Chapter 93
Chapter 93: How to Prevent Your Rivals from Buying Land (1)
[National Martial Affairs Headquarters]
Minister Han was listening to news about an incident that had occurred in the entertainment district a few days prior, alongside Chief Han.
[The Republic of Korea is suffering under the increasingly severe crimes of Tower Climbers.Though public order has been partially restored with the recent help of the Red Dragon Gate's vigilante force, criticism is mounting over the National Martial Affairs Headquarters' reckless decision to proceed with the tournament.Meanwhile, President Park Jae-yeol has released a statement offering his sincere apologies to the public regarding the Headquarters' inadequate handling of the matter.]
"I never imagined I'd be receiving help from the Red Dragon Gate."
"Neither did I, Minister."
"Strange how life turns out."
Chief Han frowned as the tone of the news coverage grew increasingly critical of the National Martial Affairs Headquarters and her father, Minister Han.
Park Jae-yeol had pinned the cabinet's failure on mismanagement by the Headquarters.
"To think His Excellency would make me the scapegoat."
"Shall I issue a counter-statement?"
Minister Han waved his hand.
"It'll die down soon."
"Isn't His Excellency pushing too hard?"
"He must have his reasons."
Chief Han tilted her head.
"Something feels off to me. Even if His Excellency has constitutional reform in mind, this is moving too fast. It feels as though……someone is being set up, like the stage is being laid for someone."
Minister Han said nothing.
Chief Han spoke to him.
"Incidents like this will keep happening. The burden on the government will be enormous."
"It's fine. His Excellency appears to have prepared a proper punching bag."
"A punching bag? Who?"
"You'll see. The real sacrificial lamb."
* * *
That same evening, when the country was in an uproar.
Following the first round of Super Climber K, the Republic of Korea descended into complete chaos.
A duel between the sect leader of a mid-tier faction and a masked man.
[Sword Conqueror vs. Returning Prodigal]
Banners bearing their respective titles fluttered in the wind.
The sect leader was known even in Korea as a formidable expert, so everyone had predicted his victory.
But the result was the opposite.
The Returning Prodigal, masked, shattered all expectations and won the first round with ease.
Then came the interview.
The man removed his mask, and the reporter momentarily gaped, unable to utter a single word.
"……Y-you are?!"
The Returning Prodigal was none other than Jang Masayoshi.
Or rather—Jang Ae-guk.
Jang Ae-guk snatched the microphone and shouted.
"I, Jang Ae-guk, have returned to my homeland with the resolve to face the consequences of my sins! Though I was forced into Tower Climbing by Japanese coercion, I, Jang Ae-guk, never once forgot the Republic of Korea—"
"You son of a b*tch!"
Towels, curses, and trash came flying in an instant.
The camera no longer showed Jang Ae-guk.
News outlets and internet comment sections were plastered wall to wall with talk about Jang Ae-guk.
Jang Ae-guk posted on his social media.
‘—I will compete for the glory of my homeland with a heart full of atonement.’
Thousands of critical comments piled up in an instant.
The second round began.
Jang Ae-guk's bracket opponent was a Chinese Climber.
Police set up barricades around the arena.
[Azure Blood Sword Hand vs. Returning Prodigal]
Even though the opponent was Chinese, voices cheering for China were overwhelmingly louder.
Jang Ae-guk won.
He was thoroughly cursed out even in victory, but Jang Ae-guk gave an interview accepting all criticism with humility.
Jang Ae-guk's third round.
This time, his opponent was even a Japanese Climber.
The atmosphere shifted slightly.
Even citizens who had been cursing Jang Ae-guk hesitated when Japan actually stepped forward as the opponent.
"Who on earth are we supposed to cheer for?"
The Japanese Climber, who had been betrayed once again by Jang Ae-guk, fought fiercely.
"Returning Prodigal wins!"
A smattering of applause began breaking out after the victory.
Jang Ae-guk bowed ninety degrees in a deep bow.
Scattered applause mingled loudly with boos.
While the buzz around Jang Ae-guk was being exploited for attention, the tournament itself was running in shambles.
Preparations were shoddy, and the bracket was never properly organized.
The strong were overwhelmingly strong, and the weak only brought disappointment.
Though there was a rule that killing opponents was absolutely forbidden, the injured kept pouring out—and there was even someone whose head was cracked open, hovering between life and death.
"Someone among the contestants has been left in a vegetative state, Minister! Shouldn't we halt the tournament?"
Reporters shoved microphones at Minister Han, but he gave no response.
"……"
The government pushed on regardless.
The world-renowned Climbers originally targeted for the event never even showed up.
Articles came out daily identifying winners as notorious criminals in their home countries.
An absolute mess.
And yet, as the tournament dragged on, the one thing that began to rise in its place was the Red Dragon Gate.
News reports covered my Red Dragon Gate—now even wearing red armbands—taking charge of safety and patrolling the area.
[National Martial Affairs Headquarters Public Trustee, the Brilliant Activity of the Red Dragon Gate Vigilante Corps!]
└ The Red Dragon Gate is so cool!
└ I can run my business in peace thanks to them. Sent them a food truck today.
└ Gate Master Lee Won-ryong, may you live ten thousand years. I'll be sending a coffee truck.
└ Aren't they just thugs?
└ You're Yi Wan-yong reincarnated.
└ Looks like we've found our Jang Ae-guk right here.
└ Reported your comment.
—Looks like not going on the show turned out to be the right call after all!
Lee Won-ryong was clearly elated and called me.
—People are actually praising us for being smart enough to stay out of the spectacle.
"I watched the broadcast. Your flowing hair looked magnificent."
—It's all thanks to you, my liege. Oh no, what if a shampoo ad comes in now?
"Ask for conditioner ads too."
—The PD keeps texting me asking which hospital I go to.
"Did you tell him?"
—I said it was a secret and now he won't stop messaging. Begging me to tell him.
"Tell him to join the Red Dragon Gate if he wants to know."
Heh heh heh.
Everything was going smoothly.
Even with Jang Ae-guk competing, I wasn't paying much attention to the tournament.
The one thing I was curious about was which of the 2—Choi Jae-jun or Choi Jae-hwa—would take second place.
Since Jang Ae-guk had entered, the championship was his to take.
Sure enough, Choi Jae-jun met Jang Ae-guk in the fourth round.
[Returning Prodigal vs. White Bow King]
Choi Jae-jun put up a decent fight, but he was no match for Jang Ae-guk.
Jang Ae-guk's sword touched Choi Jae-jun's neck.
"The winner is Returning Prodigal!"
This was the one thing I found regrettable.
Still—my brothers, toward whom I had grown fond.
……I had hoped they would win, if nothing else.
What remained was Choi Jae-hwa.
"The final will be between Jang Ae-guk and Choi Jae-hwa."
I sent a message.
[Jae-hwa. You've made it through the fourth round safely, haven't you? Get some rest and prepare well for the final.]
Choi Jae-hwa read the message. The number '1' disappeared—but there was no reply for a long time.
I was about to call, wondering if something had happened, when a call came in from Choi Jae-jun.
—Senior. This is Choi Jae-jun.
"This is Jae-hwa's phone, though? What's going on?"
—Jae-hwa is in surgery right now. He was badly hurt during the match.
"Pardon?"
—Jae-hwa lost……. I'm sorry. His life is not in danger.
"……!"
* * *
I rushed straight to the hospital.
Choi Jae-hwa was lying in the recovery room.
"Senior……"
"Don't get up."
Choi Jae-hwa had taken a long sword wound stretching from his face down to his thigh.
His bow had been split in two.
The armor of the Scarlet Scale Poison Centipede, left alone in the hospital room, also bore deep sword marks.
The force of a powerful single blow was plain to see.
"……Quite the expert."
At this level of skill, this was almost on par with Chief Han.
To think that outside of Jang Ae-guk, someone of this caliber existed in the Republic of Korea.
"He nearly could have died, they said."
Choi Jae-jun clicked his tongue as he spoke.
"If not for the armor you gave him, today would have been Jae-hwa's funeral."
Choi Jae-jun bit his lip.
Choi Jae-hwa, his face bandaged all around, added in a small voice.
"……I showed you an embarrassing sight. I was sure I could win."
He had been confident.
He believed that apart from Jang Ae-guk and Chief Han, no one in the current Republic of Korea could easily beat these brothers.
The skill of today's Climbers left much to be desired.
Even the foreign Climbers who had come in were likely similar.
I hadn't been teaching the brothers for that long, but I trusted in their skill and will, and in the excellence of the martial arts I had taught them.
Brothers trained through archery arts.
Internal energy overflowing from spirit medicines consumed over a long time.
And in Choi Jae-hwa's case specifically—a surefire strategy I had personally devised.
Since Choi Jae-jun was the better archer, the winning method had been established specifically for Choi Jae-hwa.
I had taken the Secret Manual of Demon Wind Archery Arts the brothers had obtained from the Murim Tower and modified it into 3 finishing moves.
The first—Seal Formation Fire, which cuts off any advance.
Fire 4 arrows in rapid succession at the very start to block off every approach route in all 4 directions.
The second—Shatter Shadow Rain, which severs all retreat.
The next 5 arrows scatter like rainfall chasing shadows, claiming all 8 directions.
Anticipating the enemy's movement as they attempt to flee, it seals off every path of retreat from behind and on both sides.
The arena floor was an octagonal stage of generous size.
After the 2nd move, the opponent is cornered into a corner.
At that point, the 3rd move—Soul-Deciding Arrow—delivers the decisive blow.
The final arrow slicing through the air cannot be dodged, and must be taken.
Even if deflected, repeating Shatter Shadow Rain and Soul-Deciding Arrow in sequence guarantees victory.
Though it was the same method, I was certain it would hold effective through at least 3 rounds.
The strategy was to advance through the 3rd round using the same approach, then shift tactics in the semi-final of the 4th round to throw the opponent off and reach the final.
"Let's review the duel again."
Choi Jae-jun showed the duel footage on a tablet.
[Martial Alliance Master vs. White Bow Demon]
The opponent had audaciously taken the title of ‘Martial Alliance Master’.
Grind—
Even knowing clearly this was not the Martial Alliance Master I knew, I felt a surge of fury that made my teeth grind.
Before the duel began.
Choi Jae-hwa held his bow in his left hand and gripped 4 arrows from the quiver in his right.
The arrows he carried totaled 30.
He could execute all 3 moves a total of 3 times.
The confidence of Choi Jae-hwa, who had won his way smoothly through to the 3rd round, was written across his face.
The Martial Alliance Master wore a mask that covered most of his face.
"What faction is this person from?"
"Changbai Sect."
One of the Three Great Factions, and the most powerful in the Republic of Korea.
It was clear the man had not trained halfheartedly.
The opening stance looked somewhat flashy, but the posture was solid.
A stance that felt oddly familiar.
The very moment Jang Ae-guk came to mind—
Beep beep—!
The traffic-light-shaped red lamp blinked.
It would turn yellow, and when it turned green, the duel would begin.
Choi Jae-hwa nocked an arrow onto his bowstring.
The opponent was a swordsman.
The Martial Alliance Master lowered his stance and sheathed his sword back into its scabbard.
"A draw-and-cut art!"
The martial art of Japanese swordsmanship, which in the Jianghu I lived in was called the Eastern Ocean style!
A peculiar stance.
It resembled a draw-and-cut art under the same name, and yet also resembled the martial arts of the Southern Sea's Hainan Sect.
There were also similarities to the Jongnam Sect's Sun-Shooting Sword Art.
Every one of them—killing martial arts filled with murderous intent, devised purely to take a life.
"Oh no!"
The moment I saw the Martial Alliance Master's stance, I sensed with certainty why it had gone so fatally wrong.
The instant the green light came on, the Martial Alliance Master's sword erupted toward the 2 o'clock position ahead.
A reaction speed beyond belief!
He drew his long sword and slashed upward in a single motion.
A look of despair spread across Choi Jae-hwa's eyes.
Before his bowstring could even be drawn to full tension, the Martial Alliance Master's sword carved a long bloody path across Choi Jae-hwa.
Choi Jae-hwa collapsed and clutched his face.
Blood gushed between his fingers.
The bow, split in two, tumbled beside him—and the video ended.
"……"
Choi Jae-jun explained.
"He was simply too fast. One would naturally flinch when a bow is aimed at you, but there was no sign of fear whatsoever."
Choi Jae-hwa groaned as he spoke.
"My 4th-round strategy was completely different. Just as you told me, I changed things up."
A bow is effective at close range too, but it is fundamentally a long-range weapon.
So through the 3rd round, Choi Jae-hwa had launched his body backward the moment the match began.
A lethal strategy.
His 4th-round opponent would have prepared countermeasures, so in the 4th round, he aimed to exploit that blind spot.
The opponent was a right-handed swordsman.
Rather than retreating at the start, he advanced—pressing diagonally into the opponent's right-side blind spot from the left.
The opponent, thrown by Choi Jae-hwa's unexpected movement, would lose his target and panic.
Choi Jae-hwa takes a vibrating step forward.
The opponent's exposed right side laid bare.
Soul-Deciding Arrow flies out.
Even if the opponent gets lucky and blocks it, Choi Jae-hwa's blade is immediately at his throat.
Choi Jae-hwa's bladework was better than his brother's, after all.
But.
It had been read openly.
Choi Jae-hwa blamed himself.
"It was my mistake. You had devised the strategy, but you clearly told me to adapt fluidly based on the opponent's movements."
I did not reproach him.
Choi Jae-hwa's greatest blunder was trusting me too completely.
An absolute faith that my strategy could not possibly be wrong had driven him straight into the jaws of death.
Choi Jae-hwa cried out, aggrieved.
"The Martial Alliance Master flung his sword in the direction I was moving before I even moved! As if he already knew how I was going to attack!"
I rewound the video and watched it with a frown.
He was right.
"From the very start, he has his sword and gaze directed toward the path Jae-hwa would advance."
"Exactly!"
"His reaction speed is also far too fast."
The draw-and-cut art launched the instant the green light came on.
I played the video on repeat.
The human reaction speed limit is 100ms.
Even an Olympic gold medalist's reaction speed is around 120ms.
Only Climbers who have transcended ordinary humans can reach beyond that.
But the Martial Alliance Master's reaction speed surpassed even that.
No—it was a speed that left the limits of human capability far behind.
I zoomed in on the footage.
I sharpened my vision and identified the technique.
"Here it is. Just before the green light comes on, you can see something flash in the spectator seats."
I pointed to the spectator stands.
The Choi brothers stared intently at the screen.
"Hard to see clearly. Ah—something is glinting."
"I'm certain of it. He drew his sword by seeing that light, not the green light."
"Which is why he was faster than Jae-hwa."
It was not a guess. It was certainty.
It had been an almost imperceptible faint gleam in an instant—
But it was a level any Climber with internal energy could have caught.
Someone had resorted to underhanded means to secure the Martial Alliance Master's victory.
And on top of that.
The surefire strategy had been leaked.
The opponent had already come in with a perfect counter already in place.
I asked the brothers.
"Have you ever disclosed the strategy we devised to anyone else?"
"No."
Choi Jae-jun and Choi Jae-hwa both shook their heads.
The duel strategy had been confidential.
Only myself and the brothers knew of it.
"When I relayed the duel strategy to you over the phone—was there anyone nearby?"
"No. Starting a week before the tournament, we met no one and didn't go outside at all."
I looked around carefully.
I had suspected eavesdropping for some time and had already checked the house several times.
I had changed phones multiple times as well.
Just one thing.
Something that had changed since that day.
"This quiver—when did you buy it?"
I picked up Choi Jae-jun's elaborate quiver.
"About a month ago? Bought it from the National Martial Affairs Headquarters Item Exchange."
A quiver adorned with a white whale motif.
It was something the Choi brothers would have gone wild over.
Crack—!
I broke the quiver with my foot.
And from inside an item that could never have contained such a thing from the Murim Tower, a small chip was found.
"A listening device?!"
"What in the world is this?"
It was clear now.
"……Chief Han!"