Boknam sat Jaegyeon Na and Yeowool Ha down and explained everything from the beginning. He spoke about the encounter with the goons and the strength he had witnessed on the street.
"That is why I brought them here."
Jaegyeon Na nodded while he leaned back against a wooden crate. He turned his sharp gaze toward Jake and studied him with a cold intensity.
"Jake and Lineman... So you don't believe in the Speed Circle? How about a little demonstration of strength then? I will let you go after this. What do you think?"
Jake gazed at Jaegyeon Na with a deadpan face and tried to understand the man's motive. He didn't move a muscle while the tension in the room spiked.
Lineman stepped forward and pounded his fist into his open palm.
"Alright! I will fight you delusional bastards!"
Yeowool Ha sighed and began to pull off her heavy biker outfit. She unbuckled her helmet and shook out her hair with a frustrated grunt.
"You're such a blabbermouth."
She exploded toward Lineman and launched a spinning kick that whistled through the air. The heel of her boot aimed directly for his temple.
Lineman raised his forearm to block the strike and felt the impact vibrate through his bone. He didn't budge from his spot.
"You are a girl?!"
Yeowool landed and immediately pivoted for a low sweep. Lineman lunged forward with a wild haymaker but Yeowool caught his wrist and twisted her hips.
She used the momentum of his own punch to swing him toward the concrete wall. Lineman's feet left the ground for a second as his own force was turned against him.
He dug his heels into the floor and skidded to a halt just inches from the bricks. He didn't wait to reset and instantly vanished into a blur of motion.
THWACK!
Lineman appeared on her flank and delivered a heavy kick to her thigh. He moved so fast that his limbs seemed to flicker in the dim light.
He landed a dozen stinging hits to her shoulders and midsection before she could even raise her guard. Yeowool gritted her teeth and tried to grab his collar but her hands only met empty air.
Lineman circled her like a whirlwind and his strikes came from every blind spot at once. Yeowool stumbled back while her vision began to swim from the sheer volume of the assault.
He cocked his fist back for a finishing blow that aimed straight for her jaw. His knuckles glowed under the dim yellow lights of the base.
Just as the punch was about to land, Jake and Jaegyeon Na moved simultaneously. They were both so fast that they appeared to teleport into the center of the fight.
Jaegyeon Na stepped in front of Yeowool and caught the air in front of Lineman's fist. He shielded her body with a casual stance that didn't show any effort.
Jake grabbed Lineman by the back of his tracksuit and yanked him backward. Lineman's feet skidded across the floor as he was forced into an immediate halt.
"That's enough."
Lineman nodded and stepped back while he rubbed his sore forearm. He breathed heavily but a smug grin remained plastered on his face.
Jaegyeon looked at Lineman intensely and tilted his head.
"I didn't expect a mere follower to be this strong."
Lineman shouted and waved his hands frantically in the air.
"A mere follower? What do you mean by a mere follower?! I am the No. 6 of Big Deal!"
Jake sighed as Lineman started another session of trash talking. He looked at the ceiling and waited for the noise to die down.
Meanwhile, Roy, Sung, Sebastian, and Boknam rushed over to catch Yeowool Ha. They crowded around her with worried expressions.
"I am fine. It is okay."
She pushed them away gently but they still helped her move toward a pile of gym mats. Boknam bowed his head slightly toward her.
"Sorry. I should have informed you about his strength. These bunch are stronger than us."
All of them looked at Jake and Lineman with new eyes. They could tell Jake was a leader by the way he carried himself, but nobody expected the blabbermouth to be a monster.
Jaegyeon Na cracked his neck and a series of sharp pops filled the quiet room. He stepped into the center of the concrete floor and loosened his shoulders.
"Are you ready?"
Jake nodded and dropped into a solid, low-gravity stance.
"Whenever you're."
Jaegyeon exploded forward with astonishing speed. He launched a high kick that Jake barely managed to slip by a hair's breadth.
The air from the kick whipped past Jake's ear. Jaegyeon didn't reset his stance and instead pivoted on one foot to deliver a flurry of strikes.
Jake tried to counter with a heavy right hook but Jaegyeon caught his wrist. With a subtle twist of his hips, Jaegyeon redirected the entire force of the punch.
WHAM!
Jake's own momentum sent him stumbling sideways into a stack of wooden pallets. The wood shattered into splinters as he crashed through the middle of the pile.
On the sidelines, Boknam leaned toward Sebastian.
"What is with him? Why is he so weak?"
Sebastian didn't take his eyes off the blur of motion in the center of the room.
"Hm. That is not his true power. That is not the Jaegyeon Na I know."
Jake scrambled back to his feet and launched a series of low kicks. Jaegyeon Na dodged them easily and tapped Jake's chin with a stinging jab.
Yeowool Ha watched with a plain face and crossed her arms.
"Yep. That is more like it."
Boknam and Sebastian nodded in unison.
"I agree."
"The highschooler is in trouble."
Every time Jake landed a solid strike, Jaegyeon seemed to catch it and redirect the force away with additional power. Jake felt like he was fighting against a whirlpool that refused to let him land a clean hit.
Jaegyeon landed a heavy knee to Jake's ribs that sent him sliding across the floor. Jake gritted his teeth and felt a dull ache bloom in his side.
Jake stood up and took a deep breath as his eyes changed. A strange and heavy pressure began to radiate from his body as he focused all his willpower into his right fist.
He lunged forward with a punch empowered by his conviction. Jaegyeon smirked and moved to catch the strike with the Overturning Void as before.
BOOM!
The impact created a shockwave that blew the pizza boxes off the table and rattled the metal door. The sheer force of the conviction overwhelmed the redirection and smashed through Jaegyeon's defense.
The concrete floor beneath Jaegyeon's feet spiderwebbed into a dozen deep cracks. He was sent flying back into a cloud of dust and falling debris.
Jake panted at his spot while his arm trembled from the output of the strike. Using that level of power was rough on his joints.
A steady footfall echoed through the silence of the underground base. Jaegyeon Na walked out of the smoke and dusted off his shoulder with a calm expression.
"I thought you hadn't broken your limits. But you have broken your limits and gained endurance. Not only that, you have something special too."
Jaegyeon Na suddenly bowed ninety degrees toward Jake. The room went silent as the members of Speed Circle stared in disbelief.
"Jake Kim, I am genuinely asking this of you. Please save Speed."
Jaegyeon Na remained in the bow while he continued to speak.
"We want to end the internal war! But we don't have enough forces for it yet. We want an alliance with you! All for the sake of the citizens of Incheon. If the internal war ends, they won't have to be in pain anymore..."
Jake interrupted him with a sharp wave of his hand.
"No. I came to Incheon for an alliance with the King of Incheon. I am not denying your strength, but going against twenty thousand people? It makes no sense."
Jaegyeon Na sighed and finally straightened his back.
"I knew you would say something like this. After all, I am just a half-assed king. But, I don't think you would want an alliance with Yujae Seon. More likely, I don't think you can reach him.
He paced the cracked floor and kicked a stray piece of concrete aside.
"Yujae Seon leads the Dark Crocodile Society under Paecheon Jo. But recently, something has happened. The entire Dark Crocodile Society is on the move. But there is no sign of Yujae."
Jaegyeon stopped and looked Jake in the eyes.
"You already know who the Dark Crocodile Society is. Would you rather side with them than us?"
Jake sighed and didn't answer. He looked at his bruised knuckles and stayed silent.
Jaegyeon turned toward the door and gestured for them to follow.
"Jake Kim. Side with me. I will stake the Incheon I own on it. Come with me."
They stepped outside into the bright morning light. The area was devastated. Twisted metal and scorched brickwork stretched as far as they could see.
Jaegyeon Na looked up at the grey sky and sighed.
"This is what a war does. It destroys everything."
Jake didn't answer. He looked at the ruins and felt a weight in his chest that mirrored Jaegyeon's words.
"Hey, Jaegyeon!"
Jake turned to see a taxi driver waving his hand from a battered yellow car.
"Why are you walking around? It is dangerous! I will drive you! Get in!"
Jaegyeon Na chuckled and waved back.
"It is okay. I am just here for sightseeing."
Just then, two young kids ran up to Jaegyeon Na and surrounded him with bright smiles.
"Hyung!"
"Mom gave us grapes for you!"
Boknam stepped forward and patted the kids on their heads.
"It is dangerous out here. Go back home."
Sebastian reached out and took the small bag of fruit.
"They brought this for us. We should take it."
The old lady from the restaurant also poked her head out from a nearby doorway.
"Yeowool, come and eat!"
One by one, people gathered outside for Jaegyeon. They gave him small gifts and asked about his well-being while talking with the other members of Speed Circle.
Jake remained at the back of the group. He watched the scene with a surprised expression.
The old lady from the restaurant walked over to him and stood by his side.
"Are you wondering why everyone treats him so well? It is because he is the real King of Incheon."
Jake stayed silent. The atmosphere reminded him of the past when Sinu Han ran the Big Deal street. It felt like home.
He remembered what Jinrang had said to him a few days ago.
"Jake... The will to protect is the strongest fist one can own."
Jake looked at the smiling kids and the crumbling buildings. He spoke softly so only his companion could hear.
"Lineman, let's protect this place."
Lineman nodded heavily and tightened his grip on his bag.
"Yes, Hyung-nim!"