I Am the Man Who Will Become the Strongest! (Or Not)
I am the man who will become the strongest! (Or not.) I am a special human.
Kaizen, born in the north and living as a warrior, had always carried these thoughts with him.
A blessed body. A blessed awakening of his superpower.
The north's biting winds like frozen thorns couldn't touch his flesh, and with his awakened ability, he overcame any warrior, challenge, or danger.
'I am the man who will become the strongest!'
For a man who recognized his own strength, talent, and power, such thoughts were only natural.
He was living out his typical northern days like always when it happened.
You are blood kin of the Nebla Duke family.
A butler who suddenly appeared before him.
But Kaizen attacked the man the moment he heard those words.
His nerves were already frayed from assassination attempts over the past year.
Someone sneaking up behind him without a sound in his heightened state, spouting nonsense like that—how could he stay calm?
Have you finished?
Yet Kaizen's attack couldn't even graze the butler's clothes.
The butler lay there casually, flashing a smile that felt oddly off-putting.
In that moment, something shattered inside Kaizen's mind.
Don't fuck with me. I didn't lose. I didn't lose, I said! This doesn't count. I've been fighting with a mind worn down by a year of assassinations—that's why I lost!
Ridiculous excuses. But Kaizen truly believed them.
It was the pride of a man who thought himself the strongest. With that pride wounded, a defense mechanism kicked in.
And so, Kaizen fought the butler in a bloody duel for nearly two days straight, without sleep.
Oh dear.
At first, his attacks couldn't touch the man, but as time passed, they drew closer.
Just before collapsing from exhaustion, he managed to wound the butler near an artery.
A vital spot on the human body. One more centimeter, and it would've been fatal.
Hahaha. Yes, we might need a family head like you. You pass the test.
As Kaizen collapsed from exhaustion, the last voice he heard was the butler's—calmly chattering even in a near-death situation.
Vroooom.
"What're you thinking about?"
Kaizen, who had been resting his chin on the rear window of the driver's seat with his eyes closed, growled in response to the voice calling him.
"I told you not to talk to me."
"Ahaha. But don't you think three days without a single word is a bit much?"
Every voice, every gesture, every tone—it all grated on his nerves.
Kaizen glared at the butler driving ahead.
A smug grin visible through the rearview mirror.
"Anyway, Kaizen, I have a valid reason for speaking up."
The butler knew full well how uncomfortable Kaizen was, yet spoke in that snarky tone anyway.
"Shut up." Bang!
In response, Kaizen fired a revolver from who-knows-where.
A position, angle, and timing impossible to dodge. A perfect ambush.
Ting.
But the bullet let out a pathetic whine, lost all momentum, and fell like a withered maple leaf.
"Ahaha. Please don't attack. You startled me."
"Hah, hilarious. You keep that damn barrier up 24/7, yet your mouth's still alive and kicking."
Kaizen figured the bastard could probably survive drowning with just his mouth floating.
He glared at the butler with half-lidded eyes.
Seeing that, the butler dropped the teasing and spoke in a slightly more serious tone about his business.
"We've arrived."
At the Nebla Duke family estate, that is.
Screeech.
Click.
"Tch. Three days cooped up in a car is still a pain."
"My apologies. I should've done better to make your journey comfortable."
Upon arriving at the estate, Kaizen shot a glare at the butler who had already gotten out and opened the door beside him.
He knew that snarky bastard accounted for about 80% of the discomfort.
Whenever they stopped for a break or supplies in a city, the guy was always hovering "to assist," ruining his mood. He couldn't even rest properly because of him.
But arguing here would just let that silver-tongued devil slither out of it.
"..."
"Oh? Ignoring me? Hey, hello?"
Ignoring the butler waving in his face, Kaizen turned to the elderly man approaching slowly.
A neat suit. Unlike the snarky butler in front of him now, this one looked truly refined and serene.
"Greetings, Kaizen. Thank you for visiting the Nebla Duke family today."
The elderly butler bowed gracefully with elegant gestures.
"I am Sebastian Eldra, head butler of the Nebla Duke family."
After a simple introduction, Sebastian straightened up with a smile.
"And on short notice, but now that you've arrived, you must meet the family head immediately."
"What?"
"It may seem rude to a successor visiting our home, but it's the family head's command. Please follow."
"..."
Before coming here, he'd gotten a rough explanation from that damn quiet butler.
The Nebla Duke family's situation: all direct heirs dead, no collaterals due to the family's nature, so they had to call in illegitimate children from outside.
That his blood was tied to the Nebla Duke family.
And finally.
"The family head's on the verge of death, and he wants to see me right now?"
No matter how hot-headed and impatient Kaizen was, he was still human.
Meeting an outsider like this in such a critical state?
To Kaizen's common sense, the situation made no sense.
"Yes."
But Sebastian dismissed his doubts in one breath.
"It is the family head's will, so we merely obey."
"Hah... Fine. Oh, before that, one question."
"I shall listen attentively."
"Besides me, how many illegitimate kids have arrived at this estate so far?"
Kaizen's eyes sharpened as he spoke.
Enemies. Rivals gunning for the family head position.
He'd held back from asking that snarky butler—better to kill himself than give that guy the satisfaction.
"One candidate is currently in the mansion. And excluding you, Kaizen, another is due to arrive today."
"Three, huh..."
Many? No, few. He'd expected at least five.
But no point overthinking it now.
That wasn't his style anyway.
"Whatever. Let's go."
"Understood. Please follow me."
With that, Sebastian walked toward the mansion at a pace matching Kaizen's steps.
Opulent, the pinnacle of wealth.
Even a famed northern warrior like him felt dizzy from the overwhelming riches.
The mansion's pillars were studded with precious metals, and the corridors adorned with treasures and artworks.
A perfect display of why the Nebla Duke family ruled the south and the underworld.
"Hm, what's this?"
In the midst of walking, his eyes caught a sword tucked in a corner.
He knew nothing of art or jewels, but as a warrior, Kaizen could tell it was a famed blade radiating sharp aura.
"Ah, do you know this sword?"
"Nah, just looks like a good one."
"This is Sequda's Fall, the treasured sword of a fallen kingdom. Enchanted with anti-magic that cuts through any spell—truly a masterwork."
Sebastian explained casually, without a hint of boasting.
Such a sword.
But that flat tone overwhelmed Kaizen instead.
A master sword. One worthy of a national treasure.
And it was just displayed in a corner?
Hahaha.
But Kaizen soon burst into joy.
If he became family head, all this would be his.
After hearing the full explanation about the sword, Kaizen arrived at a massive door on the mansion's top floor.
"This is where the family head resides. I pray your time is peaceful."
Screeech.
Bam!
After Kaizen entered the family head's room, Sebastian—who had bowed in respect—raised his head and began a slow countdown.
"3... 2... 1..."
Kaizen's scream echoed out.
It rang through the entire mansion, yet Sebastian's expression didn't twitch.
And all the busy servants heard it but carried on with their duties.
"Hm? Oh, a private meeting with the family head?"
The butler who had brought Kaizen to the Nebla estate smiled faintly at the scream in his ear.
"The family head's tests are truly frightening."
A short while later.
Another car pulling into the Nebla Duke estate.
Sebastian assumed it carried the final candidate to succeed the family and straightened his attire before approaching.
Come to think of it, this candidate was approved by Mist, that girl, wasn't he?
Mist.
A fairly famous name within the duke family.
The youngest elite assassin, a monster whose skills were recognized.
As head butler overseeing all family affairs, Sebastian knew her especially well.
She has incredibly strict standards, yet she passed him.
How shocked he'd been upon first hearing the report.
Testing illegitimate children for approval was handled secretly by the Nebla family's elite assassins, the Am-Young.
They were the family head's shadows, hidden blades of his tongue.
Monsters who assassinated anyone on a single word from him. And among them, the strictest—Mist—had given her approval.
Promising.
Sebastian approached the man stepping out of the parked car outside the mansion and bowed.
"Greetings, Abel. Thank you for visiting the Nebla Duke family today."
Cigar smoke?
As he drew near, the faint aroma of a cigar lingered.
Not heavily smoked, just the lingering scent.
"Ah, thanks for the welcome."
Hearing Abel's languid voice, Sebastian slowly raised his head to look at him.
With this, all three candidates to determine the Nebla heir had gathered.