Chapter LI - Just A Group Of Troublemakers

To think that he was in the Body Tempering Realm. . . Makes me wonder if I shall meet someone stronger.

Arthur thought about Tjay’s Master, Gwan Ye-jun.

Meditating in the middle of the living room after shifting the table to the side, Arthur decided to spend a bit of time cultivating. Though his focus was purely on the outer Qi which he utilized during the fight against the West High students. His body wasn’t ready for further improvement of inner Qi, as it still lacked the proper training.

There are a total of six mortal cultivation realms. Starting with Foundation Realm, the most basic one that anyone who trains in martial arts can break into. The second would be the Qi Condensing Realm, which also happens to be the current level of my cultivation thanks to my time at the temple. It doesn’t surprise me that with my technique I was able to break into the second realm so quickly when bathing in such a potent area. Then there is the Body Tempering Realm. For the martial artists in the old world, such a level of cultivation would take a few decades for most, but to think that someone in this world achieved it is quite impressive. It would probably take me a month before I could break into the Body Tempering Realm if I decided to commit to my training. Should I?

He pondered before taking a deep breath and releasing an extended sigh.

There’s no need for that anymore. I’ve already fought more than I should’ve and I can already achieve more than any normal human by applying techniques. Poor Sophie stands no chance against me if we went all out in a race. I’m slowly becoming faster even without Qi. . .

Giving up on meditation as he received a text message, he got up and proceeded to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

I wonder if it’s Tjay. . . I’ll check it out later. Anyway. . . I wonder if the old man will break into the Balanced Realm before he dies of old age. Soul Ascending Realm and Origin Realm which would prolong his life are out of the question. Still. . . I wonder if anyone achieved that level of cultivation.

Gathering Qi increased his body temperature significantly and the cold glass of water was just the thing he needed. Gulping it as fast as he could, he let out a deep breath feeling refreshed.

I doubt it. . . If they managed to achieve such a level of cultivation, there’s no way that there would be nothing about it online. Even in the Balanced Realm, with martial art techniques, one could split rocks and jump over rivers with ease. Maybe they don’t know about martial art techniques? If that’s the case then the breakthrough into the Body Tempering Realm is already a miracle.

“I really don’t sweat a lot with this body. . .” he said out loud as he checked himself out before proceeding back into the living room to get his phone.

In my past life, I managed to break into the immortal realms, achieving Imperial Realm cultivation, just above the Spiritual King Realm. Granted I was a war mage rather than a dedicated martial artist. Had I stuck to it, maybe I could’ve broken into the Saint Realm. However, only extreme talents ever got to that point. Though, I don’t think that even if I purely focused on martial arts that I’d ever reach the Divine realm, let alone the final Chaos Realm.

He kept thinking about his past while mindlessly holding his phone in the middle of the room.

The age of ten was when my mana seal broke after every reincarnation. It granted me access to magical power accumulated in my previous life. Cultivation on the other hand required me to repeatedly achieve a breakthrough. In my first life, I died before even reaching the middle layer of the Balanced Realm. Thanks to the War-God of the Divine Fist, I was able to acquire a near-perfect cultivation technique in my second life which sped up my cultivation tremendously. I only lived as long as I did in the second life thanks to that. What was it again? I believe I reached Origin Realm by the age of twenty and remained stuck there for three more years before I got killed. . . It was simply impossible for me to break into the immortal realms. But I did perfect the technique in my third life.

The phone kept vibrating due to numerous new notifications. Arthur sighed as he opened the phone.

To think I was enjoying thinking about the past. Now let’s see what- Hmm. . .

Tjay – Oi

Tjay – Lets go pick up Max and we are heading to Dons place

Tjay – You there?

Tjay – Arthur...

Tjay – ARTHUR!

There were a dozen more messages as Tjay kept spamming random letters to get his attention.

Max? I thought he was grounded.

When? – Arthur

A reply came within seconds.

Tjay – Finally...

You could’ve called you know. – Arthur

Tjay – Whatever

Tjay – I’ll drop by your place in 20

Sure. – Arthur

Leaving his phone on the table, he proceeded to his room to get ready.

“So, did my old man nag you too much while I was out?” Tjay asked somewhat worried about what might’ve been said to Arthur.

“What do you think he told me?”

The two met up as they headed towards F&I on foot.

“I never know with that geezer. . .” he sighed. “Best case scenario, he just slandered me.”

“What’s the worst-case scenario then?”

“He offered you a job,” Tjay glanced at him seriously.

He could tell that Tjay wasn’t happy about such an idea, though it left Arthur wondering why.

“Well, it’s neither,” Arthur chuckled, reassuring him. “If anything, he was quite pleasant. I was surprised when I initially saw him, but when you left I expected the tone to shift. He surprised me and remained all the same. If anything, it was your Master that wanted to talk to me about martial arts.”

“Is that so? Old man Gwan is quite dedicated and strong,” he commented while looking up at the sky carefree. “Well, I’m glad to hear that anyway. . . My father is a chill guy as long as he’s not angry. When he’s angry, he becomes quite a menace.”

“Isn’t that how any kid would want their dads to be like? Fierce when angered.”

“Bruh. . .” Tjay smirked, looking at Arthur with a raised eyebrow. “Is that what you think it’s like?”

“I guess I don’t really know. Was just guessing.”

“Well, I’ll tell you what. . . It’s cool when you’re the one in trouble and he comes to the rescue, but imagine watching sports with him. Mom and he used to argue all the time because of it.”

“Used to?” Arthur looked at Tjay, worried about the potential outcome of that question.

“Even old dogs learn new tricks. My mom is terrifying when she’s mad. You should see it! He is like a puppy crawling in submission to a tiger. Now he even apologizes if he slips up while watching sports. However, she isn’t always around.”

“She travels as well?”

“I mean yeah, but that’s when she goes with him. She runs a modeling agency.”

“Your mom’s a model?” Arthur looked at Tjay surprised.

“Running a modeling agency doesn’t make you a model,” he sighed shaking his head. “But you’re not wrong this time around. She retired when she turned twenty-two, after becoming pregnant with me. She opened the agency a few years later.”

“So that would make her around 39?“ Arthur looked at him attempting to confirm he did the math right.

“Yeah,” he said thinking about her birthday.

Tjay was born on August the third.

“Well. . .” Arthur exhaled deeply as he looked at the F&I sign. “Guess we’re here.”

“Let’s go inside,” Tjay said, pushing the door open.

There wasn’t any music playing as the doorbell rang signifying someone entered. The place was for the most part empty, with only a few customers who were enjoying their midday coffee during.

Since he was grounded and suspended, there was no reason for Max not to take over shifts at F&I as the two caught him working.

“Hey guys,” Max called out to them while sitting behind the counter.

“I thought you were grounded,” Arthur chuckled while eyeing the sweets presented.

“He is,” Tjay chortled, knowing he’s the only one who got away scot-free.

“Smug bastard. . .” Max appeared unamused.

“Then how are you supposed to go with us?”

“That’s cuz my dad’s not gonna be home for two days, and my mom-”

“Is an angel?” asked Max’s mother as she came out of the backroom.

Her identity was easily distinguished by the stunning resemblance of Iseul, appearing just like an older version of her. Both had a slender figure, long black hair, and even the same dark brown eyes. Though she appeared to be somewhere in between Max and Iseul in terms of height, Max being the taller of the three.

She approached Max from behind and hugged him while having a winsome smile.

“Mom. . .” he became flustered.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?” she let go of him.

“Guys, this is my Mom,” he gestured towards her before gesturing back at them. “Mom, these are my friends. Arthur and Tae-Hyun.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you boys. I’ve heard a lot about you,” her smile was both genuine and kind.

“Likewise,” Arthur slightly bowed, while Tjay smiled and nodded respectfully.

“Mun-Hee, I’ve made this for your friend Dong-sun,” she turned around and picked up a plastic container with a homemade chocolate cake. “Take a paper bag and put this in. Hopefully he likes it.”

“Geez Mom,” Max sighed but couldn’t help but smile coyly. “I’m sure he’ll love it.”

“Well, go on then. . . I got work to do,” she gently shoved him away from the counter before waving goodbye to the boys as they slowly left.

With the three now reunited, they proceeded towards Don’s place.

“Damn, no wonder Iseul hit a jackpot in terms of looks. . . Your mom’s hot,” Tjay teased. “What the fuck happened to you then?”

Max glared at him before elbowing him in the ribs. “Dumbass. . .”

Grunting in pain, Tjay began laughing which made Arthur chuckle along. Though, Tjay’s comment was misplaced a bit since Max was known as the pretty boy of the second year. Every now and then he’d get a confession from one of the girls. However, ever since he started hanging out with the current group, he became less approachable since no girl wished to be potentially rejected in front of others. Based on what he said on the school trip during the truth or dare game, the last time he was in a relationship was a few weeks before Arthur’s accident.

It was somewhat serious as the two dated for a few months, but then he explained that she was caught cheating on him which made him a bit more reserved when it came to giving girls he didn’t know well a chance. At the same time, he’d go around chasing girls and even end up being rejected, but that’s because he points out that serious relationships don’t interest him.

Without even ringing the doorbell, the boys open Don’s apartment door. Arthur was shocked to see how carefree and at home Max and Tjay felt, making him awkwardly follow behind them.

“Guys, we should’ve at least knocked. . .” Arthur sighed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Max entered the living room, placing the paper bag onto a table.

Tjay dropped the drinks on there too which they bought on the way. However, Don was nowhere to be seen.

“You think he’s in the bathroom?” asked Max to which Arthur simply shrugged while Tjay proceeded to his room.

Having opened his door, Tjay stood frozen in place. A loud shriek came from within the room as Tjay took a step back and slammed the door shut. It was Don.

Turning around slowly, Tjay appeared dazed as if he had seen something no man should.

“Everything alright?” Max asked as he got startled by the scream.

“I’ve seen some shit. . .” Tjay spoke as if he were a war veteran.

Arthur had guessed what had happened, but Tjay’s expression left him wondering what was going through his mind.

“He isn’t. . .” Max assumed as well. “No way.”

The silence was deafening until finally, Max broke down into hysterical laughter.

“Note to self, never break into another man’s bedroom while he is home alone,” Arthur teased while waiting for Tjay to snap out of it.

“Dude. . .” Tjay mumbled to himself, wobbling towards the kitchen.

“Hey guys!” Don yelled out as he slowly opened the doors, feeling both flustered and anxious. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Wait, you didn’t tell him we were coming?” Arthur looked toward Max.

“We wanted to surprise him. Never expected him to surprise us,” Max teased while glancing toward Tjay.

“Could we just not talk about it?” Don awkwardly requested.

“Not talk about it?” Tjay turned to him, having finally snapped out of it. “How do I keep quiet about seeing that?!” he yelled out pointing towards him.

“I’m sure you’ve done it too,” Arthur sighed trying to defend Don.

“Right?” Max chuckled.

Don raised his hands defenselessly.

“That’s not what I’m talking about!” he kept yelling. “How the fuck do you look so innocent and yet have such a monstrous dick?! You could kill someone with that. . .”

“Umm. . . Am. EH!” Don kept mumbling unintelligibly, confused as to how he should react in such a situation.

“Woah. . .” Max looked at Don in awe. “That big?”

“That big?” Tjay asked while having disbelief etched on his face. “I pity the girl that he gets a hold of one day. She’ll be lucky if she walked ever again. . .”

“Stop!” Don yelled out flustered. “Can we please stop talking about my. . . Umm. . .”

He wasn’t angry. Instead, he was just overwhelmed. Tjay also had no intention of making fun of him but was simply impressed.

“Alright, let’s drop it. . .” Arthur sighed shaking his head.

“Fine,” Tjay took a deep breath before crashing down on the couch. “Glad to see you’re doing well Big D.”

Max couldn’t help but burst into laughter, even Arthur helplessly chortled.

It took a bit for the situation to die down, but eventually, they sat around playing games and watching random stuff online while discussing their newfound freedom in punishment. Don had expressed his guilt over their suspension, but they laughed it off saying that they regret not beating them up even more since they didn’t get away with it anyway.

The important thing was that Don was recovering quickly and that he’d be able to go back to school about a week before the three of them make their comeback.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.