Chapter 62: Bet (3)

I’m not trying to be arrogant, but I figured you’d at least have heard of me.

But it seems ‘Lightning Punch’ has no clue who I am, let alone a sense of competition.

“Let’s keep this at the level of a simple kids’ bet.”

“Alright.”

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

You really should know who you’re up against.

Tsk, tsk.

“Can you really win?”

It was Minji, clinging to my side.

Win?

This bet doesn’t even matter.

It’s just a kids’ game, and the outcome is obvious.

There’s no point in calling it a bet when the fight is already decided.

I’m going to crush this dungeon and shatter Lightning Punch’s pride.

“As long as I break everything in the dungeon, it’ll be fine.”

“Uh, is that really okay?”

Of course.

I’ll wipe everything clean.

“As long as we get to the destination, it doesn’t matter how we get there. Just trust me.”

Once I smash everything, that’ll be the end, right?

“Then we’ll use Training Dungeon 3, which is owned by the Hwigwang Guild.”

“The Hwigwang Guild?”

“It’s the guild I’m a part of. The training dungeon is no different from a real one!”

I don’t really see the need to go to a training dungeon.

I’d be fine with just heading to the Tower of Destruction.

***

Apparently, the Hwigwang Guild is one of the major corporate guilds.

Unlike other top guilds, they only send a small, elite force into dungeons.

Most of the guild members focus on training the next generation.

They’re heavily involved in education, even running their own facilities or sending members to academies.

They also own the country’s only artificial dungeon.

Lightning Punch graciously led me to the dungeon.

“This is it. Our guild’s pride and joy, the training dungeon!”

“Oh wow, that’s impressive.”

I clapped my hands like a seal.

Boasting about something that wasn’t even his was oddly charming.

He was being honest, after all.

“Yoon-sik, you’re here? Who’s this? Is this the person you’re betting with today?”

A new character appeared.

She seemed to be the dungeon’s administrator, a woman with glasses who gave off a typical office worker vibe.

“Yeah, and?”

“Ah, okay. Not bad. This might be good for you, actually.”

Unlike Lightning Punch, she glanced at me briefly but couldn’t meet my eyes, which made me think she probably recognized who I was.

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. Both of you will be heading into the same dungeon. The kids will watch from the simulation viewing area.”

The administrator and the kids would just be spectators, which wasn’t bad.

It would’ve been annoying if they followed us in.

“Go ahead, after you.”

Oh great, the annoyance is right here.

This damn Lightning Punch was glaring at me.

Ugh.

Disgusting.

Is this that whole ‘ladies first’ thing?

“Is this that ‘ladies first’ thing? Just go ahead already.”

He looks fine on the outside, but why is he like this?

“You seem pretty capable, but you won’t beat me. That’s why I’m trying to pace myself. Why are you laughing?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

He clearly kept underestimating me.

“It’s funny how even when your opponent’s a monster, you still think my appearance makes me vulnerable.”

“Alright then. Let’s enter together.”

We finally went in.

I wasn’t expecting much from a training dungeon, but it seemed like this was an artificial dungeon created using some kind of holy relic.

There were signs that the interior had been manipulated, and the monsters respawned in predetermined spots like a game.

They were artificially created, too.

It was probably made for academy use.

Nothing too surprising after entering.

“Not much compared to the Tower of Destruction.”

-Doesn’t that guy, Lightning Punch, catch his opponents quickly with his speed and electric attacks?

“Yeah, that’s right.”

So I’m not planning to go easy on him.

The way the administrator seemed to know about me made it feel like she wanted me to take down Lightning Punch, but there’s no need for a fight anyway.

Anyway, I’ll show Lightning Punch, who’s been underestimating me, the bitter taste of defeat.

“Holy Crash!”

Boom!

An entire room was blown away.

“Well, that was easy. No big deal.”

In an instant, even the door was smashed to pieces.

I’m looking forward to seeing how twisted Lightning Punch’s face will be later.

***

Meanwhile, the kids were sitting in the simulation viewing area, watching Karina and Kim Yoon-sik’s dungeon progress with bright eyes on the giant screen.

The massive screen was showing both Karina and Yoon-sik in their respective dungeons.

Yoon-sik’s flashy, lightning-filled battle against monsters left a strong impression on the kids.

[“Hiyah! Thunderstrike Punch!”]

Crackle!

His lightning-charged punch swept through the monsters.

“How about that? Isn’t my uncle cool?”

“Whoa, Taehyung’s uncle is impressive, but…”

The kids acknowledged Yoon-sik’s skill, but there was one thing they didn’t like.

Everything was great, except…

“Does he really have to shout out stuff like ‘a man’s tear-inducing attack’?”

“Yoon-sik says it boosts his fighting spirit.”

“Oh, really?”

“He says it makes him feel like a hero of justice.”

Hearing that made them think of characters straight out of a boys’ comic.

It seemed amazing when looked at that way.

“See? I told you my uncle’s cool! But how about your sister? Can she fight as impressively as my uncle?”

Taehyung puffed up with pride as he boasted about his uncle again.

But this time, Minji wasn’t backing down.

A massive explosion erupted on Karina’s screen, too.

[“Holy Crash!”]

Boom!

She was swinging her mace, causing explosive destruction and wiping out monsters in seconds.

It wasn’t just about defeating monsters either.

“Whoa, what’s that? Your sister is incredible.”

“She even smashed the door to the next round.”

She was destroying everything in sight.

It was like she was the very goddess of destruction.

The girls, especially, were wide-eyed, thinking how strong a female awakened one could be.

“Hehe! See? That’s my sister’s power!”

“Hmph! It’s just because of her weapon!”

“Then isn’t your uncle relying on his abilities?”

The kids’ bickering grew even fiercer.

“Kids? Calm down. In the end, it’s all about how you use both abilities and weapons.”

The administrator was getting a headache from their argument.

She had opposed this from the start.

Even though she was a colleague of Lightning Punch, his stubbornness was really annoying.

***

Boom!

“Ugh, this is getting annoying.”

-It’s only the third room, though?

There weren’t many rooms, but this was tiresome.

There was no thrill in the fight.

At least in the Tower of Destruction, even weaklings were satisfying to hit.

Here, there was no satisfaction in beating anything.

-In the Tower, there were at least some stronger monsters or companions.

“I looked it up earlier. This place is just for training.”

-A lower level because it’s for education. You wouldn’t even dream of something like this in the other world.

In the other world, even the training dungeons had real monsters, not artificial ones.

Since I was getting bored, I decided to destroy everything in sight.

If I lazed around too much, Lightning Punch could pull a tortoise-and-hare on me.

The door that looked like the exit was just a plain door.

It even had an “EXIT” sign.

“Is this the exit?”

Even for a training dungeon, it was too obvious.

So, I decided to just break it.

Smash!

Outside the exit was a guild lounge, fully decorated with marble.

-Looks like I came out first.

That’s right, I don’t see him anywhere.

That Lightning Punch.

Hahaha!

The guy who should be shouting, “I won!” isn’t here.

Well, that shows his level of skill.

It would’ve been great if, even though he wasn’t as good as me, he showed up right away just to live up to his name, Lightning Punch.

“Oh, you came out first. Congratulations on clearing the dungeon.”

The woman who had introduced herself as the administrator appeared, clapping.

“Eh, is it even worth calling it a ‘clear’?”

“It’s a shame you broke some parts, but it wasn’t exactly a weak dungeon.”

She slipped in a complaint.

What’s the big deal about breaking a few things?

If they didn’t want things broken, they should’ve made the dungeon more impressive.

“Well, isn’t that something for Lightning Punch to deal with?”

“Hmm. Yes. Since I accepted responsibility as the administrator, it’s not a problem.”

Even if they asked me to compensate, I wouldn’t have agreed.

It’s their fault for making the dungeon so weak.

Then, carefully, another exit door opened beside me.

“Yes! I won after all!”

A hot-blooded handsome guy emerged, clenching his fists in triumph.

He had the kind of expression that made you think he was about to shout, “Justice always prevails!” But that was about it.

I chuckled in front of him.

“That’s unfortunate for you, huh?”

“No, you lost.”

Really?

He came out quite a bit later than me.

I took my time, wiping out everything because it was tedious, and still beat him out.

“Is it possible I lost?”

“It was easy.”

I pointed toward the exit behind me.

“Wait, you broke all that?”

“Dungeons are meant to be cleared, not preserved, right? So what’s the issue?”

It’s obvious.

Dungeons are there to be broken.

Smashing the dungeon to bits is only natural.

“Still, you should defeat everything properly.”

“Well, I’m an area damage dealer, so I took care of the monsters too.”

“Th-This can’t be…”

Lightning Punch dropped to his knees.

But honestly, why would you even think about fighting monsters with a sense of honor?

“Besides, why do you think this is called ‘training’? It’s so you can practice without dying before clearing a real dungeon. Why bother with honorable battles against monsters just to clear it?”

A dungeon is meant to be cleared, so what’s the problem?

It’s common sense, after all.

He really doesn’t get it.

Look at him, muttering to himself with that dumbfounded look on his face.

It’s pathetic.

“Well… that’s… true.”

Tsk tsk tsk.

How can a guy be so stubborn?

It’s the age of hunters now.

I bet he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.

“Pfft. The Tower of Destruction was harder than this.”

It felt like a casual club meeting, but it wasn’t too bad.

“So, are you the Saintess of the Tower of Destruction?”

“Oh, you’ve heard of me?”

Maybe I should brag a bit.

I might be able to recruit followers here.

If I can spread the Canora religion here…

-Are you sticking with the Canora religion?

We’ll go with the ‘Smashing Pot Religion.’

It’s called the Canora religion on the continent of Eucland, but on Earth, it feels more fitting to call it the Smashing Pot Religion in Korean style.

-No thanks.

What a picky god.

We should just call it the Smashing Pot Religion.

“Because she burns with fiery passion.”

“Does she really need to be so fiery?”

“Burning with fiery passion?”

This guy really lives cut off from the world, doesn’t he?