LOST FIGHT

Ding, ding, ding

[New hidden mission! Become the king of the school! Defeat Cheo Gunner and end his reign of tyranny within the school: 10 additional points upon completing the mission]

'What the hell?'

Robert, who had been curious to see the outcome of this fight (obviously in Ijin's favor), was surprised by the sudden mission the system had launched.

Why the hell did he have to get involved in this fight?

At first, Robert thought that associating with the main characters of various stories would be beneficial.

Then, after learning about the insane strength one of these characters had, he decided to be a bit more cautious.

Although his current strength was nothing to scoff at, he didn't know if getting involved with the main characters of a story hastily would bring more pros than cons.

It was well known that nothing ventured, nothing gained, but that didn't mean he would throw his life away stupidly.

Although he had, to some extent, the support of the South Korean military, he wasn't naive enough to think they would let him do whatever he wanted and clean up any mess he made.

That's why he wanted to see, as a test, what punishment Ijin would face from the military for getting into a fight like this.

He would evaluate if he would receive any kind of punishment or if they would let it slide.

Based on that, he would decide if he could get involved with politicians, criminals, and thugs, which seemed to be the cliché of this world.

And Ijin beating the redhead to a pulp was part of his plan!

But how?

That was due to the information the system had provided when it analyzed Gunner.

[Cheo Gunner-Human race: He is a main character from the manhwa 'Silent War'. As a child, he suffered from many hardships. When he was 7 years old, his father left, taking his older sister with him. Since then, Gunner stayed living with his mother, showing rebellious behavior. Gunner has shown abnormal physical strength, which has attracted the interest of several criminal groups, especially the group working with Congressman Kim, Hee-jin's father. His goal is to reunite his family, no matter what he has to do to achieve it.]

[Age: 19; MP: 00; HP: 10; STR: 35; AGI: 30; VIT: 50; INT: 15; PERC: 15]

Since Robert knew Gunner was on the radar of a criminal group, and that this group was the same one in league with the father of the girl bullying Ijin's sister, a plan formed in his mind.

He hoped Ijin would beat the redhead, thus attracting the attention of the criminal group trying to recruit him. He didn't know if there was anyone as strong as Anna Jin among those gangsters, so he would use Ijin as bait to face them.

And why let the teenage mercenary take the credit?

The reason was that, for our protagonist, this criminal group was very likely related to the criminal organization led by the late Kang Sun, the father of Kang Seth and the husband of Anna Jin.

From the little information he had obtained the day before (courtesy of an intelligence officer he had more than satisfied while in the army), he knew that almost all the underworld groups were under the shadow of Sunshine Corp.

Although it was a remote possibility, perhaps the head of that company, or even Anna Jin, might intervene. If that were true, Ijin would be directly involved with that monstrously strong woman! And if that happened, not even the light-haired boy could face her, as his stats were nowhere near hers.

[Yu Ijin-Human race: He is a main character from the manhwa 'Mercenary Enrollment'. Since the age of 9, he has undergone inhuman training by the paramilitary group 'IRON' to create the best mercenaries in the world. He is currently under the custody of the South Korean military while reintegrating into society and his family.]

[Age: 19; MP: 20; HP: 30; STR: 60; AGI: 50; VIT: 70; INT: 35; PERC: 30]

Therefore, at least for now, it was necessary not to cross paths with Anna Jin, at least not until he far surpassed Ijin's stats. He would keep a low profile until that happened.

However, the system was throwing all this planning out the window!

Why the hell was the system doing this?!

"STOP!"

Robert shouted, drawing the attention of everyone present, even the two guys who were about to beat each other up.

"What the hell does that guy want?" - David, Gunner's friend, spoke irritably.

"What the hell does that idiot want now? Does he want to save his friend?" - The girl responsible for all this, Hee-jin, shouted angrily.

"L-Lee sunbae" - Dayun, her face full of tears, looked at our protagonist with a slight glimmer of hope.

Everyone started whispering while looking at our protagonist with strange eyes.

'Ah, damn, here we go'

Robert sighed internally as he began walking towards where Gunner and Ijin were standing.

Right now, he was thinking about the message that damn old man left him in the system the same day it activated:

... The system you have is garbage, just use it as an interface to see information. Although it will never go against you, it will only be useful in certain circumstances. Good luck hahaha.

If he took those words as true, the system wasn't screwing him over right now. So, why wasn't he following his cautious thoughts?

'Wait, could it be that...?'

"What do you want, Robert?" - Ijin, with his characteristic calm, asked our protagonist.

"Ah, friend, I recommend you don't do this" - Robert approached Ijin and spoke to him softly as if he were whispering.

"Hey, I don't know what the hell you want, new kid, but this has nothing to do with you"

Gunner frowned, seeing how he was practically ignored.

Ijin looked directly at our protagonist and could see that there were no jokes or gags in his expression. Although only seven months had passed together, Ijin had come to know the guy who came from another dimension more or less.

Yes, he was a carefree guy who sometimes got into trouble, especially with women. However, he only showed seriousness on his face when it came to important things.

In various trainings and matters concerning the military, sometimes Robert had a better perception than him!

It wasn't for nothing that the army valued him greatly, not only for his strength but also for his abnormal mind capable of solving extremely complex problems. That's why Ijin didn't need more words to know there had to be a good reason for Robert to be stopping him.

He didn't think it was because this guy named Gunner could beat him since he was sure that, despite being very strong, he didn't have enough strength to do so.

There had to be something Robert noticed, so he decided it was better to stop this and stay close to Dayun.

"Hahaha, look Dayun, in the end, your brother turned out to be a coward hahaha."

Hee-jin started mocking as she saw Ijin retreat and stand next to his sister.

Everyone started to look disappointed as they thought they had lost the chance to see a good fight.

"You're making this harder" - Gunner grew tired of waiting and started walking toward Ijin - "Like I said, sorry for you, but you don't decide if this stops."

However, Gunner stopped halfway, just when he crossed paths with Robert.

Robert raised his hand and pressed the redhead's chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"Well, friend, it seems you have something to do, but sorry for you, but you don't decide if this goes on, not while I'm here"

Robert spoke in a relaxed tone, with a small smile on his face.

This was clearly a provocation towards the redhead since he was using his own words!

No one, in all of high school, had ever dared to talk to him like that!

"I'll give you five seconds to get lost, idiot" - Gunner, visibly irritated, muttered.

"And I'll give you three seconds to drop this stupidity and go back to your friends. Believe me, you don't want to do this."

Everyone who had gathered, thinking they wouldn't see a good fight, widened their eyes at those words!

"And here I thought that idiot was just a pretty face; seems like he's got balls" - David scoffed - "But he turned out to be an idiot for thinking he could take on Gunner."

"Gunner, hit that idiot already and don't waste time, remember your target is Dayun's brother!"

Hee-jin, visibly exasperated, shouted impatiently. Not only was the beating meant for the guy who hit her brother being delayed, but the guy who had spoken rudely to her was getting involved in her business again.

"O-Oppa, we need to help Lee sunbae!"

Dayun, who had calmed down a bit upon seeing her brother return, was now a bit anxious about what could happen to her brother's companion.

Even though Ijin had told her they weren't exactly friends, they had lived together for more than half a year, making him someone to value.

"Calm down, Dayun, nothing will happen to him" - Ijin responded to his sister with a smile, then turned back to look seriously at him. 

'What the hell are you trying to do, Robert?'

Though he had stopped him from fighting, now he was directly provoking the red-haired boy.

He wanted to be the one to fight! Gunner, already annoyed by Hee-jin's request, couldn't take this situation any longer and without saying anything, quickly threw a punch straight at our protagonist's face, hitting him squarely!

Bam

Everyone fell silent when they saw this!

What everyone expected to see did not happen. They all thought that punch, which connected directly with Robert's jaw, would be enough to knock him out completely.

In all of Gunner's fights, whenever his punch connected with his opponent's head, they would fall regardless of how big or strong they were!

However, this was not what happened this time.

Robert, who had taken half a step back, hadn't even turned his head, looking directly at the redhead, who watched him with surprise on his face!

"You threw the first punch, so don't blame me afterward. I wanted to resolve this without violence"

Baam!

Moving his fist quickly, like a gust of wind, Robert delivered a direct punch to Gunner's stomach, causing him to double over and fall to one knee!

The redhead was left gasping for air while his body seemed to tremble!

"What the hell?!" - David's eyes widened at the sight of this.

Not just him, but everyone in Gunner's group was the same!

This was something that had never happened!

Everyone was once again surprised by what they were now seeing.

If it was already surprising that the newly transferred boy had stopped Gunner's punch with his jaw, the fact that he could take him out with a single blow was something they never thought they'd see!

"Friend, I told you this wouldn't end well."

Baam!

With another punch, Robert hit Gunner's head, causing him to fall to the ground!

"At least not for you" - Robert said, then turned and began walking towards where Ijin was standing.

Silence, everyone remained silent!

"Gunner!" - Sophie, who was equally shocked, wanted to run to the redhead but was held back by her friend.

"Hey" - Ijin suddenly spoke.

"I know" - Robert replied - "It would be boring if this ended this way."

"Haaaagh! Bastard!"

Suddenly, with a horrible scream, Gunner got up and charged at Robert!

"Heavens! I thought Gunner was knocked out!"

"Damn, I thought I was going to lose the money I bet!"

"It seemed strange to me that Gunner was defeated that way!"

Everyone began to get excited as they saw the redhead, similar to an enraged beast, pounce on Robert and start throwing several punches and kicks.

"Shit… and here I thought Gunner had lost" - David smiled nervously after seeing his friend react.

"No… if you look closely, it seems like he's already lost."

"Huh? What the hell are you saying?"

Suddenly, a voice was heard behind Gunner's group, making them turn for a second to see who was saying such nonsense.

They were surprised to see that the person was Ki-soo, Hee-jin's older brother!

"B-Brother, what are you saying?"

Hee-jin, who had a mini heart attack seeing Gunner on the ground, spoke anxiously.

"Hee-jin, I won't tell you that you screwed up big time by asking Gunner to fulfill your whim, as Father will be furious" - Ki-soo glanced at his sister, then continued watching the fight - "But this is worse than you imagine, look closely."

Everyone, including Gunner's group, knew that Ki-soo could do whatever he wanted at school, not just because of his parents' background. He was strong, very strong compared to other students.

Even David had received a beating from Ki-soo when he provoked him too much, without Gunner doing anything about it because he had asked for it. Only Gunner was above Hee-jin's brother. That's why they didn't think this guy was talking nonsense.

When everyone saw the fight, they began to realize what Ki-soo was trying to say.

Bam!

Boom!

Thud!

"Curse you! Die already!"

Everyone saw Gunner in a frenzy, throwing strong and fast punches with both his fists and legs, surprising everyone's minds. This was Gunner at his peak!

However, what surprised everyone was that despite the wild state the redhead was in, he couldn't land a single blow on his opponent! With quick arm movements, Robert managed to intercept Gunner's punches and kicks, deflecting them and making him lose strength and balance.

Gunner, desperate over this, continued to explode in fury!

'Wow, it seems like with each passing second he gets angrier, his strength increases a bit more, that's something new… let's see what's happening with his stats'

Robert, who had been controlling the pace of the fight until now, noticed this peculiar fact.

[HP: 10 -> HP: 8]

[STR: 35 -> STR: 36]

'Huh? What the hell? Is he increasing his strength at the expense of his HP? Is that even possible?'

Robert was surprised to see this happening, as it went against any rule! It's well known that HP in video games is the amount of life one has, and while you can have a lot of it, it couldn't be transformed into [Strength] points for any reason.

That was very sneaky!

'This is interesting… I think I know why the system wanted me to have this fight'

Robert smiled slightly upon learning this fact. However, this smile made Gunner, who was already half-crazy, even more furious!

'Don't mock me, you son of a bitch!'

[HP: 8 -> HP: 6]

[STR: 36 -> STR: 37]

'Wow, his strength went up again... but if he keeps this up, he'll run out of HP and die like an idiot, which would be bad for me.'

Slash

Dodging another punch from an enraged Gunner, Robert quickly positioned himself behind him and, with a swift movement, struck the redhead on the nape of his neck.

Bam!

This blow, unlike the one he had previously used to knock him down to provoke him, contained enough force to truly knock him out.

"D-Damn... t-this isn't..."

Gunner, who felt his legs weaken, fell to his knees, then completely to the ground. Unlike the other blow to his head that only stunned him a bit, he now felt his consciousness slipping away.

With the last of his strength, he tried to look at the boy who had defeated him, only to see him standing, staring at him with indifferent eyes, which frustrated the redhead even more.

"Damn... I lost... I'm sorry... mother... I'm sorry."

With a final breath, Gunner, who had been the unbeatable bully of the school and had even attracted the interest of gangsters, was defeated!

"WOOOH!"

"Holy shit! Gunner was defeated!"

"Damn! This can't be true! I lost my bet!"

"Th-This can't be... Did Gunner lose? How?" – Hee-jin's face was deathly pale as if she had seen a corpse rise from its grave.

"I knew it... those two transfer students are not normal at all" - Ki-soo clenched his fists at this incredible outcome.

"GUNNER!!" – Sophie, now truly scared, broke free from her friend's grip and ran to her fallen boyfriend.

David, Darryl, and Kyu also ran toward their red-haired friend, but they looked more anxious than Sophie, knowing their reign of doing whatever they wanted at the school was over.

Our protagonist stood still for a moment, then walked toward Hee-jin. "N-No, don't come near me! Stay away!"

Hee-jin tried to back away as she saw Robert approaching, but her legs betrayed her, and she fell on her rear.

"Damn... I told you your whims would get you into trouble!"

Ki-soo gritted his teeth in fury and resignation and stepped in front of his sister, blocking Robert's path.

He knew that the boy named Ijin, who had beaten him up, hadn't even tried hard to fight him. Now, seeing the other transfer student defeat Gunner, Ki-soo realized he had it easy.

These two were real monsters! But despite knowing the guy in front of him could easily give him the beating of his life, he had to defend his capricious sister somehow.

"Hey kid, calm down, I'm not going to hit you or anything like that. I'm not Gunner, who hits people at someone else's whim"

Robert stood in front of Ki-soo and spoke calmly but loudly enough for everyone gathered to hear.

"I know you all thought you could do whatever you wanted in this school, but that ends now," Robert looked over Ki-soo's shoulder and directly at the girl on the ground. "I don't want to hear about you bothering Dayun or any other girl again, or you and your brother will suffer"

Hee-jin, now filled with fear, tightly pressed her lips together, feeling utterly powerless! Slowly, Robert approached Ki-soo, who was visibly anxious and whispered something. This time, it was in a tone loud enough for only the two siblings to hear.

"If you try to involve your father in this matter, I will personally ensure not only his political career but also the gangster ring he manages in the shadows are destroyed. Don't think the deals you have with Prosecutor Choi are well-hidden, understood?"

Both siblings widened their eyes upon hearing these words, as it was something only very few people knew!

'Damn... we're screwed now... and it's all your damn fault, Hee-jin.'

Ki-soo could only mentally regret, knowing his sister's whims had collided with something that was truly screwing them over.