The plan after regrouping was only explained very briefly.
There would be various variables at play, so the events would likely unfold differently from before.
It was better to act according to the situation as it developed.
After wrapping up the strategy meeting, we went around gathering supplies, just like we would before tackling any dungeon.
During the midterm and final exams in the first semester, our inventories were sealed and we were limited to two pieces of equipment, but this time, there were no restrictions at all.
Even if you wrapped yourself in all sorts of gear and items, it still wouldn’t be enough to surpass a dragon’s specs.
I chose to look on the bright side.
At least I don’t have to worry about food, shelter, or clothing.
As long as I prepared everything beforehand, there’d be no need to go through the hassle of living off the land once inside.
We stocked our inventories with enough food to last several days, camping gear, and magical items.
Then, once preparations were complete, we each went our separate ways to rest.
***
The next day.
I had breakfast with Seo Ye-in and headed to the dungeon building together.
As we walked in step, I asked her,
“How’s the battery today?”
“Seventy-five percent.”
“Not bad.”
Hopefully, it lasts a while.
As we were walking, Seo Ye-in suddenly stared straight ahead and slowed her pace.
“….…?”
Then she tilted her head and grabbed my arm.
“…A trap.”
“There’s a trap?”
Who would bother setting something like that up here?
Still, when I looked ahead, there really was something there.
Something black seemed to be wriggling.
So I changed direction.
“Let’s go around.”
“Okay.”
Just then, a shadow slid up from beneath my feet.
It transformed into Dang Gyu-young and suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around my neck.
“Gotcha, you rascal.”
“So it wasn’t just a trap. It was a Qyu-Qyu trap.”
“I was totally gonna pounce on you the moment you showed up~”
“Then why did you pounce now? I haven’t even shown up yet.”
“You were still within range.”
With Blink, I guess this kind of ambush is possible. Dang Gyu-young spoke shamelessly.
Her arms were still wrapped tightly around my neck.
“……”
Seo Ye-in stared fixedly at the scene, then suddenly grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward her.
Dang Gyu-young, in turn, held on tighter.
Getting tugged in both directions, I felt it was time to step in and mediate.
“Let go, both of you. Tug-of-war with a person’s body is not okay.”
After separating them, I gently reasoned with them.
“I’ve said it countless times….it’s not a competition. If we fight, everyone ends up miserable.”
“Mhmm, okay.”
Dang Gyu-young surprisingly agreed without much fuss but then sneakily made a suggestion.
“Fifty-fifty?”
Also known as the “Eternal Qyu Treaty”.
But Seo Ye-in shook her head and countered with a proposal of her own.
“Ninety to ten.”
“Hey, that’s just shameless.”
Dang Gyu-young looked utterly dumbfounded.
Honestly, I thought so too. That wasn’t even flipping the negotiation table….it was kicking it across the room before sitting down.
At the same time, I found myself wondering something.
“Then what about Hong Yeon-hwa? What’s the ratio with her?”
“……!”
That hadn’t occurred to Seo Ye-in, apparently. An exclamation mark practically appeared over her head.
After a moment of thought, she revised the ratio.
“Ninety to 0.5 to 0.5.”
“Still not giving up the 90, huh?”
“My butler.”
An absolutely unshakable stance.
At that, Dang Gyu-young spoke, clearly holding back some irritation.
“Then I guess negotiations have broken down. No helping it.”
“……”
“I’ll just have to win you over my own way!”
“……!”
Seeing signs that another fight was about to break out, I once again pulled the two of them apart.
“Let’s talk while we walk. We’ll be late at this rate.”
“Right, you’re going into Craft Haven too, aren’t you?”
“Yes, they moved it up by a year.”
“We’re going in too. Looks like it’s the same for all three years.”
Though the artificial dungeons we’re entering will probably differ by year.
Dang Gyu-young spoke in a slightly regretful tone.
“Guess I won’t see you again for about a week?”
“Most likely.”
“You went into another dungeon last week too. Don’t you miss me?”
“Of course I do.”
When I replied with a smile, Dang Gyu-young smiled contentedly as well.
“Since you answered right away, I’ll let it slide. Look ahead.”
“Look ahead?”
The moment I repeated the question and looked forward, Dang Gyu-young quickly rose onto her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek.
Then she grinned and added,
“Marked.”
“You can’t just sneak-kiss someone like that!”
“Why not?”
“Well… I guess there’s no real reason.”
“Right? And if I give something, I should get something in return too. From now on, I’ll be watching forward.”
Dang Gyu-young closed her eyes slightly and faced straight ahead.
In response, I pulled Seo Ye-in back with me.
“……”
A moment later, Dang Gyu-young opened her eyes and turned to look at us.
She swung her shadow bat lightly as she walked over.
“Kim Ho, if you trample on my pure heart like that, I’ll have no choice but to bring out the bat.”
“I was just joking. Come here.”
“You’re now guilty of impudence. Sentence doubled.”
“So be it.”
I gently held Dang Gyu-young’s chin and kissed her once on the left cheek and once on the right.
Immediately, a goofy giggle burst out.
“Puhuhuhuhu—”
Seeing that, Seo Ye-in started tugging on my sleeve again.
Then she pointed to her own cheek with her finger.
“Me too.”
“No, not you.”
“Why not?”
I can feel dissatisfaction building behind her expressionless face.
I pointed toward Dang Gyu-young and offered an explanation.
“She’s someone who took on adversity and even managed to win an Encouragement Award. If you just hand one out like that, wouldn’t it lose its meaning?”
“Indeed, indeed. Very wise words.”
Dang Gyu-young nodded in great satisfaction.
At the same time, she flashed a victor’s smile.
“……”
Unusually, a slight twitch appeared between Seo Ye-in’s brows.
Then she held out her hand to me.
“Give me adversity.”
“So, you’re saying you’re taking on the challenge?”
“Challenge.”
“Alright. Let’s come up with the details once we’re inside.”
“Okay.”
Her gray eyes flared with determination.
In contrast, Dang Gyu-young’s lips now jutted out in a pout.
***
Upon arriving at the Dungeon Building, Dang Gyu-young headed off to the third-year zone, while we made our way to the first-year exam area.
“Good luck on the test~”
“You too, noona.”
After waving goodbye and walking a little farther, we came to a hall as wide as an auditorium.
At its center stood a massive teleportation portal, surrounded by numerous smaller magic circles embedded in the floor.
Having been through this several times already, we stepped onto the circles without hesitation.
We passed the time looking around.
Shin Byeong-cheol wore a confident grin instead of showing any nerves.
At the very least, he looked sure of himself when it came to running away.
Cha Hyeon-joo scowled the moment our eyes met.
Her frown deepened even more when she spotted Seo Ye-in.
Park Na-ri and Lee Seong-hyun were with the disciplinary committee members. It seemed they had joined the Song Cheon-hye Expedition Team.
Mo Yong-jun wasn’t with them, but he had formed a separate group with members of the Swordsmanship Club.
Time passed like that for a while longer.
After finishing the final checks with the faculty, Seo Cheong-yong spoke into the microphone.
– We will now begin the midterm exam. Please step onto the magic circles!
Most students, like us, were already standing in position, but a few, startled by what was under their feet, scrambled to find an open spot nearby.
Vrrrrrrr—
The magic circles began to resonate in unison, buzzing like a swarm of bees.
A bright light burst from beneath us, flooding the massive hall.
[5]
[4]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
Flaaaaaaaash!
Our vision was instantly engulfed in white.
The next moment, the scenery of Craft Haven, just as we’d seen in class, unfolded before my eyes.
A city in the midst of slow industrialization.
Along the neatly paved roads, carriages and pedestrians bustled about.
From a forge a short distance away, the rhythmic sound of hammering iron rang out, while across from it, a building emitted loud mechanical noises.
First, I need to figure out where I am.
You can’t know where to go if you don’t know where you’ve landed.
I took a brief look around, circling the area, and got a rough sense of my location.
Then, I began moving at a brisk pace.
I’d told my party members to stay nearby at first and gather items, and I planned to do the same.
But there was one place I needed to stop by first.
The city center.
A single event occurs here very early on.
I hadn’t mentioned it during the strategy meeting because I was only planning to make a quick stop, and it was something I could handle alone.
After walking a bit more, a large plaza came into view.
An elderly couple was out for a leisurely stroll, kids ran around playing excitedly, and in a corner, a man had set up a cart to sell ice cream.
And in the very center of the plaza stood a middle-aged man with a burly, muscular frame.
Give him a hammer, and he’d look exactly like a blacksmith.
Next to him stood a young man who was likely his apprentice.
At a glance, they seemed like two craftsmen who had stepped out for some fresh air during work.
But their expressions were inorganic and artificial, far from human-like.
Not real anyway.
Soon, the two blacksmiths looked in my direction.
A glimmer passed through the older man’s eyes.
“Never seen your face before. You from out of town?”
“Something like that.”
“Hmm… You’ve come to this city at a bad time. Unfortunate.”
Despite his words, the man didn’t actually seem all that regretful.
He averted his gaze from me, then looked down at his own hands and began to mutter something.
At that moment, a sharp sound suddenly cut through the air from somewhere.
Swiiiiiiiiish—!
Magical arrows flew in from a distant building.
Probably Cha Hyeon-joo.
I wasn’t the only one who had made their way to the city center.
Most were likely just here to observe, but there are always one or two who can’t help themselves and act on impulse.
Swiiiiiiiiish!
Even with arrows flying straight at him, the middle-aged man didn’t spare them a glance. He simply continued focusing on his spellcasting.
Instead, the young apprentice at his side turned around and casually waved his hand.
In the next instant, every single arrow was caught neatly in his grasp.
He had intercepted them all with a single motion.
Then, as if kneading clay, he crushed the magic arrows together, forming a single mass of energy, and hurled it back.
Baaaang—!
A massive explosion erupted, and a building was wiped out completely.
There was no telling what had happened to Cha Hyeon-joo.
If she was lucky, she’d escaped in time. But if not, she was likely eliminated from the midterm the moment it began.
As the young man revealed his strength, reptilian wings sprouted from his back.
A Winged Dragon.
At S-rank and above, dragons don’t need wings to fly, but wings still hold symbolic weight.
After all, each dragon only has two.
Using such a rare part for [Draconic Forging] naturally results in a powerful creation.
Around A+ rank.
Stronger than Yi Soo-dok or even Seo Cheong-yong by half.
If anyone tries to interfere or get closer, they’ll be hit with a strike just like or even stronger than the last one.
For now, all I can do is quietly observe.
The older man continued chanting his spell for quite some time before suddenly raising one hand high above his head.
Fwaaaash—!
A vivid crimson light shot up like a firework.
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