As Sungwoo unleashed a flurry of aggressive attacks with his dagger, Gaseo stood unwavering, allowing each strike to land without flinching. The colosseum echoed with the clashing sounds of metal meeting its target, yet Gaseo remained composed, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Amidst the relentless assault, Sungwoo couldn't help but grow intrigued by Gaseo's peculiar demeanor. He gradually increased the intensity of his dagger strikes, aiming to test the limits of Gaseo's resilience. However, Gaseo continued to absorb every blow, seemingly unfazed.
The players, both from the Blue Team and the Red Team, watched in disbelief as Gaseo withstood Sungwoo's assault. Whispers spread through the players as the atmosphere in the colosseum grew tense.
"Holy shit! How could a classless player be this powerful?!"
"No fucking way! He's not even trying to defend himself!"
"Is he insane?! Why isn't he fighting back?!"
After a few minutes, Sungwoo stopped attacking and said to Gaseo, "Heh, not bad. You're way stronger than I thought."
"Thanks for the praise, I appreciate it." Gaseo replied. "However, you're holding back aren't you?"
Gaseo had watched all of Sungwoo's previous fights, so he knew whether or not Sungwoo was fighting seriously.
"Ah, so you knew? Well, that was just to warm up. However, don't worry, I'll now take you seriously, so I hope you're prepared."
"I've always been prepared, so show me what you got." Gaseo said.
"Very well, I hope you don't disappoint me and get defeated too quickly."
Suddenly, Sungwoo's demeanor shifted from relaxed to serious. In the blink of an eye, he unleashed his full intensity, launching a relentless assault on Gaseo.
Once again, Gaseo remained unmoved, standing still as he absorbed every powerful attack unleashed by Sungwoo.
STAB!!! STAB!!! STAB!!!
DIAGONAL SLASH!!! DIAGONAL SLASH!!! DIAGONAL SLASH!!!
HORIZONTAL SLASH!!! HORIZONTAL SLASH!!! HORIZONTAL SLASH!!!
…
…
…
Previously, when Sungwoo attacked Gaseo, it felt like a light massage. However, with Sungwoo infusing more power into his attacks, the sensation transformed into something resembling a vigorous, hard massage for Gaseo.
'This time the massage feels kinda different from before…'
Gaseo wasn't certain if he liked it, but judging by the looks of it, he seemed to prefer the gentle massage over the intense one.
'This motherfucker! Just how tanky is he?! How is he still not taking any damage even after all that?!' Sungwoo thought.
This time, Sungwoo began to feel a sense of concern. It was as if he were confronting an insurmountable mountain, impervious to destruction no matter what he attempted.
Noticing the change in Sungwoo's expression, Gaseo sensed that the moment had arrived for Sungwoo to acknowledge that, right from the beginning, he should have understood he stood no chance.
"Die!!! Die!!! Die!!! Die!!! Die!!! Die!!!" Sungwoo began to panic. At this point, he had realized that he never once stood a chance against Gaseo in the first place.
'No way! I'm actually going to lose?! Fuck! Furthermore, losing to a mere classless player!' Sungwoo thought.
The thought of losing to a classless player didn't make Sungwoo feel good as it sort of damaged his pride.
Meanwhile, Gaseo was nonchalantly picking his nose while counting the time inside his head.
'Let's see… How many minutes has it been? Is it 9 minutes and 25 seconds already..?'
The reason why Gaseo didn't attack Sungwoo this whole time was because he gave Sungwoo a handicap; for ten minutes, Gaseo won't fight back. The motive behind this decision was simple: Gaseo aimed to enjoy a free massage from Sungwoo's attacks.
35 seconds later…
"Alright, time is up!" Gaseo said.
"T-Time is up?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Sungwoo said.
With the declaration that the handicap time was over, Gaseo's demeanor shifted. He stood there, no longer just absorbing attacks but ready to assert his own dominance. Sungwoo, still caught in the realization of the impending danger, tried to gather himself.
Gaseo, without a moment's hesitation, closed the distance to Sungwoo with astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, he unleashed a single, devastating punch.
PUNCH!!!
BAAAAAAMMM!!!
The colosseum fell into a stunned silence as Sungwoo, sent flying away by the force of Gaseo's punch, crashed into the colosseum wall. The impact echoed through the arena, leaving the players in awe of the unexpected and powerful outcome of the match.
"KEUK…!!!" Sungwoo coughed out blood.
'Ugh! Fuck! What hell was that?! How could his punch pack so much power?!' Sungwoo thought.
The players erupted into a mix of astonishment and applause. Gaseo, still seemingly nonchalant, glanced at Sungwoo, who was now struggling to get up.
"Not bad," Gaseo commented, the faint smile returning to his lips. "But next time, maybe try a lighter massage. It's more enjoyable."
"L-Lighter massage?? What are you even talking about..?" Sungwoo said.
Exerting all his strength into his legs, Sungwoo managed to rise and stand upright. However, mere seconds later, after taking a few steps, he suddenly fainted and collapsed to the ground.
Like that, the system declared:
Ding!
[Round sixth ends! Blue Team, Gaseo won!]
Once the system announced Gaseo's victory, the Blue Team players started celebrating and jumped for joy.
"Fuck yeah! Woohoo! Gaseo won!"
"Hell yeah! We won! Yes! Hahaha!"
"Holy shit! We actually won! I can't believe this!"
While the Blue Team players reveled in happiness and celebration, a sense of worry crept among the Red Team players. Witnessing Gaseo's formidable strength made them realize they were now in deep trouble.
With this, there were only three players left from the Red Team to fight Gaseo.
Standing in the center of the stage, Gaseo declared, "Alright! Let's not waste time! Who's up next to face me?!"
Gaseo wanted to finish this as quickly as possible so that he could return to Shroom Village and relax. After all, this was already the 9th Tutorial and once this quest is completed, the 10th Tutorial will be the last one.
The nature of the world inside the Chaos Tower remained unknown, but one thing Gaseo was certain of—he was excited to explore it. While he still missed Earth, that chapter was in the past. For him, the present was all about embracing adventure and moving forward.