Return Of The Strongest Player

"What the fuck was the point of choosing teams if they were going to split us apart, anyway?" Dino grumbled as he traversed through the desolate world in search of gemstones and his teammates.

It was truly suspicious how the Tower Administration had separated them.

'There has to be some hidden meaning behind this,' thought Dino, furrowing his brows as he simply walked and walked. He had no destination. He simply walked aimlessly, hoping to discover a gemstone.

He had already found one, which was loosely tucked in his pocket. It was slightly visible to lure others so that Dino could steal their gemstones. 

However, the strategy wasn't effective if he simply didn't find anyone.

Suddenly, after a few minutes of walking, Dino spotted someone in the distance. He was currently on the border of Level 3, almost inside Level 2 but not quite. In Level 2, the color of the soil changed drastically.

The darker hue of the soil proved that Dino was still in the territory of Level 3.

Someone, the person in the distance seemed to be within Level 2. With a determined expression and clenched fists, Dino rushed forward with the intent of stealing the gemstones that the person possessed.

One couldn't be indecisive about such matters. Becoming a player was much more important than respecting others, at least, to the newbies who would perish if they failed. The stakes were not mere failure, but death, too.

Since that was the case, one had to protect their lives and take the lives of others.

As Dino approached the figure in the distance, he quickly realized who he was. It was Neon, Heather's boyfriend. With a reserved expression and a face masked by a hood, he seemed incredibly shy.

Dino wondered how he'd reached so far in the Tutorial World.

With such a personality, he would've been killed during the initial stages. Unless, of course, his redeeming quality–such as raw power–surpassed the disadvantage. Shyness was welcome, but not in such absurd quantities.

At that point, it made you weak.

Dino's ideology was quite solid in this regard, as he lived in a world dominated by the powerful, who were always arrogant. Their personalities were always terrible, but there was one redeeming factor.

The rulers of his world were always concrete if they gave someone their word. Giving on your word was like a pledge or an oath to them. Their arrogance aside, they were a confident bunch who would go to the depths of hell to fulfill their word.

That was the person Dino wished to be.

A strong person, but also someone who kept their word. It was something not many people thought about, as simply lying was easier. However, Dino truly respected those in his old world, and wished to continue their ideologies.

Neon seemed to fit neither of these qualities. He wasn't confident, arrogant, and he didn't even speak a word, let alone keep it.

He was someone Dino found somewhat peculiar, but also a bit annoying.

However, one could not approach a potential ally with negative intentions. Dino approached Neon with a diplomatic expression. As the latter noticed the former, he waved lightly before letting out a sigh.

It seemed social interactions were something he loathed.

"Ah, you are one of… Heather's acquaintances?" Neon asked, bowing slightly. It seemed he was well-versed in manners. His bow was elegant, and projected the man in an entirely new light.

Dino was slightly impressed. One could judge a person's character solely through their social interactions. Some masked their true selves behind a thick veil, but even they were exposed after a while.

One could not fully mask their nature, no matter how much they tried.

"Yes," replied Dino, bowing in response. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept by his body, and blood gushed from his torso. Dino's eyes widened and he braced his core, forcing even more pain to assault his body.

That was unexpected.

There was a deep gash on his abdomen, leaking blood as if it were a fountain.

'Fuck…' A single word lingered in Dino's mind. He had been preoccupied with judging Neon's demeanor, and had lowered his guard. There wasn't a way in hell he could've expected such blatant hostility and murderous intent.

No, there wasn't any murderous intent in Neon's eyes.

There was nothing. 

They represented the abyss.

Instead, Neon gazed at Dino as if he were a bug. He didn't even consider him an equal, but a person he could squash under his feet. Dino noticed Neon's gaze was on the gemstone in his pocket.

He let out a faint chuckle. 'I guess the confidence that I could resist a potential looter will be the end of me.'

But he didn't want to die. He couldn't die.

Neon was powerful, and Dino could not guarantee a victory, judging by the sheer speed he possessed. However, Dino could potentially achieve a successful escape. That was what he planned.

The decision was made within milliseconds, and once the "one second" mark was crossed, Dino took off. 

It was cowardly. 

But he didn't wish to be confident and arrogant like those of his world. He simply wanted to keep his word. 

The latter was a trait worth adopting, while the former was stupidity.

The pain running across his body was excruciating, but Dino didn't mind it much. Perhaps it was due to the adrenaline rush, but the man felt he was in Heaven's embrace. It was a slightly blissful feeling.

'It's fucking lightheadedness,' Dino realized, quickly tying his gash while evading Neon's relentless barrage of attacks.

Dino felt like the pain was bearable, initially. Then, a sense of helplessness arose in his chest, to the point where death didn't seem too bad. Unfortunately, it was simply a case of lightheadedness, and if the man had succumbed, it would be the end of him.

Neon did not give two shits.

With a deadpan expression, he continued to strike endlessly, pressuring Dino.

Eventually, Dino ended up with his feet on the edge of a cliff.