"Hey."
"...?"
"Want to throw down?"
Gangchan's lips pressed tightly, his expression darkening.
"...Pull yourself together."
He said with a deep, growling voice.
Pull myself together?
Am I not in my right mind?
Perhaps not, given the constant frustrations that had muddled my thoughts.
And from Gangchan's perspective, I must seem insane. Here's a newbie, freshly arrived on this floor, suddenly challenging him out of the blue.
It must be quite bewildering.
"Scared?"
"Come on! Show me! You said you've tamed a wolf!"
"...You've completely lost it."
But my determination was unwavering. I had to see Gangchan's strength firsthand.
Though I lacked any weapons since everything disappears when entering the tower, if Gangchan was as weak as I assumed, I could overpower him without weapons.
I clenched my fists and raised my guard like a boxer.
"...I don't fight meaningless battles."
Gangchan shook his head dismissively.
"It means something to me. I need to verify some information."
"...Sigh."
"Why not? I won't be satisfied until we fight."
Reluctantly, sensing my determination, Gangchan exhaled deeply.
Suddenly, an immense aura emanated from him.
Of course, my skin tingled, feeling as if blood dripped from his eyes.
Demon. Ghost. Monster. Murderer. All negative images overlaid upon Gangchan, and my legs trembled with fear.
If I fought, I'd surely lose. Challenging that indescribable entity would only bring despair and remorse, sending me back in an instant.
"Heh..."
Yet, the despair made me more certain of Gangchan's weakness.
That aura. Its outstanding performance.
Without any setbacks, my strength would be among the top in the tower. Certainly, given our encounter on the 3-5th floor, he must also be top-tier, but such an intense aura is strange.
Perhaps the 'aura' itself is the ability.
I decided and slowly crouched.
"...What are you doing?"
I relaxed all my muscles and focused ahead.
Taking a deep breath, the moment I felt ready...
I exploded forward, charging at Gangchan!
"What?!"
He reacted to my attack, backpedaling in surprise. But I was faster.
His stunned face was a refreshing sight, a rare break from his usual stoicism. A fleeting satisfaction surged.
"You..."
Though he swung his fist in response, I was faster. My punch was about to connect.
Alright, Gangchan. After knocking you out, I have a lot of questions. Why you entered the 3-5th floor, what your powers are, and whether you really captured the tutorial fairy.
Lost in my triumphant thoughts mid-punch...
"Huh?"
I sensed a flash below.
Suddenly, everything went dark.
[You've been injured.]
[You will return to the moment you first entered the 3-5th floor.]
"...Get up, weakling."
What happened? What went wrong?
It felt the same as when I was overpowered by the city's master. I didn't even feel pain.
Let's try again.
Without speaking to Gangchan, I crouched.
Then, using all my strength, I lunged at him!
"What?!"
This time, Gangchan seemed even more surprised. His eyes widened more than before.
Despite his shock, he threw a punch in defense. But my aim wasn't to hit him; I wanted to observe his attack.
Come on, show me that move that took me out with a single hit.
Even mid-punch, my gaze was fixed on his right fist.
As expected, Gangchan's fist began to glow. Was it due to the hellish training I underwent with Jiwon?
The angle of the shoulder, the posture of the leg, the muscle tone; by observing his body, I could somewhat predict the trajectory of his punch.
If I step to the left, I could dodge the attack...
"Huh?"
For a moment, the punch that I had been focused on disappeared.
Flash!
There was a light.
Aaaahhh!!!
[You've been injured.]
[You will return to the moment you first entered the 3-5th floor.]
"...Get up."
Just moments ago, he was swinging a punch at me, but when I came to my senses, Gangchan was chiding me, calling me weakling.
Even after being hit twice, I still couldn't grasp what hit me.
I hadn't taken my eyes off his fist for a moment.
But suddenly, his fist disappeared, there was a flash of light, and then everything went dark.
Could it be the 'Flash Step' that I acquired as a platinum reward on the 2nd floor? The ability that allows me to instantly move 2 meters?
However, a quick glance revealed that Gangchan's shoes were the same rugged leather shoes as mine.
There was no sign of him using an item. Then it must be solely the ability of his punch...
"...What are you doing all of a sudden?"
"Doping."
I quickly took out and drank the low-grade elixir I had been saving. I planned to reset anyway, so there was no hesitation in using items.
The drink was sweet and refreshing. As soon as I drank it, my eyes brightened, my heart raced, and my blood circulation improved.
I had already tested it on the 1st floor. Drinking the elixir temporarily boosts metabolism. This should help me track his punch.
Once again, I slowly crouched.
Then, I charged at Gangchan in the same manner as before.
"What?!"
The startled Gangchan was the same as before.
He attempted to dodge my oncoming punch and instinctively swung back, just like last time.
"Hmph!"
But this time, I abruptly shifted my weight to my ankle and pulled back, abruptly changing direction, defying physics, only possible for superhumans.
His fist was already glowing, meaning he couldn't cancel the move.
Alright, show me that impressive punch. Let's see how strong it really is.
I grinned maliciously and backed away.
"What??"
His fist moved at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye.
The punch seemed to have the power to shatter the world itself, with a massive gust of wind and a beam of light accompanying it.
Even though I tried to dodge, how can a human resist a natural disaster?
"Arghhhhh!"
My vision shook wildly, and every fiber of my being screamed in agony.
It felt like my entire body was being disassembled molecule by molecule.
The last thing I saw, reminiscent of Cell getting hit by Goku's energy wave, was the cave wall completely shattering into pieces.
[You've been injured.]
[You will return to the moment you first entered the 3-5th floor.]
"...Get up, weakling."
"Sir..."
"...?"
"I will serve you as my master."
I knelt and bowed my head to Gangchan.
It's humbling to submit to the strong... but it's helpful.
I deeply regretted doubting Gangchan.
He wasn't just a protagonist boasting empty words. He truly possessed the strength befitting his stature.
Of course, the only creatures we encountered were goblins and bats.
But how could I dare doubt Gangchan? He must've had a valid reason for his actions.
I'll never doubt him again...!
This time, I silently walked through the cave, and soon we reached a familiar open space.
Upon inspecting our surroundings, there was no sign of the 'terrifying wolf' Gangchan had mentioned.
"There's a door ahead, but..."
"...Do we need to find a hidden mechanism?"
"Should we split up and search?"
Unlike the previous round where I didn't warn about monsters waiting ahead, we decided to split up and search for the hidden mechanism.
"Wait a moment..."
"...?"
"...Never mind."
"Gangchan, could you inspect over there? I'll check this side." The place I'm leading us to is where I was thrown into the pit in the previous round, and where I'm headed now is where Gangchan was thrown into the pit in the previous round.
In other words, if we continue this way, it means a giant wolf will fall right above Gangchan's head.
But it's okay. Because he's God-Chan.
"...Why do you keep looking at me?"
"It's nothing, sir."
Sir...
I'm counting on you...!