"For now, since I'm the frontline, I'll somehow draw the monster's attention on my own! Meanwhile, Sora, you snipe it and take it down! You can definitely handle..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...W-What...? Why are you all looking at me like that...?"
In the awkward silence, three pairs of cold eyes stared him down.
Seo Woo-jin couldn't comprehend why this was the reception he got after forcing himself to overcome his fear and come back.
'Uh, um...?'
Something was off from the atmosphere he'd imagined.
Sure, he'd panicked, abandoned everyone, and run away—a perfectly valid reason to be blamed. But he'd still conquered that terror and returned.
So why were they all giving him these icy glares? Seo Woo-jin couldn't wrap his head around it for a moment.
'Come to think of it... where'd the Owl Bear go...?'
Only then did he remember why he'd come back in the first place, hurriedly scanning his surroundings.
What caught his eye was a massive monster already felled by an arrow to the head... and the Combat Support Department guy lying on the ground in what was obviously a near-death state.
"W-What...? You already took it d-down...?"
"...Hey, Seo Woo-jin."
"...Yeah?"
-SLAP!!!
A resounding slap echoed through the dungeon—loud enough to reach Kim Isabel's ears as she treated the fallen Lee Seon-ho from afar.
For the slapped Seo Woo-jin, it was an utterly bewildering blow, but no one around him—not even the priestess Kim Isabel—found the strike out of place.
Because his solo departure had forced the rest of them to somehow take down the Owl Bear, and Lee Seon-ho's critical injuries were partly his fault.
...And showing up after the monster was dead to declare he'd join the fight? It came off as nothing short of mockery to anyone watching.
"Are you kidding me right now?"
"N-No..."
"The monster drops dead, and you crawl out saying you'll tank aggro since you're frontline? Do you even know how we took that thing down without you?"
"..."
"Without you, the Combat Support guy, Magic Department Seon-ho, and Eun-ju had to pull aggro. Seon-ho took a hit from the Owl Bear and went down like that—and now you pop out after it's over and that's your first words?"
"H-How could Combat Support even...?"
"...What?"
-Thud!
In this situation, Seo Woo-jin's reflexive excuse only fueled the fire, and Han Sora's enraged fist seized his collar.
"And what about you?"
"M-Me? What did I...?"
"How the hell does a Swordsmanship Department guy like you ditch all the backliners and run solo? Recovery, Magic, Archery, Combat Support—everyone but you is rear guard. We should've been the last to bail, so why'd you bolt first?"
"..."
"It's not 'how could Combat Support do it.' They did it anyway. Because the one frontline guy in our group bailed to save his own skin, leaving no one but Seon-ho to hold the front."
Seo Woo-jin had always badmouthed Combat Support as useless with his words alone—then dumped his own job on them and fled. Han Sora, who'd watched him for so long up close, couldn't contain her boiling rage.
The real Combat Support guy, Lee Seon-ho, had stepped up and sacrificed himself doing things way beyond his role. Meanwhile, the one who should've been there was just mocking everyone after the fight ended.
If Seon-ho died, over half the blame would fall on this guy... Everyone on site thought the same.
"C-Coward..."
"..."
"I-If anything happens to Seon-ho... I-I swear I won't let you off...!"
Han Sora's blazing glare of fury... Cha Eun-ju's tearful eyes full of hatred...
The Recovery girl's stare—obvious even veiled, clearly glaring daggers...
All those gazes stabbed straight into Seo Woo-jin's heart.
...And after he'd finally mustered the courage to face that massive monster, to come back to this cold reception? It felt so unfair.
"...So what do you want me to do?"
"...What?"
"I-I was scared too, what was I supposed to do?! Frontline means I have to tank that thing alone?! You backliners can talk easy because you're safe in the rear—that monster was huge and scary for me too! I still came back to fight it, so why's everyone acting like it's all my fault?!"
"Hey, Seo Woo-jin. Do you even hear yourself...?"
"I-I'm not as strong as you to begin with! Just because I'm Swordsmanship Department doesn't mean I have to tank monsters—does that even make sense?! If that's the reason, you could've tanked, Han Sora! Why only me...?"
"Kuhk, hack, kehuk...!!"
"...?!"
"..."
Seo Woo-jin vented his pent-up feelings, but it didn't last long.
Everyone's attention snapped to the coughing as Lee Seon-ho regained consciousness right on cue.
"S-Seon-ho...!!"
"Kuhk, hack... Hoo, hoo, hoo..."
"Ah, you shouldn't get up yet... N-No, don't...!"
Cha Eun-ju bolted to him like a puppy reuniting with its owner, while Kim Isabel stammered, trying to lay him back down.
Han Sora judged that going to the one who'd suffered most in this Owl Bear fight beat pointless bickering here, and stepped away.
"Hey, Seo Woo-jin."
"...What."
"Even if you pass the academy entrance later, don't act like you know me at school."
"..."
"If word got out I was childhood friends with trash like you, I'd die of shame."
-Step, step...
The girls gathered around the lone Combat Support guy, leaving Seo Woo-jin isolated.
He stared blankly, unable to utter a word, silently watching the scene in the heavy quiet.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
When I came to, the first thing to greet me was excruciating pain—like my whole body had been hacked apart by an axe.
The Suggestion I'd layered on during the knockout must've worn off, releasing the adrenaline burst with it.
All the pain I'd forcibly suppressed with Suggestion hit me at once. No wonder it hurt like hell.
"Kuhk, hack, kehuk...!!"
It was too much agony to brush off with "pain's no big deal."
Still... I was alive. That's what mattered most.
After grinding all those heroine affinity levels, dying to the initial boss would've ruined everything.
Escaping a death more pathetic than original Lee Seon-ho's near-miss was the real win. I hadn't even claimed Cha Eun-ju yet—couldn't die in the entrance exam.
"S-Seon-ho...!!"
"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."
"Ah, you shouldn't get up yet... N-No, don't...!"
...Kim Isabel?
Hearing her voice suddenly, I looked around. Blue sky and fields came into view.
I'd expected academy staff to carry me out, waking in a church or hospital. With her androphobia, once Suggestion faded, I figured she couldn't treat me.
But against expectations, she sat beside me, diligently channeling holy power. She wouldn't meet my eyes, trembling visibly—her phobia clearly unresolved.
'Looks like the massive affinity I built helped.'
Or maybe the temporary Succubus Heart Suggestion from earlier lingered.
I couldn't read her mind exactly, so no clue which of my actions swayed her most. Just rough guesses.
My head wasn't spinning right anyway, fresh off passing out.
"Seon-ho! You okay?! You're really alive, right?!"
"Just one hit from an Owl Bear—no need to overreact. See? I'm alive. Don't worry."
"Waaah...!! Thank goodness... I-I really thought you were a goner, sob, sniff..."
"C'mon, one hit? Even injured, how bad could it be...?"
-Shake, shake.
"Huh?"
"Y-You were s-so close to real danger... R-Really..."
"K-Kuh, seriously...?"
-Nod, nod.
"..."
If Kim Isabel said so, it must've been touch-and-go. Gotta be more careful next time.
Good thing no risky body-tank events for a while after this entrance exam finale.
Time till the ceremony meant I could mold Cha Eun-ju into my personal mage properly.
Once academy started for real, my practical scores would ride on her skills mostly.
"Glad you're breathing. Things got super tense thinking you'd bought it."
"Ah, Han Sora..."
"Still, thanks to you, we took down the Owl Bear. Without you, we'd all be total party wipe fodder."
"...Luck mostly. Perfect team-up with you and Kim Isabel. Eun-ju bravely pulled aggro with her magic too."
"Why downplay the guy who suffered most?"
"Anyone could've done what I did. Even without me, you three could've handled it."
"No way... Without you, we wouldn't have even thought to fight... R-Really..."
"M-Me too, I th-think s-so..."
"Being too humble for your skills looks lame."
Cha Eun-ju always listened well, but hearing it from the other two confirmed it: worth risking my neck.
Speaking of, enough time passed while I was out for Seo Woo-jin to return... Ah.
"..."
Seo Woo-jin stood pretty far off, silently watching me and the girls.
Fists clenched tight—he must've caused a scene while I was down. No way Han Sora let his late return slide.
"Why's Seo Woo-jin over there?"
"...Ignore him."
"Did you guys fight while I was out?"
"...Nothing you need to know."
"..."
"Y-Yeah... Don't mind that coward, Seon-ho..."
Their awkward reactions screamed drama went down.
If Seo Woo-jin hadn't bailed, I probably wouldn't be this banged up. Popping back post-fight made him look like a sneaky coward who only showed when safe.
Of course, I orchestrated this, but they couldn't know my game.
'Kinda bummed I missed his real-time meltdown.'
Coming back all heroic, only to find it over and heroines roasting him? Must've been priceless. His current scowl's full of gripe, though.
Whatever. I suffered enough to black out, so my sacrifice burned deeper in their minds—net win for me. What mattered wasn't tormenting Seo Woo-jin, but claiming the original heroines.
"Hoo, anyway, let's harvest the Owl Bear materials quick. High-level monster like this should score big. Han Sora landed the killing blow, so heart's yours. Brain can go to Isabel or Eun-ju..."
"Ahh, no, don't get up...!!"
"I'll do it! S-Seon-ho, rest...!"
"Getting up to harvest in that state is straight-up nuts, you..."
Pretending to force myself up had all three heroines united in pinning me back down.
If they stayed this chummy even after becoming my girls, it'd be perfect.