Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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I woke up to the morning sunlight and immediately apologized to Min Ha-yeon.
"Haa... Sorry."
"Sorry my ass... What's there to be sorry about for getting drunk...."
Gay Peepee, who had been watching my conversation with Min Ha-eon, typed into the chat with a look of utter disbelief.
"It was because of me that you ended up drinking at the table, right?"
"Huh!? Y-Yeah! But what of it...."
By the time I woke up, Min Hay-eon had already gotten up and completely concealed the crime scene.
She was brazenly sitting in a chair at the table, pretending to wait for me.
I got up, straightened my clothes, and said,
"Anyway, I should start getting ready."
"Huh? Ready for what?"
"Gotta buy potion ingredients and make some in advance."
"Oh...."
Min Ha-yeon looked up at me with wide, surprised eyes.
Wondering if I'd said something wrong, I asked,
"What?"
"No... You've been getting up early all this time to prepare in advance?"
"It's nothing much. Just casually shopping and doing some alchemy...."
I answered vaguely and left the inn with Min Ha-yeon.
"I'll hit up the herb shop and potion shop first. Meet you at the rendezvous point later."
"...Got it."
Min Ha-yeon made a slightly disappointed face but nodded and headed toward the hotel.
She probably had a rough idea that this opponent we'd be fighting after days of battling others was something entirely different.
Though she had no clue what it actually was....
She'd prepare thoroughly too, no doubt.
Maybe buy some expensive arrows or exchange tips with the other party members ahead of time.
As I walked around, I could see others bustling about too—it was the final day, after all.
I stopped by the potion shop first.
'Anti-magic potion... I better stock up.'
I considered boosting my anti-magic directly, but if things went south and I got swept into regression, wasting 10,000 Enel would sting too much.
Thinking that, I looked up at the shelf where the beginner anti-magic potion should have been...
'What!? It's gone!'
The shelf greeted me with a bold "Sold Out" sign.
Someone must have snatched up the guy that was always sitting there.
'What a lunatic.... Who the hell buys that...'
No one sane except me should be buying that potion.
On the way over earlier, I'd seen quite a few people hyped up to take down the boss since it was the last day.
Someone must have emptied their entire wallet just in case.
'Ah... Yeah, that'd be cheaper.'
Though pricier potions might guzzle more mana too.
I checked the list and confirmed the recipe for [Beginner Anti-Magic Potion].
I looked at the listed materials and messaged,
'What's this? First time seeing that item....'
'Shit... Can you make it with Enel?'
'Hmm... Make one.'
I hurriedly crafted a Beginner Anti-Magic Potion.
'No time to think about blessings right now....'
'Yeah, good call.'
I agreed with Armonia.
Time was running short now, and overthinking in this crunch could lead to getting swept up in regression and making things even messier.
After regressing, it'd take time to reconnect with Min Hayeon anyway, so I'd think it over then.
Right as that thought crossed my mind, one regrettable thing hit me.
'...Regression sucks at times like this.'
'I remember everything, but the other person forgets it all.'
It had only been a few days since I'd met and gotten close to Min Ha-yeon, but the regret was unavoidable.
Watching her NTR tendencies fade and revert to that cold woman was hard to brush off lightly.
It wasn't easy to sort out my troubled heart.
'Yeah.... The others are important too.'
I gave a bitter smile and headed to the rendezvous point.
"Ha-yaen, do me a favor—if your boyfriend says anything to me, just bear with it."
Just in case, I gave Min Ha-yeon a heads-up.
If she still saw me as just party member #4 like before, it might be fine, but with our current closeness, her personality might lead to some reckless stunt, and that worried me.
If she dropped some crazy bomb on Han Yeo-reum, the next loop could get seriously messy.
"...Boyfriend?"
"...? I mean Han Yeo-reum."
"Ohhh.... He's not my boyfriend."
Min Ha-yeon shook her head with a sly grin.
"He won't be much longer anyway."
"...You're breaking up?"
"Yup!"
She said it with a bright, bubbly, hopeful expression and voice, beaming ear to ear.
"Thinking of kicking him in the thigh hard enough to break a bone while I'm at it."
"Hey... That's a bit...."
"Kidding, kidding! Hehe...."
Min Ha-yeon patted my shoulder and giggled.
"But the breakup's no joke.... I just don't like him anymore...."
"...."
It wasn't entirely good news.
If Min Ha-yeon dropped that bomb right now, the boss fight would be the least of our problems.
Next loop, I might not even be able to party with Han Yeo-reum.
If I couldn't be in his party, I wouldn't be able to find out exactly when Han Yeo-reum dies....
And it wouldn't be easy to get entangled with Min Ha-yeon again.
So, I tried to persuade Min Ha-yeon.
"Ha-yaen, how about we talk about that later?"
"Why?"
"We've got the boss fight coming up. It's life or death.... A sudden breakup notice might throw things off...."
"...What? You're worried about Yeo-reum?"
Min Ha-yeon stared at me like she couldn't comprehend.
But I understood myself.
'Abso~lutely not! I'm worried about me!'
I wasn't about to spill the whole comms discussion verbatim.
I played the nice guy role.
"He was a party member, after all. Even if things soured, it's still regrettable."
"...Are you an idiot? Why are you so unnecessarily nice...."
Min Ha-yeon looked exasperated but also understanding.
"Sigh... Fine. Yeah... Better to talk when we've got some breathing room."
"It's for your sake too, I think."
I hinted that Han Yeo-reum might prove useful down the line, and if so, it could backfire on her.
Min Ha-yeon grinned and patted my shoulder.
"Hehe.... Worried about me?"
"Why wouldn't I be...."
"Hmm.... I changed my mind."
"Huh?"
"Gonna serve him the breakup notice right now."
Damn it, what the hell....
I made an incredulous face and asked why.
"Why?"
"Just doing it doesn't add up cost-wise."
"...? What're you talking about?"
What cost-benefit? I had no clue what Min Ha-yeon meant, so I asked again.
"What do you mean? Cost-wise?"
"Granting a favor with no strings attached is a loss."
"...? Favor?"
"Yeah, the part about not giving the breakup notice. Su-ho, you're the one asking for the favor."
"...."
Well, it was a favor, technically....
I just stared at Min Ha-yeon blankly, unable to grasp of her thinking.
She smirked mischievously and said,
"Grant me one favor, and I'll hold off on the breakup notice."
"...? What favor?"
"I'll tell you after the boss fight."
"Hmm...."
I pondered briefly before answering.
"Alright."
"Oh... really? Without even knowing what the favor is?"
"What, it's your favor. Can't be anything weird."
"...You promise?"
Min Ha-yeon locked eyes with me, her sharp gaze probing seriously.
I answered without hesitation.
"Yeah. Whatever it is, I'll do it."
"...Sweet!"
Suddenly bursting with enthusiasm, Min Ha-yeon beamed and pulled her bow from her inventory to check it over.
I watched her with a faint smile.
'She's gonna forget it all....'
'Yeah, you're right.'
She was right.
But those words just weren't sinking in...
The rest of the party members soon gathered while Min Ha-yeon and I waited.
"Hey, make some more potions."
"...That's the max."
Before entering the boss field, Han Yeo-reum demanded potions from me.
I made some right away and handed them over, but he wasn't satisfied and nagged for more.
Min Ha-yeon furrowed her brow in annoyance but stayed quiet.
"What, you're telling me this is the maximum after making only that many?"
Han Yeo-reum was griping while eyeing the 50 green potions I'd made.
50 green potions was far from a small amount.
I suppressed my irritation and replied calmly.
"I could make more now, but it's more efficient to craft and distribute based on the situation as needed."
"Cut the crap and just hand 'em over. You won't have the luxury anyway."
"...? Do you know something about the boss?"
"...."
At my question, every member turned to stare at Han Yeo-reum.
Only two people here knew about the boss: me and Han Yeo-reum.
No one in the village knew its identity right now.
The system auto-ejects you from the village either way—win, and you leave early; lose, and you leave this world for good....
But I could say for sure.
'It wasn't made to be beaten in the first place....'
It was leagues beyond the monsters casually roaming Zephyrum Village.
Its skills bordered on cheats, and it had a body tough enough to shrug off my bean shots.
'...Maybe they made it to cull the numbers on purpose?'
Apparently around 500 got summoned each time.
Those summoned people would have been burning with confidence after fighting monsters in this village for seven days.
Because it was too easy, too relaxed.
Our party was the same...
But would they really make it just to trim numbers?
Just to be safe, I asked Gay Peepee.
"Hey, know anything about the boss?"
"Hmm...."
Not that he wouldn't— he couldn't.
"Ah... Thanks."
Makes sense why this loose-lipped guy had been quiet.
After finishing with Gay Peepee, I looked back at Han Yeo-reum.
While the other women looked curious, Han Yeo-reum tried to brush off the situation with an awkward explanation.
"A boss monster certainly won't give us any time to rest."
"...Fair enough. Got it."
I made 25 more and handed out 5 green potions each.
Han Yeoreum eyed me suspiciously but didn't push further.
The start of the boss fight was simple..
When people formed as a party and touched the crystal ball in the center of the Colosseum, they would be transported to the forest where the boss appeared.
Only Han Yeo-reum and I knew what came after.
And I was the only one who knew the true nature of the skill that the boss monster used.
Han Yeo-reum surely didn't.
Time stopped the instant Paralysis Wave activated.
The coliseum buzzed with excitement.
Aside from the first day, no one would have wanted to come here.
No one would want to remember their head exploding.
Yet today it was packed.
As Han Yeo-reum headed to the center, he pulled a small vial from his inventory and dumped it in his mouth.
"...?"
I wondered what it was, but I didn't care what that guy did, so I ignored him and walked to the center.
As our 6 members arrived, the murmuring crowd quieted and stared.
We were the first ones up, drawing eyes.
Han Yeo-reum lowered his voice.
"Alright, let's go."
Everyone touched the red crystal orb with tense faces.
'Armonia, get ready. You have to warp us the moment you confirm the Paralysis Wave is used.'
'I'm counting on you....'
Armonia wouldn't mess up.
But this moment couldn't afford even the slightest error.
The instant my party touched the orb...
A bright light flashed, and I felt us teleporting somewhere.
"This is it... right?"
"Yeah, looks like it."
At Park Jin-hee's words, Han Yeo-reum looked up tensely at the sky.
Armonia explained upon seeing Han Yeo-reum.
'Got it...'
Currently, Han Yeo-reum and the three beauties were huddled together, while Ha-yeon and I stood together.
Han Yeo-reum glanced at me next to Min Ha-yeon, scowled irritably, then looked back up.
'That moron stares too obviously...'
It wouldn't expose the regression outright, but piling up odd behavior would look suspicious eventually.
As I pitifully glanced at Han Yeo-reum...
BWOOOOONG!!!
Suddenly, a helicopter-like whir echoed as six gym-ball-sized bees descended from the sky.
"Puh... I-It’s here!!!"
"B-Bees?!"
The three beauties were so intimidated by the imposing presence of the suddenly appearing bees that they couldn't even grip their weapons properly..
Min Ha-yeon was also startled at the dust cloud they kicked up but quickly nocked an arrow and said to me,
"Su-ho, get behind me."
"Got it. Ha-yen, drink your potion quick."
"Ah! Right!"
Min Ha-yeon chugged a Beginner Artemis Potion at my words.
While eyes were on the Shock Bees, I downed my Beginner Anti-Magic Potion.
Armonia explained immediately.
'Got it! I'll survive till then.'
The six Shock Bees whirred like helicopter rotors, scanning around before locking targets.
BWOOOOONG!!!!
Straight for Han Yeo-reum and the three beauties.
"Shit!!"
"Kyaaaaak!!"
Han Yeo-reum and the trio panicked and bolted from the sudden Shock Bees.
Meanwhile, Min Ha-yeon focused fire on one.
Her potion-enhanced shots were sharp and relentless.
Twang!
The arrow left her bow, streaking past my view straight into a Shock Bee.
It hit dead-on, but...
Krunch!
The arrow splintered on the Shock Bee's body.
"Wh-What!? Bows don't work?!"
With Min Hayeon's shout, a scream pierced the air.
"Aaaagh!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!"
Seon-hui, the swordswoman who'd been active, had her arm chomped off by a Shock Bee's jaws.
"...."
Terror gripped everyone at the sight—even Min Ha-yeon.
'Fuck!! Hurry up and fire that Paralysis Wave!!'
Even I couldn't stay calm anymore.
But right then...
'Now! It's time?!'
I saw three Shock Bees landing on the ground.
They didn't fold their wings and land all at once; they descended slowly.
The moment those three touched down...
PAAANG!
An electric crackle boomed as a semicircle of blue spread from the ground.
The instant the blue semicircle expanded, Min Ha-yeon froze.
The other women froze, and even the one screaming with her arm torn off stopped.
And...
"Wh-What the hell is this?!"
"...."
Han Yeo-reum didn't freeze.
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