Chapter 144: A Shower of Rewards
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 144: A Shower of Rewards
"Why... why do I keep losing? Why?! Why the hell?! I really thought I could win this time! Do you think the Unicorn Awakening is just some ordinary power-up?!"
Chubby Ahn slammed his head against the desk repeatedly. Thud. Thud.
From start to finish, not a single thing had gone according to plan.
Losing Ryu Hye-mi? That was a loss, sure, but he could always make more heroines later once he grew stronger.
However, the worst possible thing had happened during the battle between Kim Min-su and Baek Tae-yang.
"How can he attack the protagonist while he's transforming?! Baek Tae-yang, you son of a bitch!"
When Kim Min-su released his light to trigger his awakening, no one should have been able to get close to him.
The 'original' setting dictated that everyone should have stood there like idiots, just watching until the awakening was fully complete...
"Are even the clichés breaking down?"
When a protagonist awakens, everyone 'must' wait.
When a protagonist is gathering strength, their allies 'absolutely' hold the line.
When a protagonist faces adversity and hardship, the difficulty 'must' be at a level they can overcome.
The fundamental clichés meant for the protagonist of a novel were crumbling.
Even though the original plot was now nowhere to be found, he could have still endured.
That was why Kim Min-su had to play an active role at that specific moment.
"And Min-su is even moving exactly according to the clichés..."
A device for a dramatic performance—pulling out hidden strength in a moment of crisis.
That was what had perfectly determined the outcome of the battle between Min-su and Baek Tae-yang.
What if Min-su had gathered his strength through the Unicorn Awakening from the very beginning?
"He might have won..."
The Unicorn Awakening was no simple power-up.
It was the manifestation of Min-su's vow to firmly protect his Harem Pure Love and his resolve to only deal with virgin heroines.
By materializing these two things, it granted him immense power while giving him the aura of a prince on a white horse.
He needed to show the world that 'Prince on a White Horse' vibe to ensure the plausibility of the upcoming Classic Masterpiece [Romeo and Juliet].
Therefore, even if he didn't win the fight, the awakening should have at least been completed perfectly.
"Whew... Who the hell is interfering? I thought I cleared out everything that could get in the way after that time."
In truth, it was a bit of a stretch to say this was all because of Baek Tae-yang.
Originally, he was destined to inhabit the body of an ordinary person whose name no one would know, someone who would never awaken in their entire life.
But when they met later, wasn't he inside the body of 'Baek Tae-yang,' the perfect counter to Kim Min-su?
At first, he had thought, 'Well, well, even a perfect being like me makes mistakes.'
Even when that bastard Baek Tae-yang was stealing our Min-su's Protagonist Share, he had brushed it off as something he could afford to lose.
But if all of this had happened because someone was interfering...
"Wait!"
Chubby Ahn snapped his head up from the desk, his chin fat trembling.
"...Is the original author alive?"
That's impossible.
Chubby Ahn scrambled to his computer.
He needed to investigate, and fast.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Flop.
As soon as I got home, I collapsed onto my bed.
I was so exhausted I didn't even know how time had passed from lunch until now.
'Maybe it's because the tension finally snapped.'
The thought that I had finally cleared the second major hurdle made my body feel even more sluggish.
Just when I was worrying about how to approach Yu-min, I landed a perfect blow.
I still had no idea how to handle Melanie, but the important thing was the present.
'Rumors are definitely going to spread.'
Since I kissed Yu-min right in front of the class, rumors that we're dating will hit the Academy like a storm.
I can probably manage if it reaches Su-jin or Hye-mi's ears, but the problem was Melanie and the Saintess.
With rumors already circulating that I'm blatantly triple-dating, would I be able to woo those two?
'No, wooing them is a given, and the rumors... well, they might not spread.'
Even if the women around me aren't ready for a harem yet, I just have to get them ready.
In other romantic comedies, the leads just declare a free-for-all and date whoever they want.
There was no reason I couldn't do the same.
'Nothing is easy.'
Lying on the bed and staring blankly at the ceiling, I began checking the messages I had put off.
First.
'The emergency quest.'
============================
[Emergency Quest] 'Maybe I Was Just an EXP Event for the Protagonist?!' - Cleared!
As a reward, the penalty 'Sticky Gaze' from the skill 'Licking Eyes' has been deleted!
As the penalty for the skill has been removed, the skill name has changed.
Licking Eyes (B) has evolved into Deep Eyes (A)!
Deep Eyes (A) :: You gaze deeply at the target without making them feel burdened by your stare.
You can discern the basic information and the name of one sub-skill of the target you look at directly.
============================
Not bad.
I knew the penalty would disappear, but I didn't expect to be able to see sub-skill names as well.
It was just a skill name, but it was better than nothing.
'The real stuff starts now.'
I wasn't expecting much from the appetizer reward.
The main course started here.
==========================
[Main Quest] Partially Achieved!
Congratulations!
You have completely destroyed the pure love relationship of [Protagonist - Kim Min-su]!
By showing Kim Min-su the scene of your internal ejaculation, you have completely ground his mental state into dust!
On top of that, you perfectly crushed the enraged protagonist for a refreshing finish!
It was truly the epitome of Baek Tae-yang-ness!
You have currently occupied a total of 40.1% of [Protagonist - Kim Min-su]'s position.
Your Protagonist Share has surpassed 40%! Congratulations.
You now possess a certain degree of resistance to clichés.
==========================
Clichés?
Resistance?
'What the hell does that mean?'
I couldn't understand the message, which was full of vague explanations.
'I can't even ask anyone about this, seriously.'
This was always the problem when I had to clear and progress through quests alone.
There might be people to help me within the story, but externally, there was no one.
I already had a mountain of things to ask Chubby Ahn if he ever showed up again, and now another question had been added to the pile.
This is driving me crazy.
Realizing that worrying about it alone wouldn't solve anything, I quickly scrolled down.
The appetizer was tasteless, and the main dish lacked nutrition, so all that was left was dessert.
'Please, this time...'
Hoping for something sweet, I opened the last message window.
=======================
Virgin Bombing Successful! A direct hit!
Copying the sub-skills of the men who love Ryu Hye-mi the most!
Copying Kim Min-su's [Sub-skill] Recall (D)!
Copying Jang Du-cheol's [Sub-skill] Kung Kung Ta (A)!
Recall (D) :: Recalls your owned weapon if it leaves your hand.
(Impossible over excessively long distances, cannot cross dimensions, can only be activated if physical movement is possible.)
Kung Kung Ta (A) :: Every 3rd hit strengthens the attack.
========================
"Jang Du-cheol?!"
I sprang out of bed as if I had springs in my waist.
The Jang Du-cheol I know? Really that Jang Du-cheol?
When I used Licking Eyes before, it did say he had a one-sided crush on Instructor Ryu Hye-mi for two years.
But since the two of them had zero interaction to speak of, I hadn't even given it a second thought.
I mean, you have to show some interest for people to know you like someone; how was I supposed to take information from a status window that seriously?
In all my time at Victory Academy, the number of times I'd seen Jang Du-cheol even speak to Hye-mi could be counted on one hand.
'No way...'
Is the great Jang Du-cheol actually shy?
What kind of ridiculous situation is this?
'Wait... Hye-mi was originally Min-su's heroine... so it's a bit weird that Jang Du-cheol likes her too.'
And to think that the intensity of a two-year crush and Kim Min-su's "falling in love at first sight" were similar.
It really showed how quickly Kim Min-su fell in love and how wild his imagination was.
Of course, I hadn't done anything wrong.
Having a crush first isn't some kind of badge of honor; in the end, the one who expresses their feelings and starts dating first is the winner.
The problem, however, was how I was supposed to look Jang Du-cheol in the eye.
He's someone who's helped me quite a bit, and I can't exactly say, "Hey, your crush was amazing."
Eventually, he'll find out that Hye-mi and I are dating, and I have no idea what I'll say then.
Protagonists in other novels find secret techniques and build happy harems when they reincarnate.
Why do I have to worry about being awkward because I slept with an instructor's crush?
'It's one thing after another. Truly.'
It was one mountain after another.