Chapter 33: Man, This is Such a Cliché.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 33: Man, This is Such a Cliché.
(Yoo Su-jin)
> Tae-yang, I heard you have a Gate field trip today?
> Don't get hurt and be careful!
> (Emoji of a cute puppy making a heart)
(So Yu-min)
> Tae-yang-ah ♥ㅠ♥
> I wanted to go as support too, hmph...
> I'm so sad I won't get to see you today.
> (Emoji of a small cat wagging a heart-shaped tail)
The messages flew in as if they’d planned it the moment I stepped onto the bus heading for the Gate.
The timing was calculated, knowing I’d be too busy preparing in the morning to reply.
I could understand Su-jin knowing the timing since she’d been through it, but how did Yu-min know? Every Gate has a different entry time, so it’s hard to guess by intuition alone.
I guess a Witch really is on another level.
(Yoo Su-jin)
< Thanks, Noona.
> No, if there’s anything you’re unsure about, just ask.
> If it’s something I can help with, I definitely will!
< Okay.
< I’ll contact you again after I’m back.
> Yes, please do!
There was no special reason I replied to Su-jin first. It was just a habit to reply in the order the messages arrived.
"Who are you texting so much?"
"Just a noona I know."
"I see..."
Min-su, sitting in the seat next to me, suddenly poked his face toward mine.
To be honest, I had no intention of coming with this guy. There was no need or reason to. Even if we were assigned as a two-man cell, that only applied once we were inside the Gate. I had hoped to at least have a peaceful trip there.
Why was he waiting for me?
I couldn't forget the sight of him waving his hand while waiting at the main gate of the dormitory. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't understand why Kim Min-su had waited for me.
It wasn't even like he was chattering away next to me. He just sat there quietly, occasionally throwing out a few words like he just did.
"Why were you waiting for me?"
"Oh, that... well, because of what you told me yesterday... and you said you'd help me with my love life and all... so, um..."
It felt like he was going to ramble on forever, so I decided not to listen too closely. It wouldn't be good if I took too long to reply to Yu-min’s message. A girl's message takes priority over listening to nonsense.
(So Yu-min)
< Then we can just see each other tomorrow.
> Gasp, then ♥!
> Can I come play at the dorm again tomorrow?
< Yup! Of course.
> Then it’s a plan! I’m barging in tomorrow.
> Contact me when you’re done with the Gate!
> ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
> (Emoji of a cat's meow turning into hearts)
I needed a few more pieces of bait to break Yu-min and Min-su up anyway. Since it wouldn't hurt to prepare in advance, meeting up was actually better.
That’s not the problem...
For a while now, Kim Min-su had been staring intensely at his own phone. I wouldn't have minded if he just kept his mouth shut, but the problem was that he kept glancing at me too.
"Min-su, if you have something to say, just say it."
"Oh, uh, it’s just... it’s been five hours since I last texted Yu-min, but she still hasn't replied... Is she busy because of the Gate?"
I felt this every time, but his sentences were incredibly long whenever he opened his mouth. Every time I heard him speak, it felt like my ears were being worn down. He had a remarkable talent for making people not want to listen.
"Yu-min must be busy in her own way... I guess..."
"R-right? Honestly, I thought all the misunderstandings were cleared up now... I wanted to live without any shame, so I even told her everything that happened in the counseling room... I apologized, and Yu-min accepted it... but since there’s been no contact for five hours, I’m a bit... Yu-min said she was going to sleep at exactly 11:27:17 PM yesterday... then around four or five in the morning, I suddenly wanted to hear her voice..."
"U-um, Min-su."
"Huh?"
"I’m feeling a bit motion sick, so how about we go quietly until we arrive?"
"Oh... o-oh, sure! I was planning on doing that too!"
If I had listened any longer, my ears might have started bleeding. It was pitiful that he didn't know Yu-min was actually the type of woman who replies well and even rushes people.
I had considered agitating him on the bus to worsen their relationship, but talking to Kim Min-su in an enclosed space was madness. The way spit flew whenever he talked was one thing, but I really wanted to do something about that wriggling tongue of his.
Why did he keep overlapping with Chubby Ahn in my mind? Even if I wanted to look at him favorably, I just couldn't. I knew he had this personality because that guy created him, but for even their appearances to overlap...
Wait, if this guy gains weight and puts on glasses, does he turn into that?
It was a reasonable suspicion. However, I decided not to think too deeply about it. My top priority right now was finding Kim Min-su’s heroines.
I couldn't tell who was pretty based on the class list descriptions Kim Seok-gu gave me. He had shown me photos too, but trusting photos was a rookie mistake. The power of editing, which can distort space to emphasize body lines, can completely transform a person. In fact, I once went to meet someone I thought was gorgeous based on a photo, only for a 'hamburger' to show up, and I had to run away.
[This stop is XX, XX.]
"Let's get off, Tae-yang!"
"Right. Glad it's nearby."
"Yeah. I heard they went all the way to Jeju Island last year. I guess we're lucky."
Gates and Dungeons have very different characteristics. Dungeons absorb the surrounding terrain to build their own domain. You could see it as a type of terraforming. But a Gate appears as a crack in the air, as if it literally dropped from the sky.
The commonality is that both Gates and Dungeons erase the surrounding terrain. The difference is that a Dungeon replaces the terrain with a new one, while a Gate only creates a crack in the spot where it was generated. Furthermore, a Gate disappears immediately upon being cleared, but a Dungeon's terrain remains even after completion. Of course, there were a few more differences, but these were the most representative.
"But last year was a Dungeon."
"True... they must have gotten a ton of monster byproducts."
In the short term, a Gate might be more beneficial since it consumes less of the surrounding area. But in the long term, a Dungeon is overwhelmingly more profitable due to the various byproducts that come from the terrain.
"To think we're acting instructors... I'm happy, but I'm also nervous... Honestly, Tae-yang, I've been thinking about a lot of things since our duel..."
Min-su started talking the moment we got off the bus. Starting from feedback on his own duel, he went into a long-winded explanation of his praise for me, his understanding of weapons, and the direction of his punches. If I could have, I would have stuffed an apple in his mouth and punched his jaw.
I didn't think he had this kind of image...
He had just been shy. Since he didn't say much at first, I thought he was a stoic virgin, but he was actually a huge chatterbox. Ever since I said I'd give him relationship advice, he’d unleashed the mouth he’d been intentionally hiding.
"Since I use a sword, it feels like my movements are too predictable... Just looking at your weapon case, it seems like you'd use something incredible... Isn't it heavy? The case is huge... Carrying that with one hand like it's nothing is really..."
"Min-su, shall we run a bit? Since we're acting instructors, I think it's fine if we get there early."
"Let's do that then!"
There was quite a distance between the bus stop and the Gate. By a stroke of luck, the Gate had appeared on a mountain far from civilians, and 'coincidentally,' it was an F-Class Gate.
Man...
I couldn't say for sure yet, but I could smell it a mile away.
I'll know once I get there.
A massive crack, rising higher than the trees, began to come into view.
++++++++++++
"You're here."
""Hello, Instructor.""
"Right. Since you're acting instructors from now on, I'll speak comfortably. That okay?"
""Yes, sir.""
Kim Seok-gu had apparently arrived before sunrise, as beads of sweat were already forming on his forehead. Perhaps because he was bald, my eyes hurt whenever the sunlight reflected off his head.
"Tae-yang, as I explained before, you'll look after the cadets from the rear, and Min-su will be at the vanguard."
Just as he was about to repeat the Gate precautions he’d mentioned yesterday—as if one explanation wasn't enough—a group of people who had 'Hunter' written all over their faces appeared.
"Oh, where are my manners? This is Team Leader Lee Min-jun, who will be assisting with our Gate field trip."
"Hello. I'm Team Leader Lee Min-jun. I look forward to working with you."
Even if it's an F-Class Gate, a Gate is still a Gate. Since you never know what might happen, the more insurance, the better. And the best insurance was, of course, active-duty Hunters. That’s why Victory Academy had called in a team composed entirely of Hunters.
Even so... to call in an entire team.
It was in Baek Tae-yang’s memory. They were one of the Hunter teams quite well-known in the media. The Lee Min-jun Hunter Team was weak individually, but when they gathered, they were a team that could even take down A-Class monsters. Putting an A-Class team into an F-Class Gate was like using a butcher's knife to mince an onion.
But they're all men...
Regardless of whether they were a team or not, everyone from the leader to the members was male. After exchanging greetings and a few words, they seemed like good people.
When is Kim Min-su’s harem going to show up?
There were about thirty minutes left until the assembly time. Since I could recognize a face that belonged in a harem the moment I saw it, I fixed my gaze on the entrance.
"By the way, Tae-yang...? Was it?"
"Yes, you can speak comfortably, Team Leader."
"Really? Thanks. But why is your weapon case so big? What's in it?"
"Just various things."
"So it's a secret? It's a bit disappointing, but it's a good attitude. Hiding your full strength is important."
Min-su and I were surrounded by Lee Min-jun’s team, receiving various questions. Since we were prospects good enough to be acting instructors, they were clearly trying to make an impression. Even now, they were subtly praising us and trying to give tips while acting like 'seniors.' If I were an ordinary cadet, I would have been grateful and bowed my head, but I wasn't.
"I suppose so... But even though it's an F-Class Gate, Instructor Kim Seok-gu is inspecting it very thoroughly."
"There's no harm in being careful. I actually think all Hunters should follow his example."
As soon as the greetings were over, Kim Seok-gu had stayed glued to the side of the Gate. He was conducting a continuous analysis while operating numerous machines connected to the Gate. His biggest concern was likely a difficulty spike due to a change in the Gate's grade.
"Oh? Tae-yang, the kids are here."
At Lee Min-jun’s words, I turned my head. Numerous heads of black hair slowly appeared over the hill.
Found her.
Amidst everyone having black hair, a brilliant blonde caught my eye. Ringlet drill hair, a noble and haughty expression, and luxury clothes that were in a different league from the standard school uniform! She practically had 'I'm a new heroine' written all over her.
After the childhood friend and the teacher, next was the rich young lady. Yu-min seemed wealthy too, but this woman had a completely different vibe. She was openly exuding an aura of being extremely well-off.
"Mm! Done. The probability of this Gate fluctuating is 0%."
Kim Seok-gu announced the results with a refreshed expression, as if his analysis was complete.
"Team Leader Lee Min-jun, what do you think of this Gate?"
It was time to properly verify the hypothesis I’d formed at the bus stop.
"I agree with Instructor Kim Seok-gu. It's an F-Class Gate with no chance of fluctuation, so no one will get hurt."
We'll protect you, Lee Min-jun replied with a very confident face.
This is hilarious.
An F-Class Gate confirmed to have no chance of fluctuation. A heroine with the setting of a rich young lady who will soon join the harem. The protagonist Kim Min-su, who possesses the [Hero] trait. And even an A-Class Hunter team standing by just in case.
It was such a predictable development. Even I, who hadn't read many novels, could foresee how this would unfold.
So that's how it's going to be?
F-Class Gates always change. Because Chubby Ahn would never let something like this just pass by. Even if I hadn't been here, the Gate would have changed. There aren't many ways to connect a rich young lady with a virgin loser. The easiest way is to use the suspension bridge effect, and an F-Class Gate was a very good tool for that.
"Tae-yang, that blonde girl over there is the daughter of Yu-min’s rival group."
"Ah..."
She even had the position to set up a rivalry with the main heroine. She was already destined to enter Kim Min-su’s harem.
Man, this is such a cliché.
Every love has a plan. At least, until it's stolen by Baek Tae-yang.