Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Finals (1)
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"Yes, boss. Oh, of course, if we just win, public opinion will flip right around. I'll show you. That guy's looking talented right now, but compared to our Ju-seong's real skills, he's nothing. We've got everything set up for the finals, haven't we? We can't lose—this is it."
The Diamond Club hunter hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh. Kim Ju-seong was right there, diligently working out, while Chun-bae fiddled with his phone game a short distance away. The TV was broadcasting the latest tournament updates.
Jeong Su-hyeon, the 'Ada Bomber' who had crushed the top favorite 'Howling' Oh Min-young, had bulldozed through the quarterfinals and now stood as a genuine championship contender, drawing all eyes. It was a situation the man could never have anticipated. Despite all their prep work and planted articles pushing Kim Ju-seong, the masked pervert in the helmet called Ada Bomber was stealing the spotlight.
Half the attention was negative, sure, but the hottest topic wasn't Kim Ju-seong—it was Ada Bomber.
"Hey, Chun-bae."
Chun-bae flinched at the call, shoulders jumping as he looked up. He gripped his phone tight and stared at the man. The man said sharply,
"Hey, did you check out that spot this time?"
"Yeah. You rented a dark room at the arena, so I went."
"Good. Just stay there cheering for our Ju-seong. You get what I'm saying, right? Just nail this one time."
"Yes."
Chun-bae nodded obediently. The man patted his shoulder and said,
"Once this is over smooth, I'll put in a word upstairs and make sure you're taken care of. Our Chun-bae's got skills, does the job right, and listens well. Right?"
"Yes."
"Your big bro's doing all this to look out for you. What game you playing now, Chun-bae?"
"Flower Dream. SSR rank's the highest, and I've collected 'em all."
"No kidding? Impressive."
The man had zero interest in games.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Kim Ju-seong's quarterfinal opponent was a heat manipulator. His power let him roast anything he touched—a brutal ability. From the match footage, he favored fluid grappling to seize an arm or leg, then held on relentlessly until surrender. He was confident even against close-range fighters like Kim Ju-seong.
Even natural regenerators cried uncle under sustained burn. A mere physical enhancer? No different. He shook out his legs with a smug grin at Kim Ju-seong. Kim scanned the surroundings blankly.
Cheers ruled the world. He stretched his solid frame and eyed his foe. With a yawn to activate his power, his height and limbs stretched like someone had Photoshopped him bigger. Muscles ballooned to fill the elongated arms and legs like inflated balloons.
"Hoo...!"
Up close, he looked like the legendary giant Talos come alive—an overwhelming presence. The cocky opponent gasped at the sight.
"Match starting now!"
The countdown rang out. 3, 2, 1. A buzzer blared the start. They stood wary, gauging each other. Kim loomed over his opponent, who hesitated on approach.
Kim Ju-seong now towered over 2 meters. One kick could block any rush. His pumped muscles strained his training gear, eyes blazing like lasers.
Kim nodded and stepped forward slow. Each heavy footfall shook the ground. Raw power in every stride. The opponent realized he'd lose doing nothing—he charged full tilt.
Kim swung a massive arm. Opponent dodged by a hair and grabbed it to ignite his power.
"Nngh!"
As he gritted teeth and heated up, Kim snatched his head with the free hand. The palm engulfed it fully. Panic in the man's eyes. Heat shimmered, haze rising. Kim's eyes widened, squeezing hard.
"Gaaah! Gyaaah! Aaaagh!"
The man flailed, forced to release as he screamed. Kim clenched teeth, hoisting him overhead by collar and head—like a hanging. Wails echoed.
"Aaaagh! Uwaaagh! Aaaaagh! I surrender! Surrendeeeer! Surrender!"
Kim dropped him at the cry. The man hit the mat, clutching his head and sobbing like a baby. Medics rushed in. Kim raised his arm triumphant.
One spectator caught the brutal, straightforward win: Seong Ha-yeon, Black Dragon Clan's D-rank hunter. Munching dried squid from the stands, she squinted. Even to her, something felt off. Compared to Ichigaya Ichie's match, the vibe was all wrong.
"Weird. Definitely weird."
Seong Ha-yeon, Kim Yu-jeong, and Ichigaya Ichie huddled and nodded. One word from Ha-yeon, and they all agreed. Kim Ju-seong was fishy. Not just sour grapes over Ichie's loss.
The Kim Ju-seong from Ichie's bout differed from this one. Maybe bias from suspecting rigging. Video vs. live footage gap. Strategy shifts in motion.
Ha-yeon's gut feeling couldn't be aired publicly—too easy to debunk. But her instincts screamed: Kim got outside help against Ichie.
"Rigged specific matches."
"How?"
Ichie asked. Ha-yeon pondered, then spoke.
"Probably drugs or a buff. But buffs usually trip detectors. I think... they bribed the ref. He could just shut the machine off."
She said "bribed ref" in hushed caution. Ichie frowned; Yu-jeong nodded gravely. Ha-yeon continued.
"Last time with Su-hyeon in the smoking lounge, Diamond Club guys were buddying up with a ref. That ref? Ex-Diamond Club who went solo. And I checked the brackets again."
Ha-yeon pulled her pad, opened the site. Bracket showed finals blank, but refs assigned. She pointed to the finals ref, scrolled to prelims [Ichigaya Ichie VS Kim Ju-seong]. Same ref.
"Kim's path had few real threats. Ranged types elsewhere, physical enhancers all outmuscled. Smooth sail to finals."
Yu-jeong glanced at Ichie. Ha-yeon said,
"Except sword-savvy Ichie. So Kim—and Diamond Club—saw her and the finals mystery foe as top dangers. Whatever the reason, they're all-in to crown him Rookie King. If it's rigged with a bought ref..."
Ha-yeon trailed off. She couldn't be sure. Yu-jeong said,
"So what do we do?"
"Can't request an investigation—no evidence. We'd look like idiots. So... my personal take is..."
She scanned around, beckoned them close. Faces huddled, she whispered,
"In the finals, we mess 'em up. That fucking prick."
"Mess 'em up?"
"Screw 'em over."
Ha-yeon explained for Ichie. Ichie nodded.
"Oh, I get it. But finals rigging? They might skip it."
"If they rigged yours, finals is a lock."
Ha-yeon was dead certain. Yu-jeong asked,
"You sure?"
"Finals usually have S-rank observers besides refs..."
Ha-yeon flipped the pad to the list.
"Of 3 S-ranks, 2 are Diamond Club. Too neat a coincidence, huh?"
Yu-jeong swallowed hard. Things were escalating. S-ranks tangled in this? Unbelievable.
"Rookie tourney, and S-ranks? Isn't this blowing up too big?"
"Grunts wouldn't scam solo—higher-ups are in. No public stink, so let's trash their plan. Listen. With this setup for finals, the buffer's maxed out nearby."
Ha-yeon yanked a big paper from the corner—arena blueprint. She checked rooms one by one.
"Bomber in or out, we go. Right at start, sweep every room around the arena. Spot the buffer..."
Three heads snapped up, eyes locking.
"We beat his ass."
"Beat his ass?"
"Half to death."
"Ah, got it."