How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

Thus, the noisy day came to an end.

After the morning class, I had lunch with Nayu-ri, and the lunchtime incident when Choi Soo-jung audaciously took the seat next to us also passed.

In the afternoon, we had a theory class.

The students in Class F were mostly dozing off, likely because the morning class had been exhausting.

It was quite a peaceful sight.

It was hard to believe that an immense hardship was going to come our way as the story unfolds.

The story is fundamentally about preventing the destruction of the world.

The scammer, possessing vast gaming knowledge, is reincarnated as an extra villain in a game, and he scurries about trying to avert an impending world destruction event, known as the “Flood of Calamity.”

According to the narrative, this calamity event is supposed to occur in the near future.

Initially, I intended to stick close to the scammer only at the beginning and then prepare for the calamity on my own. However, once the meta system was introduced, the situation changed.

Using the meta system, I could enhance my usefulness and stay by the protagonist’s side for a longer period.

Thus, it would be more advantageous to utilize the story I remember, so I decided to stick around until the middle of the story. For the time being, I chose to postpone any independent actions.

However, there is one character I must meet regardless of the direction I take.

The “Oracle.”

The Oracle is a character who first appears in the early to mid-part of the story. He claims to be the creator of the game that the scammer has played.

He is also the one who brought the scammer’s soul from another world for a specific purpose.

I suspect that I was brought here by the Oracle as well. I will only know the details once I meet him…

In any case, the important point is that the Oracle was a significant benefactor in the story, providing the scammer with information and assistance in various ways. He guided the scammer on what actions to take. One might call him a sort of guide.

Due to the inherently suspicious nature of his character, there were quite a few readers wondering if he would betray the scammer, but up until the portion I read, he was simply a mysterious being acting to prevent the destruction of the world.

So it should be fine until the middle of the story.

And if it’s not? Then… I’ll just betray him first.

Regardless, the Oracle has a tendency to try to control the scammer and his associates to achieve his own goals.

What I focused on was this.

Now that I have become the scammer’s contractor, the Oracle will inevitably approach me at some point. When that happens, I plan to allow myself to be controlled enough to satisfy the Oracle and obtain the rewards I desire.

Since the Oracle first approached the scammer during the “Battle Tournament” event in the story, if he intends to approach me as well, it would likely be around that time.

“Hmm…”

That aside, there’s a more pressing issue I need to prepare for.

According to the story, the next event is the practical test raid that occurs during the midterm exams.

The protruding gates, where monsters burst out, only open near the “Tower.” However, for some reason, that protruding gate will open at the location where we take the practical test during the upcoming midterms. Naturally, the practical test site will become chaotic, with many people getting injured or killed.

But I can only prepare by waiting for that time to come. For now, I need to train hard.

Let’s check the meta system.

However, as I opened the meta system without much thought, I froze.

The meta points had decreased.

Last night, I checked and found I had a total of 130 points left.

When leveling up, the system’s random distribution feature had fortuitously applied to the stats I wanted, so I didn’t need to use many points.

But now, the points displayed before me were 120. It was a small amount, but clearly, 10 points had been deducted.

Wait, it can decrease?

I became confused.

Losing 10 points isn’t significant, but the very fact that the meta points I had accumulated could diminish was shocking. If I needed to use points urgently later, miscalculations could occur.

What’s the issue? The volume? No, I had filled it sufficiently. The probability of there being a negative factor there was low.

Then is it the readers’ reactions?

I quickly scanned the comments from last night until today’s episode.

The general comments from previous episodes posed no problems. In fact, they were mostly friendly, allowing me to accumulate meta points.

The problem lay in the comments for this episode. Some comments reflected changes.

I took a deep breath and looked at the comments exuding a dark aura from the system window.

Kindly, the system seemed to want to explain the reason to me. How thoughtful.

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You got money to buy equipment, and suddenly you’re donating? The kid being nice is good, but it’s frustrating;

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Donating? Out of nowhere? There was no foreshadowing? Why suddenly? Crying like a river seems a bit excessive;

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Just cute, right?

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It’s good to repay kindness, but giving money could end up going wrong, Maybe it’s better to buy equipment next time; if you give him money, he’ll probably keep donating to the orphanage.

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I’m dropping out. Author, you should drop out too.

There it is.

I was certain.

The so-called frustrating development caused by ‘me’ had led to negative evaluations of my character, Kang Na-hyun.

Until now, the negative comments were playful jabs about coins or stocks, or complaints directed at the author about the unfolding narrative.

Such comments had no effect on me.

But now, a negative sentiment solely directed at ‘Kang Na-hyun’ had emerged, and that affected me.

…The reason is obvious. It was glaringly clear.

I clenched my fists tightly.

I was foolish. I should have thought and acted more rationally, but I let my emotions take control and messed things up.

Now that the orphanage has been mentioned negatively by readers, every time there’s a reference to the orphanage, there’s a high possibility that points will continue to decrease.

Until I find a ‘reason’ to overturn such evaluations, I should avoid mentioning the orphanage and my teachers and the children altogether.

Objectively, that seems like the right decision.

But…

It’s infuriating.

The reality that my simple act of giving back what I received, or even less, to the people I love most is dismissed with a single word: “frustrating.”

It’s so frustrating that the things I love are being unfairly criticized by strangers because of me.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my palm, and when I opened my fist, clear nail marks were visible.

What should I do?

I could use up all the remaining meta points right away before they decrease further, but that would be an act of a fool who can’t see one step ahead.

The scammer, who possesses the ‘Insight’ ability to see everyone’s status, always sits beside me. If he senses changes in the stats without me having killed any monsters, he would find it suspicious.

Moreover, trying to solidify my position as a ‘talented growth character’ by using a large number of points all at once would hinder my plans.

For now, since the point deduction isn’t severe, I need to observe the situation and aim to maintain my volume and reputation positively until the midterms, all while earning points.

It’s alright.

I can do anything for the sake of the people in my orphanage.

Let’s portray a character that always prioritizes the scammer, one that doesn’t hand out frustrating moments. As the readers wish, I will do just that.

Thus, I…