A few months later...
Baki sat on a large boulder near a wooden house, eating dango as he watched the kids training.
Since their first encounter with the group, the kids had started coming over regularly.
Baki chewed on his dango with a grumpy expression.
"Tch! Don't you brats have any work to do? Don't you go to school?"
Taebong stopped his workout and puffed out his chest. "We are the Cheonliang fam! We don't go to any school!"
Just as he said that, Hyungjae chopped him on the head from behind. "Baki-hyung, it's the weekend today, so we don't have school."
Baki nodded. "You know, Hyungjae, you're the smartest kid among this bunch. Why are you hanging around these brats?"
Hearing Baki's question, Hyungjae could only awkwardly scratch the back of his head.
Suddenly, Seongji opened the door of the wooden house and walked out. His hair reached his shoulders, and a jacket was draped over his shoulders as he ate a dango. He walked over to the boulder where Baki was sitting and jumped up to sit beside him.
"Hey, Seongji, do you really want to train these brats?"
Seongji glanced at the kids training.
"Yeah. Don't you think it's too lonely with only us here?"
Baki looked into Seongji's eyes for a moment before ruffling his own hair.
"Whatever you want, man!"
Suddenly they heard footsteps. Seongji jumped off the boulder to see the newcomer, while Baki kept chewing his dango.
The newcomer wore a coat and glasses. He briefly looked over the training kids, then his eyes locked on Seongji.
"Monster of Cheonliang Mountain..." he muttered quietly.
Seongji asked the newcomer, "Hey, who are you?"
The newcomer fixed his tie. "Uhm... I am Jichang Kwak."
"I'm Seongji Yuk. So, what are you doing here?"
"I heard there were monsters here. It seems..." He glanced briefly at Baki and continued, "...only half true."
Hearing him, Baki, who had been happily chewing on his dango, jumped off the boulder too. He cracked his neck and stepped forward.
"Hey! Don't you think it's rude to badmouth someone you meet for the first time?"
"I think it's more rude not to introduce yourself before talking with someone."
"Is that so? I guess wearing a coat and glasses doesn't teach manners. Whatever! I'm Baki, Baki Hanma. And now that you've seen whatever you wanted to, go on your way."
Jichang didn't reply. Instead, he slowly took off his coat and said, "Who wants to go first?"
Seeing Jichang take a combat stance, Baki returned to the boulder.
"Tch! Seongji, teach that bastard some lessons for me. Remember, your students are also watching. Don't let them witness their master lose."
Seongji didn't say anything. Instead, he took off the jacket draped over his shoulder and tightly knotted it around his waist.
"I'd like to test how far I've come. So don't hold back!"
Hearing Seongji, a small smirk flashed across Jichang's face.
The kids immediately scattered to the sides, sensing the tense atmosphere. Taebong's eyes widened with excitement while the others wore serious expressions.
Jichang adjusted his glasses one final time before removing them, folding them carefully and placing them atop his neatly arranged coat. His stance shifted—weight distributed evenly, hands loose at his sides, fingers slightly curved.
"Show me what the Monster of Cheonliang can do."
Seongji didn't respond. His breathing steadied as he dropped into a low stance, his extra digits spreading for enhanced grip and balance.
Jichang moved first, his body blurring forward with frightening speed. His right hand shot out—fingers extended and pressed together, forming a blade.
The technique cut through the air with a whistle. Seongji barely managed to raise his arm to deflect it, but a cut ran across his forearm. His eyes widened slightly.
Jichang didn't give him time to think. His left hand came in immediately, another hand blade aimed at Seongji's solar plexus. Then his right again, targeting the neck. Then left, right, left—a relentless barrage of blade-hand strikes that forced Seongji backward.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
Seongji's arms moved frantically to block, but several strikes slipped through his guard, stinging his ribs and shoulders. Each hit felt like being struck with a metal rod rather than flesh.
"Seongji-hyung!" one of the kids shouted.
Baki continued chewing his dango, but his eyes had sharpened. *This guy's no joke. Those hand techniques are refined... probably years of training behind each strike.*
Jichang pressed forward, mixing in low kicks between his hand blade strikes. A kick to Seongji's lead leg buckled his stance, and Jichang immediately capitalized with a spinning back elbow that caught Seongji across the cheek.
CRACK!
Seongji stumbled backward, tasting blood. His cheek was already swelling.
Jichang closed in for what looked like a finishing combination—but Seongji's instincts kicked in. As another hand blade came toward his face, Seongji didn't block. Instead, his hand shot out and caught Jichang's wrist mid-strike.
All twelve fingers wrapped around Jichang's arm.
Jichang's eyes widened for the first time. The pressure was immense—like his wrist was caught in a mechanical vise. He immediately threw a knee toward Seongji's midsection, but Seongji twisted, using his grip to control Jichang's balance.
With his enhanced grip strength, Seongji yanked Jichang forward while simultaneously dropping his level. He wrapped his other arm around Jichang's waist and lifted, muscles straining. For a moment, Jichang was airborne.
BOOM!
Seongji slammed him into the ground with a thunderous impact. Dust exploded around them.
The kids erupted in cheers. "Yeah! Teacher!"
But Jichang rolled backward immediately upon impact, creating distance. He stood up, brushing dirt off his clothes, his expression calm but his breathing slightly heavier. He rotated his caught wrist, testing it.
"Impressive grip. So the rumors about your twelve fingers weren't exaggerated." Jichang's stance shifted again, this time more defensive. "But let's see if you can catch me again."
Jichang came in again, but this time he was more cautious. His hand blade strikes were interspersed with feints—fake openings designed to bait Seongji's grabs. When Seongji reached for what looked like an exposed arm, Jichang would instantly retract and counter with a knee or elbow.
BAM! A knee caught Seongji in the ribs.
THUD! An elbow clipped his temple.
But Seongji was learning mid-fight—reading the angle of Jichang's shoulders before a hand blade, the slight weight shift before a kick.
*He telegraphs with his shoulders,* Seongji realized. *Just slightly.*
When Jichang launched another hand blade combination, Seongji didn't just block—he slipped inside the range, his smaller profile allowing him to duck under a high strike. His twelve-fingered hand shot out again, this time catching Jichang's collar.
Before Jichang could counter, Seongji executed a classic judo technique—*Osoto Gari*—sweeping Jichang's leg while using the collar grip to control his upper body.
CRASH!
Jichang hit the ground again, but Seongji didn't let go. His grip transitioned from collar to wrist, and he began to apply a wrist lock, his extra fingers allowing him to find angles that a normal grip couldn't achieve.
Jichang grimaced, feeling the joint pressure. Instead of fighting the lock, he used the momentum, rolling into it and converting it into a kick that caught Seongji in the chest, forcing separation.
Both stood up, breathing harder now. Sweat dripped from their faces.
"You're a natural!" Jichang said, a hint of respect in his voice. "You're learning mid-fight."
"Your hand blade style... it's powerful," Seongji replied, wiping blood from his lip. "But it has a weakness. You rely on speed and precision. Once someone gets inside your range, you lose effectiveness."
Jichang's eyebrow raised. "Oh? You figured that out already?"
"I guess I have a habit of fighting people with weird fighting styles," Seongji said with a slight smile as he glanced back at Baki.
They clashed again. This time, Seongji wasn't being overwhelmed. He began mixing his Ssireum grappling with judo throws and the striking techniques he'd learned—creating a hybrid style that used his unique physiology.
When Jichang threw a hand blade, Seongji would slip just enough to make it miss by millimeters, then immediately close the distance for a grip. When Jichang tried to create space with kicks, Seongji would catch the leg with his enhanced grip strength and execute sweeps or off-balancing techniques.
THWAP! Seongji's open palm caught Jichang across the face—a strike using his unique grip-based strength.
CRASH! Jichang returned fire with a perfectly executed elbow that split Seongji's eyebrow.
The two were now trading blow for blow, neither able to gain a decisive advantage. Blood dripped from both of them. Seongji's face was bruised and cut, while Jichang's wrists showed deep red marks from Seongji's grip attacks, and his lip was bleeding.
Both charged simultaneously. Jichang's hands blurred in a combination attack—his fastest barrage yet. But Seongji blocked all of them.
Block. Slip. Duck. Catch!
Seongji caught Jichang's wrist again, but this time Jichang had anticipated it. He used the grip as a pivot point, swinging his body around for a spinning kick aimed at Seongji's head.
But Seongji had also learned. He yanked Jichang's arm downward while dropping his own level, causing the kick to sail overhead. In the same motion, he swept Jichang's supporting leg.
Both fighters crashed to the ground, Seongji landing on top with a dominant position. His twelve fingers wrapped around Jichang's collar, the grip strength making it impossible for Jichang to easily escape.
Jichang's hand formed a blade aimed at Seongji's throat, the edge pressed just enough to draw a thin line of blood.
They froze.
Both were in positions to inflict serious damage. Both breathing heavily. Both covered in dirt, sweat, and blood.
Seconds ticked by.
"...Draw?" Seongji asked, his voice strained.
Jichang's eyes studied him for a moment, then he lowered his hand blade. "Draw."
Both fighters stood up, using each other as support. Seongji's grip had left deep impressions on Jichang's arms and collar, while Jichang's strikes had left Seongji's face swollen and bruised.
The kids rushed forward, but Baki waved them back. He jumped down from his boulder, finishing his last dango.
"Not bad, Seongji," Baki said. "You actually adapted mid-fight. That's something."
Jichang picked up his glasses and coat, carefully putting them back on despite his disheveled state. He looked at Seongji with new eyes.
"The Monster of Cheonliang... I understand the title now. You're rough, unpolished, but you have immense potential." He adjusted his coat. "If we had continued, I'm not sure I would have won."
Seongji touched his swollen cheek and winced. "Your hand blade style is terrifying. I've never faced anything like it. Another few minutes and..."
"Maybe, maybe not," Jichang interrupted with a small smile.
The two of them stood there, battered and exhausted, but with mutual respect in their eyes.
Baki crossed his arms. "So, guy with the glasses, are you done testing us, or do you want to go a round with me next?"
Jichang chuckled, then winced as the motion hurt his ribs. "Perhaps another time. I've seen what I needed to see." He looked at Seongji. "We'll meet again, Yuk Seongji. Next time, I won't hold back."
"Neither will I," Seongji replied.
As Jichang walked away down the mountain path, he said, "If you ever go to Seoul, mention the name Seoul's White Viper to meet me."
Hyungjae whispered, "Did... did teacher almost win?"
Baki grunted. "Win is a strong word. But yeah, if that fight had gone longer, Seongji would have had the advantage. That bastard learns too fast for his own good."
Seongji collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. "That... was harder than fighting bears."
The kids surrounded him, chattering excitedly about the fight, while Baki shook his head with a faint smile.