Chapter 109: Survival Hero (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: Survival Hero (4)
Survival Hero (4)
Let’s see, which one looks the tastiest?
I pondered as I looked at the eight treasure chests prepared for the teams.
Starting today, playing the games would earn us points and rewards.
Since I was the first to open a chest, I’d likely get the highest score, but what was the point of winning a tacky TV show like this?
I was more interested in the rewards.
I glanced at Im Jin-ah, planning to snatch the treasure chest intended for her, but she was so focused on finding her key that I couldn't read her emotions.
Next, I tried to gauge the PD’s expression, but she was just standing there with her mouth agape, seemingly still in shock from the cockroaches. She was no help.
"Which one should I pick?"
Standing before the treasure chests, I turned around and asked my teammates.
The others were still leisurely rummaging through their bins, so I had time.
"Number 3! Pick number 3!"
Number 3 is a dud.
Hearing Anna Gyeom, I immediately ruled out number 3.
Eom Soo-hyun, who still seemed upset with Anna Gyeom for refusing to participate in the game, glared at her before telling me to pick whatever I wanted.
I stood in front of number 4 in the center, stalling for time by pretending to deliberate.
Im Jin-ah, having finally found her key, came sprinting over.
So, it’s number 7.
Seeing her charge straight for chest number 7 despite being further away with Team 1, I moved my position.
I opened the chest while listening to the host’s excited voice—he clearly had no idea we were colluding behind the scenes.
It’s breakfast. Dammit.
Inside the large chest was a magnificent feast.
Who eats roasted turkey for breakfast?
The chest was packed with a variety of dishes, likely made as extravagant as possible for the broadcast.
The host’s chatter nearby was getting on my nerves.
It looks delicious! How lucky! Everyone, look at this! Stop making such a fuss.
Maybe it was because he’d just had his hands in a bin of cockroaches, but his voice was even more annoying coming from a distance.
The moment I picked number 7, Im Jin-ah scowled and ran to open number 1.
As expected, except for one, all the rewards were "survival-style" food.
Number 1 contained a lobster. No, wait, it was still alive, so should I just call it a crayfish?
On screen, that would have had more impact. I should have picked that one.
The others gathered one by one to open their treasure chests.
Once everyone laid out their breakfast rewards, the difference was stark.
Mine was a hotel-style feast, while everyone else had raw ingredients.
The woman who received larvae the size of two fingers looked utterly devastated.
After washing my hands in the seawater, I returned to find Eom Soo-hyun greeting me with a bright smile.
"How can you be so unfazed?"
"I told you, I’m not afraid of cockroaches."
"Even if you aren't afraid, they're still gross."
"It’s bearable."
If she ever had to take a centipede bath as part of torture resistance training, she’d realize that cockroaches are actually quite cute.
I glanced at the camera and then asked for my teammates' permission.
"Is it okay if I use the food however I want?"
"You want to trade? I don't really mind since we ate a lot of that smoked meat earlier."
"I don't really have a say... do whatever you want."
Anna Gyeom answered tentatively, still feeling guilty for making me participate in the game.
Having secured my teammates' consent, I approached the host.
Hey, I just washed up. Don't back away.
The host struggled to maintain his professional expression while keeping his distance from me.
"Are we allowed to use this food however we like?"
"Yes! It’s the reward earned by Team 4. You’re free to trade it if you wish."
It seemed like a situation he had encountered frequently while hosting the program.
Hearing that, I turned to the other heroes who were watching us.
"Then why don't we all have breakfast together before we part ways? Come over, let's eat together."
"...Instead of trading?"
When the hero who had been despondent over the larvae asked, I nodded.
"Yes. We already ate breakfast, so this is way too much for us. Besides, it’s more fun to eat together, isn't it?"
Ugh, so cheesy.
I was speaking with a bright smile, but acting so "kind" made my stomach churn.
The amount of food from the treasure chest was substantial, enough for more than ten people.
There were twenty-four people gathered here, so while they wouldn't be stuffed, it would be enough to fill their bellies.
Though she was briefly taken aback that it wasn't a trade, Eom Soo-hyun went along with it without complaint. Anna Gyeom looked like she thought it was a bit of a waste, but since she had no grounds to object, she followed suit in silence.
The heroes hesitated at first, but once the one who had drawn the larvae thanked me and started eating with her team, the others joined in one by one.
I didn't want to give any to Im Jin-ah, but since it was originally yours, enjoy.
I nibbled on a few tasty-looking morsels with a beaming smile before stepping away.
The important things weren't the food, but the tools.
After grabbing a few plates, knives, and forks, we headed back to our shelter.
On the way back, I cut and gathered some tall grass. Eom Soo-hyun helped me, whispering softly so the drone microphone wouldn't pick it up.
"Using kindness like that... you're surprisingly cunning."
So you noticed?
I looked at her significant gaze and replied with a smile.
The people here were heroes who needed a virtuous image.
Skill was important, but popularity was essential, making image management a necessity.
I had shown them kindness.
Since our actions were being filmed, they wouldn't be able to easily refuse if I asked for a favor later.
Even if Han Byeong-sin had given them orders, they couldn't treat me coldly while the public was watching.
No wonder they didn't voice any complaints, even if they looked a bit flustered by my offer.
Eom Soo-hyun was surprisingly sharp.
Though she called me cunning, she didn't seem to dislike my methods, as she returned my smile before moving away.
Anna Gyeom, who had been staring at the two of us whispering, hurriedly looked away when our eyes met.
She must be feeling self-conscious.
After all, she had refused to play the game because she was "scared of cockroaches."
But more than that, she was likely bothered by Eom Soo-hyun and me whispering together.
Especially if she was a hero planted by Han Byeong-sin.
I had already read her profile in the data Lee Ru-da provided.
While not every hero brought in by Han Byeong-sin might be acting on his orders, every hero who had subtly picked a fight with me so far had been on that list.
It’s a bit awkward to say it myself, but I’m a one-trick pony when it comes to my looks; as long as I stay still, I’m loved wherever I go.
Back at the shelter, we found ourselves with nothing to do again.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to make some rope."
"You know a lot of strange things. How do you do it?"
Since there was nothing else to do, I started braiding the grass I’d gathered. Eom Soo-hyun approached with interest and began to follow along with clumsy hands.
As the two of us worked hard on the rope, Anna Gyeom, who had been watching us warily, stood up.
"I'm going to go to the Private Zone for a bit."
Since we had washed up in the morning, the only reason to go to the Private Zone was the bathroom.
But was that really her only business?
Suspecting she was going to meet someone, I let her go and continued making the rope.
"Aren't you sleepy? You seemed to be tossing and turning a lot last night."
"Huh?! Uh?! Oh, uh... I, I slept well. Really well."
When I asked casually, Eom Soo-hyun, who had given me a handjob last night, became visibly flustered.
"I slept so well I'm not even tired. The tossing and turning... that was... because I have bad sleeping habits. Sorry, it must have been annoying sleeping next to me."
I see. So you did that because you have bad sleeping habits.
As if too embarrassed to meet my eyes, Eom Soo-hyun rubbed her hands together vigorously while braiding the grass, just like she had done last night.
"I can sleep anywhere, so it was fine. I just asked because it felt like you were constantly doing something before you fell asleep."
"I didn't... I didn't do anything. I just slept."
"I guess I’m suited for the outdoors. Strangely enough, I felt so refreshed when I woke up today. It’s really mysterious—it’s like all my built-up fatigue just vanished."
"Uh-huh-huh... Ma-maybe it’s thanks to me? People have said since a long time ago that I, uh, share my energy with those around me."
"Really? That’s amazing. Can I sleep next to you again tonight?"
"Huh? Uh... sure. That’s fine."
Eom Soo-hyun, making excuses that sounded like something out of a shamanic ritual, turned bright red as she worked on the rope.
Now that I have permission, I should work hard too.
I hope she does something other than a handjob tonight, though.
"Th-that doesn't mean I'm close with you or anything."
She’d already rubbed my cock, so I felt like we were pretty close, but Eom Soo-hyun insisted otherwise.
Why? Why does she keep maintaining this sense of rivalry with me?
Her clan, the Blue Dragon Clan, is similar in scale to Square Garden.
It’s been pushed back a bit since Square Garden’s rapid rise, but it’s still one of South Korea’s Three Major Clans with a long history.
It’s not like they have a bad relationship with Square Garden, either. In fact, their Clan Leader is like a godmother to Lee Ru-da and looks out for her a lot.
I haven't seen it in person, so I don't know the details, but I heard she’s a hero who has supported Lee Ru-da since she was young.
If there’s no reason to be hostile based on clan relations, then it must be personal, but I’ve never had any contact with her.
"Can I ask you one thing? Oh, that part shouldn't stick out. You have to grab it like this and pull it through."
"Like this? We aren't close, but go ahead and ask."
She was being quite cute, insisting we weren't close even while having such a friendly conversation.
"Did I do something wrong to you?"
"Huh? No, you're doing fine. I'm living more comfortably than I expected thanks to you."
"No, I mean, even back at the ship party, you said you’d surpass Black Unicorn. And when you first got here, you seemed to dislike me."
"Uh... I still dislike you. We aren't close."
She was being stubborn, even though we were sitting side-by-side, working in sync.
To anyone watching us through the drones, we’d look quite close.
It was a shame I couldn't check the comments to see people's reactions.
"Let's just say that's the case for now."
"I'm telling you, we really aren't close."
"Yes, yes. Now, connect this part."
"I twist it this way and tie it, right? And I'm telling you, we are really, really not close."
"Okay, let's assume we aren't close. Now tell me the reason."
At my question, Eom Soo-hyun fell silent and pondered for a moment.
After braiding the rope in silence for a while, she cautiously began to speak.
"My master's name is Seol Ga-yeon."
"I see."
"What? I said Seol Ga-yeon."
Since I didn't know who that was, I just gave a neutral response, which made Eom Soo-hyun repeat the name in frustration.
Is she someone famous? Even though I worked in recruitment, I mostly looked for D and C-rank heroes, so I didn't know much about high-ranking ones.
I didn't even recognize Song Ha-el, so how would I know her?
According to her explanation, Seol Ga-yeon was an active hero who also taught magic at the Mage Tower.
I didn't know it, but Eom Soo-hyun was also from the Mage Tower.
I had been planning to look into the Mage Tower anyway; I didn't expect to find a connection like this.
However, they seemed to really dislike me over there.
Specifically, Eom Soo-hyun’s master, Seol Ga-yeon, had apparently been humiliated because of me.
When I first started gaining popularity as a gunslinger, Seol Ga-yeon told the curious public on a broadcast that such a style wouldn't last long.
She argued that the amount of mana one could imbue into a bullet was limited, so it wouldn't work against even a C-rank opponent. But I had continued to go from strength to strength.
Ah, I know who she is now.
She was the person who got roasted daily on the internet with memes.
Whenever a post about my exploits went up, there was a nearly 100% chance that a clip of her would be posted as well.
I had looked up the interview out of curiosity, and she hadn't actually said anything wrong.
In fact, she had expressed concern for me, saying I had a talent for mana and that I should visit the Mage Tower if I had the chance.
But the public didn't take those comments well, and they spawned countless memes.
Below a clip of Seol Ga-yeon saying it wouldn't work, people would attach a photo of me stepping on the head of a house-sized wild boar during an error-fixing mission.
This cycle repeated constantly: Seol Ga-yeon saying it was impossible, followed by my achievements in taking down dungeon bosses or capturing villains.
I could see how she’d be suffering because of those mischievous people.
But it wasn't my fault.
Anyway, because her master was suffering, Eom Soo-hyun had declared her ambition to defeat me.
"I should go and pay my respects sometime."
"If you show up, Master will probably try to kill you."
Since I needed to learn more about the magic of this world, I might as well make use of the connections I had.
She dislikes me? Then I just have to make her like me, right?
Recalling Seol Ga-yeon’s beautiful, albeit somewhat stiff, face, I decided that we should become friends.