Briefing & Run In With Another Boss

The next day, I was sat in a briefing with Hyundong standing in front of that same whiteboard he'd used a while ago when I got inaugurated as the boss of West Gangbuk. A dozen or so guys lined the table in front of me and Kuza was sat next to me just like before - the only difference this time was that Hajoon was sat next to me on the opposite side to Kuza.

"Congratulations, BOSS!" the guys in front of me shouted, bowing deeply as they did so. The eyes of awe and admiration they directed at me were something that made me simultaneously feel good and bad. Stop looking at me like a maiden does a knight in shining armor, you idiots!

Of course that went without saying, and I waved a hand to dismiss it, "Yeah, yeah, thanks," I dropped the hand before leaning my elbows against the table, "So, what's the briefing about, Hyundong?" I directed the question at my first legitimate subordinate who was on the other end of the table.

"Well, I wanted to update your nickname, boss. How about Berserk Mad Dog--" I cut him off with a look that promised a headlock and a nuggie, and he quickly moved on, "Nevermind! Ahem," he cleared his throat and slapped his pointer against the map, "Sadly, you beating Hwang Daesung has given us nothing other than reputation because he doesn't own any areas in East Gangbuk's territory. But it does give us a straight forward way to challenging the guy above him, East Gangbuk's rank 13, Kang Doh-Hyuk."

That name rung a bell and I snapped my fingers as I remembered him, "Oh, him? I've already beat him in a fight," I admitted and Hyundong gave me a dazed looked as I turned to Hajoon, "Remember when we went to that karaoke place? Some blondie from East Gangbuk rushed in and I took him out?"

"...Yeah, I remember that," Hajoon nodded in affirmation after taking a few seconds to think, "He was pretty weak."

"Yeah, he was," I laughed, "Took, like, four punches to put him on his ass."

And that was back when I was much weaker than now. The me of today could absolutely wreck the me that beat Kang Doh-Hyuk, whether it be in terms of skills or pure stats.

Hyundong, who'd broke himself from his dazed stat, finally spoke up, "You...you beat Kang Doh-Hyuk, boss?" he asked and I nodded. That sent him and all the others into ecstatic cheers, "As expected of our boss, Mad Dog Kim Soohyun! Even before he became the boss of West Gangbuk he was beating ranked fighters from East Gangbuk! He's the chosen one, prophesied to bring balance to Gangbuk--"

"Alright, alright," I cut him off before we got hit by a copyright complaint, "I beat him but seeing as nobody else knew, they kept it pretty silent. Means we won't be able to make claim to his territory. But seeing as I beat Hwang Daesung, I'd say Han Jae-Ha will either send Doh-Hyuk or come to visit me himself. If it's the former, I'll beat him again and we can take his territory."

"And if Han Jae-Ha comes himself?" Hyundong asked, hanging off of each and every word coming from me.

I shrugged in response, "He's strong. I honestly don't know if I'd win or not," I honestly said before smiling, "But I do know there's a chance I can win. He seems like a quick guy, built for speed but those types of guys can't take hits for shit. If I get a hand on him, it'll be in my favour - but if he's as agile as I think he is, he'll have the advantage," I tapped my fingers across the table in a rhythmic manner, "But is that a surprise to any of us? No. We all know how fights go. It's nigh impossible to know how a fight between two strong guys will go until it actually starts."

The dozen guys around the table looked to each other and nodded in agreement, their own experiences going the same as what I said. Hajoon looked slightly impressed that I was keeping my head cool and not letting my win over him or Han Jae-Ha's underlings make me arrogant.

Kuza was just being Kuza: Acting like he owned the place but deep down probably pretty close to having a nervous breakdown due to being surrounded by delinquents. Though I must say, he's looking a bit slimmer due to his dieting and exercise, so it's only a matter of time until he's actually got the strength to be confident.

His body is changing pretty quickly. I guess S-Rank Potential, even without a perk*, increases the speed of someone's growth to beyond the norm.

(*A/n - Just wanna point out that nobody has perks other than the MC. If they did, it wouldn't really be an advantage, would it?)

Though as he doesn't have a perk, he hasn't experienced any major changes to his stats. But I can feel it's gonna be soon when his Speed and Strength go up either half a rank or a full one. He's been really trying hard lately and with Hyundong joining us, he's even more determined to grow.

"Okay, boss," Hyundong nodded before slapping the board again but this time on a different picture. The picture was some...badly drawn uniforms. "Now, we need to decide what we're gonna wear as a group when we ever go for big group fights," he said in a tone far too serious for the words he'd just spoken.

...Are we a K-Pop group or something?

. . .

That was...tiresome. Who knew delinquents were so into fashion? Some of these fellas are definitely gonna get into that business when/if they graduate.

Yawning, I stretched as I stood up, "Is that all then, Hyundong? Because I'm pretty tired."

"Yes, boss," he nodded as he rolled up all the designs that'd been brought up - surprisingly Kuza had been the most vocal about it all - and put them in his bag, "I'll call you if anything comes up, so go get some rest," he smiled at me and I returned the smile before picking up my bag.

"Oh, and Hyundong?" I called and he looked at me curiously, "You want to unite Gangbuk, right?" I asked and he gave a confused nod, probably wondering why I was bringing it up, "I'm kinda thinking that I wanna do it too now. It's been pretty fun since I got involved in this whole business and it couldn't hurt to aim big, could it?" I laughed, telling the truth but not exactly going into detail.

Fighting was actually fun, sure, but only because I have the system backing me up. My own efforts aside, the system is what makes me so strong. But what really makes it fun is getting cards. It makes my inner gacha maniac happy and thus it makes me happy.

And seeing as most, if not all, of my quests have been focused around the Gangbuk trouble I should probably start aiming for the unification of Gangbuk. I wonder what type of card I'd get if I did it?

The highest card I've got to date is a Platinum Card, and that changed my body, improved my senses to the peak a human can have, allows me to train five times quicker and recover from it five times quicker so I can train twice a day without any health drawbacks...not to mention that Observe is also a Platinum Card and that allows me to take a peek at my opponents stats. They're both already brilliant.

But what about the cards higher than that? I'm pretty sure they were Diamond, Master and Challenger Cards. If Platinum and Gold Cards are so good and give me incredible advantages, then what about the cards above them? Would I end up getting literal superpowers or something? Well, whatever I get, I know it'll be good.

And if not? I have Card Master. I could split and recombine the card until I do get something good.

A gacha maniacs literal wet dream. And I don't even need to spend any money to do it...just need to do possibly life-threatening missions or embarrass myself by acting weird.

Yet we've already been through this, haven't we? I've died twice before. Embarrassment got me nowhere before and it won't get me anywhere now either, so it's useless to me. Just gotta be confident and do what needs to be done.

"Boss..." Hyundong went all too shocked for words and held up a thumb as he continued, "I will spread what you just said to the entire school...and it won't be a baseless rumour!" he gave a joyful shout and began laughing alongside the rest of the other guys there. I just chuckled and shook my head at his actions before leaving with Kuza and Hajoon.

"He's a bit...energetic," Hajoon said tiredly, rubbing at his forehead, "It's why I told him to fuck off back when I was boss."

Clapping Hajoon on the shoulder in admonishment, I gave him a grin, "Come on, Hajoon. He's a bit of a hand full but he means well. At times, anyway," I trailed off with a wry laugh and Hajoon just gave me a sympathetic look, no doubt having heard some of the rumours Hyundong had spread before I got him to stop. That sympathetic look, from a guy I'd beat in a fight, felt worse than anything I'd ever experienced...apart from dying. But still! It felt bad.

So I ignored him and his look of pity. Damn you, Hajoon.

Clearing my throat, I looked to Kuza, "You still up for the gym after school?" I asked and he gave a nod, then I looked to Hajoon, "Why don't you get a gym membership, man? You obviously workout and if you wanna get your revenge on me, you're gonna need to get stronger," I joked and Hajoon cracked a smile.

"I'll think about it. What gym do you go to?" he asked and surprisingly, Kuza actually answered which led to them talking about working out and Hajoon giving some tips for certain exercises.

It was good to see the two of them slowing getting to become friends. I knew that in the original they didn't really speak much, if at all. I could tell that Hajoon was actually mellowing out a little compared to before, which was good, and that he was slowly beginning to appreciate my friendship beyond just being friends with me because I was good at fighting. Things were going good...which is why I knew something shitty was about to happen.

I'd have to be on guard about that.

Seeing as school was over, Kuza and I split off from Hajoon and went to the gym where we got in a good workout before the two of us split off in our own separate ways.

As I was walking through a shortcut to my house, I was stopped by three guys. All three of which I knew. Hwang Daesung, Kang Doh-Hyuk and Han Jae-Ha. I let out a disbelieving laugh when I saw them, "Really? Three of you coming after little ol' me? Han Jae-Ha, you chickenshit motherfucker, couldn't handle me on your own so you had to bring your buddies to back you up?" I bantered at him with what I knew was an infuriating smirk on my face.

"Ha! You fucking wish, Kim Soohyun," he replied with a laugh of his own, a casual smile spread across his face, "I'm just here to watch my boys pummel the shit out of you and to take a photo once you're lying face first against the pavement below."

"Yeah right," I rolled my eyes, looking to the two others who I'd already beat, "I've already beat these chumps. And you think just because they're together they'll be able to beat me? Get real you delusional prick," I harshly said and his casual smile faltered ever so slightly.

But it didn't disappear. Which made me feel uneasy.

There's more to this, isn't there?

[A Main Quest Is Being Generated.]

Hm? I already have one going though? Can I actually have two or more quests at the same time? Surprising.

[Win. Losing isn't an option. Fight and Win Against Han Jae-Ha's Subordinates (0/?) Fight and Win Against Han Jae-Ha (0/1). Rewards: Gold Card (x2) & Platinum Card (x1). Hidden Requirements available.]

[Do you accept this quest? Yes/No]

...So it isn't just these two in front of me. I focused my sense of hearing for a few seconds and heard rustling behind me and behind them, so I knew either the wind is particularly heavy in this secluded alley or they've brought backup to catch me off-guard. Fucking hell. The state of the world and it's kids these days, huh?

"Whatever," I shrugged, loosening up my shoulders and shaking my hands and feet out as I jumped up and down a little, "Let's get this over with, ya bunch of pussies."

While I was stretching, I pressed the 'Yes' and got ready to fight.

Doh-Hyuk was the first to charge me, his expression which had been semi-calm until now warped and twisted into one of angry spite, "You fuckin' prick, because of you--"

Just like when we first met, I cut him off with a Back Kick right to his stomach. Well, that wasn't used when we first met but the sentiment was there, "Because of me, nothing. Fucking waste of space," I pulled my foot back and brought it down to the ground to support me as my other foot whipped out in a beautiful Roundhouse Kick that slammed against his temple and took him out. He dropped to the floor, eyes rolled up and jaw slack as he hit the ground like a bag of bricks.

Two hits compared to the four it originally took. Not too bad. Especially considering that I held back so as to not hurt him lethally.

Hwang Daesung who still looked a little pale from out earlier bout, rushed at me with his arms wide and his stance low. A wrestler/grappler, then. I burst close to him and instead of going for his stomach like last time, I sent an overhand cross right into his face, using principles from Kyokushin Karate to lunge forward with the punch and pushed forward with my back leg. The result? His face getting crushed like someone took a hammer to it and my punch carrying him to the ground where it pushed him right into the ground not too far from Doh-Hyuk.

Standing up from my crouched position above him, I rubbed the blood off my knuckles onto my blazer and gave a frown. I really fucking hate getting blood on me. I looked to Han Jae-Ha who didn't look very nonplussed by the whole thing. He'd obviously expected this.

"Send the rest of them out then, Han Jae-Ha. I'm getting tired of waiting," I spat out and Han Jae-Ha just grinned before whistling.

About fourteen guys came out, some behind me and some in front of me. Fucking rat-like bastards.

Cracking my neck, I lifted my fists and settled into a solid stance. I kept looking over my shoulder and knew I was at a massive disadvantage fighting enemies both in front and behind me but there wasn't much I could do...other than run at the ones behind me. If I could fight through them, or just bulldoze through them, and get behind them I'd only have to worry about one direction.

So, turning, I charged at the seven behind me and slammed a brutal cross into the one nearest to me. I followed it up with three jabs at three separate people, to keep them at a distance. One of the goons tried to rush at me from the side but I slipped him, grabbed his shoulders and drove my knee right into his gut before throwing him to the side like a ragdoll. With most of them out of my way, I weaved and slipped past the last few before spinning around and skidding to a halt.

They obviously thought I'd be exhausted after fighting most of them. Han Jae-Ha definitely did. But jokes on them: I did cardio and endurance training religiously and backed by S+ Ranked Tenacity...I could push through a lotta pain and exhaustion if I ever actually got there.

Out of the seven I'd ran towards, five of them were fine and two of them were out for the count. The three I'd jabbed rubbed at their noses and reached into their school blazers with scowls on their slightly red faces, pulling out metal pipes or pieces of thick wood.

I nearly laughed in disbelief again. Really? Highschoolers using weapons like that? What's wrong with this fucking world, man.

But instead of laughing, I settled into a defensive stance, arms held high in a guard and my center of gravity low enough that any grapplers would have trouble taking me on easily. I was more than happy to weather the storm now that I only had one side to worry about. If I focused on the front and played it defensive, I'd definitely be able to whittle them down. Han Jae-Ha is just a kid throwing eggs at a rock - and I just need to wait until he runs outta eggs.

The first of the five who came at me was one of the three with a weapon in his hand, a metal pipe to be exact. He brought it high and swung it down at me with the aid of gravity, but I simply brought up my right forearm to block it. The impact did sting, regardless of my stats or perks, but nothing was hurt or damaged by it, so I brought my free hand up and twisted my hip and ankle to perform a savage bolo punch* that caught him right on the chin.

(*A/n - Sort of like an uppercut. Or rather, a variation of an uppercut.)

He was sent up and down, knocked out. But I didn't have any time to waste and brought my left arm back to block another weapon, this time a wooden stick. Yet I didn't just block it. I swung my left arm with as much strength as I could and shattered the stick with little to no trouble.

Bringing my arms to the guys collar, I gripped it tight and pulled him toward me for a brain shaking headbutt. His nose burst open and covered my forehead in blood and I repressed my annoyance at getting blood on my face, knowing it was my current occupational hazard. Pulling the dazed guy to the right, I blocked the last guy's weapon with my meat shield and then used a front kick on the guy I was holding, chucking him at the guy behind him.

His friends deadweight plus my force meant the guy couldn't stop the momentum suddenly forced on him and he collapsed to the floor, fumbling to get back up.

Ignoring him for now, I quickly dealt with the final two of the five in front of me. They didn't have any weapons, so a one-two jab-cross combo and they were both laid out. Then a simple kick to the guy still trying to get up, and I turned to the remaining seven who'd stopped in their tracks...just looking at me.

I smiled wide and proud, holding my hands outstretched to either side of me, "Come on, then. I'm right here," I egged them on before slapping my chest like some sort of gorilla, "COME AND GET SOME THEN, YA LITTLE BASTARDS!" I roared before laughing and I could tell they were genuinely intimated. And can you blame then? They'd just seen a dude bigger than them, stronger than them - and better looking than them - take on seven guys without much trouble.

If I were them, I'd be scared. They're facing me, after all!

And when they finally did come at me, it ended the same way as the seven before them. Me standing over their unconscious or groaning in pain forms, unhurt. Looking to Han Jae-Ha, he looked oddly pleased with himself.

"I think I've figured you out, Kim Soohyun," he stated simply before walking casually toward me.

"You've figured shit out," I scoffed before beginning to walk to him myself, "All you've seen is me fighting some weakling chumps. You haven't seen me get serious yet, Han Jae-Ha," I said before giving a chuckle, "But you will."

He smiled wider at that, "Then show me how you get when you're serious, you cocky fucker."

I gave him an easygoing look, "Sure," I said before bursting forward and leading with a front kick. It didn't land, like I knew it wouldn't, and Han Jae-Ha dodged to the side. He sent out a Taekwondo spin kick and I caught it with my hands for but a second before he pulled his foot back...minus his shoe. Tricky little bastard, isn't he?

Throwing his shoe to the side, I regarded him with a serious and inquisitive look...just waiting. Speed wasn't the way to go against this guy. He outmatched me there and nothing I could do would bridge that gap.

I needed to wait for an opening or just counter the shit out of him.

Han Jae-Ha seemed to think the same kinda thing as me and rushed me with his blinding speed which I could barely keep up with. He sent out a combo of kicks that slapped against my shoulders, ribs and the arms I had raised to guard my head. Even with my Tenacity and perks, his kicks stung and hurt. Minor damage, sure, but it'd add up.

Still, I pushed through and did my best impression of a fortress. And then my chance appeared. He overextended on a kick, which was obviously a feint to try and lure me in...so I let it lure me in.

I stepped forward and sent a half-assed kick at his supporting leg which he easily hopped over and sent a kick from up high that was set to come down on my face. Yet I stepped to the side, using my forward leg to shuffle my body to the side just enough for the kick that was aiming for my face to land on my shoulder.

My shoulder gave an ache from the force but I ignored it and wrapped my left arm around his leg, keeping it sandwiched between my forearm and shoulder. I gave him a smile and used my other hand to lift him up and slam him over my shoulder into the ground.

His face hit the ground but it seemed to not faze him, or at least he pushed through the pain, and slammed his free foot right into my face.

My head was rocked backward and I felt a trickle of blood leaving my nose before the same foot pressed against my throat and pushed off. I had to let go of the leg I had otherwise I'd be dealing with a crushed throat. Vicious move but I've gotta give it to him...he's definitely good. A Roundhouse Kick came next and I lifted my right arm to block it, returning his attack with a Front Kick of my own which connected sending him backward.

Even if he was trying to bluff that my throw didn't hurt him, he's definitely dazed. If he was 100% that Front Kick wouldn't have touched him.

Seeing my chance, I rushed after him and sent a relentless barrage of punches after his head. he blocked most of them but a few got through, grazing against his face or head. But with his A-Rank Tenacity and slender build? He couldn't allow that. He wasn't built to tank hits but to dodge them. So every hit that even grazed him hurt.

"You've got some skills, Kim Soohyun, I'll give you that," he backed up quick so he could regain his composure and wipe at the blood on his nose and lips.

"...Same to you," I replied, taking a few deep breaths to focus myself. I couldn't make a mistake now that I've hit him - a cornered animal is prone to some very desperate actions. And Han Jae-Ha is an animal, that's for sure. He's got technique but he relies a lot on his instincts in a fight.

Keep it calm and stay careful, Soohyun.

Rather than give either of us a chance to regain anything, Han Jae-Ha charged back at me, this time leading with a punch which quickly turned out to be a feint as he drove a knee up into my stomach and under my guard. The air in my lungs wanted to leave but I forced it to stay, my ears ringing, and I grabbed Han Jae-Ha's collar before throwing him to the side and into the wall. He groaned and turned to me just in time to see the Side Kick I'd shot out to where he was.

He threw himself to the side and my kick hit the wall with an incredibly loud bang. Bringing my foot away from the wall, a few cracks were easily visible there and my shoe was beginning to be torn apart by the force of my hits.

Turning to where Han Jae-Ha had thrown himself, I brought my arms together to block his hit but before it even reached me, he'd backed away to the exit of the alley.

Confused, I looked around and saw why.

Hajoon had arrived. Alongside Hyundong and a few of the boys.

"Stay back," I called out to Hajoon and the others, "This fuckers mine and mine alone. I don't need any help for now," I said before turning back to Han Jae-Ha who dropped his entire stance. My eye twitched in response and Hajoon put his hand on my shoulder, so I turned to him, "What?"

"You've fought enough, Soohyun. Stop before you get seriously hurt," he said before looking to Han Jae-Ha, "Fuck off. Now."

I went to stop...but what about the Quest?

[Quest Failed.]

...Ah fuck. Well, it was a good ride. Guess I'll go back to being short, wearing glasses and being weak as fuck--

[Hidden Requirements Met.]

Well, thank fuck for that. Because I was definitely not okay with being short again. I'm staying in the 180 club for the rest of my life, thank you very much.

[You beat fourteen opponents and survived against an opponent stronger than you. You have been awarded: Diamond Card (x1) & Platinum Card (x2)]

Huh. Nice.

Finally, I lowered my hands and took in a deep breath before looking around, "Anyone got a towel and some water? I wanna clean my face," I asked and Hyundong quickly came to me holding a towel and a bottle of water, offering it to me with a bow. His fanaticism had increased even more, it would seem. I wonder what rumours he'll spread about me taking on fourteen guys and Han Jae-Ha? Admittedly, they wouldn't be baseless so our promise is null. I should've just said no rumours.

...Oh well, at least they won't be untrue. And it'll make my reputation explode upward as well, which is a nice effect. Less people will mess with me from now on.

"Han Jae-Ha," I called out to the retreating figure, who turned to look at me with a bloody nose, "I'll crush you the next time we meet," I smilingly told him.

He scoffed and just walked off, not giving a care about the subordinates he was leaving behind.

If I wanted to, I could probably steal them from him. See how well he runs East Gangbuk without a crew...but I really can't be bothered for all that shit. Besides, his crew seem to be holding a little grudge against me.

Putting the thought out of my mind, I poured the water over my face and hair before rubbing at both vigorously with the towel in my other hand. Then I did the same with my hands. Obviously it wasn't gonna be a very thorough clean but it'd do for now until I could get back and have a shower. I turned to Hajoon, "Why'd you come here, anyway?"

Hajoon jabbed his thumb in Hyundong's direction, "I was heading here to check out that gym you and Kuza told me about, but I ran into him and he seemed pretty worried. He was looking all over the place for you and when he saw me, he told me about how he'd caught some information about East Gangbuk planning to jump you...so I decided to tag along and we searched around the immediate area until we came across you just now."

"Huh," I said in realization, "Why didn't you just call me, Hyundong?" I asked and he looked at me, confused.

"I did," he answered and I narrowed my eyes and furrowed my brow before digging my phone out of my bag and clicking it on. It had ran out of charge.

...Are you trying to fuck me over, God?! I said keep spoiling me, you bastard!

"Shit, sorry. Phone ran outta charge," I flashed it to Hyundong and Hajoon before putting it back in my bag, "Well, thanks for looking for me and backing me up just then. He was a tricky fucker to fight," I laughed before stretching my arms and shoulders out a little, "You guys wanna go get something to eat? I could go for some barbecue right about now."

"Sure," came Hajoon's casual reply.

"Of course, boss! I'll pay!" came Hyundong's emphatic reply.

The rest went quiet and I turned to them, seeing them looking all teary eyed and emotional, "Boss wants to eat barbecue with us?" was something I heard and I rolled my eyes.

"If you don't wanna come, just say so, you teary-eyed babies," I joked and they all quickly rushed to correct me, saying that really wanted to come. Then, with that sorted, we were off on our way to celebrate my win over fourteen guys and fighting Han Jae-Ha to a standstill.

It was a pretty good day.