14 Underground Arena

After reaching the HQ, Jin went to his room and slept.

In the morning, he woke up and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. After he finished preparing, Jin headed to the cafeteria, where he saw Alex and Jax.

Upon seeing Jin, Alex called out to him, and he walked towards their table to sit down.

"Here is our white tiger," Alex said.

Jin asked with a curious face, "White tiger?"

"Haven't you heard? People now call you the white tiger," Alex replied.

"The what?" Jin asked.

Jax explained, "The white tiger, because of last night and your white hair. People gave you the nickname of white tiger."

Jin pondered for a moment and then said, "It's not a bad nickname." Then he got up, grabbed some food, and went back to their table. After finishing their food, Jin asked Alex, "What do you want to do now?"

"I don't know," Alex replied.

Jin suggested, "Wanna spar like the old days?"

"Oh hell no. There is no way I wanna fight against a monster like you," Alex sneered.

Jin looked at Jax and asked him, "How about you, Jax?"

"Pass," Jax replied.

"Fine," Jin said, and then he went to the gym and trained his body for about 20 minutes. He used the punching bag when Ava entered and asked him, "Are you bored?"

Jin replied, "Yeah, I got no one else to fight."

"Blame it on yourself. If you weren't that talented, you wouldn't have this problem," Ava said.

Jin shook his head and continued punching the bag until it was torn. Ava then suggested, "I know a place for you to fight people."

Jin looked at Ava and asked, "Where?"

"The underground arena," Ava said.

Jin asked John for permission, and he gave it. Then, Jin and Ava went to a car and headed to the Underground Arena. After arriving, Jin registered himself to fight in the arena, but the lady at the registration booth sneered at him.

"Go away, kid. This place is not for you," she said.

"Why?" Jin asked.

"You will not survive in this arena," she replied.

"I'm sure I will be able to," Jin said confidently.

The lady didn't care and asked, "Fine. Do you want to use a nickname or your real name?"

Jin thought carefully before deciding to use his new nickname, "Nickname."

"What is the name?" she asked.

"White Tiger," Jin replied.

The lady looked shocked because the nickname White Tiger had already spread, and Jin's appearance was the same as that of the White Tiger.

"Are you the 'White Tiger'?" she asked.

"Yup, that's me," Jin replied.

"Okay then, your match will be in 20 minutes," the lady said.

After registering, Jin and Ava went to the arena. They saw two people fighting in the arena, one using boxing, and the other using Aikido. Jin took a glance and went to the waiting room, having gained another martial art for his collection, Aikido. After 20 minutes, his name was called.

"White Tiger, it's your turn," the man said.

Jin followed him to the arena, where he saw another guy already there.

The commentator announced, "Place your bets, everybody. On your right, we have the famous White Tiger, and on your left, we have the unbeatable champion of this arena."

Jin stepped into the arena, facing off against the reigning champion. The crowd roared as the announcer introduced the fighters.

Jin knew this would be a tough fight. He had studied his opponent's fighting style and knew he was skilled in several martial arts. But Jin was confident in his own abilities, having trained in multiple martial arts himself.

The bell rang, and the fight began. The champion immediately charged at Jin with a barrage of kicks and punches. Jin managed to dodge most of them, but a few landed, and he felt the pain.

Jin retaliated with a flurry of his own attacks, but the champion blocked and dodged them all effortlessly. Jin was starting to feel frustrated.

As the fight went on, Jin tried to change up his tactics, but the champion seemed to anticipate his every move. Jin was getting tired, and the pain from his injuries was starting to wear him down.

In the final round, the champion landed a devastating blow that sent Jin to the mat. The referee counted to ten, and Jin struggled to get back up, but his body wouldn't cooperate. The fight was over, and the champion was declared the winner.

Jin lay on the mat, feeling defeated. It's been a while since his last defeat, and he was still couldn't comprehend how he lost. But he knew he couldn't give up. He would learn from his mistakes and come back stronger.

Jin was lying in the infirmary, his mind racing with a million thoughts. He couldn't believe he had lost the fight. Ava walked in, concern etched on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

Jin nodded weakly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't expect to lose like that."

Ava sighed, her disappointment palpable. "I had a lot of money riding on you. I guess I'll have to wait another day to hit the jackpot."

Jin winced. Hearing about Ava's lost bet only added to his guilt. "I'm sorry. I'll give you your money back."

Ava waved her hand dismissively. "No need, I bet on my own free will. Besides, I'll make that money back in three days, tops."

Jin couldn't help but feel like a failure as Ava left the infirmary. As he lay there, wallowing in his defeat, the champion walked in.

"You were good, White Tiger," he said, a sly grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "But it's a shame you don't have it in you."

"What do you mean?" Jin asked, confused.

The champion simply chuckled. "Figure it out for yourself." And with that, he turned and left, leaving Jin to ponder over his words.

As Jin and Ava drove back to the base, Jin couldn't shake off the champion's cryptic comment. What did he mean? Jin had mastered every martial art known to man, so what was he lacking?

Finally, they reached the base, and Jin headed straight for the showers. The warm water did little to calm his racing mind.

He ate his food in silence and retreated to his dorm, but sleep eluded him. The question still remained unanswered, gnawing at him relentlessly.

The next morning, Jin woke up early and decided to go for a run to clear his head. As he ran, he thought about the champion's words.

He knew he had to figure it out if he wanted to become a better fighter.

Jin spent the whole day training in the gym, trying out different techniques and combinations. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the answer to the champion's riddle.

Days turned into weeks, and Jin became increasingly frustrated with his lack of progress. He had lost his edge and his confidence. But he refused to give up.