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

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Butterfly Effect (6)

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"Im Gaeul—!!!!!!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind.

'...?'

At first, Im Gaeul didn't even think it was a voice calling her.

After all, the master who taught Jin Yuha how to wield a sword was here.

And there was also the junior who had just joined but possessed capabilities and courage no one could ignore.

'But, I'm Im Gaeul...?'

Me?

It felt like the first time Junior Yuha had called her name with such urgency.

He had always called her with a voice that sounded somewhat pathetic, or overly relaxed, or even sly...

Though a year her junior, he was always dependable, looking out for the entire party.

What could be the reason such a person was calling her so desperately?

"Grab the magic stone!!!!!!!!"

'Magic stone? Grab a magic stone?'

Im Gaeul glanced at the magic stone in her hand.

He couldn't be talking about the Supreme Grade magic stone she was currently holding.

She'd been clutching that so hard her palms were white ever since they entered this place.

Perhaps the magic stone Yuha was referring to was...

Im Gaeul slowly turned her head.

A single, colossal black magic stone floated in the air.

She hadn't fully grasped the situation yet, but from their previous conversation, she could guess that this magic stone was something dangerous and terrifying.

Thump—

Thump—

The black magic stone pulsed violently, like a beating heart.

'Grab this?'

It looked ominous at a glance.

Both instinct and reason screamed in unison that she absolutely should not touch it—no, not even go near it.

'This could kill me...?'

As her eyes fell upon the utterly ominous magic stone, time seemed to slow down.

Honestly, the old her wouldn't have moved a single step from here.

Even back during the practical gate training when she first met Junior Yuha and Junior Yuri, when the ogre discovered her ambush.

She had just hidden behind Junior Yuri's back and only used her skills.

'Come to think of it, Yuha also told me to grab a magic stone back then.'

The Supreme Grade magic stone the junior had abruptly handed her.

Her life had dramatically changed starting from that moment.

The worst supporter in the entire year, trash, simpleton, scrap, waste, inadequate...

Such derogatory terms were more familiar to her than her own name, Im Gaeul, throughout her academy life.

But ever since she received the magic stone from Jin Yuha, she had changed.

Into a supporter with outstanding abilities.

And after swiftly dealing with a friend who had transformed into a demon in the blink of an eye,

she became bound by a single thread, the Utopia Party, with kids she wouldn't even have dreamed of sharing a table with.

They were all incredibly kind, strong, and amazing juniors.

Far too good for her.

Sometimes, she wondered if she was dreaming a dream too good to be true.

'Hmm— So that's why, I guess?'

The comments she saw on YouTube before coming here.

Words about her lack of presence.

Words from people who couldn't even remember her name.

She probably reacted so strongly to those jokes because she already knew it herself.

That she was the most lacking and out of place in Utopia.

What could she do?

When her innate nature was that of an ordinary person.

She didn't dream big dreams like becoming the best supporter, or earning a lot of money and living lavishly, or achieving great deeds that everyone would look up to.

Just one of the ordinary hunters who helped people.

And hearing "Thank you for your help."

Honestly, that was enough.

But,

hearing that amazing and wonderful junior shout out to her with such a desperate face, saying only she could do it...

'I want to live up to their expectations?'

Im Gaeul tightly gripped the Supreme Grade magic stone Jin Yuha had given her with one hand and channeled her mana.

"Acceleration."

With Acceleration cast upon herself, she launched her body toward the pulsating black magic stone.

* * *

"You! Wh-what are you doing!!! If you touch that magic stone now! The whole of Korea will become uninhabitable for humans! That's not my art!!!"

Yeon Woojin shouted in a flustered voice at Im Gaeul, who suddenly rushed towards the magic stone.

"Slaughtering Witch! Stop her! Are you just going to watch—?"

Slice—

Baek Seolhui severed his neck again.

"...You speak as if we're friends."

And in that moment, Im Gaeul successfully placed her hand on the magic stone.

Only after confirming that could I breathe a sigh of relief.

'Whoa, that really gave me a scare...'

While I was dealing with the demons upstairs, one of them shouted:

—Yeon Woojin, where the hell is that bastard and what is he doing?! He gathered us all here! We're all going to die at this rate!!!

Heading here immediately after hearing that shout was the right call.

'To think Yeon Woojin would appear here now. This butterfly effect is seriously too much.'

I looked at the severed head shouting furiously at the Instructor.

Yeon Woojin.

He was a demon who originally appeared in the mid-story.

Meaning, about a year from now.

To be honest, he wasn't much.

A sleek appearance and a mad, overflowing way of speaking.

An impressive entrance.

Anyone could tell he was a villain who would cause trouble,

but he was an extra villain who was quickly dispatched despite his impressive presence.

However, Yeon Woojin did have a role in Velvet Sra.

And that was a branching point.

Around the middle of the second year, the player's characters become quite strong.

To the point where most demons were hardly a match.

Even though they're just minor enemies, I can currently handle nearly a hundred demons by myself, so what more could be said about characters plastered with all sorts of resources?

In other words, it's the point where the power balance has significantly increased, and enemies become trivial.

At that time, Yeon Woojin appears, announcing the emergence of a new type of enemy, the 'Demon Race'.

Beings far stronger and more dangerous than demons.

A presence that would bring tension back to relaxed users.

But, so as not to drastically increase the difficulty from the Demon Race's first appearance, it was set at a difficulty level that users could still enjoy!

Therefore, Yeon Woojin and the demons he summoned could be easily defeated.

'But the problem is that this isn't the mid-story; it's just past the early stage.'

The current situation lacked strength, stats, and equipment.

Everything was woefully insufficient to face a new species like the Demon Race.

What would happen if the Demon Race appeared at a time when even many of the existing demons were still difficult to deal with?

'It's an annihilation.'

Even if they were enemies that could be easily dealt with on auto-play later, it wasn't the case now.

Of course, with Instructor Baek Seolhui here, perhaps they wouldn't be unilaterally overwhelmed, but...

It was far too dangerous an enemy to gamble with right now.

'We're alive thanks to Im Gaeul... seriously.'

I looked at Im Gaeul's back as she placed her hand on the magic stone.

She uses magic stones as fuel for her skills.

Originally, magic stones had to undergo a purification process to be used.

Even then, it was impossible for humans to use them directly; extracting energy or crafting them into artifacts or magical tools was the best option.

However, Im Gaeul was capable of directly utilizing the magic stone's mana.

Thanks to her unique trait, 'Embrace'.

Embrace is a trait that allows one to contain the magic stone's mana and change it into the color of their own mana!

And the same was true for the black magic stone, which exuded dark energy.

'Hmm, but... I'm not sure if it's okay for her to handle a black magic stone this early...'

Originally, Im Gaeul only started handling black magic stones about a year later, when the Demon Race appeared.

This was the first time she was given one so early.

Still, I had to trust her.

If not Im Gaeul, there was no one else who could stop the descent.

Thump—

Thump—

Thump—

The pounding sound grew faster and faster.

Then, the demonic energy of the black magic stone surged, and even denser streams of it began to erupt.

"Aaaah— They're finally descending! The demon race has finally started moving their heavy asses!"

Yeon Woojin, whose head had been severed, looked up at the magic stone with expectant eyes.

Baek Seolhui, too, had waited, assuming Jin Yuha had a plan, but it seemed from the situation that it was too late.

She bit her lip and gripped her sword hilt.

CRRRACK—

The entire room began to reverberate and shake as if an earthquake had struck.

Then, a pitch-black rift, as if the very air had been torn open, appeared above the magic stone.

A premonition of the descent beginning.

Until that moment, Im Gaeul remained completely still, her hand on the black magic stone.

But then, suddenly,

Stopped.

The magic stone's vibration abruptly ceased.

"Wh-what...? Why, why, the, the descent...?!"

Startled, Yeon Woojin's eyes widened.

"...Hmph, kuhu-huhu?"

Slowly, the corners of Im Gaeul's lips curled upwards, and she let out a laugh.

"...Senior?"

Haaaaaaah—

She tilted her head back and let out a languid sigh.

"Power... overflowing..."

Wondering if something had gone wrong, I asked,

"Are you okay?"

"Ah, I'm fine. More than fine. There's no way I wouldn't be.

A decadent voice, completely unlike her usual meek one, mixed with air and sound.

"Right now... my mood."

Im Gaeul opened her closed eyes and covered the left side of her face with one hand.

"It's the best."