How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

With her eyes tightly shut, she deeply felt the emotions swirling within her before finally opening her eyes with a determined expression.

“…I can’t just accept this.”

“Since you came to save me, please consider it a reward,” I said.

You got hurt coming to rescue me, so I’m just repaying that favor.

“And besides, with the commotion you caused, the penalty points are going to be no joke, right? A reward like this is necessary.”

At my playful words, Lee Hana silently looked down at the charm she held in her hands and then gripped it tightly.

“…That seems like too expensive a reward.”

“What’s so expensive about it?”

I pretended to complain lightly, but Hana, undeterred by my casual tone, spoke seriously.

“…I mean, I’ll protect you from now on. I promise.”

Thank you.

I couldn’t help but smile at those words.

I thought to myself that she was truly a straightforward person.

***

After the chaotic lunch break, training time returned once more.

The training hall was bustling with people again.

Having heard about the uproar in the lab, Nayuri, who had been circling around me, visibly drooped as we approached the training hall.

What’s going on?

“Um, Na Hyun,” Nayuri began to say just as a student with pink roll bread hair confidently approached her. This was the same student who had given Nayuri her first love call.

“Yuri! Come over here!”

Ah, is Nayuri going to join that team?

Well, I suppose that could happen… I felt a little sad about it, though.

As I was thinking this, Nayuri suddenly grabbed my shoulders.

“Na Hyun, please don’t misunderstand! I have to do this because of my mom’s orders—”

“Calm down.”

I knew very well that this wasn’t the situation she wanted. I tried to soothe Nayuri, who was speaking so quickly as if she were rapping.

“Even if we’re not on the same team, our friendship doesn’t change, right?”

“……! Of course!”

“Thank goodness.”

I smiled as I sent Nayuri off. Choi Soo Jung approached me, watching the scene.

“Nya ha ha! Nayuri is always fun, isn’t she?”

“Well, I guess so…”

I just laughed lightly…

After joking around, Choi Soo Jung suddenly turned serious, lowering her voice.

I’d rarely seen her with such a solemn expression.

“Hey, junior.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for solving Hana’s curse.”

As she said this, Choi Soo Jung looked like she might cry.

“It was just a reward, really!”

I simply smiled brightly.

I hoped that by removing the curse, I could lighten the burden that weighed on my dearest friend, who had to inflict a curse on herself.

Someday, when I become closer to both of them and can truly heal Hana’s illness instead of just using items as a temporary fix, I wonder if I’ll be able to hear both of their stories.

Thinking about Choi Soo Jung’s troubled past, I just smiled kindly.

“Nya ha ha! Is that so~?”

It seemed that was all she had to say, and she stepped back.

But for some reason, her attitude towards me felt much more relaxed than before.

Have we become closer?

And just like yesterday, our team received another wave of love calls.

The difference from yesterday was that Hana declared outright:

“I’m only joining a team with Na Hyun.”

It was probably to keep her promise of “I’ll protect you.”

I was thankful, but it also meant that I would have to endure love calls alongside Hana.

Anyway, we arrived at Training Room 101 as usual, despite all the love calls.

“Since there are only five of us now, why not just submit the team application?”

With Nayuri dropping out, the scammer quickly proposed the team.

There was no particular reason to refuse, so the ‘Gate Treasure Hunters’ for the midterm exam was formed.

Later, when Nayuri heard the news, she body-slammed me and clung to my waist, sniffling, but in conclusion, the annoying love calls finally ceased.

It was a happy ending.

…Probably.

And the reader reactions regarding the curse-solving incident were… rather tense.

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I support Hana x Na Hyun Hana Hyun Support Group

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Yuri fans OUT

This was still somewhat mild.

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What’s going on? Suddenly, out of nowhere, Hana’s curse is solved? What’s the protagonist doing?

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Author, this development is strange.

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Author, are you crazy?

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Isn’t the protagonist supposed to resolve the heroine’s curse and set up a flag or something? Haha.

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Haha, that’s frustrating.

Most people were baffled that the curse, which was supposed to be a turning point for Hana, was suddenly resolved by an item I gave.

Fortunately, this time the criticism was directed at the author, but if the development had gone even slightly more off track, my points would have taken a hit again.

Still, I have no regrets.

That was the best I could do at the time.

This episode will see the scammer sticking around, so as time goes by, public opinion should calm down a bit. Let’s work hard.

***

The days that followed were filled with training and a few incidents.

In the midst of the repetitive days,

“Na Hyun! I’m sorry, but can you help me with the experiment again this time?”

Park Yul Ah would sometimes barge in, and

“Na Hyun… please… please let me join the team…”

Nayuri would often come, teary-eyed, but overall, it was peaceful.

As the exam approached, the scammer gathered everyone for a briefing. It was probably to prepare for the upcoming events from the original game.

Thus began the incident briefing disguised as final preparations for the midterm exam.

“You all know what the practical exam content is, right?”

“Monster raid.”

“Yes. The practical exam format has been the same for several years. The mission is to raid the large monster ‘Star Slime’ as a team.”

The scammer drew a blob on the whiteboard.

…That’s definitely a slime, right?

“When we face the Star Slime, our team’s formation will be as follows.”

Front: Dum Dum and Lee Hana.

Center: Choi Soo Jung.

Rear: the scammer and me.

Just as expected.

“However, just because it’s been a monster raid for several years, that doesn’t guarantee we’ll have a monster raid again this time, does it?”

The scammer was gradually revving up.

“So, we’ll also prepare a formation to counter a ‘monster wave.’”

The scammer drew another formation next to the one for the Star Slime raid.

First row: Dum Dum and Lee Hana.

Second row: the scammer.

Third row: me and Choi Soo Jung.

However, the first and third rows were angled slightly to surround the second row.

“First, our goal will be to fight as many monsters as possible in one spot.”

The scammer’s gaze shifted to the members in the first row.

“So this formation is shaped to wrap around me like a castle. The first row is to block as many monsters as possible, while the third row supports the first row by handling monsters that approach from the sides or behind.”

“Got it! Yuhan has prepared thoroughly!”

Well, as a scammer, he probably had to prepare multiple strategies.

There’s practically no way to stop the gate that will open during the midterm practical exam. Moreover, he’s likely the only one who knows about the predetermined future of the gate opening, so if he wants to survive, he has to prepare, whether he likes it or not.

“And third, it’s a fusion of a raid and a wave.”

“Hmm? Is the difficulty really going to ramp up that much?”

“Just in case.”

“It’s not bad to prepare for it.”

“Right.”

“I’m skeptical, but it’s good to be prepared just in case.”

Unfortunately, that “just in case” is likely to become a reality.

I quietly listened to the scammer’s third strategy.

From this incident onward, the world will head down the path of destruction.

So I plan to utilize my meta points effectively and grow as much as possible.

That’s the best I can do right now.

And I want to protect the orphans and, if possible… to help those within my reach as much as I can.

But I’m just a powerless aspiring hunter right now. For now, I’ll focus on becoming stronger.

A few days later, the day of the midterm practical exam finally arrived.

In the basement of the academy training center, there was a large gymnasium where all the students could gather.

The midterm practical exam was conducted here. Students waited in line outside the gym, and groups were called in order.

This very location was also a significant factor that amplified the tragedy.

Although it was a gym, it was essentially a closed space due to being a training facility, and the exam caused a large number of students to crowd in.

I clenched my fists. I wanted to prevent that kind of tragedy at all costs.

Because I know how horrific it is to see people trapped in a narrow space, crushed by monsters, screaming,

“Help me! Please! Just open it for a moment!”

I quietly checked my current meta points. The system reflected the points I currently held.

[Current Meta Points: 1800]

Good. I can do this.

I recalled the practical exam scenario that I had calculated many times.

I’ve thought countless times about taking the shortcut of spending meta points.

But knowing that if I could just hold on a little longer, I could gather enough meta points to save people kept me patient.

So the amount of meta points I have accumulated so far finally meets the amount I need for the narrative twist I desire.

That’s right.