How to Survive in a Fusion Punk

Chapter 7 – Fight

At the man’s words, Khalifa tilted her head.

“Really? By the way, you said you had to confirm something. Do you two know each other?”

“Let’s just say we do.”

The man spoke while looking at Jin.

No, from the start, he had only been looking at Jin.

“What are you going to do?”

What else?

From Jin’s perspective, there was no reason to refuse.

It was a chance to show his skills and beat the crap out of this rude guy.

To be honest, a mere shoulder bump wasn’t enough to ignite Jin’s fighting spirit.Despite spending a year in Downtown, he had still been taught proper conduct in elementary school, ethics in middle school, and philosophy in high school. No matter how much that year had influenced him, he hadn’t grown into some reckless brute who lost his temper over a little shoulder check.

The real reason Jin wasn’t avoiding this fight was that his body had instinctively reacted to the raw, wild fighting spirit emanating from the man.

“Shall we start right away?”

As Jin cracked his neck, Khalifa interrupted.

“Wait. Not here.”

After confirming that neither of the men intended to back down, she let out a small sigh and turned to the bartender.

“Po, take them to the training room.”

“Yes, Miss Khalifa. Gentlemen, this way.”

The bartender set down a glass and took the lead.

Following him, Jin realized that this tavern was far bigger than it appeared from the outside.

As the bartender opened a door that looked like it led to storage, a spacious open area was revealed beyond.

It was clear this was no ordinary bar.

A front business, maybe?

Lost in thought, Jin soon found himself standing five paces away from the man in the oni mask.

The man spoke.

“Fenrir.”

“Okay.”

Jin skipped introducing himself.

They had exchanged enough words already.

“I don’t know what your deal is, Fenrir, but take it easy. Don’t cause unnecessary trouble.”

“I’ll try. No promises, though.”

Hearing Khalifa and Fenrir’s conversation, Jin’s expression hardened.

These two were already assuming his defeat.

How could he feel good about that?

Annoyed, Jin slammed his foot against the ground.

Strike first, win first!

Closing the gap in an instant, he launched a punch.

Fenrir reacted swiftly, ducking to avoid the attack before lowering his stance even further and sweeping his leg across the floor.

Thunk!

Jin’s supporting ankle was struck, and his body lifted into the air.

As he was about to crash down on his back, he thrust both hands downward to catch himself.

This wasn’t a proper breakfall.

With both feet off the ground, taking the impact solely on his wrists was a sure way to fracture them.

But his superhuman strength overcame that risk.

For a brief moment, veins bulged in his forearms as he braced against the ground.

Then, using his core strength, he launched his legs upward in a powerful counter.

A move reminiscent of the famous Black Capoeira fighter from a popular combat game.

Fenrir, who had been about to follow up on his attack, hastily crossed his arms in defense.

Boom!

The impact sent him skidding backward, and Jin pursued immediately.

His next punch struck Fenrir’s side, and as his opponent’s guard loosened for a moment, Jin’s opposite leg swung for his head.

A left-hand jab followed by a right high kick.

Fenrir leaned back just in time, dodging the kick.

The gust from the strike brushed against his face, and even through the mask, his eyes flickered with shock.

Jin’s foot returned to the ground at the same moment Fenrir straightened his posture.

Now, they were right in each other’s faces.

Their fists collided.

Fenrir felt his punch crush into Jin’s nose, the bone collapsing under the impact.

Yet, he couldn’t celebrate.

A deafening boom erupted beside his ear.

Even though it had only grazed him, his ear throbbed painfully.

Had he failed to deflect that counterpunch, he would’ve taken it straight to the face.

What kind of body does this guy have…?

Ever since their shoulders had collided, something had felt off.

Like he had slammed into a chunk of metal.

At first, he dismissed it as an illusion,thinking his pride had been hurt and he was imagining things.

But now that they were actually fighting, it was no illusion.

This bastard was abnormal.

If he didn’t end this properly, things would get dangerous.

As Fenrir prepared his next attack, he saw something that sent a chill down his spine.

Jin, who had been knocked backward, suddenly snapped back upright like a wobble doll.

His consciousness, momentarily blown away, had returned in an instant.

His eyes burned fiercely.

Then, Fenrir’s fist struck Jin’s face again.

But Jin endured the shock that rattled his skull.

Earlier, he hadn’t expected the counterattack, but this time, he saw it coming and took the hit.

The brain doesn’t easily shut down from an impact it anticipates.

So when Jin closed the distance while offering his face as a target, he reached out and firmly locked his fingers around Fenrir’s scruff just as the man was about to retreat.

“…Where do you think you’re going? Trying to run away?”

Immediately after, he yanked Fenrir downward and drove his knee into the man’s abdomen.

Fenrir hastily raised his elbow to block, but the impact shook his entire skeleton.

Before he could regain his bearings, Jin pressed down on his arm again.

The force was so immense that Fenrir’s head was forced downward.

At that moment, the target of the follow-up strike shifted from the abdomen to the head.

Crack!

Fenrir’s body jolted as Jin’s knee struck his face dead-on.

His resistance visibly weakened.

Jin prepared to finish him off.

Just one more blow would be enough to end it for sure—

But in the next instant, Jin found himself instinctively retreating.

This wasn’t a conscious decision but a reflex, something primal.

His flight jacket, torn into four long slashes across the chest, proved that his judgment had been correct.

Grrrr—

Fenrir staggered as he regained his footing.

His lowered arm, which had swung wildly just moments ago, hung limply, and as he slowly raised his head—coarse gray fur bristled across his skin.

The oni mask clattered to the ground.

What was revealed underneath was a lengthened snout, a height increased by at least twenty centimeters, swollen muscles, and razor-sharp claws.

Jin, recalling a creature that matched all these traits, muttered,

“A werewolf?”

Grrrr—

Fenrir let out a low growl.

The moment his glowing yellow eyes locked onto Jin, his hand reached for the hilt of a long sword—

“Stop.”

Khalifa’s voice cut through the tense air.

Jin, his fists clenched in preparation for the next bout, turned to see the bartender stepping between them.

“Would you mind stopping, Jin?”

The polite smile on his face made the strength in Jin’s grip dissipate on its own.

The same seemed to be true for Fenrir.

Over the bartender’s shoulder, his figure had already returned to human form.

Standing beside him, Khalifa spoke.

“How serious were you planning to get? The test is over, Fenrir.”

“…Damn it.”

A curse spat out through gritted teeth.

Without looking back, Fenrir turned and exited the training ground.

His steps were unsteady, but when the bartender moved to follow him, Khalifa raised a hand to stop him.

“Let him go.”

“Understood.”

“But still…”

Khalifa trailed off, shifting his gaze.

At the end of his line of sight was Jin, scrunching his bloodied nose with a pained expression.

A smile curved on her lips.

“We’ve got an interesting guest here.”

***

The Anekdote had guest rooms, apparently.

Well, considering they had a full-fledged training facility, a few rooms weren’t surprising.

And so, in a simple room with just a bed, a desk, and a chair, Jin was taking a short rest.

If you could even call this rest.

“Ptooey!”

A glob of blood-mixed phlegm splattered into a bucket.

Jin kept spitting out bloody phlegm.

His nose had been completely crushed.

Breathing solely through his mouth caused blood to keep trickling down his throat—something that only those who had experienced it would understand.

It was pure agony.

To make things worse, both of the clean hits he had taken were to the face.

Not just his nose, but his entire face throbbed with pain.

But Jin simply endured it.

Getting broken and battered was nothing new to him.

If only he could grow numb to pain as well.

Unfortunately, pain always felt fresh—it never got easier.

“Ptooey!”

Jin spat another mouthful of blood and clutched the bucket.

Then he thought to himself—

That was close.

If the blow had landed on his temple or jaw instead of his nose, his recovery would have been much slower.

And in that case, he would’ve been open to taking multiple clean hits in succession.

The fight would’ve turned much tougher.

Still, even if things had played out differently, Jin didn’t believe he would have lost.

At least, not while Fenrir was in human form.

A werewolf, huh.

What kind of game is this even supposed to be?

Cyberpunk, arcane punk, bio punk—punk, punk, punk.

A game blending all sorts of unfamiliar genres into one mess—would adding a werewolf really change anything?

Even so, Jin hadn’t expected non-humans to be in the mix.

He chuckled to himself.

Not because he was happy or amused.

He just laughed foolishly, bloodied saliva dripping from his split lip.

Would vampires and elves show up next?

If he met them, would they demand proof of purity and make him suffer through some long-winded ordeal?

Would the beautiful archers from those stories be as skilled as the rumors say?

Even though he didn’t know much about archery, firearms were a thing in this world.

They must be good at them too.

Anyway, this was madness.

Pure madness.

Just when he was starting to get used to it.

Jin laughed.

Before long, the twisted expression on his face made it hard to tell whether he was laughing or crying.

Then his breathing became erratic.

“Ha… ha…”

His breath became wild and uncontrollable, and just then, a black wave surged into the room.

The speed was so fast, there was no time to react.

In an instant, the black water began to engulf his ankles, then it reached his thighs and abdomen, quickly rising up to his chest.

Jin knew it was panic, yet he couldn’t bring himself to stop it.

His breathing became even harder.

“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”

There were no superhumans here to withstand bullets with their bare bodies.

There was only one man, feeling like a complete outsider in this world.

What saved Jin was the sound of a small knock on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

At the sound of the simple knock, the black water that had reached his chin vanished as though it was a lie.

The door opened.

“Are you okay?”

The bartender’s concerned face filled Jin’s view, and he saw the worry in his eyes.

“I came because your heart rate was too fast. Is something wrong?”

Po?

Jin was taken aback by the bartender’s method of sensing, his voice, and his mannerisms—he seemed like he was from a different world.

But Jin, who had been moments away from mentally drowning, couldn’t hide his relief.

“Thank you. I’d be dead without you.”

“Jin?”

“I get like this sometimes. I’m fine now. Really.”

“Then I’m glad… but…”

“Oh! Finally, my nose is clear. Just a moment.”

The bartender, Pow, quietly watched as Jin repeatedly spat out the blood from his nose into the bucket.

Finally, when Jin lifted his head, his swollen face had started to show improvement.

Po spoke up with the words he had prepared.

“Shall we move now? The manager has been waiting for you.”