How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

“Right. The fact that Park Yul-han specifically contacted Kang Na-hyun suggests he’s targeting a vulnerable link, like a student. On top of that…”

Sin-barun let out a deep sigh as he looked at us huddled together like a group of baby penguins.

“Kang Na-hyun is a person of interest who has been involved with the Wild Hunters.”

That makes sense.

It seems that Sin-barun has determined that the risk on my side, being under close surveillance due to my connection with the Wild Hunters, is higher than any issues he assessed in the fortress after searching all night.

“Just in case, I’ve prepared the holy attribute hunters at the fortress so they can catch him immediately if he shows up.”

Thorough as always.

In any case, Sin-barun joined our group.

A little while later, when we reached the outskirts of the danger zone and finally encountered real monsters, my nerves were on edge.

Bang-!

I heard a gunshot, and through the scope, I could see the last leader of the flying monsters crashing down.

Hoo-oo-oo! Choi Ga-ram casually whistled and struck up a conversation with me.

“Oh, you’re doing well!”

“Thank you.”

“Why do you look so serious if you’re doing well? Smile a bit!”

“I’m nervous.”

“Well, it’s better than not being nervous at all. But don’t tense up too much in your shoulders.”

Choi Ga-ram lightly tapped my shoulders.

I recalled the type of flying monster I had just taken down.

A harpy. One of the weaker flying monsters that appears in groups at the gates on the outskirts of the danger zone.

It was one of the monsters I had defeated countless times in simulations with my friends.

And among the monsters encountered in the danger zone, it was the only one that had been strangely tougher than in the simulations.

I smiled lightly and broke the ice.

“They’re surprisingly tougher than in the simulations!”

“Usually, there’s some variation between individuals. But this group is definitely tougher.”

What, did they all eat ginseng or something?

Choi Ga-ram shrugged, making such a silly comment, and said he’d be back after visiting Sin-barun. He then walked away lightly.

As I watched the stiff corpse of the fallen harpy leader and the scattering harpies, someone poked me on the back.

“Is something wrong?”

It was Dumdum.

Despite having just come from slaughtering monsters, Dumdum appeared calm and collected. If it weren’t for the slight stains of monster blood on his clothes, no one would guess he had killed any monsters at all.

“Nothing’s wrong…”

I instinctively tried to act fine, but hesitated. With Dumdum’s remarkable insight, he’d see right through my lie. I decided to drop the pretense.

“…There’s just something on my mind.”

“I see.”

After that remark, Dumdum stood beside me, gazing at the scattered harpies. A silence passed between us.

As the harpy group completely vanished, Dumdum slowly opened his mouth.

“If you’re going through a tough time, just tell me. We’re friends, right? I’ll help you anytime.”

His words reminded me of a time when we talked alone together.

I felt the tension in my shoulders ease, just like back then. My heart felt a little lighter, too.

“Hey.”

And, just a little bit, I wondered if it would be okay to lean on you.

So I decided to share a small part of my story.

“Can I talk about that tough thing now?”

It was about the strange events that were about to happen, but still…

In response to my question, he answered like a steadfast tree.

“Of course.”

I paused for a moment, choosing my words carefully to convey my meaning.

Amid the silence that hung between us, a soft sound echoed, like something weeping. Was it a harpy, or maybe a real bird?

“There’s going to be an ‘abnormal situation.’”

I believe that since you know so much about me, you’d be willing to accept any absurd truth I share.

And even though I was forewarning him about the tragedy that was to come, my heart remained calm like a still sea without a single wave.

After I finished my entire story, he still wore an expression of indifference.

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

“We need to prepare. Are you planning to tell the others?”

“They won’t believe me.”

“Is that so?”

Dumdum brushed his holy sword, Blue Twilight, lightly with his fingertips. Then he smiled softly.

“Don’t worry. As a hero, I’ll definitely protect everyone.”

He looked reliable and strong, with the hero’s smile meant to reassure others etched on his face.

“It’s my role to protect people from the gates. It’s what I have to do.”

But I felt that something about that smile was slightly twisted.

I smiled back, brighter than before.

“Yeah. Let’s do our best together.”

“Yeah. I’ll protect you and everyone else for sure.”

I thought I heard a creaking sound from somewhere.

The sun was slowly setting behind the ruins.

***

Before I knew it, evening had come, and we returned to the fortress.

Sinbarun and Choi Garam seemed to have something to discuss, as they stepped outside. Things were looking up.

I lay on my bed, staring at the meta system window.

[Current Meta Points: 7750 points]
[System Update in Progress: 50%]

The update was progressing steadily. It should take care of itself.

I decided to leave what I couldn’t control and check on other situations.

The scammers seemed to have a schedule that was not much different from ours.

However, there was one peculiar schedule—or rather, something bordering on a deviation—that caught my attention.

[Chapter 60 Appearance Part] 085

What is Nahyun doing right now? I momentarily spaced out, lost in thought, then shook my head to refocus.
Right now, our situation is more urgent.

I recalled a dungeon where I could obtain another will-o’-the-wisp-level item and concluded that it would be necessary to visit at night.

The best way to move stealthily is…

“‘Information Erasure’ skill…”

I murmured that unconsciously and then bit my lip.

I’ve lost my mind. How many mines of Choi Sujeong am I planning to trigger? Just moving by wind should be enough.

But…

“Would they follow me…?”

Honestly, I thought I had lost my standing among the group since the fox bead incident. I wouldn’t have noticed before, but now I understand.

I was lucky that Nahyun was there to back me up… No, I should stop thinking that way. What’s important is how to motivate them.

I typed “abnormal situation” into the device’s screen and asked myself,

“Would the group… believe this?”

I didn’t know.

Even if they did believe me, would they follow me into a dangerous place?

I scribbled an X across the device screen.

But if there’s no will-o’-the-wisp, the difficulty of tackling the abnormal situation event would increase exponentially. It’s necessary for everyone’s safety.

…I have no choice.

Let’s utilize the information I have and the reliability and usefulness of the information I’ve proven so far.

The idiot has yet to recover from his slump during the midterm exams.

Not everyone hates you that much. Who would be foolish enough to place command in the hands of someone they can’t trust? Just try talking to him, you fool.

I muttered words I’d never actually say to his face.

…Maybe I would have patted him on the back if he had been standing right in front of me.

What happened next was truly surprising. This genius of screwing things up, whose self-esteem was at rock bottom, had somehow mustered the courage.

85
“So, it might be dangerous, but I hope you’ll come with me.”

I felt the weight of someone’s gaze on me. Yet, I couldn’t lift my eyes from the ground. Silence enveloped us.

Surprisingly, it was Nayuri who spoke first.

“Nayuhan, I don’t like you.”

“I know.”

“When you put Nahyun in danger, I really wanted to kill you.”

“I’m sorry.”

So, it’s a rejection… Just as I thought that,

“But,”

I heard a sigh-like tone in her voice.

“It seems even someone like you can change.”

As I unconsciously lifted my head, Nayuri was looking at me with an expressionless face.

“You made a wrong choice last time, didn’t you?”

Her expression was devoid of warmth. Or perhaps contempt. Or hatred. Or some other negative emotion.

This is the basic expression Nayuri shows me when Nahyun isn’t around.

“If you were the same as before, I would have hit you.”

Yeah. No amount of affection can erase the resentment. If you peel back the layer of teamwork, these emotions always lurk beneath. I had simply ignored that feeling, thinking of the world like a game.

I braced myself to accept whatever sharp words Nayuri might throw my way.

“But you made the right choice, and unfortunately, since entering the Academy, you’ve been somewhat reliable.”

However, her words were not what I expected.

“It’s a pity I can’t hit you.”

Seeing my wide eyes, Nayuri let out a deep sigh and pulled a weapon from her inventory.

“I’ll go with you. For the sake of my friend who believes in you.”

Her flame-like red eyes were fixed on me.

“Because I have to keep my promise to watch over you.”

Those eyes, burning with past scars, reminded me how miraculous it was to be on the same team as her. I wouldn’t have been able to have a proper conversation without Nahyun.

Then Choi Sujeong slipped her hand between us.

“Speaking of which, I didn’t get to question you much about the bead last time.”

“That’s…”

Choi Sujeong grinned and shrugged.

“Well, you look like you’ve reflected on it, so it’s fine. I want to go! It sounds like fun!”

If Choi Sujeong joins, it’s already a success.

Iha Hana also nodded in agreement after listening to Choi Sujeong.

“I believe what you said.”

At those words, tears welled up in my eyes.

A warm feeling spread in one corner of my heart, and I wiped my eyes vigorously.

***

185

What a crybaby.

I imagined the crying scammer and pouted my lips for no reason.

***

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The Ice Clan will prevail!!!

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Successful endurance

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Kang Nahyun is out; now it’s Iha Hana’s era!!!!!

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So, is this a pure love harem???

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Harem pure love

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What kind of ridiculous genre is that?

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The protagonist is so frustrating… When will he come to his senses?

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If you’ve followed this far, you must have a broken head, so I recommend it.

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I’ll leave after leaving my recommendation.