Midterms came and went in a blur, and to give the students a break, the school announced a two-week recess. Most were relieved. Students went home, caught up on sleep, or hung out with friends. But not Jalen.
He knew the timeline all too well.
Daniel, during this period, would soon meet Johan Seong and later get entangled with his family's complicated past. Which meant the spotlight would shift.
Jalen wasn't jealous.
But he wasn't going to sit still either.
In his room, he pulled on a simple black hoodie, a cap tugged low over his eyes. He looked into the mirror his face was too distinct, too recognizable. That was fine. Let them recognize him.
This time, he wanted them to.
As the sun dipped behind the skyline, Jalen stepped out into the darker corners of Seoul. Places students didn't wander. Places where the crews recruited, tested, and beat people to a pulp for fun.
He didn't come to ask questions.
He came to make statements.
The first group was a low-tier gang shaking down a convenience store in Mapo. They never saw him coming only a blur, then fists. Within two minutes, they were all out cold. One tried to run but was kicked through a crate of bottled water.
Word started spreading that night.
The next day, another group in Gangseo found themselves staring at the same figure. Hoodie. Cap. Cold eyes. And fists that hit like iron.
By the third day, the name started forming online: The Absolute Fighter.
He wasn't affiliated with any crew.
He didn't say a word.
He just beat people.
Videos surfaced grainy, shaky clips of someone dismantling entire groups with terrifying speed. Some guessed he was part of Big Deal. Others said he was a ghost trained and sent out to clean house.
But no one could prove anything.
Back at home, Jalen peeled off his hoodie each night, body sore but adrenaline still coursing. The bruises, the cuts, the fatigue it all fueled him. This body adapted fast, and he pushed it harder than ever.
By the end of the second week, his name was whispered in the same breath as legends.
They didn't know who he was.
But they knew what he was:
Untouchable.
Unstoppable.
The Absolute Fighter.