Chapter 124: Dale's Poor Heart!

The last performance had been phenomenal. All around, there were echoes of heated discussions about it. This 'wild' team was ready for the next round. 

Everyone held their breath, ready to see some more insane fights. That's when the next opponents appeared amidst a glorious light. These two newcomers looked powerful and valiant. In fact, just the way they stood implied they were good fighters. 

They instantly noticed Josh by the side. But, instead of cowering, they nodded at him with a bright smile. There was no nervousness or gloominess whatsoever present on their faces. 

They looked so confident! Their backs were straight, and their shoulders squared. They began walking steadily toward the middle of the arena. That is when one of them pointed toward Josh. 

Instantly, the crowd became restless. Who had the guts to do such a thing? Instantly, they committed the challengers' appearances to mind.

- HypeIsReal: "Oh my god. I can't wait to see this. I'm so glad I'm here watching this, right now.!" 

- HellYeahBrother: "I pity the fools that are gone to the bathroom or to get more popcorn. This is gonna be EPIC! I'm not missing this!" 

The tension was palpable. Dale could be seen shifting his weight to prepare to go on the offensive. Yet, Josh remained unmoving and calm. 

That is when the guy pointing declared in a powerful voice: "Zebra! You're fucking awesome, and we're goddamn surrendering!" 

That is when they disappeared, as confidently as they came. Behind, they left a dazed crowd. That was it? Where was the earth-shattering fight? Where was the clash of the titans? Not there.

That's when one spectator summarized it well, with the eloquence of a true poet. 

- BruhMoment: "Bruh!" 

Yes, that was it. But, for a very short instant, this was the only word that could perfectly describe how they all felt.

Part of them was extremely disappointed, but part of them couldn't help but admire the surrendering team. They had at least the judgment necessary to recognize that they were outclassed. 

Dale couldn't help but sigh. "I guess no one will dare challenge us now. You scared them all with that earlier display. Because it finished so fast, we'll have to wait a bit too." 

"Oh, I see. Wake me up when you're done dealing with them then." Josh simply lay on the floor once more, closing his eyes. 

But he could still hear the shouts of the crowd. 

Some were trying to figure out what martial art had been displayed earlier. Martial art? What was that? Josh didn't know. 

Some were wondering if the earlier performance had tired him. Why? He had only been dodging an imbecile's attacks. He had seen worse. 

Some were trying to pierce the secret behind Josh's identity. They were searching for a level 20+ in the S-Rank guilds. He wasn't even an official Draconic member. 

Some were arguing over who would be top and bottom between the Zebra and the Tiger. How ridiculous! Zebra was always on top…wait…no, abort! 

It's at that moment that he decided to shut his earring, not be bothered anymore. Slowly he fell into a peaceful and relaxed slumber. Meanwhile, the others were definitely going crazy. 

- NotAStalker: "Did this man just start sleeping in the middle of a tournament while waiting for the next opponent?" 

- LetMeLickYourBerries: "The shocking fact is that I'm pretty sure he can just sleep, and they'll still win. Remember how Tiger went 1 V 2 before? This is amazing!" 

Dale remained there shaking his head. What was he supposed to do if a strong opponent showed up? Well, obviously wake Josh up…but would he dare?!

Somehow, he couldn't help but find himself stumped by this question. That's when the new opponents finally arrived. 

They glanced at the arena and instantly began sobbing softly. This would be the end of their tournament path. But then they noticed Josh. 

"Wait…Is he sleeping?!" A tinge of optimism could be sensed in their voices. Their eyes glowed with the light of hope. 

"Yes. Yes, he is. How about we agree not to fight in that general area?" Dale gestured toward the sleeping man. 

"Yes! Oh, yeah! We agree! HAHAHA, The Zebra won't fight us! We are so lucky!" They started cheering happily. 

"Do you guys think I'm not enough to take care of you?" Dale growled at them.

"Ah, no. But against you, even if we lose, we will go out proudly as warriors! We really want to avoid the same fate as…."

Dale then understood. This was truly relatable. Was there greater shame than to die from getting tripped? Probably, but it still was pretty bad, especially live. 

That is how three men politely greeted each other before they began violently clashing. To cope with the two, Dale was playing it safe and slowly getting used to their movements. 

Soon, they were driven to a corner. That's when he exploited a misstep from one to kill the other. After that, it became easy. Even in defeat, they were satisfied and smiling, for they had kept their dignity. 

That is when came cheers once more. 

- Ggrefyeh: "Tiger, you're amazing! You beat them up all by yourself!" 

- SellingBathWater: "Zebra, I'll give you some bathwater for free if you want! Heck, you can even join me inside, and I'll wash your big black stripes all over." 

- CuteLilia: "Zebra, you're the best! Sweet dreams, my prince! May you forever have peace and serenity?"

- BottomOfBikini: "Zebra, you're cool AF! You F-ing rock! How very daring of him!"

- BallsDeep69v69: "Here is a lullaby for you, Zebra! Oh, oh, oh,—"

Of course, the last guy got instantly banned and the music guy showed up afterward. 

Right now Dale was almost about to lose his mind. Why the Hell were they all fawning over Josh?! It wasn't that he was jealous, but— okay, that was a big fucking lie!

How was it that he paled in comparison to a man that was not doing a single thing? He looked completely dead on the floor! Sure, he had shown amazing skills in the previous fights. But…but!

Dale spent the next minutes pondering about life while sighing. What did he truly want in life? Why was this lack of recognition getting to him? 

He wasn't sure, but it would soon be all over as the last challengers were there. They saw Josh, were extremely understanding, and instantly moved to the side of the arena. 

It seems like words were now unnecessary. They would let the beast slumber as they would fight to the death. Fight, they did. Except that, they were pretty bad at it. Instantly, Dale got the upper hand. 

They outnumbered him, and yet they were the ones on the defensive. It looked quite ridiculous, but no one made fun of them. At least they were proudly showing their moves. 

This fight was so easy that Dale barely could even pay attention to what the crowd was saying.

- GoldfishForever(1month): "Go Tiger! Show them! Go, Tiger! Maul them to death and scoop their entrails out before slowly devouring them alive as they watch and—"

- StrategistForFun: "That's weird. These guys completely demolished their last opponents. Why are they so weak suddenly? Oh no!…" 

Wait, what?! As soon as Dale heard that, he began taking some distance. That's when they struck! Suddenly, their sluggish attacks became lightning fast. 

But Dale had somehow managed to defend himself urgently. That's how both of them missed, and he couldn't help but grin. But, the smile soon left his face. He had never been their target. 

They rushed past him and headed straight for the sleeping Josh! Oh god, no! He was going to be so mad! 

Dale ran after them, but it was already too late. Their stats were capped. There was no way he could physically possibly catch up. He silently did a prayer, wondering if he should hide to escape Josh's wrath. 

They finally reached him, went straight for the vitals of the sleeping man, and…tripped, impaling themselves on their own weapons. It's in great regret that they disappeared. But before they did, they heard Josh berating them. 

"You miscreants! No one, and I really mean no one, bullies this kid on my watch. Take your stinky asses away, and don't come back. Next time I see you, I'll suspend you on a pole by your scrotum and let you rot until you beg for the sweet embrace of death. But, it will never come for—"

No one heard the rest as Josh just went back to sleep. What the actual fuck?! Had he been seeping-walking? What had he seen in that dream of his? So many unanswered questions. 

- Noice: "Did you guys see how fast these dumbasses charged to their death? Wow, impressive! But seriously, whatever that was: Zebra Powaaaa!" 

- JustAStick: "I'm not sure which is worse. Him killing people in his sleep or the way he did it…Yeah, the second."

Dale just stood there, flabbergasted once more. Somehow, his heart had survived the blow, but his common sense had not. 

Was this real life, or was this fantasy? The enemies had been 'easy come, easy go.' Now, they were both dead. 

Right, this was VR. Still, what was up with this situation? Dale would just have to carry on and carry on, for nothing really mattered. 

He suddenly became serene as he gently laughed from the bottom of his heart. He'd just stop overthinking everything. 

Dale turned toward the audience and began bowing. He did it flawlessly, akin to a professional actor that had just delivered the goddamn best performance of his career. 

That is when everyone rose up, or so he pictured as the ovations were heard. So what if most were meant for Josh? It didn't matter one bit. 

But that's when everyone heard a loud exclamation. 

- TheProphet: "Oh my god, guys! Look at the current petition online! It's all from current tournament participants for Metropolis-C! This is insane!" 

What was it now?

Creator's Thought

I only learned later that there were assholes that tried disrupting my sleep. Talk about rude, am I right? Somehow it's the one point that impressed so many of them. In fact, it's really the same as everything else: a matter of experience. I remember when I first trained that. Let's just say I had lots of help, both from small and big creatures.