The summer heat shimmered over the dirt yard as the months of mountain training began to show on the kids. Baki sat on top of a jagged boulder next to the house and chewed on a skewer of sweet dango. He watched the group through half-closed eyes while they practiced their footwork in the dust.
"Tch! You little brats, don't you have anything better to do?" Baki asked. "Don't you have school or something?"
Taebong stopped his drills and puffed out his chest with a look of immense pride.
"We are the Cheonliang fam!" Taebong shouted. "We do not go to any school!"
Hyungjae reached over and chopped Taebong across the back of the head before the echoes died down.
"Baki-hyung, summer vacation has already started," Hyungjae explained. "There is no school right now."
Baki nodded and looked at the boy with a small, mocking smirk.
"You know what, Hyungjae, you are clearly the smartest one out of this whole bunch," Baki said. "What are you doing hanging around these idiots?"
Hyungjae scratched the back of his head and looked at the ground with an awkward smile. The door of the wooden house swung open and Seongji stepped out into the light.
His dark hair had grown down to his shoulders over the last few months. He had a jacket draped loosely over his back and held a skewer of dango in his six-fingered hand. He walked over to the boulder and hopped up to sit next to Baki.
"Hey, Seongji," Baki said without looking over. "Do you actually want to train these brats?"
Seongji looked out at the kids with a soft and quiet expression.
"Yeah," Seongji replied. "Don't you think it is too lonely with just the two of us up here?"
Baki stared at him for a moment and then reached up to ruffle his own messy red hair.
"Whatever you want," Baki muttered.
Footsteps crunched on the gravel of the mountain path. Seongji jumped down from the boulder immediately and looked toward the entrance of the clearing. Baki stayed where he was and kept chewing on his snack.
A man wearing a white suit and glasses walked into the yard. He looked at the kids for a brief second before his eyes locked onto Seongji.
"The monster of Cheonliang Mountain," the man said softly.
Seongji narrowed his eyes and looked the stranger over from head to toe.
"Who are you?" Seongji asked.
The man straightened his tie and adjusted his posture with a cold air of authority.
"My name is Jichang Kwak," the man said.
"I am Seongji Yuk," the Seongji replied. "What are you doing here?"
Jichang scanned the yard and let his gaze pass over Baki for a single moment.
"I heard there were monsters here," Jichang said.
Baki still had dango in his mouth but his eyes turned sharp and dangerous. He jumped down from the rock and landed silently in the dirt. He cracked his neck from side to side.
"I have seen many challengers over the past few years," Baki said. "You seem to be a bit different from the rest."
Jichang looked at him with a flat and frozen stare.
"You are not ordinary yourself, are you?" Jichang asked.
Baki chuckled and let the skewer fall to the ground.
"I like you," Baki said. "Tell me, what do you want?"
Jichang reached up and pulled off his glasses. He folded them carefully and tucked them into his pocket.
"How about we exchange some moves?" Jichang suggested. "Nothing serious, though."
Baki chuckled again and dropped into a loose stance.
"You said it," Baki replied.
He turned his head toward the house and signaled to his friend.
"Seongji, gather the kids," Baki said. "Let them watch the show while I stretch a muscle. It was getting boring anyway."
Seongji smiled and moved the kids back to the edge of the clearing. They cheered for Baki with loud voices and excited faces.
Jichang stood taller than Baki and possessed a much longer reach. He raised his hands and held them stiff with his palms facing inward. His fingers were tight and straight like the edge of a blade.
Baki moved first with a speed that blurred the air. He lunged forward and threw a fast jab to test the distance. Jichang didn't move his head. He snapped his right hand out and deflected the punch with the side of his palm.
WHISH!
The hand blade whistled through the air and left a thin red line on Baki's forearm. Baki pulled back and hissed through his teeth.
Jichang did not give him a breath. He closed the distance and launched a relentless chain of strikes. His right hand sliced toward Baki's neck while his left aimed for the temple. Baki ducked and wove through the air, but the tips of Jichang's fingers still grazed his skin.
Baki blocked a high strike and felt the bone-deep impact. It felt like being hit by a metal rod. He realized he could not just tank these blows without getting carved up.
Jichang wove a low kick into the combination. It clipped Baki's lead leg and broke his footing. Jichang immediately followed with a spinning back elbow that caught Baki across the cheek.
Baki stumbled backward with blood in his mouth. His cheek began to swell instantly. Jichang moved in to finish the job with a vertical hand blade aimed at Baki's collarbone.
Baki didn't block this time. He threw his head to the side and let the strike pass his shoulder. He grabbed Jichang's wrist with both hands and used the man's momentum to twist his body.
BOOM!
Baki slammed Jichang into the dirt with a shoulder throw. Dust exploded outward as the kids erupted in cheers.
Jichang rolled out of the impact and was back on his feet in a single motion. He brushed the dust off his trousers and rotated his wrist.
"Good reflexes," Jichang said. "But let's see if you can catch me again."
He came back in with a different rhythm. His hand blade strikes were laced with feints now. Every time Baki reached for what looked like an exposed arm, Jichang would snap it back and counter.
A knee caught Baki in the ribs. An elbow clipped his temple. Baki was bleeding from several small cuts on his arms and face.
However, Baki was changing as the fight went on. He began to mimic the swaying rhythm of Jichang's footwork. He slipped inside the effective range of the longer arms and stayed close.
Jichang launched another combination. Baki ducked under a high strike and drove his palm into Jichang's chest. The force sent the taller man back two steps. Baki didn't stop and followed up with a spinning kick that hit Jichang's guard.
CRACK!
The sound of the impact echoed through the yard. Jichang's arm went numb for a second. He grunted and responded with a headbutt that caught Baki square on the nose.
Both men recoiled and stood five feet apart, breathing heavily. Sweat ran down their faces and mixed with the blood from their wounds.
"I thought we were keeping this restrained," Jichang said.
Baki wiped his nose and grinned.
"Can't exactly hold back when the opponent is doing the same," Baki replied.
They charged each other one final time. Jichang threw his fastest combination yet. Baki blocked every strike with his forearms and grabbed Jichang's collar. Jichang used the grip as a pivot and swung his body around for a spinning kick.
Baki yanked the collar downward and dropped his level. The kick sailed over his head. In the same motion, Baki swept Jichang's supporting leg.
Both of them went down into the dirt at the same time. Baki landed on top and pinned Jichang's arms. Jichang managed to press the edge of his palm against Baki's throat.
Neither of them moved.
Several seconds passed in total silence. Seongji stepped forward and placed a hand on both of them.
"That is enough," Seongji said. "A draw."
Jichang looked at Baki for a moment and then lowered his hand.
"A draw," Jichang agreed.
They helped each other up. Jichang put his coat and glasses back on. He adjusted his tie as if the fight had never happened.
"It was true," Jichang said while looking at Baki. "The Ogre is real."
Baki touched his swollen nose and winced.
"Your hand blade is terrifying," Baki said. "Next time, I won't let you get the first hit."
Jichang smiled faintly and turned toward the mountain path.
"If you ever come to Seoul, ask around for the White Viper," Jichang said. "You'll find me."
His figure disappeared around the bend. Baki dropped straight down onto the ground, completely spent.
"Seoul's White Viper," Baki whispered.
He looked toward the mountain path with a sharp gaze.