Chapter 164: Virgins Are Easy Pickings
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 164: Virgins Are Easy Pickings
"What in the...!"
Inside the Second Prince's castle.
Karis was seething with an uncontrollable rage.
"This is just... it's no different from... swapping...!"
No, it was actually worse than that.
In a swap, at least you exchanged partners. In this case, it was more like he was just donating his partner.
They called it 'getting to know them' and 'dating,' but how exactly was he supposed to 'get to know' a woman, and by what criteria would he 'judge' her?
"Calm down, Karis."
"Yui! Are you really okay with this? You don't even know what that guy is thinking!"
"Still... there's nothing we can do right now. It's already been assigned as a quest."
The moment the King granted the First Prince's request, a message had appeared before everyone's eyes.
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Classic Masterpiece 「Frog Princess」 Sub-story: 'The First Prince's Anxiety' Triggered!
The First Prince has dated many women and is highly experienced—a so-called 'Alpha Male.' While he didn't hone his skills specifically for this situation, they will undoubtedly play a decisive role.
Marrying someone just because an arrow landed on their house during the first meeting... Even the King found this ridiculous story strange, so he has allowed the First Prince to 'analyze' the other wives.
Do you suspect your wife? Do you think she might poison your food?
Worry no more!
The First Prince is here!
Entrust your wife to the First Prince with confidence!
He will date her and determine her true nature!
You are strictly forbidden from interfering while the First Prince dates the other wives.
※ Failure to attend the date or interfering will result in death. ※
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It was a sub-story that basically said: hand over your wife if you don't want to die.
In the original fairy tale, the women might have been strangers, but the Gate was a completely different story. They had entered the Gate together as acquaintances; there was no such thing as a 'first meeting' or 'suspicion.'
That guy... I had a bad feeling about him from the start.
When the System evaluates a person, it follows extremely strict criteria. For instance, if the System evaluates someone entering a Gate as 'good,' there is a 100% probability that they are truly a virtuous and righteous person.
100%.
The Gate only evaluates a person when they perfectly fit a description without any ambiguity. If a character is vague or middle-of-the-road, the System simply doesn't attach any modifiers to them. Because of this, it was extremely rare for Hunters to receive any kind of descriptive evaluation from a Gate.
But what? An Alpha Male?
When a Gate describes a Hunter with a modifier, it essentially becomes their title—just like how Cheon Hae-il was labeled a 'Superhuman.'
He looks like he's only in his early twenties. What on earth has he been doing with his life?
Karis couldn't have known, but the Gate's judgment included not only 'Baek Tae-yang's' life but 'Lee Tae-ok's' as well.
His number of sexual partners was unquantifiable, and if one were to collect the tears of the women he had made cry, it would fill a swimming pool ten meters deep.
The scum of all scum.
That was Lee Tae-ok, and that was Baek Tae-yang.
"I mean, why are you so worried? If he tries anything, I'll just overpower him, right?"
"That... sigh..."
What if you're the one who ends up falling for him?
Karis bit back the words. He wanted to trust his comrade, but why did he feel the need to say such things because of one man?
"Yui, why don't you just go out and come back quickly? Even if you just show your face, it'll probably count as a date."
"Karis-chan, what's with you? Do you like me or something? Hontoni~? Eh~ Karis-chan's looks are a bit... difficult for me."
"Is this a joke to you!?"
Thud!
Karis finally exploded at Yui's playful attitude. You don't even know how I feel right now!
Karis glared sharply at Yui, but she simply shrugged and laughed nonchalantly.
"Why are you getting so worked up? You startled me. Are you writing a novel in your head or something? Like I'm going to fall head over heels for him after one date? Ugh, gross. That's horrifying. Go die, ugly Karis."
Her tone made it clear she didn't care whether he was angry or not.
"Besides, you said there were two people with the aura of a protagonist."
"Yeah. The Third Prince has 60%, and the First Prince has 40%."
"We have to approach them anyway, so this actually worked out well. Why are you so mad? Are you a scrub?"
"How can you say that in this situ—"
"Scrub Karis. So stu-pid. All you do is worry."
Yui grinned, giving Karis a look that said she couldn't understand him at all.
This is why men are hopeless.
How could they think a person would change so instantly after a single date?
He is my type, though...
But that was a separate issue entirely. This wasn't a real date; it was just progressing a sub-story within a Gate. How could anyone develop romantic feelings and do anything in a situation like this?
"Like I said, if things go south, I'll just crush him. His comrades looked like they were all around the same level anyway."
"I told you, I feel the protagonist's aura from him at about 40%. That paladin was just a supporting character."
"Yeah, 40%. It's only 40%. You think it makes sense for me to lose to a guy like that?"
"..."
Karis had no rebuttal for that. Her combat power was on par with his own. No matter how much 'aura' he felt, how strong could a mere cadet be?
Coming to that conclusion made him feel a bit more at ease.
"...I guess I lost my cool for a second. You're right. We should milk him for everything he's worth while we have the chance to get close."
"And you know I'm great at honey traps. With this healthy beauty of mine, I'll just... ack!"
Flump.
As Yui lifted her skirt slightly to show the curve of her outer thigh, Karis threw a pillow at her. It was a signal to stop the nonsense and go to sleep.
"Karis-chan, you're seriously no fun. So boring."
"...Whatever. Just do what you want."
Yeah, surely nothing will happen.
Karis lay down, praying that would be the case.
Please, let nothing happen.
+++++++++++++++++++++
"Again! Again! Again! You're neglecting me again?! Why do you take care of other women so much while you just leave me be?! Do you already think of me as a fish you've caught?"
"No, what are you talking about? I didn't have a choice. Should I have just sat back and watched Kim Min-su progress through the Gate...?"
"That's not the point! I'm asking why that leads to you dating other women and leaving me behind!"
To deceive your enemies, you must first deceive your allies.
To ensure a perfect performance, I had only vaguely told Melanie that I had a 'good plan.' And naturally, 'Melanie's jealousy' was a calculated part of that plan.
Why do I like it so much when she's jealous?
Every time she swung her arms in anger, her drill-shaped hair bounced. The way she looked like she wanted to bite my head off was just too cute.
From the way her pretty brow furrowed to the slight pout of her lips as if she were truly hurt. When I realized she was making all these expressions because of me...
It's so hot.
And then, when we go to sleep, we'll end up cuddling like nothing happened. It was a constant cycle of, 'Oh boy, here I go getting hard again!'
"Are you laughing? You're laughing right now? Is my suffering funny to you?!"
"You're right. I laughed because you're just so cute right now."
Melanie stopped mid-sentence, stunned by my sheer audacity. I had been waiting for this exact moment and spoke quickly.
"I'm not neglecting you. If anything, I'm saving you."
"Saving me? What on earth does that mean?"
"Think about it. If Kim Min-su or that Second Prince had made the same proposal I did, I would have lost you for sure."
"Are you trying to say you 'stole' me before you could be 'stolen' from?"
"Exactly. And it's the truth, isn't it?"
It wasn't the complete truth. Truth is something that should always be half-hidden.
It only worked because it was me.
The Gate had literally assigned me the role of a 'Pimp,' proving how well I handle women. The proposal wasn't accepted because the 'First Prince' made it, but because I made it.
The King is a massive system.
In game terms, he was the main NPC among NPCs. The King judged every situation, progressed the story, and acted to block variables. The fact that the quest only appeared after the King gave his permission proved it. In other words, as long as I played the King right, I could steer the story however I wanted.
"...I suppose that's true."
Since Melanie had witnessed everything by my side, she had no choice but to be swayed by my persuasion. Hearing my plan after the fact and seeing the results match my words made her reaction inevitable.
"Still, I can't help being angry. You know that, right?"
"I know."
I could handle this kind of adorable complaining for the rest of my life. Melanie seemed to have calmed down a bit as she began brushing her hair.
"...Still, I hope you don't forget that I'm your wife, Tae-yang."
"Huh?"
"The... the Gate role! I mean the Gate role! If you neglect me, the story might... get weird..."
Melanie's voice grew smaller and smaller, as if she wanted to crawl into a hole. I rested my chin on my hand and stared at her, my mouth hanging open.
What did I just hear?
I had let my guard down now that the situation was over, only to be blindsided by a heart-stopping critical hit.
"O-Of course."
To hell with the plot—should I just pounce on her when we get into bed? Why does she have to keep teasing my libido like this?
I might not get any sleep tonight.
It was going to be a long, painful night.
The next day.
My first date was with the Second Prince's bride.
[Deep Eyes Activated!]
The moment I saw her, I parsed her information and discovered an unexpected fact.
She's a virgin?
The fact that she was a virgin.
And.
Virgins are easy pickings.
I was a Virgin Bomber, after all.