Baki woke up in the early morning. The mountain was covered in mist.
Baki's eyes were closed, but his body moved with precision. To anyone watching, he appeared to be fighting an invisible enemy.
His breathing deepened as he visualized his opponent. A man in a white coat and glasses slowly appeared in his mind.
"Since he's taller than me, he has the range advantage. I need to closer than his comfortable range. I also have to avoi thoses slashes."
Sweat poured down his face. Even though the ground before him was empty, he moved as if fighting a real opponent. As he kept on fighting, it began to feel more and more real.
"Good... This is good!" Baki muttered between breaths. "I fucking love it!"
Behind him, Vin Jin, who had just came, stared at the madman. He turned to Mary, who was also watching nearby.
"Hey, what's up with Baki-hyung? Has he gone mad or something?!"
Mary hushed him, "Don't break hyung's concentration. He's shadow fighting."
Vin Jin said with a low voice, "Huh? What's that?"
Suddenly Baki stopped and grabbed a towel to wipe away the sweat.
"It's okay. You guys can talk comfortably."
"Yes, hyung." Mary said. Vin Jin asked, "Where's teacher, hyung?"
Baki looked at the hut for a moment before saying, "Let's wait for the others to arrive amd then I will tell."
After a while, Jewoo, Taebong, Wooseok, and Hyungjae also arrived.
Baki addressed them,
"Your teacher is a little sick today, so I'll be training you guys."
Taebong asked, "Baki-hyung, what happened to teacher?"
Baki sighed. "Let's leave that discussion for later. Let's begin our training for now."
---
"Vin Jin! Taebong! Keep up!" Baki shouted over his shoulder.
Behind him, Taebong and Vin Jin gasped for air, their legs burning as they climbed the steepest section of Mount Cheonliang. Strapped to their backs were wooden frames loaded with rocks—easily sixty pounds.
"How... the fuck... are you not... tired?!" Vin wheezed as he saw everyone except Baki struggling.
Baki, who was at the front, was carrying double that weight yet moved tirelessly. His tanned, muscular frame seemed built for this.
"I'm not Seongji," Baki called back. "I can't teach you Ssireum. But I can train your body. And that's what I'm doing now."
At the summit, Baki dropped his load. Vin Jin, Jewoo, and the others collapsed. Even Mary, who was the strongest of the bunch, collapsed on the ground. Though they had been trained by Seongji, this was a new experience.
"When did you start training like this?" Vin asked between gasps.
Baki's expression grew distant. "I was younger than you at the time. So you guys should be able to do it easily. Don't whine now."
---
Back at the base, all the students sprawled on the ground, twitching.
"Okay guys, today's training is over. I felt really good training you today, so I'm thinking of training you like this every day. What do you say? Seongji will train you in techniques, and I'll train your body." Baki grinned.
A shiver ran down the spines of the Cheonliang Fam. They immediately shouted, "NO!"
Baki scratched his head. "Tch! You guys really don't know your own good."
Saying this, Baki entered the hut and started bringing out various items. He set up a wooden post wrapped in rope, with small paper targets attached at various heights and angles. Each one marked a vital point: "Solar Plexus," "Liver," "Floating Rib," "Temple," "Throat."
Mary Kim watched as Baki studied the setup.
"Baki-hyung, what is this?" she asked.
"Weak points," he replied. "I have been trying to learn a fighting style specifically targeting human bodies."
He assumed his stance, then exploded forward. His fist shot out in a blur—*thwack!*—striking the "Solar Plexus" target dead center. Before the post stopped shaking, he'd already delivered four more strikes to different targets, each one perfectly placed.
"I came up with this idea while fighting a wild boar," Baki explained. "Three hundred pounds of muscle. I couldn't overpower it, nor could I damage it. So I had to find its weak spots—behind the ear, the joints, the soft tissue."
Mary frowned. "But won't it kill a person if you damage a vital point?"
"Yes," Baki agreed. "It could. That's the difference. I've trained my body to know exactly how much force is lethal—and how to stop just short of it."
His finger jabbed forward, stopping a hair's breadth from Mary's throat. She hadn't even seen him move.
"Your carotid sinus," he said quietly. "A strike here causes immediate unconsciousness due to blood pressure disruption. Your body thinks you're dying and shuts down to protect itself."
Mary frowned. "Where did you learn all the weak points of the human body?"
Baki smiled grimly. "Well, Seongji is a great friend. Sadly, for some reason, he doesn't spar with me anymore."
---
"Jewoo, how much does that weigh?" Hyungjae asked, pointing at the massive boulder Baki was attempting to lift.
"Has to be at least five hundred pounds," Jewoo replied, eyes wide.
Baki stood before the boulder, his breathing controlled. His hands gripped the rough surface, his entire body coiling like a spring. This was about understanding leverage, about making every muscle work together.
His legs drove upward, his back straightened, and slowly—impossibly—the boulder began to rise. Veins bulged across his arms and neck. His teeth clenched.
The boulder came up to his chest, then his shoulders. With a final surge of effort, he pressed it overhead. His arms trembled.
"Ten seconds," he counted aloud. "Nine... eight..."
By the time he reached zero and dropped the boulder, his entire body was shaking. But there was a savage grin on his face.
"Again," he said simply.
The Cheonliang Fam stared in disbelief.
"He's insane," Taebong whispered.
Baki suddenly looked at him and grinned evilly. "It seems like you guys have recovered plenty. Since that's the case, how about you help me with something?"
Everyone simultaneously glared at Taebong, whose back ran cold.
After a while...
"Come at me," Baki said to the assembled Cheonliang Fam.
Jewoo shouted as he attacked first.
"Since it's come to this, today I, the undisputed leader of the Cheonliang Fam, will show you our strength."
He attempted one of Seongji's ssireum techniques. Baki sidestepped, his hand shooting out to tap Jewoo's liver—pulling the strike at the last second. Jewoo still crumpled as his lungs gasped for air. He got up and saw that he was the only one to rush in.
"Tch! When fighting a stronger enemy, rushing in blindly is a death sentence." Baki said. "Did Seongji not even teach you the basics of a fight?"
Hearing Baki question Seongji's method, Taebong and Hyungjae tried to flank him. Baki's positioned himself so they blocked each other's attacks. A palm strike to Taebong's solar plexus, an elbow tap to Hyungjae's temple and both of them fell.
"Hahaha, it seems you guys have failed Seongji."
Mary Kim charged in. Baki easily avoided her throws. When she finally got a grip on him, he did something unexpected—he struck her wrist at a precise pressure point. Her grip weakened just enough for him to slip free.
"Your technique is solid," he told her as she rubbed her wrist. "But techniques have counters. Always have a backup plan."
Vin Jin was last, attacking with wild strikes. Baki blocked them all. Then, when Vin overextended, Baki grabbed his shoulder and performed a shoulder throw.
"Fuck! What are you doing?!" Baki shouted. "Why are you fighting like a bitch?"
Vin Jin, who was gasping for air on the ground, cried bitterly, "It's because it's my first time training!"
Baki scratched his head and nervously laughed. "Oh, I forgot that you only joined yesterday."
---
As the sun set, Baki stood at the mountain's edge, looking down at Cheonliang village.
"Baki."
Seongji approached, two cups of tea in hand. He offered one to his best friend.
"Thanks for taking care of them today," Seongji observed.
Baki accepted the tea and took a sip. "Those kids are good."
He turned to face Seongji, and his eyes burned with quiet intensity. "Especially Vin Jin—he's extraordinary. Make sure to bring out his potential, Seongji."
Seongji nodded slowly. "It seems that Vin Jin has impressed you."
"Maybe," Baki agreed.