How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

I shot the locked doorknob and headed outside. He had definitely said to go north.

In this situation, the only way I could figure out which direction was north was by purchasing:

[Permanent Compass – 10 points]
I had to use meta points to buy an item that would tell me where north was.

I quickly purchased the compass and began running in the direction it pointed.

The space I entered was strange, with endless white walls stretching out in every direction. No matter how far I ran, the same white walls kept appearing. I started to doubt whether I was running in circles, but I decided to trust the compass.

After running until I was out of breath, I finally encountered another white wall blocking my way.

As I halted and scanned the area for any doors, I suddenly heard the sound of clapping.

“Well, well! Have you broken out of the brainwashing? As expected of an irregular. Impressive!”

A smirk revealed sharp fangs between his lips.

…It was Yura Park’s older brother, Yulhan Park.

And…

“Still, you can’t just leave like that! I’ll get in trouble, you know, I will!”

It was the worst enemy I could’ve encountered in this situation. My fingers, now cold, rubbed against the hem of my clothes.

“Why should I care? You people kidnapped me, so why are you the one getting upset?”

I adjusted my grip on the gun. I couldn’t let myself be captured again! I needed to buy as much time as possible until Dumb-Dumb arrived.

I hastily activated my magic bullet skill.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I fired, but Yulhan Park just stood there, taking the hits with amusement. He smiled lazily and said,

“Is that all?”

…Yulhan Park had inherited the vampire traits more strongly than Yura.

The only thing that could hurt him was holy energy. But my magic had no element—it was neutral.

I guess it’s not going to work… That thought crossed my mind just as Yulhan vanished.

“…!”

Sensing a presence behind me, I immediately rolled on the ground.

“Oh, your instincts are sharp!”

He grinned, casually flicking his fingers, which were tipped with razor-sharp claws. I silently flipped him the bird.

A fierce back-and-forth ensued once more.

Bang!

No matter how much magic I poured into my bullets, Yulhan Park didn’t bother dodging and kept advancing toward me.

Whoosh!

Each time his sharp hand reached for me, I had to frantically roll away to escape his grasp.

“Oops! No using items!”

Whenever I tried to drink a potion, he quickly smashed the bottle. He pressed in on me more and more, as if toying with me.

“Are you mocking me…?!”

Meanwhile, my magic was slowly running out.

I hesitated. Should I use the meta system in front of this guy?

That brief pause gave Yulhan the opening he needed. He appeared before me in an instant, grabbing me by the throat. With his overwhelming strength, he slammed me to the ground.

Why is he so ridiculously fast…?!

With a smirk, Yulhan leaned over me, still holding me down.

“You know what? Your magic is incredibly beautiful.”

“Get your annoying eyes off me.”

“That hurts, you know.”

He answered nonchalantly, his face showing no signs of hurt, as he brought his sharp fangs to my neck.

“Since we’re here, how about I take a little bonus~.”

Looks like I have no choice but to use meta points…! I gritted my teeth.

“Bon appétit~!”

Just as I was about to summon the meta system, a brilliant, blinding blue light split the wall apart.

Boom!

Shards from the shattered wall fell in a cascade, staining the once-pristine white walls and floor.

“Who dares interrupt my happy time?” Yulhan growled.

Beyond the broken wall stood someone I recognized.

A blue twilight. The Blue Holy Sword of the hero who destroys evil. Wielding that radiant blade, he spoke.

“I’ve come to get you, Nahyeon.”

His timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I couldn’t help but smile.

In an instant, a blue slash shot toward Yulhan.

Though incredibly fast, Yulhan just barely managed to dodge the strike.

Crack-!

The floor cracked where Dumb-Dumb’s slash had struck.

“What… what is this?!” Yulhan exclaimed, bewildered, as he wrapped one hand in dark magic.

The moment his figure disappeared, a loud clash echoed right before my eyes.

Clang!

With each collision between the holy energy-clad sword and Yulhan’s dark magic-wrapped claws, the claws gradually crumbled.

“Tch…!”

Yulhan’s expression hardened.

Seeing this, Dumb-Dumb said, “Don’t think this will be easy.”

His face was cold and his voice low, revealing just how genuinely angry he was.

“Haha, this isn’t going to work!” Yulhan muttered.

He was someone who relied on speed, cocky because of his other traits. But against someone like Dumb-Dumb, who wielded pure, dense holy power, he stood no chance.

Realizing the situation had turned against him, Yulhan gritted his teeth and retreated.

Dumb-Dumb’s sword swiftly followed, aiming for him, but Yulhan’s figure vanished into the darkness.

Dumb-Dumb stared for a moment at the direction Yulhan had disappeared, then slowly sheathed his sword and approached me.

The atmosphere around him had softened, unlike moments ago when he had been so tense.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“No problem.”

When I smiled, relief spread across Dumb-Dumb’s face, and he offered me his hand to help me up.

“Thanks,” I said, reaching for his hand to stand, but my legs, weakened by the battle, gave out, and I collapsed back to the ground.

Dumb-Dumb gently supported me.

“Sorry, I think the tension just hit me,” I said with a small laugh.

“Lean on me. And…” His eyes softened with warmth.

“Let’s go home.”

“Yeah,” I replied.

It was time to return to the Academy.

***

As I followed Dumb-Dumb’s lead and made my way outside the building, we ran into our group, who were busy subduing the remaining members of the Wild Hunter gang.

“Nahyeon!”

Nayuri, who had been ruthlessly knocking out the remaining enemies, saw me and immediately ran over, crying as she clung to me.

“…Thank goodness.”

Ihana hugged me tightly without moving for quite a while,

“Senior, your arm…”

“Hm~?”

“…Your arm…”

“No~.”

For some reason, Choi Sujeong had wrapped her tail around my arm and refused to let go until we arrived.

Together with the group, we dragged the remaining members of the gang outside the building.

As soon as we stepped outside, a massive crowd greeted us. Hunters who had come for backup were mingling with curious onlookers, making the scene incredibly busy.

I noticed the con artist, the one who had called for the hunters and police, showing them some photos and talking.

“This person… what’s their name?”

“Kang Nahyeon.”

At that moment, the con artist, who had turned to check the situation, spotted me approaching from a distance.

His expression twisted strangely, and tears seemed to form in his eyes.

I was taken aback as he suddenly ran toward me. Reaching me in one stride, he pulled me into a tight hug.

“You’re safe… I’m so relieved…!”

“Yeah. Thanks, Yuhan.”

I smiled reassuringly and patted his back, but even when I tried to push him away, for some reason, he wouldn’t let go.

What’s with you too?

Eventually, the police arrived and swiftly handled the situation.

Although the key figures had managed to escape, the remaining gang members were arrested and interrogated.

The investigation revealed that this “Wild Hunter” group had been responsible for multiple acts of terrorism and kidnappings, and they were officially placed on the blacklist as a dangerous organization.

As for my own situation… it was complicated. Since I was a minor and technically a victim of brainwashing, my actions were given some leniency.

“But the Academy might have a different opinion.”

“Yeah…”

I finished my debriefing with the police, who repeatedly reminded me to be cautious, and returned to the group that had been worried about me.

By the way, the brainwashing? That was solved temporarily by borrowing a charm I had given to Ihana.

Once the brainwashing was broken, a wave of embarrassment and fury washed over me.

That damned tiger bastard. How dare he do this, after staying at our orphanage!

Through my device, I checked in with Yggdrasil, who confirmed that I was safe. I asked him to look after the orphanage kids, just in case. Thankfully, he agreed without hesitation.

But the real problem came next.

As soon as I returned to the Academy, before I even had a chance to talk to my group, I was dragged straight to the teachers.

It was as if I were a criminal.

Well, I guess even though I was brainwashed, I did cause trouble, so maybe being treated like a criminal wasn’t entirely wrong.

I glanced down at my hands.

Had I really delivered something that could’ve killed countless people with a smile on my face? The thought made me feel sick.

The teachers stared at me, whispering to each other.

“Now that there’s been one interaction, there’s a chance of continued contact.”

“Is the brainwashing really fully broken?”

“Hmmm…”

“This is why government-sponsored Awakened are a problem.”

They exchanged all kinds of opinions about me.

Just as I was staring at the floor, unsure of what to say, the meeting room door was flung open with force.

“Hey! What’s with leaving me out of this?!”

Long silver hair, green eyes like a forest, and a petite frame—it was Yggdrasil.

Storming into the room, Yggdrasil immediately declared,

“What’s there to debate? She was used—she’s innocent! End of story! Let’s go, kiddo!”

“Wait, Yggdrasil!”

“This is exactly why we didn’t call her…”

The moment someone voiced opposition, Yggdrasil’s brows furrowed, and she glared at them with a terrifying expression.

“What are you planning to do behind my back? Expel her? Suspend her? Let me make this clear: as long as I’m here, none of that’s happening.”

Her cold gaze locked onto the person, who immediately froze, unable to speak.

“But Yggdrasil! Kang Nahyeon—”

“—Is someone we need to protect!”

Yggdrasil nodded with conviction and turned her eyes toward me.

“So, here’s the plan.”

She frowned slightly, as if the thought pained her, but continued.

“Kang Nahyeon, you’re hereby placed under close observation.”

She said this while giving my leg a firm pat.

“Protection and surveillance! This should solve the problem, right?”

“Well, I mean… yes, but…”

“What do you mean, ‘yes, but’? It’s settled! Now get out!”

Yggdrasil proceeded to kick the other teachers out of the room.

Once the room was quiet, she turned to me with a sorrowful expression.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t notice.”

“It’s okay.”

“I won’t let this happen again.”

“Thank you.”

As she spoke those words, Yggdrasil wore a deeply regretful expression.

That face, so different from her usual self, lingered in my mind for a long time.

…Damn that tiger bastard.

Thanks to him, I ended up under surveillance.

At least I avoided being branded a traitor, but it didn’t feel good at all.

Then again, maybe I should be thankful. At least I won’t get kidnapped again while under constant watch, right?

On top of that, I’ll be studying in a class with others who are also under surveillance.

…No, let’s think positively.

This is a chance to put some distance between me and the con artist.

Based on his last appearance, the guy seemed a little off.

Every time I check the logs, my thoughts seem to fill up the entire screen. I know his schedule almost down to the minute.

No, this isn’t good. I need some time apart, even if it costs me some meta points.

And… it’s hard to explain why I used story-twisting.

I glanced at my meta points and pondered.

[Current Meta Points: 8,020 Points]
I’ll just have to hang in there until the con artist’s extreme dependency on me fades away.

At this rate, I’ll soon have enough points to buy an elixir for that kid who’s suffering from a congenital disease.

For now, his feelings for me will remain intact, which means he’ll keep showing up in my storyline, and I’ll keep accumulating more points.

Once a cooler heroine shows up, his feelings will fade away quickly. It’s definitely just temporary emotions caused by the suspension bridge effect.

When things return to normal, he’ll still consider me a companion, right? After all, I’m fairly useful.

So this is my chance to put some distance between us—an opportunity! The con artist is kind of scary right now.

As I seriously mulled over this, walking down the corridor, the black-suited people surrounding me made sure I couldn’t escape, which only made me feel worse.

Before long, I saw the classroom where I’d be staying.

Who might be inside? I thought about the students who could be in this class, but none came to mind.

I felt somewhat relieved as I opened the door, and…

“Ah, hello there!”