Absolute One Is Also New to Fatherhood - Episode 172

Flower-Fruit Mountain

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The Flower-Fruit Mountain, ruled by the Great Sage Equal of Heaven, Sun Wukong, was a mystical place where flowers bloomed and fruits ripened all year round, 365 days a year.

The mountain boasted a staggering 136 peaks, with the highest among them, the Jade Maiden Peak, towering even above the clouds.

Whoooosh—

At the very summit of the Jade Maiden Peak, an elderly man with snow-white hair sat cross-legged in deep meditation, clad in pristine white robes.

From his body, streams of sacred blue energy flowed chaotically, dispersing into the void.

Myeong-ryun.

Once an ordinary human, he had devoted his entire life to cultivation, eventually stepping onto the path of the Taoist sage...

Now, with the goal of Ascension to Immortality, he trained atop the mystical Jade Maiden Peak.

He sustained himself solely on the rare and spiritually potent herbs and fruits that grew only on Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Most of his days were spent in meditation, emptying his mind, or honing his Taoist arts without rest.

Decades passed like this.

Through relentless effort, Myeong-ryun had achieved remarkable progress, sensing that he was now closer to becoming an immortal.

He had grasped the harmony of yin and yang, comprehended the principles of nature, and could even glimpse the future through astrology alone.

But that was all.

Though he felt that Ascension to Immortality was near, his progress had begun to feel frustratingly slow.

Snap—

Suddenly, his eyes flew open as he observed the celestial movements through meditation.

"The alignment of the heavens is unusual..."

The arrangement of the celestial bodies felt anything but ordinary.

Celestial bodies referred to the nebulae and star clusters composed of divine entities.

For their flow to be so disordered...

"Something is about to happen..."

Particularly, the movements of the outer celestial bodies—those belonging to the Outer Entities of the Cthulhu Star Cluster—felt unnervingly erratic.

A single star, though still small in size, pulsed rhythmically between contraction and expansion, gradually growing brighter.

"I must inform the Great Sage..."

Sensing an imminent upheaval, Myeong-ryun rose to his feet, intending to report this to the ruler of Flower-Fruit Mountain, the Great Sage Equal of Heaven.

Tap, tap—

With a single step, he traversed several li using the Taoist art of Shukuchi Method, descending the mountain in an instant...

"Myeong-ryun!"

An elderly white-haired monkey spotted him and greeted him warmly.

"It's been a while since you last descended!"

"Yes, there's an urgent matter..."

"Have you made any breakthroughs?"

Myeong-ryun shook his head.

"Not yet."

Then he asked in return,

"Where is the Great Sage?"

The old monkey hesitated for a moment before scratching his head awkwardly and lowering his voice.

"Well... He left with the Great Sage Pacifier to celebrate the birthday of the Jade Emperor's daughter. That was half a month ago, but we've heard nothing since..."

Myeong-ryun pressed further.

"Where can I find him?"

The old monkey scratched his head again, thinking hard.

"Probably..."

What was the name of that dimension again?

"I believe it was called... Earth?"

"Is this the place?"

Kang-jun stepped into the arcade, scanning the room.

After dropping Seol off at daycare, he had returned home only to find it empty.

When he asked his sister where everyone had gone, she simply replied:

"They said they were going to the arcade again today."

Being no stranger to gaming himself, Kang-jun had rushed over, eager to show off his skills.

"You sneaky little brat—!"

In the distance, he spotted the Great Sage Equal of Heaven hunched over a King of Fighters cabinet...

Strangely enough, the Great Sage Pacifier and Thor were cheering him on enthusiastically.

"Monkey King, teach that brat a lesson!"

"Yeah, hit him with a 108-hit combo and leave him dizzy!"

And then—

K.O!!!

Sun Wukong's character crumpled helplessly under an onslaught of attacks.

"Ugh, this is frustrating!"

The Great Sage clutched his head in dismay.

"Wait."

Kang-jun approached, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you seriously losing to some kid on the other machine?"

A quick glance revealed a chubby elementary schooler, probably in the upper grades, sitting confidently at the opposite cabinet.

"Losing to a kid..."

Kang-jun scoffed, prompting the two Great Sages and even Thor to immediately launch into excuses.

"Listen, don't underestimate that brat just because he's young. If you take him lightly, you'll regret it."

Thor spoke first.

"That kid is a monster..."

The Great Sage Pacifier added.

"Even the Vampire Grand Duke—the most skilled among us at King of Fighters—couldn't land a single hit before getting wrecked by his infinite combo..."

Kang-jun waved them off dismissively.

"Move aside."

Sun Wukong blinked.

"Brother, are you seriously challenging that kid?"

"Trust me, he won't last a minute against me."

Kang-jun smirked, deftly maneuvering the joystick and mashing buttons with practiced ease.

"Don't let my looks fool you—I was the undisputed champion of Sillim-dong Arcade back in the day."

Sensing something formidable in Kang-jun's confident stance, the deities nodded eagerly.

"Then you'll avenge us?"

"Big Bro, show ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that brat what real skill looks like!"

"Kid, you're done for now that our big brother is here!"

The fact that even Crabsley—who was freakishly talented at every game—had been helpless gave Kang-jun pause...

'But he's nothing compared to me.'

With a cocky grin, he fished a coin from his pocket and inserted it into the machine with a click.

"Now, this 'King of Fighters' isn't as simple as you think..."

Fighting games like this were built on complex mechanics, far deeper than most realized.

"For example, characters take extra damage when hit from behind or against a wall. And depending on mid-air inputs..."

"Ooooh..."

"Plus, you have to account for recovery frames after moves and master cancel techniques..."

Just then, a pre-pubescent voice called from the opposite machine.

"Mister, hurry up and pick already~."

Kang-jun's eyebrow twitched.

"Oh? Feeling confident, are we?"

"Yeah, you're wasting time."

"Fine. Brace yourself."

He quickly selected his character.

The match began—

And Kang-jun's eyes widened.

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

The moment he got hit once, his character was launched into the air.

"Huh...?"

What followed was utter helplessness.

"Huh? Wha—?"

The elementary schooler unleashed a dazzling combo, obliterating Kang-jun's character in seconds.

K.O!!!

The screen flashed red with the defeat message.

"Brother... you weren't much better than us."

"Pretty much the same level, huh..."

"Big Bro, this is disappointing..."

Flustered, Kang-jun swept his bangs back and cleared his throat.

"I-I was just warming up..."

A rematch began immediately—with the same result.

"You're using a glitch!"

"It's not a glitch."

"Then what is it?"

"It's called a skill."

And the next match.

"Cheap tricks, huh?!"

"This is also a skill."

"Fine, now I'm serious!"

Same outcome.

K.O!!!

Kang-jun shot up from his seat and barked at the kid.

"Hey, wait right there—I'm getting more coins!"

"I have cram school."

"That's the dumbest excuse I've ever heard!"

When Kang-jun yelled, "I'm fully warmed up now!", the kid just slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"We can fight again tomorrow."

"Running away?"

"I told you, I have cram school."

And just like that, the kid left.

"This is infuriating..."

Kang-jun glared daggers at the retreating figure.

Was it because he wasn't used to losing?

This humiliation was unfamiliar, and he needed to win.

"Right..."

He turned sharply to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the deities, who were undoubtedly nursing the same bruised pride.

"You're not just going to accept defeat, are you?"

The two Great Sages and Thor nodded eagerly.

"Let's go."

Kang-jun led them outside, his expression dark with determination.

"Starting today—special training."

That evening.

"Alright, setup complete..."

Several arcade machines now stood in the living room.

"Big Bro, now we can practice even after the arcade closes!"

Sun Wukong cheered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠excitedly.

"Hehe, revenge on that brat is only a matter of time!"

The Great Sage Pacifier grinned viciously.

"One step closer to vengeance!"

"Let's train hard, everyone!"

Even Thor and the others were buzzing with enthusiasm.

"Alright, let's do this..."

Lee Soo-bin watched them with a deadpan expression before sighing deeply.

"When will they ever grow up..."

Just then—knock knock—a soft rapping came from the front door.

"Who is it?"

When she opened it, an old man who looked like a celestial immortal stood before her.

"I am Myeong-ryun of Flower-Fruit Mountain. I humbly apologize for the intrusion, but I was wondering if the Great Sage Equal of Heaven might be here..."

Driven by the need to report the celestial disturbances, he had left Flower-Fruit Mountain without delay.

After days of relentless travel, he had finally arrived on Earth...

And spent the entire day tracking the Great Sage's aura through the city's skyscrapers.

"Huh?"

Sun Wukong, who had been selecting a character at the arcade cabinet, turned in surprise.

"Myeong-ryun? What are you doing here?"

Myeong-ryun bowed slightly.

"I have urgent news regarding the celestial movements—an ominous future approaches..."

Sun Wukong waved him off.

"Later. We're in the middle of training."

Everyone else was already muttering strategies over the machines.

"First, we need to figure out how to block his cheap moves..."

"We should practice escaping infinite combos..."

"I need to find a one-hit KO combo..."

Soo-bin smiled wryly.

"Please, come in."

Then she added,

"They're all obsessed with this game right now."

Myeong-ryun murmured, "A game?", before bowing again.

"Then I shall intrude briefly..."

As he watched Sun Wukong play King of Fighters, his eyes gradually lit up.

There was something...

"The principles of martial arts are embedded in these movements..."

He felt as if he was on the verge of enlightenment.

Just by observing...

He sensed himself inching closer to immortality.

"Would you like some tea—"

Soo-bin, who had been about to offer him a drink, sighed as she saw him completely entranced by the game.

"They say men never grow up..."

Myeong-ryun was no exception.

"Hawwy."

Seol, standing beside her mother, shook her head solemnly.

"Men neber grow up foreber."

Everyone was utterly absorbed.

No—

They were burning with vengeance.

Their target?

An eleven-year-old elementary schooler.

Fourth grade.

A young arcade prodigy.