Chapter 179: Like a Boss Monster
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 179: Like a Boss Monster
"What, do you want to be a villain or something?"
"I'm just reclaiming my rightful place."
There’s no way to redeem this guy. Not even a washing machine could scrub this clean.
I couldn't tell if Chubby Ahn had corrupted him or if he’d always had these tendencies.
I can certainly see what kind of dark, murky desires he’s been harboring.
The light spreading beneath Min-su’s feet swallowed us whole and transported us to a truly bizarre location.
From a distance, it might have looked like an ordinary amusement park, but to put it simply, this place was 'Min-su Land.'
Hot air balloons floating in the sky were plastered with large photos of Min-su striking 'cool' poses.
Even the mascots in fursuits scattered around looked remarkably like the puppy on the T-shirts Min-su used to love wearing.
"This place looks exactly like Wonderland."
"Exactly! Yu-min... fine, whatever! I’ll let that slide! No! I thought maybe I could make up for everything in Wonderland! But it was all because of you!"
"..."
Watching Min-su rant with such passion, I didn't have the heart to tell him that he never stood a chance.
Even after hearing what happened on the first day... his mindset is something else.
Of course, I understood why Min-su was saying that.
They had dated for a hundred days and the furthest they’d gotten was holding hands. He probably wouldn't believe me even if I told him we’d slept together the first time we met.
Even if he did believe it, he was clearly overestimating the power of love.
"I’m sure you’re bewildered. This is my world, after all. Though it’s a bit of a shame that only you and the Saintess came instead of a crowd... Hmm... but I don't see the Saintess anywhere."
What was the point of this place, anyway?
My prediction that a dungeon or a gate would pop up was completely off the mark.
Wait, can this even be considered a gate? There wasn't even a system message...
Not only was there no gate clear message, but I couldn't sense any monster energy, nor were there any alarms signaling danger.
It was literally just a pure amusement park.
The only difference was that it was an amusement park you were dragged into against your will.
"Haha! You look like you have no idea why this is happening! This place was created simply—just to show off my greatness and my power. You never imagined it, did you? I wanted to let everyone know that I’m a cadet capable of creating a space like this! A barrier! A cadet who can dominate a domain!"
"Ah..."
I was speechless.
He forcibly kidnapped people to another dimension just to show them this place and prove his 'greatness'?
Did he really think people who were suddenly kidnapped would start playing around and go, 'Wow! Kim Min-su is amazing! This amusement park is great!'?
What kind of bullshit is that?
Min-su continued regardless of my grimace.
"Since it’s a festival, I could have just called it some kind of Victory Academy event. Actually, I wanted to do this during the exchange event... but you ruined everything!"
"...What are you even talking about?"
Just how deep did his inferiority complex go for him to come up with a stunt like this?
It was clear that Chubby Ahn was involved, but I couldn't fathom the intent.
They wanted to gather everyone and do what? Even knowing the Saintess was a powerful being who could break gate curses?
Is that even possible?
No matter how low his intelligence was, that was something anyone could figure out.
Or maybe... this was the goal from the start.
The possibilities were endless.
That was how absurd and unbelievable Kim Min-su’s actions were.
If I had even a hint of what he was planning, I could at least gauge the severity of the situation.
For now, getting out of here is the priority.
I hadn't expected to be pulled into a gate without a clear condition.
The Saintess, who had entered with me, was nowhere to be seen, and I was stuck in this situation with only Kim Min-su to rely on.
I already felt suffocated.
Of course, I did take out one insurance policy.
But I doubted if that insurance would work effectively.
I knew that person was capable, but breaking through a barrier set by the Saintess to open a gate was an incredibly difficult task.
"So, your plan is completely ruined. What are you going to do now?"
"T-That...!"
"Don't 'T-That' me. You should be letting us out of here. How do we leave?"
"Once my greatness is proven... we can leave."
"What?"
Ugh, he was giving me that frustratingly stuffy nonsense again.
"Speak clearly. Stop being vague, it’s annoying."
Every second was precious; I didn't understand why he was beating around the bush.
"Annoying? Ha... Normally... if people had cheered for me after seeing my power... I would have been satisfied and gone back to enjoy the campfire... I was told that if that happened, the instructors wouldn't scold me too harshly... That’s what I was told... but if it’s just you..."
Min-su glared at me, slowly releasing his momentum.
It wasn't the gaze of one cadet looking at another; it was a murderous look, as if he were staring at a monster.
"...I suppose I can just end this tedious ill-fate instead."
Ding!
[The clear condition for the ?-Class Gate 'Min-su Land' has been updated!]
[Clear condition changed from 'Recognizing Kim Min-su's Greatness' to 'Defeat Boss Monster Baek Tae-yang'!]
The message appeared the moment Min-su finished speaking.
Calling a perfectly normal person a 'boss monster'—this gate had some serious issues.
What is this?
So, for me to leave the gate, I have to be defeated by Kim Min-su?
What kind of ridiculous unfairness was this?
To leave a gate, you should just have to defeat the other person. Why do I have to be the one who loses?
"Then accept your fate quietly!"
Min-su seemed to have made up his mind as he lunged at me in an instant.
A single horn sprouted from his head, and brilliant white light scattered around him.
This was probably that 'Unicorn Awakening' or whatever he had been so desperate to achieve before.
Boom!
"Aaaargh!"
I swung my elbow to parry the fist Min-su thrust at me.
The moment his fist collided with my elbow, it shattered.
Huh?
Normally, Min-su should have been sent flying by an impact like that, but he was perfectly fine.
He stood firm on both legs, not backing down a single step.
"Kh... huff... Hey... don't you know you have to get beaten up by me if you want to leave? I want to get out of here, too."
As soon as the clear condition changed, Min-su began pouring out attacks with a despicable smirk.
He must have received something good as a gate reward, because his shattered fist healed in the blink of an eye.
Did he get a physical enhancement type skill?
And it looked like it was at least S-class in effectiveness.
It was a skill that suited Kim Min-su perfectly—someone who didn't use strategy but simply pushed forward with brute force.
It was as if the rewards were custom-tailored for him. How did he get exactly what he needed?
It seemed specifically focused on strength and natural recovery.
"You're making this difficult when you could just take a few hits and be done with it. Brush Sword!"
Min-su had a look of absolute certainty on his face, convinced he couldn't lose this fight.
His eyes were blatantly saying, 'You have to leave the gate eventually, too.'
He was beyond obnoxious.
Clang!
[Recall activated! The Club of Greed is equipped!]
I tried to knock away the Brush Sword Min-su swung, but it was impossible.
Is a stalemate the best I can do?
Min-su had a very slight advantage in terms of raw strength.
I was clearly superior in speed and technique, so the situation wasn't that dire.
Except for one thing.
Do I really have to let him hit me?
The problem was that this struggle was ultimately meaningless.
To leave the gate, I had to lose to Kim Min-su.
Should I just let him land a few hits...
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
Ding!
A quest window blocked my vision.
Boom!
"Haha! You're starting to get tired, aren't you? Right? It's hard, isn't it? You're thinking about giving up!"
I was so focused on reading the quest window that I didn't even notice Min-su approaching.
That was how shocking the quest content was.
==================================
Emergency Quest! A Sip of Cider!
Getting beaten up helplessly is unacceptable.
No one wants to see the protagonist suffer a one-sided defeat.
Interfering with the Gate...
Recognizing the unfairness of the clear condition.
Fight back! Overcome this!
Because you are a protagonist, too!
Quest Objective: Victory (0/1)
Reward: Gate Clear
==================================
Nice.
I really liked this.
Since entering the world of <Academy Pure Love Diary>, this was the first time I actually liked an emergency quest.
If the system could do this, why the hell had it been screwing me over all this time?
Whatever.
As long as it was doing it now, that was all that mattered.
"Hey, Baek Tae-yang, get up! This is a gate where I have to defeat you grandly, like a boss monster, for it to be cleared, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
Like a boss monster.
All important villains in games have phases.
At least two, and sometimes as many as four or five.
They transform or awaken every time their health drops below a certain point.
[Coercion activated! Target designated: Kim Min-su]
[Tyrant activated! Despise and ignore everything about the lowly ones.]
"Uh...?"
Unlike his face, which paled as the momentum shifted, a smile slowly spread across mine.
"You had your fun for a moment."
It’s Phase 2 from here on out.