Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Why Should I Endure?
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Why should I have to endure this?
From the moment he started picking a fight, I ran several simulations in my head.
Teaching Ju Yeon-seong a lesson right now would be easier than flipping my hand.
Ju Yeon-seong’s trait was Lord of Strength.
It gave +10 to the Strength stat and doubled its effect, a decent trait in its own right, but it couldn't compare to mine.
I was confident that my Pioneer title alone would be enough to overwhelm his stats.
But I was currently in the Silver Wolf Guild’s hideout.
If I beat the crap out of this guy here, the other Silver Wolf guild members would surely get involved...
Explaining that he started it wouldn't work.
People always favor their own.
“Has this piece of trash lost his mind? He keeps ignoring me.”
*Whoosh—*
Annoyed by my dismissiveness, he swung his arm to strike my head, but his speed was so slow it made me want to yawn.
He was far beneath the level of not just the Green Troll, but even the Four Stars Guild executive I fought after that.
*Thud—*
Having swung his fist at empty air, Ju Yeon-seong lost his balance and fell.
He quickly scrambled back to his feet and glared at me, but he still looked pathetic.
“You… You dodged that?”
As you go through life, you often meet people overflowing with malice.
The scumbags who proudly posted about their crimes on the trash forum yesterday, and Ju Yeon-seong standing before me now, were just like that.
Some people would fight back immediately, but many others would endure it and move on.
‘I’ll avoid them because they’re beneath me.’
‘Is there anything to gain from getting involved?’
They’d make excuses like these, but there was only one real reason.
Because they lacked power.
Of course, I don’t mean to criticize those who endure.
It was just self-justification.
Because I, too, was one of them.
My relatives, who had practically kidnapped me as a child to get their hands on my inheritance, only to drain all the money and abandon me.
The toxic viewers who, after donating a single dollar, would spew insults and ridicule me, claiming they had the right because they paid.
And then there were the frequent instances where people, without donating at all, would swarm my chat for no reason, spamming malicious comments and ruining the stream’s atmosphere.
I endured it all.
No, I had no choice but to endure.
‘This won’t be easy. It’s true they were your legal guardians. They did take care of you, and the lawsuit is likely to be quite lengthy.’
‘I understand you’re upset, but it’s not easy to catch them. As you know, even famous celebrities face long legal battles when they sue. If you’re not careful, public opinion could turn against you, which might affect your broadcast…’
To not endure required a lot of time and money, but as a small-time streamer, I had no such luxury.
In addition to these, whenever I faced large and small injustices, I always endured.
Because I had no power.
Watching Ju Yeon-seong, who wasn't even a match for me, act so high and mighty, a certain phrase came to mind.
‘If you raise an elephant by tying it to a small stake from a young age, it won’t be able to escape even when it’s grown.’
Perhaps because I had lived my whole life enduring, I had been acting the same way since coming to Elsia.
In fact, just this morning—no, just a moment ago—I was planning to leave Kabisa to avoid my Pioneer title being discovered.
I even deliberately wore shabby clothes…
My mind changed.
Why should I have to hide?
It wasn't like I beat someone up and stole the Pioneer title from them. I received it because I descended further than anyone else.
The same went for Ju Yeon-seong.
Why should I have to endure this?
It’s not like I’m powerless anymore.
Of course, since I’m not inside a labyrinth, I can't receive bonuses like companion summons, but that applies to the other guys too.
The other summoners might be at a higher level, but you only get one stat point per level-up in Elsia.
Is there really anyone with higher stats than me?
*Whoosh—*
Ju Yeon-seong, who had been glaring at me, swung his fist again, but this time, instead of dodging, I caught it.
“You… You bastard, let go!”
*Whoosh—*
Lightly dodging his left hand, I squeezed the hand holding his right fist.
*Crack—*
“Aaargh!”
I threw Ju Yeon-seong, who was screaming in agony.
*Crash—*
I hadn't used much strength, but he flew into the wall and collided with it in a pathetic heap.
“Yeon… Yeon-seong! Are you crazy?”
Lee Ji-ah shrieked in a high-pitched voice, threatening me.
“What’s going on?”
“Looks like a fight broke out.”
“Isn’t that the new guy?”
Partly due to Lee Ji-ah’s shriek and partly due to the noise of Ju Yeon-seong hitting the wall, people from upstairs and the first floor came rushing over.
“Ignoring a person’s proper name, calling them trash, picking a fight, and throwing the first punch—wasn’t it that guy over there who did all that first?”
“Th-that’s not… How dare you touch a guild member inside the Silver Wolf Guild’s hideout?”
“What does the location have to do with anything? If you’re going to throw the first punch, shouldn’t you be prepared to get hit back?”
My point-by-point rebuttal left her face beet red, huffing and puffing, unable to respond.
I may have been a small-time streamer with only ten thousand subscribers, but I made my living with my wit and words. Did she really think she could win a verbal spar with me?
Of course, she was a streamer with two hundred thousand subscribers, but her growth strategy was completely different from mine.
Her looks were her strong suit, but she was notoriously bad at speaking.
“What is going on over there?”
The crowd parted, and a man wearing a blue cloak embroidered with a wolf stepped forward.
The moment she saw him, Lee Ji-ah scurried over to his side.
“Vice Guild Master. This bastard did that to Yeon-seong…”
Vice Guild Master?
The Vice Guild Master of the Silver Wolf Guild I knew was Jang Tae-soo, the one who coaxed me into taking the basic training, but this man’s face was different.
He looked to be in his late thirties to early forties, around the same age. It seemed they had two Vice Guild Masters.
“I am Yu Cheol-yong, Vice Guild Master of the Silver Wolf Guild. Who are you to cause a ruckus in our guild hideout?”
“A ruckus? It was self-defense.”
“Self-defense?”
“I came here on business, but he picked a fight and threw the first punch.”
I didn’t expect it to work, and as predicted, he scowled and turned his gaze to Lee Ji-ah.
“…Yeon-seong might have been a little rude, but it wasn’t enough to warrant this.”
The way she lied without batting an eye was absurd.
“So she says. For self-defense, your methods seem a bit too harsh.”
I expected this kind of response, but my methods were too harsh?
Harsh, my ass.
As a Vice Guild Master, he must have arrived in Elsia much earlier, yet he seemed to think this was still South Korea.
“He’s not dead, is he?”
“Do you know where you are right now, you bastard!”
A man standing behind the Vice Guild Master stepped forward.
“What, is there some law that says I have to stand here and take it if a Silver Wolf guild member hits me in the Silver Wolf Guild hideout?”
My sarcastic retort left him speechless, his face turning red just like Lee Ji-ah’s had.
“You bastard!”
The provoked man couldn't hold back and drew his sword. I prepared to respond at any moment, but the Vice Guild Master raised a hand to stop him.
“Vice Guild Master?”
“Stand down. This one’s got spirit. And he’s right, there is no such law.”
Oh, is he surprisingly reasonable?
“But I can’t just let you walk away either. If we let you go scot-free after you’ve caused such a scene in our guild hideout, what would become of our guild’s honor?”
Sigh, of course.
“Instead of worrying about your guild’s honor, you should probably focus on re-educating your guild members on basic decency.”
My renewed sarcasm made his expression sour.
“It seems young people these days don’t know the saying, ‘Look where you’ll lie before you stretch your legs.’”
I had a feeling when he mentioned my harsh methods, and it turns out he’s a typical boomer.
To be talking about age even in a world like this.
“Maybe I’m stretching my legs because I have a place to stretch them? And as you can see, I’m still young. Shouldn’t you be the one looking for a grave to lie in first?”
The Vice Guild Master’s face completely soured.
“I was going to let it slide with an apology and compensation, but you’re just asking for a beating.”
Finally losing his patience, he drew his sword.
The Silver Wolf guild members behind him also began to draw their weapons.
“Nobody interfere!”
“But, Vice Guild Master.”
“If word gets out that the great Silver Wolf Guild ganged up on a single brat, what would happen to our honor?”
He kept going on about honor. It seemed he valued the guild’s reputation immensely.
“Hey, brat. If you have any gear, take it out. I don’t want to hear that I beat up some unarmed kid.”
That was perfect for me.
To be honest, there were so many of them that I was considering summoning Red Hare and using its Thousand-Ri Steed skill to bolt if things went south.
Right now, I only had a ring and gloves equipped.
I nodded and quickly equipped Ashtar’s Cloak, the Form of the Spirit, and the Ice Sword.
I hesitated with the necklace but decided against wearing it.
It didn't have any stat options anyway, and if the 1% instant death effect happened to trigger and kill him, things would get far too complicated.
“That guy’s cloak and armor both look pretty good, don’t they?”
“I’ve never seen a cloak that color, but isn’t that armor Unique-grade?”
“Low-level Uniques are trash. The sword is what matters. Look at his sword.”
“Huh? Isn’t that an Ice Sword?”
“If it’s an Ice Sword, that’s a Rare item that drops on the 11th floor.”
“His gloves are Frost Gloves, too. That’s also an 11th-floor drop.”
Seeing my gear, the guild members behind him began to arbitrarily assess my level.
“This is ridiculous. Is a guy who’s only messing around on the 10th floor really mouthing off to the Vice Guild Master?”
“Didn’t someone say the Vice Guild Master just hit level 60?”
Level 60. That’s not even a 40-level difference.
I thought a top executive of one of the two great pillars of the allied guilds would be around level 100, but he’s not as high as I expected.
“It’s not just about level; the difference in weapons is insane. The Vice Guild Master’s weapon is a Unique that dropped from the 35th-floor boss.”
Making a big deal out of a mere Unique weapon.
Of course, Bio was still holding onto my Kalisina’s Fang.
I should remember to ask for it back next time I leave the labyrinth.
It was a bit of a shame, but it didn't matter.
Battles aren’t won by weapon grade alone.
Yu Cheol-yong, who had made some space by having the others step back, looked at me.
“Hey, brat. Are you ready?”
Brat?
“I am, old man.”
His face crumpled again, but his gaze was strange.
“Let’s put some conditions on this duel. If you lose, you’ll leave your cloak and armor as a sign of apology.”
I thought he kept looking at my armor for a reason. Just as the other Silver Wolf members had been whispering, it seemed he was coveting my cloak and armor.
“Then you’ll have to wager two things as well, old man. Your weapon and… that belt looks nice.”
Both items were shimmering with a red light, indicating they were Unique-grade.
My cloak was Legendary, so I was on the losing end of this deal, but it didn’t matter.
Because I had no confidence.
No confidence that I would lose.
“What? Do you know how much this weapon is worth? And the belt, too…”
“If you’re scared, we can just call it off.”
He was the one who got greedy for my gear first, the coward.
“…Whatever. I’m going to win anyway, so let’s do that.”
He took a step back and gripped his sword with both hands.
As expected, there was no referee.
“I give it three minutes.”
Hmm, isn’t three minutes a bit too long?
“How foolish, letting your mind wander while facing me!”
He was definitely fast, likely due to being level 60 and having good gear. He was the fastest person I had faced so far.
But I didn't feel particularly threatened.
“I’ll take one of your arms first.”
Yu Cheol-yong swung his sword vertically, aiming for my left shoulder.
*Whoosh—*
The sword cut through empty air, and Yu Cheol-yong’s balance faltered.
He was the fastest among humans, that was all.
He was no match for a Gold Lycanthrope.
I had fought three Gold Lycanthropes from the 50th floor at once.
Although I hadn’t summoned Bio and didn’t have Kalisina’s Fang, I had gained quite a lot since then.
This speed was nowhere near enough.
Still, befitting his level 60 status, he didn't collapse like Ju Yeon-seong. However, as he lowered his body to regain his balance, he left an opening.
His sword arm seemed like the best target, but I was still a bit hesitant to strike the sword itself.
Instead of his sword arm, I kicked Yu Cheol-yong’s shin with all my might.
*Thwack— Crack—*
“Kuaaaargh!”
That sword would be mine soon enough, so I couldn’t let it get damaged.