Recruiting Brawler X

The towering human behemoth, whose bulging muscles lay concealed beneath his skin, continued his relentless assault on the monstrous creature. Seizing the beast by the neck, the powerful stud snapped its head off, decapitating it with a resounding thud

Sporting a savage, wide grin that bared his teeth, Brawler X pulverized creatures into a meaty paste with a colossal hammer, laughter reverberating through the air.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

His companion, more composed, stood at a modest height of 5'6", displaying impressive agility. Thanks to his relatively slender build, he weaved through the horde of creatures, delivering colossal blows that shattered bones throughout.

However, what captivated Gabriel's attention, as he observed their meticulously coordinated teamwork, was the…

'How did both of them acquire treasure so fast?'

It should be noted that even his group possessed only the [Flaming Sword of Annihilation], underscoring the rarity of obtaining such treasures.

But…

These two before him possessed more than one weapon.

Staring at the brawny figure, Gabriel could see that aside from the imposing sledgehammer, Brawler X also carried a broad shield on his back. Meanwhile, his companion wielded a pair of daggers in his hands, with several more securely fastened all over his body.

"Their luck must be remarkably good, I suppose."

Perhaps if Gabriel had focused solely on slaying beasts and leveling up, similar to what Brawler and his companion were doing, he might have managed to acquire more than one treasure.

Pulled from his musings by the thunderous sound and Brawler X's laughter, Gabriel continued to watch them, but soon noticed something peculiar.

The name floating above Brawler X.

Until now, he had only seen holographic names hovering above monsters. He had yet to come across one above a player, until now.

Why wasn't it the same with other players? Gabriel wondered before a spark of enlightenment flickered in his eyes.

The reason Brawler had his name floating above his head was because the muscular student had crossed the threshold for beginners, prompting the system to provide an option to input his player alias.

Gabriel arrived at this conclusion with a simple thought.

No sane person would name their son Brawler X; therefore, the name could only be self-given.

'I must say, though, did he name himself based on his personality?'

Gradually, the monsters fell one by one as the duo continued to dispatch them with relative ease. Over a hundred creatures lay on the ground, but their defeat seemed to exert little effort on the duo's faces.

Brawler dropped to the ground, taking a seat atop a slain creature.

"Huff! What a fight!"

At the side, Gabriel raised an eyebrow as he noticed something.

Unaware, Brawler pulled out a water bottle from a heavily laden bag, presumably containing essential survival equipment, and began to drink unceremoniously.

But his face twisted into a frown the next moment as he jumped up from his seat.

The creature he had been sitting on was still alive.

Stepping back, Brawler unleashed the wrath of his massive hammer upon the creature.

Kaboom!

Fragments of the creature's flesh splattered everywhere.

His companion frowned

"That's why I've been telling you, always keep your eyes open!"

"But my eyes were open."

"Ugh! What I meant is to be careful, damn it."

"Luckily, that thing didn't bite into my butt."

"That would have been great."

"Uh, why would you say that, brother?"

"That would have taught you a lesson so that next time, you would act with caution. I meant the ground is right beside you, but you chose to sit on the damn beast."

"Well, it wasn't my fault that my butt desperately needed a cushion."

"Well, your butt would have been just fine on the ground."

Observing them, Gabriel eventually spoke, their entire conversation chipping away at his patience.

"Excuse me!"

Gabriel frowned; this was the third time he had spoken, yet the two were still engrossed in their 'butt' conversation.

"Would you two shut up!"

"Huh?"

Both brothers turned their attention to Gabriel simultaneously.

"Now I have their attention."

"President! It's President Gabriel!"

Of course, they recognized him immediately. There wasn't anyone in the university who didn't know who Gabriel was.

"You're alive! I knew if anyone could survive in this world, it would be you."

Brawler wore a smile on his face as he approached Gabriel, arms open wide for a hug.

Swiftly, Gabriel stepped back, causing the muscular student to crash through the wall and burst out on the other side.

'What have I gotten myself into?'

Gabriel shifted his gaze back to the other student, who possessed a slim but muscular frame and light gray eyes.

"I assume he's your brother?"

From the looks of things, this one seemed more sensible.

"Forgive me, senior. He's still just a kid, albeit an overgrown one. I'm his elder brother. It's nice to meet you, President Reyes."

"The president is no longer necessary. You can call me just Gabriel. By the way, what's your name?"

"My, my… my name…"

Gabriel watched as the student stammer while speaking.

"Are you okay? Take a deep breath."

"I'm fine. It's just that I never thought a day would come when you would ask a lowly student like me for his name."

'Of course, I'm doing that because I see you as a valuable addition to my group.'

Gabriel didn't voice this thought, however, as he regarded the student neutrally.

"It's okay; you can speak."

"My name is Aiden Lee, a second-year engineering student, and I'm 25 years old."

Although Gabriel had specifically asked for his name, he appreciated the additional information and went straight to the point.

"Are you affiliated with any group?"

"Affiliated?"

"You and your brother, are you part of any survival group?"

With the merging of the game world and reality, Gabriel was well aware that there were others like him who would try to form groups for the sake of increased survival chances.

"No, we are loners."

"How about you join me?"

"I… I?"

A loud groan escaped from the pile of dislodged bricks as Brawler X staggered to his feet.

"Why should we join you?"

Aiden seethed:

"What are you doing, you dumb skull?"

"Stop!"

Brawler X raised a hand, silencing his elder brother. With his shiny bald head, he approached Gabriel.

"Give us a reason to follow you."

Aiden frowned.

"He was the first one in history to create a skill. Isn't that reason enough?"

"But we still haven't seen him in action. You want us to entrust our lives to someone we're not sure can protect us."

A knowing glint suddenly flashed in Aiden's eyes.

"You want to fight him, don't you? And if I'm right, even that hug was a test."

Gabriel remained silent, observing the brother duo.

To be frank, what Brawler had asked was logical. Just because he was an extraordinary figure who served as a role model to countless students in the past, it didn't mean he was the most reliable person to entrust their lives to.

This was a new world, and in this world, everyone sought to follow someone formidable, someone who could guarantee their safety.

To hell with a good reputation!

Still, Gabriel continued to scrutinize the brothers.

'I could be wrong. It's possible that this thrill-seeking bastard just wants to fight me for fun. Gabriel deduced as much from their conversation.'

"Why do you want to fight him?"

Aiden was about to continue when Gabriel interrupted.

"It's okay. I'm curious to face a level 20 player myself."

"21,"

Brawler corrected, holding his head high. His broad nose seemed to expand even further.

"Senior, you don't have to do this."

Aiden didn't want Gabriel's glamorous image to crumble beneath the overwhelming level of his brother.

But it was too late because the white haired youth already made his mind up. Now, the two players stood face to face, but Gabriel stood a head taller than Brawler. The muscular youth wore a barbaric grin, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Since you're someone I really look up to, I'll give you a small advantage, okay?"

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flickering within them.

"Are you underestimating me?"

Being underestimated could be advantageous in some cases, but Gabriel despised it with a passion.

"No need to get all riled up. I thought I was just giving you a hand."

"Helping me? Let's just get this over with, kid."

"Yes, the fun part!"

"What kind of beating do you want me to give you?"

"…?"

"…?"

The two brothers were left speechless at Gabriel's words.

"What you actually mean is, what kind of beating should I give you, right?"

Gabriel didn't respond, and Brawler continued.

"Let's arm wrestle."

Some time later, Gabriel and Brawler X locked hands on a sturdy table that miraculously remained intact. Brawler wore a mocking grin as he looked at Gabriel.

"It's not too late to give up, senior! Even before all this shit happened, I was already crowned the arm wrestling god at my local gym. I genuinely advise you to give up now."

'So he's a bodybuilder, huh? That explains his muscles. I must admit, he is quite strong.'

"Why don't we get started, then!"

Meanwhile back at the spot where the students gathered.

Fiona had been waiting for some time along with the other students. Curiosity piqued as to why the commotion had ceased, she entrusted Helen with leadership and followed behind.

"What on earth is going on here?"

Gabriel and the muscular boy were about to engage in an arm wrestling match.

Initially, Fiona had intended to reprimand Gabriel for engaging in arm wrestling while the students were hungry. However, upon careful consideration, she discarded the idea. The white-haired youth always had a reason behind his actions.

Briefly, her gaze shifted to the ground, and she gulped.

"Oh, I see. He wants to recruit them, huh?"

For people capable of causing this kind of massacre, they must be special.

Naturally, Gabriel had noticed Fiona, but he didn't even spare her a glance. His focus remained fixed on Brawler X as he spoke:

"Before we begin, I want to make a deal with you!"

"What kind of deal?"

"If I win against you, I want you and your brother to become my subordinates."

Brawler didn't hesitate to respond.

"Deal. If you defeat me, my brother and I will serve you for life."

Aiden panicked.

"Jason! What are you doing!"

Gabriel flashed a smile.

"Big claims. I hope you honor them."

[Ding! The players Gabriel Reyes and Brawler X have entered into a pact. Failure to fulfill the deal will result in severe consequences.]

"Wait, what?"

Brawler stared at Gabriel in shock, but the latter wore his signature smirk.

"Do you want a deal as well?"

"If I win against you, the same conditions should apply, and you shall become my subordinate."

"Deal."

Brawler clenched his teeth, his muscles visibly pulsating. Gabriel could sense that Brawler was dead serious!

With a nod from Brawler, Aiden screamed:

"Begin!"

And with a resounding bang, Brawler found himself on the floor, his hands planted firmly against the ground.

"No way!"