After watching the match, Unknown guided Steve back to his House.
Once they arrived at the boarding house, Unknown placed Steve on the sofa.
Unknown: "Poor kid. I might as well heal him. 'Heal.'"
Steve's arms and legs, which were previously destroyed, started to regenerate back to normal.
In the silence of the room, a sudden knock came from the front door.
???: "Steve, are you inside?" (knocking)
Unknown: "Who is that? Damn, I need to hide."
Steve, who woke up due to the noise, opened the door, unaware that his arms and legs had been restored.
When Steve opened the door, it was Shiro.
Steve: "Huh? What's up, Shiro? Why are you here?"
Shiro: "I just wanted to talk to you about the match earlier."
Steve: "Oh, alright! Come on in."
It seemed Shiro also didn't notice that Steve's arms and legs had been healed.
Steve: "How did you end up coming here? Aren't you usually busy?"
Shiro: "I just wanted to take a little break, and this is the only place where I can rest peacefully. Oh yeah, I wanted to ask, how did you get that strong?"
Steve: "Ehhh, it's... something that happened, hehe."
Shiro: "Alright then, if you don't want to tell me. You know, it reminds me of the old days at school when I tried to teach you how to fight, but you just couldn't get it, haha."
Steve: "Yeah, you were the only friend I had all this time. You were also the one who gave me the totem, and thanks to that, I'm still alive even after getting spam killed."
Shiro: "Oh yeah, how did it all start? Let me try to remember."
---
Shiro:
"Back then, I met you while I was walking in the school park. You were all alone with a strange aura that made people avoid you.
"But as time went on, I got more curious, and finally, I decided to greet you.
'Hey, who are you? Just hanging out alone?' — Shiro
But you just stayed silent, so I left and thought you were weird.
"Since then, I never talked to you again until the day when all the students were tested one by one for their powers.
"I was born with extraordinary talent and came from a clan that dominated the world, so of course, I was the strongest at that time.
"And when it was your turn, you got a score of zero. I wondered how a human could have no abilities at all — it was impossible.
"From then on, people started bullying you. I was curious, so I chased away the bullies and decided to test you myself.
"I handed you a diamond sword and tested you in combat, but you couldn't even swing it properly.
'Looks like you need more physical training,' I said.
'It doesn't matter. I'm still weak,' you replied.
'Steve, you have to prove that you can do it even without powers,' I said.
'Alright,' you said.
"Until we grew up, we were given a mission to obtain a mythic item in a dungeon."
---
Steve: "Oh yeah, that was the first time you died, right?"
Shiro: "Yes. We headed to the dungeon where the mythic item was located.
"When we arrived, we encountered someone else who was also after the mythic item.
"That person was 'Togil!' A maniac obsessed with money and treasure."
---
When the three of them met, Togil asked what they were doing in the dungeon.
Hearing that Shiro was also after the mythic item, Togil immediately attacked them.
Shiro: "Steve, run! Get the mythic item! I'll handle this guy!"
Steve ran deeper into the dungeon.
Togil, who heard Shiro's words, just smirked.
Togil moved rapidly around the area with unpredictable movements.
Shiro couldn't just stand still. He created a giant gravity sphere to pull Togil in.
"Gravitation! Maximum output!" The giant gravity sphere surrounded the area. But due to the impact, the area became filled with dust and smoke.
Togil took advantage of the moment and dashed toward Shiro, pulling out the Heavenly Spear from his inventory.
Shiro: "Hah! It's pointless. His attacks will never reach me!"
But unexpectedly, Togil's Heavenly Spear was able to pierce through Shiro's World Shield.
"The Heavenly Spear is a mythic-grade weapon with the effect of neutralizing anything it passes through."
Togil stabbed Shiro's brain core, preventing him from regenerating.
Shiro died instantly.
Togil: "Heh, so this is the guy they said would be the strongest? Oh yeah, there was another kid who went inside. I need to hurry!"
---
Meanwhile, Steve hadn't found the mythic item yet as he was struggling against multiple monsters in the dungeon.
While he was struggling against one monster, someone suddenly appeared and obliterated the monster into pieces.
Steve: "Shiro, is that you?"
Steve thought it was Shiro who helped him, but Togil immediately denied it.
Togil: "Hey, are you talking about the guy who's already dead?"
!!!
Steve was shocked to hear that the one he thought was the strongest had been killed so easily.
Togil: "You better leave before you end up like your friend!"
Steve: "No way! I won't run away again!"
Togil: "Hah! How foolish!"
Togil slashed Steve's body with his Heavenly Spear, obliterating him instantly.
Steve and Shiro were both sent back to the lobby, all because of one man — Togil.
---
Shiro: "I thought you survived that time."
Steve: "I'm grateful now because I've become this strong and no longer the person I was back then!"
Shiro: "Alright, I'm heading out. I still have a lot of work to do, especially in the AH Tournament."
Steve: "Yeah, take care."
Shiro walked to the door and left, making the room fall silent again.
Unknown, who had been hiding all this time, was irritated because they had been talking too much about their friendship.
Steve: "Oh right, where did you hide, Unknown?"
Unknown: "In my domain, you idiot."
Steve: "Sigh…"