[Zain Lance đą declares victory before the match even starts]
â Heâs not just saying heâll winâheâs saying heâll kill him.
â But usually Kim Donghu claps back hard at times like this, doesnât he?
â Whyâs he so quiet? đś
ă´ Right?
ă´ Is he actually scared?
ă´ Then again, he does explode out of nowhere sometimes.
ă´ âDonât test my kindness, Ed.â Whereâs Kim Donghu when he said that?
ă´ âBe grateful this isnât the ring.â < Bring this line back.
As soon as Zain Lanceâs interview aired, the online communities lit up.
Naturally so. People always craved new topics, and a battle between top fighters? That was juicy prey.
Maybe it was because Zain Lance had fired the first shot with his interview.
[Shouldnât Kim Donghu respond with a quick interview too?]
â Whatâs he even doing, staying this quiet?
â Would love for him to clap back just as hard.
ă´ fr, itâs kinda frustrating that thereâs been no response
ă´ He couldâve just swung first with a fire statement
ă´ I mean, he does have a temper tho
ă´ No competitive spirit?
ă´ ă´ Thatâs total BS lol
[Claiming Kim Donghu isnât competitive is total BS]
â Youâve never seen him on variety shows? He always wants to win.
â But it plays perfectly into the broadcast flow, lol.
â Remember in Rushman, when he couldnât use his legs so he stood on his hands? Whyâd he do that?
â Just âcause he wanted to win.
ă´ But didnât he lose that one?
ă´ ă´ He went easy on Sujin, duh đ
No matter what heâd built up until now, public opinion was clearly tilting toward Zain Lance.
âAlright. Perfect.â
Zain Lance smiled broadly after hearing his managerâs report.
âNice strategy, Bill.â
âPublic opinion matters. I think the other sideâs pretty rattled.â
Bill had been with him from the beginning. Zain Lance stretched out on the couch, legs sprawled.
This is my chance.
Honestly, Zain Lance felt this was the peak of his life.
Because one dayâout of nowhereâheâd suddenly become unbelievably strong.
He had always had the makings of a champion, but now... what to even call it?
It was something more. He'd obtained a level of power that felt like shedding his former skin.
And it came with no special training or incident.
At first, Zain Lance was shockedâbut then it clicked.
âThis is God giving me a sign: become the strongest.â
Now was the time to live a completely new life. The time to march boldly onto the royal road.
As he was caught in those thoughts...
âYeah, right. But why Kim Donghu, though?â
Billâs question made Zain Lanceâs head turn.
âHm?â
âYou called out Kim Donghu right after claiming the boxing and MMA heavyweight titles. Just curiousâwhy him?â
âOh, that? Is that so important?â
âWhat?â
His voice suddenly changed tone.
He didnât move his bodyâjust turned his head. Like a cheap mannequin. Bill froze.
âI saidâis that really that important?â
âN-no... I was just curious.â
The laughing, joking Zain Lance from a moment ago vanished. Now it felt like talking to a puppet, its mouth clacking on autopilot.
âIt doesnât really matter. Iâm just going to fight Kim Donghu. Once in July, and once at the end of the year. Before 2024 ends.â
Got it?
Bill forced his stiff neck to nod. And as soon as the nod was doneâ
âI just need to become the strongest fighter in historyâso I want to crush the one guy who might have that potential.â
Zain Lanceâs face lit back up. He poured himself a drink with his usual laid-back charm.
âO-oh... right.â
Bill couldnât even ask what the hell just happened. It freaked him out, like something had snapped.
âBy the way, are you keeping track of Donghuâs movements?â
âYeah, mostly through Instagram and stuff.â
âGood. Keep at it. Knowing what kind of training heâs doing is key.â
âGot it.â
Sure, most real training clips dropped just before matchesâbut fighters werenât just fighters; they had fans too. So they often shared training content for engagement.
And even if they were shot for fan service, little habits always slipped through.
âDonghu Kimâs been out of the ring for about two years, right? His style might have changed.â
In that sense, Kim Donghu was always a tricky opponent. The kind of guy who made analytical prep feel pointless.
He played by the bookâno gimmicks, no tricks, just pure textbook technique.
He had no bad habits or quirks. Jab, block, dodge, counterâstraight from the manual.
If he had ~NĐžvĐľlđght~ a weakness, it was that very orthodoxy. He didnât throw in variables.
But the funny thing?
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