Separate from sending a message to Song Cheon-hye, the staff in the underground levels would have quickly realized that the Black Death Dungeon had collapsed.
As a result, the trip back to the surface became a little more difficult, but we still managed to make it all the way up without being discovered.
“Good work, everyone. Should we call it here for now? We can take a break and meet up again later.”
The Bond trio had just taken down a B-rank boss, while the infiltration team had fought through countless major and minor battles, so I figured they’d want some rest.
Surprisingly though, everyone looked completely unfazed.
After exchanging a few glances, Dang Gyu-ri answered on behalf of the group.
“We’re not that tired. Since we’re already here, let’s just finish everything.”
“That would be the cleanest way.”
After all, all that remained was a demonstration of Mirror Version and opening the random boxes.
I nodded in agreement and led everyone to a quiet location.
With everyone watching, Seo Ye-in stepped forward.
“……?”
She tilted her head slightly to the side. It was probably because this was her first time casting Mirror Version herself.
Up until now, the quest had always summoned it automatically.
Still, she quickly got the hang of it. She focused her mind, and with a bright flash, rays of light spread out in every direction.
The hologram Seo Ye-in struck a pose the instant she appeared.
– I have returned.
Dang Gyu-ri, Han So-mi, and Go Hyeon-woo each commented in turn.
“So we’ll be seeing her all the time now?”
“Double the Ye-ins!”
“I couldn’t be happier.”
Seo Ye-in, however, was staring intently at the Chattering Sloth with an unreadable expression.
Then, the moment their eyes met—
Pop!
The hologram dissolved into a shower of light and disappeared.
It seemed she’d canceled the skill and dismissed it.
Question marks practically appeared over everyone’s heads.
Han So-mi, who had just started walking toward the hologram, looked especially confused.
“Huh? Why?”
“Discipline.”
A rare look of firm resolve shone in Seo Ye-in’s gray eyes.
Well, the mirror shared many things with its caster, but it also had its own independent aspects. If Seo Ye-in wanted to establish some ground rules, now right after learning the skill was the perfect time.
The others seemed to think she had a point as well, so they simply watched.
A moment later, another flash of light rang out as the hologram was projected once more, and Chattering Sloth appeared.
Seo Ye-in declared, as though making an official proclamation,
“I’m the original.”
Apparently, she’d been holding onto what happened back in the Black Serpent Fang.
Even if it had all been in jest, the situation had still become rather awkward.
Naturally, Chattering Sloth wasn’t about to accept that without protest.
– I want to be the original too.
Pop!
With another flash, the hologram vanished again.
She could be surprisingly ruthless at times.
After waiting about ten seconds, Seo Ye-in cast Mirror Version once more and repeated herself.
“I’m the original.”
At the same time, she made a gesture as though hovering her finger over an On/Off switch. A clear warning that if Chattering Sloth kept acting up, she’d dismiss her again at any moment.
Unsurprisingly, Chattering Sloth looked thoroughly dissatisfied.
– That’s completely unfair.
“It’s the original’s privilege.”
– Original dictator. Original tyrant. Original meanie.
“That’s me.”
Despite the barrage of insults, the tyrant sloth remained utterly unapologetic.
Chattering Sloth paused for a moment, as if thinking, before launching a counterattack.
– If you don’t have me, your fighting power gets cut in half.
In other words, if she was treated badly, she’d simply refuse to cooperate when it came time to fight.
Even so, Seo Ye-in answered without the slightest concern.
“I’m already strong.”
– ……?
“I’m an amazing genius.”
Pop!
Chattering Sloth was dismissed once again, only to be resummoned about ten seconds later.
– I’m angry.
“So am I.”
– You’re so stubborn.
“So are you.”
She had a point. Chattering Sloth was every bit as stubborn as Seo Ye-in.
Even with someone else holding the On/Off button, she refused to back down.
The two continued bickering, summoning and dismissing the hologram over and over as Mirror Version flashed in and out of existence.
Watching the exchange closely, Dang Gyu-ri frowned.
“…She looks like she’s having a lot of fun.”
“She really does.”
Officially, this was supposed to be about “establishing discipline”, but in reality, Seo Ye-in just seemed happy to have made a friend.
The evidence was obvious enough: not once had she waited more than ten seconds before summoning the hologram again.
If she’d truly been annoyed, she would have left the clone dismissed for a long time or simply not summoned her again at all.
Their way of playing is a little intense, though.
For some reason, the scene reminded me of a gray cat.
The kind that would casually tackle another gray cat to the ground, then curl up and loaf right on top of it.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Tyrant Sloth and Chattering Sloth to reach a compromise of their own.
– Mutual respect.
“Respect the original.”
– Respect the original, and you’ll get mutual respect.
“I’ll take that under advisement.”
– A cooperative relationship.
“Okay.”
I’d been prepared to step in if things got out of hand, but it looked like I wouldn’t have to.
Feeling rather satisfied, I spoke up.
“Now that we’ve sorted that out, shall we move on?”
“Box opening.”
“So, how’s your luck today?”
“Luck overflowing.”
– Overflowing.
Seo Ye-in and Hologram Seo Ye-in’s eyes sparkled in perfect unison.
She’d said she’d deliberately held back her luck while opening random boxes before the raid, and it seemed she’d really been saving it up.
Even more pleased, I began taking out the spoils from the Black Death Dungeon.
First came the dungeon clear rewards:
[Black Death Random Box (B)] ×6
It was a fairly large dungeon designed for two parties, so we’d received no fewer than six boxes.
And that wasn’t even all of it.
I also cleaned out the storage room.
[Leader’s Black Chest]
[Leader’s Secret Manual Box (B)]
[Leader’s Elixir Bundle (C+)]
[Mysterious White Wooden Box]
The Leader’s Black Chest was a hidden reward we’d also obtained when we secretly raided the dungeon last year. It guaranteed one B-rank Ingot Box and one Black Death Random Box.
Altogether, that brought the total number of random boxes to well over ten.
Opening them all as-is would be a bit of a waste, though.
Lucky Charm’s extraordinary luck wasn’t going to last forever.
From experience, after hitting the jackpot two or three times, the effect dropped off dramatically.
You might think, “Then why not just wait until her luck recharges and open the rest later?”
The problem was that by then, we’d already have another batch of random boxes waiting from the next dungeon.
It was better to deal with them as they came.
Fortunately, I’d already planned for that before the raid.
We can combine them.
The items we’d taken from the vault would act as catalysts.
The number of boxes would decrease, but their rank would increase.
And if Lucky’s good fortune kicked in on top of that, we could expect even better rewards.
Still, these were rewards the entire group had earned together, so I needed everyone’s consent first.
Looking around at the group, I asked,
“The distribution might get a little complicated. Does anyone want to receive their share now?”
I was prepared to set someone’s portion aside if they wanted it, but no one raised a hand.
Go Hyeon-woo smiled faintly and spoke first.
“You may exclude my share entirely. To begin with, I already owe Kim hyung more than I can repay. If anything, today’s battle has only increased that debt.”
He had settled one of the great grudges that had weighed on him for years, fought a life-or-death battle against an elder-level master of the Demonic Cult, and gained profound insight into his Sacred Relic.
Normally, he would have been left at death’s door, yet he’d walked away fully recovered.
None of those things could be measured in terms of simple value.
So he was saying he’d opt out of the reward distribution.
Dang Gyu-ri and Hong Yeon-hwa each added their thoughts just as casually.
“I’m sure you’ll handle it. Besides, we’re a Bond.”
“Even if one person gets everything… in the long run, I think it benefits all of us.”
Seo Ye-in seemed to feel the same way, giving a small nod.
It was a sign of complete trust when it came to distributing the rewards.
I thanked them with a glance before turning to Han So-mi.
“You don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks. If you want your share now, just say so. We can only keep working together if nobody has any complaints.”
I’d casually slipped the words “keep working together” into the conversation, but Han So-mi didn’t seem to notice.
She didn’t hesitate about the rewards at all.
“No complaints!”
“You really mean that?”
“I really do!”
“Excellent.”
I nodded and began combining the random boxes in earnest.
First, the single-box combination.
I combined the Leader’s Secret Manual Box with the Black Death Random Box (B) and lifted the lid.
Whoooosh!
A random box emanating an ominous aura took shape.
[Demonic Cult Elder’s Secret Manual Box (B+)]
Next, I combined two random boxes along with the Black Chest and the Bundle of Elixirs.
That was the main reason I’d asked the party for their approval beforehand. It meant giving up the guaranteed metal ingots and elixirs.
The combined box’s rank would increase, but what came out of it would become far less certain.
Still, this is a gamble worth taking.
After all, Lucky Charm herself had been that confident.
Whoooosh!
[Black Snake’s Black Chest (A)]
The only things left were the following.
[Black Death Random Box (B)] ×3
[Mysterious White Wooden Box]
The wooden box was only about the size of a fist and looked utterly unremarkable. It was also so old that its once-white surface had yellowed with age.
At a glance, it inspired no real expectations, and the items it dropped were just as underwhelming.
But as the word “White” suggested,
It belonged to the White Snake.
Just like the previous two, it could also be combined.
Whoooosh!
[White Snake’s White Chest (A+)]
In total, I’d turned ten items that had all been around B-rank into one B+, one A, and one A+.
As everyone watched with growing interest, I respectfully presented the random boxes to Lucky Charm-nim.
“I’m counting on you again today.”
“I’ll shower them with luck.”
Seo Ye-in accepted them with complete confidence.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between the random boxes and Chattering Sloth before she handed her the Black Snake’s Black Chest.
“Take turns.”
– One each.
As expected of her mirror version, Chattering Sloth apparently possessed Lucky Charm’s good fortune as well.
No matter how bad her luck was, it had to be better than mine.
A moment later, Seo Ye-in brought the Demonic Cult Elder’s Secret Manual Box (B+) closer.
Seeing that, I casually remarked,
“Starting with the lower-ranked one to warm up?”
“Vroom, vroom.”
“Sounds good.”
“……”
Seo Ye-in stared silently at the box for a few seconds before flipping the lid open.
“Sshhhhhhh…….”
A cloud of acrid greenish-brown smoke billowed out, filling the entire area.
It looked like it was filled with poison, but it was only a visual effect and had no actual impact.
Just as quickly as it had appeared, the smoke vanished, leaving behind a martial arts manual where the random box had been.
[Skillbook – Skull Demon Poison Claw (A)]
Skull Demon Poison Claw.
The signature martial art of the Black Snake and the very technique he’d used throughout the boss fight.
Its rank was high, and its power was impressive enough.
The problem is the side effects.
Like any demonic art, the more you practiced it, the more it corrupted you with demonic energy.
On top of that, your fingertips and fingernails would gradually turn black from the poison.
In other words, it was far too conspicuous to use discreetly.
On top of that, it was a prohibited skill, so if the ban wave kicked in, you’d be exposed immediately.
From a student’s perspective, it was a martial art with far too many drawbacks to learn.
It’s not exactly ideal for me to learn either.
I could negate the side effects with Poison Immunity but my class was different to begin with, and I already had plenty of skills and traits that were far superior.
For all practical purposes, it was little more than a white elephant.
Still, it has its uses.
An item capable of turning a white elephant into a treasure had been sitting quietly in my inventory.
[Skillbook Fairy Summoning Scroll]
It was worth quite a lot when used for trading.
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