the guys loitering near the outer regions of the huge room taking steps in my direction. He wasn't very distinct, average square face, normal combed back hair, black suit… a security guard? He even looked my age! Was the entire bully council made up of people still in High school? Well, considering the name, it probably was.
He stopped when he was directly in front of me, looking down with a sneer on his face. I raised an eyebrow.
"You look a little new, kid," he said, his voice deep, humourless bark. He eyed me up and down, suspicion radiating off of him. "You lost?"
I tilted my head, standing a little taller. "No. I'm exactly where I'm meant to be."
He exchanged a look with someone over on the other end, a little smirk curling up over his mouth. "Yeah? And what are you doing here and not in the betting zone?"
Squaring my shoulders, I felt the faint hum of Purpose settle into my chest. "Watching," I said simply. "Learning."
He scoffed. Wow, he didn't seem impressed. Was this going to be my first proper fight? I could feel my heart racing already.
"Watching and learning, yeah?" He sneered and lunged forwards, his hands reaching for my collar.
Two weeks ago, that'd have caught me completely by surprise but in those weeks…
…my stats had gone up.
Agility 1 -> 72
I sidestepped, the motion almost instinctive, his fingers grazing my collar but missing by a hair. Before he could react, I pivoted, grabbing his outstretched wrist with one hand and gripping my other hand around his shoulder.
This wouldn't have worked two weeks ago either but Agility wasn't the only stat that had gone up.
Attack 1 -> 74
With a quick twist of my hips, I heaved, flipping him clean over my shoulder. His body hit the floor with a solid thud, the sound echoing off the walls, and a ripple of gasps went through the crowd as they finally noticed me.
The guard struggled, his face contorted with shock and pain as he tried to push himself out of the grip but I pressed my foot down onto his neck. He shut up.
Just in time, a new window flickered in front of me.
[Special Event Quest! Subdue all Security guards!]
[Reward: Martial art: ??? New skill - Endure]
[Guards 1 / 6 Subdued!]
I turned as another guard charged towards me, ducking as his punch swiped over me and then drove my shoulder into his stomach. He wheezed, stumbling back and before he could stand straight again, I let go of Guard 1 and took hold of the second guard's arm, twisting it behind his back and kicking him into the first guy's face.
Disoriented, he tried to get back up. Unfortunately, my foot met his face.
[Guards 2 / 6 subdued!]
The crowd roared with excitement, some cheering or jeering. Did they think this was a part of their entertainment? I snickered as the roars grew even louder as I swept my gaze across them. They did.
I quickly turned to the side as I saw two more guards approaching, fists held up defensively, clearly cautious after my disassembling of their colleagues.
Mirroring their stance, I kept my breathing steady, instantly reacting as the first one threw a jab. I tried to block it with my forearm but the trajectory instantly curved and impacted on my chest with a Thud!
Defence 1 -> 79
I skidded back, arms bent and held to the side as I ignored the pain. If I hadn't moved just a little to the left, that would've knocked the wind out of me.
This guard was a little superior to the previous it seemed.
I wiped the saliva that had escaped my mouth off of my lips and grinned. It was a good thing my physical abilities weren't the only thing I had then wasn't it?
Darting to the right and then dashing forwards, I let out a rush of jabs with him dodging each one as expected and then right in the middle…
Straight Punch
My fist met his visage with a crunch! as his eyes rolled back into their whites, a nosebleed gushing out and a few teeth knocked in.
I kept my fist in that position for a few seconds as I breathed heavily.
It was faster and stronger than anything I would've been able to do with my stats and knowledge alone. Maybe that's why it took so much out of me everytime I used it. It definitely didn't feel like a normal punch, more like I'd been shadowboxing for half an hour, which funnily enough was exactly what I'd done yesterday. The system's demands got more and more every single day but considering my ridiculous rate of growth… it all fits.
[Guards 3 / 6 subdued!]
Alright, time for the next 3. I looked up and then blinked.
The crowd was still cheering, their roars probably reaching upstairs to ground level too. But then their volume managed to increase even more, something I didn't even realise was possible.
There was a whole squad of the black suit clad guards marching in my direction now, one even had a metal pipe, a fucking metal pipe. It just made him look like an NPC. I snickered as a thought hit me.
Since I had this Quest Screen now, wouldn't that make me the main character?
I laughed even louder.
I'd defeated three people in a row, with ease. They thought this many people could stop me? Okay maybe the stats were getting to my head a little but you've got to admit…
I ducked under the guy's pipe, easily evading and then landed a straight into his gut.
[Guards 4 / 6 subdued!]
… I did not have proof of the contrary.
The other two had managed to grab a hold of me while I'd focused on the pipe wielding NPC, the first guy taking a hold of my arms behind my back. The second pulled back his fist for a punch but then I jumped.
Him holding onto my arms gave me the perfect leverage to land a devastating kick into his chin. He whimpered, blood dripping down his lips and then collapsed.
The guy holding me had quickly let go but it was too late. My kick spun around full arc and I twisted, the heel crushing onto his skull. His eyes rolled back as he fell and I landed on both feet.
[Guards subdued 6 / 6!]
[Special event quest completed!]
[New skill Endure, unlocked!]
I rolled my eyes at the last notification. Even though I'd unlocked the other skill, The Final Stand, it didn't even let me use it. Everytime I tried, the same notification popped up.
Conditions for skill activation have not been met!
If this skill was the exact same, I may have to sue the creator of this whole Quest screen thing.
But even then… I let out a huge breath, a content smile on my face. I think I could be happy with just this. My eyes closed as I basked in the dust of victory, blood still thundering across my ears as my heartbeat pounded, still in its fight throes.
I stayed like that for what had to be a minute or two as I pondered.
If all I had to do to take over Daehak was beat a few more high-school thug wannabes then maybe this would be easier than I thought.
Well at least that's what I'd thought until I looked up.
***
The darkroom was quiet as the three that were inside quietly worked, clipping the prints onto the wires that hung across the room, darkness almost enshrouding them were it not for the faint red light that enveloped the room.
Manchun spoke up, his rather considerable size making him pant as he spoke. "Why do we need all these photos of this guy again?"
"Woah this one came out nicely!" Kim Kijin adjusted his safety goggles, holding up the newly developed photo, one showing a moody looking man, an expensive looking aviator jacket somehow sticking onto his shoulders despite his movement. His compression shirt showed off his strength, compact and balanced muscles and a stable core.
Kijin smiled and then turned to Manchun. "This isn't just any guy you know. Choi Kangdae. You haven't heard of him?"
The bigger teen scratched his head and then shrugged.
Kijin laughed. "I'm not surprised, even as far as Representatives go he doesn't stand out too much does he?"
"He's a representative?"
He hummed in agreement. "Daehak, the largest territory in all of Gwanak. How strong do you reckon he is?"
Manchun scrunched his eyebrows behind his swimming goggles, obviously thinking hard. "Strongest representative? He doesn't look much like a natural…"
The blue haired teen rolled his eyes. "Don't go talking about that natural bullcrap again. If Eunsung was here he'd roll his eyes too. But no, you're dead wrong."
He blinked and then shrugged again, which Kijin took as a sign to go on.
"The true strength behind Daehak isn't just from its representative, even if he is decently strong. Nothing compared to our Eunsung of course. No, the true strength of that huge territory… is from its sheer numbers."
"Numbers? They can't have that many workers can they? Weren't there only 500 or something people in the Bully council?"
"Woahh, well remembered Manchun!" Kijin reached over to give him a little headpat. "Yeah you're not wrong, but there's only 500 official members of the bully council, notable fighters, executives, squad commanders, secretaries, deputies… that sorta thing." He took a small break to clip the photo of Kangdae onto the wire.
"But when it comes to just regular members? People who decided to join just for protection from a group? Or even hired muscle? If we included all of those then the Bully council would number way over a thousand… but that's not my point."
Kijin turned to face Manchun, a surprising intensity in his normally cheerful expression. "Daehak makes a ridiculous amount of profit from their profit models, enough to easily pay off whatever HQ asks for. The reason why?"
He pointed to the other photos hanging across the wall. "They don't just have one version of their model, they have 4 whole affiliates. Each affiliate is bigger than the last one as well. It's almost ridiculous."
Manchun squinted. "But then wouldn't they be easily attacked? Wait no you said they had numbers…"
"Mhm, numbers. Not just hired muscle, but he has over 20 Squad commanders, not as strong as a Representative sure but I know for a fact some of them approach even a Deputy's level of strength. And not just that, almost half of the Bully council's total manpower…
… comes straight from Daehak."
***
There was a second level to this underground cage fighting basement which I'd neglected to notice whilst beating the NPCs into the ground.
It wasn't lower but instead higher up, almost like a balcony surrounding the whole room, overlooking the stone cage in the middle and the hundreds of people within the crowds in the chairs below.
My eyes flicked across the three figures that stood at the top, similar clothed to the grunts I'd just beaten, and then my eyes moved slightly higher to the glowing letters on top of their heads.
The letters weren't blue this time though, they were a light shimmering red.
The one in the middle motioned in my general direction, turning to the two besides him and they both vaulted over the balcony onto the ground, slight thuds sending up dust from their landing.
I stared at the two who were slowly walking towards me.
[Squad commander Han Angjun]
[Squad commander Il Sanghae]
They didn't look like the grunts from before. These ones were… more confident, I could see it in the way they moved. Their suits weren't just plain black either. The red lining was apparent with the way the jackets were moving around and the second one even had his sleeves rolled up showing defined forearms and a glistening silver watch.
Squad commander? Were these guys the bosses of this place? Regardless, no quest screens or windows popped up. Do I fight them? Do I do something else?
I narrowed my eyes as the two didn't make the same mistake the others did and rushed me at once. Fighting it was.
Angjun immediately darted low and I reacted with a jump, only for my eyes to widen as I saw Sanghae hurling himself into my direction.
Shit I can't move midair-
I couldn't think and ended up repeating the same move I pulled with the grunts, curling back into a handspring and a kick to the chin.
My hands stretched down only to feel something that was not a hard concrete floor but instead… it was Angjun's back. I flexed and his movement halted, crushing him down onto the floor. A grin curled up my mouth and I reached out with my leg, trying to connect with his chin.
Sanghae twisted, narrowly avoiding my foot and instead lashing out with his own but missing as I sprung back into standing position behind.
I watched as Angjun climbed back onto his feet, his tanned skin bruised from hard contact with concrete and his face marred by a scowl.
Well of course a grunt move wouldn't have worked on these two. They were a… cut above the rest, clearly. My grin grew wider as something hummed deeper in my chest and I stretched my arms out, welcoming them.
"Well then? Come at me!"
Maybe it was the flashing lights, or the roar of the crowd, or the continuous noise being blasted out of those huge speakers in each corner.
But I could feel myself burning. Not in pain no, this shit felt good.
I waited as they both took off their jackets, Sanghae even taking off his watch and tie, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt. I could've ended them there and then but I wanted a fight.
This time they both darted to opposite sides, clearly coordinated. They were used to working together. Angjun opened his mouth and I paused to hear what he was about to say - only to duck as he spat at my head. The fu-
Before I could finish the thought, Sanghae's foot collided with the side of my head like a sledgehammer. My vision blurred as I stumbled to the side, the sheer force knocking me off balance. The crowd erupted into cheers and jeers, the cacophony blending into the pulsing bassline from the speakers.
I blinked hard, trying to regain focus, but Sanghae didn't give me time. He pressed the advantage, his fists a blur as he unleashed a flurry of precise strikes. I blocked a few on instinct, but one punch snuck through, slamming into my ribs and forcing a sharp gasp from my lips.
Angjun wasn't idle either. I caught movement from the corner of my eye and twisted just in time to narrowly avoid his knee aimed for my side. My counterattack was fast—a spinning kick meant to catch him in the temple—but he ducked and retaliated with a hard elbow to my back.
The crowd roared louder.
I hit the ground, but I wasn't out. Rolling onto my back, I kicked upward, catching Angjun in the stomach. He staggered, but Sanghae was already on me again, his movements a mix of brute force and honed technique. He caught my wrist mid-punch and yanked me toward him, driving his knee into my chest before slamming me onto the concrete floor.
My breath whooshed out as the impact rattled through my spine.
"Damn," I muttered through clenched teeth, a grin still tugging at my lips. "You guys hit harder than your little friends."
Sanghae said nothing, his expression calm but intense. Angjun cracked his knuckles as he stepped closer, his tanned skin glistening under the harsh lights.
I pushed myself onto my elbows, refusing to stay down. My body ached, my head throbbed, and I could taste blood in my mouth—but I wasn't done yet.
Angjun lunged at me, and this time, I feinted to the side. My fist shot up toward his jaw in a straight, but he saw it coming and twisted, countering with a vicious hook that sent me sprawling. Before I could recover, Sanghae was there, his foot stomping down toward my chest.
I rolled at the last second, but they were relentless. Sanghae grabbed me by the collar, hoisting me up like I weighed nothing, and drove me backward into the hard wall. My head snapped back against the concrete, and the world spun again.
This wasn't a fight anymore—it was a dismantling.
Both of them stepped back as I slumped to my knees, panting and battered. The crowd's cheers became a deafening roar, shaking the air around us.
I tried to stand, but Angjun's fist came crashing down into my stomach, doubling me over. Sanghae followed with a sharp chop to the back of my neck, and everything went dark for a moment.
When I came to, I was being dragged across the floor. My arms were limp at my sides, my head lolling slightly as I tried to piece together what had just happened. The fight was over.
The crowd's focus had shifted back to the cage fight in the centre of the room, their bloodlust sated by what they assumed was a surprise event.
I glanced up weakly and saw the third guy… the one who hadn't moved from the balcony. I could see what I hadn't seen before, his light red hair and sharp jaw. He definitely didn't look like a high-schooler. His red-glowing name floated above his head, another title slightly under it too.
[Squad commander Kwon Jaerim]
[Daehak Affiliate 1: Boss]
His cold eyes stared down at me, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Well," he said as Sanghae and Angjun tossed me at his feet like a broken toy. "You certainly put on a show."
My vision wavered again, but I managed to grin through the haze.
"You think so?"
His hand moved faster than I could react, and the sharp crack of his palm striking my cheek echoed across the room. My head whipped to the side, the sting blooming hot.
"Watch your tone," Jaerim said, his voice cutting through the din like a blade. "You don't get to talk like that when you're on your knees."
I tasted blood, warm and metallic, as it seeped from the corner of my mouth. Slowly, I turned back to face him, a grin tugging at the edges of my lips despite the pain.
"You done?" I rasped.
His cold eyes narrowed, but instead of striking again, he tilted his head slightly, studying me. The air around us felt heavy, tense with something unsaid.
Then, a faint chime echoed in my mind.
[Story Quest 2: Take over Daehak]
New Objective: Dismantle the Fourth Affiliate of Daehak from the inside.
Secondary Objective: Rise through the ranks and take control of Daehak.
Reward: ???
Fourth affiliate? The fuck? What the hell was this place?
Jaerim raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing the change in my demeanour. "Something funny?"
"Not at all," I said, keeping my tone even as I could with all the blood. "I'm just wondering what happens next."
Jaerim let the tension hang for a moment before straightening. "What happens next is up to you."
He gestured for Sanghae and Angjun to step back. As they moved, he crouched down in front of me, his cold smirk returning.
"You've got two choices," he said. "Join us, and I'll make you a cage enforcer. Keep the fighters in line, show the crowd a little extra entertainment when needed. Or…" His voice dropped slightly. "If you're feeling ambitious, I could make you a squad commander under my wing. You've already shown you've got the strength… and maybe even the brains for it."
I didn't respond, choosing instead to slowly push myself into a sitting position. Sanghae and Angjun didn't move to stop me, but their eyes stayed trained on me like hawks.
Jaerim crouched down in front of me, close enough that I could smell the faint scent of expensive cologne. Way too expensive for most high-schoolers.
I considered his words, my brain working through the fog of exhaustion and pain.
"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious. "You've got plenty of lackeys. Why not just throw me back in the crowd and call it a day?"
Jaerim tilted his head, his smirk replaced by something closer to pity, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "Do you even know what you attacked?"
I blinked, my body still aching but my curiosity piqued. "An underground cage fight run by a bunch of wannabe thugs?"
Jaerim chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You've got no idea what you've stumbled into, do you? Let me break it down for you."
He gestured lazily to the room around us, the dim lighting, the roaring crowd, and the stone cage at the centre of it all.
"This is the fourth affiliate," he said, his tone carrying a mix of pride and authority. "We're one of four branches of Daehak, just running a huge underground fighting circuit. But that's just the beginning."
Jaerim stood, looming over me as he continued. "You think Daehak is the top of the food chain? It's not. Daehak is just one piece of something bigger… the Bully Council."
"The what?" I asked, furrowing my brow, recognising the name from one of the earlier quest windows.
"The Bully Council," he repeated, enunciating each word slowly, as if explaining to a child. "The real power behind us. They're the ones who keep the gangs, the fights, and the whole damn system running. Daehak answers to them, and trust me, they're on a whole different level. If you think Sanghae and Angjun here are tough, you wouldn't last a second against them."
My chest tightened as I tried to wrap my head around the sheer scale of what he was describing.
Jaerim crouched again, his eyes locking onto mine. "Do you get it now? You didn't just walk into a random fight. You attacked a piece of a massive organisation. And if you think what you've seen here is bad, let me clue you in: the Fourth Affiliate is the weakest of the four. We're the bottom rung."
I let out a short laugh, wincing as it aggravated my ribs. "You're trying to scare me."
"I don't need to scare you," Jaerim said simply. "The truth does that well enough. The Third Affiliate? Their Squad commanders alone could probably each mop the floor with me. The Second? They've got deputies that work like clockwork. And the First Affiliate…"
His voice trailed off, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of unease in his expression.
"The First Affiliate has the Representative and he's on a whole other level. He's the Bully Council's eyes and ears within Daehak. When he shows up, you know something big is going down."
I leaned back slightly, letting his words sink in. If he was telling the truth, this wasn't just some high school gang… it was a full-blown hierarchy, one that stretched far beyond what I'd imagined.
Jaerim's smirk returned, though this time it seemed sharper, more calculating. "Now do you see why I'm offering you a spot? You've got talent. With the right guidance, you could make something of yourself here. Or…" He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You could keep acting like a clueless fool and end up as a stain on the floor. Your call."
My mind raced as I stared back at him. This wasn't just a fight for survival anymore. This was an opportunity. An opening to climb into something bigger… or tear it all down from the inside.
The faint blue glow of the quest window sharpened my focus. Jaerim didn't need to know I had my own agenda.
I forced a smirk onto my face, meeting his gaze head-on. "Alright," I said, my voice steady despite the ache in my body. "I'll play along."
Jaerim's grin widened, and he extended a hand to pull me up. "Smart choice. You might just survive this after all."
As he clapped me on the back and began barking orders to Sanghae and Angjun, I allowed myself a moment of silence, my thoughts churning.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
Teddartic
Teddartic Remember the standard baseline fighter level from last chapter? Change that to 100 please. I don't know what I was thinking.
As for this... I had to invent an entirely new profit model all by myself (ignore that I basically copied the workers from lookism).
Do you like the fights? I wasn't really too sure about them. First time writing fight scenes and all that, I may have stripped a few scenes from other fanfics or novels but only where they fit.
Hope you enjoyed you bastards.
Ps. Hope you loved the cameo in the middle of the chapter. If you don't remember, manchun is the really big fat guy dowan beats in the beginning and Kijin is the camera guy, Eunsung's right hand.
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