Chapter 21
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: But the Protagonist is Stronger
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“Adun, isn’t it about time we restored the honor of our warriors?”
“I will live up to the Great Chieftain’s expectations!”
Gulp…….
Having watched three elite warriors fall one after another with a single punch each, the warrior Adun swallowed hard as his name was called, stepping forward toward Johann.
‘Gotta give credit where it’s due. This human’s a real monster!’
All the Gurkan disciples Johann had taken down so far were the ones who had won their warrior initiations back in the day.
Yet Johann hadn’t used mana even once, knocking out all three with a single punch.
And what made him any different?
“Well then……”
As Johann clasped hands with Adun and pulled back his fist, Adun frantically stopped him.
From Johann’s perspective, the previous warriors had graciously yielded the first strike out of hospitality, so he naturally drew back for this one too.
“Hold on! Up until now, our warriors yielded the first move out of courtesy to our guest, but you’ve more than proven your skill isn’t beneath ours! How about we make it fair this time and decide the first strike with a coin toss?”
“Sure, why not.”
With Johann’s agreement, they fairly settled it with a third-party coin flip.
The one who got first strike luck was Adun.
‘Yes!’
Cheering inwardly, Adun glared at Johann with gleaming eyes.
“Looks like your luck’s run out, huh?”
“Who knows? We’ll see whose luck runs out.”
Johann grinned back without missing a beat.
“Adun! Finish that scrawny human in one hit!”
“Hey, human! I’ve got three gold on you! Hold out and take him down! Don’t lose to some Adun!”
“Hey, whose side are you on?!”
“The side that pays me back my money, obviously.”
Gurkan glanced around subtly.
The wariness toward the stranger was gone; before they knew it, even women and children had gathered, turning the place into a festival with the atmosphere heating up.
Gurkan’s gaze turned to the outsider who had created this vibe. The corner of his mouth curled up slightly.
“Ready?”
“Anytime.”
At Johann’s reply, Adun smirked and suddenly yanked Johann’s left arm with all his might.
Whoosh!
“……!”
Before Johann could react, Adun slammed a full-power punch into his pulled-in face.
‘Bet he didn’t see that coming!’
Clang!
The pull’s momentum combined with the full-force punch created an explosive sound from Johann’s face for the first time.
“No way……”
“He’s not dead, is he?”
“Did he pass out standing up?”
Even the onlookers couldn’t hide their worry at Johann’s body and face snapping back.
Of course, the ones fretting over Johann were mostly the orcs who’d bet on him.
But…….
“Adun doesn’t look too happy, though?”
“Look, he still hasn’t let go of his hand.”
“For real?”
As the spectators noted, Adun’s triumphant expression gradually twisted like he’d eaten shit, while Johann’s grip on his hand stayed firm.
‘This guy…… his grip got even stronger!’
“Oh ho, so you can do it like this too?”
Ptoo!
Johann turned his head, pinched one nostril, blew out a clot of blood onto the ground.
Blood streamed from both nostrils, but otherwise, he looked perfectly fine.
“Impossible! How’d you take that hit and……”
“Good lesson learned. My turn now.”
“W-Wait!”
Before he could stop it, Adun was yanked toward Johann, followed by a devastating punch!
Whoosh! Clang!
Thud…….
Adun tumbled over in an even more pitiful state than the previous three.
His sporadically twitching butt was the only sign he was still alive.
Wooooaaah!
As Johann took down even Adun, cheers erupted from the orcs.
Some had bet on Johann and won, but mostly it was their culture of revering and respecting the strong at play.
“Next!”
Johann shouted boldly, and Gurkan silently rose from his seat.
His disciples gasped in surprise and tried to dissuade him.
“Gr-Great Chieftain! Are you stepping in yourself?”
“You wanna go instead?”
“Well…… ahem!”
“Tch…… pathetic.”
Gurkan clicked his tongue at his disciples’ pitiful sight as they averted their eyes from their fallen seniors and strode toward Johann.
“The Great Chieftain’s coming out!”
“He’s doing the ritual himself against a human?”
“No way!”
“Who wins? Great Chieftain? Human?”
“Great Chieftain, obviously! That human wouldn’t last one punch!”
“But the human’s no pushover either. Gotta see it to know!”
With the Great Chieftain stepping up, the orcs’ excitement boiled over like a furnace.
“What, the boss is coming out already? Could’ve worn him down more with the disciples, though. Why?”
“Doesn’t wanna watch his disciples get hurt anymore, probably. Scared? Go home then.”
“Worried about your disciples’ feelings?”
Johann extended his hand first.
“Worry about yourself before fretting over others. No one’s walked out unscathed after facing me in this ritual.”
“Looking forward to it.”
The spinning coin finally hit the ground.
First strike: Johann.
“Don’t go down in one hit and make it boring.”
Clang!
A massive boom echoed as Johann’s fist smashed into Gurkan’s face.
Blood trickled from both of Gurkan’s nostrils.
But his expression remained nonchalant, not even a small groan escaping.
“That’s the punch you were cocky about? Pathetic.”
Whoosh!
Craaaang!
An even louder explosion burst from Johann’s face.
It packed enough force to make you wonder if his head would shatter.
But…….
“What, did a fly land on me? Why’s it so itchy?”
Johann grinned through his own streaming nosebleed, and Gurkan curled his lip in response.
“Come on, mosquito punch.”
“Alright, incoming mosquito punch!”
Craaaang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! …….
Johann and Gurkan traded punches one for one, neither falling.
“They’re not gonna die like this, are they?”
“Who?”
“Well……”
The orc who asked couldn’t easily reply to the retort.
Craaaang!
The impact rang out, Johann’s head snapping back hard.
Yet his fierce eyes still glared at Gurkan.
‘That damn orc bastard! Did he embed iron in his knuckles? My skull’s ringing every hit. Oh no, can’t keep this up. Might actually die…… One more punch, then I quit!’
Still, Johann endured to the end and swung.
Craaaang!
Gurkan’s jaw twisted from the hit, his brows furrowing as he gritted his teeth.
‘How’s a human fist this brutal? Every time that stone punch lands, it’s like my late ancestors beckoning! Gotta end this quick, or I’ll drop first. One more hit, then bail.’
Repeating “just one more” over and over, their ritual had already dragged on for an hour.
Thwack!
“What…… your punches are total cotton now. You tired already?”
Thwack!
“Speak for yourself, yours feel limp. A newborn could hit harder.”
Ptoo!
They squeezed out their last strength for final swings.
Their faces were swollen like bee stings, unrecognizable; their legs wobbled like reeds in the wind, liable to topple at a finger’s poke.
Yet they didn’t fall.
Punches flew again, legs buckling each time, on the verge of collapse—but they held on somehow.
Thwack!
“Uh-oh……”
“He’s going down!”
Gurkan’s final, all-out punch nearly sent Johann tumbling forward, but he thrust out his left foot and held.
“Raaargh!”
Johann roared beast-like, desperately heaving his upper body upright.
It was no longer human—it was a beast’s howl.
“Stubborn bastard……”
Gurkan laughed hollowly at the sight.
That last punch had been his absolute final strike, every ounce of strength drained.
He couldn’t even lift a fork now.
Toward such a Gurkan, Johann delivered his parting gift.
“Pot calling the kettle black! Just fall already, you damn jerk! I’ll give you a gold coin!”
Johann hurled his body with infant-strength, swinging feebly.
Tap.
But it barely qualified as a punch—more like pressing his fist against him.
Yet…….
Thud!
That fluff of a punch toppled the mighty Gurkan backward, back slamming into the earth.
Flop…….
A small dust cloud rose as Johann’s exhausted body collapsed atop Gurkan’s, the two piling up.
“……Sorry.”
In his fading consciousness, Johann sincerely conveyed the words welling from his heart.
‘What’s that……’
But Gurkan lost consciousness without grasping the meaning.
“……”
The onlookers watched in stunned silence for a good minute.
They couldn’t comprehend the scene either.
“Wh-Who won?”
“The human’s last punch took down the Great Chieftain! And he’s the one pinned underneath too, so……”
“Hey, idiots! Is that what matters right now? Great Chieftain!”
The warriors rushed to the fallen Gurkan to check him.
“Just unconscious. Luckily, no threat to his life.”
“Good. Hurry and carry the Great Chieftain to his hut!”
“Yes!”
“What about this human?”
As other orcs asked about Johann, passed out beside Gurkan, Dahon—the first to share the warrior’s ritual with him—stepped up and commanded.
“Why ask the obvious? He faced our warrior’s ritual and won. He even traded blows with the Great Chieftain at the end—a mighty warrior! Sure, it ended in a draw with the Great Chieftain, but his strength is beyond doubt! Human or not doesn’t matter. We honor strong warriors as they deserve.”
“Right!”
“Alpha is a strong warrior! Our friend!”
The orcs carried Johann to a separate hut and tended to him.
That evening.
“Ugh…… my head……”
Johann sat up, clutching his splitting headache.
Suddenly, a bowl of purple, paint-like liquid was thrust before his eyes.
It was Adun.
“Drink. It’ll ease the headache some.”
Johann snatched the bowl and gulped it down.
Adun smirked slyly.
“Down it goes. Aren’t you worried what we might’ve put in it?”
“Headache cure, right? Isn’t it?”
Johann wiped his mouth with his sleeve after draining it clean, grimacing at the unexpected bitterness.
Adun couldn’t help but chuckle at Johann’s casual trust.
It made him feel weird, like he was the suspicious one.
“You’re up? Let’s go. The Great Chieftain’s waiting for his friend.”
“Friend? Who? Me?”
As Johann blankly pointed at himself, Adun tilted his head and warned.
“You’re the one who did the warrior’s ritual to become the Great Chieftain’s friend—why act surprised? Anyway, steel yourself. Our Gurkan Orc tribe’s welcome feast for friends is fiercer and tougher than any ritual or battle, in its own way.”
“Sounds terrifying.”
Smiling, Johann rose and followed Adun to the Great Chieftain’s hut.
Bracing himself for the fearsome Gurkan Orc feast.
[How the Regressed Young Master Lives]