Chapter 141

Thunder Martial Arts Tournament (雷武大會).

A competition held since the Romance Era to select the next Thunder Immortal. It is said that prominent Awakened from all over the world participate.

While the supernatural power of the Thunder Immortal has the unique characteristic of being inheritable, it is strictly limited to those of the bloodline—specifically, members of the Kang Family.

Since a new Thunder Immortal cannot be selected every single time the tournament is held, the winners are instead granted massive prize money, eligibility to join the Special Unit, and “Super Accounts” for New Monster Wars RE:VIVE!.

The exact timing is fuzzy, but one was definitely held once when I was a child. I remember going to the stadium to cheer on a childhood friend who had entered.

Did they get disqualified around the semi-finals for getting caught using a fake identity? I still vividly remember returning to the orphanage that day, crying my eyes out.

Of course, the one crying was me—I’d been beaten the whole way home by my childhood friend, who was in a foul mood. Still, because of the massive crowds, my “business income” (pickpocketing) was quite good, so it wasn’t a entirely bad day.

Anyway, unlike back then, this Thunder Martial Arts Tournament seemed to be for the purpose of choosing an actual successor to the Thunder Immortal. Currently, all the descendants qualified for that position were in the Special Unit.

“The previous Thunder Immortal passed away recently.”

“Oh, really? I hadn’t heard anything.”

“He was just an old man fading away in the back room anyway. He lived to be over a hundred, so it was long overdue.”

But even that “overdue” time was far too early for Kang Ha-neul to become sufficiently strong. He seemed desperate to inherit the power of the Thunder Immortal no matter what.

The reason was obvious.

Due to the chronic manpower shortage, he had risen to the position of Vice-Commander of Division 3, but Kang Ha-neul was simply too weak. To put it in perspective, he was neck-and-neck with Moon Ah-rin at her full strength. If I got serious with my tentacles ranked 90th or below, I could probably take him down.

He was well aware of his own lack of might. He had been training relentlessly for a long time, but no visible results had manifested.

“I was at the Necropolis until recently.”

“So that’s why you weren’t around? Did you see any results from your training?”

“No. Alone, I couldn’t even reach the entrance, let alone face the Four Knights. If it had been the others, it might have been different.”

The hazy cigarette smoke shifted direction.

Spotting the Special Unit members who had come up to find me, I quickly dove into the nearby fountain. The members opened the door, glanced around the garden, and soon moved on to search elsewhere.

As I poked my head out, covered in water weeds, Kang Ha-neul began his story.

“It’s not that I’m particularly spiteful about the others becoming the next Thunder Immortal. But right now, I desperately need that power.”

“By ‘the others’ you mean…”

“I’m talking about my siblings. You should at least be able to catch that much.”

Kang Ha-neul’s siblings were Kang Na-bi of Division 2 and Kang Cho-won of Division 1. Not to mention Vice-Commander Kang Cho-won, even Kang Na-bi, the “Spear of Thunder” who became an officer in her rookie year, was a core asset of the Special Unit.

All three were from branch families and had supposedly maintained some level of contact since childhood. According to Kang Ha-neul, that “contact” was hardly a pleasant experience.

“The people who call themselves parents told me to kill those two by any means necessary. They said not to worry because they’d help me if push came to shove.”

“……”

“I almost died several times myself. It’s a bit better now that all three sets of parents are in prison, but back then, it was considered natural for siblings to engage in a bloody slaughter… Hey, what are you doing?”

“Ah, just a second. I have to post a notice saying I’ll be late for my stream.”

Since it was a rare vacation, I had planned to turn on the stream to test my new VTuber avatar, but it looked like this story was going to be long. I yawned while writing the notice on ‘Jjijijik’, and Kang Ha-neul’s tragic family history came to an end.

Having smoked three cigarettes in that short time, he put the butts into a case and spoke.

“Well, in the end, it worked out. With the world in this state, I can’t keep delaying it. I plan to run head-first into this opportunity, whether I succeed or not.”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t give me that look that says you were interested at first but found it blatantly boring toward the end. If you’ve heard enough, get lost.”

“If I may offer a word of advice…”

“No, I told you I didn’t tell you this to get advice from you! I’m going back to training, so hurry up and run away.”

I grabbed Kang Ha-neul’s pant leg with my wet hand. Though I only had nine fingers, the grip strength I’d forged through playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with Mala-nim was something even Kang Ha-neul couldn’t easily shake off.

“Power that is not earned through one’s own efforts is destined to vanish hollowly.”

“Who doesn’t know that? So, you wouldn’t take the power of the Thunder Immortal even if it were given to you?”

“I’d obviously take it if it were given. What I wanted to say was that inner growth is more important.”

I stood up, shaking off the water. I decided right then to help him in this Thunder Martial Arts Tournament.

It definitely wasn’t because I wanted to watch Kang Ha-neul—who usually bullies me—suffer. It was purely out of concern for the future of Division 3. And since I had nowhere to eat or sleep for the remaining three days while on the run, I figured I could mooch off him.

“I will support you with everything I have so that you can win, Senior Ha-neul.”

“I told you I don’t need your help!”

“Just trust me once, as if you’re being conned. When we were raiding the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness, I was the one who pushed aside all the other formidable competitors to get Alexei into the raid team!”

“…Is that true?”

“Of course.”

At my confident attitude, Kang Ha-neul’s heart wavered slightly. Perhaps because he was desperate enough to grasp at straws, he asked with a serious expression.

“Well, you have had a lot of strange talents since long ago. Like persuading Baek-seon, or winning against Commander Yoo Se-byeol.”

“Ahem, that was merely a series of coincidences. Like a cow stepping backward and catching a tentacle.”

“Cut the nonsense analogies. What do you plan to do? The tournament preliminaries start in a few days—can you really make me stronger in that time?”

“That would be good, too, but I plan to save that as a last resort.”

Make Kang Ha-neul stronger?

In reality, life wasn’t a game where you could level up with a single click like a character in New Monster Wars RE:VIVE!.

Why waste energy on something so tedious? Especially when there was a much more fun and easy way. I decided to use the exact same method I used with Alexei.

“First, let’s start by spiking the food in the cafeteria with poison.”

The plan was to simply eliminate all the other candidates.

“Hey, hasn’t the air felt a bit stuffy for a while now?”

“Really? The ventilation system is normal.”

“I think I hear some kind of crying sound coming from the ceiling. Is it an issue with the AC?”

“We just did a major cleaning recently.”

“Did you forget we stopped halfway through because of that Mana Corruption incident—achoo!”

“Are you okay?”

“That’s weird. Is it an allergy? I’ll have to check with the Management Division later.”

Perhaps because I had experience, doing it a second time was easy. Since there were members within the Special Unit participating in the tournament, every bit of their strength I chipped away increased Kang Ha-neul’s chances of winning.

I put laxatives in the meals and used spiderweb to bring a hoard of stray cats into the vents, triggering mass allergic reactions to cat hair. It was a thorough preparation, but the most important part was something else.

“Let’s go meet your other siblings.”

“Why on earth?”

“Don’t they say ‘know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated’?”

“You just want to watch my face shrivel up in front of them, don’t you?”

Sharp as a tack, that one.

Still, Kang Ha-neul grumbled but followed me anyway. He probably knew deep down that gathering intel on his siblings was crucial. If he were alone, he never would have dreamed of visiting them so boldly, but now he was with me—and I had skin as thick as a steel plate.

The first target for reconnaissance was none other than Kang Cho-won.

Even now, getting a glimpse of anyone from Division 1 was difficult due to their frequent classified missions. However, after I sent a few messages via my smartwatch, I was able to meet the Vice-Commander himself face-to-face. It was only possible because I was on good terms with almost everyone in the Special Unit.

“Miss Yeon-hwa, it’s been a long time. You’ve grown quite a bit since—“

“What kind of dog-brained stunt are you pulling now?! The whole unit is turned upside down!”

“Ack! That hurts! Stop hitting me!”

“Haha! You two are as close as ever!”

No Yeon-hwa, who had turned into a child due to the Mana Corruption, had returned to her original form. It was a shame I could no longer hear her cursing with a lisp, but I had plenty of photos to comfort me.

“Have you been well? The tournament is coming up; I assume your preparations are going smoothly?”

“Tsk, none of your business.”

While I was being scolded by her for the trouble I’d caused, Kang Cho-won, who had come out with her, greeted Kang Ha-neul warmly. Aside from their past of having to kill each other since childhood, he didn’t seem particularly hostile toward his younger brother.

“You must be thirsty. Have a drink.”

“Mm, this tastes good! Thanks, Hayan!”

I calmed No Yeon-hwa down, despite her trying to kick my shins, and handed a glass to Kang Cho-won. He downed the laxative-spiked drink in one go without a hint of suspicion.

No effect.

I didn’t have high expectations, but it seemed difficult to neutralize a High-Level Awakened with something like over-the-counter anti-diarrheal medicine.

“Don’t mention it. More importantly, Vice-Commander Kang Cho-won, are you making any special preparations for the win?”

“It’s haven’t been easy to find time, as I’ve been clearing missions in advance to participate! I’m not worried, as the results will follow my usual training!”

“Hmph, I bet.”

Perhaps thinking that was a slight against his own relentless training, Kang Ha-neul abruptly stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“Going for a smoke. You guys keep chatting.”

It seemed seeing his brother’s face was too uncomfortable for him, even though I’d brought him here. Once the envy-ridden brother left, I turned to Kang Cho-won. I hadn’t had much contact with him before, but after hearing Kang Ha-neul’s story, there was one thing I was curious about.

“Come to think of it, Vice-Commander Kang Cho-won, you’ve stayed at the High-Level for quite a long time.”

“Achieving enlightenment is just that difficult. Titles like the Seven Immortals or the Transcendent-Level are expressions of reverence for those who have stepped into a realm beyond humanity, aren’t they?”

“I agree, of course, but don’t you have an easier method that others can’t mimic?”

“Are you talking about the power of the Thunder Immortal?”

I nodded.

“A tournament is just a form of entertainment. You don’t necessarily have to be the winner to inherit the power of a Transcendent-Level Awakened.”

“……”

“The fact that a successor appears when the previous Thunder Immortal dies means that if he dies, you can become the next one. In fact, there must have been times when that was the objectively ‘right’ way for the greater good.”

“Hmm.”

Why didn’t you kill the Thunder Immortal and become him yourself?

It sounded cruel, but it was a very real possibility. During the Great Invasion, if Flauros hadn’t appeared and burned the Chairperson’s last finger, Seoul would have been finished. If Kang Cho-won had possessed the power of the Thunder Immortal back then, he could have cut off at least one more finger. Knowing there had been countless similar crises before, I wanted to gauge his intentions.

At my question, Kang Cho-won drained the rest of his drink and spoke.

“Hayan, your actions might seem frivolous, but you always strike at the core. There’s a reason why Miss Yeon-hwa praises you until her mouth is dry.”

“She did?”

“Yes, she did. She said she was going to establish a perfect system of Word-Spirit soon to completely brainwash you and make you hers, so that no other woman could ever get their hands on you.”

“Wh-When did I ever?! Shut up! Keep your mouth shut!”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

A good while later, once the effect of the Word-Spirit wore off, Kang Cho-won stood up.

“I’d like to tell you the reason, but my brother would be disappointed if I did!”

“I won’t be disappointed, so why don’t you give me a little hint?”

“Can you swear not to tell Ha-neul?”

After considering it for about a second, I nodded immediately.

“Of course.”