“Hey, is your hand okay?”
The first thing Dang Gyu-young did was grab my hand when we met.
She inspected it carefully while flipping it back and forth and then as if questioning “Is this the hand?” she went to check my other hand.
It was somewhat unexpected that she didn’t immediately ask to see the items.
“It looks fine. You used Inferno Fist, right?”
“I didn’t use it without precautions.”
“…Well, of course, you’d have handled it well.”
Dang Gyu-young pursed her lips as if to say that she worried for nothing and then let go of my hand.
“But you must be quite something, right? How did you beat Kwak Seung-jae, even with the Inferno Fist?”
“It was just good luck.”
“No, it’s not just about being lucky. He’s one of the top in the second year… You’re sure you didn’t repeat a year?”
“I’ve graduated over 200 times; didn’t I tell you that?”
“Ah, are you going to keep saying that?”
Dang Gyu-young playfully slapped my forearm.
“It’s true. You just lack faith.”
“Ah, enough of that! Are the items safe?”
“Yes. Should I take them out now?”
“Mhm.”
Items from the temporary storage were spilled onto the table, leaving Dang Gyu-young’s mouth agape in astonishment.
She embraced the items while rubbing her face against them with an expression of sheer bliss.
“Oh my~, these cute little things! How can their colors be so beautiful? So pretty and charming~!”
They were all high-risk prohibited items so they just looked menacing to me.
It’s said that when people are blinded by wealth, everything starts looking like money.
But seeing how excited she was, I thought there was no need to dampen her spirits, so I discreetly picked out the two [Heart of Thunder] stones that were my share.
“This concludes our deal.”
“Sure, it was a very good deal.”
“I should be going now.”
“Wait a minute.”
Dang Gyu-young pushed the prohibited items to one side of the table and sat on it.
She looked at me straight in the eyes and opened her mouth.
“Kim Ho, won’t you join our club?”
“Is this a recruitment offer?”
“Yes. I’ve been watching, and I don’t think there’s anyone more suited for our club than you.”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard that. What kind of talent are you looking for?”
“Arrogant, cunning, and greedy… when I look at you, it’s like seeing a thief incarnate.”
“Are you insulting me now?”
Dang Gyu-young mulled over her previous statement and, seemingly deciding it wasn’t quite right, subtly changed her words.
“…bold, wise, and ambitious… But why am I even considering your opinion? Hey, just join us! I’ll take good care of you!”
“I’ll have to refuse.”
“Why!”
“Let me ask you one thing. Is it because of this?”
When I pointed to the [Cube of Life] and asked her that, Dang Gyu-young’s gaze subtly shifted somewhere else.
She started drawing small circles on the table with her index finger.
“…To be honest, I can’t say that it has no effect at all…”
“I’m going to sell it.”
“What!?”
That was the most surprised I had ever seen her.
She ran up to me, grabbed my shoulder, and shook it vigorously.
“When? Where? To whom? How? Why??”
“Let’s start by you letting go of my shoulder. As for ‘why’, it just doesn’t suit me.”
From my perspective, life-type items or skills were low on my list of priorities.
The [Cube of Life] was used for this special occasion, but now that it had served its purpose, it was time to let it go.
It could be used in the next ban wave, but that was still a long way off.
Right now, trading it to a more suitable owner for something more useful to me seemed like the better choice.
“Then give it to me. I’ll make it worth your while.”
“I’m sorry to say this, but that might be too much for you to handle.”
“Just tell me. What are you thinking of in exchange?”
“A Special cultivation room season pass.”
“A season pass? We can get that too.”
“Four of them.”
“Four—”
Dang Gyu-young was at a loss for words.
After brushing her forehead, she chuckled and continued the conversation.
“Haha… Junior, isn’t that a bit too high? Four season passes is a bit much.”
“No, the price is just right.”
“Honestly, avoiding the ban wave is impressive, but at best it’s worth two season passes.”
“You’re mistaken about something. The cube’s uses aren’t mainly for disrupting the ban wave. It has a different fundamental ability.”
“…Now that you mention it, that makes sense. What is it?”
If the item was just for disturbing the ban wave, there would be no need for it to be festooned with plants.
Moreover, every time it’s opened, a strong surge of life force emanates from it.
It made more sense that it had a different main purpose.
“I’m going to show you the item description, but I need you to do me a favor.”
“Let’s see it, then.”
As I revealed the item description, Dang Gyu-young’s eyes gradually widened in astonishment.
“The effect of stored life-type items… is enhanced by 1.3 times? No way! How can something like this even exist?”
“Worth the price, isn’t it?”
“…Someone from the Emerald or Mother Nature club might want it that badly. But four is still a lot, isn’t it?”
“I can get what I’ve asked for. In my own way.”
Dang Gyu-young clicked her tongue briefly.
If the person involved was selling at that price, there would be nothing more to say as a third party.
“Tch. Fine, you handle it your way. What do you need me to do?”
“Just pass on a message. It’d be great if it seemed natural.”
“To whom?”
“The president of the Magic Engineering Club. Tell them a freshman completed a 10x10x10 cube.”
“……?”
She sent me a quizzical look that asked what I was up to, then shrugged her shoulders.
“…Alright, it’s not impossible.”
“Thank you. I’ll be on my way now.”
“Kim Ho,”
As I bowed my head and was about to leave, Dang Gyu-young called out to me again.
This time her face was serious, devoid of any hint of playfulness.
“Putting aside the jokes I made earlier, my offer still stands true, even without the cube stuff. Think about it.”
“Yes, senior.”
***
The Magic Tower Association and the Guild Union were each one of the four major forces in a competitive relationship, but the relationships among their respective clubs varied.
Clubs like <Ruby> and <Sapphire> in the Magic Tower Association were rivals, despite being from the same association.
The <Craftsmen Club>, which specialized in gem crafting belonged to the Guild Alliance but often received various conveniences from the Mage Tower Association.
The relationship between the <Emerald> Magic Tower and the <Mother Nature Club> was more akin to the latter.
They maintained a close relationship due to the intersection of using similar attributes.
Furthermore, this year, the interaction between the two clubs increased as Park Nari who was a promising member of the Guild Alliance was a Druid.
As a result, Mok Jong-hwa the president of the Emerald Club, and Ha Soo-yeon the president of the Mother Nature Club, saw each other almost every other day.
Mok Jong-hwa asked instead of greeting.
“What brings you here today?”
“I came because I have something to ask. Have you ever seen an item like this?”
Mok Jong-hwa received a roughly drawn sketch.
It was a cubic box with a lid that could open and close.
It was completely covered with various plants and emitted a green aura of life.
Even at first glance, it had an extraordinary feel.
It was the first time Mok Jong-hwa had seen such an item.
“I’ve never heard of it. What is this?”
“I’m not sure myself. Nari saw it and brought it to me.”
That was how the incident unfolded.
Park Nari was playing with her pet tiger “Bum” like she did during any other break when she felt a strong wave of life coming from somewhere.
Sensitive to such vibrations, Bum quickly ran towards the source, and she followed suit with the thought of catching up to her pet.
What Park Nari discovered there was a male student holding the box that was depicted in the sketch, and Bum who was purring contentedly inside the box.
She thought that it seemed rude, so she soon managed to take Bum back with her but the mysterious box didn’t leave her mind.
Mok Jong-hwa was surprised for two reasons.
First of all,
That damn cat actually liked something?
Bum was a very volatile cat… or rather, tiger.
Since it was Park Nari’s pet, he also made a lot of effort to befriend it.
He tried everything, from attending lectures by renowned beast tamers to procuring treats favored by feline spirits, but every attempt ended in failure.
It was a relief that the damn thing didn’t scratch him with its terrible temperament.
The fact that such a “crazy beast” willingly crawled into the box was astonishing.
What on earth was so special about this box?
The second surprise was the realization that people could feel the box’s energy waves from a distance.
According to Park Nari, she was in the middle of the classroom, and the male student was in the corridor. If at that distance, not only Bum but also Park Nari could sense the life force emanating from it…
“At least, it’s not an ordinary item.”
“I think so too.”
“Who’s the owner?”
“It’s Kim Ho. First year, class three.”
“Any affiliation?”
“As far as we know, he’s still unaffiliated.”
Unaffiliated, for now…
That meant there might be less fallout if they took a more aggressive approach.
If he established a psychological advantage early, he could possibly negotiate with the freshman for the item at a lower price.
With his plan in place, Mok Jong-hwa called over two first-year students.
“Kwak Ji-cheol. Jeong Soo-ji. Come here for a moment.”
Kwak Ji-cheol and Jeong Soo-ji were engaged in a heated back-and-forth debate about modifying a magical spell, but when the president of the club called for them, they immediately erased their work and approached him.
“Yes, hyung.”
“You called?”
“Do you know anything about Kim Ho from class three?”
Jeong Soo-ji didn’t know what to say, but Kwak Su-cheol immediately responded.
“That guy? He’s a known coward. He forfeited as soon as he was matched with Song Cheon-hye in the placement test.”
“What? He forfeited in the placement test?”
“Yes, he just raised his hand when he heard Song Cheon-hye’s name.”
Though he had previously defeated Hong Yeon-hwa in a duel battle, that fact had long been forgotten by most.
Rumors usually magnify only the negative aspects.
“Could you beat him if you faced him?”
“A guy like that wouldn’t stand a chance even if he had a truckload of backup.”
For Kwak Ji-cheol, his knowledge of Kim Ho was solely based on rumors.
However, in his mind, Kim Ho was already pegged as a coward who would tuck his tail and run at the first sign of trouble.
Hearing Kwak Ji-cheol’s confident assertion, Mok Jong-hwa nodded his head.
“Bring him here. I want to see him. If he resists… break him.”
“Yes, he’s so timid already; a little pressure will probably make him crumble. He’d be shaking at just the mention of Emerald club.”
“Take Soo-ji with you, just in case.”
“I can handle it alone…”
“Don’t argue.”
“…Understood.”
Ha Soo-yeon observed the ongoing conversation and she maintained a composed expression, but she felt troubled inwardly.
I didn’t intend for things to go this far…
Unlike the solemn and serious image of a wood mage, this year’s president of the Emerald club tended to handle matters in a more forceful manner.
This time too, if a few words didn’t do the trick, she expected him to resort to showing off his power.
It was obvious that the innocent freshman would be the one to suffer.
But did she want to stop him? That wasn’t quite the case either.
She too was interested in the mysterious item.
It was likely a high-rank item, and if the Emerald club could be persuaded to lower its price, that would be beneficial for her.
Even if things went awry, it wouldn’t affect her Mother Nature Club.
It was like getting results without lifting a finger.
Anyway, I’ll see it soon enough.
Ha Soo-yeon was filled with anticipation about what item might be inside that box.
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