It was a perfect counter-jab. Unfortunately, though, the dummy moved its head back a small distance before the attack made impact, and due to the height difference, the punch couldn't reach its maximum impact. Ryu had to nearly dislocate his shoulder to reach, so his punch didn't have the explosive power it was supposed to have.
Still, Ryu was satisfied with the fact that he even managed to hit this thing. As soon as his fist connected with the dummy's face, its head recoiled back, and it took a few steps back from the impact.
A single blow from him was enough to send the dummy a few steps back. Had it been a normal human, they would have been knocked out.
'Did I just do that? Really?'
He merely copied the way the Dummy punched, and yet, he managed to knock that monster back a few steps. It didn't feel real. Back in Korea, and in his school, people always ignored him and would beat him up whenever they wished, after all. They never cared for him, and regarded him as a weak, timid boy. Even Ryu himself thought the same. If you did not include the silly fights he had with other children when he was six, this was the first time he had hit someone.
"Hah…"
A heavy sigh escaped from his mouth. Although his hands were stinging a bit, he was more mentally exhausted than he was physically. The scars from the bullying and torment ran very deep— when he was bullied and harassed relentlessly, when Jin Ho-Eun poured food on him when he was in the cafeteria, when they made him grovel like a dog and lick their boots, when they stole money from him, all of these scars ran deep. No matter what injustice he encountered, even when he was bullied and harassed relentlessly, when Jin Ho-Eun poured food on him when he was in the cafeteria, when they made him grovel like a dog and lick their boots, when they stole money from him, he just couldn't get up and fight back. It didn't matter who it was, he just couldn't— all he knew was to smile, or beg for mercy; that was how Jin Ho-Eun and the others had molded him.
'But not anymore.'
He had fought back, and his fear and trauma slowly began to heal up.
He could still remember the situation he was in. When he dodged that punch, he had felt as if someone else controlled his body. It felt different; he had moved perfectly and elegantly as if a pro boxer had taken control of him. Strangely, Ryu felt a small tingle of excitement slowly well up within his heart. When he'd felt his fist collide with the dummy's face— it strangely made him excited. He didn't think he would like fighting— he never entertained the idea of it being a fun thing, and saw it in bad light. But somehow, he was enjoying it.
"Hoo…" After Ryu regained his composure, he raised his fists near his face, getting into the same stance he was in before. The Dummy had already regained its balance, but strangely, it didn't move an inch. All it was doing was staring at Ryu with its scribble-made "eyes".
'What is it doing?'
After a few moments of it just being completely still, it finally moved. Its eyes, which seemed like something a child would draw, began to have a faint red hue to them.
"You. Are." The Dummy started, before quickly getting into its stance, its eyes never leaving Ryu's.
"A. MERE. IMITATION!"
Suddenly, with frightening speed, the Dummy rushed towards Ryu, and threw a lightning fast jab at him. Ryu was startled at first, but quickly regained his composure, and anticipated the punch. He could clearly see the trajectory of it, and was ready to dodge, just like before.
Unfortunately, the same move wouldn't work twice on the dummy.
*Bang!*
The punch that Ryu had anticipated never came, and instead, he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his stomach. Just as the Dummy's fist was about to reach Ryu, it quickly retracted it, and, at inhuman speed, a powerful kick made contact with his stomach! A kick so precise and perfect that no amateur could do it without training for a long time. It was so powerful that Ryu felt like he would vomit any moment now. Ryu didn't even see the kick.
'This— Taekwondo?!'
Ryu didn't think the Dummy would know Taekwondo, yet here it was, executing the moves perfectly. Ryu knew he couldn't copy them, and thought that his muscles would be torn apart if he did.
Ryu instinctively tried to guard his stomach due to the sudden pain, disrupting his previous stance— but that was a mistake, and Ryu knew it.
*Bang!*
The Dummy threw a quick jab at Ryu's face, this time causing Ryu's head to recoil back. Thankfully, he regained his composure rather quickly. However, the dummy's attacks suddenly stopped. Its entire stance was changed, its fists had moved further apart, and instead of being clenched, they were open.
'D-Damn it! At this rate, he'll beat me to a pulp!'
While stepping back, he threw a jab at the dummy, hoping that it would stop him for a while.
*Slap!*
'…What?!'
Just as the jab was about to reach the dummy, it quickly swatted them, just like swatting a fly. The Dummy's entire stance changed. The distance between its fists grew wider, and instead of being clenched, the hands were open.
Ryu tried to throw another punch, but just like before, it was swatted away. The Dummy continued its assault, changing from boxing to Taekwondo, to karate, and now—
'I-It's using Judo now! Damn it, how many martial arts does this monster know?!'
No matter how many times Ryu attacked, the dummy either effortlessly dodged them, or swatted them away. Its hand were incredibly fast.
'S-Shit, why are his hands so fast?! Is Judo supposed to be this fast?' Ryu thought that Judo was slow, and yet— the dummy's hands were extremely fast. The public often thought that Judo was slower than striking martial arts— such as boxing— and that it only relied on strength, but that was simply not true. Those with experience in martial arts knew just how ferocious Judo fights were, and they also knew that the fighter's hands were not slower than those in other martial arts. Any Judo practitioner worth their salt would use speed, balance, footwork, rhythm, momentum and technique alongside their strength to execute Judo movements and throws.
Ryu tried to predict what the dummy would do, but the dummy was unpredictable. It repeatedly switched between martial arts, and even its rhythm was all over the place.
As the fight went on, beads of sweat started appearing on Ryu's forehead. Ryu was, after all, just a normal student. He wasn't an athlete— he never even worked out. As such, his stamina began to deplete, and his movements became more and more sluggish, causing more attacks to land on him. Furthermore, Ryu couldn't even land a single hit on the Dummy, as it either dodged or just swatted them away.
Ryu felt a small tingle of fear growing inside his heart— he was beginning to be afraid. He inwardly cursed. He had thought that he had finally broken out of his shell, that he had finally defeated his fears, that he had became strong— but here he was, feeling more and more terrified as the fight went on. He thought how much of an idiot he was to think he stood a chance against this dummy, a dummy that knew many martial arts, and even seemed to perfect them!
He truly thought he had overcome his trauma, but alas, overcoming your trauma and breaking out of your shell didn't happen that fast. Trauma ran deep, and if overcoming it was that easy, no one would live with trauma anymore.
Ryu knew that if this went on, he'd be in grave danger. He tried to create some distance between himself and the dummy, and, while stepping back, Ryu threw a quick jab at the Dummy.
*Bang!*
Somehow, it made contact. But, despite the impact it made, the Dummy didn't even waver for a second. Rather, it continued its assault, as if the jab that Ryu threw didn't even happen. Punching while stepping back was useless, as the power of the punch greatly diminished. Additionally, if your opponent was ready to tank the attack, then a little jab like that would have no effect on them. Being prepared to take an attack would mean that they wouldn't be surprised if an attack hit, and they'd regain their composure much faster, and might even find a way to mitigate the damage they'd receive.
Ryu kept trying to create distance between himself and the dummy, but it was no use. Not only was Ryu beginning to feel afraid, but his stamina was also running low. Additionally, legs that chase are faster than legs that run. If this went on— he'd be caught.
Eventually, Ryu's eyes glittered. He had managed to somehow dodge a jab the dummy threw, just as he did before— albeit this time, it was more clumsy— and he saw a gap in the dummy's defense.
'His 'jaw' is defenseless!' Perhaps it was an illusion, but ever since he began copying the Dummy, Ryu's observation went through the roof.
Ryu's eyes became sharp, and just like when he first punched the dummy, he threw a powerful counter-jab at the dummy's jaw, but—
He hesitated.
In the corner of his eyes, just as he was about to throw the jab, he noticed that the Dummy was about to punch him with his other hand, and his primal instincts kicked in. He was afraid, afraid of pain. His body was already in so much pain, and he grew so terrified of it that he didn't want to experience it anymore.
As such, he quickly retrieved his hand, and immediately tried to distance himself from the Dummy.
Unfortunately—
"Wah—" The Dummy had already predicted that. It didn't throw a jab, instead, it grabbed onto Ryu's sleeve and shirt, his true goal, and, with disgusting strength—
*Swish!*
*BANG!*
—Threw Ryu over his shoulder, and powerfully onto the ground, causing a huge thud. It was so powerful that even the sound of bone cracking was heard, and Ryu almost lost his consciousness.
Ryu couldn't even scream, as the pain was so sudden that he entered into a state of shock. His eyes were hazy, and he felt like he would lose consciousness any second now. With his consciousness barely intact, he noticed the Dummy looming over him, the red hue in its eyes growing dimmer by the second.
"The. Demon. Of. Hesitation. Is. Wicked. It. Is. What. Leads. To. Defeat." The Demon's voice was mechanical and empty. It slowly lifted its foot above Ryu—
"You. Hesitated."
*Bang!*
—And bashed Ryu's face violently. The kick was so powerful that blood spurted out of Ryu's face, a few of his teeth broke off, and even his nose was partially broken.
But that wasn't the end of it.
*Bang!*
"S-Sto—"
*Bang!*
*P-Plea—"
*Bang!*
*I-I-"
*Bang!*
"H-Hel—"
*Bang!*
"M-Mom—"
*Bang!*
"D-Dad—"
*Bang!*
"H-Help—"
*Bang!*
"—Me—"
*BANG!*
—————
"What. Is. This?" The Dummy was shocked at Ryu's endurance. These kicks should've killed an adult person easily, and yet, Ryu was still breathing—albeit faintly. His consciousness wavered, and he didn't even focus on the dummy anymore, or his surroundings. He only looked at the sky. The boy helplessly begged for his parents, and the Dummy found him pitiful. However, that didn't matter, and it didn't waver in its intention to torture him.
As such, it lifted its foot and bashed Ryu's face once more.
*Bang!*
'It…'
*Bang!*
'Hurts…' Ryu's thoughts were a jumbled mess, and he could barely keep his consciousness. The pain was excruciating, far worse than he had ever experienced.
'Mom…' He wanted this nightmare to end, and for him to wake up. He wanted to immediately go to his mother, see her, hug her, cry on her shoulder, and relieve all the pain he was currently feeling. But alas, this nightmare was real.
'Am I going to die here…'
*Bang!*
'…Alone?'
He hoped that there was someone— anyone— that would help him. But no one arrived.
'It's the same as before.' It was the same as always— there was no one here to help him. His classmates always laughed or ignored him, his work partners despised him, and now, his mother was…
He hated this feeling. He hated how much pain he was feeling, he hated how he had no one, he hated being—
*Bang!*
—Alone.
'It really hurts…'
*Bang!*
The pain was unbearable. He could barely move a muscle, and even just blinking and breathing brought upon an indescribable pain. What did he do to deserve this kind of fate? What did he do to deserve this kind of pain?
*Bang!*
He felt his consciousness slipping away.
*Bang!*
Every hit brought pain, pain that could drive someone insane, or even kill them.
But—
*Bang!*
'— So what?'
*Bang!*
'The bruises and the pain—'
*Bang!*
'—Again, it's all the same.' His body was always covered in bruises, and it always hurt him to even move. The constant bullying, harassment, assaults, the emotional pain— it was all the same. He was used to it, so why was he afraid?
His life was always in a constant state of pain, and he had barely anyone to go to. All his life, he just wanted someone he could go to, someone he could hug, someone that wouldn't disappear just like that, he just wanted someone… he could trust. Alas, till now, he had no one. Ever since his mother became bedridden, even she no longer cared about him. Her chronic disease was so bad that he knew— deep down— she wished she was dead.
And now, he didn't even have his mother. He was alone, as always, and had no one to accompany him.
*Bang!*
'No…' Perhaps his brain had been damaged, but Ryu didn't think he was truly alone. Ever since he was a child, he felt that there was someone— someone that was always with him.
Someone that appeared and hugged him whenever he was bullied and assaulted.
Someone whose touch was poisonous to him.
Someone that always embraced him, despite how poisonous her touch was to him.
Someone that never left his side, and was always there.
'My only company was always—'
*Bang!*
'Lady Pain.'
[Your consciousness is slipping, and your instincts are partially taking control of your body. You have gained and entered
—————
The Dummy was dumbfounded. With this many kicks, even an athletic human should've died, and yet, the boy didn't die. His entire face was covered in blood, most of his teeth were destroyed, and his nose might as well be non-existent at this point. There was a pool of blood beneath his head, enough blood to fill a cushion seat.
Granted, the Dummy didn't strike at its full strength. And it could've easily just killed Ryu with a kick to his throat, or his chest. But alas, it wanted Ryu to suffer, mostly because he had dared to copy its martial arts. Copying the martial arts of someone else was taboo, and the Dummy heavily revolted against anyone who did that.
Despite the surprise that Ryu was still alive, this didn't stop the Dummy. Rather, it was sort of joyous. As such, it lifted its foot above Ryu's head once more, and just as it was about to bash Ryu's face—
—It met Ryu's gaze.
*Swish!*
The Dummy felt Inexplicably horrified, and immediately retreated its feet and jumped a few steps back in a panic. It didn't know why, but the moment it met Ryu's gaze, its entire body warned it to run away. It was similar to a gut feeling, although the Dummy's senses were far superior to that.
Still, what was going on? The boy was heavily injured, and even moving was practically impossible. The Dummy didn't know why—
"Hah..."
"…What!"
*Creak!*
Ryu, with blood still spilling from his face, started to slowly get up. His entire face was swollen, and barely any teeth remained. His body should have multiple broken bones by now, and he shouldn't be able to move.
And yet, he did. In fact, he even looked somewhat relieved.
"I feel… strangely better now." His voice was hollow, and his gaze was hazy and unfocused. He slowly rose, and with his hazy eyes, he stared at the Dummy.
"How. Are. You. Moving?"
Ryu didn't answer the Dummy— instead, it just looked at him with his hazy eyes. The Dummy felt horrified for the first time in its life. Despite the situation being seemingly to its advantage, the Dummy didn't let its guard down.
'It. Is. Dangerous.' It thought, 'What. Happened?'
It didn't understand what happened with Ryu. He feels so different compared to before, it was the difference between day and night.
Ryu slowly raised his arms just enough to protect his face— despite how demolished it was— without covering his vision. He clenched his fists, although not overly so. He moved his legs, changed his posture, and regulated his breathing.
Similarly, the Dummy raised its arms, but its fists weren't clenched— they were open. Its stance changed, its posture changed, and its legs were quite a distance apart. It was using its Judo form, since with it, it could swat Ryu's attacks away.
'His. Liver. Is. Exposed. His. Face. Is. Not. Entirely. Protected.' The Dummy thought as it continued to inspect Ryu, 'But. He. Is. Dangerous. I. Know. I. Will. Die. If. I. Go. In.'
The red hue reappeared once more inside of the Dummy's "Eyes", and it was glowing brighter than ever.
'I. Will. Just. Defend. For. Now.'
The Dummy's gaze never left Ryu's, and its body was completely still. It didn't dare to move, and instead it focused exclusively on defense. It didn't know what Ryu would do, so it was on guard.
Suddenly, Ryu's feet twitched and began to move ever so slightly.
'NOW—'
*BANG!*
The Dummy's head recoiled back from the impact