Only I Am A Reader

"Don't you think so as well?"

Similar to Geochin whose plot armor came in the form of the Sword Sage, Leo also had his own backing!

"...Wasn't the competition left unconcluded because of the monsters' invasion?"

The Sword Sage turned to look at the Daoist who relayed the information to him with doubt only to receive a hurried nod. Naturally, Pung Chungwon had no plan to yield benefits to a foreign camp… At least not that quickly.

"Wow, what great logic! These two had already reached the finals so one of them was bound to receive the reward anyway. Does it really matter to you who would win in the end?"

Cheon Jeong's gaze turned sharp as the air seemed to freeze. Leo could already feel the pressure even as he was silently spectating from behind, but he could see that the rest were in a much worse state than their little group.

'Feels good to be on the right side.'

Everyone seemed to underestimate the Blade Spirit who stayed behind when compared to the well-known Absolute Spear. In reality, however, even if Cheon Jeong wasn't worthy of being the 'Absolute Blade', she and Cheon Jang were equals!

"Besides, didn't your kids also tell you about what mine did? If they didn't take care of that ugly stone, I'm sure a few 'seeds' would have already met their end. I would like to personally reward them for this feat, but since we are outside at the moment, their deserved reward should do for now… Right?"

"Hmmm…"

The Sword Sage appeared to want to refute what Cheon Jeong said. However, it wasn't like she was making things up, for it was mostly true. The battle of words was quickly coming to a close, but Mount Hua's people appeared extremely reluctant.

'Just accept the reality.'

It wasn't like the Great Mount Hua Sect was so poor that they couldn't afford to give away the rewards, but it was a completely different thing to give it to potential enemies!

The only reason they wanted them to participate was just to keep them in check. No one had actually expected Leo and Yeon to reach the finals together either…

To make matters even worse, it was obvious that things were heading south. This was just their first interaction, but the unknown monsters had almost brought down the entirety of Murim's upper force in just one attack. The value of resources was naturally going to skyrocket in response to the upcoming turbulence, so not making excuses to keep their 'money' felt like a waste.

"Indeed, they do deserve to be rewarded for their great deed. Bring out the reward."

In the end, however, offending the Heavenly Strength Society that wholly proved that they weren't pushovers wasn't worth the fraction of the resources that they were to give up. In any case…

"Understood, Great Elder."

The 1st rate competition's overseer lowered his head under Pung Chungwon's intense gaze, taking out a small transparent bottle that shone under the night lanterns. The vague figure of three round pills could be seen by all.

"Miyoung."

"Got it!"

Under her great-grandfather's call, Pung Miyoung took the bottle from the overseer's hand and took quick steps toward the stage. Unlike the rest of her scheming seniors, she actually believed that this was the right thing to do! Having personally experienced Yeon's ability, she wholeheartedly knew that she deserved it!

'Ah…'

Taking a pause from their meditation both Leo and Yeon stood to perform the formality of accepting their reward, but Pung Miyoung had no idea which of the two to hand it to. Just then…

"Thank you."

Yeon stepped forward to personally receive the pill bottle. Once again, her heart tightened when she saw Pung Miyoung standing in front of Leo, awkwardly staring at both of them…

"No problem, congratulations on winning the 1st rate competition! It's definitely well-deserved!"

The oblivious Miyoung thought that Yeon was trying to get closer as friends. Leo was starting to notice that something was off, but…

'Those scammers!'

He was too busy thinking about something else!

'Is this still the difference between a protagonist and a side character?'

"Three Snow Blossom Pills as promised, I believe that it's a necessary gift regardless of the competition's result."

The Sword Sage graciously spoke as if he was praising the two, but his words also stressed the fact that they weren't the true winners. Leo could barely hold back the contempt from his gaze. Truly, things were only easy for the destined ones.

It wasn't like the Snow Blossom Pills were a cheap reward. In fact, it was the pill with the highest value within the variety that Leo came into contact with, being capable of increasing Internal Energy by an average of a whole 10 years! However, even then, this was just a part of the reward!

[As expected from the union of our two factions, brilliant!]

Compared to their current situation, it was the Sword Sage in the novel who suggested rewarding them when the protagonist was the one involved. Using the situation as a gesture towards a potential alliance in the near future.

On the other hand, now that the situation was flipped, he turned stingy, keeping away the best part of the reward for himself!

"Where is the rest of it?"

'...Just according to plan.'

Beneath the displeasure that Leo made sure Cheon Jeong would notice, an inward smile bloomed in his heart. The reluctant Righteous Faction didn't disappoint!

"Hm?"

The Sword Sage who believed that he cleverly handled the situation looked at Cheon Jeong in confusion.

"Do you think we were sleeping on our ears all of these years? You always give an additional prize that far surpasses the constant pills in value. I can already sense an item that's greatly concentrated in energy in your Daoist's body, so there is no need to continue playing these little games any further."

Cheon Jeong's face suddenly turned expressionless as she stared Pung Chungwon in the eye. Just like that, the jolly mood in the field quickly started to turn sour…