The Dwarven Feast Turns Sour
Drinking a meal and getting drunk in one go was fast.
“Great. Let’s go get a drink. Of course, Jinwoo-ssi will join us too.”
Choi Byeong-hun, the so-called Pig, and Jeong Hyeonjae the Anchovy grabbed Yoo Dahui and tried to drag her away.
Yoo Dahui, who had been sitting quietly the whole time, suddenly grabbed me.
The gazes of those two men? None of your business.
Yeah, right. Even if I poke at the sweet tooth here, it won’t do any good.
In this novel, there were guys who got involved with Yoo Dahui.
Because she was the female lead, she was the one who took the initiative in the relationships.
Handsome, fit, skilled, and strong men…
Yoo Dahui fell for them, fell in love, and learned the value of remembering.
These two? They were nowhere near as good as them.
I’m not going to let them see that sight.
Since I’d entered the Tower of Struggle, Yoo Dahui was mine.
“Let’s drink until it’s gone.”
Glasses filled, they clinked.
Clink!
Why was Yoo Dahui enjoying this party so much? Why drag me to sit right here?
Those thoughts lasted only a moment.
The glasses kept filling.
“The glass is empty.”
Yoo Dahui was subtly refilling it.
Why? I already knew how this story ended, yet she kept going?
Clink!
“Drink! Drink because Jinwoo told you to!”
“Hehehe, Dahye-jieun, drink too!”
The pace picked up.
Too fast, though, right?
“Jinwoo-ssi? Not drinking?”
“Yes, yes, I’ll drink.”
The Tower of Struggle was a space created by overlapping multiple dimensions.
Countless dimensions overlapped, countless cultures coexisted here.
Of course, traces of South Korea existed too.
“Drink. Quickly.”
A transparent green bottle.
Seven empty bottles already lined the table.
I failed to adjust the tempo while looking for differences from the first round.
When I opened my eyes again, both men were completely wasted.
…I should’ve known this would happen.
Some people get way too tense once their blood alcohol level exceeds a certain point.
Most do, but when that tension is pulled in the wrong direction, it turns into a problem.
“Hehehe, Dahye-jieun…”
The Pig secretly slid into the seat next to Yoo Dahui.
He was so close now he might as well have been glued to her side.
His bloodshot lower body shamelessly twitched.
“Dahye-ssi, why don’t we stop, get a room, and rest?”
Normally, only one of the two would get dominated.
When one tried to cross the line with alcohol, the other would stop him.
But why did both idiots get like this?
Yoo Dahui’s two neighbors were the Anchovy and the Pig.
They didn’t seem like they’d protect each other.
Yoo Dahui frowned.
Surprisingly, she could handle strong alcohol without getting drunk.
p>
She was even more sober than me.
“Huh? Dahye-ssi, I already booked a room. The second round will be there…”
“No, it’s fine.”
In the first round, Yoo Dahui couldn’t refuse.
Of course. Getting involved with Korean Party members meant trouble.
She’d get dragged around by one or the other until someone else saved her.
But this round was different.
She had enough power and experience to refuse.
The Korean Party was just a burden right now.
She could ditch them immediately.
But why hesitate?
She’s watching something? Or someone?
“Ah, why? Let’s drink more.”
Proudly showing his slurred tongue, the Anchovy gave Yoo Dahui a hazy-eyed gaze.
Whoa.
The Pig didn’t try to stop him.
If anything, he was egging him on.
“Damn it… why is this happening?”
Yoo Dahui slapped the hand the Anchovy had placed on her back.
Then she stared straight at me.
What the hell do you want from me?
The Anchovy looked between Yoo Dahui and me, his face slowly twisting with disgust.
Annoyance, maybe?
The Anchovy had always been proud.
The only problem was that pride twisting in the wrong direction.
“Ah… this is insanely expensive…”
“Crap!”
Instantly, I laughed.
Because of the Anchovy’s serious anger and Yoo Dahui’s arrogant, mocking smile.
“Ah, sorry.”
“Were you laughing at me?”
The Anchovy was two years older than me.
At a drinking party, it was only natural to drop the honorific.
“No, I wasn’t laughing.”
“But… damn it, anyone can see you were mocking him.
Was that not mocking? Dahye-ssi, wasn’t that guy mocking you?”
It only lasted three days.
After three days, he’d be dead.
The way he was fidgeting was just funny.
Did he feel my emotions leaking through?
“Damn it…”
The Anchovy staggered to his feet, drunk.
He kicked the table and stumbled toward me, grabbing my shoulder.
Looking up, his face was as red as an apple, full of rage.
“Hey. You want a fight?”
“O…”
I could feel his strength.
It looked like he really wanted to settle this with strength stats.
Yoo Dahui’s eyes widened in genuine interest.
What the…?
Even in the first round, something similar happened.
But the Anchovy and Pig hadn’t gone this crazy.
What the hell was the trigger?
“Why? Want to fight?”
“You damn bastard…”
I swatted the Anchovy’s arm off my shoulder.
He tumbled backward.
Clang! Clatter!
The glasses and plates on our table crashed to the floor.
They were almost finished eating anyway, so it was fine.
No real damage.
“Current? Current?! Are you okay?!”
The Pig rushed over to the fallen Anchovy.
“Current… was it?”
I heard my name without meaning to.
p>
I didn’t want to remember it.
“You bastard!”
Current—or rather, the Anchovy—shot up from the ground.
His face was so red it looked like an apple.
Even so, he kept checking on Yoo Dahui.
Men’s pride…
Naturally turned his gaze toward her.
Smile…?
With a mischievous grin, Yoo Dahui looked straight at me.
She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the current situation.
So this is what you were waiting for.
Why stall? Because of me?
She wanted to see how I’d react in this situation.
A regressor had spent their rest time here.
The concept from the fourth round came to mind.
Just taking hits wasn’t her style.
“Big brother, just go outside.
If my big brother wants it, I’ll deliver.”
“Damn it…”
I stood up and headed outside.
Yoo Dahui followed right behind.
[Safe Zone]
[PK is impossible]
“PK isn’t allowed in the Beginner Village?”
“…But duels are allowed.”
“Duels?”
Yoo Dahui stared blankly at the air.
She was fiddling with the system.
“Oh? When did you learn that? As expected…”
She trusted it.
Yoo Dahui nodded.
I didn’t know what the Duel author had intended when setting it up.
But anyway, it was one of the settings in the Tower of Struggle.
With the God’s intervention, the winner could demand anything from the loser in their chosen way.
Yoo Dahui had used that to her advantage before.
Yoo Dahui never paid the price of defeat.
She’d commit suicide the moment she lost, taking only useful info.
In the end, she was the only one who won.
“Kim Jinwoo…”
The Anchovy and the Pig walked over, acting friendly.
“Nice eyes you have.”
“Heh.”
I muttered, and Yoo Dahui tried to hold back her laughter.
She covered her mouth instantly, but it only fueled the Anchovy’s anger.
“You bitch! What the hell are you two laughing about?!”
The Anchovy couldn’t contain his rage and yelled.
Ah, this was the trigger.
Different from the first round.
The way Yoo Dahui had acted friendly toward me alone was the problem.
“This is a bit…”
Everyone’s eyes were on us.
Yoo Dahui didn’t like being the center of attention.
“Player Jeong Hyeonjae requests a Duel.”
“Big brother, let’s go quick.
Accept the request.”
“You’re dead, you bastard.”
“Player Jeong Hyeonjae accepts the Duel.”
The two sides negotiated the format.
The stakes of the Duel could also be set then.
The format was obvious—fist fight.
What mattered was the reward for the winner.
“If I win…”
Everything was going smoothly.
I didn’t even have to work hard for something free.
I already knew what I’d take.
From the moment the ring was set, I planned to take that.
Listen up, regressors.
Watch and learn.
Because I can bring these things too.
I looked at the Anchovy and smirked.
The sight I was about to see would be hilarious.
I couldn’t hold back the laughter.
“Big brother, give me your Strength stat.”
“What, what did you—?”
├─ Tier 1:Strength Lv.1 ✓
“If I lose, I’ll give you my stats at the same level.”
He probably saw a message in Jeong Hyeonjae’s vision.
Do you agree to the reward?
The Tower of Struggle System was similar to a game.
If I plugged it into a game analogy, this was the perfect opportunity.
Jeong Hyeonjae’s eyes sparkled.
“Good. You bastard.”
└─ Tier 3:Strength Lv.3 ★
“Duel”
“Kim Jinwoo vs. Jeong Hyeonjae”
“On victory, player Jeong Hyeonjae obtains Strength Lv.1”
If he lost this Duel, Jeong Hyeonjae’s Strength would be zero.
He wouldn’t even survive, let alone hunt tomorrow.
A translucent curtain unfolded.
“Oh, ohh!”
The players around us reacted in surprise.
They were probably watching a Duel between certain players.
├─ Tier 1:Strength Lv.1 ✓
I have a sword and shield.
Jeong Hyeonjae’s weapon is a spear.
Among blunt weapons, the spear is the strongest.
Half hit, half miss.
To players of other races, humans are the weakest species—worth less than a fist.
One blow and it’s over, spear or not.
🏛 Type: [Arena]
⚔ Difficulty: [Lv. 15 vs Lv. 14]
💀 Boss: [None]
“Y-You, Current-ssi…”
The Pig rushed to the fallen Anchovy.
├─ Tier 1:Strength Lv.1 ✓
├─ Tier 2:Strength Lv.2 ✓
└─ Tier 3:Strength Lv.3 ★
├─ Tier 1:Strength Lv.1 ✓
> [Duel Result]
> [Player Kim Jinwoo wins]
> [Reward: Strength Lv.1]
“That’s all it was?”
Strength reached Lv. 3.