Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Episode 56: 7th Round - Mid-Check (2)
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North America.
Some underground fight club.
Artificial laser lights swept through the darkness in all directions.
Loud music and drunken shouts filled the air.
The place reeked of all sorts of cigarettes and thick marijuana smoke.
Those drunk on booze and drugs danced sloppily. In the darker corners, men and women of various races clung to each other, breathing heavily.
Into that lowly world.
Clone 1 of Yoo Ji-tae—with his appearance altered—stepped foot.
— Blue corner! Explosive fists! Powerful lower body! With his terrifying growth spurt, he's racked up three straight wins in a flash!! The one shining at number one on Time's Most Lickable Bald Head list~~~ BaldMan!!
The announcer raised his voice, and cheers erupted from all around. Soon, the bald man climbed into the ring. A scar running from his crown to his jaw made his face look even more vicious.
He must have been a superhuman. And a criminal. Probably in a situation where he suddenly needed a ton of cash.
Most who swung their fists here were like that.
But Clone 1's attention was on someone else.
— Red corner!
No sooner had the announcer finished than an explosive reaction burst out.
"Wooooaaaah—!"
In that moment, the rowdy crowd turned their eyes to the ring.
— The abyss-strong man of unknown origins! Master of combat! Our club's biggest star and protagonist! The champion with 12 straight defenses!! Miiister~~~ Cthulhuuuu!!
Screams mixed with cheers exploded again. Among the crowd, some men furrowed their brows because of the women cheering with him.
The man who soon climbed up, wearing a squid mask, was truly massive. Enormous shoulders. Perfectly symmetrical abs. And biceps and triceps bulging with muscle.
The two faced off, raising their fists.
Clone 1 decided to sit on a chair nearby and watch the fight.
Ding—! The bell rang.
The bald man clenched his fist and charged.
Bam—!
In one blow, the bald man's head vanished. Blood sprayed everywhere—even a drop splattered into the glass of single malt whiskey Clone 1 had ordered. People rolled their eyes, unable to process it at first.
Looking closely, something shiny gleamed between his shoulders.
He'd smashed down so hard that the bald man's skull had crushed his own muscles and bones, sinking into his body.
Once everyone grasped what happened, thunderous cheers erupted again.
"Wooooaaaah!"
"Cthulhu punch! Cthulhu punch!"
"My God! Unbelievable power—!!"
The protagonist of 13 straight defenses raised his hand triumphantly.
And that was the end of the match.
No one cared about the dead guy.
The champion, Mr. Cthulhu, basked in the cheers as he descended from the ring with his similarly burly crew.
He threw up a few fists for showmanship. When drunk women rushed him, "Mr. Cthulhu" hoisted them up onto his shoulders for extra flair.
Mr. Cthulhu.
His real name was Jefferson Antonio.
He was the chief advisor to the chairman of the World Organization of Outlaws (WOO), but there was no sign of his usual suit-wearing self.
A young man from a military background who once sought recognition on the battlefield ended up valued only for his loyalty after going through wars.
In other words, he'd never been recognized for his combat prowess. This was the international superhuman alliance, after all—a gathering of the world's top monsters. His rank of 781st was utterly common there.
Up until he earned the title of youngest valedictorian from a state academy, he'd lived savoring the taste of being strong.
The world beyond the heavens taught him bitter inferiority. So on weekends, he hid his identity in this underground fight club to fill his ego with punches.
One win? Everyone shrugged it off.
Three wins? Everyone started paying attention.
Beating the champion? They began to look up to him.
By his fifth title defense, everyone anticipated his antics.
He was a clown. A clown who turned opponents into even stranger corpses.
He preferred this cheap admiration over the respect from suit-wearers.
Just look at this.
"Hey, hot stuff."
He called out to the most appealing woman among those who'd rushed him.
"Oh, me?"
"Yeah. Who else looks hot besides you?"
"Oh my..."
"Wanna take a drive with me tonight?"
Lewd eyes lingered.
"Haah... How far can you take me?"
"My ride's always Autobahn speed."
The response was predictable, but that very obviousness satisfied him to no end.
Like a Cinderella chosen by a hero, the bitch grinned wide. Then she subtly bragged to the surrounding females.
The envious eyes of the other bitches delighted him. And the pathetic glares from the males in the back thrilled him even more.
This is my life.
I'm that great of a man.
"Kuhahaha!"
But Mr. Cthulhu's joy didn't last long.
Some unfamiliar man blocked his path.
Tall, with ideal proportions, but his eyes were cloudy like a corpse's.
"What the hell, asshole! Get lost!"
Mr. Cthulhu's "little brothers" stepped up and barked at him. He didn't respond. The brothers approached the guy.
But Mr. Cthulhu held them back.
The guy was looking at him with utter pity—a gaze he'd never felt here before. It piqued Cthulhu's interest.
"Bro. Got something to say to me?"
"You look like you're having fun. You really enjoy this?"
"What?"
"You're ex-military, right?"
"Yeah. Can't you tell?"
"Pathetic. Floundering between sharks and whales, now strutting among minnows. It's pitiful to watch."
"Heh..."
Mr. Cthulhu couldn't hold back his sneer.
"This guy's got a death wish... You feelin' sorry for me?"
Cthulhu's muscles twitched.
No need to watch further. Air whooshed as a drum burst—suddenly, Cthulhu's fist smashed toward the man's head. A fist that could crumple steel gloves barehanded. But it got caught in the man's hand.
Inside the squid mask, Jefferson Antonio's eyes widened.
"Yeah. Exactly."
The "guy" gave a faint smile.
"Even this side of you..."
The man turned and vanished. His brothers looked flustered. Mr. Cthulhu—no, Jefferson Antonio—was even more rattled. Catching his fist mid-air? Who the hell was that guy?
Though rattled, since the guy was gone, he decided not to dwell on it.
But even as he drank with his brothers, even as he spent lascivious time with a strange woman, an uncomfortable feeling lingered in Jefferson's mind.
Then, in the additional 14th title defense that opened at dawn, Mr. Cthulhu's irritation peaked.
— Blue cooornerrr!! Debuting but unanimously captivating the judges' hearts~ Straight to the champion promotion match: the unknown man!!
Gloves on his fists. A yellow chick mask on his head.
The reaction to his entrance was lukewarm.
What kind of gloves? And a chick mask? Thinks this is a joke?
Some openly jeered and cursed.
"Get outta here!"
"We'll fry ya!"
But when he took off his shirt, the mood flipped. To a normal person's eyes, of course—and even to a superhuman soldier's—it was ideally balanced muscle and frame.
"Kyaa—!"
"Pretty nipples—!"
The men were indifferent to the spectacle, but high-pitched cheers erupted from the women. Or maybe it just sounded louder to him alone.
Jefferson ground his teeth.
— Miiister~~~ Chick!!
The "guy" had entered as his opponent.
"Ah! No!"
Gaeul clapped her hands.
"What's up, Gaeul?"
"Unni, unni! If we just go in like this, it'll be a total snoozefest!"
In front of the elevator.
Gaeul suddenly stepped forward and blocked the group's path.
"Ajusshi. We're having a birthday party right now, aren't we? Right?"
"Yeah. Sure."
"Birthday parties are supposed to be surprise parties! That's the rule!"
Surprise party?
Come to think of it, the kids had thrown him a surprise party on his birthday too.
Yoo Ji-tae replied.
"...But today is to celebrate you all."
"Y-yeah, true."
"You all know already. What's the surprise?"
"Aww, c'mon, ajusshi? It's not just us at home...!"
Gaeul grinned as if to say what are you talking about. Right now, Chickie and the Guardian were at home.
"Those two have no idea, right?"
Gaeul snickered mischievously, looking like a total rascal.
Yeoreum looked thoroughly displeased. She scowled and went to press the elevator button, only to be blocked by Gaeul again.
"Why why!"
"Sigh. Kids will be kids. You think that'll be fun?"
"Of course it'll be fun!"
"The janitor just cleans quietly. The chick just eats and runs away. Fun pranking them?"
"Nooo? Chickie's so cute! And the janitor ajusshi has his secretly cute side too! Right, Winter?"
"......"
Gaeul stared daggers, waiting for a response.
But Winter just smiled faintly, saying nothing.
"See? Winter says no too."
"No. No no! Unnis. Ajusshi. Everyone listen."
"Hm..." Gaeul stuck out her tongue, pondering deeply before speaking.
"Listen close. Chickie adores me first off. So if I ignore him, he'll be super bummed, right?"
"Yeah. Clings like gum."
"Right right. And I think the janitor ajusshi secretly likes Winter. Right?"
Did he? Winter tilted her head.
"So, like this. When Chickie approaches, I ignore him. Turn away. And when we all ignore the janitor ajusshi, Winter—you subtly be nice to him."
"...Then?"
"Then suddenly you ignore him coldly too...! How do you think the janitor ajusshi will feel?"
"...Hurt?"
"Exactly, exactly. Both bummed out, not knowing what to do. That's when we whip out the cake!"
Somehow, it felt like the 7th round celebration would turn into the Guardian and chick's birthday party.
But after mulling it over, Winter seemed to find Gaeul's idea pretty amusing.
"...Sounds fun?"
"Right!? Imagine the Guardian ajusshi standing there all mopey against the wall, then you hand him cake—how happy would he be?"
"...I have to give it?"
"Yup!"
They giggled back and forth, imagining scenarios aloud. Damn brats. Yeoreum's face said it all.
"Why! Why the poop-face?! After hearing this, unni, doesn't it sound kinda fun?"
"Cut it out, you brats."
Yeoreum crossed her arms and clicked her tongue. Then she suddenly remembered how the Guardian had burst into her room recently, saying he was cleaning.
At the time, she'd been stealthily enjoying her "reading time" with suppressed presence, and it had ruined her mood.
She'd yelled him out, but it hadn't felt satisfying.
Now that she thought about it, it did sound kinda fun...
"...Hmph. You two do it alone then?"
When Yeoreum asked slyly, Gaeul beamed.
"No no! Unni join us!"
"Not really feeling it..."
Gaeul kept persuading without reading the room, but Winter caught Yeoreum's eye and snorted.
"Hey. You laugh?"
"...What."
"Wanna die?"
"...Hmph."
"Huh? Huh? Why are you two suddenly fighting? Anyway, unni, you have a role too...!"
Soon Yeoreum got into it, trading ideas. As the three cackled, the plan fleshed out.
It started as just teasing those two. But then: make it more serious, have Winter and Yeoreum fight? What if Gaeul fakes getting hit by Yeoreum and cries? Ideas flew.
Bom, who'd been quietly by Yoo Ji-tae's side until then, chimed in when it got too much.
"Gaeul."
"Yeah?"
"Don't go too far."
"Huh?"
"The janitor ajusshi and Chickie will get hurt."
"Ah. Really...? Then hiding cake in armor—is that too much?"
"If someone shoved cake down your clothes, it'd suck, right?"
"Eek, yeah..."
The heated mood cooled. Around then, Bom, tapping her lower lip, turned to Yoo Ji-tae. Her eyes widened.
Why.
"Guys. But doesn't it get more fun with a villain role?"
"Yeah yeah!"
"Why didn't we think of that?"
"Huh? What, unni?"
"We have the mood-killer master."
The slang for master at suddenly ruining the vibe made all four pairs of eyes—red, blue, green, yellow—naturally turn to Yoo Ji-tae.
The next moment, they seemed to remember something.
"Uwaaaah! Right right!"
"......!"
Gaeul and Winter clapped and made a fuss. Ah, perfect fit...! Imagining something, Yeoreum burst out laughing too.
What.
"Ajusshi...! Help us out!"
"With what."
"Get mad! Not super mad, just a little! Just enough to make them tense!"
"......"
No answer from him.
Clear refusal.
"Aaaang! Whyyy!"
Gaeul clung to him. Winter's eyes bulged too.
"...Please."
"I've never done this."
"Ah! It's easy...!"
Gaeul grinned and explained the new plan.
"...So."
After hearing it, he pressed his temples, troubled.
"You want me to scold you?"
"Yes yes! Chickie and the janitor ajusshi mess up something. But ajusshi misunderstands and scolds us! There's never been that vibe before, right? They'll freak!"
"......"
"Scold us! Just a little, scary...!"
The regressor didn't welcome this at all.
He'd just bought one cake, and now things had spiraled out of control.
But even Bom was watching him with interest now. It was rare for them to all expect this much together, so he couldn't refuse.
"...Fine."
The kids cheered Yay!
And so, the operation began.