Breaking Up With the Heroine in an Otome Game

18 – Major Episode Performance Evaluation Begins (7)

019

“Ah, ugh, ugh….”

“Haa, haa…..”

“Damn, monkey bastard… ugh.”

It was an utterly expected outcome.

Not only because that Long-Armed Monkey was far more powerful than ‘ordinary opponents’, but also because frontal assault didn’t work as expected.

Tactics? Strategy?

They are mere jokes.

These things only apply when levels are somewhat similar.

If we were to compare this to an RPG game, there is no way level 5 NPCs could bring down a level 35 monster, right?

‘Everyone’s in bad shape.’

The children, who had been hit multiple times by the monkey’s attacks, were in a serious state.

Their clothes were half torn, their shields cracked and broken, and all of them were panting with their various injuries.

All this had happened in a matter of minutes.

When the Black-Hand Long-Armed Monkey, which had previously moved indolently, started emitting a white steam-like substance from its entire body and changed its fur color to a dark hue, the children soon became incapacitated.

That’s right.

The Black-Hand Long-Armed Monkey had entered a new phase.

The second phase.

The so-called Red-Fury Monkey state.

‘In that state, most of its abilities will increase.’

Its physical attack and defense strength, as well as magical defense, will increase by two levels and its personality will become ferocious.

Additionally, it tends to not kill its prey swiftly but play with it slowly.

Just like that.

“Ugh, uuugh…”

The long-armed monkey reached out its large hand and clutched Yoo Seolhyun’s throat tightly and then began to open its filthy mouth.

“Keee, eee, eee.”

Its jaw split into four pieces and countless teeth, too many to count, revealed themselves.

Pointed and densely packed teeth like a shark’s slowly approached Yoo Seolhyun.

It was the trapping and devouring pattern.

“Uh, uuugh! Let, let go, ah!”

Yoo Seolhyun flailed her both legs and arms with a pale face, but it was in vain, like a butterfly stuck in a spider’s web.

“Keee, eee, eee.”

Rather, the Red-Fury Monkey slowly, very slowly opened its mouth, savoring the look of terror on her face.

‘Is Hong Daye… also not in a state to help?’

Hong Daye, who was dealing with the Minotaur, simply had no leeway to help others.

Apparently, because her superpowers were almost depleted, she seemed to be fighting with swordsmanship alone.

From the start, she seemed focused on her fight with the Minotaur to the point where she wouldn’t even know whether this was a crisis situation or not.

“Cough, cough. Seolhyun… Seolhyun…!”

“Ha, ha, ugh, whew…….”

Both Seo Nari, wiping off the blood from her mouth, and Jin Soyeon, panting and steadily holding her sword, attacked with all their might.

“Kkiriri? Kkiyiyiyi.”

As if mocking the struggling children, he casually fended off the attacks of the two people with one hand, while striking their shoulders and sides.

Thud!

“Uh, ack.”

“Ugh.”

With a short moan, the two people rolled pitifully around the training ground.

As their conditions continued to worsen, it became near impossible to land an attack on the red monkey. The monkey grinned with amusement.

As if saying “If you want to save them, go ahead,” the red monkey nonchalantly licked their tongue.

Watching the kids’ reactions, I thought, ‘Has it come this far?’

Yes, it’s come this far.

The children had struggled and done their best.

From the start, it was not a monster that could be easily defeated by any normal means, and it was quite impressive that they’d managed to hold on for this long.

After all, it was an almost impossible losing battle event.

If we dragged it out any further, there would surely be casualties.

Since we couldn’t afford to have any casualties, it seemed like it was time to wrap things up.

‘……’

Before the match had started, I had brought a container of liquid. I opened the lid and poured the liquid onto the arrow tip.

The sticky liquid fully coated the arrow tip.

There was a sweet scent as well.

‘Alright, it’s done.’

What was this liquid that I had just smeared on the arrow tip?

It wasn’t a dangerous chemical or a deadly poison.

In fact, it was something that could be easily obtained anywhere – pure apple juice with a concentration of 99% or higher.

…No, seriously.

It really was apple juice.

If it had been a dangerous substance, it would have been impossible to bring it into the academy and it wouldn’t have been available for purchase either.

‘Even now, when I think about it, it’s absurd.’

I hadn’t gone insane during this dire situation and sprinkled apple juice on the arrow tip for no apparent reason.

It wasn’t a joke – this apple juice was truly the key to defeating that monster.

‘What kind of setting is this, really?’

Do you happen to know the game “Star Craft”?

It was once one of the large-scale strategic simulation games that swept through South Korea.

In the highly popular Star Craft eSports scene, there was a terrifying monster commonly called “The Hound of the Legion (Zergling).”

A vicious hound capable of ripping apart even thick steel like tissue paper. However, this hound had an unbelievably ridiculous weakness.

What was the weakness?

That was none other than… lemon juice.

No jokes or pranks, it really had a setting that it was weak against lemon juice.

In the world setting, the Hound of the Legion had a genetic link to lemons. In short, a lemon juice allergy.

It seemed like a situation that would only appear in a fan-made work or parody, but it was no joke, it was really an official setting.

…And then.

Romance Hero Academy took an interest in this absurd setting and committed the outrageous act of adopting it as an homage.

If anything, they added even more to it.

Not only did they give the Black Hand Long-Armed Monkey a very fatal bond to apple juice, but if apple components entered its body, it suffered continuous damage and a significant decrease in all its abilities.

To express this in-game, when the monkey is poisoned(?) by apple juice, its attack and defense are significantly reduced while it continuously receives damage.

In other words, apple juice is no different from deadly poison for that monkey.

‘Of course, you can’t get apples in the game…’

But this isn’t a game, it’s reality, right?

You can bring in as many apples as you want.

‘…Whew. Now that I understand.’

I hooked an arrow onto my bow and aimed it at the monkey.

The monkey seemed unconcerned about my arrow, chuckling leisurely.

I could see Yu Seolhyun’s face, her neck grabbed tightly in the monkey’s clutches, eyes closed in pain.

Seeing her like that stirred a bit of guilt inside me.

‘I feel a little sorry for those who struggled unnecessarily.’

As I’ve said before, I could have defeated the monkey much faster and more easily with just this apple juice.

Then, those kids wouldn’t have suffered and been hurt like this.

However, I pushed back on using apple juice as much as I could.

The reason was that I wanted to give those kids direct experience of fighting a powerful monster.

Some might have felt powerless, and others might have despaired. But those kids wouldn’t be broken.

Rather, through this fight, they must have gained the necessity to become stronger.

Because they were such kids.

The protagonist, the male lead, the villainous young lady, the named NPCs, and so on.

They would get caught up in various dangerous incidents, whether they liked it or not, while attending the Union Academy in the future.

It was good to expose them to various things in advance to survive in the face of countless hardships and adversity and to fulfill their roles.

‘Thinking of the things that will happen in the future, it wouldn’t hurt to let not only Soyeon but these kids gain some experience.’

Because I am weak… and I will need their help in the future.

With that thought, I released the bowstring.

In no time, the arrow rushing at high-speed nailed itself into the split jaw of the monkey.

Thunk!

***

Yoo Seolhyun bit her lower lip in frustration.

“Ugh. Cough.”

At first, she could fight the monkey monster to some extent, but at some point, its body turned red and it knocked down the children with unbelievable strength and speed.

Yoo Seolhyun and the children were not at a level to compete with it in the first place.

“Screeech!”

“Ugh.”

That monkey.

It’s playing with us.

Arrogance as a strong one, or self-confidence? The long-armed monkey grasped Yoo Seolhyun’s neck, dangling her in mid-air as if ready to eat her at any time.

“Screeech, Screeech.”

As if saying, if you want to save her, do it quickly.

Half-collapsed, the children tried to save Yoo Seolhyun, but it was in vain.

It was impossible to deal a proper blow with this practice equipment.

“Ugh, Ugh. Damn it!”

Yoo Seolhyun gasped for breath and uttered harsh words.

Gradually, her breath was getting heavier. The sharp nails of the monkey dug gently into Yoo Seolhyun’s pale, slender skin. I can’t… breathe…!

“Ugh, cough! Ugh!”

Flailing.

Yoo Seol-hyun flailed with all his strength.

He tried to tear off the monkey’s arm and pounded its chest with his fists. Instead, his hands only hurt. It’s too solid. Yoo Seol-hyun’s face turned blue. Oxygen was not being supplied well to his head. The monkey laughed at him.

The monkey, sneering at his futile struggles, slowly tightened its grip around Yoo Seol-hyun’s throat.

Huh?! Is it going to kill me now? Time’s up?

‘…Ah. Am I going to die like this?’

There’s still so much I haven’t done yet.

I haven’t been acknowledged by my grandfather, nor proven myself to my siblings.

Though there were piles of things to do and things he wanted to do, was this the end of Yoo Seol-hyun’s life?

He knew well that living as a hero meant having death by his side, but he hadn’t even become a hero yet.

To die like this… like this… without achieving anything…?

Me?

“…Ah.”

Finally, his hands lost their strength.

His arms and legs, which had been flailing, lost their strength and slowly sank.

The once bright eyes gradually lost their light, and the heavy eyelids slowly began to close.

“…Save… me.”

Please, someone.

“…Give… me.”

Save me, he said.

Yoo Seol-hyun desperately prayed in his heart.

Swoosh.

And was it then?

Thunk.

An arrow lodged itself in the monkey’s wide-open mouth.

“Kee? Kkak-kkak.”

‘…Is it Jin-hyuk?’

But it’s useless.

An arrow like that can’t do any damage to that ridiculously strong monkey…?

“Kee? Kkuk?! Keee, eeeak!”

The always leisurely chestnut-haired long-armed monkey began to howl in the window then began to vomit up blood.

What, what’s happening?

Why would that monster…..

“Kie?! Keek! Keek!”

After retching out blood in pain, it suddenly sent Yoo Seolhyun flying. Ah!

“……!”

Even though Yoo Seolhyun was flying several meters above the ground, she could not brace for the fall as her brain wasn’t yet properly supplied with oxygen, she began to fall to the ground….

“Ugh!”

“Huu… Yoo Seolhyun, are you ok?”

“Cough, cough, cough…… Haa…… Lee Jin…… Hyuk?”

…… Thanks to Lee Jin Hyuk sprinting over and catching her, she was barely able to live.

“Hold on, Yoo Seolhyun!”

“Haa, haa, ugh.”

Drawing in breath after breath, she lightly improved her blurry vision and looked at the monkey monster howling far away.

She had no idea why, but it was running amok as if poisoned pathogenically.

“……I’m, I’m ok now. Now, I’m, cough, cough, I’m ok.”

Yoo Seolhyun, getting a little more clearly conscious, eventually stood up from the ground with her fist tightly clenched.

“Kieeek!”

“Haa, haa!”

Far away, Lee Shi Un and the monkey monster were fighting.

It had gotten a little easier now, unlike before, because the monster’s movements had become very sluggish.

Had Lee Jin Hyuk’s arrow hit a vital spot?

She didn’t exactly know what’s happening, but if now was an opportunity, it was an opportunity. Let’s throw away unnecessary thoughts and focus on now.

“Ha!”

“Kiek?!”

Thud.

The blade, filled with mana, was embedded under the chin of the monkey which had started running about indiscriminately.

Yes! Lee Shi Un felt proud in his heart.

It felt like the rough skin of the family monkey had softened a bit and the blade had slipped into it more easily. Was its durability also declining? In an incomprehensible situation, Lee Shi Un suddenly found hope. Okay, if it’s this much, I can do it. Lee Shi Un shouted.

“……Yoo Seolhyun!”

“……Yoo Seol-Hyeon!”

“Got it, hey!”

At Lee Si-Woon’s call, Yoo Seol-Hyeon, grinding his teeth, threw the window blade he was struggling with all his might.

Magical Spear Throw.

The spear, filled with blue energy, pierced the monkey’s abdomen. It didn’t penetrate completely, but it seemed to do considerably more damage than before.

“Ugh, aargh! Die, you damn monkey!”

Seonari yelled and charged at the writhing monkey.

One of his arms wasn’t moving well already, but he couldn’t miss this opportunity.

“Just die! I said die!”

“Kiik, kiik?! Kiiiiiiieeek?!”

Thud! Thud! Thud, thud!

Using all his strength, even as if he was wringing out milk, he pummeled the monkey. Flesh splattered and blood spurted.

But he didn’t stop.

Because he couldn’t afford to give this monkey any time to recover.

“Ha!”

“Ugh, ugh, huk.”

“Sigh, sigh. Ha.”

Before long, not just Seonari, but all the kids who could move joined in attacking the monkey.

The long-armed monkey couldn’t even resist and just kept spewing blood.

“He’s damn tough, really……!”

“Hoo.

How much time had passed?

“Is it, is it dead?”

“……Probably.”

Suddenly, the monkey met its end, completely limp.

“Whew, ugh. Sigh. Hey guys, are you alive?”

“Instructor, you……”

Boom! A giant Minotaur’s body raised a cloud of dust.

A sword was deeply embedded in the Minotaur’s chest.

Hong Da-Ye looked over the kids while barely catching her breath. Surely no one had died? Although they were quite injured, fortunately, it seemed no one was dead. It was truly a relief.

“……You guys took down that monkey by yourselves?”

“Haah, haah… We were lucky.”

But it wasn’t a monster that could be simply taken down just by being lucky.

Honestly, it was a creature that even active heroes would have difficulty defeating.

‘…How on earth?’

While thinking about it,

“2nd security team! Over there! Save the students! Emergency team!”

“Leave the monsters here to the 1st team!”

“Isn’t that a Minotaur? Did Instructor Hong Da-ye manage to defeat it?”

Far away… the kids saw the security team running towards them.

They were professional monster hunters, comprised of numerous heroes.

“…They really came quickly, huh.”

Sitting down with a thud, Jin So-yeon let out a bitter laugh.

This isn’t a police-coming-late-in-a-movie situation.

Why do they always come when it’s all over?