And, in a foreign land, a war hero called a national hero.
She said she wanted to watch a martial arts tournament, even if it meant sacrificing her lifespan by using her awakening abilities.
Even the participants themselves didn’t believe in their own potential, yet she believed in it.
She showed a noble resolve.
Her will surpassed the shallow desire to be noticed by the Silent Swordsman, and it made the contestants genuinely commit.
“Now, we have received the martial arts tournament entries for all 315 participants. Starting now, according to the random drawing of brackets, the announced contestants should come to the tournament stage.”
Although it was an impromptu tournament, no one criticized the lack of formality or the low level of organization.
The tournament, which began not under the organizer’s authority but the participants’ resolve, was unaffected by the procedure or venue.
Even with the procedural formality, the hastily constructed venue, nothing could quell the contestants' burning passion.
“Did we really have to call in a dentist again? These guys are unbelievable.”
“Well, there’s a chance the corn will get stuck, don’t you think? You’re just thinking ‘let's keep the peace’.”
Doctors from all fields were gathered, and the medical team was ready.
Thanks to the National Security Bureau's covert support, the makeshift medical beds and equipment were set up. Unless there were serious injuries or fatalities, the Saint’s help wouldn’t be needed.
‘I hope all this effort was worth it.’
While Min Woo-sung steeled himself, the tournament was underway with the contestants engaged in fierce battles.
“Muscle Arm!”
In the intense battle, a contestant using the Muscle Arm ability pushed down his opponent’s sword with his right arm, which had swelled up to twice its size.
The opponent, struggling and leaning, muttered coldly without attempting to fix his posture.
“Rewind.”
Like a video playing in reverse, the Rewind ability allowed the user to return to their position just one second ago, aiming their sword at the Muscle Arm user’s neck.
The Muscle Arm user couldn’t hide his frustration but eventually accepted defeat.
“Great ability.”
“Your ability is the same. If you had trained just a little more, you might have lost before you could even take a breath.”
“I appreciate you saying that. Even though I lost, it gives me comfort. I’ll cheer for you to win.”
The two contestants shook hands, and those waiting their turn, along with Haenampa’s staff, gave them a hearty round of applause.
‘Now, this is what a proper martial arts tournament looks like.’
Gashingan was deeply moved.
The previous qualifier, where hundreds of contestants scrambled for positions like wild dogs, was a nightmare.
Although it had been a stepping stone that boosted his own name, Gashingan knew the truth.
Last time, he got lucky because of Lightning Man.
If it weren’t for Lightning Man, who single-handedly wiped out half of the participants, Gashingan wouldn’t have had any competitors coming after him while he was waiting in the corner.
[Concept Post]
[Ascended Gallery - Gashingan the Silent Swordsman Tournament Hit Not Bad?]
[Author - 3 Dae 750]
[Views - 22,195]
[Upvotes - 840]
[Downvotes - 615]
“If you admit it, give it an upvote”
As a man, Gashingan had his pride. He didn’t want to be labeled as a lucky guy, so he participated in the interview.
And fortunately, it became the second Silent Swordsman Martial Arts Tournament, so luck was on his side.
“Next contestant has been recommended. B-class Ascended big match! In the blue corner, Gashingan!”
Gashingan boldly stepped onto the stage.
‘My face being ugly isn’t something new. I just have to endure today. I’ll make a name for myself as a skilled Ascended in this tournament.’
Once he succeeds, Gashingan’s signature won’t be his ugly face, but his impressive skill.
Even Lightning Man wasn’t that handsome, but didn’t he get called a “Well-Done Maker” or “Human High Voltage Fence” online?
It’s not just baseless hope.
Thanks to the realization from the previous tournament, Gashingan had leveled up and was promoted to B-class.
“Red corner, the strong contender for this tournament, facing off against Gashingan, is Mecha Samurai!”
The audience buzzed with excitement.
“Mecha Samurai?”
“Was there such a person?”
“Unknown.”
“That’s tough. Gashingan is no slouch.”
Mecha Samurai, standing across from Gashingan, caught his attention.
The moment he saw the metallic gleam on Mecha Samurai’s hands and face, Gashingan realized.
‘This is a countermatch.’
Every Ascended ability has a counter.
No matter how hard you try, there will always be someone you can’t beat, a natural predator that nullifies your abilities.
For Gashingan, who uses sharp thorns to penetrate flesh, Mecha Samurai was that natural counter.
“Both contestants, get ready!”
“Countdown!”
Gashingan stood, eyes fixed on his opponent, while Mecha Samurai showed no fear at all.
It was proof that he was confident in his ability to win, even against a name like Gashingan.
“5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Begin!”
The first match of the tournament’s preliminaries.
The battle between Gashingan and Mecha Samurai, which would be considered the biggest upset, began.
- Though fighting to prove their skills, the contestants respected each other’s prowess and returned to their senses after each victory or defeat.
A battle between men, where even if no direct injury was inflicted on their bodies, they respected each other’s victory and loss.
“South Korea is the land of warriors. I guess you can't always believe rumors.”
[What’s the perception of South Korean Ascended abroad?]
“They’re just a lucky bunch, surviving on a small land with a high population density. That’s how they’re known.”
Unlike Japan, which didn’t suffer from earthquakes and hail sinking islands or ravaging land by sea monsters.
Unlike China, where vast territories created a survival war between humans and monsters due to open gates.
South Korea, with its lucky geographical positioning, hadn’t been able to gain recognition for their skills.
‘So it was just a rumor.’
Min Woo-sung and Dashman would naturally believe the rumor to be true, but Eve and Ha Eung Eung dismissed it as nothing more than a baseless rumor.
From their perspective, the South Korean Ascended were actually excellent.
“Ah, the first-ever B-class Ascended match of this tournament.”
[There’s Gashingan.]
“Is he strong enough to catch your eye, Sister?”
Ha Eung Eung nodded honestly.
Though she hadn’t been able to follow all the events in the main competition due to her trip to the Jumping Rabbit High Mountains, she had closely watched the previous tournament’s qualifiers.
People thought Gashingan was just lucky, but he had the skill to make that luck count.
<Ascended Ability - Full Body Thorn>
<Evolutionary Trait - Hardening (E)>
<Evolutionary Trait - Lengthening (D)>
The collision between thorns and metal.
Normally, the thorns would have broken under the metal’s hardness, but surprisingly, they remained unbroken, retaining their sharpness.
‘He’s improved.’
Ha Eung Eung remembered.
She recalled how Gashingan’s thorns had bent under the force of Kim Giltae’s spear strike in the Changwon Guild.
Whether it was from learning how to take hits or an improvement in his thorns’ durability, Gashingan had become stronger.
“I’m sorry, rookie. I would have liked to exchange techniques slowly, giving you face... but I can’t do that today.”
With each step Gashingan took, the shape of his Full Body Thorn ability shifted.
He blocked every sword strike with a long thorn wrapped around his entire arm and relentlessly pushed Mecha Samurai into the corner.
<Ascended Ability - Mecha Drive>
<Evolutionary Trait - Linear Rail (E)>
<Evolutionary Trait - Mecha Booster (D)>
Rails extended from the heels, increasing his speed, and a booster added additional thrust.
With explosive acceleration that exceeded ten times the normal speed, Mecha Samurai’s swordsmanship dazzled.
Thud.
Gashingan’s thorns, which had boasted invincible durability, broke off.
“Fantastic! Despite the disadvantage of the countermatch, both Gashingan, who dominates the battlefield, and Mecha Samurai, who shows his skills against such a veteran, are impressive!”
[Though Gashingan gained an advantage in the exchange of blows.]
“Even with his thorns being exploited?”
Ha Eung Eung pointed to Gashingan’s other hand.
<Evolutionary Trait - Forced Ejection (C)>
At the moment Mecha Samurai launched his sword attack, Gashingan extended his right hand in the shape of a sword, while simultaneously firing thorns from his left hand, which had transformed into the shape of a gun.
Sizzle.
Mecha Samurai belatedly discovered the thorns embedded in his arm.
His face, which had looked like a cold machine, contorted for the first time.
“Gashingan. You’re stronger than I expected.”
“I didn’t become a top contender in name alone.”
Mecha Samurai gripped his left hand and pulled the thorns out.
As sparks dissipated from his arm, the pierced area began to regain its original form.
<Evolutionary Trait - Nanobots (C)>
“Recovery technique? This bastard is just cheating.”
“High-cost techniques come with severe penalties. I had to have something like this to manage it.”
“Then we shouldn’t give him any chance to recover. We need to finish it with the next strike.”
“No. You won’t get another chance.”
Gashingan’s abilities were exceptional in many areas.
Impressive durability.
High versatility.
Even the unpredictable thorn projectiles.
By developing the cost of his abilities in various ways, Gashingan could dominate against any number of opponents, regardless of the distance.
That’s why Mecha Samurai understood.
<Ascended Ability - Mecha Drive>
<Unorthodox Technique - Output Amplification>
<Combo Technique - Super Electronic Blade>
He couldn’t choose between attack and defense.
He couldn’t give up any distance.
He always wanted to win against any opponent.
With that greedy power,
With the ability that refused to give anything up,
He knew he could never withstand Gashingan’s fastest strike, his fatal blow.
“Ahh! An incredibly fast strike with such force that the shockwave destroys half of the arena behind Gashingan!”
Amid the excitement of the moment, Reporter Bang Ji-cheol grabbed the microphone and began his commentary.
The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.
“Gashingan lost!”
[No, he hasn’t given up yet.]
“Even though he’s in tatters?”
Gashingan’s broken thorn armor.
The blood flowing from the torn thorns.
He had become a bloody mess, almost unrecognizable.
“Ouch.”
Gashingan muttered weakly, as though his hand had been pricked by a needle.
“It stings, you bastard.”
Despite taking a fatal blow that could have taken him down, Gashingan didn’t kneel.
His fighting spirit caused a roar of applause from the other participants.