A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 142

“Ah, he’s going down! Royan is going down!”

“Royan’s posture was wrong at the end, wasn’t it?!”

“Yes. It seems he tried to pull his arm back slightly at the last moment, but that actually backfired. Kihan handled it very well.”

“Royan is trying to hold on somehow… Ah! He falls! In the Health Project, the ultimate Arm Wrestling Championship, the winner of the men’s division is Kihan!”

─ Damn it

─ Honestly, if you don’t get what’s going on, just thumbs down

─ It’s fun because of the reactions, but I don’t understand it ㅋㅋ

─ Great Kihan

─ This side was pretty obvious though ㅋㅋ

─ Is it balanced to bring in Kihan, that fitness freak?

─ Is exercising a crime, you bastards? ㅋㅋ

─ Our Kihan prepared really hard for this arm wrestling… Give him some praise…

“Now, let’s proceed with a brief interview with Kihan. …Congratulations on your victory, Kihan! You’ve secured the title of the first champion in the Health Project’s ultimate Arm Wrestling Championship! How do you feel right now?”

[Ah, um. Of course, I feel good. Honestly, I prepared a lot after receiving the invitation. I’m not a professional athlete, but many people know I like working out, right? There were a lot of expectations from everyone… Um. To sum it up, I’m just happy I won. If there’s another tournament like this in the future, I’d love to participate again.]

“Thank you for your positive thoughts! This has been the inaugural champion, Kihan!”

“It’s clear that he prepared a lot. You can tell he understands the basic structure of arm wrestling.”

“Of course, the championship isn’t over yet; we just had a brief interview, right?”

“Oh, that’s right. The women’s final is still left!”

“Then we’ll have Kihan back for another interview later! Let’s move on to the women’s final!”

As caster Seowoo spoke, the screen transitioned, and the camera began to show a dark podium with nothing visible.

Guuuuuuun….

The majestic song of the Great Bell Tower echoed slowly.

When it began to fade, a dazzling spotlight illuminated the dim left podium.

Standing there was a girl with cute cat ears.

“Here comes the contender for the women’s final! Serim!”

“Yes. Serim has faced no obstacles on her way to the finals. The Serim we saw at the beginning of this competition, who only did basic exercises, has now made it to the ultimate Arm Wrestling Championship final!”

“You could say she has proven how much effort she has put in since then.”

“Yes! An overwhelming favorite to win, Serim! How would you summarize her style, Dajin?”

“Well, it can be summed up in one word without any need for explanation. One-shot kill. She effortlessly flips her opponent’s arm in a single move. Truly, she is the strongest spear.”

Just as Dajin described, Serim had been the strongest spear, flipping her opponent’s arm with just one move until now.

There was no technique involved.

Only strength. It was all about pouring out the results that Serim had cultivated through hard work onto her opponents.

With just that, Serim had defeated everyone and reached the finals.

“And Serim’s opponent is none other than this player! She defeated her teacher and seems determined to show the reason by reaching the finals—Rene!”

As Seowoo continued, the spotlight this time illuminated the opposite podium.

There stood Rene, donned in jet-black full body armor with a menacing helmet.

─ No way, how is that a female avatar? ㅋㅋ

─ Honestly, it’s super cool

─ Great Demon Rene

─ She knows the male fantasy…

─ None of the guys have avatars that cool either ㅋㅋ

“Yes, Rene has also faced no major hurdles on her way to the finals. She drew attention since she appeared on Kawai?”

“That’s right. Harum pushes her Pilates really hard, you know? And Rene actually completed it all.”

“But there were many opinions saying she wasn’t a strong contender for the championship, right?”

Just as Seowoo mentioned, during the pre-show research.

Even up to the semifinals, there were few betting on Rene for victory.

This was not just the staff—viewers shared those doubts too.

Yet, seemingly mocking such skepticism, Rene overwhelmingly won to advance to the finals.

“There’s a record that she claimed she had almost stopped exercising. That’s perhaps why she was evaluated as being less consistent than others who train regularly.”

“But in the end, she made it to the finals! What do you think about Rene’s style?”

“It’s the exact opposite of Serim’s. She’s the strongest shield. No matter the effort the opponent puts forth, she quietly endures until their strength drops, then flips their arm. That is no easy feat.”

─ How does a person beat a beast in strength? ㅋㅋ

─ For real, does our beast girl look weak to you??

─ Why do these folks call their favorite streamer a beast…?

─ What’s wrong with calling a beast a beast???

─ For real, ㅋㅋ

“Then, Trainer Jaejun and Dajin, who do you think will win? The strongest spear versus the strongest shield! Will it break through or will it hold?”

“I think it’ll be Serim. The presence she showed while coming up is impressive…”

“It’s hard to choose. Based on what they’ve shown alone, it would be Rene. It’s incredibly challenging to endure like Rene does. But Serim has mostly faced other favorites, and I believe it’s admirable how she has sent them all down in one move… I guess Serim really is the favored one.”

“Alright then! While both of you predict Serim’s victory, let’s begin the match!”

As the girl with cat ears and the armored demon stepped towards each other, they slowly clasped hands.

〔3〕

〔2〕

〔1〕

The countdown to decide everything flowed.

〔Start!〕

Bang!!!

The result was determined in an instant.

★

[Rene]

[Participating in Health Project Content]

[VR Arm Wrestling | 7132 viewers live | 02:29:49]

I think I misunderstood something.

Everyone has their own favorites to win. It’s not going to be easy to win at all.

I kept hearing people say that… I was thinking about it right then.

That’s why I practiced against opponents at the level of athletes in training mode…

Yet, contrary to my preparation, they weren’t even close to that level.

Maybe they’re hiding something, but I didn’t have to use my endurance strategy.

Of course, the only opponent I had considered a favorite was Tuni…

[Rene? I look forward to working with you.]

My opponent, Serim, smiled as she greeted me.

“Alright, let’s do our best…”

Our clasped hands felt light.

Such hands had flipped opponents in an instant until now.

How much power was she hiding…?

Moreover, unlike me, she had only faced championship contenders.

Someone who could finish off even such opponents in one move.

It was clear this would be a tough battle for me.

[We will now begin the match!]

〔3〕

〔2〕

〔1〕

〔Start!〕

“Uuuuuh!!!”

So the match began.

“…Huh?”

I was taken aback.

This opponent was no different from those I had faced before?

“Uuugh…?! Why??!”

─ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seriously, not even a flinch ㅋㅋ

─ Our captain from the bear country is looking weak, right?

─ Were you really expecting to win against our beast girl???

─ If Rene is shocked because the opponent is weak, then thumbs up ㅋㅋ

Yup.

Based on the reactions, this was their full power.

There seemed to be no hidden strategies or anything like that.

So, there was no need to hold on any longer.

“…Huh.”

In an instant, I flipped Serim’s arm.

She seemed to momentarily attempt to hold on, but it didn’t matter much.

Bang!!!

“Gyaah?!”

As the sound of slamming the table echoed, Serim’s scream filled the air.

It wasn’t slammed down that hard, so she must’ve just been surprised.

[…What was that just now?! What happened?!]

[One-shot kill! The strongest spear flips Serim’s arm in an instant!!!]

[It’s victory! No one expected this! Rene’s victory!!!]

★

Rene was unaware.

Arm wrestling.

A fundamental sport and game where one can boast their strength to opponents.

So, does it only require strength and power in arm wrestling?

Yes.

For simple enjoyment as a game, strength and power would suffice.

…But that changes when it comes to arm wrestling as a sport.

There’s technique even in how you grasp the opponent’s hand in arm wrestling.

Rene had no idea that it was impossible for an average person to endure against AI made for players for more than a minute.

She had simply chosen opponents at the same level just because there were a lot of formidable opponents.

Naturally, she thought they could all perform at that level…

[Huh? Ah?!]

Bang!!!

“He’s going down! Harum goes down in an instant!!!”

“Is this even possible, Rene?!”

“…No, this is the first time I’ve really seen Harum lose against a female.”

“Kihan fell to Hyunho, but Rene takes down Harum!!!”

Just like that, Rene perfectly defeated the hidden boss, Harum, and earned the title of the strongest female streamer in arm wrestling.

…Something she didn’t actually want.

─ How are you going to win against our bear girl? ㅋㅋ

─ A bear can rip a person apart.

─ So Harum isn’t human after all?

─ For real, how would she beat a bear? Our captain wins.

─ A bear girl from bear country, huh? ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ

─ Bear, ㅋㅋ girl, ㅋㅋ

─ What is this? Is Rene my mom??

─ Whoa ㅋㅋ

─ Rene mama…

─ Mama (rips people apart)

And so, a new nickname was born in that moment.