Chapter 154: You’re so full of determination! It’s truly wonderful how you get hit and recover so quickly, Hero!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 154: You’re so full of determination! It’s truly wonderful how you get hit and recover so quickly, Hero!
'What on earth was that?'
Was it a sign that I was about to undergo another awakening, or was it something entirely new?
I couldn't tell at all, and the uncertainty was stifling.
I’d feel much better if I could just ask Kim Min-su, but the guy was nowhere to be found.
"If you're going to keep spacing out, I'm leaving."
"No, why would you leave? Don't go."
"I told you it hurts my feelings when you do this, yet you're still neglecting me even when I'm right in front of you."
"Hey, when did I ever neglect you?"
My stray thoughts vanished instantly at Melanie's words.
'It really has been a while.'
In terms of the actual order, Yu-min should have been next. But with various circumstances overlapping, schedules getting tangled, and Min-su’s constant trolling, the sequence had become a mess.
Still, we’d been keeping in touch every single day without fail. How had no opportunity arisen until now?
"It is pretty strange."
"What is?"
"That we’re only just now meeting up like this."
"Don't give me that nonsense. I'm telling you, you're the one who neglected me."
I have very complicated reasons that I really can't explain to you. I had to do some 3Ps for the harem and clear NTL Quests, so I had no choice. Seriously.
I wanted to let those thoughts roll right off my tongue. There was really no other way to explain it.
'But lying feels a bit...'
My conscience made me hesitate.
"But the result is that I'm back by your side like this, aren't I?"
"Stop giving me those slick answers and be serious for a second. If you keep acting like this, I can't trust you with my back."
"It's fine. I'm not going to let anyone get behind you anyway."
"Oh, honestly!"
"Alright, alright. My bad."
Not trusting me with her back, huh?
'That won't do.'
As members of the same team for tomorrow's dungeon training, that was something to be avoided at all costs. I didn't know what they were thinking when they put this team together, though.
'Isn't this combination... a little too obvious in what it's aiming for?'
Me, Melanie, Kim Min-su, Baelson, and even the Saintess.
When the teams were first announced, I even wondered if I had misread the list.
It was a literal dream team.
It was a completely different result from back when they sent Kim Min-su and me to different classes to "balance things out."
An absurd composition with me, Baelson, and Kim Min-su as the vanguard, the Saintess in the middle, and Melanie in the rear.
They might only be five cadets, but their power wouldn't fall short even when compared to a team of 1st-Grade Hunters.
At the same time, it was painfully obvious what kind of development was being set up.
"The Hero and the Saintess... I don't know who organized this, but they must really love classic stories, don't you think?"
"I agree. And seeing how they threw Baelson in there too, it seems they don't entirely trust the Hero."
"You think so?"
"Of course. To begin with, the training sessions conducted as joint events are D-Class at most, no matter how high the difficulty. Does it make sense to cram four Always-Active Main Skill Holders into one? You could clear it with just one... and they even added Rubenia’s greatest Holy Knight? It’s so transparent."
It's as if they don't trust us at all.
I found myself nodding along to Melanie's words.
"That's certainly true."
To be precise, they clearly didn't trust Kim Min-su. They probably decided they needed one of their own people to mediate between the Hero and the Saintess, who would inevitably be stuck together.
After all, there was no telling what might happen once they entered a Gate.
Furthermore, with Baelson's skills, he could easily breakthrough alone while receiving buffs with the Saintess tucked under his arm.
It was a very rational insurance policy, and simultaneously, an inefficient waste of combat power.
"Honestly, there are so many strange things about this lineup. Even someone like Senior Kim Ji-hyuk is being sent to support a weaker team, so why are we..."
"Let's not overthink it. I'm sure they have their reasons."
I said that, but my true thoughts were different.
'Reasons, my ass. This is definitely some bullshit cooked up by that damn Chubby Ahn.'
It was clearly a cheap trick to trigger the suspension bridge effect, just like back in the classic masterpiece 「Don Quixote」 Gate. A devious plot to try and do something with two women at once by including both the Saintess and Melanie.
And the reason for including me and Baelson?
'It's probably a scheme to have us handle the dangerous stuff while giving Kim Min-su all the cool scenes.'
There was one fact Melanie hadn't noticed.
Because of this specific lineup, no instructor would be attached to our group.
'Are they just openly telling him to go for it?'
No instructor. Me and Baelson to handle the Gate. And Kim Min-su gets to frolic around with the Saintess and Melanie?
As if that would ever happen.
For that to work, the major premise had to be that 'both women like Kim Min-su.'
But far from liking him, Melanie was now closer to loathing Kim Min-su. He had run away from the modeling gig on a whim and nearly dragged the company's image through the dirt.
With all that ill will piled up, they expected to flip everything around with just one Gate run?
'Do they think this is some light novel where her face turns red and she gets all shy just because he suddenly touches her chest?'
Grudges are settled through calm conversation and apologies. They don't just vanish in a crisis because you're alone together and say, "I'm sorry I was like that back then... it was a misunderstanding..."
Then again, considering the mental capacity of Chubby Ahn and Kim Min-su, it wasn't hard to understand why their thinking stopped there.
"Whether I overthink it or not, the reality is what it is."
"I suppose."
"Or maybe they're planning to put us in a C-Class Gate? After all, Tae-yang and I both have experience clearing an S-Class Gate."
"And Min-su too."
"Right, since there are three of us... they might be putting us in a difficult Gate to use us for promotional purposes!"
"That could be it."
I gave Melanie a half-hearted agreement while seriously considering the Gate's difficulty.
Actually, there was no need to worry; there was a 100% chance it would be an S-Class Gate.
'Because unless it's at that level, the chances of this team falling into danger are slim to none.'
Why is it always an S-Class Gate whenever anything happens? It's ridiculous.
"But when is everyone else coming? Theory class for the training starts soon..."
"I know, right? Maybe they're off eating something delicious without us?"
"Please stop with the clichés. It's not funny."
"Tch, fine."
I pretended to be hurt by Melanie's cold reaction and scanned the empty seats.
The Saintess, Kim Min-su, and Baelson.
'Where on earth are those guys and what are they doing?'
For now, there was nothing to do but wait.
Praying that Kim Min-su wasn't trolling while out of sight, I continued my small talk with Melanie.
*
"Is... is that true, Saintess?"
"Of course."
"Huff... puff... huff... puff... Is there a reason why... you ended up on the same team as me?"
Kim Min-su, whom Baek Tae-yang was looking for so intently, was right beside the Saintess.
His nostrils were flaring as he exhaled heavy breaths, his entire body screaming, 'I am extremely excited right now.'
"Naturally, the Hero and the Saintess must be together. Our team's strength has grown significantly, but... I figure we can just go to a stronger Gate accordingly, right?"
"Yes, that's right. With me, Tae-yang, and Cadet Kim Min-su all present, what could possibly be a problem?"
"...Ah... yeah... sure..."
Why is he here?
Kim Min-su glared at Baelson, who was standing squarely between him and the Saintess.
'Don't you have any tact?'
The Hero and the Saintess were having a lovely chat; why was he butting in? He even had the gall to mention that damn Baek Tae-yang, who wasn't even here.
From start to finish, there wasn't a single thing he liked about this.
"By the way, Hero."
"Yes, Saintess!"
Being called 'Hero' and calling her 'Saintess.' What a thrilling, brain-meltingly sweet sensation.
In truth, he wished she would call him the 'Indomitable Hero' or 'Darkness Warrior' instead of just 'Hero,' but he decided to hold back for now.
There was plenty of time.
"Did you know that when you fought so brilliantly against Tae-yang at the exchange event, light was shining from beneath your feet?"
"L... Light?"
"Yes, light. You kept waiting and saying things like, 'Not yet...! Not yet...!'"
The Saintess clumsily mimicked Kim Min-su's vocalization and reenacted his pathetic movements—legs wobbling and fists trembling.
The moment Baelson saw it, he pulled his helmet over his head.
'I must not show myself laughing.'
That would be disrespectful to the Hero.
Baelson did his absolute best to hold back his laughter by reciting the Rubenia national anthem and thinking sad thoughts.
"Ah... I'm not sure about that... I suppose I was... you know... aiming for a counter-punch or something."
Kim Min-su stammered, his face flushing red with embarrassment.
"No, you weren't. You were in far too wretched a state to be aiming for something like that. Look, I recorded the whole thing."
The Saintess didn't miss the opportunity and played a video showing Kim Min-su getting one-sidedly pummeled.
—Not yet... Not yet...!
—Whatever.
Thwack! Thud! Crack!
The sounds of the hits were so vivid they seemed to pierce through the camera. Kim Min-su instinctively stroked the spots where he had been struck.
"I... I must have just been like that because I was getting hit so much. But I really don't know about any light."
"Ah... so you don't know..."
"O-Of course not!"
Wait.
Where did my happy time go?
Kim Min-su couldn't understand why this trial had suddenly befallen him. The woman he liked was showing him a video of him getting beaten up by the man he hated most and asking for an explanation.
What kind of situation was this?
"I see. Well then, shall we head over for the theory class?"
"Yes, yes! Great! That sounds great, Saintess!"
"You’re so full of determination! It’s truly wonderful how you get hit and recover so quickly, Hero!"
"Ehehehe, well, I am the Indomitable Hero, after all."
Never mind.
It was a happy time.
Min-su quickly broke into a bright smile and followed the Saintess toward the theory classroom.
"Hero, I'm sorry, but that's my seat."
"...Ah... right... okay."
Baelson was with them, too.