Chapter 12 - The Brats' Social Gathering (2)

What Baek Joon-hyuk proposed was a Virtual Battle.

“Think about it! Cheongunhoe is supposed to be a social gathering, so what are we going to do if an accident happens while dueling with real swords here! Our Cheongseong Sword Family, as the host, would be in the most trouble, but this gathering itself could be disbanded.”

Virtual Battle.

It was an unfamiliar term, so I wondered what it was, but it turned out to be no different from a real duel.

The two participants in a Virtual Battle use specially made suits and swords, and the biggest difference from a real sword fight is that there is no risk of injury.

This is because even if you strike your opponent with the sword, the damage is only recorded as data on the suit, and no actual wound is inflicted.

And when a certain amount of impact is received, the suit worn is automatically deactivated, ending the duel. The triumphs of civilization achieved by Earthlings were truly amazing.

“A Virtual Battle… To be honest, I'm not really into it. But since it seems you’re in a tough spot, Joon-hyuk, I’ll think about it. First, let’s hear what this crazy bastard has to say.”

Lee Jin-gyu tilted his head and glared at me.

By the way, calling me a crazy bastard. It seemed he had a good grasp of me, but he was the first one to express it out loud.

“Are you saying it’s boring because it’s not a real sword?”

“To be honest, I won't be satisfied until I've drawn at least one line on your body.”

I, too, was a bit disappointed by the all-too-safe method of the Virtual Battle.

This guy, Lee Jin-gyu, needed to be taught a proper lesson.

“Then let’s do this. The loser of the battle will kneel before the opponent and bow their head to the ground.”

This was a betting method I often used during my Johan Raven days.

Many masters on the Kalia Continent had bowed their heads after losing to me, and now I was proposing it on Earth as well.

“Hoo! I like it!”

He likes it.

If he has a hobby of bowing his head, I have no intention of stopping him.

Once the method of the duel and the bet were decided, the atmosphere of the social gathering heated up again.

“Instead of just doing this, why don’t we bet some money on their duel?”

“Good idea!”

“That sounds fun! Someone set up a proper betting pool!”

Under one person's lead, a gambling table was quickly set up.

The odds were obvious.

Of course, I was the underdog.

It wasn't really normal to bet on me, who had just gotten my license.

But a characteristic of gambling is that someone always bets on the underdog.

One of them came up to me and said.

“I bet on you, Oppa.”

“You know a thing or two.”

“My personality is originally all-or-nothing. If you win, Oppa, I’ll sweep the pot.”

“You'll make money quite easily.”

At these words, Han Ye-ji smirked.

“I really don't know where that confidence of yours comes from, Oppa. Your background, the Haewon Sword Family?”

“That’s something my ancestors made.”

“Then what is it?”

“Just watch the duel carefully. Then you’ll find out.”

“You keep talking like that, what will you do if you get embarrassed? Anyway, do your best. So I can have some fun too.”

When Baek Joon-hyuk’s butler brought the Virtual Battle equipment, people formed a circle around Lee Jin-gyu and me.

Everyone held a glass of alcohol in their hands, looking excited about the fun spectacle.

“No filming! Everyone knows that, right?”

“Too bad! This is something that should be recorded and preserved on the internet!”

As Lee Jin-gyu and I stood facing each other, the atmosphere heated up even more.

Various voices could be heard.

Most of them were favorable to Lee Jin-gyu.

It was natural since their money was on the line.

I put on the suit Baek Joon-hyuk handed me.

The feeling of it clinging to my whole body was strange at first, but also fascinating.

Also, the sword used in the Virtual Battle seemed to have a sharp edge, but it didn't have the unique feel of a real sword.

But it didn't matter.

Whatever the form of the weapon in my hand, as long as I used mana, the essence itself was not much different.

“The suit’s impact tolerance is set to the default. Are you both ready?”

When we nodded, the duel began.

In truth, even with real swords, I wouldn't lose.

It wasn't that difficult to find and exploit the weaknesses of a worthless rabble like Lee Jin-gyu.

Of course, I would have to be prepared to collapse from exhaustion.

Furthermore, if the duel method was a Virtual Battle, the probability of me losing converged to almost zero.

This was a fact that had already been verified during the 2nd stage of the license exam.

My method of mana manipulation had been confirmed to have an extreme advantage against data fragments rather than an actual physical body.

Even if I blew it up by infusing only a tiny amount of mana, the program would recognize it as a massive impact.

I didn't know the exact principle, but at times like this, I thought that machines were better than people.

It must have been the result of accurately sensing the essence of the swordsmanship I wielded.

In any case, the stage was set in my favor.

“Come at me, Seo Ji-han. As a senior, I’ll give you the first three exchanges without attacking.”

Senior.

When this guy Lee Jin-gyu was still on his mother's milk, I was already the number one in a world.

Still, I couldn't refuse a favor offered like this.

I closed the distance and approached him.

I drew my sword in the air and lightly loosened my wrist.

Also, to see his reaction.

In his stance as he took a slight step back, a huge opening was already revealed.

The aura he emitted, the small flow of air, and even his minute body movements. There was plenty of evidence to find Lee Jin-gyu's weaknesses.

Against a guy like this, a fast sword wasn't even necessary.

Just accurately aiming for one point and thrusting—thwack—would be the end of it.

Thwack-

Like this.

Lee Jin-gyu stood there blankly, unable to respond, and allowed my attack.

In that moment, his eyes widened.

So why did you have to go and make a useless offer like that.

From the tip of the sword that pierced his suit, mana was discharged, adding to the impact.

Although I used only a small amount of mana, that small energy flowed through the program data embedded in the suit and created a huge explosion.

Paaang!

The suit Lee Jin-gyu was wearing absorbed the impact and then automatically deactivated and was thrown off.

As if he were naked, Lee Jin-gyu covered his body with both arms.

He, too, was flustered by the massive impact recognized by the data.

“It's over.”

I took another step closer to him.

Lee Jin-gyu was silent.

He was just listening to the sighs of the people with a dazed expression.

“What the hell was that!”

“Did Lee Jin-gyu really lose?”

“No way! The match ended in one blow like that?”

Lee Jin-gyu was still out of it, so I approached him to make him recognize reality.

“What are you doing? You have to kneel.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t forget to bow your head too.”

It was a bet I had already made, so I couldn't take it back.

“I was… careless.”

“I get it. Still, kneel.”

I had no intention of showing mercy and pretending it never happened.

“I was really careless.”

“I never forced you to be careless. So whose fault is this?”

“Alright. I admit it was my mistake. But ending it like this is not polite to the audience. So let’s go one more time!”

“Pathetic.”

“I respectfully request a rematch.”

Where does this bastard think he's going, trying to gloss over it?

He was acting just like a typical third-rate rabble.

“A rematch… I’ll think about it.”

“Yeah, think it over carefully!”

“But only after you kneel and bow your head first. You have to follow through on the bet that's already over, don't you think?”

“What?”

“You have 3 seconds to think. After that, there’s no rematch.”

“3.”

“2.”

I started counting without delay.

For a moment, Lee Jin-gyu’s fists trembled.

Since I had made such a threat, he had no choice.

To redeem his humiliation, he had no choice but to do as I said.

“What the hell! Did Lee Jin-gyu really kneel?”

“We should have taken a picture of this!”

People started to murmur.

So I spoke into his ear so he could hear clearly.

“You have to bow your head too, right?”

Killing intent emanated from his entire body.

But he would soon bow his head as well.

He had knelt down just for the sake of a rematch; it was already too late to back out now.

Thwack!

A sound was heard as Lee Jin-gyu’s forehead hit the floor.

He’s very angry.

Actually, 3 seconds had already passed.

Whether to grant a rematch or not was up to me.

Since the duel method was a Virtual Battle, the result wouldn't change even if we fought two or ten times, so I needed to think about it.

Which would be a bigger blow to him.

“Shit! Let’s go again!”

His voice was almost filled with malice.

Then, not granting a rematch would be a bigger blow.

I had that thought, but then I decided to show mercy just this once.

When you thought about it, it wasn't like Lee Jin-gyu had committed a great crime.

“Alright, put your suit back on.”

At my words, the social gathering erupted once more.

I won't bother explaining the result of the duel.

It’s too obvious.

***

A few more days passed after the social gathering.

I still went in and out of the Abyss every day to heal my body, trained my physique by lifting weights, and studied about life on Earth.

Sometimes, I would forget how time flew.

Seeing me live each day so intensely, Choi Ho-joong clicked his tongue.

“Young Master, how can you not miss a single day? Don’t you get tired?”

“What’s there to be tired about? It’s not like I do much.”

“What do you mean you don't do much? What if you collapse again?”

“I know my own body well. Even if I do collapse, it’s all calculated, so there’s no need to worry.”

“You’ve become a completely different person. Ever since you got partial amnesia.”

“Don’t you know the saying that people change?”

“I know the saying that people never change.”

“What about the saying that people should be fixed and used?”

“You’re saying the opposite on purpose, aren’t you?”

Kalia Continent and Earth seemed similar, yet so different.

“By the way, Ho-joong, I think I’ll start going to that place called a dungeon.”

“Somehow, I had a feeling you would say that soon.”

My body was still trash, but an E-rank dungeon wouldn't be very dangerous.

And Choi Ho-joong would be by my side.

“Look for a dungeon we can go to, just the two of us. An E-rank one.”

“Yes. Our Haewon Sword Family consistently bids on dungeons in the family's name, so there should be an available one. Just a moment.”

Choi Ho-joong accessed the relevant app and found one right away.

“There is one. An E-rank dungeon. The entry limit is 7 people, and there are 13 days left until the clear deadline.”

“Perfect. Since our family won the bid for it, if we apply, we can enter right away, right?”

“Yes. So far, no one from the main family or the branch families has applied for entry. To be honest, E-rank is mostly for practice, so it’s not popular. If we apply today, we should get permission by tomorrow.”

“Then apply for it. For the two of us to enter.”

“Understood.”

“By the way, if the main family and a branch family overlap for a dungeon, how is it usually resolved?”

“If the entry limit is generous, we sometimes go in together, but usually it’s customary for the branch family to yield. The main family is the main family for a reason, isn’t it?”

“I see.”

As Choi Ho-joong said, the entry permission came through the very next day.

The location was a small mountain on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.

My first dungeon trip had finally begun.

Ziiiing-

As I passed through the portal, the message [You have entered the dungeon.] appeared, and a new world unfolded.

Up to this point, it wasn't different from the Abyss, but there was a crucial difference between the two.

If the inside of the Abyss was on the scale of a vast continent, the inside of a dungeon was at most the size of a village.

That's why dungeons are sometimes considered a subordinate concept to the Abyss.

[A quest has been generated.]

[Exterminate the goblins.]

[Goblins remaining: 21]

“Goblins again.”

“It's an E-rank dungeon. Since the difficulty is easy, it's best not to expect much in terms of rewards.”

The rewards for clearing a dungeon were largely divided into three types.

First, was the Mana Stone. It was always given randomly upon clearing a dungeon and was the most common reward.

It was gaining attention as a new energy resource on Earth, and the market price varied widely depending on the size and quality of the Mana Stone.

Second, was the Mana Rune. It was a bound item that increased mana when consumed, and it was actually the biggest reason I had hurried to go to a dungeon. It was a reward that rarely appeared in E-rank dungeons, but if it did appear, it was a way to quickly solve my lack of mana problem.

“Is it greedy to hope for a Mana Rune here?”

“Yes. It is greedy.”

“But you never know.”

“You’d have an easier time finding a unicorn.”

Anyway, this guy had a strange talent for deflating people's excitement.

The third was the Abyss Rune.

It was like a ticket to enter a specific area of the Abyss, and it was said to rarely appear in E-rank dungeons as well.

“Ho-joong, I’ll try to kill all the goblins if possible. So don't step in.”

“I can't promise to follow that order. If it looks dangerous, I will intervene immediately.”

“You’re so tiresome, Ho-joong. Having to bring along a guy who doesn't listen like this.”

In any case, the time when I was in danger against goblins was now past.

There were only 21 of them, so if I used my mana appropriately, I should be able to handle them.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

At that moment, an unexpected variable appeared.

[The maximum number of entrants for the dungeon has been reached. (7/7)]

If this message was not an error, it meant that five others in addition to us had entered the dungeon.

“Ho-joong, weren’t we supposed to be the only two coming in?”

“That’s right. Why is this happening all of a sudden!”

A somewhat ominous feeling began to creep in.