The Protagonists Are Murdered by Me
chapter-12

Shit.

I really didn’t want to, but I forced myself to say the following lines.

“Lee Yeonjun. You’re still a trainee, but you’re already a very good hunter.”

It was like reading a line from a 1990s cartoon…actually, this line wasn’t wrong.

Was I going crazy saying such cheesy things?

I felt like throwing my head against a rock.

However, this one sentence was enough to start.

The other day, I proved my ability by overpowering a mutated B-Rank monster in my hoodie, and right after the mutation took place earlier when I gave the orders, the viewers responded very well.

[Level of protagonist Lee Yeonjun has changed: 77(+9).]

It’s as expected.

Although I couldn’t see the chat window, I’m sure there will be a feast of nasty words.

I can tell just by looking at his soaring interest right now.

Jang Hyunsuk and the other outstanding veteran hunters’ recognition of the protagonist was a given.

What if it was the guy with the #Broadcast hashtag and an attention-seeking skill?

He’ll be even more powerful.

“Good! Lee Yeonjun! You’re indeed great!”

“Oh, are you really a trainee? Don’t you want to come under me?”

“That was excellent just now!”

…Lee Yeonjun’s interest exploded when I said such cliché lines from Korean novels that I wouldn’t be caught dead reading.

Perhaps, this was due to my identity as an ‘operator’ in the plot.

None of the other 13 hunters had experienced a S-Rank dungeon or dungeon mutation, but I was experienced and even knew a lot about it.

Besides, isn’t it the natural thing to show interest in Lee Yeonjun like the other senior hunters are?

I even used my F-Rank body to make Lee Yeonjun stand out by moving around and luring the monsters as much as I could.

Only now did I realize that it was a real challenge not to be seen positively by the drones.

Our current position is point-E.

With the exception of point-A, which is the entrance of the dungeon, four points were mapped, so it was approximately four hours of travel.

For now, point-E looks safe on top of the ridge because of its blindspot, but that’s just for now.

Obviously, within half an hour, this place will be swarmed with monsters.

That’s why even when others were taking a short break at E-Point, I was finishing up my preparations.

Then, I called Celeste over.

Even though there was a translator I deliberately turned it off and looked at Celeste.

She was also sensible enough to turn off her translator.

Only me and this little girl can speak Italian here.

“What about you? Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a relief. Then listen carefully. A little later, I’m going to smash Lee Yeonjun’s drone.”

Despite the sudden remark, her face remained calm.

“Yes.”

“Don’t ask why. After I handle the drone I’ll signal you to angle your camera at Lee Yeonjun.”

“Yes.”

“Did you forget every word except ‘yes’ because of the shock?”

“No.”

Why is her reaction so poor?

Anyways, I then called Lee Yeonjun over alone.

It was to give him thorough information on every monster in this dungeon.

Of course, other hunters were knowledgeable on how to respond to the monsters too.

Everyone could mostly predict what monsters would appear here just by looking at the words “Snow” and “Paulownia” that made up the name of the dungeon, and would understand how to hunt here.

However, the reason why I only told Lee Yeonjun about this.

Because the protagonist had to be special.

“So. Do you understand?”

“Of course!”

“It’s great that you’re confident.”

Explaining the monsters’ weaknesses and rare features that ordinary hunters would not know, Lee Yeonjun listened as if he would not miss a single word.

Of course I didn’t know everything either.

There were many cases where I knew as much as what others knew.

Still, every little detail will turn into the protagonist’s ‘cliché.’

For example, wasn’t there something like this?

‘You don’t have to know this, but there is a 0.0001% chance of running into a Red Chaos Skull. We’ll never run into it, but just keep it in mind.’

That’s the sort of line a side character would say.

“W-what?”

“The Red Chaos Skull…”

“Damn it. What are we supposed to do!”

The protagonist will turn into reality.

Even the senior hunters were taken back when they saw the Red Chaos Skull, which has a 0.0001% chance of appearing, and only Lee Yeonjun rushed at it.

However, they were not afraid because even though the original B-Rank monster had turned into an A-Rank, it only had sharp claws that ripped through the air.

Though, it was still too much for Lee Yeonjun to handle it alone with his current power.

So although Lee Yeonjun didn’t hunt it without the help of me, Jang Hyun-suk, and other hunters, it didn’t matter.

Aside from successfully killing it, it was important that only Lee Yeonjun was shown to bravely rush at the monster while everyone else was flustered.

“Very good!”

With compliments come…

[Level of protagonist Lee Yeonjun has changed: 77(+10).]

This is how it is.

Now none of the remaining six trainees are a match for Lee Yeonjun.

He was already in the limelight, and after this, he will surely make a name for himself as the new C-Rank hunter who took the lead in attacking a S-Rank dungeon.

The current viewers who were watching this broadcast will also spread the news, and soon the numbers will rise.

[Level of protagonist Lee Yeonjun has changed: 77(+11).]

[Protagonist Lee Yeonjun is showing excessive growth rate.]

[Probability of a cliché occurring reduced.]

The first way to clear the S-Rank dungeon

By forcely strengthening the protagonist and having him carry.

The fact that it became a S-Rank dungeon and stage for Lee Yeonjun.

Even if he stays still, Lee Yeonjun will somehow get out of this alive.

However, will all side characters be able to survive?

That was the first problem, and the second problem was that if the dungeon was cleared normally, only one of two rabbits would be caught.

I’m a skilled hunter.

If two rabbits come into my sight, I must catch both.

Pew!

Without even looking, I sneaked a pistol with a silencer attached to it out of my waist and shot down the first drone.

Lee Yeonjun, who had an increasing number of viewers, has just experienced an artificial crisis.

This was not a cliché made by the plot, but a crisis I forced myself.

“Huh?”

Shouted the bewildered Lee Yeonjun, then messages that only I could see appeared in my mind.

[Level of protagonist Lee Yeonjun has changed: 77(+3).]

[The state of the protagonist Lee Yeonjun has changed excessively.]

[Protagonist Lee Yeonjun has a strong chance to acquire the skill Power Frenzy (S).]

[Protagonist Lee Yeonjun’s skill Power Steroid (B) has responded to a crisis.]

[Protagonist Lee Yeonjun’s skill Attention (A) has risen to A+.]

Again, as expected, as soon as a crisis came, the response came immediately.

However, there is no need to make the crisis worse right now.

I signaled Celeste as we planned earlier.

Then she nodded and hurried up to Lee Yeonjun.

“Let’s share my drone.”

“…Can I?”

“Yes.”

Lee Yeonjun’s eyes glistened after hearing the stiff Korean words coming out of the translator.

The reaction came immediately.

[Level of protagonist Lee Yeonjun has changed: 77(+13).]

[The state of the protagonist Lee Yeonjun is showing excessive changes.]

Oh, it’s working.

In fact, it was slightly an experiment sending Celeste.

There were other safety nets.

One of the most important ‘bittersweet’ moments for the protagonist was with the opposite gender, so I wanted to experiment with it.

And the experiment turned out to be successful.

If Celeste was a man and Lee Yeonjun was a woman, the result would have been the same.

The existence of the opposite gender’s goodwill when the protagonist is faced with a crisis.

That alone will give the protagonist strength.

Because this was also a cliché.

With the combined viewers, the total number of viewers have increased tremendously.

[Protagonist Lee Yeonjun’s skill Power Steroid (B) growth potential has occurred.]

There is no more crisis.

In the first place, when the dungeon mutated into S-Rank, we had already reached the deepest part of the dungeon.

Lee Yeonjun and Celeste continued to bond while sharing the drone.

Arriving in front of the boss area, I gathered the hunters and explained about the boss.

Speaking briefly.

I explained the rough patterns and cautions because it was not necessary to elaborate.

Anyways, the boss fight is supposed to be the protagonist’s solo.

The boss area was at the top of a tree with a huge flower in the middle.

It’s called the Sun Tan Flower.

As its name implies, it was a flower that enjoyed tanning in the sun at the top of the tree.

Originally, it would have been a branch-like monster as the boss, but now there is a ‘named’ monster due to the dungeon turning into S-Rank.

“Before the boss fight, we need to check each person’s condition.”

After saying that, I called Lee Yeonjun over and took out a red syringe from my pocket.

It wasn’t just a simple drug, it was a health potion.

Modern potions have employed the ‘injection’ method, as it’s the easiest and fastest way to heal rather than through drinking or spraying.

This is because it is possible to maximize efficiency by injecting directly into the bloodstream.

“You’re hurt. I’ll heal you.”

“Oh…thank you.”

Potions are super expensive.

So I never use it on others.

Naturally.

Lee Yeonjun had no intention of refusing the offer from the start.

As I moved his arm away, I could see it.

Bluish veins were bulging out.

It’s as expected.

It is now the last part of the plan.

“…Lee Yeonjun!”

When I suddenly shouted loudly, the hunters who were quiet, quickly focused their attention on me.

“You, what’s with your arm!”

“H-huh? What the hell is this…?”

Slowly backing away, I quickly put the precious potion syringe back into my pocket and took out my pistol and aimed it at Lee Yeonjun.

In fact, the aether pistol doesn’t work that well against B-Rank superhumans.

However, ‘acting’ was key in this situation.

“No way, you…you’re doing aether doping?”

“Ah n-no! Something is wro-”

Woosh.

With stiff expressions, every senior hunter present pointed their weapon at Lee Yeonyun.

Blue veins.

There was no hunter here who didn’t know.

Including the viewers.

That’s a sign when you force an injection of drugs, including aether, to boost your ability, known as doping.

Hunters who did aether doping have a very high probability of becoming mutants.

Lee Yeonjun is the protagonist.

If it had been the way it was, this would not have happened to him.

But I already knew.

The fact that Lee Yeonjun awakened through a drug I don’t know about and that it is related to aether doping.

However, normal people were unable to withstand that drug, and only Lee Yeonjun was able to withstand it because of his fraudulent skill ‘Power Steroid.’

Power Steroid.

At first glance, it seems like a skill created by doping, but it was actually a skill that increased the ‘doping digestion rate.’

In other words, even drugs that would have made normal people crazy, Lee Yeonjun perfectly digested them through this skill.

And since it was difficult for Lee Yeonjun to display his full strength as a C-Rank, I forced him to tire himself out earlier.

Then, I injected him with a potion to rile up the dormant aether drug in his body to the point where the Power Steroid skill couldn’t withstand it and became visible on the skin.

The reaction was explosive.

From the hunters?

No.

From the viewers.

[Level of protagonist Lee Yeonjun has changed: 77(+15).]

[Level of protagonist Lee Yeonjun has changed: 77(+16).]

[Level of protagonist Lee Yeonjun has changed: 77(+17).]

Aether doping was not uncommon even though it was banned by international law.

Lee Yeonjun, who was called a rising star trainee and gained overwhelming recognition from everyone, turned out to be doping.

It was enough to elicit an explosive response.

Although I can’t tell because I can’t watch the broadcast, surely the chat will be updated to an unreadable level, and there will be countless viewers coming from social network sites.

This completes the reason to kill the protagonist.

No one will oppose me killing Lee Yeonjun now.

“Yoo…Hunter Seodam. Please give us your orders. What should we do?”

Asked Jang Hyunsuk with a quivering voice.

But I waited silently.

Social death.

It became too much of a ‘crisis’ for Lee Yeonjun.

In the end, the skill, which was on the verge of awakening, will awaken.

[The protagonist Lee Yeonjun has gained the skill Blood Rage (S+).]

[Level of protagonist Lee Yeonjun has changed: 77(+33).]

“Huh…”

What do you mean Blood Rage?

Wasn’t it supposed to be Power Frenzy?

You’ve gained a skill that’s a little stronger than I thought, but it’s no problem.

“You’re our only hope.”

“Mister hunter Yoo Seodam! What should we do?!”

“Hunter Yoo Seodam!”

They’re crying out for me from all sides.

You bastards, at first you treated me like a nobody, now you’re suddenly looking for me?

‘Such simple mindedness.’

It is extremely rare for a S-Rank skill to have side effects.

Because it was a skill that only a very few selected people could have.

Skills that make you lose your reason and run wild in exchange for overwhelming power.

Some say they can’t use it for fear of hurting their colleagues, but it was hard for me to understand.

Anyway, when you don’t have power, you’ll feel envious of others.

Aaaahhhh!!

When Lee Yeonjun shouted, the 3rd-Grade suit he was wearing broke and his size grew huge.

[Protagonist Lee Yeonjun has entered the ‘Mana Poisoning’ state.]

I frowned at the message.

Originally, he had bluish skin, but after transforming, his skin turned red.

Isn’t this similar to the B-Rank mutant I killed at Konkuk University Station the other day?

“Wait. I’ll take care of it.”

I pointed my pistol at Lee Yeonjun and fired.

Bang!

The shot briefly reverberated.

Lee Yeonjun ran towards me.

At that time, I was already running for the boss monster Sun Tan Flower.

Boom!

The Sun Tan Flower sensed me and shot a giant stalk down.

At that moment, Lee Yeonjun, who was running towards me, was directly hit by it.

Everyone should have heard of the name Lee Yeonjun by now.

The reason why the main character has grown to such an extent.

With social death, the side characters can live.

If there are two enemies.

Why don’t you make them fight?

The number of viewers kept increasing.

In addition to his Blood Rage (S+) and mutation, Lee Yeonjun gained explosive growth due to the number of viewers.

His state has reached the level of a decent ranker, but he will probably have lasting side effects even if he returns to his original form.

The fight was devastating.

Everything that we’ve learned so far can’t compare to this, the bloody struggle between two ignorant and cruel beasts biting, scratching, and hurting each other.

Senior hunters, including myself, played the role of balancing both sides.

It is to make Lee Yeonjun, who was attacking the Sun Tan Flower, even more tired.

The Sun Tan flower had no time to care about us because we only shot from afar, and Lee Yeonjun also had no time to look back at us while battling the Sun Tan Flower.

Finally, the Sun Tan Flower fell down.

As Lee Yeonjun roared in anger, I tilted my head.

“You still have the power to scream? Get rid of the camera.”

[Protagonist Lee Yeonjun’s skill Attention (A) has been deactivated.]

Before long, Lee Yeonjun, who had lost all his power, was hit by the combined superpowers of the senior hunters who were waiting patiently.

Only

All I had to do was fire the finishing touch.

[You’ve successfully hunted a Level 77 protagonist.]

[Your Level has risen by 2.]

[770 days of lifespan has been rewarded.]

[Remaining Lifespan: 1423 days, 9 hours, 36 minutes.]

[Emergency mission completed successfully!]

[You can randomly absorb two of their talents or skills.]

[Do you wish to absorb it?]