The next day.
Hong Yeon-hwa left the dorm a little earlier than their scheduled meeting time.
She had called out to Go Hyeon-woo. Partly to vent about yesterday, and partly to ask for advice.
While sipping her coffee and waiting for a bit, she spotted Go Hyeon-woo approaching at a leisurely pace from a distance.
“Miss Hong.”
“Hey.”
“You seem… not quite well-rested. Did something happen?”
“…I had a fight with my sister.”
And they still hadn’t made up.
The two sisters fought often, but just as often, they made up quickly. The fact that the cold war was dragging on meant the emotional scratches ran deep this time.
For Hong Yeon-hwa, the sting of the Lava Smash on her back still lingered vividly.
Go Hyeon-woo gave a wry smile and said,
“Let’s hear the whole story.”
“So, what happened was—”
Hong Yeon-hwa laid out everything that had happened in the clubroom.
That she was torn between the [Bond] skill and her dream of becoming the Tower Master.
And one of the biggest things weighing on her was the expectations others had of her. Though in reality, maybe she didn’t need to feel so pressured by them.
Still, just bringing up the idea of giving up on becoming the Tower Master had made her sister start interrogating her and things had eventually escalated into violence.
“I was just giving an example, but she totally overreacted! And hitting me like that too!”
“I see, so that’s what happened… However…”
Go Hyeon-woo’s eyes sharpened slightly.
“I have a feeling there’s a missing piece in the middle.”
“Missing piece?”
“There must have been a key trigger that took things from an argument to physical violence. I’d like to hear exactly what you said.”
“Well… it wasn’t that important… You don’t have to hear that part…”
Hong Yeon-hwa fidgeted nervously, sweating as she tried to dodge the question, but Go Hyeon-woo remained firm.
“I won’t be able to give proper advice if I only hear a one-sided account.”
“….…”
“You didn’t call me out just to hear what you want to hear, did you?”
“…Fine. What I said to my sister was…”
In a barely audible hesitant voice, Hong Yeon-hwa repeated the outrageous thing she had said the day before.
“I said she’s never even had to worry about guy problems… And I said that I’ve started in my first year… while she hasn’t dated anyone in all three years…”
“Hmm, yes. That was definitely harsh.”
“I-I know…”
Go Hyeon-woo spoke gently.
“Saying your senior has never dated might only be how it appears publicly. We can’t know what actually happened.”
She might have dated someone secretly or tried but gave up due to practical reasons, or maybe she had a one-sided crush on someone.
Even Hong Yeon-hwa had similar thoughts once she had cooled down a little.
Then Go Hyeon-woo’s expression turned somewhat curious.
“And… if what I know is correct, isn’t Kim-hyung still not dating any ladies yet?”
“I-I know that too. I just blurted it out…”
“I see. In any case, I think it’d be best for you to apologize first. Emotional wounds can sometimes cut deeper than they seem.”
“Yeah, I will.”
With that, their sisterly conflict was more or less settled.
But the real reason Hong Yeon-hwa had wanted this talk wasn’t just to talk about the fight.
Go Hyeon-woo seemed to sense that too, so he posed the real question.
“You still haven’t decided for certain, have you? Whether to choose the Bond or become the Tower Master.”
“I’ll probably go with becoming the Tower Master… but it’s complicated.”
Maybe if Hong Ye-hwa had said something like, “Everyone has such high hopes for you! We can’t do it without you!” the decision might have been easier.
But when she actually asked, it hadn’t been like that, and now her heart leaned slightly more toward the Bond.
Go Hyeon-woo was silent for a moment before speaking.
“I think before you weigh the two against each other, it would help to examine both sides more deeply.”
“How?”
“For example, what benefits you’d gain from each… and what you actually want to do afterwards.”
“Oh…!”
Thinking back, Kim Ho had asked her a similar question during summer break.
What do you want to do after becoming the Ruby Tower Master?
And even now, Hong Yeon-hwa didn’t have a clear answer.
Which probably meant she had been running toward the goal all this time without really thinking it through.
Go Hyeon-woo smiled softly as he said,
“Fortunately, I don’t think it’ll be too hard to guess Kim-hyung’s goal.”
He constantly talks about “world peace” and being “greedy” and his actions so far have lived up to those words.
If you follow Kim Ho’s goal, the benefit is that true world peace might actually come.
And after that, true to his greedy nature, he’ll probably go around enjoying life at his leisure.
“If you weigh those things against your original goal, wouldn’t it make the decision a bit easier?”
“Mhmm, I’ll think about it.”
Hong Yeon-hwa nodded, then asked in return,
“What about you?”
“For me, above all else, inheriting the Sacred Relic is the top priority. It’s a promise I made to my master….and to myself.”
Go Hyeon-woo answered without a moment of hesitation.
“Also, following Kim’s goal will probably require strength as well. In that sense, completing the inheritance first is the best plan.”
“That’s true.”
“But after that, my master told me to follow my heart. By then, I suppose I’ll be able to use Bond as well.”
Hong Yeon-hwa looked a little envious.
“I wish I could make up my mind like you.”
“Haha, it’s just that I didn’t have many options to begin with. I think you’re actually deciding quite quickly. Take your time and make a decision you won’t regret.”
“Mhmm, thanks.”
With that, the two of them turned their heads at the same time.
Then they waved cheerfully at Kim Ho and Seo Ye-in.
***
Go Hyeon-woo greeted me and said,
“Miss Hong had something on her mind, so I was listening.”
“Is that so? It’s good to be on friendly terms.”
I didn’t ask in detail what the issue was.
If it was something she wanted to talk to me about, she would’ve come to me in the first place.
I got straight to the point.
“Let’s get the box-pulling done and grab a meal together.”
With that, I placed three random boxes on the table.
[Research Facility No. 4 Random Box (A)]
[Land of Warriors Random Box (C)]
[Land of Warriors Random Box (C+)]
With everyone’s attention on Seo Ye-in, I asked casually,
“Which one do you want to open first?”
“Later Box.”
Without hesitation, Seo Ye-in picked up the A-rank box first.
I uploaded it just in case, without much expectation, but it looks like the time has finally come.
It had been about a month since we got it.
Seo Ye-in treated the A-rank box like some common junk item, casually flipping the lid open without a second thought.
Everyone instinctively shielded their eyes, expecting a flashbang to go off as usual, but the effect wasn’t flashy this time.
Tick—tock—tick—tock—
The random box was now coated in black and white, with the ticking of a second hand echoing softly.
That meant [Time Freeze] had activated.
We’d seen a similar effect before.
“Looks like another time-related item.”
“Even better.”
Moments later, a short, thick needle lay where the random box had been.
[Hand of Regret (S)]
I gave Seo Ye-in a playful scolding.
“Who told you to pull something this good?”
“Am I not allowed?”
“If you keep this up, we’re gonna end up completing it.”
A top-tier time item finished!
It wasn’t even something I had been aiming for, since it was still far beyond my capabilities… yet somehow, piece by piece, the materials were coming together.
At this rate, I might end up crafting it before I even graduate.
I was about to tell her to pick the next random box when Seo Ye-in handed me one of the C-rank boxes.
So, after all that circling around… it was finally my turn.
Accepting fate, I opened the random box—
Flash!
A small flashbang went off.
With this kind of effect, I figured it wasn’t a complete dud and I was right.
[Random Rank-Up] ×3
“We can each use one.”
“Feel free to count me out.”
As always, Go Hyeon-woo had little interest in rank-ups.
So the remaining three of us each took one and exchanged glances.
“Should we use them at the same time?”
“I’m… fine with that.”
Seo Ye-in silently nodded up and down.
I started the countdown.
“On three, we use them. One, two… three.”
Whoooooshhh…
All three magic scrolls turned to ash at the same time.
As expected, they all failed.
The odds were notoriously bad anyway, so it didn’t feel like much of a loss.
Well, that’s finally done.
[Stamp Coupon (C+)]
▷ Stamps: 15/15
Because Lucky Charm kept hitting the jackpot over and over, there’d been no progress past 14/15.
Even when Hong Yeon-hwa pulled 100 and 200 in this dungeon, the Glutton Box didn’t count them.
Still, with this, it’s finally complete.
▷ Accumulated Reward for 15 Stamps: Material Selection Ticket (B)
Selection tickets are always incredibly versatile.
You can get gear materials or, like before, choose an ingot for the statue.
Now there’s only one C+ left.
Seo Ye-in couldn’t even be bothered to pull the random box toward her. She just reached out and opened the lid as-is.
Ssssss…
Instead of light, thick black smoke, ominous and heavy, billowed out.
The effect changes depending on the nature of the item inside.
If we’re lucky, this might even be a prohibited item.
Still, with such a flashy effect, it’s bound to be something powerful.
While I waited with that thought in mind, the black smoke cleared to reveal two tightly rolled magic scrolls.
Like the effect, they were pitch black too.
[Handicap Scroll] ×2
Go Hyeon-woo’s eyes lit up.
“Handicap, huh…? How do you use these?”
“You use them when you accept a quest.”
It adds a random handicap to the objective.
For example, some skills or traits might drop in rank, become unusable, or even change into something completely different.
Naturally, completing the quest with a handicap boosts the reward.
I added with a grin.
“You can even use it for a Hardship Quest. Wanna try it?”
“Hmm, challenges are always welcome… but even I hesitate when it comes to the Hraship Quest.”
They were already barely scraping by with each level.
And even without the scroll, the next stage would get tougher anyway.
If even Go Hyeon-woo the training machine was backing off, there was no need to ask about the other two.
Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeon-hwa were clearly pretending to be busy.
I shrugged.
“Well, if no one’s going to take them, it is what it is.”
I’ll just have to use them myself.
***
After finishing the box opening, we stuck to the plan. We had a meal, then split up to take care of our own tasks.
Meanwhile, Seo Ye-in and I had one more thing on the agenda.
“Let’s go to the parent-teacher meeting.”
“Okay.”
We needed to both discuss and get approval regarding Bond.
Eventually, we contacted the elders of the Seo family, one by one, through Ahn Jeong-mi.
The result was a bit unexpected.
Given that family’s usual tendencies, I figured they’d approve one way or another, but—
I didn’t think it’d be this easy.
For example, the conversation between Seo Ye-in and her father went like this:
– Daughter.
“Dad.”
– Want to do it?
“Mhmm.”
– Go ahead.
“Happy.”
The Underworld Dragon King and the Chairman took it even further.
Being a dragon and a Monarch, they were even quicker to accept it.
– I figured you’d form a bond someday.
– If you’re going to keep someone close, it’s safer to keep them very close. Take good care of Seo Ye-in.
And just like that, the calls ended with no objections from anyone.
Seo Ye-in who was brimming with confidence tugged at my sleeve.
“Reserve.”
“Alright, you win. We’ll do it when a slot opens.”
“When will that be?”
Her gray eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Maybe the timing was just right. Because honestly, it was pretty obvious where the next slot would come from.
“Midterms.”
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