Chapter 205: Kim Min-su, You Were Enjoying This Sweet Deal All by Yourself?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 205: Kim Min-su, You Were Enjoying This Sweet Deal All by Yourself?
"What kind of match are we having here?"
"A Gate. A Gate is about to open here soon, so we’ll see who can pull off a cooler clear."
Melanie looked bewildered by Min-su’s overly confident declaration.
If I hadn't known that Kim Min-su was in contact with Chubby Ahn, I would have had the same expression.
Is this guy not even trying to hide it?
Out of nowhere, he bets the Holy Sword and Melanie on a match, then claims a Gate is about to open.
Does he really think people will just nod and say, "Oh, I see, so we're settling this in a Gate"?
His one-dimensional thinking was enough to give me a headache.
Let’s fix this.
Regardless of the situation, I had to prevent the plot from unfolding so haphazardly while Melanie was involved.
I had no choice but to step in for Kim Min-su’s sake.
"But how do you always know when a Gate is going to open?"
"Huh? Uh... oh? Ah, well... it’s just, you know... a Hero’s... intuition? Something like that."
Intuition, my ass.
It’s obviously Chubby Ahn.
I already knew, but this just confirmed it.
He’s the protagonist—why does he never make any effort to find things out for himself?
Suddenly, I felt like a preachy old man, finding Kim Min-su more and more distasteful.
I literally had to bash my head against the wall to get anywhere.
From the sorrowful days of 0% Protagonist Share to reaching 50%.
I couldn't even count the number of hardships, adversities, and obstacles I had to overcome.
But this guy created a "fated encounter" just by exchanging a few words with the author.
And because of that, his growth has stalled.
Because Chubby Ahn spoon-fed him everything, Kim Min-su had become incredibly passive.
He had turned into an incompetent human being who wouldn't do anything unless someone did it for him.
Normally, on top of the growth provided to him, he should have done something more on his own.
The most Kim Min-su ever did was spend time in the Victory Academy training rooms.
But everyone does that.
There wasn't a single cadet who didn't use the training rooms.
No matter how low their grades or how lost their motivation, the training room was a place they visited at least once a day.
Effort was the bare minimum at Victory Academy.
It was a cold, hard place where victory was decided by who trained more efficiently.
"Intuition? You're full of—never mind. Just... fine."
Go ahead and live like that forever.
I wanted to say more, but I figured it would just be a waste of breath.
I could always beat the words into him later when I had the chance.
"Uh... ah... he said it’ll open soon, so I think we should step back a bit."
Kim Min-su was looking at his phone, reading a message that was obviously sent to him.
It was safe to say Chubby Ahn had written the script for him.
"But do Heroes really have that kind of intuition?"
Melanie looked at Kim Min-su and then directed her question at me.
It was a natural question to ask.
The idea that a Hero could sense upcoming Gates would be a massive advantage.
Kim Min-su probably didn't even realize how much weight his words carried.
"I guess it varies from Hero to Hero? I don't have anything like that."
Does he think being a Hero is some kind of skeleton key?
I wanted to hear Kim Min-su squeal like a stuck pig right then and there, but I held back.
Rubenia’s words about me having to clean up after him echoed in my mind.
"Really? A Hero is... well, it might sound like blasphemy to say this, but... it feels like a plot device for convenience."
"I agree."
If you put it on your ear, it's an earring; if you put it on your nose, it's a nose ring.
That was exactly what the "Hero" setting was like.
What even is a Hero?
It felt like people were cheering for something incredibly vague.
They just blindly believed that a Hero would solve whatever happened, based on nothing but abstract faith.
And for that, the whole world respected them and gave them the royal treatment.
I want to meet Rubenia again.
When we first met, I didn't think I had much to ask.
But once my Protagonist Share hit the halfway mark, my curiosity exploded.
"It... it's opening!"
While Melanie and I were chatting, the sidelined Kim Min-su raised his voice.
Since he couldn't join the conversation, I guess he wanted to assert his presence that way.
The Gates Chubby Ahn makes look similar to naturally occurring ones.
I thought there might be some special effect since the author was making it, but there wasn't.
Just like a normal Gate, the air tore open vertically.
And then, the message appeared.
Gate detected! S-Class Gate Classic Masterpiece [The Little Mermaid] is opening!
As usual, another "Classic Masterpiece" and another S-Class.
How does that author guy manage to use the exact same repertoire every single time?
If my Protagonist Share becomes higher than Kim Min-su's, will this nonsense finally end?
It was already a given that I would strip him of his share in this Gate.
Just as I was about to enter, Melanie grabbed me by the collar.
"Ack, ugh! What? Why are you grabbing me?"
"Wait a minute! You're saying just the three of us are going into an S-Class Gate? I don't care if it's a concept-type!"
"Huh?"
"Do you have any idea how dangerous an S-Class is?! You're acting like you're going on a picnic!"
Wow, I didn't think of that.
Melanie was making perfect sense.
I was... only thinking from my own perspective.
To be fair, Kim Min-su wasn't worried because the Gate was made by a reliable helper.
And I was confident I could clear it because I knew I was inside a novel.
But Melanie was just an ordinary academy cadet living in this world.
In other words, she was making a rational assessment based on the danger and the lack of countermeasures.
We weren't doing that.
Kim Min-su and I had been in and out of these Gates like they were our own front doors, so we had no hesitation.
But Melanie had never actually entered an S-Class Gate by choice.
The S-Classes she had cleared were all cases where the Gate transformed midway or she was kidnapped into one.
This is getting complicated.
If she contacted Victory Academy now, things would get messy.
Even if that was the "correct" thing to do by common sense, this situation had to be treated as an exception.
Hey, you, get in there first.
I signaled to the panicked Kim Min-su with my eyes to enter the Gate.
Sensing that things were about to get complicated, he nodded and hurried inside.
"What! Kim Min-su! Didn't you hear what Melanie said? Why are you going in first! Now that I think about it, I was starting to feel like something was off too!"
Was that too theatrical?
But right now, it was more important to agree with Melanie's opinion.
She was already suspicious enough to call the Hero setting a "convenience"; who knows what else she might suspect?
If I wasn't careful, I might be treated as Kim Min-su's accomplice.
The chances of that are low, but still.
It didn't hurt to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
"Are you guys insane? I thought it was a C-Class or something since it was a challenge! This is madness!"
"Look, Kim Min-su already lost his mind and went in, so let's follow him. I'll send a distress signal to Kang Tae-min and the others. If the Gate closes while he's in there, he's done for."
Melanie hesitated for a moment at my words, then nodded.
Once even one person entered, it was only a matter of time before the Gate closed.
"Fine. I'll leave it to you."
Trusting me completely, Melanie followed Kim Min-su into the Gate.
Sorry, Melanie.
Naturally, I had no intention of contacting anyone.
The Gate would be cleared without a hitch, and Kim Min-su would be my punching bag all day.
Since that future wasn't going to change, I threw myself into the Gate without hesitation.
This was the first Classic Masterpiece I was entering after reaching 50% share.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Welcome to the S-Class Gate Classic Masterpiece [The Little Mermaid]!
Checking Protagonist Share...
Ding!
Since there are two Protagonists in one Gate, neither will receive special treatment.
Recalling the [Lead Role Selection Ticket], [Main Story Direction Setting Right], and [Classic Masterpiece Summary] previously granted to [Protagonist: Kim Min-su].
As the narrative has changed, these benefits will no longer be granted to the one with the higher Protagonist Share.
Analyzing the newly appeared [Protagonist: Baek Tae-yang].
Confirmed that he received inferior rewards despite being a Protagonist.
Granting a small apology and compensation for the time he was discriminated against.
A portion of the benefits previously enjoyed by [Protagonist: Kim Min-su] will be granted to [Protagonist: Baek Tae-yang] as a one-time bonus.
Acquired [The Little Mermaid Summary] and [Lead Role Selection Ticket].
The summary of The Little Mermaid is being absorbed directly into your mind as knowledge.
The Lead Role Selection Ticket allows you to assign any of the lead roles currently available in [The Little Mermaid] to anyone without conditions.
Furthermore, unlike before where you had to fit yourself into a role, the Lead Role Selection Ticket will cause the role to adapt to the user.
Currently available lead roles: 《The Little Mermaid, The Prince, The Octopus Witch》
Please announce your decision immediately!
The story will proceed as soon as the decision is made.
...I'm so speechless, it's almost funny.
I was lost for words at the massive special treatment unfolding the moment I hit 50% Protagonist Share.
Even if this was a one-time compensation, it meant Kim Min-su had been enjoying this sweet deal all by himself this whole time.
From the Lead Role Selection Ticket to the summary and the story direction setting.
Every single one of them was an insane privilege.
And he still lost his lead to me even with all this?
How is that even possible? Just how incompetent do you have to be?
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
Just how stupid is Chubby Ahn that his self-insert character is still Kim Min-su?
And I get to start the story.
This meant I could take my time to think about the Gate and prevent anyone else from starting.
So that’s why I always had to wait in that weird white space after entering a Gate.
One mystery solved.
I’ve already decided.
In fact, from the moment I knew the Classic Masterpiece was The Little Mermaid, there was only one choice for me.
"I choose..."
Just you wait, Kim Min-su.
I’ll show you exactly how much I can soar now that I have these privileges.
I'll show you for real.