How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

Anyway, setting the update aside for now, I checked the recently introduced parts.

[Chapter 57 Introduction Part]

85

Today is the day of the field practice.

According to the game I played, an “abnormal situation” will begin to occur during the field practice.

If it follows the game, it should be resolved easily. But…

I recalled the conversation I had with the Oracle before Nahyun was kidnapped.

***

I encountered the Oracle after sending Nahyun and the seniors to buy drinks while I went to the restroom.

After finishing my business and washing my hands, a man appeared behind me.

The man reflected in the mirror was an utterly ordinary human male.

“Hello, visitor from another world.”

However, the words that came from his mouth were anything but ordinary. As soon as I heard them, my body froze.

“What are you?”

Even though I immediately drew a weapon from my inventory and aimed it at him, he continued speaking without flinching.

“It would be pointless to attack me. I am merely borrowing this body for a while.”

He raised both arms and continued casually.

“Moreover, you do not need to be hostile. We are on your side.”

“On my side? What nonsense is this, suddenly popping up like that?”

I couldn’t trust him. The moment I took a step back from him—

“Name: □Yuhan. Age: years. A professional gamer who primarily played, now mainly playing the game after retirement.”

Familiar words echoed in my ears.

He smiled.

“Nice to meet you. I am the GM of the game—”

And then he introduced himself again.

“I am Oracle.”

And—

“I am the one who brought you here to cleanse this world.”

***

I rolled a few words around in my mouth.

***

“‘This world is neither a game nor a dream.’”

And…

“Does that mean… numerous variables are appearing?”

I looked at the ‘Will-o’-the-Wisp’ quietly stored in my inventory.

In the game, “abnormal situations” appeared only in certain locations. I had a clear understanding of all the places where “abnormal situations” would occur and the types of monsters that would appear at those times.

But…

I recalled the tiger hybrid that had appeared during the tournament.

He was certainly an Awakened, but no information appeared in my insight about him.

I also thought of the strange miracle that had occurred during the tournament.

That was definitely Nahyun’s power.

But there was no information about that power in Nahyun’s status window. Nor was there any indication that Nahyun had been brainwashed. I clenched my fists.

“Damn, there are too many variables…”

A groan escaped my lips.

Still, since Siwoo Park and Shinbaran were with Nahyun during the field practice, nothing major should happen.

With both of them possessing light attribute magic, at the very least, they wouldn’t die… No, they shouldn’t get seriously injured—

“Ah…”

Images of the other party members getting hurt flashed in my mind.

Like Nahyun during midterms, bloodied and battered.

“Damn it!”

They’ll be fine!

I buried my head into the pillow for no reason.

Just as I was about to scream out loud,

“You really haven’t changed at all. The essence of using people as you please hasn’t changed one bit.”

“Is that reason enough to push Nahyun into danger without her consent?”

“When you gave Nahyun the orb, you should have at least warned her that something dangerous could happen!”

“Still not getting it? You ignored Nahyun’s will just to reduce variables and, furthermore, disrespected her!”

Nayuri’s words passed through my mind.

“…So this is how it felt.”

This must have been how my companions felt watching me shove people into danger for the sake of efficiency.

This must have been how Nahyun felt when she told me she trusted me, despite being thrown into an unexpected peril.

The strength in my hand that held the cloth gradually loosened. I stared blankly at the crumpled fabric and said,

“I’m really trash…”

I buried my face back into the pillow.

185

So you realize this now?

I read the introduction part with a blank expression.

Having my name appear just a few times allowed me to grasp the context easily, which was convenient at times like this.

After all, the scammer had contacted the Oracle long ago.

As I read down through the few important lines of information, I paused for a moment at the final line.

Still, I was regretting my mistakes and trying to fix them, so I’m not completely a bad guy.

…Probably.

C_head
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LOL, suddenly feeling guilty?

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This is frustrating; I’m dropping out.

Point
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Dropping out is for the smart ones.

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No, now that I’m feeling the reality of it, I regret how I handled everyone like it was just a game, you crazy idiots;;;

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Does it matter?

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You just live your way…

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Yeah, I plan to live like this forever.

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Writer, bring Nahyun back.

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Nahyun went to America, so no.

I scrolled past the comments. As long as my meta points didn’t decrease, that was fine by me.

…I was relieved that the scammer couldn’t see the comments.

***

[Chapter 58 Introduction Part]
085
“Siwoo Park.”

“Yeah?”

“Here, give this to Nahyun.”

I handed the Will-o’-the-Wisp to Siwoo.

Nahyun should know how to use it. I had answered her questions about it when she was curious before.

Siwoo looked at the Will-o’-the-Wisp I handed him and silently placed it in the long bag he would give to Nahyun.

“Thanks.”

That’s done. She shouldn’t get seriously hurt now.

After a moment of silence, Siwoo adjusted the long bag and opened his mouth.

“…Aren’t you going to ask about what happened during the tournament?”

“…About the strange power Nahyun used?”

I paused for a moment.

I wanted to ask right away. But if I did, what if…

What if Nahyun turns away from me?

That thought scared me.

“I won’t ask.”

It would be better to investigate separately. That was my compromise and my selfishness.

Siwoo met my gaze and paused for a moment before speaking slowly.

“Really? That’s strange. I thought you might ask about it.”

“Me? Why?”

At my question, Siwoo casually replied as if it were nothing.

“…Well, Nahyun’s power was something you couldn’t analyze with your own eyes.”

***

185

?

The only thing that popped into my head was a question mark.

Ah, so Dumdum knew about the scammer’s abilities, didn’t he…?

Why? How?

No, seriously, why?

85
I didn’t understand Siwoo’s words for a moment.

“…What?”

Just as I was about to ask Siwoo what he meant, Shinbaran shouted.

“Siwoo! Let’s go!”

“I’ll be going. See you later.”

“Wait…!”

Before I could press Siwoo for answers, he disappeared into the distance like the wind.

I stood frozen for a moment, but I was finally able to move my feet at Nayuri’s urging.

185

Both the scammer and I were in mental chaos.

The comments echoed my reactions.

***

C_head
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??? What is this???

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So the original protagonist knows about his abilities? Why???

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Something… something is happening…

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The original protagonist is going to the place where the heroine is; doesn’t this mean he’s taking her away?

Point
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Extreme dislike for the drift.

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Heroine transfer cut!

…Is it similar?

Leaving that aside, I had no clue how Dumdum knew about the scammer’s abilities.

Could it be that he knows about my abilities too?

Should I subtly bring it up later…?

As I pondered these new concerns, I stared intently at the Will-o’-the-Wisp I had stored in my inventory.

It seemed that the scammer really returned this out of goodwill. Did I doubt him for no reason?

Just as something nagging in my heart began to settle,

“Nahyun, are you asleep?”

I heard a soft whisper from the upper bunk. It was Minjaeyoon’s voice.

“No. Why?”

It took me quite a while to catch up on the delayed chapters, so I hadn’t fallen asleep yet.

Minjaeyoon seemed to shift his body for a moment before speaking softly again.

“I’ve thought about it a lot.”

I quietly listened to Minjaeyoon’s voice.

“Is it really possible, as Nahyun said, that a precious person can be two?”

I swallowed a sigh. I had told him whenever I had the chance, but it seemed I was powerless to change the strong belief he had built over his lifetime.

In that moment of thought,

“But, after meeting Baran today, I keep wondering if that could be true…?”

I was surprised by Minjaeyoon’s sudden declaration of drift.

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

What was the trigger for this?

Did Shinbaran’s endless praise of Nayuri break something in Minjaeyoon? If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have praised the teacher too!

Perhaps due to sleepiness, random thoughts were swirling in my head when he continued,

“Nahyun is…