9:00 AM, Research Club Room
The morning sun streamed through the windows of the Research Club room, but the atmosphere inside was far from bright. Min-woo sat at the central table, staring at a thick manila folder that Lee Tae-jun had delivered just an hour ago. The folder bore the official seal of the Purification Alliance's moderate faction.
"Are you sure about this?" Kim Chul-su asked hesitantly, glancing between Min-woo and the unopened folder. "Information from the Purification Alliance..."
"It's fine," Min-woo replied, though his voice carried a hint of uncertainty. "After what happened with the Black Tiger Unit, Lee Tae-jun promised to help with tournament preparation. Since I already have the special recommendation, I need to know what level of opponents I'll be facing."
Ji-eun placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We're all here with you. Whatever's in there, we'll face it together."
Min-woo nodded, took a deep breath, and opened the folder.
The Reality Check
The first document that greeted him was a comprehensive overview titled "47th National University Martial Arts Tournament - Participant Analysis." Below it, in smaller text: "Classification Level: Restricted - Moderate Faction Only."
TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE:
Participating Universities: 64 (Largest scale in history) Total Prize Pool: 1 Billion Nyang Tournament Format: Single elimination, 64 → 32 → 16 → 8 → 4 → Finals Tournament Date: 3 months from now Special Categories: Individual Competition + Team Competition + Technical Excellence Awards
Min-woo's eyes widened as he continued reading. The scale was beyond anything he had imagined.
"One billion nyang..." Park So-ra whispered, reading over his shoulder. "That's... that's more money than I've ever seen in my life."
"That's not even the important part," Yoon Sung-min pointed out, flipping to the next page. "Look at this."
The next section contained detailed profiles of the top contenders, complete with photographs, combat statistics, and detailed martial arts analyses.
TOP 5 CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS:
1. "Ice Emperor" Seol Han-bi (Tianshan Martial University)
Age: 21 (4th Year) Specialty: Ice-attribute martial arts mastery Notable Achievement: Last year's runner-up, defeated 127 opponents without taking a single hit Signature Technique: "Absolute Zero Domain" - Creates a 50-meter radius where all movement slows to 10% normal speed Combat Rating: S-Class Weakness: Unknown
2. "Flame Emperor" Jin Hwa-sung (Fire Dragon Martial University)
Age: 20 (3rd Year) Specialty: Fire-attribute overwhelming offensive power Notable Achievement: Holds the record for fastest knockout in tournament history (3.2 seconds) Signature Technique: "Inferno Annihilation" - Flame-based attacks that continue burning for 10 minutes Combat Rating: S-Class Weakness: Defensive capabilities below average
3. "Sword Emperor" Lee Geom-mu (Seoul Martial University)
Age: 22 (4th Year) Specialty: Orthodox swordsmanship perfection Notable Achievement: Three consecutive years as championship favorite, never lost a university match Signature Technique: "Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin" - Manifests 10,000 sword projections simultaneously Combat Rating: S+ Class Weakness: None identified
4. "Wind God" Baram (Maritime Martial University)
Age: 19 (2nd Year) Specialty: Ultimate speed and agility Notable Achievement: Fastest recorded movement speed in tournament history Signature Technique: "Instantaneous Thousand Miles" - Can appear to be in multiple locations simultaneously Combat Rating: A+ Class Weakness: Lacks finishing power in prolonged battles
5. "Iron Wall" Jang Mu-jeok (Steel Martial University)
Age: 23 (4th Year) Specialty: Absolute defense Notable Achievement: Has never been injured in official competition Signature Technique: "Impenetrable Fortress" - Creates layered defensive barriers that nullify all attacks Combat Rating: A+ Class Weakness: Limited offensive capabilities
Min-woo's hands were trembling slightly as he read through each profile. These weren't just strong fighters—they were monsters operating on a completely different level from anything he'd encountered. Even having the special recommendation ticket felt meaningless when faced with opponents of this caliber.
System Analysis
As if sensing his distress, the system activated automatically:
[EMERGENCY THREAT ASSESSMENT INITIATED]
[Analyzing National Competition Level...]
Threat Level Analysis:
Ice Emperor: ★★★★☆ (Danger Level: 85%) Flame Emperor: ★★★★☆ (Danger Level: 87%) Sword Emperor: ★★★★★ (Danger Level: 92%) Wind God: ★★★☆☆ (Danger Level: 78%) Iron Wall: ★★★★☆ (Danger Level: 83%)
[Current Win Rate Predictions]
vs Ice Emperor: 3% vs Flame Emperor: 2% vs Sword Emperor: 1% vs Wind God: 8% vs Iron Wall: 5%
Overall Tournament Success Probability: 0.8%Recommendation: Immediate intensive training required
Min-woo stared at the numbers in shock. Less than 1% chance against the Sword Emperor? Even against the "weakest" of them, Wind God, he only had an 8% chance?
"This is..." Min-woo began, then stopped. The words wouldn't come.
The Weight of Reality
Kim Chul-su had been reading silently, his face growing paler with each page. "Min-woo," he said quietly, "maybe we should reconsider this. These people... they're not just strong. They're in a completely different league."
"Look at this," Park So-ra pointed to another section. "It says here that the Ice Emperor once froze an entire lake solid during a demonstration. A lake, Min-woo. With just his martial arts."
Yoon Sung-min was studying the Flame Emperor's profile. "And this guy... he once melted through a steel door that was three feet thick. In under ten seconds."
Ji-eun remained quiet, but Min-woo could see the worry in her eyes. Even she, who always encouraged him, seemed shaken by the enormity of what they were facing.
Min-woo flipped through more pages, finding profiles of dozens of other participants. Each one seemed impossibly strong compared to his current level. Students who could manipulate gravity, others who could become completely invisible, some who could predict their opponents' moves up to five seconds in advance.
"I fought Lee Mu-jin yesterday and barely held my own," Min-woo said slowly. "According to this file, Lee Mu-jin wouldn't even make it past the second round of the national tournament. And I have a special recommendation, which means I'll be thrown directly into this level of competition."
The room fell silent. That single statement put everything into perspective.
An Unexpected Visitor
Just as the despair was beginning to settle in completely, there was a knock at the door. Before anyone could respond, the door opened to reveal Lee Tae-jun himself.
"I hope you've had a chance to review the materials," he said, stepping into the room with his characteristic calm demeanor. "I promised to provide comprehensive information about your future opponents."
"Mr. Lee," Min-woo stood up, still holding the folder. "This information... is it really accurate? And why are you helping us like this?"
"Every word is accurate," Lee Tae-jun confirmed. "And as for why—after the Black Tiger Unit incident, our moderate faction has decided that cooperation serves everyone's interests better than conflict. Consider this part of our new partnership."
The weight of those words hit everyone like a physical blow.
"Then why?" Min-woo asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "If you knew I couldn't compete at this level, why give me the special recommendation?"
Lee Tae-jun smiled—not mockingly, but with something that might have been hope. "Because, Kang Min-woo, you possess something none of these so-called champions have."
"What's that?"
"The ability to grow." Lee Tae-jun moved to the window, gazing out at the campus. "These students have trained their entire lives to reach their current level. They've peaked. But you? You've achieved miraculous growth in just a few months. The question isn't whether you can beat them now—it's whether you can grow fast enough to beat them when it matters."
He turned back to face Min-woo directly. "The tournament is still three months away. In the hands of someone with your... unique advantages, that might as well be three years."
Min-woo felt a spark of something—not quite hope, but not despair either. "You really think it's possible?"
"I think," Lee Tae-jun said carefully, "that betting against Mu-geuk-ja's heir would be very foolish. Especially when that heir has access to resources beyond normal comprehension."
The system seemed to respond to those words, displaying a new message:
[MOTIVATION LEVEL: CRITICAL THRESHOLD REACHED][EMERGENCY GROWTH PROTOCOLS: AVAILABLE][NEW QUEST CHAIN: PREPARING FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE]
Min-woo looked around the room at his companions—Kim Chul-su with his unwavering loyalty, Park So-ra and Yoon Sung-min with their technical expertise, and Ji-eun with her unshakeable belief in him.
"Three months," he said aloud, more to himself than to anyone else. "With the special recommendation secured, I have three months to become strong enough to survive against these monsters."
"Three months," Lee Tae-jun confirmed. "The question is: what are you going to do with them?"
For the first time since opening the folder, Min-woo smiled. It wasn't a confident smile—it was the smile of someone who had just realized the true size of the mountain they had to climb. But it was also the smile of someone who had decided to start climbing anyway.
"I guess," Min-woo said, closing the folder and looking directly at Lee Tae-jun, "we're about to find out just how much someone can grow in three months when they have everything to fight for."
The real preparation was about to begin.