Chapter 171: Rewards: Bitter or Sweet
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 171: Rewards: Bitter or Sweet
"There’s no one here."
"I see that."
As expected, the area was deserted when we exited the Gate.
His methods are getting more sophisticated.
The tactic Chubby Ahn used this time was quite high-level. Previously, he would simply change the difficulty the moment we entered a Gate. This time, however, he prepared two Gates and set it up so that we would be moved from one to the other once inside.
When I asked the Saintess about the difference, the answer came quickly.
"Since the original Gate's difficulty didn't change, no fluctuation was detected by the sensors."
In other words, even if we were clearing an S-Class Gate on the inside, the outside world still perceived it as us being in a C-Class Gate. It wasn't that the Gate itself had changed; we had been kidnapped from one Gate to another, a method that bypassed all detection.
The Saintess went as far as to call it a terrifying technique that had to be stopped at all costs.
As if that’s possible.
What way is there to stop an 'Author' in a world inside a novel? I already knew that finding and beating him up was impossible, so preventing his interference was practically out of the question.
The only silver lining was that things rarely went exactly as Chubby Ahn intended.
"What does it look like?"
"Well... normally, the contribution points are announced as soon as the Gate is cleared..."
I walked over to Melanie and looked at the clear result window she was staring at.
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C-Class Gate [Troll Kingdom] Cleared!
S-Class Gate Classic Masterpiece [Frog Princess] Cleared!
Currently calculating combined Gate clear rewards.
Additionally, as the contribution points for each Gate differ, there is difficulty in determining the highest contributor.
It is expected to take some time.
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We entered one place but cleared two.
I had wondered how it would handle such a situation, but it seemed even the Gate system had reached its limit. It just spat out that message and went silent.
"Oh, right. Now that I think about it, didn't those people say something to you at the end, Tae-yang?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. They did."
"What did they say?"
"It was nothing much."
Around the time the Gate was being cleared—right after Min-su shared a deep, extra-large kiss with the Troll King—Scrawny had approached me and revealed his name.
—I am Karis. You’ll be seeing a lot of me in the future.
—Huh?
—You’ll come to realize soon enough... just how terrifying we are.
—But you lost to me.
—...
A cliché line followed by a predictable exit.
Karis—no, Scrawny—disappeared from the spot along with Yui after saying those words. Since they had entered through a different path, they likely exited through a different location as well.
"Was there nothing else besides his name?"
"Yeah, he didn't really say much. One thing's for sure, though—they definitely belong to some organization. He kept saying 'we' this and 'we' that."
"And saying you'll see them often... could it be Noble?"
"They felt a bit different from those guys."
The 'Third Force' Jang Du-cheol had mentioned.
It was almost certain now that Scrawny and Yui belonged to that group.
But why target Kim Min-su and me instead of the Saintess?
When Scrawny clapped his hands and summoned those countless weapons, they were aimed solely at Kim Min-su and me. It was a very blatant targeting, and no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't fathom the reason.
Jang Du-cheol had assigned me as a guard because he thought they might target the Saintess, yet they went after Kim Min-su and me.
Or maybe there's one more thing...
I only went through one Gate, yet I was drowning in information. Regardless, today's schedule was over, so I could think about it slowly once I got home.
"Tae-yang! Melanie! Baelson is awake!"
"We should go see him."
"People come before rewards, after all."
After the clear message appeared, the Gate had promptly spat Baelson out. He hadn't gotten up immediately, groaning to himself for several minutes before finally coming to his senses.
"Ugh... Urgh... Where am I?"
"We're outside the Gate. We cleared it. Are you feeling alright?"
As soon as he woke up, Baelson saw the Saintess's face and let out a sigh of relief. To think he'd check on the Saintess first after nearly dying—his faith was truly something else.
"...I see. Thank you for your concern. I am glad everyone is safe... but I don't see Min-su?"
"Ah..."
Kim Min-su.
The moment that name was mentioned, everyone's face except Baelson's stiffened. I was no exception.
"Well... uh..."
"Ah..."
"He's puking in the corner."
I wanted to put it as delicately as possible, but no other answer came to mind. Baelson looked bewildered the moment he heard 'puking,' so I continued to clear up his confusion.
"So, what Tae-yang means is... for the sake of a Happy Ending, he shared a passionate deep kiss with the Troll King for about two minutes... and he's throwing up as an aftereffect?"
"Yeah... but it's not like he wasn't worried about you, so don't take it to heart..."
"I... see."
I never knew a conversation held with zero intent to slander or mock could make the atmosphere feel so frozen.
Blegh!
Hwaack!
Blargh!
There was a limit to trying not to notice. I tried to ignore it, but the moment Kim Min-su's existence was mentioned, the sounds of dry heaving from the corner pierced right into my ears.
"I... I believe Min-su made a truly... magnificent sacrifice."
"That's right. How could anyone do such a thing? It's not a sacrifice just anyone could make. He truly is the Hero! It's almost a shame I couldn't catch it on camera!"
"Y-yes... exactly. Um... right."
Starting with Baelson, the Saintess and Melanie each added a word of support for Kim Min-su.
This is just dizzying.
Normally, the atmosphere after clearing a Gate should be overwhelmingly positive. Furthermore, wasn't this an S-Class Gate, the highest difficulty? Yet, the reason the mood was so stiff and frozen was simple.
It was all because of Kim Min-su.
He could at least try not to make it so obvious.
From the moment he stepped out, he started with "It's thanks to me the Gate was cleared" and ended with "So I'm going to go empty my stomach for a bit."
In that brief interval, he made it so clear how much he wanted his achievements praised and, to put it bluntly, how much he wanted to be 'sucked up to.' At a time when we should have been patting each other on the back for a job well done, Kim Min-su's attitude was completely wrong.
Even the injured Baelson was being quiet, for heaven's sake.
"Um, well... I'll handle the reporting for now."
"Oh, you will, Tae-yang?"
"Yes."
I blurted out the first thing that came to mind to break the atmosphere. Right on cue, Melanie spoke up.
"Oh... ah! It looks like the rewards are coming out!"
"Hey, Kim Min-su! Wrap it up and get over here!"
I grabbed the scruff of Min-su's neck as he leaned his head against a tree, still emptying his stomach. Based on what he'd said, that was his first kiss; he should be thinking about cherishing that precious memory.
"I... I'm not done puking yet..."
"Shut up."
In front of the glowing, multi-colored Gate, the message about calculating rewards disappeared, and celebratory fireworks erupted from the semi-transparent window.
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Congratulations! Heartiest congratulations!
You have perfectly cleared the C-Class & S-Class Gates!
The one who showed the most brilliant performance in the C-Class [Troll Kingdom] and S-Class Classic Masterpiece [Frog Princess]!
Kim Min-su takes 1st place in contribution.
He received the Troll King's overflowing love and exerted a profound influence on clearing the Gate from start to finish.
2nd place is Baek Tae-yang.
He posed the greatest threat and dealt the most damage to the Troll King, and in [Frog Princess], he showed unrivaled performance by pioneering a sub-story...
3rd place is...
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The new message was incredibly long. It listed everything from the contribution rankings to the detailed reasons for each rank.
It's doing things it never used to do.
While the contribution rankings continued and everyone else checked their rewards, I was lost in thought, looking at a different part of the screen.
...Why isn't everything being displayed?
One more question was added to the list.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"How... how could this happen... ah...!"
After disbanding at Mount Chilak, Kim Min-su had gone straight to his room. Baek Tae-yang had said he would handle the report, and it was standard practice for everyone else to rest immediately after a clear.
"I... I did it twice..."
The worst part was that since the achievement 「This is No Count!」 had already been completed, the 'First Kiss' count would no longer go down. Consequently, Kim Min-su was forced to stare at the words he hated reading most.
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Achievement 「First Kiss」 Completed!
Upon completing your first kiss, you copy the power of the person you kissed.
You already possess a copied power.
Adjusting achievement rewards...
Confirmed that the copied target's power has been upgraded from C-Class to S-Class.
Strengthening the power of the Troll.
Physical abilities centered on strength are greatly enhanced, and you will not die unless your head and heart are turned to dust.
Achievement 「T-Twice?!」 Completed!
You have shared two passionate deep kisses with a single target, and in a short span of less than a day.
Your bond with the target of the kiss strengthens.
When you need each other, you will inevitably meet.
You are bound by a powerful fate; even if the world ends, you will absolutely be together.
Congratulations!
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That day, a deep scream echoed through the Victory Academy men's dormitory for approximately five hours without pause.