# Mount Cheonliang
The air hung still and cool. Seongji stood before the battered Jewoo.
"THAT'S ENOUGH FOR TODAY! I'M GONNA THROW UP AT THIS RATE!" Jewoo gasped, stumbling backward with his hands raised in defeat.
Seongji's voice was calm. "The guy who wants to beat Vin Jin is giving up after just this?"
Jewoo sank into the dirt, pushing his dark sunglasses up his nose. "Damn, I'm getting post-workout clarity. Why is Vin Jin so strong? He started both Ssireum and Kudo the latest, but none of us can even make a dent."
Taebong, standing nearby, shook his head. "You're wrong. The only person who's ever beaten him is Mary..."
Mary sat on a boulder, adjusting her glasses. "Vin Jin never actually fought me properly. He only used Judo against me. I only beat him at Judo—nothing else."
Seongji's voice cut through the conversation. "His potential is different."
"Potential?" Jewoo questioned, still catching his breath.
"The starting point for you and Vin Jin are completely different. He just didn't know it his whole life." Seongji paused. "The reason Vin Jin is strong is simple. Just like how that person awakened my potential... I've awakened Vin Jin's."
Jewoo looked up, startled. "Vin Jin has a different starting point? You mean he's got different blood or something?"
Seongji answered simply. "Generation Zero."
"Whose blood does he have?!" Jewoo pressed.
"A man who wandered without belonging anywhere his entire life. A man who lived in the wilds. They say he was Gapryong Kim's equal."
Seongji's voice echoed across the mountain. "Yeah, the Vin Jin you know... is the son of the Founder of Jin Mu Jin Ssireum. The legend of South Korean Ssireum."
---
# Shaman's House
At the compound entrance, a guard in a dark-gray uniform stood watch before the open gate.
Footsteps approached from within. A man with a cleanly shaved head walked up to him. "Time to switch."
"Is it already time?" the first guard asked, stepping aside with relief.
"I don't understand why we have to stand guard in this quiet village," he muttered.
"They said there were intruders in the past." The new guard sighed, leaning against the door frame. "Anyway, rest well, mate. I'm already getting sleepy. Don't know how I'm gonna stay awake."
"OI!"
A light, wet thud—*TAK*—sounded just outside the gate. A figure emerged from the darkness wearing blue shorts and a tracksuit with the kanji "天佑" (Divine Aid) on the back.
Before either guard could react, there was a blur of motion. The intruder's face came into view—a man with a short crop cut, his features contorted in fierce determination.
"STOP!" someone screamed—but it was too late.
The alarm blared. The first guard lay unconscious as others rushed in. The attacker stood fully exposed now.
The intruder was Vin Jin. He was quickly surrounded by guards, his eyes glowing white with frightening ferocity, his dark wild hair amplifying his rage.
"SHINMYUNG CHEON, WHERE IS THAT SON OF A BITCH!" he roared, his voice thick with murderous intent.
---
Kim Sujin stumbled into the clearing, sobbing uncontrollably.
"JE-WOO OPPA!"
Je-Woo Park, who had been leaning against a post in his sleek tracksuit, snapped to attention. He pulled off his sunglasses, his expression instantly serious. "Sujin? What's going on?"
"WE'RE IN TROUBLE!" she wailed, clutching her chest. "Vin Oppa barged into the shaman's house all alone!"
Je-Woo's eyes widened. "WHAT?! Why is he going alone?! Is he finally trying to take revenge for when they used him as an offering?!"
"I... I wasn't supposed to tell him, but... because of me, Vin Oppa went to the shaman's house!"
He didn't wait for another word. He was already gone, shoving his sunglasses onto his face as he sprinted away.
"VIN JIN, I'M PRAYING... THAT YOU DON'T KILL ANYBODY!"
He looked back at Sujin and shouted, "Sujin! Tell Baki-hyung and teacher about this!"
---
At the heart of the shaman's estate, carnage was complete. Vin Jin was a blur of bare-chested fury. A sickening crunch signaled another opponent down.
As the bodies piled up, the rage that drove him twisted into agony.
"I failed her. I cursed her for so long in my ignorance. I didn't know anything, yet I cursed you for so long. I'm so sorry, Mom." Vin Jin's voice cracked.
He slammed two more attackers into the ground, their faces contorted in pain as his hands locked onto them.
Inside the main house, a shadow stirred.
"WAIT, WHAT? What's happening outside?"
Vin Jin's eyes narrowed. "KOREAN?! THAT PERSON ISN'T FROM THE YAKUZA!"
The sliding doors burst open, and Vin Jin stood framed in the light, panting but towering, his massive chest heaving.
The man inside had white-streaked hair. He was Beolgu. He simply smiled, examining Vin Jin. "WHAT A SURPRISE TODAY."
Beolgu grimaced, rising slowly. "Polycoria, huh? Are you that one person's... Never mind."
Vin Jin's voice was a low growl. "Hey. Where did Shinmyung Cheon go?"
Beolgu's smile widened as he held up a candy.
"SHINMYUNG CHEON? Why would you be looking for Shinmyung Cheon when he's right here?"
Beolgu mocked him.
Vin Jin thrashed the table in front of him.
Beolgu mocked him again. "Did Shinmyung Cheon kill your parents or something? I'm sorry, kiddo. You won't be able to kill Shinmyung today." He stood, pulling one of the frightened girls close. "There are two things in this world that I really dislike... Number one, you're a man. And what's number two?"
That was the spark. With a guttural roar of pure fury, Vin Jin launched his attack. *KWAANG!* His punch was a cannon.
Beolgu took the punch head-on and barely flinched, blood spraying from his mouth as he sailed through the air. "YOU'RE A YOUNG MAN?!"
Beolgu grabbed Vin Jin by his hair and slammed his knee into his face.
"THIS IS, WELL, SO EASY!" Beolgu sneered, standing over the downed Vin Jin. "You need technique and experience to fight."
But Beolgu realized the trap too late. "BELT HOLD? IT'S SSIREUM?!"
Vin Jin wasn't just grabbing fabric—his hand gripped a specific point on Beolgu's waist. "HE GOT MY BONE!"
"THIS ISN'T JUST REGULAR SSIREUM!" Beolgu realized as white-hot agony shot through his body.
With a final, terrible heave, Vin Jin lifted him, his face contorted with effort and malicious delight, then threw Beolgu into the shattered remnants of the room.
---
The Cheonliang crew burst through the courtyard doors, staring at the fallen guards. They spotted another wave of guards incoming.
Suddenly a window burst open as Vin Jin crashed through it.
"WHAT THE?" Jewoo muttered.
"VIN JIN IS HERE?" Taebong cried out.
Jewoo rushed forward, shouting, "VIN JIN! GET UP! ARE YOU OKAY?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ALONE?!"
Vin Jin's voice was strained. "You guys can go back now. This is my problem. It's something I need to finish myself."
Beolgu walked out from the broken wall. "Come here, you little shit! Trying to have a Ssireum match with an adult?"
Hyungjae asked, "Vin Jin, just what is going on right now...?"
Vin Jin's voice broke. "I found out. I found out why my mom died. She didn't leave me to escape. She died because of Shinmyung."
He continued, "I have to kill Shinmyung today. I have to do whatever I can to rip that bastard apart."
He clenched his eyes shut. "I can't live anymore if I don't do that..."
The whole Cheonliang crew replied in unison, "Roger. From this moment on, the Cheonliang crew will be with you."
But Mary suddenly picked up the shocked Vin Jin and started running toward the courtyard gate while Jewoo said, "Or did you think we'd say that?"
Suddenly Shinmyung came into view. "You can lose the others. But bring Vin Jin back alive. Because I have to kill him myself."
As the Cheonliang crew reached the courtyard door, they were surrounded by guards. The guards leaped at them.
A hand shot out with lightning speed, closing with sudden, firm grip around two guards' ankles, locking their legs in place and completely halting their momentum.
With immense force, the newcomer unleashed a brutal slam.
Seongji stood at the door. He looked at the boys and Mary and said, "Leave."
The boys hesitated, but Seongji shouted again, "DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME SAY LEAVE?!"
The boys and Mary, who carried Vin Jin, immediately ran. Seongji closed the door and grabbed the lock, then crushed it with his bare hand.
Shinmyung walked toward him. "Seongji, do you think just because you've defeated the Ghost Brothers, you're above me?"
Seongji didn't reply. Instead, he also walked toward Shinmyung.
"I heard it too. How Vin Jin's mother passed away. When a disciple's mother passes away, what kind of teacher would act like they didn't hear it?"
"Mujin Jin was the one who taught me everything. And Vin Jin is his son. I only protect that man's son."
A voice interrupted him. "Whew! We don't need to go looking for you then."
Behind Seongji stood Generation Zero—former members of Gapryong Kim's fist gang.