Was what I said hard to understand?
When Dante heard me ask him to have a bout, for a moment he looked as if he doubted what he had just heard.
And Reina beside him was gaping too.
I looked at the two of them, then turned my gaze to check the chat window that was currently going berserk in real time.
- He’s asking Dante to fight him here?
- ???
- Host-nim?
- What did I just hear?
- Didn’t he say it sounded fun?
----
[King of Clubs donated 1,000 won.]
Did I hear that right?
----
“Yes, you did.”
- Oh shit
- Whew, thank god, my ears are normal
- Instead, the host’s head doesn’t seem normal lolololol
- Who asks for a fight as a reward lmaoooo
- Hmm, but if it’s Sensei Haerang, I feel like it might actually be okay
- That’s true lololol
- His mechanics alone are GOAT
- But it’s Dante?
- That’s why it’s kinda iffy
- Not respecting the elderly, attacking the elderly lol
- When it comes to attacking the elderly, it’s gotta be Sea Emperor!
“I heard he was a former captain, but is there more to it?”
----
[Fire Ramen donated 1,000 won.]
In the original series, the captain mostly played the role of background scenery... but that changed a bit once it became virtual reality. For now, you can think of him as the ‘former’ strongest in the setting.
----
- Damn, that old man was that strong?
- Even if it’s former, he was still the strongest in the setting
- Yeah, don’t you know you have to beware of old men, children, and women?
- Sure, but this isn’t murim
‘The former strongest in the setting, huh...’
I’d thought he looked strong from the first time I saw him.
But to think he’d been the strongest in the setting, even with the word former attached to it.
At that fact, the corners of my mouth lifted slightly.
‘Yeah, he has to be at least that much for this to get interesting. And if you think about it, I’m also the “former” strongest in the setting, aren’t I?’
I thought it would be fun for two formers to clash.
“That sounds even more fun.”
- Breaking news) Host revealed to be a Saiyan
- So he was a battle race lmaoooo
- Lololololol
- Wow
Was it because he heard that?
Dante’s shoulders shook slightly.
At first, it was only to the point that the corner of his mouth lifted slightly—
“Hahahaha!”
But soon, he began laughing to the point that it could almost be called roaring laughter.
- Damn, old man’s got a good set of lungs lol
- First time I’ve seen that guy laugh
Soon, Reina seemed to come to her senses too and began scolding me.
“Are you crazy? What were you thinking, asking Grandpa to fight you!! Do you have a brain or not?! Did Kukuridyaa hit you in the head or something? Is that why you’re not in your right mind?”
“I’m perfectly sane.”
If anything, I was so eager to fight that my body was itching.
At my words, Reina bit her lip, then finally let out a near-scream of exasperation and tore at her hair.
“This is driving me insane!!”
Behind her, Dante, who had stopped laughing at some point, was looking at me.
“You always manage to make me laugh.”
“Then I’m glad.”
“A bout, is it... Is that truly what you want?”
“Yes. My body’s been itching since the first time I saw you.”
“You’re more combative than I expected.”
“I hear that a lot.”
From the tips of my toes to my ankles, then through my knees to my pelvis.
I began loosening up my body, joint by joint.
“You intend to fight this blind old man?”
“Are you really blind?”
“With this decrepit body, it will be difficult to face a hot-blooded young man like you.”
Dante shook his head and said he was too old to fight now.
Hearing that, I denied it head-on.
“For saying that, you’re smiling.”
“Oh dear, was I found out?”
“You weren’t even trying to hide it.”
Dante chuckled and turned around.
“Follow me. If we fight here, all the fish will run away.”
I was about to follow after him when—
Grab.
Reina caught my arm.
“Do you know what you just did? Even if he’s a former one, you picked a fight with someone who used to be the captain. Can you handle that? You could get hurt.”
There was worry in her eyes.
The sight was rather funny.
‘Is she kind, or just a pushover?’
Since I was supposed to be a newbie, we shouldn’t have known each other for long.
And yet she was worrying this much.
I lightly shook off her hand.
“I did it knowing that, so don’t worry.”
Then I added with a faint smile.
“You’d be better off worrying about that old man than me. He’s quite old, after all. It’d be troublesome if he got excited about getting his blood pumping for the first time in a while, went wild, and collapsed.”
- Lolololololol
- Is that something the guy who picked the fight usually says?
- Host is hilarious lololololol
- I’m laughing because it’s just so absurd lmaoooo
- It’s like the perpetrator worrying about the victim lololol
Maybe she found those words funny, because Reina let out a hollow laugh too.
“Is that something the guy who picked the fight usually says?”
‘Oh, she said the exact same thing as chat.’
A laugh slipped out of me, and without another word, I passed by Reina and headed to where Dante was waiting.
Dopamine was already flooding through me.
***
When word got out that a route to form a connection with Dante from the very beginning had opened, the Wild Hunter Gallery had already been keeping an eye on a streamer named Haerang.
Then the news one user brought was more than enough to set the gallery ablaze once again.
-----Wild Hunter Gallery----
Title) Extra, extra!! Come watch right now
I personally brought you all some dopamine-blasting news.
You all know Haerang from the Haerang Challenge, right?
He’s currently picking a fight with Dante and trying to fight him.
Everyone come watch.
I already ordered chicken and I’m tearing into it lololol
---
: Wtf, is this real?
OP: Yeah, they’re about to fight now
: Viral ad, no thanks
OP: I’m telling you it’s not viral lololol
: Then why the hell didn’t you post a link!!!
OP: Oh right, sry
OP: Link here (link)
: Thx thx
: Okay okay, going now
: Thanks
***
When I stood a short distance away from Dante, he tapped the sword hanging at his waist and said,
“I intend to use this sword. Do you intend to use the greatsword on your back? Judging by its appearance, it seems to be a sword made from Domagirius materials. If you wish, I can lend you a weapon. For reference, my sword is made from Elder Dragon materials, so most weapons will not be able to match it.”
At those words, I silently turned around, slowly lowered the greatsword from my back, and planted it in the ground.
A heavy sensation came through my fingertips.
“This is enough for me.”
“Will you be all right?”
“Yes.”
“If that is what you think, I will respect it.”
Dante drew the sword at his waist and pointed it toward me.
“Come at me first. This old man will yield a move to a young one.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
I tapped the tip of the greatsword with my foot and quickly lifted it, then charged straight toward Dante.
The moment I arrived in front of him in a single breath and was about to swing the greatsword—
Whoosh!
The tip of Dante’s sword thrust rapidly toward my face.
I instantly released one hand, shifted my center of gravity, and barely avoided the sword.
Using the inertia to retreat, I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.
“You said you’d yield a move.”
Dante chuckled.
“That was a lie.”
- Dante’s hilarious too lmaoooo
- Why did Dante suddenly become a gag character?
- “That was a lie” lmfaooooooo
“You’re crafty.”
“When you grow old, you only become more cunning. Do you dislike it?”
At his words, I gave a small laugh.
“No, not at all. If anything, it’s fun.”
Fighting monsters.
Of course it was fun.
It was a game, but it was stimulation enough to reawaken the senses that had grown accustomed to peace for over a year.
However.
Perhaps because it was still the early stages, there had been something lacking.
Every monster I’d encountered so far had been the sort that charged in relying solely on strength.
Rather than using their heads, all they did was charge, scream, or rampage.
But Dante was different.
An opponent who even used feints like this as he attacked.
We had only exchanged a single move, and yet it was enough to give me chills.
Perhaps my feelings had shown on my face.
“Oh dear. It seems this old man has made a mistake.”
Dante put on a troubled expression.
I charged at him again, in the same way as before.
I could see Dante attempting to stop me in the same manner once more.
At that moment—
I gathered strength in the tips of my toes.
Crack!
Along with the sound of the ground splitting beneath my feet, the greatsword spun diagonally with a swish and flew toward Dante’s upper body.
I had used the rotational force beginning from my toes and thrown the greatsword straight at Dante.
Had he not expected me to throw a greatsword?
Dante twisted his body slightly and, with his sword drawn, tried to deflect the incoming greatsword.
- Lololololol he’s throwing the greatsword here?
- Wow...
- That’s insane lololol
In the meantime.
Still carrying the remaining rotational force, I reached Dante’s eyes in an instant.
Only then did a flash of bewilderment cross his face.
In truth, I had never intended to clash weapons with him from the start.
His weapon looked better at a glance, so clashing head-on would be a loss for me.
But unlike when choosing weapons, there were currently no restrictions on barehanded attacks.
Using that, I immediately dug into Dante’s chest and swung my fist toward the area beneath his ribs.
Thud.
It was not the sound of striking flesh.
It was a hard, heavy metallic rebound from somewhere.
Dante had barely blocked my fist with the flat of his blade.
‘You blocked it?’
‘I did.’
Such gazes passed between us.
Before we knew it, beast-like, ferocious smiles hung on both our faces.
My fists relentlessly aimed for his vital points,
and Dante deflected every trajectory with the flat of his sword and countered.
But it seemed handling a sword at such close range was inconvenient.
Before long, Dante tossed his sword aside.
And what followed was barehanded close combat.
Without either of us going first,
if a fist shot out, it was redirected with the back of a hand,
and if a knee rose, the instep was stepped on and pushed down.
An exchange of offense and defense carried out purely through fighting instincts at a distance close enough for our breaths to touch.
The chat window that had been visible at the edge of my vision no longer entered my eyes.
All I could see was the old man before me.
The battle, growing hotter and hotter, soon—
Whoosh!
Ended with my fist stopped in front of Dante’s face,
and Dante’s hand blade aimed at my neck.
“I think I won.”
“No, this old man won.”
“I’m sorry, but my fist is closer.”
“My hand blade would reach before your fist does.”
After that, without either of us needing to say anything, we let out a small laugh and fixed our stances.
“Then, as a show of respect for the elderly, should I say you won?”
“Is that respect?”
“Of course.”
“Then I will not refuse.”
“You’re accepting it... You’re even more shameless than I thought.”
“As I said earlier, people naturally become more shameless as they age.”
“Yes, yes. I’m sure they do.”
As I turned to go pick up the greatsword I had thrown earlier, Dante’s voice reached me.
“By the way, young man.”
I stopped for a moment.
Was he planning to insist further?
“Yes, what is it?”
I bent down and picked up the greatsword lying on the ground.
“You went easy on this old man, didn’t you?”
“And you knew that, yet shamelessly claimed you won?”
“Chuckle, chuckle. So how many tenths was it?”
“What was?”
“I am asking how much you held back against this old man. How many tenths of your full strength?”
I looked at him, then quietly turned off the microphone with the corner of my mouth slightly raised.
The viewers went wild at the microphone suddenly turning off.
- What, why’d you turn off the mic?
- Host, your mic is off!!
- Something’s wrong with my ears...
I glanced at the viewers’ exploding reactions, then turned my head back toward Dante.
He was waiting silently, and I swallowed a moment of silence.
Then I laughed softly.
It’s respect for the elderly, old man.
“Hmm... about one-tenth?”
At my answer, Dante laughed hollowly.
“You are a monster, young man...”
----
[I Like Cheonhyehyang donated 1,000 won.]
What was it!!! Tell us too!!!
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