Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: The Glutton's Duel
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In the end, the fat dragon, caught and dragged to the dueling arena by Lee Si-woo, smacked its lips and spoke.
-I don't wanna get hurt!
As the glutton was still whining, Lee Si-woo delivered a merciless flick to its forehead.
*Thwack!*
He had flicked it quite hard, but perhaps because he hadn't used his mineralization ability, it had no effect on Meokbo.
-I'll take a hundred forehead flicks, so can't I go back?
Lee Si-woo sighed, exasperated.
“You need to come out and exercise sometimes. Seriously, how can you not even think of coming out unless I drag you by force?”
-I do come out! I come out sometimes! But then the bad guys chasing the Lord hit me! It hurt!
“You hit those bastards too.”
-It hurt me a hundred times more than it hurt them!
“…Weren’t they dead?”
With an unfittingly serious face, Meokbo spoke like a philosopher.
-Sometimes, pain hurts more than death.
Lee Si-woo kicked Meokbo in the rear.
“If you have time to spout nonsense about pain hurting more, go get ready. I'm warning you, if you don't listen this time, no cake for a month.”
Meokbo wrapped its tail around Lee Si-woo's leg, batting its moist eyes pleadingly.
-Not the cake!
“If you don't like that, then just work today. If you just get through today, I won't bother you for a while.”
-Okay. But don't you touch my cake. Got it?
“I get it, so go wait over there. It looks like you'll have to go out soon.”
Meokbo waddled towards the arena, which was constructed of a massive metal cage.
Watching its utterly unreliable back, Lee Si-woo scratched his chin.
Though it acted like an immature younger brother, Meokbo was among the top-tier assets that Black Night was unaware of.
‘The problem is that he’s a terrible whiner…’
It was strong, belying its appearance, but at the same time, it acted just as it looked.
Despite possessing formidable skill, it hated pain so much that if it felt even a little, it would surely bolt, cake or no cake.
‘Well, that’s why I brought one more, but she’s a headache in her own right.’
Si-woo glanced at a brown-haired woman sitting on a nearby chair, scratching vigorously at her skin.
Her skin, covered in all sorts of scars and wounds like a patched-up rag; her face, an unusually pale color.
She was beautiful in appearance, yet somehow, looking at her, she seemed closer to a corpse than a living creature. Noticing Si-woo’s gaze, she grinned.
“Oppa. My skin fell off again. A little needlework, please.”
Si-woo sighed, took a needle and thread from his inventory ring, and sat beside her.
He then attached the piece of skin lying on the floor like a worn-out scrap of cloth to her back and began to sew.
“Isn't it about time you replaced it with a new one?”
She wrapped her arms around her broken body as if it were precious and said.
“But you're the one who broke it for me. It'd be a waste.”
With a deadpan expression, Si-woo spoke in a flat tone.
“Cut the crap that'll make people misunderstand. You were the one who got broken after recklessly picking a fight you couldn't win.”
“What was I supposed to do? I wanted to add you to my collection the moment I saw you. Well, it's a shame I couldn't add your head to my list of treasures. But it's okay. Because we're together like this.”
Si-woo pushed the woman's head away with his palm as she tried to lean it on his shoulder.
The woman grabbed her own neck, which creaked like a doll on the verge of breaking, and held it in place.
“Aww, if you push too hard, it'll fall off.”
Si-woo let out a groan as if he couldn't deal with her.
“…I’m hoping Meokbo does well on its own, but even if you have to go out, don't kill them. They're all my family's people. You can't just kill those who will become our strength later.”
She tilted her head and said in an innocent tone.
“Even if they die, I can just fix them and use them.”
“That’s something only you can do. Anyway, if I say don't kill them, don't kill them. Otherwise, I might just lock you up inside and never let you out again.”
“Hmph, don't do that. It's so boring in there. Everyone I kill just comes back to life right away. It’s no fun. The outside world is better. When I torment them, they scream. When I kill them, they grieve.”
Si-woo quietly clicked his tongue.
He wondered if taking this one out of Barathrum was the right thing to do.
But he had no choice.
Now that Black Night knew about all his useful assets, the only ones left to use as combat power all had a screw loose.
Yes, like the fat dragon Meokbo and the Undead, Mors.
“Mors. I'll say it again, don't break them. Got it?”
“Okay, you can count on me. I listen well to you, Oppa.”
“Good, that’s a good girl.”
Just then, Pames, who had come looking for Si-woo, saw the two and sneered.
“What's this, don't tell me you're planning to send out that half-dead woman?”
At Pames's visit, Si-woo responded with a grin.
“What brings a busy man like you all the way here? Oh, perhaps you came to scout us out?”
“Scout? I just came to see what kind of freaks the half-wit brought with him. But honestly, I'm disappointed. With all your boasting, I thought you'd brought some decent fighters. Tsk tsk, but look at this mess. The result is obvious. Besides…”
Pames continued, looking toward Adrian's bench.
“Adrian's more of a coward than I thought, too. I mean, coming to a Great Warrior Duel without a single high ranker? Tsk, even if he is on the same team as a half-wit, this just makes me, who put in so much effort, look awkward.”
Mors elbowed Si-woo in the side and asked.
“Oppa. That thing's noisy. Can I break it?”
“Hold back. He's stronger than you.”
“Oh, that thing is stronger than me? But from the way it talks, it seems like a total pushover.”
“There are strong pushovers in the world.”
“I see. I didn't know.”
Pames, who had been listening to their conversation in silence, let out a dumbfounded laugh.
“I see now, not a single one of them is normal. Well, I suppose it’s not surprising for someone who’s been wandering around outside to have a mental illness or two. Anyway, Alma. You better be prepared after this Great Warrior Duel is over. Acumen seems content with just protecting the corporation, but it's a different story for me.”
“Preparing myself is up to you, brother, but if you're going to spout such nonsense, shouldn't you at least win the duel first?”
“Hmph, well, fine. It’s about to start, so let's just see how long that confidence of yours lasts.”
“Brother. Please stop trying so hard to act tough. It just makes you look weak. Even though you’re actually pretty strong.”
Pames's face soured at Si-woo's words, which could be taken as either a compliment or an insult. He turned sharply and left.
And Pames’s empty spot was soon filled by Adrian, who had approached them.
Looking at Mors's patchwork skin, Adrian seemed lost in thought for a moment, then, as if something clicked, he raised an eyebrow and spoke.
“Have you been to the Infinite World?”
Sensing that Adrian recognized Mors, Si-woo became inwardly wary of his insight and opened his mouth.
“Yes. I stopped by once while wandering.”
“They say the Infinite World has so many peculiar races, don't they? For instance, oddballs who use the body parts of those they've killed as ‘spares.’”
“Well, there are all sorts of characters.”
Adrian looked back and forth between Mors and Meokbo with a meaningful gaze and said.
“Perhaps I've underestimated you. A shame. If I'd known, I would have paid more attention to the Great Warrior Duel.”
“You know that saying such things now is all meaningless, don't you?”
Adrian shot back in a cold voice.
“And you also know that it’s all your fault I’m being so half-hearted, right?”
Si-woo let out a smirk.
“My, you’re quite petty, aren’t you?”
“Or perhaps you're just overly arrogant for the abilities you possess. Alma. Remember this. I gave you a chance. But you were the one who made a mess of it.”
“That chance. I'll give it to you this time. It's not too late, so join hands with me after today's duel. Otherwise, you'll regret it.”
“We'll see. I doubt there will ever be a day I regret letting someone like you go.”
Mors, who had been staring at Adrian with a sour face as he came and went as he pleased, spoke up.
“Oppa. The diarrhea left, and now the shit has arrived.”
Realizing she had referred to Pames as diarrhea and him as shit, Adrian clicked his tongue in displeasure and left.
“…I don't like a single one of them. Well, fine. Let's just see how this Great Warrior Duel ends.”
Mors poked Si-woo's side again.
“Oppa. The shit said he'll be watching.”
Si-woo let out a dry cough as if to tell her to stop, then called out to Adrian's back.
“The Great Warrior Duel. Our guys will go first.”
Adrian, who had briefly paused, replied reluctantly.
“Do as you wish.”
Even as he returned to his bench, Adrian couldn't shake the uneasy feeling.
‘He’ll go first? Does that mean… he’s already given up on the duel, or…’
Adrian shook his head, dismissing the thought that had crossed his mind.
Underestimating Si-woo was not good, but overestimating him was also to be avoided.
* * *
It was decided that this Great Warrior Duel would be broadcast not on public television, but on an internet stream.
This was because Si-woo had accepted a sponsorship from a betting site, making it impossible to air on public channels.
Perhaps for that reason, the famous BJ, Elf Rose, whom Si-woo had invited, announced the start of the duel in a highly energetic voice to liven up the atmosphere.
[Everyone! We will now begin the Great Warrior Duel between Team Adrian and Team Pames!]
The cheerful voice of Rose, wearing a translucent hologram mask with a microphone function, echoed through the arena.
Although it had only been promoted for a day, the arena, capable of holding up to 100,000 people, was packed, likely thanks to the reputations of Adrian and Pames.
Rose shivered with a thrill at the thunderous cheers of the audience before shouting.
[The first round is Team Acumen's Great Warrior! The Ranker, Gullak, and Team Alma's Great Warrior! Uh… Meokbo!]
The ogre ranker, Gullak, entered the metal cage with a rough roar.
Gullak boasted a massive frame over four meters tall, but because the metal cage was the size of a sports field, he didn't look as big as expected.
Was that why?
Meokbo, who appeared from the opposite side, looked considerably smaller in comparison.
After all, Meokbo's frame of just over three meters was no match for Gullak's.
“Fatty. No matter if you're one of the Four Great King Species, you can't do anything to me with that lazy body of yours.”
The ogre Gullak spoke, flexing his muscular chest, but Meokbo's attention was not on him.
-What should I ask for if I win? Steak? Cake? No, I'll ask for everything. I deserve it.
Gullak was momentarily speechless at Meokbo's behavior, still thinking only of food at a time like this.
“……”
Meokbo was drawing a cake on the arena floor with its tail, while Gullak glared at it with frosty eyes.
Finally, Rose's voice echoed through the arena.
[Now then! Let the duel begin!]
*Swoosh!*
Crossing the arena in a single step, the 148th-ranked Ranker, Gullak, slammed his hammer into Meokbo's belly.
*Shunk.*
But something was strange. There should have been a *thud*, but instead, the head of the hammer sank deep into Meokbo's stomach as if it had been struck into a sponge.
“Pathetic tricks!”
Gullak's muscular arms rippled like water, then expanded, doubling in size.
It was the ogre's 5-star Talent, Expansion Muscles, which strengthened his muscles as they swelled.
When Gullak put his strength into the hammer's handle with his doubled ogre power, Meokbo was sent flying backward like a shot put.
-Gack!
Meokbo, hitting its back against the steel cage, collapsed onto the floor with a flop.
But it seemed it still hadn't come to its senses, as it rolled on the ground, throwing a tantrum.
-Nooo, I hate fighting. I hate getting hurt. I just wanna bully weaklings!
At Meokbo's childish whining, Lee Si-woo, watching from outside the cage, shouted.
“Hey! Stop faking it! It doesn't hurt!”
-No! It hurts! It hurts a lot! Ogres are super strong!
The ogre charged again and brought its hammer down on Meokbo's head.
*Clang!*
With a sound like a bell ringing, Meokbo, its head slammed into the ground, tried to grab its head with its two comically small arms, but they were too short and only reached its chin.
-That's mean! Don't hit the head! It'll make me dumber!
“If you're scared, then surrender, fatty.”
At Gullak's threat, Meokbo shrieked.
-I can't do that! Then I can't eat cake!
“Then there's no choice. You'll just have to take a beating like a dog.”
The duel proceeded one-sidedly.
The ogre Gullak, having reached a high level through sheer physical ability, delivered a barrage of attacks like a bombing run, based on his immense strength.
[Meokbo! Is being completely overwhelmed by Gullak! Ah! It's cornered! I don't know how many times he's been hit with that hammer. Ah, and in the time I've been speaking, a barrage of dozens of hammer strikes pummels Meokbo!]
Meokbo had its head buried in the ground like an ostrich seeing a predator, doing nothing but taking the hits.
But strangely, as time passed, the expressions of the audience and Rose grew peculiar.
No matter what its body was made of, not a single scratch appeared on Meokbo's impressive B-line figure despite Gullak's relentless assault.
[Uh… It seems Meokbo isn't hurt. Even after taking all that, it gets up again!]
After being beaten for ten minutes, Meokbo tilted its head.
In its vision, Gullak was panting heavily, his breath ragged.
Meokbo narrowed its eyes.
-Hey… you're a Ranker, right? Being a Ranker means you're super, super strong. Right?
“…That's right. I am a Ranker. Before my hammer, even the mana shield of a 5th Circle Mage shatters in a single blow.”
-5th Circle? Not 6th Circle?
“Even a 6th Circle Mage is no match for me. It might take some time, but in the end, I will be victorious.”
Meokbo slowly began to rise.
Why was it?
At that moment, to Gullak, the lazy fatty seemed larger than himself.
-Hmmm… not even a scratch on my scales? And it doesn't even hurt. Hey, what's your level?
The reason dragons were part of the Four Great King Species was thanks to their four great Talents.
Dragon Scales, Dragon Bones, Dragon Heart, and Dragon Tongue.
Among these, Dragon Scales were notoriously overpowered, as they reduced the impact received from any being of a lower level by half.
Was that why?
Lee Si-woo used to say, looking at Meokbo.
Dragons were a species born to look down on the weak.
“Do you think I'd answer that just because my enemy asks?”
-Nah~ nah~ you don't have to. I get the picture. Hehe, you're… weaker than me, aren't you?
Realizing the ogre before it was weaker, Meokbo let out a roar.
The audience startled at Meokbo's Fear, rubbing their skin.
Goosebumps had broken out, as if they were prey before a predator.
Its eyes flashing, Meokbo swung its tail with a ferocious cry.
-Steak~~~ Tail!
*KABOOM!*
The ability of Dragon Bones was no less impressive than Dragon Scales. The impact dealt to a lower-leveled being was increased by thirty percent.
Struck by Meokbo's tail, Gullak slammed into the ceiling of the cage with a scream.
-Cake~~~ Attack!
Watching Gullak fall from the ceiling with the eyes of a hawk, Meokbo flew up like a bee and stung like a hornet.
Slammed by Meokbo's headbutt, Gullak spat blood from his battered mouth and rolled on the ground.
[Ah! Meokbo! With bizarre technique names, it begins to overwhelm Gullak! W-wow! Meokbo! It's now biting the ogre's arm! But! It spits it out, saying it tastes bad! And now it's mercilessly stomping on him, saying that something that tastes bad deserves to die! Ah! Gullak! Is being pushed back! He's being completely overwhelmed—!]
*ROOOAR!*
Meokbo, having realized Gullak was weaker, was strong.
No, it was beyond strong; it was brutal.
Some audience members even fainted at the sight of it tearing off and eating a piece of Gullak's thigh, wondering if the leg might taste better than the arm.
[Ah! Gullak! He's tapping the floor! A surrender! We have a declaration of surrender! The Ranker, Gullak! Has raised the white flag to the fatty… no, to Meokbo!]
After an overwhelming beatdown, Meokbo, having forced Gullak to surrender, let out a triumphant roar and shouted.
-I am Meokbo! Weak against the strong! And strong against the weak! And even stronger in front of food!
At that proud declaration, Lee Si-woo covered his face with his hands and hung his head.
It was an embarrassing victory.