Chapter 871
Chapter 871
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 871
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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Lee Min-jeong confessed to Kang Myeong-jin and got shot down.
I'd been secretly watching the whole thing, and I couldn't help letting out an exclamation of admiration. Kang Myeong-jin didn't even twitch an eyebrow. He accepted her confession without a second's hesitation and turned her down flat.
"I've never once thought of you that way. And even if I had... right now, I don't have the time or the luxury for romance. What we need to focus on is survival, and our biggest goal is to conquer all of Atlantis and get back to the original world."
Kang Myeong-jin spoke without a hint of wavering. It was so ironclad even I was impressed watching it unfold.
"Th-then... if we make it back to the original world, Oppa, would you... think about dating?"
"Yeah."
Kang Myeong-jin nodded. But Lee Min-jeong's face didn't brighten. The exiles of Atlantis might all be Korean, but they weren't from the same Korea. Parallel worlds. From Earths that were similar but different.
Lee Min-jeong and Kang Myeong-jin came from different ones. Conquering all of Atlantis didn't mean they'd return to the same Earth.
And above all, the "original world" Kang Myeong-jin was talking about was the world outside the novel.
Lee Min-jeong trembled like an abandoned puppy.
"Lee Min-jeong. Right now, you should focus on getting stronger. Once time passes, Atlantis will get even more intense, and it'll be too late if you start craving power then."
"A-ah, okay..."
Lee Min-jeong managed some kind of response. But her face was still locked in panic. Kang Myeong-jin let out a small sigh and tried to soothe her crumbling mentality. It backfired, though. A shattered mindset doesn't recover easily, so he decided to give her some time to rest and parted ways.
Lee Min-jeong trudged powerlessly back to her room.
This was my chance. A chance to approach Lee Min-jeong while her mentality was shaken and vulnerable. I carefully followed behind her. I called out to her just before she entered her room.
"Min-jeong-ah."
"...Yu-jin Oppa. You saw...?"
"I'm sorry this happened. If I hadn't egged you on to confess..."
"No, it's fine. I've been building up to this confession for ages... I'm grateful to you for pushing me, Yu-jin Oppa... But... sob..."
Tears welled up in Lee Min-jeong's eyes. I feigned panic and said to her,
"H-here's the hallway. Someone might see, so let's go inside and talk."
"...Okay."
I naturally slipped into Lee Min-jeong's room. She sat on the bed, wiping her tears with her sleeve cuff.
"Myeong-jin Oppa... he answered without even thinking when I confessed. He doesn't even see me as a girl."
"That's not true. If it had been anyone else confessing to Myeong-jin, he would've said the same thing."
I comforted her. But my words of comfort seemed to fall on deaf ears.
"If I'd been... a bit more feminine... would Myeong-jin Oppa have reacted differently?"
The word "unfeminine" didn't suit her at all. In my eyes, Lee Min-jeong was a beauty. Sure, her attitude had some issues, but still.
"You want to be more feminine?"
"...Yes. I want to be more feminine."
Lee Min-jeong fiddled with the shortsword strapped to her thigh. I could guess what she was thinking. Normal women don't carry deadly weapons like shortswords around. She was probably having the same silly thoughts.
"It's not impossible."
I stared straight at Lee Min-jeong. Short black bob haircut, cute face that reminded me of a small animal. Her build and chest were on the smaller side, but her proportions were excellent. Part of me wanted to push her down right here, but our relationship wasn't there yet.
"But like I said before, Myeong-jin's type is straightforward women."
"...It's not that I don't want to be straightforward. But if I'd been a little more feminine, wouldn't Myeong-jin Oppa have seen me differently?"
"He would've."
I said it boldly. Half-assed comfort wouldn't cut it. My goal was to make Lee Min-jeong my woman, not play cupid between her and Kang Myeong-jin.
"Min-jeong-ah. Can I be honest? It might be harsh."
"...Be honest, Yu-jin Oppa. I... I want to change myself. I need your help."
"You've been leaning on Kang Myeong-jin too much. Like a parasite sucking his blood dry."
"P-parasite?"
Lee Min-jeong's mouth fell open in shock. Her hand gripping the shortsword trembled.
"Calm down and think about it rationally. How you've been living so far. How you've acted around Kang Myeong-jin."
"......"
Lee Min-jeong rummaged through her memories at my words. It didn't take long for her face to droop and grow even more depressed. Even she knew she'd been clinging to Kang Myeong-jin to get by.
'What Lee Min-jeong doesn't know is that Kang Myeong-jin isn't a pushover.'
There was a slight misunderstanding. Kang Myeong-jin wasn't a nice guy. He could kill without hesitation. Discarding people was no big deal for him. Yet he hadn't discarded Lee Min-jeong.
The reason was simple. She had talent. She might not be much help now, but she would be later. Kang Myeong-jin valued her potential highly. I agreed with that. Lee Min-jeong would become a powerhouse in the late game that no one could ignore, even if not quite on Joo Seo-hyun's level.
"...I relied on Myeong-jin Oppa too much... too much. I shouldn't have... I should have been grateful just for him saving me... sob... hic..."
Tears streamed down Lee Min-jeong's face. She'd survived the tutorial thanks to Kang Myeong-jin's help. From his perspective, it might feel like he'd saved a drowning person only for them to demand his belongings too.
Of course, the real Kang Myeong-jin probably saw it as an investment for the future.
"It was pretty extreme. You went looking for him every day and stuck to him like glue, right? And be honest. When Biya was born, you were jealous, weren't you?"
"......"
Caught off guard, Lee Min-jeong's eyes went wide as she flapped her mouth. After a brief silence, she admitted it through her tears.
"...Yeah. I was jealous. Myeong-jin Oppa was too... kind to Biya."
It was because Kang Myeong-jin was a Dragon Knight. He needed Biya to grow fully for his own power, so he paid her more attention than anyone.
"Myeong-jin's quick on the uptake. He probably knew about your jealousy toward Biya."
"......"
"Do you still like Myeong-jin? Can you change yourself for him?"
"...I like Myeong-jin Oppa. I can change myself...!"
She said it like a vow to herself, her eyes full of resolve. I smiled brightly at her.
"You said you want to be more feminine, right? Which woman do you want to be like? Luckily, our legion has three women with totally different charms, so it'll be easy to pick a role model."
I listed the three women's names and roughly described their personalities.
Joo Seo-hyun.
Her looks were stunningly beautiful, but calling her personality feminine was a stretch. She showed more grit than most men. And yet, glimpses of femininity peeked through her actions now and then. As if insisting she was still a woman at heart.
Lilsne.
This beautiful elf was resolute. She loved money, but she wouldn't throw everything away for it. She had strong survival instincts. The epitome of the straightforward personality I always emphasized. Lilsne fit that description perfectly.
Yoo Seo-hee.
She'd started out as a beauty, but a bit ordinary. Then she became a succubus and transformed. Her breasts grew bigger, her face even prettier. It affected her personality too. She gained more confidence. Among the three, she was by far the most feminine.
"I want to be like Seo-hee Unnie."
Exactly what I wanted to hear. If she'd picked Joo Seo-hyun or Lilsne, that would've been trouble. Joo Seo-hyun was full of defiance toward me, and Lilsne and I had a pure relationship. Yoo Seo-hee obeyed my every word, making her easy to control.
"Got it. I'll talk to Seo-hee. She'll teach you well. You can do it, right?"
"I can."
???
After chatting with Lee Min-jeong, I stepped out into the hall. I ran into Ji Young-bin passing by. The moment she saw me, her face stiffened, but she forced a smile and waved.
"Yu-jin-ssi! The master's back... Were you in Min-jeong's room?"
"Yeah. She was pretty down, so I was comforting her."
"I-is that so."
Ji Young-bin had some inkling about my relationships with women. And ever since that special hidden zone incident, her gaze toward me hadn't been friendly.
And lately, Ji Young-bin had started to grate on me too. She was an outstanding tank, but that self-righteous, nosy personality rubbed me the wrong way. I had a feeling she'd get in my way eventually.
'Is this guy the fated enemy mentioned in the prophecy who'll try to block me?'
We exchanged some awkward words, and then she left.
I resolved that, given the right opportunity, I'd kill Ji Young-bin.
???
There are all sorts of ways to enjoy the Yustia Empire's Decennial Festival.
You can soak in the festive atmosphere just by strolling the streets, and shops hold events commemorating the occasion.
The imperial family sponsored plenty of tournaments too. Monster hunting contests, cooking contests, shooting contests, and more. The unique thing was that these officially recognized events were linked to the system.
Thanks to that, winners got amazing rewards. The exiles participated aiming for those prizes.
And I joined a contest too, though for different reasons.
The fishing contest.
As the name implied, it was a fishing tournament. The venue was a lake a short distance from the capital.
It was scored by points. Different fish species had different values. But no points for fry, even if caught.
One fishing rod per person. You could use your own, but only unranked ones counted. Same for bait. The one exception was the fishing line, which was unusually tough—strong enough to reel in a one-ton fish.
I entered the fishing contest solo.
Three reasons. First, the grand prize was a mouthwatering elixir. Second, I had a surefire winning strategy.
Temptation Fishing Hook Can use Temptation once every 10 minutes. Using Temptation hooks a nearby fish onto the bait. Price: 3 points
※ Note
It's not just fish that get hooked.
It came from the Random Gacha in the Playful Life app. That's why the system couldn't detect its effects.
'With this hook, winning is a given.'
And the third reason I came here: to keep tabs on someone else participating in the contest.
I cast my line, the float plopping into the lake. First, I scoped out the surroundings. Hooking a fish right away would've looked suspicious.
'Wait about two minutes.'
I casually looked around. Over 3,000 contestants. Fishing was simple, the prizes tempting, so everyone joined. You got AP based on score anyway—no losses for participants.
Two minutes passed.
'Temptation!'
I activated the hook's effect.
A fish bit. The float jerked wildly, the line going taut. Serious strength. This was a keeper. I reeled it in with force.
"O-ohhh!"
"Already caught one?!"
"What the hell is that size?!"
"It's a sea bass! Blue-headed sea bass!"
Onlookers gasped in awe. The other anglers frowned at the commotion, but with so many people, it was unavoidable. The judge came over, checked my blue-headed sea bass, and scored it.
"A fine, rare specimen. Blue-headed sea bass is base 5 points, but over 80cm gets an extra 2. Name and contestant number?"
"Sung Yu-jin. Number 696."
The judge logged my points and took the fish. Unfortunately, contest catches didn't become yours.
I cast again.