Virtual Fighter was also known as the most basic PVP action game since the game had no fields where players could roam aside from a lone arena.

There was no mana, and there were also no skills. Of course, there were also no potions or ability-enhancing items.

It was a PVP game where a player’s abilities would be put to the test.

Thanks to its simplicity, Virtual Fighter was regarded as the most realistic PVP game among all virtual reality games, and it was often used by players to determine who was better between them and their opponent.

The reason why Tae-Sung suggested Virtual Fighter was that he wasn’t confident of beating Jung Chi-Oh head-on in BNW because of the huge level gap between them.

He was Level 5 while Jung Chi-Ho was probably in the 200s.

In the first place, a proper duel between the two of them would be impossible since he would certainly die in one hit even if he received the balancing buff from the ‘Yustia Temple,’ which was the dueling arena of BNW.

It was also impossible for them to log in to their accounts here at the Platinum Boutique thanks to BNW’s complicated login process. Players usually found it difficult to access the game from anywhere else aside from their homes unless special arrangements were made beforehand.

‘I might not have a chance in BNW, but it’s going to be different if it’s in Virtual Fighter. I can win,’ Tae-Sung confidently thought.

Tae-Sung had a chance of winning since Virtual Fighter only factored a player’s natural combat sense and compatibility with virtual reality.

On top of that…

‘This bastard is no different from a piece of trash when compared to Master,’ Tae-Sung thought with a grin on his face.

Tae-Sung had a secret weapon hidden up his sleeve, which was the countless one-sided beating he had suffered under Deus.

“Hoho, you’re so weak, my disciple.”

“You punk! You’re wide open here! Kekekeke!”

“Can you even hunt a goblin when you can’t even beat an old man like me?”

Deus was fast and flexible, and he was powerful as well. He subdued Tae-Sung and turned the latter into a rag without even using a single speck of mana.

The only thing Tae-Sung could do was tear the hem of Deus’ robe.

“Oh? Impressive. You actually managed to rip the hem of my robe?”

However, he was strong enough to defeat someone like Jung Chi-Ho.

“Excellent. You will be able to crush most people with your current capabilities.” 

Deus’ compliment meant his combat sense had increased by a lot, and it gave Tae-Sung confidence he never had before.

Of course…

“T-Thank you, Master!” Tae-Sung exclaimed.

“However, my disciple…” Deus muttered.

“Yes, Master?” Tae-Sung asked in response.

“Do you really think that you’ll get off scot-free after ripping your master’s one and only robe like this?” Deus asked in a threatening voice.

“W-What do you mean by that, Master…?” Tae-Sung said nervously.

“Brace yourself, my disciple,” Deus warned.

“Ahhhhhk!” Tae-Sung cried out in agony.

He was mercilessly abused in return for tearing his master’s robe.

“Virtual Fighter…?” Jung Chi-Ho muttered.

“That’s right,” Tae-Sung said with a nod before adding, “I think it’s an excellent idea.”

“Hmm…” Jung Chi-Ho seemed hesitant.

“I think this will be the best way for us to decide who is the rightful owner of the Ogre. After all, Virtual Fighter is a fair game,” Tae-Sung said.

There was some logic to his words since the Ogre was a hyper capsule that transcended the capabilities of a regular capsule, and it was only obvious that the rightful owner of this capsule should possess the ability to use it to its full potential.

“Hmm…” Jung Chi-Ho scratched his chin as he hesitated.

‘What if this bastard is a top-ranker? Won’t I be beaten to a pulp?’ he thought.

Jung Chi-Ho could not simply agree to the offer since Tae-Sung could be a top ranker.

Smirk…!

Tae-Sung arrogantly smirked when he saw Jung Chi-Ho’s hesitation.

“Are you scared?” he asked.

“What did you say?” Jung Chi-Ho glared at him.

“I said, Are. You. Scared?” Tae-Sung emphasized each word.

Tae-Sung was obviously taunting him.

“If you’re scared, just go home quietly with your tail tucked in between your legs and stop salivating over someone else’s stuff,” Tae-Sung added while waving his hand in a dismissive manner.

“You bastard actually dares to…!” Jung Chi-Ho shouted in response. He then screamed in fury, “What do you take me for?! Alright, let’s have a go at it! I will beat you to a pulp!”

“Alright,” Tae-Sung replied with a nod and said, “It will be just one round. The loser has to give up on the Ogre.”

“Sure, let’s do that. Just don’t complain later, you bastard,” Jung Chi-Ho responded as he gritted his teeth while glaring at Tae-Sung.

It seemed that he had fallen hook, line, and sinker for Tae-Sung’s taunt.

“W-Wait a minute!” Cha Hye-Mi exclaimed.

“What?” Tae-Sung asked.

“Please come here for a second. Hurry up!” she exclaimed as she dragged Tae-Sung away.

***

“Have you gone crazy?” Cha Hye-Mi asked in a low voice.

“Me? No? I’m not crazy,” Tae-Sung replied, seemingly confused by her words.

“Mr. Tae-Sung”. Cha Hye-Mi started.

“Yes?” he replied.

“The Hyper Capsule Ogre already belongs to you. I’m telling you that it’s finalized. You do not have any reason to duel that scoundrel just because he is causing a scene. You are the only one who has something to lose since you will have to wait for 6 months before getting another Ogre, and…” Cha Hye-Mi’s said as her eyes suddenly sharpened before she continued, “That is as far as he is capable of doing even though he is the grandson of the chairman of the Sunghyun Group. Our head office does not really care about conglomerates like the Sunghyun Group. Our head office is more focused on taking care of players with 00 epic codenames.”

Hive Games Entertainment was the industry leader of the virtual reality industry, and even a giant conglomerate like the Sunghyun Group was bound to be small in front of a behemoth like Hive Games Entertainment. After all, the latter’s market cap was the sum of Microsoft and Apple’s market cap in the past.

“Really? I still want to do it, though,” Tae-Sung said and stubbornly refused.

“Mr. Tae-Sung!” Cha Hye-Mi exclaimed.

“I’m aware that I’m the only one who stands to lose something. I know,” Tae-Sung said.

Tae-Sung was not stupid. Since he had brought it upon himself, he knew that he would not be able to say anything if he ended up losing and the Ogre was taken away from him.

“However…” Tae-Sung muttered before saying, “I want to crush him.”

“You want to crush that scoundrel?” Cha Hye-Mi was taken aback.

“Yes,” Tae-Sung replied.

“Do you really have to do this? People avoid poop because they find it gross and not really because they are scared of it,” Cha Hye-Mi said.

“If I were to keep avoiding them, there would be no end to them,” Tae-Sung said.

“Huh?” Cha Hye-Mi muttered in surprise.

“People avoid poop because they find it disgusting. That is correct, but do you know what people with power do?” Tae-Sung asked.

“…?”

“They clean it off without dirtying their hands,” Tae-Sung said.

“W-What do you mean…?” Cha Hye-Mi was astounded.

“Avoiding it because it’s dirty means you are avoiding it because you feel that you stand to lose something from it. However, those confident that they won’t lose anything—in short, the really powerful people will bulldoze through it and crush it to pieces,” Tae-Sung said.[1]

“Crush it…” Cha Hye-Mi muttered.

“A powerful person obliterates anything that stands in their way regardless of whether it is a poop or soybean paste[2], and they go on their way,” Tae-Sung said.

“That sounds a bit unrealistic and idealistic…” Cha Hye-Mi darkly muttered.

Was it even possible to crush anything in one’s path?

The world wasn’t such an easy place.

“If you don’t have to ability to achieve something, they will call you a dreamer. But if you do, they will call you a revolutionist… something like that,” Tae-Sung said. Then, he looked straight into her eyes and said, “I won’t live my life bowing to others anymore, and I don’t wish to be trampled on any longer.”

“Ah…” Cha Hye-Mi gasped.

“No, it’s more like I just can’t stand those bastards who boss other people around just because they have some money. It’s only after crushing them will I be relieved of my frustration,” Tae-Sung said in a low but stern voice.

Why did he say that? It was all because he was a man who knew the pain and suffering of having everything he owned taken away from him by those with money and power.

“Go and crush that scoundrel’s head, then. I hope you crush him real good,” Cha Hye-Mi said.

“Of course I will,” Tae-Sung replied with a big smile.

***

“T-Then…” Oh Jun-Hwan stuttered while staring alternatingly between Tae-Sung and Jung Chi-Ho before continuing, “The match will be in Virtual Fighter, and it will be a winner-takes-all match. Both players will use super capsules for the match, and the loser shall forfeit their rights to the Ogre VR capsule. Do you both agree to these terms?”

“I agree,” Tae-Sung replied.

“Sure, I agree so let’s get it over with,” Jung Chi-Ho responded.

Their replies were different, but the meaning was the same.

“Just prepare the Ogre purchase agreement since there’s no way I’ll lose to a peasant like him,” Jung Chi-Ho confidently said.

He looked at Tae-Sung as if the former were an inferior species, but Tae-Sung did not fall for Jung Chi-Ho’s petty taunts.

‘I guess he will only come to his senses after being beaten to a pulp,’ Tae-Sung thought.

All of a sudden, Deus’ teachings popped up into his mind.

“My disciple, you are a human being so you shouldn’t waste time exchanging words with those worse than animals,” said Deus.

“Huh? What do you mean by that, Master?” asked Tae-Sung.

“Don’t bother talking to those worse than animals and just beat them to a pulp!” Deus exclaimed.

“Aha!” Tae-Sung exclaimed as well.

“Those worse than animals will only listen after receiving a good beating. Don’t forget that a beating is much more effective than a thousand words with those creatures. Give them a good beating first before trying to talk to them. Do you understand?” 

“Yes, Master!” 

In Tae-Sung’s eyes, Jung Chi-Ho was one of those creatures his master had described as worse than animals. As such, he no longer felt the need to exchange words with the latter. Rather, he would simply do what Deus had told him—he was going to give Jung Chi-Ho a good beating. A beating in real life was preferred, but things would certainly blow out of proportion as a consequence of that, so he had to settle for Virtual Fighter.

“Now, please enter your capsules,” Oh Jun-Hwan said.

Tae-Sung and Jung Chi-Ho respectively entered the black Raptor and red Ishuka capsules.

Then, the duel finally started.

It was a duel with the rights to the Hyper Capsule Ogre on the line.

***

Blink! Blink!

Tae-Sung and Jung Chi-Ho entered virtual reality when their respective capsules blinked, and they found themselves in the arena.

The arena looked plain. It was the size of half of a basketball court, and the floor was made out of ash-colored marble. The walls around them had an East Asian flair, and there was a wooden roof over their heads.

The arena looked like a training ground from a famous sci-fi movie.

[Welcome to the Virtual Fighter arena, Han Tae-Sung-nim.]

[Your current compatibility is 85.1%]

[Five minutes left till the duel starts!]

[Please select your character!]

The final message and the character selection screen popped up in front of Tae-Sung.

“See you after five minutes,” Jung Chi-Ho said with an arrogant smirk.

Tae-Sung ignored him.

‘Who should I play as…?’ Tae-Sung wondered as his eyes swept through the character selection screen.

Virtual Fighter was a fairly simple game. The players had to choose from twenty different characters with their respective specialties and weapons. The developer decided to implement characters into the game since they were certain that the game would end up turning into a messy brawl if they let the players use themselves as their character.

‘A blunt weapon user will be easier for me,’ Tae-Sung thought as he selected a Western male character wearing a policeman uniform.

The character’s name was ‘Kale,’ and Kale was a character modeled after a veteran LAPD police officer. Kale had excellent stats as befitting of a policeman, and he was pretty skilled at subduing his enemies as well.

‘I like his weapon, too,’ Tae-Sung thought.

Kale’s weapon of choice was a police baton that policemen used in real life.

Tae-Sung thought that Kale was the perfect fit for him since he was also using a blunt weapon in BNW.

‘That’s right, let’s go with Kale…’ 

Tae-Sung extended his hand and tapped on Kale’s portrait.

Fwoooosh…!

A surge of graphics flew toward Tae-Sung and changed his appearance into Kale’s.

The whole process felt like someone had used a skill on him.

The player did not become the character they picked in Virtual Fighter. Instead, the game system would combine both of their identities so that each player would retain their unique identity in the game.

[Han Tae-Sung-nim has chosen ‘Kale’ as their character!]

[Han Tae-Sung-nim is ready for combat!]

On the other hand, it seemed that Jung Chi-Ho was done making his choice as well.

[Jung Chi-Ho-nim has chosen ‘Hitokiri’ as their character!]

[Jung Chi-Ho-nim is ready for combat!]

The character Jung Chi-Ho chose, Hitokiri, was a character modeled after a vicious Japanese Yakuza, and Hitokiri’s main weapon was a sharp katana.

[Player 1, ready!]

[Player 2, ready!]

The character selection screen disappeared when they selected their characters.

[Both players.]

[Please face each other.]

[Bow.]

Jung Chi-Ho motioned with his chin while Tae-Sung roughly nodded in response.

[Both players, ready!]

[The match will start in 5 seconds!]

[5…]

[4…]

[3…]

[2…]

[1…]

[Ready… Fight!]

The barrier separating the two disappeared as soon as the countdown ended.

“Die! You fucking bastard!” Jung Chi-Ho screamed as he charged at Tae-Sung with his katana tightly gripped in his hands.