There were two choices.

Should I deliver a regular attack and reveal that I'm weak?
Or should I wrap my punches in strength to showcase my power?

Given the situation where the opponent is misunderstanding me as a top-tier martial artist, I couldn’t afford to show that I was weak.

‘Who the hell is too proud to mock someone who can’t withstand my heavy strike?’

Honestly, I didn’t like the look in Bolt's eyes.
His attitude of thinking he would win easily and throwing the first punch was just as despicable.

For me, there was no reason to spare Bolt’s life.

‘The problem would be the aftermath…’

I knew I’d be dragged into a tiresome situation, but it was hard to hold back.

— Are you showing off just because you know some taekwondo? Do you think you'll always be number one? I keep hearing your name from the upperclassmen these days.
— I heard your leg got crushed in the end? How pathetic you look after acting all high and mighty.

“……”

Thinking back to the times I wanted to kill but couldn’t…
Now that I could kill, choosing not to was truly not an easy task.

‘It’s because of the Tower of Struggle.’

It seemed that this tower twisted my temperament.

“What do you think?”

Sergei’s mediation worked.
The opponents slowly retreated.

“…We’ll see.”

One of them glared at me with resentment.
A glare filled with anger was much better than one filled with disdain.

Those who spoke such words quickly fled.
They dashed off without looking back.

As my head cooled down, they seemed to realize that fighting me would be a huge mistake.

“Phew.”

Sergei let out a sigh of relief.

“Thanks to Error Player, we managed to avoid a crisis.”
“Was there really a crisis?”
“No, there wasn’t. Those guys regularly came to provoke us. They would glance at Scarlet and Luna with lewd eyes.”

Goblin Gorak chimed in.

“They’re just trash. Kerekk.”
“…That’s a bit harsh.”

The black tiger beastfolk, Luna, muttered.
Gorak pretended not to hear her murmuring.

“They hit us whenever they could. They boasted about their size. What a bunch of worthless trash. Kerekk.”

Gorak's eyes sparkled.
How bright could a goblin's eyes really get?

‘It's clear he’s in a good mood.’

The atmosphere brightened significantly.
Gorak's chatter dispelled the awkward air.

“Truly, the disobedient monk of Shaolin. You're not any less than an orc warrior.”
“Can I give it a lick?”

The lizardman Jade flicked out his long tongue.
I pushed him away, warning with sharp eyes.

“So what do we do now?”
“We’re planning to find team members and register for the Griffin Hunt match.”

Litol said.

“I’m not sure if we can find two.”
“What happens if we can’t?”
“…Then we’ll just find someone tomorrow…”

Did they expect me to wait until tomorrow when I didn’t even have enough money to eat right now?
That would be the worst.

‘There’s a good method for this, isn’t there?’

If they accepted me into the team, I could find an Earthling to fill the spots.
They would be in a position where they would be grateful to join such a shabby team, even if I handed them dung.

‘And then I’ll register for the Griffin Hunt match today.’

The Griffin would likely be weaker than the Giant Black Lager.
I wouldn’t particularly care who the team members were.

“Earthling? I’m a bit hesitant about that.”

When I shared my plan, Litol reacted negatively.

“Earthlings aren’t much help. It’s better to exclude them if possible.”
“Honestly, I think the difference won’t be much.”

It seemed that other team members also felt some reluctance towards me.

‘Honestly, anyone I bring would be better than Gorak the goblin…’

It was quite ironic.

“Let’s go with what Error Player said.”

At that moment, Scarlet stepped up.

“We don’t know how long we’ll have to wait. Just sitting around won’t guarantee that decent team members will appear.”

“……”
“Something like a Griffin should be huntable by our eight members. So, let’s accept whoever it may be as a team member.”

As Scarlet spoke, it felt like everyone complied.
It seemed she truly was the team leader.

“Well, Scarlet’s opinion does hold some weight. Considering the prowess Error Player displayed earlier, defeating Bolt in a single blow must mean it would work against the Griffin too.”
“Hmm.”

In agreement with Litol’s summary, Scarlet nodded.
Then she looked at me and said.

“Error Player. Go and bring your friend back.”

【Luck: 14】

Kim Min-seong was certainly reaping the benefits of luck.
Whether it was due to the effect of his luck stat or just pure coincidence, he couldn’t tell.

‘If luck had been 10, would Ryu-in have been able to meet him there? Wouldn’t someone else have started from my position?’

People tend to interpret good outcomes positively.

Kim Min-seong began to view all his experiences favorably.

— Earthlings have no potential. No matter how hard they struggle, they have no chance against those who smash mountains and pierce the sky.
— That’s why you can let go of any attachment to stats.

The advice from the ascenders was to distribute points primarily to luck.

— Collecting dust to form a mountain? Even if we gather it, it’s still dust. We can’t surpass a mountain.
— The only way to surpass a mountain is to pray for it to collapse on its own. The power that makes that miracle possible is luck.

Others didn’t even hear it.
Compared to uncertainty, certainty was what everyone cared about, and everyone was focused solely on physical stats.

That was only natural.
By raising strength by 1, they could defeat an opponent they couldn’t, and by raising agility by 1, they could evade attacks they couldn’t before.

What kind of lunatic would invest precious points in luck instead of gold?
It wouldn’t be easy, even with a knife to their throat.

But Kim Min-seong was different.
He firmly believed and followed the advice of the ascenders.

Why?
Because he had already tasted the power of luck, reaching a state where he believed it wholeheartedly.

He believed luck would lead him to the opportunity without doubt!

“…I’m hungry.”

Lee Soo-jeong muttered.
It wasn’t something meant for Kim Min-seong to hear, but they were close enough that he couldn’t help but catch it.

Having spent a sleepless night,
it was his first experience of sleeping rough, so resting comfortably was impossible.

The only consolation was seeing many players in a similar situation.
Gathering together as Earthlings, they let out sighs of relief while still thinking it was pathetic.

The two dragged their tired bodies toward the gladiator registration office.
As many Earthlings had realized the reality they couldn’t escape, a long line had formed at the registration office since dawn.

“With the Elimination Prevention option, it should be okay.”

I wasn’t honestly concerned about what Error Player might be up to.
I was so wrapped up in my thoughts about him.

If Lee Soo-jeong found out, she would probably look at me with contempt…
But who knows what anyone is thinking inside.

Would they be able to meet Error Player again in this vast city?
Unless coincidence piled upon coincidence, it seemed practically impossible.

The two looked over the bulletin board.
They searched for matches worth trying among those with Elimination Prevention options.

But nothing seemed easy.
Just then, a group passed by behind them.

“I never thought Bolt would die so easily. Ugh, damn it.”

Those who looked like Midgardians cursed as they panted heavily.

“Why the hell is that bastard? What’s his problem? Why did he keep trying to take us down?”
“I don’t know. Why bother thinking of a dead man?”
“I really don’t understand.”

As they cursed Bolt, it seemed they also felt fear toward the one who killed him.

“What I’m curious about is something else. Why did that jerk throw the first punch so aimlessly? That’s what I want to know. Damn.”
“Isn’t it obvious? That look on Scarlet when she was looking at that Murim guy was filthy.”

Interpersonal relationship issues between men and women.
Sometimes, a man’s pride can lead him to do absurd things.

It seemed that Bolt had rushed into a stronger opponent because of a woman named Scarlet.

“Ugh. Damn. If I’d known he was a Murim person, I wouldn’t have messed with him.”
“But he definitely looked like an Earthling.”
“Earthlings pretending to be Murim people wearing martial arts uniforms are a dime a dozen.”

Glancing over,
Kim Min-seong kept listening to their conversation.
It was obvious that he was doing so.

As he focused on them, Bolt’s team members, who were already worked up, directed their anger towards the Earthling Kim Min-seong.

“This damn bastard.”

They growled at him.
Yet they didn’t dare throw a punch.

“…Get lost!”

They bit their lips in frustration and endured.
Seeing Kim Min-seong, who looked somewhat awkward, they assumed he might be a dangerous person.

“……”

Kim Min-seong and Lee Soo-jeong, facing an excited bear, backed away slowly without turning their backs.
After widening the distance, they fled without looking back.

They ran in the opposite direction from that Midgardian group.
As they ran, they encountered a familiar face.

“Hey. Isn’t that you, Ryu-in?”
“Where?”

Lee Soo-jeong spotted Error Player, who was in the distance faster than Kim Min-seong.

“Ryu, Ryu-in!”

With steps heading towards Error Player lighter than ever,
It felt as if a baby taking its first steps was more desperate to find its mother than this.