How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

“I can do anything for my family, you know?”

The face of the Oracle—or rather, the vessel of the Oracle—turned to one of confusion.

“But you keep using that to mess with my people? It’s infuriating. So I did it. Got it? This is all your fault.”

Even without looking in a mirror, I knew.

I was smiling brightly.

“This is a warning. If my family suffers because of you one more time, I won’t hold back. If you touch what’s mine, be prepared to be bitten.”

I had always been this way. I could do anything to protect what was precious to me.

“Got it? You bastard?”

After threatening the Oracle with a snarl, I let go of his collar. The Oracle took a rough breath, then let out a sigh.

“…I understand. I was rude.”

“That’s all I need to hear.”

“Still, cooperating with the Wild Hunters—”

“Both you and them are worthless! Get lost.”

“….”

The Oracle seemed to want to say something, opening and closing his mouth, but he fell silent, perhaps because he had nothing to say.

Eventually, the body possessed by the Oracle collapsed to the ground.

I caught the body and laid it down on the floor. Sorry, but when this person wakes up, they’ll probably manage to get home on their own. I wanted to go home too.

Since the Wild Hunters were defined as a criminal organization, the Black Scales would ensure they never invaded the orphanage again. That put my mind at ease.

“What a hell of a struggle…”

The sun was already setting. It was good that I had contacted them about being late; otherwise, I would have worried them.

I walked away from the illegal settlement. After walking for a while, the illegal residents’ village had faded into the distance, becoming just a dot.

Seeing that brought up a strange feeling.

Nostalgia for the past?

Well, if I had to put it that way, it was more like recalling the pain of old scars.

As I walked, I drifted into memories of the past.

***

“Nahyun, look at this! Isn’t it beautiful?”

My mom proudly showed me a shiny, multi-colored mechanical part, smiling brightly.

“What’s a kid like you going to know about that?”

Choi Garam grumbled but didn’t actually try to stop her as he assembled parts for a gun.

I was at the research lab where my mom worked.

The lab was established by the hero “Eren Tos,” who was part of the Savior Strike Team, and it was a place where various research activities were actively conducted.

From the entrance, bizarre, high-tech devices buzzed, collecting data on something, making it feel as if this place was a futuristic lab out of a sci-fi story.

“Alright, let’s go to the shooting range!”

Though I could only see a few areas under the pretense of a tour, I still thought it was impressive to see all sorts of fascinating objects lined up, even with my naive eyes.

“Do you think it’ll work today?”

“Who knows?”

Choi Garam and my mom were whispering to each other, chatting while handling guns. The colorful part that my mom had shown earlier was attached to the gun.

As Choi Garam took aim and fired, various colored dolls fell over. However, some dolls remained standing intact. My mom let out a sigh.

“Is it really the elemental attributes and the neutral attribute that are the problem…?!”

“The elemental attribute consumes too much mana stone. The neutral attribute… seems to have some elements sticking to it because the filter can’t catch them all.”

“Hmm… Should we try inserting the mana stone separately instead of changing the filter? And if we want it to be usable by regular people…”

Watching the two adults whispering to each other, I started to fiddle with a doll nearby. The doll, which looked like it had two balls casually placed on it, had a ridiculously silly appearance as if it had been hastily made.

“Then for the beta version…”

I left the serious conversation of the adults behind and moved on.

There weren’t many places I could go with my visitor badge hanging around my neck. They would find their way on their own. The room related to the gate that I had passed by earlier seemed interesting, so I decided to check it out.

“Hey, it’s a kid!”

“It looks like they came for a tour! Do you want some candy?”

I was being fussed over by strangers and happily roamed around here and there.

Then, I accidentally wandered into a restricted area and was abruptly moved out.

At that moment, I remembered seeing a famous figure through the window of the forbidden area.

“Eren Tos, about the gate reduction research…”

I strained to listen, but I couldn’t catch what was being said.

Growing tired of wandering around, I sat down on a sofa and started to doze off.

And when I opened my eyes again,

“Help me!”

“Ahhh!”

The world was hell.

People were screaming as they were crushed under the fallen debris, or crying in fear.

Some were crawling on the ground like they were mad, desperately trying to escape from something.

Looking around, I saw that everyone was rushing toward some direction.

The person holding me was barely keeping up with the crowd.

“Mom?”

She managed to throw her body to the side and enter what looked like a shelter.

Thud—! The door of the shelter closed. I was thrown in with her and rolled over due to inertia before finally coming to a stop.

Once she regained her composure, she helped me up and tried to reassure me.

“Hello, sweetheart. What’s your name?”

” Kang Nahyun.”

“Nahyun, huh? Nahyun’s mom is a bit busy right now, so I’m going to take care of you.”

I looked at her, trying to smile despite my trembling body, and thought to myself.

That’s a lie.

But I wasn’t so young that I couldn’t distinguish between a lie told with good intentions and a plain lie, so I nodded as if I understood.

“What do we do now?”

“With Eren Tos here, the gate will close soon. The problem is the monsters that have poured out—”

At that moment, there was a thud, and the door of the shelter started to bend slightly.

A momentary, fearful silence engulfed the shelter. Through the slightly opened gap, I could hear the beast’s howling.

“Is there anyone who can fight? Even a weapon…!”

Thud.

The door warped further.

The grotesque shape of a monster began to become clear through the doorway. A gigantic snake with three heads flicked its tongue, targeting us.

“It’s a hydra…!”

“It’s an advanced monster…!”

Chaos engulfed the people. They shoved and trampled each other in an attempt to move away from the door and toward the walls.

We were pushed out by the crowd.

“Are you okay?”

“It hurts…”

Thud.

One of the snake heads managed to wedge itself through the door. It looked down at us, flicking its tongue.

Just as it opened its mouth to swallow us—

Bang—! Bang—!

The sound of two gunshots rang out. It couldn’t achieve its goal, throwing its head back in pain as it writhed.

Kyaaaek!

As the thrashing head flailed around, I was trembling and ducking down when I heard a booming voice.

“Who dares threaten my little girl!”

Bang—!

Another gunshot rang out, and the monster’s head flew far away. After that, it didn’t move again.

“Hey, kid, are you safe?”

“…Yeah.”

Choi Garam, covered in the blood of various monsters, was shouting at me from the direction of the door.

If I were a normal child, I would have cried at the sight before me.

“Then let’s go! Mom is waiting!”

Choi Garam picked me up and tried to leave immediately, but the researchers in the shelter protested.

“Wait a minute, aren’t you a Hunter? You need to protect us!”

“Huh? I’m a researcher too! You can either stay or follow me, your choice!”

As Choi Garam growled threateningly, the group of researchers immediately shrank back.

In the meantime, I clung tightly to the hem of the researcher’s coat who had been holding me. Choi Garam, trying to pull me away, looked at my fingertips in confusion.

“What’s this?”

“Nahyun?”

“Let’s go together. Or I won’t.”

I knew Choi Garam’s skills. If he hadn’t chosen the path of a researcher, he would have easily taken on a significant role in any guild, as rumors suggested about this awakened one.

So, going with Choi Garam would be the safest path for both of us, rather than staying here.

At my words, she nodded, her expression bewildered.

“Fine, do as you like.”

Choi Garam looked reluctant, but it seemed he decided to go along with my request.

Glancing at the researchers, it seemed they thought that following Choi Garam would have a higher chance of survival than staying in the hole-riddled shelter, as they all subtly moved closer.

“Everyone, just follow along.”

As Choi Garam started to run while holding me, everyone began to follow him, trembling but determined.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A few more gunshots echoed. Fortunately, we could move without anyone dead.

It was possible because someone had already taken down a monster.

Choi Garam said nonchalantly, “Eren Tors did all that.”

“Eren Tors…! What happened to the gate?”

At that, Choi Garam trailed off.

“They closed the one that opened in the research institute, but the others…”

Everyone’s faces darkened at those words.

“But once we go outside, the Hunters will protect us.”

It seemed everyone was pinning their hopes on Choi Garam’s words.

When we finally arrived outside the research institute, what we saw were hurriedly moving Hunters and soldiers, along with countless holes visible in the sky.

“This way!”

“Are you the researchers?”

“Yes!”

“We’ll quickly transport you to the intermediate zone! Please get on the vehicles!”

Choi Garam pushed through the crowd of Hunters and soldiers. At the end of the path he cleared stood my mother, talking to someone.

“What happened, Ahyeon?”

“It’s a success! We’ve signed a sponsorship agreement for mass production. The beta version filter has already proven its efficacy and productivity, so there are no problems!”

My mother greeted us with a bright smile, as if they had been having a beneficial conversation.

“It was fortunate that the gate burst open at this time!”

Her laughter was—