The crowd was loud. People shouted and cheered as Haru stepped into the fighting ring.
His heart was beating fast.
"This is just a friendly duel… right?" he whispered to himself, but his hands were already sweating.
Across the ring stood a tall boy wearing a white uniform with a black belt.
His name was Min Daejun, a Taekwondo prodigy known for his deadly kicks.
He bowed with a sharp glare. Haru bowed back, trying to stay calm.
Ding! The bell rang.
Min Daejun moved first—fast like lightning. A high roundhouse kick flew toward Haru's head.
Whack!
He ducked just in time.
The crowd gasped.
REI's voice echoed in his head:
"Danger. Technique level is advanced. Copy ability only 50% active."
"I know," Haru muttered under his breath. "I can feel it… I can't keep up."
Daejun didn't slow down. His next kick spun through the air, and Haru blocked it—but the force pushed him back.
His arms stung. He bit his lip and steadied his stance.
I need to see more moves, Haru thought. Then I can copy something useful.
But Daejun kept switching techniques too fast. A spinning axe kick slammed down—Haru dodged. A fast double front kick—he blocked, barely.
People started whispering.
"He's holding on… but just barely."
"Maybe he's not that special after all."
Haru's eyes flickered with pain.
He rushed forward with a punch—Daejun caught his arm and flipped him onto the mat.
Thud!
Haru groaned. His side ached. His perfect body was strong, but not unbreakable.
REI spoke again, calmer this time:
"Haru, you've copied three moves. But none are over 50%. This is not enough."
"I know…" Haru sat up slowly. His lip was bleeding.
Daejun didn't attack again. He stood tall and waited.
"You're not bad," he said. "But you're not good enough."
Haru clenched his fists. "I didn't come here to win. I just wanted to stay quiet…"
But the fire inside him burned.
He stood again.
Daejun's foot came flying toward him again—but this time, Haru moved faster.
He dodged, then countered with a low kick—one of the copied moves.
It landed.
Daejun flinched slightly. The crowd noticed.
"Wait… he hit him!"
Haru didn't stop. He tried to chain a second move—a copied roundhouse.
But his form was weak. Daejun blocked it easily and countered with a strong knee strike to Haru's stomach.
Wham!
Haru's eyes widened. The air left his lungs.
He fell to one knee, coughing.
Blood dripped from his mouth.
REI's voice came again—but this time, the tone changed.
"WARNING. System detecting signs of blackout. Brainwaves dropping."
"No…" Haru whispered. "Not now…"
His vision blurred.
Daejun stepped forward for the final blow.
Haru heard the crowd fade.
He heard REI's final words before everything went dark:
"Combat Mode… activating."
His body twitched.
His eyes snapped open—glowing ice-blue.
The air around him shifted.
The crowd went silent.
Daejun froze mid-step.
"What… is that?"
Haru moved.
No hesitation. No pain. No emotion.
His body flowed like water, striking with brutal speed.
A perfect spinning back kick slammed into Daejun's chest.
He flew across the ring.
Haru followed—blocking, countering, kicking, flipping.
Every copied move was now perfect.
The students watching couldn't believe their eyes.
"Is this even the same guy?!"
"He's a monster!"
Daejun tried to fight back, but Haru moved like a machine—dodging everything.
One final strike sent Daejun flying backward, crashing into the wall of the ring.
BAM!
He didn't get up.
The room was quiet.
Then, someone whispered:
"…His eyes were glowing…"
Haru stood still, chest rising and falling.
His blue eyes slowly faded to brown again.
Then, his legs gave out.
He collapsed.
REI's voice was faint.
"System cooling down… Combat Mode deactivated."
The crowd didn't cheer. They stared.
Even the cold girl, sitting in the shadows, looked shaken.
She whispered under her breath:
"…Who the hell are you, Jin Haru?"