The Spoon Villain Is Obsessed with the Hero Again Today - Chapter 88



Even Without Alcohol (6)

Before the start of the 2nd round, during the intermission. Rashid had just returned to the player waiting room after finishing his match.

“Hey, kid!”

Thud─!

Instead of the thunderous applause I expected when the door opened, I was met with Kang Tae-hoon’s fierce kick.

“What were you thinking, ending the match with a knockout from the start?”

“Huh?”

“It’s not ‘huh’!”

“Grrr?”

“If you say ‘grrr’ one more time with that body, I’ll really kill you….”

Rashid tilted his head, wondering why Kang Tae-hoon was suddenly angry. Hadn’t they won the match? Was something else going on that he didn’t know about?

Rashid looked around the waiting room to assess the situation.

“Where’s Shin Yoon-seong?”

Shin Yoon-seong was nowhere to be found. Only Kang Tae-hoon was present when Rashid returned to the waiting room.

Where had Shin Yoon-seong gone?

“I-I’m going to throw up, so I’ll just go to the bathroom for a bit.”

Kang Tae-hoon hastily lied, remembering Shin Yoon-seong’s words not to tell anyone else.

Something about moving together and the risk of being discovered…

“I won! I won the underdog bet!”

At that moment, a rabbit burst into the waiting room. It was Yoo Ji-woo. He was hopping around excitedly as if something good had happened.

“Rock! You did really well! Thanks to you, I got 2.7 times the payout for free!”

“Oh.”

“Hehehe… Now, what should I buy with this prize money?”

Yoo Ji-woo grinned widely, lost in happy thoughts. It seemed he had won big in gambling.

“Hey, kid. You don’t have money to buy bread, but you have money to gamble? Don’t tell me you bet on my match too?”

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“Of course, I bet on the second round too. These event matches are only fun if you bet money on them.”

“So, who did you bet on?”

“Lloyd Hintz. He was the underdog, so I just dipped my toes in.”

“…”

Even though his teammate was right in front of him, he boldly admitted to betting on the opposing team. Who could just let that slide?

Kang Tae-hoon shouted loudly, veins bulging in his neck.

“Are you out of your mind? Betting on the opponent? What the hell are you doing? Are you really on the same team as me?”

*

Anyway, it was time, so Kang Tae-hoon stepped onto the stage.

─Boo!

The match hadn’t even started yet, but the boos were already pouring in. They were all aimed at Kang Tae-hoon. It seemed to be coming from the away section.

─….

In contrast, the home team stands were very quiet. There wasn’t even any applause, let alone cheers.

“Where is the home team…?”

Well, he didn’t expect any support in the first place. Everything was as expected.

The students from Han Yul Academy sitting in the home team stands were probably secretly hoping for Kang Tae-hoon’s defeat.

That was Kang Tae-hoon’s current position.

“Huff… Huff… Finally, I can knock you down…”

Just then, his opponent, Lloyd Hintz, also stepped into the ring. As Shin Yoon-sung had said earlier, he didn’t look to be in good shape.

“Ugh…!”

He was not only gasping for breath but also occasionally clutching his chest in pain. That wasn’t all. Dark red spots had appeared on his skin, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He looked almost like a rabid animal.

“Hey. Are you okay? Shouldn’t you be going to the emergency room instead of being here? I can recommend a good place for you.”

“Shut up!”

Bang─!

Lloyd swung his greatsword, which was as big as his own body, with great force. But Kang Tae-hoon was not someone who would easily lose his spirit because of that.

Instead, he felt even more mischievous.

“Looking at you, it seems like you’ve taken some drugs again. What did you pick up this time? Don’t just pick up and eat anything. You might get a stomachache.”

“I told you to shut up… Aaaaargh…!”

Lloyd stopped talking midway and clutched his head in pain.

It couldn’t be that he suddenly got sick overnight. It seemed like he was suffering from the side effects of the drugs.

It definitely didn’t seem like a simple drug. It was highly likely to be a stimulant that amplified magical power, as expected.

If by any chance his body went on a rampage… there would be nothing more troublesome than that.

─Hints! Beat that bratty girl to a pulp!

The audience, unaware of this fact, was just excitedly chattering.

It couldn’t be helped. Unlike Kang Tae-hoon, they were sitting far away in the audience seats. They had no time to check Lloyd’s health condition.

“Huff… Huff….”

“Hey. Are you really okay? Can you even swing your sword properly in that state? How about just forfeiting?”

Lloyd glared. Right now, the only thing Lloyd wanted was victory in the evaluation match. For that, he even took the stimulant handed to him by a stranger.

He didn’t care if his body broke down tomorrow. If he could just flatten that damn Kang Tae-hoon’s nose, he would even give his heart to the devil.

To Lloyd, pride was a value more important than life itself.

“I’ve always been thinking… of the day I would get my revenge on you…!”

“Revenge? Anyone would think I beat you up for no reason. Who was the one who acted up in front of me first?”

“Shut up…!”

“Anyway, your behavior hasn’t changed from then to now.”

In fact, Kang Tae-hoon was in no position to say such things. Who was Kang Tae-hoon? He was someone who would throw a punch the moment he felt even slightly offended.

Kang Tae-hoon also had a time when he was thirsty for revenge like Lloyd. It wasn’t far off, it was just this year. The target was Shin Yoon-seong.

Well, now he somehow ended up on the same team as Shin Yoon-seong and was playing an evaluation match against the Yankees.

“Fine. Do whatever you want with your revenge. But it won’t be as easy as you think.”

As the time approached, Kang Tae-hoon also raised his sword.

Whatever it was, he needed to keep Lloyd tied down for now. He didn’t have to win. He just needed to buy some time.

Even if Lloyd went on a rampage, it didn’t matter. Anyway, the target was focused on him. As long as he held out well, the audience wouldn’t be harmed.

If he could just hold Lloyd down throughout the match, Shin Yoon-seong would take care of the rest.

Honestly, I don’t trust him at all, but for now, I have no choice but to do as Shin Yoon-seong says….

“…Wait.”

At that moment, Kang Tae-hoon frowned. A question flashed through his mind.

“Come to think of it, why should I follow that bastard’s words?”

*

Before seriously looking for the quack, I first went to the stadium control room.

─Stop the game? What kind of nonsense is that?

Just in case, I asked if they could cancel the game, but they didn’t listen to me. It was only natural. There was no proper reason.

In the end, to stop the game, I had no choice but to come back with direct evidence.

Anyway, I had to catch the quack. I decided to send a spoon flying to search the entire audience.

“…”

I roughly know his face. He has a likable appearance that anyone would think of as a salesman. It’s not a common face, so there’s no chance of confusion.

Whirrrrr─

─Waaaaaah!

In the meantime, the second round of the game started. Kang Tae-hoon’s saber and Lloyd’s great sword clashed, making a tremendous noise.

“By the way, where is that guy…?”

I scanned the audience with the spoon, but it was hard to find the quack.

Could it be that he didn’t even enter the stadium?

“Oh, fancy meeting you here.”

At that moment, I heard a man’s voice in the middle of the hallway. When I turned around, wasn’t it the quack I was looking for?

“I don’t know if you remember, but we met once at a bar.”

Whether he knew he was walking into a trap or not, the quack approached me with a friendly face.

“I heard you’re participating in the final round. So I thought I’d recommend something that might help.”

Not only did he appear in front of me, but he also directly offered me the medicine. Contrary to his appearance, he was quite a foolish guy.

“Is it free?”

“Yes, it’s a sample I’m giving you to try.”

The quack turned his head to the screen installed in the hallway.

“Do you see that? Lloyd Hintz overwhelming Kang Tae-hoon.”

In terms of the flow of the game, Lloyd was slightly ahead. He was pushing the famous Kang Tae-hoon with his strength.

“You can be like that too. If you have this medicine, that is.”

The peddler shook the ziplock bag. I decided to play along for now.

“Quite tempting.”

“Oh, in that case, right away….”

“Before that.”

I took out my smartphone, fixing the camera lens on him.

“Just one shot. Just stand there holding the medicine.”

“What? Why a photo all of a sudden….”

“I’ll count. One, two, three.”

“Cheese.”

Click─!

With this, I secured the evidence. The photo clearly captured the peddler’s smiling face and the medicine he held.

Smartphone cameras these days have excellent resolution.

“Um… what exactly is going on….”

The smile he had earlier vanished, and the peddler began to sweat. He must be quite flustered, having a camera lens shoved in his face in the middle of a deal.

But this isn’t the end.

Thud─!

Soon, the spoon that had been sent to the audience seats was back in my hand.

There was only one thing to do with this spoon right now.

“First, take a hit.”

“Pardon…?”

The cause of this situation, to give him a bump on the head.