[Dojo Gangbuk West – Day 1 of training with Johan]

The silence weighed like a slab. No one knew what to expect. An instruction, an explanation, anything.

But Johan was not a man of words. He walked to the center of the tatami, stretched his neck with a dry crack, and adopted a simple, natural guard.

"What are you waiting for?" he said with a slight smile. "Come all at once."

The executives looked at each other, tense. Haru swallowed hard, Hyeondong raised his improvised tool, and Jihyeon stroked the hilt of her practice katana.

Hajun blew smoke through his nose and put out the cigarette against the wall.

"Is he kidding?"

"He isn't," intervened Suhyeon from the sofa, without moving. His voice was calm, almost indifferent. "Johan Seong is far above you."

Gukja took a step forward, muscles tightening.

"Then, let's go."

The tension broke in an instant: they all charged.

The tatami rumbled with each impact. Johan moved like a ghost: dodging, blocking, counterattacking with insulting ease. A side kick knocked Haru down before he could even spin in the air.

Hyeondong tried to surprise him using a training bench as a trap, but Johan grabbed his arm and threw him on his back effortlessly.

Yugyeom waited calmly, measuring the exact moment. He crouched and launched a low, precise kick aimed to unbalance Johan. The movement was flawless… but Johan barely rotated his hip, neutralized the attack, and shoved him back with a dry blow.

Every clash was a lesson; that was Johan Seong's method.

"And this is… training?" growled Jaeha, standing up with a trickle of blood at the corner of his lips.

"Of course," replied Johan, calmly adjusting his gloves. "The real world doesn't ask before hitting you. And neither do I."

In the middle of the chaos, Jihyeon took advantage of an opening.

Her practice katana sliced through the air with a buzz. The thrust hit Johan squarely in the back, forcing him to take a step forward.

Johan's eyes narrowed, surprised.

"…Well," he murmured, turning his face slightly with a crooked smile. "Didn't see that one coming."

Emboldened by the scene, Hyeondong lifted a broomstick he had found in the corner.

"If Jihyeon could, then I can too!" he shouted, charging with all his strength.

He ran straight toward Johan, raised the stick like a spear and… slipped on the sweat of the tatami.

The stick flew through the air and landed right next to Suhyeon, who stared at it with boredom.

"It was part of the plan!" Hyeondong improvised, raising his hands as if he had done it on purpose.

Several couldn't hold back their laughter. Even Johan let out a brief chuckle before returning to his guard.

It was then that Suhyeon slowly rose from the sofa. Everyone turned to him, but his expression remained serene.

"I'll leave you with Johan for now. I have matters to attend to."

Minutes later, Suhyeon was in the backyard. In front of him floated twenty golden cards, identical, glowing as if defying gravity.

He extended his hand and took one. He observed it calmly, his eyes scanning every detail.

—

[Normal Card]

(Superior Strength Jump)

Increases the user's Strength by 0.5 levels.

Festival of Cards Effect: Can be used twice.

—

"This card always seemed too broken to me. The original protagonist was an idiot for not exploiting it… or maybe he just forgot." Suhyeon reflected with a cold smile. "Doesn't matter. Now it's mine."

He let it go, and immediately all the cards began to spin around him, forming a radiant circle that lit up the yard.

"I'll use them all on myself," he murmured with determination.

—

[Suhyeon Kim]

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 70 kg

Strength: SSR

Speed: SSR

Potential: S

Intelligence: S+

Endurance: SSR

—

"Let's see… how far I can go."

At once, the cards burst into a white glow, disintegrating into energy that merged with his body.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

The notifications rang like bells, announcing that something monstrous was being born.

"Mm… I didn't rise as much as I expected. Each level costs far more in these ranks." Suhyeon thought, reviewing his new stats. "Just like in the webtoon… the gap between higher levels is like that between the ground and the sky."

—

[Suhyeon Kim]

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 70 kg

Strength: XXX

Speed: XXX

Potential: S

Intelligence: S+

Endurance: SSR

—

"And still… my endurance is complete garbage," he murmured sarcastically, with an ironic smile.

His gaze hardened.

"I'll have to strengthen it the classic way… or by absorbing stats from others. I won't drag this weakness around."

Seven days later.

Suhyeon stood in front of his executives. His method was simple and brutal: all against him.

"Come. If you want me to improve, hit me until I break. You already know my methods work."

Their gazes crossed, but no one questioned him. In unison, they charged.

The tatami shook under the storm of blows. Fists, kicks, wooden swords, even a bench used as a weapon.

Suhyeon's body took it all: split lips, burning ribs, trembling legs. And still he did not fall.

"Don't stop! If you fear me, hit me harder."

"Damn it, Suhyeon… this is too much, even for me!" roared Jaeha, his face red with effort and rage.

His fist flew straight and crashed against Suhyeon's face. The impact shook him to the side, a trickle of blood running down his mouth.

"I-I'm sorry, my lord!" shouted Hyeondong, caught between panic and determination.

With both hands gripping the wooden bat, he lifted it in an upward arc and struck with all his might against Suhyeon's chin. The dry crack echoed in the room.

Suhyeon ran his tongue across his broken lip, tasting the metallic flavor of blood. His cold smile didn't fade.

"Good try… but you still lack conviction."

Meanwhile, the others panted, shoulders slumped, sweat streaming down their faces.

"How the hell… does our leader stay standing with such resistance?" asked Jihyeon, katana still firm though her legs trembled.

Gukja dropped onto a bench, uncapped a bottle of water, and took a long gulp before muttering with proud resignation:

"You just said it… he's our leader. He's on a level none of us can reach."

"But even so… it's strange," growled Hajun, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "We end up wrecked and he always looks intact, like nothing happened."

"I-I already… can't go on," panted Haru, bending with his hands on his knees. "This is too much… I'd give anything to be lying on the beach right now, with a cold drink in my hand."

Yugyeom quietly approached and handed Haru a bottle of cold water. Haru accepted it gratefully, letting out a sigh of relief before drinking in long gulps.

"After Johan… now we keep going with Suhyeon. I don't know how much longer I can endure," murmured Haru with a weak smile, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Remember… what's coming is facing the North," exclaimed Gukja, a spark of excitement lighting up his eyes.

---

Author's Note:

I'll try to upload chapters every day this week so I can finally finish Volume 2. Next week I'll be traveling and won't have time to write, but I'll use that time to properly organize the ideas for Volume 3, where we'll dive fully into the Lookism verse.