'Tch! Looks like I have no choice but to use the Card System if I want to survive,' Vernon muttered, realizing his body couldn't fight anymore after taking Oliver's deadly blow. He hadn't expected the fight against Oliver to be this tough. He had intended to save that card for the upcoming Vagon tournament.
Oliver dashed toward Vernon with fiery anger in his eyes.
Panicking, Vernon shouted, 'Open the ca—'
"Stop!"
Oliver and Vernon shocked when Colin suddenly stood between them, blocking Oliver, who was ready to attack Vernon.
"What are you doing?" Oliver protested. "Move aside!"
"Are you deaf? I said, 'Stop!' Will you defy my orders?" Colin glared at his friend sharply, with an intimidating presence.
Oliver instinctively stepped back as Colin's killing aura radiated from him.
'What's going on with him? Why is he suddenly protecting Vernon? Wasn't he mad at him?' These thoughts troubled Oliver, making him even more frustrated.
He had been fighting hard to avenge Colin, not caring if Robinson kicked him out of Vagon BootCamp. To him, Colin was a mentor he had to protect. Colin's kindness in the past made Oliver willing to do anything to repay his debt.
But why was Colin protecting that scumbag? Oliver's chest burned with anger.
"Why is Colin suddenly helping Vernon? Is he planning something to trap him?" Whispers filled the air among the Vagon boxers, confused by Colin's sudden change.
Colin turned to Vernon, then extended his hand with a warm smile. "Finally, I can repay my debt to you."
"What do you mean?" Vernon hesitated before accepting his hand.
"Did you really forget me?" Colin chuckled.
Vernon frowned in confusion, trying to recall. He wasn't sure he'd ever known Colin before. The only friend from his past was Xander.
"Do I know you?"
"I'm the fat kid you helped back in high school."
Vernon's eyes widened as the memory flashed back to him.
"You promised you'd tell me your name when I became strong. Now, I've fulfilled that. I've become strong, just like you wanted. You were my motivation."
Seeing how familiar they were, Oliver's rage exploded. He had fought so hard to kill Vernon, and now Colin had wasted his sacrifice.
But this wasn't the right time for revenge.
***
[Congratulations! You have completed the Main Quest and received the Silver Card System!]
'But I failed to beat Oliver, why did I still get it?'
[Because the system only asked you to save your friends, not defeat Oliver]
'Ah, I didn't read that carefully.'
Vernon rubbed his forehead, trying to calm his stressed mind. But then, something crossed his mind.
'System, I need a new skill. Can you give me a martial art other than boxing?'
[Of course! Complete a Main Quest to earn a new martial art from the cards you collect.]
'So, give me as many Main Quests as possible.'
[Unfortunately, no Main Quest is available at the moment.]
Vernon sighed in disappointment.
[But you can complete Daily Quests while waiting for a new Main Quest.]
'Fine,' Vernon replied, unenthusiastically.
[Daily Quest Appeared: Eat 100 Boiled Eggs]
[Difficulty Level: Easy]
[Time Limit: 30 Minutes]
[Time Remaining: 29:59:45]
[Total Eggs Eaten: 0]
[Reward: 10 System Coins]
[Caution: If you fail, Daily Quests will be unavailable for a week.]
'Are you crazy?! I'll break out if I eat that many eggs!'
[But you asked for a mission, Host.]
'But I didn't ask for something absurd!'
Vernon sighed heavily, not wanting to waste time arguing. He rushed to the cafeteria and asked for 100 boiled eggs.
"What are you gonna do with all these eggs?" A chef looked shocked at Vernon's absurd request.
"Just do what I asked! I don't have much time!" Vernon urged.
With no other choice, the chef quickly served the eggs in front of Vernon, who started devouring them without pause.
The chef and a few waiters secretly watched Vernon with horrified expressions. He was eating like a man who hadn't seen food for days.
Vernon paused to catch his breath. His jaw felt numb, and his mouth ached from chewing non-stop.
But seeing the timer ticking down, he quickly resumed eating the eggs.
He glanced at the transparent screen in front of him.
[Total Eggs Eaten: 50]
[Time Remaining: 15:30:21]
'Tch! Why did the system give me so little time?' Vernon ate faster, almost like he was possessed.
"What are you doing, Vernon?"
Tony and Antonio suddenly sat beside him, surprising Vernon. He hadn't noticed their arrival because he was so focused.
"Why are you eating so many eggs?" Tony asked with a disgusted look on his face.
"I-I'm hungry." Vernon lied.
Tony and Antonio stared at him in horror. Vernon's mouth was smeared with food, dirtying his clothes. They had never seen anyone eat that many eggs in one sitting.
"Why are you guys here?" Vernon asked.
"Mico asked us to train."
"Give me 20 minutes. I'll be there soon."
"Alright."
They left, and Vernon refocused on finishing the remaining eggs.
When he shoved the last egg into his mouth, a blue transparent screen appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations! You have completed the Daily Quest!]
Vernon smiled in relief. 'Finally…!'
[Congratulations! You have earned 10 System Coins!]
After that, Vernon hurried to the F-rank training room. Mico was waiting for him with a grim expression.
Vernon guessed he was about to be scolded by his coach.
"Where's Tian?" Vernon looked around. Only Tony and Antonio were there.
"He's in a coma."
"What?!" Vernon gasped in shock. "Is that true?" He looked at Tony and Antonio for confirmation.
They nodded, looking sad.
"How did that happen? He only got hit by Oliver's kick."
"You're an idiot, Vernon!" Mico snapped, unable to hold back his anger. "Don't you think before you act?! Don't you know why Robinson ranked Oliver a B? It's because he's that strong! Why didn't you gauge your strength before fighting?!"
Vernon was stunned by Mico's sudden outburst. Mico was usually calm and composed.
"Tian is in a coma because of you! If you hadn't been so reckless fighting Oliver, he wouldn't be in this state! The doctor says he won't wake up for months due to a concussion, and he desperately wanted to join the Vagon tournament! He had been training hard for two years! But you destroyed his dream!"
Vernon stood frozen, guilt eating away at him. He hadn't expected his decision to end so horribly. He had only wanted to save them, but instead, he had hurt Tian.
"Where is Tian being treated? I need to apologize to him."
"There's no point in apologizing; he can't hear you!" Mico's shout echoed through the training room.
Vernon fell silent. There was no point in speaking anymore, as his words wouldn't change anything. Tian would still miss the Vagon Tournament because of him.
"I'm sorry." That was all Vernon could say, even though it felt useless.
Tony and Antonio said nothing, clearly disappointed.
"I should have controlled myself back then." Vernon's voice was filled with regret.
"If you really regret what you did, you need to win the Vagon tournament and beat all the high-ranked boxers who've been mocking us. That's Tian's biggest dream," Antonio explained.
"Even though he's annoying as a friend and team leader, he's a good person. He always motivated us to stay optimistic and fight to become Annihilators so we could shut up those high-ranked boxers who always insulted us," Tony added sadly.
"You've felt it yourself, how those jerks looked down on us and humiliated us."
Hearing this, Vernon remembered when Amos had beaten him. Tian had been furious at Amos's actions and had vowed to become a great boxer to defeat The Annihilator. Vernon had thought Tian was just talking big.
Vernon clenched his fists. This event only strengthened his resolve to win the Vagon tournament. Now, his goal wasn't just revenge but fulfilling his teammate's dream.
"After seeing you beat Mico, Tian always hoped you'd be able to defeat them. Especially when you fought Colin. He really wanted you to win. But you lost and disappointed him."
"Don't worry! I'll make up for all my mistakes with Tian! This time, I won't fake losing or hold back! I swear, I will win the Vagon tournament no matter what!"
Tony and Antonio stood still, watching as a high-level fighter's aura radiated from Vernon.
On the other hand, Mico was stunned to hear this. His guess had been right.
But why had Vernon lost to Oliver? Was he faking that too? But for what reason? Mico was convinced Vernon's boxing skills weren't that weak.
'Is he hiding his true strength?'