The Clean Slate
Jinwoo placed Jae-wook under guard, handing control of the local Crews to a loyal committee led by Minjun. He had cleaned house, but his status as King was tenuous.
He knew he couldn't fight the Syndicate alone. He needed the help of the one man who understood the organization: Commander Han.
Jinwoo returned to the training facility and found Han waiting.
"You defeated the strategist, King," Han stated. "You fight for honor, not for Kwon."
"I need to know the Syndicate's core," Jinwoo said. "Why are they gathering fighters globally?"
Han revealed that the Syndicate, led by Chairman Kwon, was not just interested in money; they were creating an army of "Perfect Fighters" using enhanced training, advanced biomechanics, and forced competition. Jinwoo's Reflective Mimicry was the natural version of what Kwon was trying to engineer.
"Kwon sees you as the ultimate natural experiment," Han warned. "He'll send you on harder missions until you fail, and then he'll dissect your ability."
The Global Ladder
Kwon called, his voice now devoid of warmth. "The betrayal changes nothing, King. You will complete your mission. Eliminate the Shanghai King. Fail, and Minjun and the entire Crew organization will be dissolved."
Jinwoo was trapped. He was forced onto the global ladder.
He received the file on the Shanghai King: a woman known as "The Dynamo." She had the most terrifying skill yet: an internal energy manipulation technique that allowed her to deliver crippling, concussive blows without contact.
Jinwoo immediately knew his next Echo. He needed a skill that focused not on the outside of the body, but the inside—a technique for defending against or replicating internal force.
The New Echo: Inner Focus
Jinwoo found his source in an underground clinic specializing in Chi Gong and Internal Martial Arts. He observed a reclusive Master known for his ability to withstand powerful internal blows.
He focused his Reflective Mimicry on the Master's breathing and internal tension—the conscious control over organs and muscle density. This was the most abstract copy yet, a blueprint of Internal Defense.
The resulting Echo was an inner calmness, the ability to consciously harden his internal structure and dissipate shockwaves.
"I need to copy the air he fights with," Jinwoo realized.