Chapter 34: Gate Concept :: Classic Masterpiece [Don Quixote]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34: Gate Concept :: Classic Masterpiece [Don Quixote]
"Why is support being sent to our class specifically? I am also an Always-Active Ability User!"
"I'm not ignoring your skills. I know better than anyone how capable you are."
"Then please tell me the reason."
Receiving support from classmates implied that one's own strength was lacking.
Melanie Airiel could never accept this.
She was a prodigy who had graduated early from the character education program in the United States and entered Victory Academy as its youngest student.
Being the youngest might only mean a one-year difference, but in reality, it was a staggering achievement.
This was because character education for Always-Active Ability Users was on an entirely different level compared to ordinary Awakeners.
Kim Seok-gu was well aware of this. However, this matter had little to do with her actual ability.
"Melanie, I know you're capable. But the problem arises when you become capable."
"That's..."
"Exactly. We are worried about the surrounding situation when you use your powers to prove yourself."
"I can... I can control it!"
Melanie knew she was simply throwing a tantrum.
But she felt hurt, neglected, and upset.
While her head understood that it was only natural for them not to trust her yet, her heart couldn't accept it.
"Simply being 'able' to do it isn't enough. You must regulate it, and it must be under perfect control. I understand your desire to prove yourself as soon as possible. I know it's painful to be looked at like a ticking time bomb. But this isn't a matter decided by individual requests."
She had known what Kim Seok-gu was saying from the start.
A class with an Always-Active Ability User couldn't possibly be weak.
In fact, in terms of raw combat power alone, Melanie's class ranked second among all first-year classes.
Despite that, the decisive reason they had to receive support was...
Because of me.
It was because no one could predict how much collateral damage would occur when an Always-Active Ability User actively utilized their skills.
There wasn't a single flaw in Kim Seok-gu's logic.
It was clear she was acting like a child, so she was almost grateful that he spoke to her as an equal.
"I understand Kim Min-su. But what about Baek Tae-yang? What's the deal with him?"
Kim Min-su's skill was famous.
The name [Hero] and the brilliant light that radiated when he activated his ability remained in one's mind even if they wanted to forget it.
However, Melanie could not accept support from Baek Tae-yang.
He was a cadet who had awakened less than a month ago and hadn't even received character education.
Objectively speaking, it was obvious he would be more unskilled in using his abilities than she was.
"I know I'm being childish. But I just don't understand."
Kim Seok-gu nodded, understanding what Melanie meant.
"It's because Baek Tae-yang's ability is a debuff type."
"To suppress me, then."
"That's right."
With those words, Kim Seok-gu stood up. He desperately hoped this conversation would help her understand the situation.
Normally, he would have spent this time explaining precautions to Kim Min-su and Baek Tae-yang in more detail.
I suppose I can't help but be biased toward my own.
In truth, he could have called Baek Tae-yang and Kim Min-su back right now.
He could have explained the parts he missed because they left in such a hurry.
But there was only one reason he didn't.
Melanie, I wanted to give you a chance too.
If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have rushed to her the moment she requested a consultation.
They were both Always-Active Ability Users, yet one was an acting instructor while the other was treated like an explosive.
Kim Seok-gu wanted to change this perception through this Gate. And Melanie felt the same way.
*
So that's Baek Tae-yang.
From the beginning, Melanie hadn't spared Kim Min-su a single glance.
He played with Kim Min-su like a toy?
No matter how much the instructors tried to coordinate their stories, rumors always spread quickly.
They couldn't use names openly, so they referred to them as 'K' and 'B,' but everyone knew who was who.
Though a clear hierarchy hadn't been established yet, everyone implicitly considered Kim Min-su the top of the first year.
So, the story of a transfer student appearing like a comet and smashing Kim Min-su's head in came as a shock.
Kim Min-su is just... support for the others.
Baek Tae-yang was nothing more than a leash sent to mark her.
Melanie began to twirl her drill hair around her finger.
It was an unconscious habit she had whenever she faced an unpleasant situation.
His gaze earlier was strangely sticky... and now he's carrying that massive weapon case...
It was her first time meeting someone who stared at the back of a person's head so intensely from the very first encounter.
But strangely, it suited him so well that she couldn't bring herself to snap at him.
It matched his image perfectly.
The harmony of his cleanly tanned bronze skin, his flowing white hair, and that lingering, heavy gaze.
Standing with his weight on one leg was his default posture, and his bored expression was the cherry on top.
She thought about striking up a conversation, but her pride stopped her.
I'm technically his senior.
Though she was a year younger, based on her various experiences, she felt they were on different levels compared to typical classmates.
Even though she knew it was a useless sense of rivalry, she couldn't stop the feeling.
She wanted to prove her skills quickly and get this man away from her side.
"Alright, everyone's equipment check is finished. Gather in front of the Gate."
At Kim Seok-gu's command, they formed the formation explained yesterday and stood in line before the Gate.
Instructor Kim Seok-gu, Lee Min-jun, and Kim Min-su were the vanguard, while Baek Tae-yang and Melanie were the rearguard.
It was a formation designed to sandwich the regular cadets in the middle to minimize surprises and variables.
"It varies from person to person, but passing through a Gate usually causes dizziness. Please do not panic."
Following Team Leader Lee Min-jun's words, everyone began to enter the Gate one by one.
As they slowly entered, the color of the Gate began to change strangely.
By the time it had swallowed about half the group, it began to emit a light that could never come from an F-Class Gate.
Why is no one noticing?
The people who went in first were one thing, but the remaining cadets should have noticed.
But far from noticing, they were entering naturally with nonchalant faces.
She had to tell Baek Tae-yang.
Her shouting here wouldn't carry much weight.
But if the acting instructor said something, everyone would surely stop.
I might just be being sensitive, but...
The instructor and the hunter team had entered long ago.
The only one left was the acting instructor.
Let's tell him, just in case.
When Melanie turned around, the first thing she saw was the massive weapon case.
She thought he would only take a few things out of that huge case, but she was wrong.
He was walking toward her, lifting the bed-sized case effortlessly with one hand.
"Did you happen to feel anything strange about the Gate?"
"Huh? What... looks fine to me?"
"I... right... okay."
This man didn't seem to have any intention of listening to her properly.
In fact, he was digging in his ear as he approached, showing absolutely no respect for the person he was talking to.
She could understand.
When the instructor and an A-Class hunter team both said the Gate was fine, he probably couldn't believe her when she said there was a problem.
Of all people, I'm stuck with a man like this...
She was angry, but there was nothing she could do.
The only way was to achieve a result so great that anyone would recognize it as soon as possible.
Nothing will happen.
Objectively speaking, it was right to trust the judgment of superiors over her intuition.
Melanie cleared her thoughts and stepped into the Gate.
*
"Sigh... this is driving me crazy."
I felt a bit bad for giving Melanie such a half-hearted answer.
But the quest window floating in front of my eyes didn't exactly put me in a sincere mood.
=================================
[Emergency Quest]!
What a predictable cliché!
I'm sure you saw this coming.
F-Class Gate Difficulty Change > S-Class Gate.
As it becomes an S-Class Gate, a concept is applied.
S-Class Gate Concept :: Classic Masterpiece [Don Quixote]
The quest begins when the last person enters the Gate!
Clear Condition :: Clear the [Don Quixote] Gate, Everyone Survives
Reward :: None / Penalty :: Death
=================================
The moment I saw the quest window, I knew my plans were ruined.
I had intended not to intervene even if someone died inside the Gate.
The only ones I needed to keep alive were Kim Min-su and Melanie.
I had thought, Why bother saving the rest of these background characters? But then...
"Is 'Everyone Survives' even possible?"
In an S-Class Gate, even A-Class hunters die easily.
I couldn't even imagine how easily ordinary cadets would drop.
It was a difficulty level that threatened even my own life.
"I'm getting dizzy all of a sudden."
I hadn't even entered the Gate yet, but my head was already throbbing.
"I thought the conquest would be easy..."
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[Name] Melanie Airiel
[Physical] Height: 166cm / Weight: 61kg
[Description] Responsible for the catfights in the Academy Pure Love Diary.
Rather than a sense of rivalry with So Yu-min, she was destined to view Kim Min-su as a rival before eventually seeing him as a man.
Recently, after hearing rumors that Kim Min-su was utterly crushed by Baek Tae-yang, she has begun to take notice of Baek Tae-yang.
A major accident occurred in her childhood due to her ability.
Since then, rumors have followed her like a tail, and she is treated as a dangerous person, leaving her isolated in class.
She has a strong desire to solidify her position as quickly as possible.
Her striking blonde drill hair is her trademark, and she is the youngest daughter of Kaivan Airiel, the chairman of a world-renowned Awakener weapon manufacturing corporation.
==================================
Her pride was high, but her current standing was low.
It wasn't to the point of having an inferiority complex, but she was the type to create rivalries for herself.
In cases like this, I just needed to keep winning by a narrow margin to give her an excuse to keep chasing me, but...
"I'm going to feel the suspension bridge effect for real now."
A moment where everyone's lives were at risk was bound to come.
I couldn't back out now.
I had planned to just breeze through the Gate and charm some girls.
A sigh escaped my lips.
I lifted the bed-sized case and stepped into the Gate.
I prayed that no one would die.