Soon they arrived at Ansan, Ha-Joon didn't chased towards Taesoo Ma after arriving but roamed around the bustling city of Ansan. Firstly, he almost took an hour to fill his hungry stomach, and circled around the area to observe the surrounding places.
Even if he didn't consider the possibility of ruling any regions throughout South Korea. It did not prevent him from admiring the city from normal perspective.
Now having almost roamed around the city, they left and moved towards the jungle side owned by Taesoo Ma.
.....
By noon, they were beyond the city area. The SUV dropped them near the foot of Ansan's jungle an official park by day, but untamed by night. The jungle of Ansan was quiet.
Ha-Joon started moving towards the inner circle of the jungle followed by Hyun-Woo and Minjae. The deeper they moved, path visible to naked eyes began to fade covered by trees and bushes. But it didn't stop them from moving towards their destination.
Eventually, the trees opened up into a small clearing where orange firelight flickered against bark and stone. And there, seated beside the flames, was Taesoo Ma.
The man looked wild, shoulders thick with muscle, hair loose and unkempt. He sat on a large rock, one leg propped, chewing slowly on a massive hunk of charred meat torn from some beast, its bones blackened near the fire.
[Image]
He didn't notice Ha-Joon and his two companion, Ha-Joon slowly reached towards him. Taesoo didn't glance up when Ha-Joon approached.
"Hmm..?" Taesoo spoke, unbothered by his presence. "Who the hell are you?"
Ha-Joon reached towards the near stone, before responding. "The name's Ha-Joon. I've come to test the strength of Ansan's king."
"Oh?" Taesoo Ma muttered, chewing slowly. "A test, huh. I've heard the rumors… some kid going around picking fights with regional kings. Didn't think your next stop would be me."
"Let's say you defeated me and then what? take my territory."
Ha-Joon shook his head slowly. "Not interested," he said, locking eyes with Taesoo. "But I need an ally for what's coming. What do you think?"
He tossed the bone aside, the carcass landing with a wet thud. Then he casually rose to his feat. His movements were heavy but confident. "Not interested.... But to come all the way by defeating other kings. I'm really curious about your strength. How about a battle."
"Fine by me," Ha-Joon said as he too rose to his feet.
.The gap between them disappeared in a blink.
Taesoo moved first, a right hook. Ha-Joon ducked under, shifting sideways and launched a sharp kick toward Taesoo's ribs.
It connected. But Taesoo didn't budge.
He looked down briefly, finally being serious. "Hmm... Threshold, But not entirely perfect enough."
"Heh." Ha-Joon merely chuckled at his word and then struck again.
This time he weaved in, shifting into a flurry of Kyoukushin strikes, elbows and knees mixed in with precise low kicks. Taesoo absorbed them all. When he finally swung again, it was a straight jab, no technique but it sent Ha-Joon flying backwards into a tree trunk.
Ha-Joon's companion quickly distanced themself from the battle, afraid of being targeted during their fight.
The thud echoed across the clearing. Ha-Joon staggered up, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. That single punch had shattered his endurance.
But instead of being concerned, He grinned. "Is that all?"
Taesoo didn't respond to his word but struck, again and again. Ha-Joon was forced to block, parry, dodge, but each time, the force made his whole body to scream.
His breathing grew heavier. Muscles started to give. But deep inside, something else began to stir, his body pushing against its own limits.
That was when it happened. Taesoo's fist slammed straight into Ha-Joon's chest. As soon as his fist connected. Time paused for a second for Ha-Joon.
But again, felt it that similar sensation when he had awakened and with that familiar sensation his heart paused.
Instantly, his heart kicked back in. A burning pulse through his chest. He dropped to one knee, gasping but laughing.
His skin felt tougher, bones denser. Durability. It had just leveled up.
"You almost stopped my heart," Ha-Joon said.
A flicker of surprise crossed Taesoo Ma's eyes. Just exchanging a few blow directly made this guy endurance to a new level. Of course, what Taesoo Ma didn't know was Ha-Joon had already hit the wall for the second awakening of durability.
After a brief moment of surprise, Taesoo struck without hesitation.
Another thunderous hook came flying, this time lower, aiming for Ha-Joon's ribs. Ha-Joon pivoted his foot and barely managed to absorb the impact with his forearm. It still hurt, but it didn't rattle his bones like before. He gritted his teeth and countered, his foot slammed forward in a snapping Kyoukushin-style low kick to Taesoo's shin.
Taesoo ma didn't even flinch. He just grinned. "What a monster. To tank a constant punch."
Ha-Joon dashed in, fists flaring in a blur. His movements blended with styles, he flowed from a tight Taekwondo spinning kick into a sudden Capoeira sweep. Taesoo blocked with one arm, hopping lightly over the sweep, his eyes still locked onto Ha-Joon.
A punch to the gut, jab to the shoulder, heel kick toward the temple. Each strike landed more cleanly than before. His eyes sharpened, learning as the fight went on, his strength soaring from each blow.
Then came another blow from Taesoo's right hand, straight to Ha-Joon's collarbone. A 'thud' rang out as Ha-Joon was sent flying across the leaves and dirt, boots digging trenches into the earth.
Blood trickled down his lip. He slowly rose to his feet, spat his blood before grinning wildly. "Yes this is the kind of fight I want... And its been a while, someone has really pushed me this far."
Ha-Joon lunged again, this time with his full weight behind a shoulder tackle. It caught Taesoo off-guard, slamming him back a few paces. Ha-Joon followed with an uppercut that grazed Taesoo's chin, drew a small cut, enough to mark him.
The two froze for half a second.
Then Taesoo grinned wider. "There it is."
Two of them immediately began exchanging blows after blows. As the fight raged on two veteran started fighting more like a wild beast.
And with that, Ha-Joon's strength began to surge dramatically, pushing his strength threshold to its limit.