Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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A cliché that can never be omitted from a game.
The scene where some delinquent punks show up and cause trouble during the story's progression appears in every single game.
It was a subject that was absolutely indispensable, especially in NTL games.
'Though, in NTL games, I'm usually the one who ends up being the delinquent.'
Mostly, I'm the one who becomes the gold-haired interloper, squeezing myself between a cozy couple to steal them away.
[However, I believe this is a situation that absolutely must not happen right now.]
'Don't worry, I won't let it happen. Let's check first. Show me those guys' Traits.'
Simultaneously with my words, the Traits of the delinquents popped up.
Spear Arts 9, Swordsmanship 6, Fist Arts 8, Spear Arts 5... Most were close-combat skills, with levels ranging from 5 to 8.
At least one of them had reached level 9, the highest among them.
But he couldn't wrap his head around it.
'What is this? It's high for this place, sure. But for someone from the upper floors, it feels kinda low?'
[I had not mentioned it yet since Su-ho-nim is still on the 1st floor, but once you ascend a floor and then descend, your level decreases. And that remains in effect as long as you stay on that floor.]
'Ah, I see...'
For example, someone who'd reached the 5th floor would drop by 1 level on the 4th.
Another level on the 3rd, for a total of 2.
4 levels down on the 2nd.
And a whopping 8 on the 1st.
In other words, the penalty doubled with every floor descended, stacking cumulatively. Heading downward meant risking life and limb.
Going back up restored everything instantly, though.
[I judge that this is a system created to prevent those who have climbed to quite high floors from slaughtering the Summoners on the lower floors.]
'Whoa... So those guys from the 5th floor could bite the dust if they come down here without thinking?'
[That is correct. I intended to tell you later, but I apologize for mentioning it now.]
'No need to apologize.'
Seong Su-ho did some quick math after hearing Armonia's explanation.
His Archery was level 15, to start.
Even Min Ha-yeon, who had the highest among them at level 10, was well below that.
And with his bow combined with Lightning Speed, it packed enough punch to one-shot Shock Bees.
In other words, by his standards...
"Damn~ How did I get lucky enough to get paired with that woman?"
"How long you think you bums can crash at the homeless shelter?"
Guys like this were weak enough that I could pierce the heads of three or four of them in one shot right now.
But even if they were weak, there was nothing I could do about it.
'Ugh, this is so fucking annoying. But it's not like I can just become a Red Summoner....'
Deep down, he wanted to slaughter them regardless and become a Red Summoner if that's what it took.
Just as his blood was boiling, the chat popped up with a message.
Fucking beggar trash. Kill those bastards.
I immediately replied through the chat window.
"No way I'm drawing that red line..."
Becoming a Red Summoner brought too many restrictions.
Stat decreases, and it became impossible to stay in villages.
Furthermore, now that I knew it could change Han Yeo-reum's regression point, if nothing else, I had to avoid becoming a Red Summoner.
If I became a Red Summoner and then somehow managed to survive and change the regression point, it would create a headache of a situation.
While I was preoccupied with these various worries, Gekkosu typed a message, looking at me with frustration.
Idiot? Just challenge to a duel and crush them.
"Will they even accept it?"
Do they know your skill level, you moron? LMAO.
"...You're right?"
I was someone who had just arrived from Zephyrum yesterday.
Far from hunting, I was facing off against this gang without having drawn my bow once.
Moreover, these guys had a conflict with me yesterday and looked down on me.
As proof, they were currently loitering in front of me and picking a fight.
"You're that guy from yesterday, aren't you?"
"Kyahaha. You think those ten thousand points will last you a lifetime?"
"If you give us the ten thousand points... and those women over there, we'll take care of you for as long as we're here. How about it? Puhahaha!"
They were the type who knew exactly how to efficiently drive an opponent's irritation to the limit.
Having survived various hardships on the upper floors, they must have mastered the art of provocation.
I carved the words of the gang into my mind one by one and asked Gay Peepee one thing.
"A duel... does it have to be one-on-one?"
***
Sigh... I need to hunt quickly. If I come back empty-handed today, it'll be dangerous...'
Han Bom's stomach churned as she watched the men harassing them.
In Yggdrasil, of food, clothing, and shelter, housing was by far the most crucial.
Food cost less than expected, and clothes weren't an issue if you had what you wore in.
However, if you had no place to stay, difficulties arose even with those two benefits.
If you stayed at an inn, you could get cheap meals, and the inn had a system where clothes were automatically laundered if you slept there.
But the moment you were thrown out onto the street, you could face hunger and unhygienic conditions because you couldn't wash your clothes.
Somehow, she had tried to take the lead like a leader at the inn to resolve the situation, but there was a limit.
No matter how much their stats were cut, Summoners who descended from the upper floors were not at a level that people who had just entered could compete with.
In that state, they were pressuring her while continuously interfering with her hunting.
"Oh~ Han Bom. If you bow your head now, I'll make you feel cute every day!"
"Hey! She's mine, piss off!"
"Bullshit! When I first arrived...."
Han Bom felt goosebumps as the men scanned her body up and down, licking their lips.
'Pieces of trash....'
She cursed internally, but those curses couldn't erase her anxiety.
She felt that if she continued to be cornered like this, she might lose the inn and end up living a hellish life.
'Bastards... I'd rather commit suicide than end up under you....'
Just as she was venting her indignation inwardly and trying to ignore them.
Min Ha-yeon's indignant voice drifted from a distance.
"If you pick a fight with her one more time, you're dead...."
"Ooh.... Don't tell me this guy is the boyfriend?"
"Kuhaha! He looks like a total weakling."
Min Ha-yeon was in a verbal spat, having clashed with the men.
Han Bom felt a secret sense of relief at the word "boyfriend," wondering if she was protecting Han Yeo-reum.
Because her goal was for those two to get closer again.
However, when she checked the situation properly, a scene of utter disappointment unfolded.
"...If you want to keep walking around as a normal person, don't touch Su-ho. Got it?"
"Oho! Scary~"
"No way you've already fucked that guy? Ugh..."
The gang mocked and jeered at Min Ha-yeon.
But the one who snapped wasn't her—it was Han Bom.
"You fucking bastards!"
She could endure them insulting her, but she absolutely could not stand them saying such things to Min Ha-yeon.
As she charged in, risking a brawl—
Seong Su-ho sighed softly and muttered,
"This is fucked."
"Kyahaha! Bring the girls over now, and we'll go easy on you..."
"No, I mean your face is fucked."
"This fucking prick..."
In situations like this, raw insults beat logic every time.
And Seong Su-ho's kept coming.
"Your face is so fucked that a female troll would mistake you for a dildo, asshole."
"You son of a bitch!"
"Ooh, vibration mode too? Turning red already. Bet you're popular with troll bitches?"
"You son of a bitch!!"
"Only word you know is 'son of a bitch'? Troll dildo. Nah, big boy's a vibrator? Troll vibe?"
"Aaaargh!!!"
The man drew his spear in rage, threatening Seong Su-ho.
But "Troll Vibe" just bellowed beastly roars, his survival instincts overriding fury.
At that sight, not only the gang but also Min Ha-yeon's group began to laugh.
Han Bom was among them.
'He's certainly good with words.'
Han Bom laughed unconsciously, but on the other hand, worry preceded her.
'That guy seems to be the leader. I should mediate quickly before things get annoying....'
Annoyance wasn't the problem.
But since it was directly tied to survival, the current situation required minimizing problems as much as possible.
However, Troll Vibe's anger erupted before Han Bom could mediate.
"You think I'll just laugh this off?"
"Can't you just let it go with some flashy vibrations?"
"Fuck you!!"
Troll Vibe glanced at his crew and yelled,
"Guys! Rush him and kill!"
"Killing him..."
"That's a bit..."
They had all been bold in picking a fight, but that was only up to the level of interfering with hunting.
Even if they attacked Seong Su-ho and caused damage, it wouldn't be a problem as long as they stayed in the orange zone.
But what if someone accidentally landed the finishing blow and Seong Su-ho died?
No matter how weak the attack was, if he died, they would unconditionally become a Red Summoner.
Everyone was dreading that.
"I'll take responsibility! Kill him!!"
"..."
Everyone remained silent and didn't answer.
Perhaps because he was the leader, they didn't show rebellion even though they had dissatisfied expressions.
While Troll Vibe was screaming at the top of his lungs, Seong Su-ho said with a smirk.
"If you really want to kill me, how about a duel?"
"...Are you serious?"
The man's lips twitched as he looked at the smirking Seong Su-ho.
However, seeing Seong Su-ho's appearance, Han Bom looked distressed.
'He should have just stopped at teasing them.... No matter how good his skills are, it'll be hard for that man to win through skill.'
The conclusion of this fight was clear to Han Bom.
Seong Su-ho, whose class was unknown, against the man known to have the highest Spear Arts level in this village.
It would be lucky if it ended with just some injuries, but there was a chance he could be physically crippled to the point where potions couldn't regenerate him.
If that happened, he would fall from being a comrade to a burden.
Lest Seong Su-ho back out halfway, Troll Vibe intentionally pretended to be intimidated and issued the duel challenge.
The duel request arrived in front of Seong Su-ho's face.
======
Ben Crash has challenged you to a duel.
Accept?
(Victory Reward: 10,000 Points)
(Opponent's Victory Reward: None)
======
Seeing the duel request, Seong Su-ho burst out laughing and spoke.
"One-on-one is too boring, isn't it?"
"Hmph, you scared? Don't tell me you want to bring in your comrades...."
Seong Su-ho cut off Troll Vibe's words and said with a laugh.
"Your whole gang can jump me. Come on, come on~ For every person who joins, I'll increase the reward by ten thousand points!"
At those words, the surrounding gang members' ears perked up, and they began to glance at each other.
They had all mistakenly thought they misheard Seong Su-ho.
They thought he should have been asking them to join his side, and that he had misspoke out of fear.
But Seong Su-ho emphasized it again.
"I'll fight alone, and you guys can keep increasing your numbers. As long as you win, I'll unconditionally give ten thousand points per person!"
"...."
After a brief silence, the gang members....
"Me! I'm in!"
"Crazy, I can't miss an opportunity like this!"
"Hey. But does this make sense? Where would a guy who just arrived get that many points to...."
As one man muttered with an anxious expression, Seong Su-ho openly sent duel requests to the gang.
======
Seong Su-ho has challenged you to a mass duel.
Accept?
(Victory Reward: 10,000 Points per person)
(Seong Su-ho's Victory Reward: His entire fortune)
======
"Holy shit, for real!!"
"Kya! We're eating good today!"
"Hah... crazy fucker..."
Troll Vibe rubbed his eyes, double-checking the screen.
But the reward for Seong Su-ho's victory didn't enter their eyes.
Only the reward for their own victory was visible.
The gang cheered wildly, piling into the duel.
Seong Su-ho stood casually, then whispered to Min Ha-yeon.
She listened gravely, then warned,
"If anything happens, I'm really not letting you off easy, okay?"
"Don't worry."
"...Got it. Be careful."
Min Ha-yeon broke away, rushing to Han Bom amid the chaos.
"Bom-ah, let's go. We have to go quickly."
"What? Where are we going?"
Without listening to Han Bom's full question, Min Ha-yeon grabbed her arm and forcibly dragged her away, while telling the other party members.
"Come here. Quickly!"
"Ah! Yes, yes!"
The trio of women looked at Seong Su-ho in a daze, then snapped out of it at Min Ha-yeon's shout-like command and began to follow her.
Even as she was dragged away by Min Ha-yeon, Han Bom couldn't take her eyes off Seong Su-ho.
She wondered where on earth that confidence came from, as he was still looking at her with complete composure.
'What the hell is going on... Huh? Why isn't he coming?'
Just before entering the village, what Han Bom saw was the smirking face of Han Yeo-reum.
..
..
The place Min Ha-yeon led Han Bom to was the inn where they were staying.
And from that inn, Min Ha-yeon took all the members staying there and headed toward another inn.
The number of people staying in the inn had long since exceeded a hundred.
As a large crowd passed by, even the usually indifferent village NPCs looked on with curiosity.
Unable to bear the frustration any longer, Han Bom asked Min Ha-yeon.
"Eonni! What is this about? We should be thinking about going back to stop him! The fight might start any second now."
"...Don't worry."
Han Bom couldn't comprehend Min Hayeon's actions or words.
'I thought she liked him? Being crippled is one thing, but that man could actually die....'
No matter how much Han Bom hoped for Han Yeo-reum and Min Ha-yeon to get together, she didn't want Seong Su-ho to die.
While Han Bom was worrying unconsciously, they arrived in front of a certain inn.
Min Ha-yeon told the others to wait and took only Han Bom into the inn.
It was the inn that Min Ha-yeon and Seong Su-ho had visited first.
Perhaps because it was the morning rush for hunting, only one person was sitting in the dining area.
As soon as she entered, Min Ha-yeon spoke to the innkeeper.
"Give me a room."
"Sigh... as I told you last time.... There are no rooms. And that girl came again."
"Haha...."
Han Bom laughed awkwardly and scratched her head.
Usually, she would leave the other members behind and scour the inns like she was searching for lice to find a room.
Despite numerous advances, the reason she wandered like that was because of a sliver of hope.
But she had never once found a vacant room.
The innkeeper said with a pitiful expression.
"It's unfortunate, but by regulation, once a room is taken, I cannot change it at my discretion. Unless an accident happens...."
"...Then I'll wait a moment."
"...? What are you talking about. I said there are no rooms. Unless someone comes to check out...."
The innkeeper tried to persuade her by showing a hologram.
"Look, look at the room chart here. Check-out must be done in person, and do those guys look like the type to check out? Nor would there be an idiot who dies in a place like this... huh?"
While explaining, the innkeeper looked at the room chart on the hologram in confusion.
One of the rooms, which had clearly been plastered in red, was now displayed in green, indicating it was vacant.
"What... what is this... huh? Wait, why is it like this?"
Starting with one, the rooms that had been marked in red suddenly began to be dyed green.
No one had checked out, but vacant rooms continued to appear.
And before they knew it, out of 30 rooms, 28 rooms were displayed in green, excluding only two.
"No, this is...."
"What is this...."
Han Bom and the innkeeper watched the situation to the end with wide eyes, then looked at Min Ha-yeon.
Min Ha-yeon said with a smile.
"Now, rooms are available, right? Give them to me."