Your Girlfriend Was Amazing

Chapter 112: The VIP Room Was Quieter Than Usual

The VIP Room Was Quieter Than Usual

They just keep coming, huh?

Noble's strategy to shield Minsoo while trying to get rid of me was anything but subtle. The guys around Minsoo, clearly from Noble, acted like they were attacking but were really just his bodyguards. They formed such an obvious wall around him that, amid the chaos, no one seemed to pick up on it.

They must've felt burdened like they were dragging around a tumor. And the rule against killing is turning everything into a pain. If they could just cut Minsoo down to size, they wouldn't have to put up with this crap.

"Baek Taeyang! You haven't forgotten what happened last time, right?!"

"What have you been babbling about this whole time?"

The hunters attacking me kept shouting random grievances. After listening closely, it was obvious they were trying to concoct a personal vendetta against me. They must have thought that openly ganging up on me would draw too much attention, so they were attempting a more subtle tactic. Pretending there was a personal issue between us likely made their attack seem more justified.

Thanks to their thug-like appearances, those lines were pretty convincing. Quite impressive for characters out of a lousy novel by that double-chinned hack. They definitely put some thought into it.

BAM!

"How dare you challenge us!"

"Surrender quietly!"

The things they said were like lines from a bargain bin novel. They were almost gleeful, knowing I was handicapped without my main skill.

An axe flying from behind, a spear from the side, and a greatsword head-on—every attack was a real threat. Knowing they couldn't kill me, they aimed to inflict serious injuries or at least cripple me. I kept my movements minimal to avoid their attacks and used those motions to strike back. In such close quarters, using weapons could be a disadvantage.

A quick pivot to the left allowed me to evade the axe and spear, then I met the greatsword with a deft parry. In one motion, I caught the neck of the greatsword-wielding hunter and sent him flying toward the spear-wielder.

"Goliath Press!" The axe-throwing guy closed the distance and tried to crush me with his giant palm.

[Single Point Focus Activated! Strong power gathers in the left hand!]

I grabbed his approaching palm, and crushed it with my strength.

"Arghhh!"

His yells were meaningless as I used him as a human flail to knock away the advancing hunters. Goliath—or whatever the name was—turned out to be an excellent battering ram with his size.

"Backing off already?" I tossed the dislocated Goliath to the ground and assessed the battlefield.

The hunters who initially stormed at me with murderous intent were now scattering to ensure their spots in the preliminaries. They must have realized that continuing this fruitless attrition was a waste of energy. They knew they had to pass the qualifiers to keep supporting Minsoo.

Had I displayed any fatigue, they might have continued their assault. But as I was still as fresh as at the beginning, they sensed something was off. Maybe they were simply testing the waters. Even in a rookie hunter tournament, there's a clear pecking order. It was odd that all the opponents who came at me went down after just a few hits without me even using my skills

"Considering how clichéd this storyline is…"

After thinking it over, it was clear the ones coming at me were just small fry. Later on, the real tough guys, like some Four Heavenly Kings, would probably show up.

"Someone like Jenny with the Chain Sickle or something…"

Then the final boss would show up, and we'd fight in the finals? There's no way Minsoo would make it to the finals anyway. If he had that kind of grit, he'd already have a harem, and I'd be completely sidelined.

"But still, it'd be way too boring…"

So, after this selection, it's just preliminaries, main rounds, semifinals, and finals? No surprises, just knocking out extras one by one and picking up their cryptic remarks along the way?

It sounds absolutely dreadful—being at the center of my most hated storyline and having to deal with everything. At times like this, I wish I had a brain as empty as Minsoo's. Even now, he's babbling nonsense, looking happy that no one's coming near him.

"Heh… They must recognize my scholarly prowess… No one dares approach… It's fortunate yet somehow disappointing… no one falls to my Brush Sword."

He might enjoy the thrill of growing stronger through new fights, but not me. This whole ordeal just reinforced that not everyone can be the protagonist.

[The selection process is over. The eliminated have been safely transported, and the rest of you can focus on giving your all in the preliminaries! Don't worry about injuries; feel free to show your full strength! We will start the preliminaries immediately!]

At least they're not dragging this out. With a lot to do, having no downtime means I can get things over with quickly.

Should I unleash Chunhyang and let her wreak havoc? These rookie hunters wouldn't stand a chance against an S-rank boss monster. A few wide-area attacks, and they'd be flattened.

I considered thinning the crowd to minimize the number of prelim participants.

[Oh, by the way, the ground is about to start moving a bit, but don't be alarmed—it's all part of the plan! The preliminaries will begin after the relocation, and you'll face off against the hunter in front of you!]

As soon as the announcement ended, the ground began to shake. Pieces of the terrain split apart like puzzle pieces, scattering people in different directions. It felt like riding the Flying Nimbus from Journey to the West, which was mildly amusing. The problem was, the whole experience was painfully dull.

If I'd known Gladire was this dull, I wouldn't have bothered. I should've just crashed the Noble's party.

Regret washed over me, but it was already too late.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In the VIP Room at Gladire Arena, every Noble executive, save for the chubby leader, gathered.

"They couldn't handle Baek Taeyang, even in a gang-up. Do you really think they'll fare any better one-on-one?"

"I doubt it. We should do something, but we can't just go—"

"Though he can't use his main skil, he's just unbeatable!"

They meticulously dissected and analyzed every move Baek Taeyang made in the selection fight inside the gate, trying to decode his strength.

"It looks like simple dodging, but his reaction speed is off the charts. How's he still an academy student?"

"No matter how much we boost a rookie with our stolen skills, can any of them take down Baek Taeyang?"

"Hmm…"

[­Ah! Baek Taeyang finished off his opponent with a clean strike. No one can stop him!]

[­That's right. He's one of the hottest rookie hunters right now. He's still a student, but once he graduates, he'll soar to new heights.]

[­Look at his face! Does that look like someone who just knocked out an opponent? He looks like someone who just went to the supermarket to buy squid legs!]

While the Noble crowd wallowed in their own misery, the commentators were hyping up Baek Taeyang's performance. With only the most thrilling matches making the broadcast from the vast pool of preliminaries, you were roped into watching, whether you wanted to be or not.

"At this rate, he's going all the way."

"Sigh… Looks like we'll have to use the last resort as he mentioned."

"Already? Before the main rounds?"

"It's most effective when there are many people around."

The executives dove into a heated discussion, weighing risks and debating the necessity of extreme measures. Despite the back and forth, they were leaning towards whipping out the last resort sooner rather than later.

"In that case, we need to get Kim Minsoo out. He can't get caught up in this."

"But what if Kim Minsoo pulls off a miracle against Baek Taeyang?"

"If that were the case, we'd have seen it by now. Have you seen the sparring footage? The gap's too wide."

"Uh, should we step in ourselves?"

The very notion of stepping in left them all tongue-tied. Saying it aloud could entail taking on responsibility and being thrown into the thick of battle.

"I had no idea you guys were so tight-lipped, haha… Um…"

The jab elicited nothing but awkward coughs from the executives, each one more feeble than the last, as they skillfully sidestepped any responsibility. They were all secretly wishing for someone else to step up and take the hit.

Within the VIP Room, a heavy silence settled, more so than ever.