Chapter 84: I Think I’ve Humored You Long enough, Min-su.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: I Think I’ve Humored You Long enough, Min-su.
《 The Kaivan First Series Model Baek Tae-yang is a piece of equipment optimized for ‘Baek Tae-yang.’ It is designed to provide perfect support regardless of the combat situation. 》
'The guide voice is Melanie’s.'
Did she record it herself?
I chuckled to myself as I examined my body.
If I hadn't obtained the Alpha Male trait, that impact would have resulted in more than just a few scrapes.
I didn't know exactly what he had gained by passing the Civil Service Examination, but Min-su had truly become powerful.
《 Equipping gear. 》
Pieces of a transformation suit, the kind you’d only see in movies, began attaching themselves to my arms and legs.
They emitted a white glow that matched my hair color, proving they were made specifically for me.
With a constant mechanical clicking and whirring, the suit repeatedly shifted and reshaped itself to perfectly fit the size of my hands and feet.
Armor formed not only over my limbs but also over my vital points, effectively leaving me fully armored.
《 Upon visualizing a desired weapon, it will be automatically ejected from the weapon case and equipped to your hand. There are various other functions, such as… 》
'I’ll listen to the rest later.'
The dust cloud was only temporary.
Min-su would surely regain his senses and charge back in any second, so I couldn't afford to waste time.
I’d heard the most important part—how to use the weapons—so I could figure out the rest as I went.
Brushing off the dust, I lunged toward Kim Min-su’s position.
'A club.'
Greatswords, halberds, axes, falchions—there were many weapons I could use, but only one came to mind right now.
The perfect tool, historically proven to be the best "prescription" for someone like him.
"Having fun so far? I hope so."
A large club flew out of the weapon case and snapped firmly into my grip.
Harnessing the momentum of the flying weapon, I swung it at Min-su without wasting a single ounce of power.
CRACK!
Unable to adapt to my sudden change in momentum, Kim Min-su took a direct hit.
His eyes were filled with pure shock.
"Again... Again... You're interfering with me again, Baek Tae-yang! Why are you doing this to me?!"
"What exactly did I do to you?"
Honestly, I felt quite wronged on this point.
If he thought she was his, shouldn't he have taken better care of her?
It was like leaving a vault wide open on the street and then expecting no one to take anything.
"First Yu-min...! And now this dungeon...! Because of you, I might not even be able to do the modeling job Melanie asked me to do!"
Whether he realized the gap in our skills after that hit or his grievances were just overflowing, Min-su continued to scream.
"You're ruining everything! Honestly, you bastard! Does it make sense to steal someone else's girl? Is that how a human being acts?! Do you know how hard I worked for Yu-min! And... and then you ruined the job with Melanie too! You beat everyone up in front of the instructors and humiliated me! And now, in this dungeon where only I can enter, where I'm supposed to get stronger..."
"You really talk too much, Min-su."
If I let him keep going, he’d talk forever, so I moved.
This wasn't a situation that could be resolved through conversation anyway. It was better to just beat him quickly and satisfy the ending conditions.
"I didn't enter this Gate to listen to your sob story."
I came to strip you of all your rewards.
The Brush Sword and the club collided.
Perhaps because it was a reward from the Gate, the sword was incredibly sturdy and had an impressive amount of recoil.
I had considered trying to break it if the opportunity arose, but it didn't look like it would be easy.
"What makes you so special that you're always correcting me, telling me I talk too much, telling me not to fly off the handle! And then you give me that weird relationship coaching! Who are you to 'work and bow' me around when you're even more pathetic than the Pure Love Diary Writer!"
"It's 'this and that,' Min-su. How did you even pass the Civil Service Examination?"
I started to think Min-su might be a genius of conversation.
How else could he so easily derail the thoughts of someone who was fully intent on just shutting up and hitting him?
Was he intentionally creating flaws in his speech, waiting for someone to point them out?
"Again!!! Again!!! Always nitpicking me! I can live my life just fine without knowing that stuff! Dragon! Tiger!"
"Urgh!"
"I am Lee Mong-ryong, the one who took first place in the Civil Service Examination! Let the flow of 'Good Rewarded, Evil Punished' commence!"
Every path of the sword Min-su swung was a prelude to a follow-up attack.
The ink lines created with every swing obscured my vision, writhing as if they could strike at any moment.
A weapon that caused chaos in battle and forced psychological warfare just by being swung around—it was truly broken.
The tigers and dragons that lunged out constantly interfered with my attempts to land a follow-up hit.
Even if I used Smite, I knew he would just counter with his own Smite, so there was no clear breakthrough.
'I didn't want to use this if possible...'
Min-su wasn't strong enough to warrant using Demonization.
'But I can't let this drag on any longer, so I have no choice.'
No matter how strong he had become, there was a limit to how well he could utilize power obtained in such a short period.
Of course, that applied to me as well, which was why I was struggling more than expected.
Therefore, the means to break through this situation was already decided.
"Haha, how do you like that! It's not going well, is it? Huh? Getting tired?"
"My Lord, please hang in there! You must win!"
The desperate cheers of the aides signaled just how negative the current situation appeared.
Thinking he had firmly seized the upper hand, Min-su began to move his body rhythmically.
"It was unexpected that you got stronger, but I’ve gone through even more incredible and harsh training! I’ll show you the true power of this Brush Sword! Aaaaah!"
"Hah..."
To be honest, it was very difficult to call Min-su's subsequent actions 'cool.'
His movements didn't look like those of a protagonist, and they were far removed from anything a hero would do.
He began spinning around me, filling the area with ink lines, but his form was utterly ridiculous.
I could tell he was trying to 'draw' while flailing his arms.
But it looked like a toddler scribbling on a wall with crayons.
Yet, because he was moving with such a dead-serious expression, I couldn't even bring myself to say anything.
"This isn't just any dragon! It is the spirit of a scholar that befits Lee Mong-ryong! Go, Azure Dragon!!!!"
Wouldn't it be better to just keep pressuring me until I collapsed?
He must have caught a severe case of 'Protagonist Syndrome,' wanting to finish things with a flourish.
The problem was that while I was being pushed back, I wasn't exactly being overwhelmed.
Because of the Alpha Male trait, I didn't tire easily, and even in this moment while Min-su was leaving me alone, my body was recovering.
In fact, a little more of this and I’d be back to my initial state.
But such things didn't seem important to Min-su.
Well, I'm sure this kind of thing happened several times during his character education sessions.
Every time, Min-su's enemies must have stood by quietly, waiting for him to prepare his finishing blow.
'Because that’s what Chubby Ahn thinks a protagonist should be.'
It was the same logic as not attacking a magical girl while she's transforming.
"Answer my call, Azure Dragon!!!"
The ink lines Min-su created began to churn and gather in one place.
Through a summoning process that was slower than usual, the form of a dragon began to take shape in detail.
The bastard smirked as he looked at the Azure Dragon he had created.
Just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow to a perfectly healthy me and indulge in his happy fantasies of victory—
[Demonization activated! Your race changes from Human to Demon. Warning! Maintaining this skill for a long time increases the likelihood of physical strain!]
"I think I’ve humored you long enough, Min-su."
The government office was swallowed by darkness.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ta-da-da-da-da-bam!
With the sound of a loud fanfare, a message window appeared in front of the Gate.
This was the reason why the reporters, who had been unable to find their footing while walking on eggshells around Melanie, suddenly rushed forward.
==================================
Concept :: Classic Masterpiece [Chunhyangjeon] Gate Cleared!
Congratulations.
You have cleanly cleared the Classic Masterpiece [Chunhyangjeon] without any penalties.
After a heated battle between Kim Min-su as the Secret Royal Inspector [Lee Mong-ryong] and Baek Tae-yang as the Corrupt Official [Magistrate Byun], the opposing forces of the Gate!
Baek Tae-yang emerged victorious, satisfying the ending conditions.
As this is a winner-takes-all Gate, Baek Tae-yang, who satisfied the ending conditions, monopolizes all rewards!
Survivors of the Classic Masterpiece [Chunhyangjeon] Gate :: Baek Tae-yang, Kim Min-su (Unconscious)
=================================
"O-Ooh...!"
"They're out! It's Hunter Baek Tae-yang and Cadet Kim Min-su!"
"Wait, why is Cadet Kim Min-su unconscious?"
"I don't know, but just take the pictures! Take them! Don't miss a single second, capture everything!"
Melanie and Kang Tae-min let out sighs of relief and stepped a few paces ahead of the reporters.
'My left side looks better on camera, so...'
Kang Tae-min was busy plotting how to seize this opportunity to dramatically restore his image.
He resolved to move with calculated precision, deciding exactly what to say and how to act.
"I... I will take him."
"Thank you."
Baek Tae-yang was casually holding Kim Min-su with one hand.
Kang Tae-min didn't miss the moment, taking Kim Min-su with the most polite posture possible while flashing a bright smile.
As he received Kim Min-su, he made sure his eyes conveyed a sense of deep trust for the cameras.
'The Opener summoned by Baek Tae-yang... Kang Tae-min, has he gained the ultimate partner along with a perfect comeback?'
The headlines of the articles he would read in the future were already floating in his head.
"Thanks to you, we were able to open the Gate. Thank you for all your help."
"O-Oh...! No, not at all...!!!"
A bow from Baek Tae-yang!
Internally, Kang Tae-min was doing backflips and throwing up peace signs.
There was no better guarantee than this, no greater springboard for a comeback.
'I'm... world-class...!'
Melanie stepped forward, pushing past Kang Tae-min’s goofy grin.
She had been hesitating, unable to speak openly for a while.
She finally mustered the courage, but Baek Tae-yang was one step faster.
"You dressed up nicely. Just like I asked?"
"No, that...! ...Not that... we should talk about... the weapons..."
"That was good too, but I like the fact that you listened to my request even more."
It was a line that could have been cringeworthy.
However, Baek Tae-yang’s face was the ultimate justification, softening the grease into mere charm.
Furthermore, it suited his playboy-like features so well that the reporters kept clicking their shutters incessantly.
"...I don't know."
Melanie lowered her head, flustered by the sudden wave of shyness.
"Now then, we will begin a brief press conference immediately. I will take questions regarding the Gate one by one, excluding any rude personal questions."
Baek Tae-yang took complete control of the situation, dominating his surroundings.
'Can we ask about Cadet Kim Min-su?'
The reporters had found their prey.