Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Approaching Shadows (2)

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A red-haired girl sat atop the cliff, her gaze fixed intently on the ground below.

Her ponytail, loosely tied with a twig, swayed in the wind.

Her already wild red eyes sharpened further, now like those of a beast of prey fixated on its quarry.

After gazing down for a long while, she rose, patting dust from her rear.

Then, she stretched her clasped hands upward, cracking her neck,

and abruptly threw herself off the cliff.

*Whoosh!*

As she plummeted, her hair trailed behind her like a crimson streak.

It was a sight that would make anyone scream "crazy," yet even as she fell, there was no change in Kang Dohui's expression.

Her gaze remained solely fixed on the monster she had been watching from the start.

By the time the ground drew near, and the trees, once smaller than a finger, grew to the size of her palm,

the image of the enormous, fur-covered, muscular monster below, a Croca, also expanded.

*Whirl!*

Kang Dohui spun her body once in mid-air.

Her outstretched leg descended, bearing the full force of her fall.

Moments later, her heel, still imbued with acceleration, struck the Croca's head directly.

*CRASH—!!!!*

With the sudden impact from above, the Croca's wide-open eyes burst.

*Splat.*

*Splat.*

"Kyargh!!!!!!?"

But its death throes were too brief.

"..."

Its brain matter then burst forth, turning its entire head into a pulpy mess, making any further struggle impossible.

*Thud!!!*

*Thump.*

With that brief, final shriek, the Croca collapsed onto its side, its massive body unmoving, without even a chance to resist.

Kang Dohui lightly pushed off its pulped head and landed softly on the ground.

Kang Dohui put a cigarette, bought from the shop, into her mouth and flicked her lighter.

*Click!*

*Inhale.*

*Exhale—*

This was the scene on the sixth day since the mid-term evaluation began.

"Hmm, wonder how much this one's worth."

Kang Dohui murmured, staring down at the Croca's corpse, its head burst open, instantly dead.

Just then.

*Clap, clap, clap, clap—!*

Suddenly, a faint sound of applause came from beside her.

"Just as I thought~! It's you! To take down a Croca in one shot, that's truly amazing!"

Despite the words of praise, Kang Dohui's brows furrowed deeply.

"...Flower-head."

"Yes, Miss Kang Poppy."

Because the voice belonged to none other than Shin Sehee.

*Ugh.*

When the embarrassing nickname Jin Yuha had given her came out of Sehee's mouth,

something surged up inside her for a moment.

Kang Dohui narrowed her eyes and glared at Shin Sehee.

Despite the harshness of island life, Sehee still looked impeccably neat.

"Flower-head. Do you really want to die?"

Kang Dohui snarled, setting a confrontational tone.

Though they were grouped together under Jin Yuha's name, 'Utopia,' in truth, these two still hadn't grown close.

Rather, they were closer to sworn enemies.

Of course, they acknowledged each other's abilities, but apart from that, their personalities were fundamentally incompatible, like oil and water that could never mix.

"Hehe, student-on-student combat is still forbidden, you know? Why would someone who knows that so well say such a thing?"

Shin Sehee smiled brightly, deflecting Kang Dohui's words.

But unlike her soft tone, the temperature of her voice was cold.

"And..."

*Snap!*

As Shin Sehee snapped her fingers,

*Rumble, rumble—*

numerous students emerged from behind her.

"I haven't just been playing around this whole time, you know?"

A situation, by simple estimation, of about 1 against 100.

Maintaining their usual lifestyle on a deserted island was impossible, so they were a bit scruffy. But they all possessed a decent level of armament.

Kang Dohui's expression hardened as she noted their equipment.

Shin Sehee's smile deepened.

"Hehe, I didn't come to threaten you, so relax your face, Poppy."

"..."

"Fighting you here would only be self-defeating for me. Would I make such a foolish choice?"

"...Then why are you here?"

"Hmm, well. Firstly, the stated reason is to offer to handle the Croca you just caught. And secondly, there are a few things I'd like to discuss. Just you and me."

"...Handle its remains?"

"Yes, even you can't drag that monster to the shop by yourself, can you? If you leave it to me, you'll earn much more from it."

'This hyena-like bitch.'

Kang Dohui clicked her tongue, watching Shin Sehee's beaming smile.

However, Sehee's current proposal wasn't particularly bad for Kang Dohui.

In fact, when she caught large monsters, she'd been taking a considerable loss by only extracting magic stones for coin exchange.

Kang Dohui nodded, not bothering to hide her displeasure.

"...Do as you please with that. So, what's the other matter?"

Shin Sehee then looked around.

"Well, this isn't a conversation for here... Shall we move somewhere private for a moment?"

Shin Sehee led the way, and Kang Dohui followed behind her.

And the people Shin Sehee had brought with her swarmed towards the Croca's corpse like a colony of ants, beginning to dissect it.

Thus, in a spot hidden from others' eyes, only the two of them remained.

"So, what is it you want to say?"

"Honestly, you're so impatient. No asking how I've been, just straight to business?"

"I'm not the type to laugh and chat with you."

"Oh, come on, Miss Kang Poppy, everyone knows you wag your tail like a dog meeting its owner when Jin Yuha calls, don't they?"

*Grind—*

A sharp sound escaped Kang Dohui's clenched teeth.

As expected, every word this woman uttered grated on her nerves.

Before Kang Dohui could retort, Shin Sehee spoke first.

"You haven't formed a party yet, have you?"

"..."

"Neither have I."

"...What? Then who are they?"

"They're just business partners. They help me, and I help them. It's possible to exchange help without necessarily forming a party, isn't it?"

*Tap, tap—*

Shin Sehee said, tapping the coin on her chest.

[ 53130 Coins ]

Considering only six days had passed since the exam began, it was an astonishing achievement.

"Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about, Kang Dohui. You're also waiting for Jin Yuha to call you, aren't you?"

Kang Dohui didn't reply, simply glaring at her.

But as if she'd expected that much, Shin Sehee continued.

"I've already figured out Jin Yuha's location."

"What!?"

This time, even she couldn't help but react.

All this time, Kang Dohui had roamed the entire island hunting monsters but hadn't found Jin Yuha.

"Now your interest is piqued, I see."

"Quiet, where's that mutt?"

"Hmm, well, I've located him, but... it's a bit awkward to interfere, I'd say."

"...Awkward?"

"Yes, it seems Jin Yuha has already formed a party with someone."

Kang Dohui's expression instantly stiffened.

The reason this woman was telling her that Jin Yuha had formed a party meant that it wasn't Shin Sehee herself.

'Then, is it Lee Yuri?'

As if anticipating her guess, Shin Sehee spoke.

"Ah, it's not Lee Yuri, so no need for such a serious expression. In fact, if it were Lee Yuri, it would be better..."

*Sigh—*

Shin Sehee let out a small sigh.

"...It's a student I've never heard of. I thought I knew all the first-year students' faces and names. I wonder where he picked up a girl like that..."

"A girl?"

"Yes, her name is Sophia. Her position has been identified as a healer."

Kang Dohui's expression immediately turned serious.

"...A healer. So that mutt must have been waiting to recruit her all this time."

"Yes, probably."

By now, both Kang Dohui and Shin Sehee had a pretty good idea.

Jin Yuha was someone who would never keep just anyone by his side.

How could they not know?

How many people had approached Jin Yuha during that time?

Some had approached him, promising vast wealth that even surprised Shin Sehee, or brandishing power.

And countless others had tried to worm their way in, targeting the fact that the Utopia party lacked a healer.

But Jin Yuha had flatly rejected all those offers.

Stating that he already had someone in mind.

"So, why are you telling me this?"

"I'm going to aim for that last spot. And you're doing the same, aren't you?"

"..."

"Don't say no. I can pretty much guess what you're thinking."

Shin Sehee pressed her temples, as if she had a headache.

"But to secure that one spot, I'm still lacking in power. So I want to propose an alliance."

"...An alliance?"

What kind of nonsense was this now?

Shin Sehee was clearly the one with the most coins right now, more than anyone else.

For someone like her to say she's lacking power.

And there was only one spot left beside Jin Yuha. An alliance proposal while claiming to compete for it?

Nothing made sense, and Kang Dohui's face twisted oddly.

"As things stand, the one who'll become Jin Yuha's remaining party member won't be you or me, but Lee Yuri. And my power is just an illusion that will scatter once student-on-student combat begins."

Shin Sehee spoke with an unprecedentedly serious expression.

As she did, she extended a hand to Kang Dohui.

'Surely, something like this happened before.'

Was it a request to help her claim the spot next to Jin Yuha?

But the words Shin Sehee uttered this time were similar to before, yet distinctly different.

"Right now, unless we balance the power with that woman, we have no chance. How about we first match each other's weight, then have a proper showdown? It's a strategic alliance proposal."

***

"We're under attack!!!"

The orange-haired student, Jung Dochung.

Lee Minyoung shouted with an urgent expression, pulling back the tent flap.

Lee Yuri, who had been lying on a leather cot, groggily sat up.

"...Attack? From where this time?"

"It's a Rhino! A Rhino is invading our Shield Village!"

"A Rhino? That rhinoceros?"

"Yes! It seems one of our Shield Village tribesmen ventured into the Rhino's territory!!"

At her words, Lee Yuri's eyes instantly went dead.

'...Don't call them tribesmen, and what's with "Shield Village"...'

How on earth did it come to this?

Lee Yuri was flustered.

At first, she had merely built a simple shelter and lived her island life.

Then, a couple of people in danger caught her eye, and she just meddled a little.

Before she knew it, those people accumulated one by one, and the moment they exceeded ten, her influence grew exponentially.

These people, clad in training uniforms like primitives, their bodies covered in brown plant juice like tattoos.

Who would ever think these were Velvet Academy students?

'...How did it come to this!!!!'

Lee Yuri, chieftain of Shield Village, squeezed her eyes shut.

'Still, an attack has come...'

She let out a long sigh.

"So, where is it?"

"Over there! The Rhino is demolishing all the buildings!"

"...How dare it destroy the buildings I made?"

She clenched the shield lying beside her and rose resolutely.

"Just you wait. You're all dead."

Lee Yuri's appearance was that of a chieftain par excellence, better than anyone else.

"...As expected, Chieftain Lee Yuri!"

Lee Minyoung's eyes sparkled, and she followed Lee Yuri's retreating figure as if enchanted.

"Don't call me Chieftain!!"