Reality Quest: Questism

Pain.

It registered, but only barely. A bat slammed into his ribs—he felt something crack. Another punch split his lip, the coppery taste of blood filling his mouth. But it didn't stop him.

Nothing was stopping him now.

Jihan laughed. A raw, breathless sound that sent shivers through the people surrounding him. It wasn't just amusement… it was something deeper. Something broken.

It hurt. Every hit, every impact. His body screamed at him to stop. But his mind?

There was no hesitation. No fear. No morality.

Just violence.

A guy rushed forward with a wild swing. Jihan's body reacted instantly.

Boxing - Slipping → Krav Maga - Elbow Strike

He tilted his head just enough for the fist to graze past his ear. Then, using the opening, his elbow shot forward—cracking against the guy's cheekbone. Blood spattered onto the dirt as the delinquent staggered, his knees wobbling.

Jihan didn't stop.

Wrestling - Arm Drag → Judo - Koshi Guruma

His fingers clamped onto the guy's wrist, twisting violently, using the momentum to pull him forward. In the same motion, Jihan's hip swung into place.

And he threw him.

The guy soared over his shoulder, his body flipping midair before crashing down with a sickening thud.

A pipe came swinging for his legs.

Jihan barely registered it before it smashed into his knee.

Pain flared. His leg buckled—but he didn't fall. Instead, he let his momentum shift, spinning on his good leg.

Capoeira - Meia Lua de Compasso

His body dipped low, one hand touching the ground for balance as his foot whipped around in a brutal, arcing kick. The heel of his shoe slammed into the attacker's jaw.

Jihan landed on his feet, his breathing ragged. His vision was starting to blur at the edges.

I can't keep this up forever.

A fist crashed into his stomach.

Jihan choked, bile rising in his throat.

Ignore it. Keep moving.

He grabbed the guy's collar, dragging him in.

Muay Thai - Clinch → Knees

His knee shot up. Once. Twice. Three times. Each impact drove deeper into the guy's gut until he folded, wheezing, and collapsed to the ground.

Another one grabbed him from behind, locking his arms.

"HA! No one can escape these holds! See how easy it is you bastards?!"

Jihan grinned.

Jiu-Jitsu - Drop Seoi Nage

He shifted his weight, letting himself fall—and in doing so, dragged his opponent with him, flipping the guy clean over his shoulder.

The impact sent tremors through the dirt. 

Krav Maga - Throat Strike.

The dirt was now splattered with blood.

More were coming.

Jihan straightened, his body trembling from exhaustion and adrenaline. Blood dripped down his face, mixing with sweat.

He was hurt. More than he wanted to admit.

The guy wearing the glasses suddenly spoke, having been dodging around for most of the fight.

"Most people don't wear glasses when they fight. The risk is too high if the glasses break. So why do I wear them?"

He readied his stance.

"It's because I'll never be h-"

Taekwondo – Back Kick.

His foot shot out in a blur, aiming straight for the guy's gut.

But he wasn't fast enough.

The glasses-wearing bastard swayed to the side, his body moving like water, his footwork light and unpredictable. He's fast. Faster than the others. Faster than Jihan expected.

Jihan twisted mid-motion, planting his foot down before he lost balance. The second he did, a fist shot toward his jaw.

Boxing – Slip.

Jihan barely ducked, feeling the air shift as the punch missed by millimeters. He countered with a hook, but the guy danced back, avoiding it with ridiculous ease.

This bastard.

Jihan exhaled sharply, adjusting his stance.

He knew dozens of styles. But he had always used them separately. One technique after another. But why? 

Why limit himself like that?

His body was strong. His mind was sharp. He could do more.

His grin widened. 

That's it!.

Attack card - Jihan Yoo Awakening exclusive.

The guy in glasses lunged again. A straight punch.

Jihan caught it.

Infinite Attack.

Judo – Wrist Control → Muay Thai – Elbow Smash.

He seized the guy's wrist, locking it down as he drove an elbow straight into his face. A sickening crunch followed. Blood sprayed from his nose.

The guy staggered, but he didn't fall. He twisted, trying to break free.

Jihan adjusted.

Infinite Attack.

Wing Chun – Trapping Hands → Jiu-Jitsu – Inside Trip.

He latched onto the guy's arm, locking it in place as he swept his legs out from under him. The guy crashed onto his back, gasping in shock.

Jihan was already moving.

Krav Maga – Stomp.

His foot came down, hard on the guy's ribs. A choked yell escaped his lips.

This was it. This was what true combat was.

Not separate styles. Not rigid techniques.

A symphony of violence.

He let out a breathless laugh, his vision swimming.

The remaining delinquents, the ones still standing, took a step back. Their leader, the tall, blonde guy, was watching him now, his scowl deeper than ever.

Jihan licked the blood off his lip and grinned even wider.

"So? Who's next?"

The blonde guy cracked his knuckles. "You're good, kid," he admitted. "Real good."

"I don't want to hear that from you, fuckface." Jihan spat, a grin still adorning his face.

The guy took another step—

And then he froze.

A blur of movement cut through the air.

CRACK.

The mustached delinquent's body twisted unnaturally, his eyes rolling back as his head snapped to the side. He collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Jihan barely registered what had happened before a figure stepped out from the darkness.

A teenager. Taller than Dowan.

His face was half-covered by a familiar jacket tied around his head, but Jihan could see his eyes,cold, unreadable, yet odd.

The figure didn't say a word. He looked around, scanning the battlefield. Then, with a single nod…

He turned and ran.

Jihan took a step forward, instincts screaming at him to follow, to demand answers…

But just as the figure disappeared into the trees-

He vanished.

Gone.

Like mist dispersing in the wind.

Jihan's breath hitched. "What the fuck…"

His hands clenched. His mind was still fogged from the fight, his adrenaline refusing to fade, but something about that person… it felt wrong. Too familiar.

His gut told him he'd seen that face before.

But where?

Jihan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself—

Then another voice spoke.

"You're not bad, Jihan Yoo."

Jihan whirled around and Mind Control swiftly came to an end. His grin fell from his face and he hurriedly flicked the blood off of his hand.

The owner of the newest voice was tall, silver-grey hair that had once been neatly parted was now swept over his forehead in a messy style… not unlike Dowan's.

Jihan had seen him before, talking to Dowan. What was his name again? Oh right.

Eunsung Han.

His expression was flat… indifferent. Like none of what had just happened, mattered.

And then a metallic scent hit Jihan's nose.

Blood.

He turned his head, gaze shifting past Eunsung, toward the area behind the tomb.

At first, all he saw was darkness. The moon barely lit the area, casting long shadows over the uneven ground. But as his vision adjusted, he saw them.

Bodies. Dozens of them.

More than he had fought. More than he had even known were here.

Some were twitching, groaning in pain, but most of them were completely still.

Jihan's stomach turned.

He had been fighting for his life, struggling against wave after wave of thugs who wouldn't stay down…

But this?

This was a massacre.

He exhaled sharply, stepping closer. No way.

Had all of these guys been here from the start? Were they waiting for backup? No, they had been fighting. There were cracks in the dirt, blood splattered across the ground, signs of struggle everywhere.

And at the center of it all had been… Eunsung.

Jihan turned back to him, his heart pounding in his chest.

"You—" His voice came out hoarse. "You fought all of them?"

Eunsung tilted his head slightly, as if he wasn't sure why Jihan was even asking.

"I handled it," he said in that bored tone of his. "Where's Dowan?"

Eunsung had taken out over a hundred while Jihan had barely been holding his own against fifty.

Jihan forced himself to focus. Dowan. That was what mattered.

"…He went after Ahrin," Jihan finally said.

Eunsung nodded once. "Let's go."

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There'll be a description of the Infinite Attack card later.