Chapter 65

 

“Hey.”

 

“...?”

 

“Let’s fight.”

 

“...”

 

Kang Chan, lips sealed, furrows his brow in disapproval.

 

“...Snap out of it.”

 

He speaks in a growling, deep baritone.

 

Snap out of it?

 

Am I not in my right mind?

 

It seems likely, given the dizziness from the repeated shocks.

 

And from Kang Chan’s perspective, I must seem insane.

 

A guy who just entered the floor, challenging to a fight out of nowhere.

 

It must be utterly baffling.

 

“Why? Scared?”

 

“...”

 

“Bring it on! Hey! You claimed to have fought the monster! Show me!”

 

“… Absolutely insane.”

 

But I feel an overwhelming need to witness Kang Chan’s strength right here.

 

Though I’ve just been summoned to floor 3-5 and have no weapons (everything but dungeon items evaporates when entering the tower), if Kang Chan is as weak as I think, I won’t need weapons to overpower him.

 

I clench my fists and raise my guard like a boxer.

 

“...I don’t engage in meaningless fights.”

 

Kang Chan shakes his head slowly.

 

“To me, it’s meaningful. It’s vitally important for gathering information.”

 

“...Sigh.”

 

“I have to fight to be satisfied.”

 

Despite my persistence, Kang Chan sighs deeply and then...

 

Whoosh!

 

He begins to emanate an immense killing intent.

 

As expected. I feel a tingling sensation on my skin, and it’s almost as if I can see blood dripping from his eyes.

 

Demon. Ghost. Monster. Slaughterer. All sorts of negative images overlay Kang Chan, and involuntarily, my legs tremble slightly in fear.

 

I’m certain I’ll lose if we fight. That thought crosses my mind.

 

If I resist this indescribable force, I’ll only feel despair and self-loathing and regress in an instant.

 

“Heh heh...”

 

But such was the intensity of my despair that, conversely, I became certain Kang Chan was weak.

 

That killing intent. Its efficacy was unbelievably outstanding.

 

Assuming there was no regression disadvantage, my power ranks among the top in the tower. Naturally, since I met him on floor 3-5, he must also possess top-tier abilities, but such dense, simple killing intent is unusual.

 

Rather, it seems more logical to consider the ‘killing intent’ itself as a power.

 

Having reached a conclusion in my mind, I slowly lowered my body.

 

“...What are you doing?”

 

I relaxed all the muscles in my body, focusing my gaze forward.

 

Taking a deep breath, and feeling ready.

 

Whoosh!

 

I exploded my muscles and charged at Kang Chan!

 

“What?!”

 

Kang Chan, reacting to my attack, stepped back, but I was faster.

 

His face flushed with panic. This is the first time I’ve seen his expressionless face crumble. A contemptible satisfaction blossomed in a corner of my heart.

 

“Damn...”

 

Kang Chan, seemingly making up his mind, swung his fist too late. My punch was reaching his jaw much faster.

 

Now, Kang Chan. I have many questions to ask after knocking you out. Why you entered floor 3-5, what your traits are, whether it’s true that you captured the tutorial’s fairy…

 

As I extended my fist, indulging in these pleasant thoughts in the accelerated moment-

 

“Huh?”

 

-I sensed something flash.

 

And then…

 

Wham!!!

 

Consciousness slipped away.

 

 

 

***

 

“…”

 

“...Get up, greenhorn.”

 

What’s happening? What just happened?

 

It’s just like when I was defeated by the city’s master. I can’t even tell what hit me, and this time, there wasn’t even any pain.

 

“...”

 

Let’s try again.

 

This time, I didn’t even speak to Kang Chan. I slowly crouched down.

 

Whoosh!

 

I exploded my muscles, charging at him in an instant!

 

“What?!”

 

This time, Kang Chan’s surprise seemed even greater than before, his eyes widening more than in the previous round.

 

He tried to dodge my incoming fist, but sensing it was too late, he swung his fist again.

 

But this time, my aim wasn’t to hit him; it was to observe his fist.

 

Let’s see it again. The technique that knocked me out instantly.

 

Even as I thrust my fist, my eyes were fixed on his right hand.

 

Not disappointing my expectations, Kang Chan’s fist began to shine.

 

Was it thanks to the hellish training with Choi Ji-won?

 

The angle of the shoulder. The posture of the legs. The veins in the muscles. By observing his body, I could somewhat predict the path of his fist.

 

So, if I step back to the left here, I should be able to dodge the attack...

 

“Huh?”

 

Kang Chan’s fist, which I hadn’t taken my eyes off for even a moment, suddenly disappeared.

 

Flash!

 

There was light.

 

And then…

 

Wham!!!

 

 

 

***

 

“…”

 

“...Get up, greenhorn.”

 

Just a moment ago, I was throwing a punch, but as I came to, Kang Chan was admonishing me, calling me a greenhorn.

 

Despite being taken down twice, I still can’t figure out what hit me.

 

I didn’t take my eyes off his fist until the very moment it was about to swing.

 

But suddenly, the fist disappeared, a light flashed, and then my consciousness was gone.

 

Could it be that? Did he get ‘Flash Step’ as a Platinum reward on the second floor? Those shoes that allow for an instant 2-meter movement?

 

But a quick glance at Kang Chan’s shoes revealed they were the same clunky leather shoes as mine.

 

There was no sign of him using an item. So, it must be the power of his fist...

 

“...What are you suddenly doing?”

 

“Doping.”

 

I pulled out the lowest-grade elixir I had saved and gulped it down. Since I planned to regress anyway, there was no hesitation in using items.

 

“Ugh...”

 

It was a sweet yet refreshing taste.

 

Instantly, my eyes brightened, my heart raced, and blood circulation improved.

 

I had already experimented on the first floor. Drinking the elixir temporarily enhances metabolism. It should help in capturing his fist.

 

Once again, I slowly crouched down.

 

Whoosh!

 

I charged at Kang Chan in the same trajectory as before.

 

“What?!”

 

Again, Kang Chan was taken aback.

 

So far, it’s the same.

 

He tried to dodge my incoming fist, sensing it was too late, he swung his fist back, just like before.

 

“Ugh!”

 

But here, I abruptly put strength into my ankles, stopped the punch midway, and flung my body backward. A direction change that defies inertia, possible only for a superhuman.

 

His fist was already shining. Meaning, canceling the technique is impossible.

 

Alright, show me that mighty punch of yours. Let’s see how strong it is.

 

I retreated with a sneaky grin on my face.

 

“Huh???”

 

Flash!

 

It was a fist extending at a speed that was almost invisible to the naked eye.

 

As if trying to shatter the world, a tremendous pressure and beam of light exploded from the fist.

 

I tried to dodge, but how could a human resist a natural disaster?

 

“Argh, ahhhhhh!”

 

My vision was shaking, and my whole body was in insane agony.

 

It felt as though my entire body was being disassembled down to the molecular level.

 

The last thing I saw, screaming in agony like Cell hit by Son Goku’s energy wave, was...

 

Kabooooom!!!

 

An unreal sight of the cave wall completely shattering into pieces.

 

 

 

***

 

“…”

 

“...Get up, greenhorn.”

 

“Hyung.”

 

“...?”

 

“I will serve you as my Hyung.”

 

I knelt down and bowed my head to Kang Chan.

 

It’s embarrassing to submit to the strong, but... it helps.

 

***

 

I was deeply repentant for not daring to trust God-Chan, my Hyung.

 

He was not merely the protagonist of a delusional story who teased others, but a true strong person who possessed power befitting his stature.

 

Of course, as I walked around and carefully inspected the surroundings, I did not see the ‘terrifying wolf’ that Chan Hyung mentioned. All I saw were goblins and bats.

 

But how dare I doubt God-Chan, my Hyung. He must have had a valid reason, a logical explanation.

 

I will never doubt my Hyung again...!

 

“...”

 

This time, I walked silently through the cave with my mouth shut, and naturally, we arrived at the familiar chamber.

 

“There’s a door over there...”

 

“...Do we need to find a hidden device?”

 

“Shall we, uh, split up and look for it...?”

 

Perhaps because I didn’t warn them this time that a monster was waiting, we decided to split up and look for the hidden device, just like the previous round.

 

“Uh, wait a moment...”

 

“...?”

 

“Chan, Hyung. Would you mind taking a close look over here? I’ll check over there.”

 

“...Alright.”

 

The place I led Kang Chan to was where I had searched the chamber in the previous round, and the place I was heading to now was where Kang Chan had searched the chamber in the previous round.

 

In other words, if things go as planned, a giant wolf will fall on Kang Chan’s head.

 

But it’s okay. Because he’s God-Chan.

 

“...”

 

“...Why do you keep looking at me?”

 

“It’s nothing, Hyung.”

 

Hyung...

 

I’m counting on you...!

– – – End of Chapter – – -

 

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