How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

As the bodies of the monsters surrounding the goblin fire were pierced, a massive sphere moved toward the spider’s mouth.

The large sphere soon entered deep into the spider’s maw.

Then, the giant Min Jae-yoon quickly rushed in and firmly closed the spider’s mouth, tying it shut tightly.

“Got it.”

I smiled.

The registered mana of the goblin fire belonged to the two of them: Shinbaran and me.

The bullet that pierced through the monsters reached the goblin fire.

Reacting to my mana, the goblin fire—

——!

Exploded.

Kuuuwung—!

The sound of an explosion echoed.

A hot wind burst forth between the torn jaws of the spider, scattering the corpses of the monsters.

Now, with only four legs remaining, the gigantic spider let out a silent scream of agony.

And then it collapsed.

Kuwung—!

A massive tremor shook the ground, and the tier boss shuddered before finally stopping its movements.

Just before Min Jae-yoon shrank back down, Dum Dum jumped up from her head toward the gate.

Then, using the Gate Closure item, he closed the tier boss’s gate.

It was the item I had given him earlier.

In that moment, the other gates began to close in response.

Seeing this, Shinbaran shouted.

“Now! Sweep them all away!”

Shinbaran’s party dashed across the battlefield, taking down the boss monsters. Following them, numerous hunters rushed in to attack the remaining monsters.

Kruuaah—!

The monsters had now become prey rather than predators.

“Chase them down!”

“Leave not a single one behind!”

Now it was up to the hunters.

The people cheered. Everyone was filled with hope.

Even though it was still midnight, we felt as if we were standing at the end of dawn, witnessing the rise of a brilliant sun.

***

What happened afterward? Nothing much.

We received some scolding for not following orders and leaving our posts to fight the tier boss.

“Should we say this was a good decision or a bad one…?”

“Please say it was a good one if you have to choose.”

I decided to be shameless about it since it had come to this. Why not, right?

Shinbaran sighed heavily at my cheeky face.

“You’re on probation for a while. Stay put in your dorm until your punishment is decided.”

Of course, I wasn’t going to just sit quietly.

With the abnormal situation over, safety was somewhat guaranteed, and more than anything, we had already caused a major incident. We often ended up getting caught while secretly helping with the remaining monster hunts and ended up being lectured again.

“Thanks, kids. But how about an early graduation? Come join our guild after you graduate.”

“Thanks to you, we survived! The future looks bright!”

“Are you going to become an S-rank hunter later? Don’t forget me when you make it big!”

“With this, you might even get a medal? Amazing!”

“Ha, what’s a medal? The scouts will be lining up for you. You’re a rising star, a supernova!”

Then I heard some comments like these.

It felt pretty good to receive compliments after a long time.

So I thought,

[Current Meta Points: 4740 Points]

Even though I hadn’t gained anything besides saving my life, I felt strangely good.

This was definitely a story that wouldn’t come up in Na Yu-han’s narrative.

So it was a story that wouldn’t earn me any points.

“Na-hyun! Come eat this!”

I realized that the smiling faces of the people had value beyond that. A warm feeling filled my heart.

I smiled as I received grilled squid from Choi Ga-ram.

“Do you like it? Is it good? You say it’s nice after causing such a mess.”

“Hehe… But what about our field practice?”

As I chewed on a squid leg, Choi Ga-ram looked at me incredulously.

“After all that trouble, you’re worried about field practice?”

“No, I was just wondering, just in case.”

“Tsk… It was an emergency situation, and it seems like we achieved something significant, so they decided not to punish you. If anything, they might even reward you.”

“Thank goodness. I thought I was going to get expelled from the academy.”

“Idiot, why would they expel a first-year student who took down a tier boss that even top-tier elite hunters struggled with? If anything, they’d cherish and nurture you. I bet there will be quite a few love calls coming your way from now on. You’ve hit the jackpot, kid.”

“That’s true.”

I grinned. Choi Ga-ram pinched my nose, clearly annoyed by my smile.

“By the way, they say they’ll give you a medal, but who knows when?”

“Hmmm…”

I listened to Choi Ga-ram’s words with one ear and let them flow out the other as I blankly watched the hunters outside organizing the traces of the monsters. Then I noticed Shinbaran and Shinbaran sitting side by side in a deserted area.

“Captain Shinbaran, do you have anything left to do with Baran? I thought we were supposed to be resting today.”

“Huh? No, there isn’t. The captain said he would take a short break. Why?”

“Then why are you sitting over there with Baran?”

“Maybe it’s a family matter. It’s private, so stay away.”

Choi Ga-ram covered my ears and slowly moved away from the window. Tch.

“Oh, and you guys have free time starting from lunch.”

“Even if it’s free time, I don’t know what to do. Can we go out?”

“Yeah. So, Jae-yoon and Baran said they would go to the amusement park with you guys. You should check it out.”

“I had no idea there was a plan.”

Around lunchtime, I laughed heartily as I saw the two of them presenting tickets with excited expressions.

“Siwoo is going too!”

“We’re going!”

“Okay, let’s go…”

It’s all good, but could you tell me in advance, guys?

***

“I was wrong.”

That was what Shinbaran said after a long silence.

“Only after everything was over could I look back at myself. You… weren’t me.”

His blue eyes sank deep. Shinbaran spoke as if to atone to himself.

“You were you. But I asked you to be like me.”

Shinbaran thought of Shinbaran, who shone brightly during the quickly passing time.

Shinbaran didn’t lead everyone. However, she was undoubtedly the person most needed.

It was only now that Shinbaran realized she had that talent. And it was only then that he understood he wanted Shinbaran to achieve the same things as he did.

“Sister.”

Shinbaran heard Shinbaran’s voice as she was lost in thought. Shinbaran looked up. Shinbaran was smiling gently.

“You’re amazing, sister. You lead people, support them, and help them look ahead. I liked having a sister like you.”

That was why Shinbaran admired Shinbaran.

She admired her, revered her, and eventually believed that her sister could do anything.

“That’s why I thought you were all-powerful, and I wanted to help such a sister.”

Even if Shinbaran’s attitude was created to protect herself from external pressure, it didn’t matter. Just because it started that way doesn’t mean it still is.

“This time, I achieved my dream.”

No matter what reason brought forth the dream, a dream is a dream, and she dreamt it.

“Hey, sister, was I a good aide?”

She dreamt with all her might.

Shinbaran’s words made Shinbaran’s face contort as if she were about to cry.

“You were the best aide. I felt inadequate in comparison.”

At that moment, the dream became a light different from the one she admired, shining brightly enough to captivate even the light she had longed for.

“I’m so happy.”

Shinbaran smiled brightly and made eye contact with her sister.

Not as perfect as she imagined, no longer as frightening, but still a sister she cherished.

“Then may I offer some advice as your aide?”

“Sure.”

“I hope you can recognize your mistakes and fix them on your own.”

A warm breeze blew, brushing against their pink hair.

Shinbaran spoke softly and calmly, as if she could see through Shinbaran’s heart.

“You’re thinking that you need to apologize to many people, aren’t you?”

“……”

Shinbaran quietly nodded her head. Then she slowly closed her eyes.

The short field practice at the fortress was enough time for her to change. She reflected on her narrow-minded perspective and arrogance. And she said,

“I’m sorry.”

After all, Shinbaran was the one Shinbaran had to apologize to.

There were too many people she needed to apologize to.

***

In the end, our field practice group arrived at the amusement park.

Min Jae-yoon openly expressed his excitement, while Shinbaran pretended not to be excited but was still visibly happy.

I didn’t dislike it either. It was the first amusement park I was visiting since being reborn.

“It’s amazing…”

“Right?”

Maybe because magic had become commonplace in this world, there were unique rides that I had never seen in my previous life.

“This is the landmark here!”

“If it’s a landmark, we can’t help it!”

Min Jae-yoon, who had never been to an amusement park before, excitedly pointed at various attractions, urging everyone to try them out, and Shinbaran pretended to be unable to resist, running alongside him in excitement.

“It’s a roller coaster! I’ve always wanted to ride one!”

“Huh, hmm. Not bad! If you really want to ride it!”

Then I found myself speechless at the sight of a roller coaster that looked even more extreme than in my previous life.

Why on earth are there 360-degree spins continuously linked together like that? Do they really want to die?

“What are you doing! Let’s go!”

At Shinbaran’s urging, I lined up for the roller coaster with a deadpan expression.

“…Are you going to be okay?”

“…Probably.”

Dumdum worried about me, but it was fine. I felt a bit nauseous, though.

Was the average human constitution in this era about that of a low-level Awakened?

Anyway, after riding on numerous attractions, only one was left: the Ferris wheel.

It seemed those two had no intention of skipping it, as they approached the Ferris wheel with excited steps.

Since it was a two-seater, we decided to split into pairs. I ended up riding with Dumdum.

“Next, please! Step right in!”

Following the attendant’s words, we got on the Ferris wheel and sat down.

Silence filled the cabin as the Ferris wheel began to move toward the sky. The world below slowly shrank.

In the distance, I could see a tall tower among the ruins that looked so small. I stared at the tower blankly.