The tension in the air was visible to the naked eye, heavier than the surrounding rocks. The salty sea wind whipped their faces, the setting sun illuminated them, but neither of them blinked. It was as if the world had fallen silent, waiting for the first move.
Cheok Jungyeong was the first to break the silence.
With an animalistic roar that seemed to tear his own throat, he exploded into motion.
The stone ground beneath his feet gave way, pulverizing with the force of his charge.
He wasn't a technical fighter; he was a force of nature, a human battering ram that converted every ounce of his weight into destructive power.
His fist, as large as a sledgehammer, cut through the air towards Theo's face. The speed was absurd for a man of his size, creating a vacuum in its wake.
Instead of retreating, Theo took a step forward. The instant Cheok's punch arrived, he spun his body and used his forearm to deflect the blow, not to absorb it, but to redirect its trajectory away from his face.
The impact shattered the ground beneath his feet, but his stance remained firm.
Seizing the momentary opening, Theo's fist shot out, hitting Cheok's chest with a dull, heavy thud.
The blow didn't move the brute, but it made him blink, surprised. It was like being hit by a dense, sharp stone.
Cheok Jungyeong's laughter echoed through the quarry, full of maniacal joy.
"You want to trade blows, kid? Great! That makes things more fun!"
What followed wasn't a dance; it was a collision. Cheok unleashed storms of punches, hooks, and crosses, each with enough force to destroy concrete columns.
Theo didn't back down. He entered the giant's range, turning the fight into a brutal, close-quarters combat.
Cheok's fist met the X-block of Theo's forearms. The impact created a metallic sound, as if two pieces of iron had clashed.
Cheok prepared a downward blow, completely exposing his abdomen in the process.
Taking that opportunity, Theo delivered a powerful elbow strike against Cheok's bicep, aiming for the tensed muscle.
Cheok grunted, momentarily out of breath, and retaliated with a wild blow.
Theo ducked, the blow whistling over his head, and landed two quick, hard punches on the giant's floating ribs.
Cheok recoiled, showing a slightly accelerated breathing rhythm.
"Do you have steel bones, kid?"
Cheok asked, flexing his sore arm.
Even while complaining, the admiration in his voice was undeniable. He simply couldn't believe that Theo, still so young, could match him in pure brute strength.
"Oh! Really? My arm is a bit numb, if that's any consolation."
Theo raised his forearms, showing him.
Cheok clicked his tongue, staring at the skin on Theo's arms, which showed no marks from having exchanged attacks with him moments before.
"Tch... If you say so. But those little arms of yours don't tell the whole story."
He shot forward like a human missile. And then, like an avalanche about to collapse, the clash resumed.
Theo didn't use brute force like Cheok, but compensated with impeccable technique and a superhuman ability to read his opponent's movements. He knew exactly when to block, when to parry, and when to absorb a blow to nullify its power.
When Cheok attacked with his right fist, Theo intercepted his wrist with his left hand while his own right fist struck the opponent's face.
When Cheok attempted a knee strike, Theo's shin met it midway, resulting in shockwaves being sent everywhere.
One of Cheok's punches narrowly missed Theo and hit a car-sized rock. The stone didn't just crack; it exploded into a shower of fragments.
Taking advantage of the dust, Theo advanced. He delivered a three-strike combination: a punch to the solar plexus to steal Cheok's breath, followed by an uppercut to the chin to force his head back, and finishing with a spinning elbow that hit him on the temple.
Cheok staggered backward, dizzy for the first time in the fight. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. The blood, however, only widened his smile.
'He's on my level... No, he's holding back to stay on my level.'
The realization hit Cheok like a lightning bolt.
The idea was so absurd that he almost stopped. The kid wasn't fighting with the same objective as him, which was to face strong people.
He was having fun, using the same currency, pure physical strength, against one of the world's most feared criminals.
Between the humiliation of being underestimated and the reverence of facing someone so formidable, Cheok's mind became a turbulent field.
Cheok asked, seeing Theo looking beyond the volcano, which stretched towards the sky.
"Nothing... It's just that maybe some spectators are coming this way now."
Theo shook his head, not bothering to explain further.
"Ah, yes... Maybe it's the guys."
Cheok scratched the back of his neck, quickly understanding what he was talking about.
"Want to stop and continue another day? Or..."
"Let's continue... There's no reason to stop something that's already started."
After his words ended, both vanished from their spots.
A cloud of ashes blew around as the two collided again, as if the volcano itself trembled before the brutality of the combat happening nearby.
A few kilometers away, two figures cut through the forest at high speed, circling the volcano like predators in pursuit. Both rapidly approached the epicenter of the battle between Theo and Cheok.
"Jain, why didn't you stop him?"
The black-haired woman couldn't hide the frustration burning in her dark eyes, as the echo of explosions reverberated through the mountains in the distance.
"I was going to... I just didn't think things would get so out of control."
Jain, who followed closely, replied with a half-truth.
A half-truth... because she really had thought about acting, but later. When her curiosity about Theo was satisfied. What she didn't expect was for the boy to disappear before her eyes.
"So... From what I understand so far... You and Cheok were returning to the hideout when you found him on a street near the outskirts, right?"
"And Cheok, somehow noticed something strange about him, and wanted to fight right after."
"Yes... But the most incredible thing is that the boy didn't feel cornered for a second. And that... coming from someone who was face-to-face with that brute who was unleashing his magical power."
Soon after Jain's words, the two stopped on a slope, observing the quarry in the distance. The field of destruction spreading from there looked like the work of a natural disaster, not a simple fight.
"Right... Anyway, I think part of this is my fault."
Jain stared at her, confused.
"Yes. I'm the one who gave him the authority to judge as he wished when he found potential talents."
"Wait... That's risky, that guy doesn't care about anyone's life... He can kill as much as he wants."
"And are we any different?"
The woman slowly turned her face to Jain, her expression more pragmatic than usual.
"You kill whoever is necessary for your treasures. And I kill whoever is necessary for us to get revenge."