Chapter 163: Floor 31: Friendly Match
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 163: Floor 31: Friendly Match
The next day.
Rumors that the S-rank Hero, the Ice Heaven Emperor, and the new S-rank Hero, Pink Spear, were going to face off spread like wildfire throughout the entire district.
People were buzzing about it when I went out to shop, and it was the only thing on the news.
It had completely turned into a nationally televised duel.
"Seriously, where does he get this confidence...?"
I just couldn't believe it.
He might be known for his arrogance, but how could he watch videos of me fighting villains and still think of challenging me to a duel?
- Does he have a fetish for getting beaten up by women?
- You never know.
- You should analyze him just in case.
- Don't let your guard down.
'Hmm... Right. Can't be careless. He might have some weird, unrevealed ability.'
Assuming victory and letting my guard down is a bad habit. He must have something up his sleeve to challenge me to a duel under the guise of "training."
'Yeah, he must have something. Surely he wouldn't think he could win without any plan, right?'
[Ting~]
I checked my Hero Watch and saw a message from my Sidekick.
[Here are some videos of the Ice Heaven Emperor using his powers, along with an analysis! There's no way you'll lose, Pink Spear, but watching them might help you in the fight!]
"Oh... I was just thinking how annoying it would be to look them up!"
I sent a thank you text and watched the combat footage while having a light breakfast.
Umm...
Hmm...?
'What the hell is this guy doing?'
The more I watched, the more certain I became.
This guy... he's just a fucking weakling!
'Well, maybe I'll get a better feel for it on the day of the fight. This can't be all he has. If this is really it and he's still picking a fight, he's a moron.'
An S-rank Hero couldn't possibly have the intelligence of a moron, right?
Still, I watched the analysis video to the end.
The Ice Heaven Emperor was scheduled to arrive in three days.
Until then, I spent my days peacefully.
I leisurely checked out the culture of this other world and communicated plenty with my viewers.
Like I've said, things are often more relaxed inside a trial. The training efficiency is much lower than in reality, and Irene's secret manual can't even be opened while climbing the Tower.
"Hey guys, try sending a donation."
Lee Do-hee suddenly demanded donations with confidence.
- ???
- What kind of donation?
- Suddenly a freeloader stream...
- At least take your clothes off first.
- 10,000 won per second of boob exposure, let's go.
"No, you perverts... It's not like that. I just want to try out a new feature."
Hadn't my contract with the Constellation changed so that viewers could now donate items to me?
I had to try it out when I had some downtime like this.
[Ting~]
As soon as I activated the item donation feature, someone sent one immediately, as if they had it ready.
[DoheeTunaSoDelicious has donated a Giant Electric Dildo. Would you like to accept?]
A Giant Electric Dildo donation!
"Why in the world do you even have something like this..."
Without a second thought, I hit 'decline'. I can only receive one item donation per day. I already have my Attachment Dildo, so I don't need that one.
- LMAO
- Damn, that was fast.
- But can a guy even own a dildo?
- Probably an ass-fucker.
- It's probably a gift for someone.
Seeing all sorts of other junk being donated—not to mention used panties and panties stained with semen—I started to realize how serious this could get.
"Okay... guys, from now on, if you donate anything weird, you're getting a one-day ban. This is a potentially important combat feature, so please only donate useful things."
After my announcement, the item donations paused for a moment, and then, finally, a useful item appeared.
[The Company Commander Is Disappointed has donated a K413 fragmentation grenade. Would you like to accept?]
"Oh...? Wait, this works too?"
I was sure that regular modern firearms, not magical items, were unusable in the Tower.
Finally, an item worth experimenting with had appeared.
"I-I don't know why you have this, but I'll accept it for now?"
When I pressed the accept button, a space naturally opened where I willed it, and I received the item.
Thud.
I felt its cool, slightly heavy weight.
"...This should be usable in a real fight, right? In that case, does anyone happen to have a nuclear bomb?"
- As if, lmao
- Wow... if you could donate a nuke, that would be insane.
- So modern weapons are usable now? This is actually pretty good.
- But you're already on par with a tactical nuke. Is something like that even useful to you?
"Hmm... that's true. If I'd gotten this contract on the 10th floor, it would've been incredibly useful, but now it's just okay. Still, you never know. Any military equipment manufacturers out there, get in touch. I could use this to arm soldiers later, right?"
There's no rule saying I have to be the one to use the donated items.
It might not be necessary in this near-future era, but in a medieval setting, just giving one soldier a machine gun could easily turn the tide of a war.
I decided to figure out later if there was a trick to getting donations by the box, and for now, I'd just use it for food delivery.
"Tomorrow, please donate some boneless sweet-and-spicy green onion chicken. The food here... really sucks…"
Maybe it was because farming was limited to the area inside the city walls, but meat was not only expensive, it also didn't taste very good.
And most of it was mixed with some crap called artificial meat, which was truly awful.
After a nice, long chat with my viewers, I headed to the hero training room.
I thought there wasn't a training room, but looking through this body's memories, I found she'd spent a lot of time here in the past.
Of course, without Choi Tae-soo, the training efficiency is very low, but this is a habit of mine.
'It's like a disease where I get anxious if I don't do some physical training.'
I arrived in my hero form and just changed into a tracksuit.
The hero training room was about a three-minute walk from the Association.
It had a similar feel to Choi Tae-soo's training room, but when I went inside, there was only one hero there.
A bald man was working out, his muscles bulging.
His identity was none other than our one and only A-rank Hero, Power Fist.
"Looks like you enjoy working out too, Pink Spear!!"
“Yes… well, I have this condition where I have to keep my body moving.”
“Khahahahaha! Same here!”
'What do you know, he's a good guy.'
He was surprisingly relatable.
Since it was just the two of us, we naturally started talking and working out together.
Despite being an A-rank Hero with a combat-type power, he was very diligent.
"What about the others?"
"Heroes don't usually do much physical training. They don't listen even when I tell them their powers aren't everything."
"Right? That's the problem with kids these days. If you rely only on your powers, you'll be useless at the critical moment."
"Mhm! Mhm!! Exactly, exactly!"
The two gym rats quickly bonded by talking trash about the non-gym rats.
They spent their time spotting each other and sweating hard, a conversation of the flesh.
Maybe because I'd just had a wild round of sex, I didn't have any lewd thoughts.
He would occasionally blush and look away, and sometimes he seemed to get hard, but I was used to seeing that in Choi Tae-soo's training room, so it didn't really bother me.
'Getting an erection when they see me is just a natural physiological phenomenon. Yep!'
And so, while occasionally fighting villains, I also got somewhat close with the junior heroes of District 5.
When rumors spread that I was working out in the training room, everyone else started exercising too, even though I hadn't suggested it.
Power Fist looked at them with a bit of disbelief, but he quickly started giving them friendly advice, like a veteran player meeting a newbie.
I got excited too and joined in, helping them with their workouts.
Later, even my Sidekick joined in, and within two days, the training room was bustling with people.
'See, when the boss sets an example, everyone listens!'
Though they probably came for other reasons, we all had a happy and enjoyable time working out together anyway.
The villain exterminations were also going smoothly.
Perhaps because of my previous activities, even low-level villains were only showing up once in a while.
*
And so, time passed.
Finally, the day came. With news articles breaking daily, the media and public's interest had reached its peak.
The S-rank Hero, the Ice Heaven Emperor, and the heroes of District 2 arrived in District 5.
Our duel today was going to be broadcast live.
We gathered at a giant sports stadium.
“Wow… he's a real lunatic.”
The guy's entrance was something else.
He blocked off the streets for his arrival, inconveniencing citizens as if he were a president at an official event.
And not only that, he arrived in a limousine and had a red carpet rolled out all the way to the stadium entrance.
He strolled down that red carpet, acting all cool, walking as slowly as possible. He even made time for photos and an interview with reporters.
'I see why they call him an S-rank Celebrity.'
The S-rank Hero, the Ice Heaven Emperor.
His skills were undoubtedly S-rank, but I instantly understood why people mockingly called him an S-rank Celebrity.
Of course, he did have a lot of actual fans.
His provocative showmanship, his impulsive, dopamine-fueled actions.
And above all, his handsome, sculpted face.
A man who had everything but a personality.
The S-rank Celebrity, the Ice Heaven Emperor.
“What a moron…”
“……”
That curse didn't come from me, but from my Sidekick, who was standing next to me with her arm linked through mine.
Of course, I agreed.
After their triumphal procession (?), a long, rambling explanation for the event was given, and finally, the battle began in earnest.
It seemed he didn't want the event to end with a simple 1-on-1 duel, as he had even prepared a preliminary stage.
A total of three matches.
The B-rank, A-rank, and S-rank heroes from each district were set to spar.
Since it was a friendly match, they said the later matches would proceed even if one side won the first two.
'Does he think heroes are celebrities or MMA champions...?'
Usually, the higher-ranking the district, the lower the villain appearance rate and the better the public security.
Those guys from District 2 probably lived peaceful lives while I was rolling around day and night, plagued by villains.
That must be why they have the luxury of thinking about gaining popularity on TV as heroes who protect citizens.
“Now~ let's begin the friendly match between District 2 and District 5 that you've all been waiting for!!!”
Following the announcer's lead, the B-rank heroes' match began.
The first match.
District 2's B-rank Hero, Flame Beast
vs
District 5's B-rank Hero, Plant Man.
Bang!
With the starting signal, Flame Beast from District 2 made the first move. He shrouded his body in flames and quickly closed the distance.
Our Plant Man from District 5 tried to stop him by summoning plants from the ground to bind his feet, but they just burned away.
He wove large vines together for a decisive blow, but Flame Beast simply jumped lightly to dodge it.
'Tsk, tsk, his attacks are too simple.'
Flame Beast closed in in an instant.
Plant Man made a last-ditch effort, but he couldn't stop the fiery charge.
In the end, Plant Man took a massive fire punch and went flying.
“Kuaaaargh!!”
“Hahaha! You District 5 scrub! You're nothing special!”
"The winner is Flame Beast of District 2!!!"
The match was decided in an instant.
"Waaaaaah!!!"
"Go District 2!!"
"Don't lose, District 5!!"
It wasn't a particularly epic battle, but where else could you see a superpower battle between heroes? The citizens' excitement and anticipation began to grow.
Of course, I was thinking something else.
'No, you should have sidestepped and counterattacked! You're getting one-on-one training with me, guaranteed.’
First, I personally used a healing spell to quickly restore him, just in case there were any aftereffects.
The second match, between the A-rank heroes, began immediately.
District 2's A-rank Hero, Iron Golem
vs
District 5's A-rank Hero, Power Fist
Before Power Fist went out, I said one thing to him.
"If you lose, you're dead."
"O-of course! I'll show you the results of my training!!"
We'd dropped the formalities while training together. Turns out I'm older than him.
Bang!
The duel between the A-rank heroes began.
This is a picture of my Sidekick that I missed the timing to reveal.
