Chapter 111: The VIP Room Was Quieter Than Ever.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: The VIP Room Was Quieter Than Ever.
'They just keep coming.'
Noble didn't seem to have any intention of hiding their strategy: protect Min-su and eliminate me.
Around Min-su, guys who were presumably from Noble were pretending to attack him while actually guarding him. They were blatantly surrounding him like a wall, but perhaps because the battle was so chaotic, no one else seemed to notice.
'Is this what it feels like to carry around a literal tumor?'
I didn't know why I had to suffer like this all because of that harsh condition that I couldn't kill him. If I could just beat some sense into Min-su first, none of this would be happening.
Damn that quest.
"Baek Tae-yang! I haven't forgotten what happened last time!"
"What have you been babbling about for a while now?"
The Hunters attacking me kept spouting nonsense. Listening closely, it seemed they were trying to emphasize that they had a grudge against me.
I suppose ganging up on me for no reason would be too obvious, so they were playing their little tricks. It would look more plausible if they established a relationship of discord before beating me up, rather than just attacking out of the blue.
Given my delinquent-like appearance, people would probably buy it even if they just threw out lines like that. For a group inside a novel written by Chubby Ahn, they were using their heads quite a bit.
Boom!
"Die! That spot isn't for someone like you to covet!"
"How dare you do that to us!"
"Just surrender quietly!"
Artificial lines that only third-rate villains would say flew back and forth. Knowing I couldn't use my main skill, they seemed to be having the time of their lives.
An axe flying from behind.
A spear thrusting from the side.
A greatsword approaching from the front.
Every single one was a threat. Even if they couldn't kill me, were they planning to inflict a critical injury and leave me disabled?
I minimized my movements with the smallest possible dodges and used that momentum to move my arms. In such close-quarters combat, using a weapon could actually be a disadvantage.
Rotating my body slightly to the left, I evaded the axe and spear, then reached out to swat away the flat of the greatsword. Then, with my other hand, I grabbed the neck of the Hunter holding the greatsword and threw him toward the guy with the spear.
"Goliath Press!"
The guy who had thrown the axe had closed the distance before I knew it and tried to crush me with his enlarged palm.
[Single-Point Concentration activated! Power is concentrated in your left hand!]
I caught the incoming palm and squeezed, crushing the man's hand.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Ignoring his screams, I swung him around like a flail, knocking back the Hunters who continued to approach. Whether he was a 'Goliath' or whatever, his increased size made him an excellent human flail.
'Are they finally calling it quits?'
I slammed the Goliath, whose arm was dangling from a dislocated shoulder, onto the ground and surveyed the situation. The guys who had been rushing at me as if to kill me were now scattering to participate in the preliminary round.
Well, they had to pass the selection themselves to help Min-su further. They must have realized that a war of attrition here would only be a loss for them.
If I had shown any signs of exhaustion, they would have kept coming. They probably noticed something was off because I was still as fresh as when I started.
Of course, this might just be the testing phase. No matter how much this was a tournament for rookie Hunters, there were clear levels to it. There was no way everyone would just drop after a few hits when I hadn't even used my skills properly.
'Since he's the type to write cliché storylines...'
Thinking it over, the guys coming at me now were definitely small fry. Later on, guys like the Four Heavenly Kings would probably show up.
'Like Jenny of the Chain-Sickle...'
And then the boss would appear at the end, and I'd face them in the finals? There was no way Min-su could make it to the finals. If he were that kind of guy, he would have built a harem long ago and rendered me powerless.
'That would be so boring...'
So, after this selection, I'd have to keep fighting through the preliminaries, the main tournament, the semifinals, and the finals? Without any change, just knocking out extras one by one while collecting clues from the nonsense they spout?
It was truly horrific. To have to deal with everything while being at the center of the kind of plot development I hated most. At times like this, I wished I could equip a brain as empty and pure as Min-su's.
Even now, Min-su was spouting weird lines, rejoicing that no one was coming near him.
"Keke... as I thought... they must have recognized the power of my Scholar's Hat... No one dares approach me easily... It's a relief no one fell victim to my Brush Sword... but also... a bit disappointing, I suppose."
That guy might find joy in growing through battles with new opponents, but I didn't. I realized once again that not just anyone can be a true protagonist.
The selection process has concluded. All eliminated participants have been safely transported out. The rest of you may rest easy and give your all in the upcoming preliminary round! You don't need to worry about getting hurt in the preliminaries either, so please display your skills to your heart's content! We will now begin the preliminary round immediately!
At least they weren't dragging it out. Even if there was a lot to do, I could handle things quickly if there were no waiting periods in between.
'Should I release Chun-hyang and let her go on a rampage?'
There was no way rookie Hunters could easily take down an S-Class boss monster. I could see several Hunters who would be helplessly wiped out if she just unleashed a few wide-range skills. I contemplated whether I should effectively reduce the numbers and minimize the participants for the preliminaries.
Oh, and by the way, the ground will move slightly from now on, but this is all part of the plan, so please don't be alarmed! The preliminary round will take place against the Hunter you are facing once the movement stops!
As soon as the announcement for the start of the preliminaries ended, the ground began to shake. The ground, divided like puzzle pieces, carried people here and there. It was actually fun, feeling like I was riding the Somersault Cloud from Journey to the West.
The problem was that every moment happening right now was incredibly boring.
'If I knew Gladire was going to be this tedious, I wouldn't have joined.'
I should have just stormed the place where the Noble party was being held. Regret washed over me too late, but it was already too far gone.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A VIP room inside the Gladire stadium.
All the key executives of Noble, except for Chubby Ahn, were gathered there.
"We couldn't beat Baek Tae-yang even in a many-to-one fight. Do you think we can win in a one-on-one?"
"It does seem impossible. We should step in ourselves... but we can't even do that..."
"What's the point of him not being able to use his main skill! He's simply out of their league!"
They were replaying and thoroughly analyzing the selection battles that had taken place inside the Gate. They identified the power behind every movement Baek Tae-yang made and estimated its destructive force.
"It looks like simple evasive maneuvers, but that reaction speed is nonsensical. How is that at the level of a cadet?"
"No matter how much we push a rookie by giving them skills through Steal, I wonder if they can even beat Baek Tae-yang..."
"Hmm..."
—Ah! Baek Tae-yang! He finishes his opponent with a refreshing single blow. Is there really no one who can stop him?
—Indeed. Isn't he one of the hottest rookie Hunters these days? Of course, he's currently tied down by his status as a cadet, but he's expected to soar as soon as he graduates.
—Look at that! That expression! Does that look like the face of someone who just knocked a person out? He looks like someone who just got back from the convenience store with some dried squid!
Regardless of the heavy atmosphere among the Noble executives, the commentators and casters were broadcasting Baek Tae-yang's match with great fervor. Since they only broadcasted the hottest matches among the hundreds of preliminary rounds, they had no choice but to watch Baek Tae-yang's match even if they didn't want to.
"It seems he'll win the championship easily at this rate."
"Sigh... I think we'll have to use the final resort that person mentioned."
"You mean already, before the main tournament?"
"It's most effective when there are many people."
The executives began a heated discussion after that. From arguments that it might be too dangerous to claims that they had to endure that much risk. One way or another, the direction of the conversation eventually leaned toward using the final resort sooner rather than later.
"In that case, we'll have to pull Kim Min-su out at least. We can't have him getting caught up in it."
"Isn't it possible for Kim Min-su to beat Baek Tae-yang and take everything?"
"If that were possible, it would have happened already. Didn't you see the sparring video? The difference in quality is just too vast."
"Man... shouldn't we be the ones to step in?"
The suggestion to step in.
No one dared to follow up on those words. The moment they spoke up, they might be saddled with the responsibility of going out to the field. At this moment, they were more cautious with their words than anyone else.
"I didn't know you were all such men of few words. Haha..."
Even at someone's pointed remark, the executives only cleared their throats. Not a single word escaped their lips. Hoping someone else would shoulder the burden, hoping someone would sacrifice themselves instead.
They simply remained silent, and silent again.
It was the VIP room, which had become quieter than ever.