Cha Hyeon-joo scowled again and said,
“I asked what you’re doing here.”
“No particular reason. Just taking a walk and ended up here.”
“A walk? What kind of crap is that?”
“Believe it or not. What about you guys? Having a secret talk?”
“None of your business.”
“Fair enough.”
I shrugged.
If you hang around a rabid chihuahua for too long, you’re bound to get bitten.
I wouldn’t lose, but there’s nothing to gain by winning either, so it’s smarter to avoid a fight.
I quickly turned around and started walking away.
“Enjoy your secret talk. We’ll be on our way.”
“Hold up.”
Then Cha Hyeon-joo stopped us and stared straight at Seo Ye-in as she asked,
“You made it into the 900-point bracket, didn’t you?”
“Mhmm.”
“Good. We’ll be seeing each other in duel battles soon, then.”
She used to have me as her main target, but ever since she lost in the tournament, her sights have shifted to Seo Ye-in.
She was clearly itching for a rematch, looking for any chance to settle the score.
Unfortunately for her, she never got to face us in Craft Haven.
Every time we crossed paths, she was always too busy dealing with monsters.
And in the end, her head had been lopped off by a draconian soldier.
“……”
Seo Ye-in didn’t answer and looked away.
Feeling ignored, Cha Hyeon-joo was about to lash out, but then she frowned and turned her head in the same direction Seo Ye-in was looking.
A group of swordsmen was walking down the alley.
Another bunch of familiar faces.
It was Sag Gng-wook’s gang.
That radar’s definitely working…
Too bad it’s working in reverse.
With this, the two people Seo Ye-in disliked the most had ended up in the same place.
Curious, I asked her,
“Which one do you hate more?”
“The traitor.”
Well, Cha Hyeon-joo may have a nasty temper, but when she’s on your side, she’s at least somewhat helpful.
Even in Craft Haven, she fought for humanity until she was eliminated.
On the other hand, Sa Gong-wook openly pledged loyalty to the Craftsman Dragon and had a history of ambushing Mo Yong-jun only to be stopped in the act.
Even considering it was a simulated dungeon, he’s not someone you can really trust.
Of course, they didn’t exactly like us either.
As soon as our eyes met, Sa Gong-wook scowled.
“Why is it that wherever I go, you pests always show up?”
“We’re not exactly thrilled to see you either.”
“Then get lost.”
“We were going to, but the way you said that makes me want to be contrary out of spite.”
I responded with a playful smile, and the swordsmen behind him stiffened, placing their hands on their sword hilts.
They were clearly trying to intimidate us into leaving.
Sa Gong-wook opened his mouth to say something, but Cha Hyeon-joo cut him off first.
“Hey, who the hell asked you to butt in?”
“…Cha Hyeon-joo?”
“Yeah, it’s me. So what? Why’re you sticking your nose in? Why do you people need everything repeated?”
“……”
At her openly provocative tone, veins popped on Sa Gong-wook’s forehead.
A chilling look filled his eyes.
“So the rumors about a mad dog in the guild union were true. You’d better not get cocky just because you’re a promising student…you’re in for a rough time.”
“Promising or not, I don’t give a damn. Now, for the third time who the hell are you to act up?”
As the exchange between Sa Gong-wook and Cha Hyeon-joo escalated, their lackeys naturally spread out and took positions.
At first glance, it looked like Sa Gong-wook’s side was at a disadvantage, but you never know how a group fight will go until it starts.
Seeing it now, it seemed like they’d be evenly matched.
“I’ve always wanted to test myself against a so-called ‘promising student’. Looks like today’s my lucky day.”
“If you haven’t managed it by now, that just means you’re not good enough. What makes you think today will be any different?”
Cha Hyeon-joo scoffed.
But just then, Seo Ye-in lifted a pot and said,
“Everyone, quiet.”
“……”
“……”
A surreal silence fell over the scene.
Both groups turned their attention toward her instinctively. After all, they’d both experienced the wrath of the pot before.
“……”
“……”
But even after a long pause, Seo Ye-in didn’t say a word. She just stood there blankly.
Unable to watch any longer, I stepped in and asked on behalf of everyone,
“What were you going to say?”
“……?”
“Didn’t you have something to say?”
– Head shake.
“Then why did you tell everyone to be quiet?”
“Too noisy.”
At that answer, both Sa Gong-wook and Cha Hyeon-joo’s faces turned red with frustration.
They realized they’d been played by a single comment.
And the added shame of flinching at a pot? That just made it worse.
Their hostility now turned squarely toward us.
I thought they might end up fighting each other, but now it looked like we were about to be dragged into a three-way brawl.
Seo Ye-in’s reverse luck was surely at play here too.
I pinched her nose and said,
“This is one of those times when doing nothing would be more helpful. Got it?”
“Don’t pinch my nose…”
Meanwhile, the tension in the air kept escalating.
The situation was seconds away from exploding.
Just as Sa Gong-wook took a step forward and drew his sword halfway—
Pweeet—! Pweeet—!
A loud whistle sounded from somewhere.
I turned to see Han So-mi flying in using her movement technique.
“Hey! What are you guys doing over there? Fighting? That’s a school rules violation!”
She must’ve been on patrol nearby and sensed the suspicious atmosphere.
Next to her was Go Hyeon-woo, who seemed to have unintentionally tagged along, judging by the wry smile on his face.
There was no way we could start a fight right in front of the Disciplinary Committee.
Clicking his tongue softly, Sa Gong-wook turned to me and said,
“What a bunch of lucky punks. Let’s see how long that luck lasts.”
“You’re using strong words for someone who’s the weakest here.”
“…Let’s go.”
Maybe he realized that arguing any further would only make him look worse, because Sa Gong-wook quickly gathered his group and retreated.
Cha Hyeon-joo also stared at us for a few seconds before turning her back.
Not bad, considering it was a Reverse Luck Radar situation.
We almost got caught up in something annoying, but at least it didn’t spiral into the worst-case scenario.
Soon, Han So-mi greeted us cheerfully and asked,
“Hiiiii~ What was going on?”
“We just ran into them and they picked a fight. Thanks to you, it ended without a scuffle.”
“Aren’t you grateful?”
“Yeah, I’m grateful.”
When I nodded, Han So-mi giggled.
Back when midterms ended, her face had been clouded with gloom, but after a good day of rest and walking around with Go Hyeon-woo, she seemed to have cheered up quite a bit.
“……”
Seo Ye-in, on the other hand, quietly slipped behind me as soon as she saw Han So-mi.
So I asked,
“You don’t like her?”
“She’s… exhausting…”
Well, she is the energetic type.
If I had to compare her to an animal, she’d be like a beagle.
And there’s no way someone running on sloth-speed output could keep up with that.
Totally understandable. So I turned to Go Hyeon-woo and Han So-mi and said,
“Well, we’ll be heading off. Take care.”
“Where might you be headed?”
“The training center.”
“What a coincidence. We were just on our way there as well.”
Apparently, they only needed to patrol this area to finish their Disciplinary Committee duties for the day.
Smiling brightly, Han So-mi made a suggestion.
“Let’s train together!”
Normally, she preferred spending time alone with just the two of us, but maybe because her mood was a bit higher today, she seemed to want to hang out with everyone.
From where I stood, it didn’t seem like a bad idea either.
“The more diverse the samples, the better.”
Since we’d be sparring anyway, I could take the chance to test the Fickle Trap too.
However, Seo Ye-in was shaking her head rapidly from side to side.
A clear sign she really didn’t want to.
I decided to respect her wishes.
“Let’s finish this and rest.”
“Noo…”
“We’re almost done.”
“Liar…”
We all headed off toward the training center together.
***
As expected, the Fickle Trap was broken, just like the other luck-based features.
Most of the traps that activated were unrelated to combat, and even when a combat-related one did appear, its power was abysmal.
“At this point, it’s worse than useless.”
After that, we spent some time sparring.
Seo Ye-in took turns getting worn out by me, Go Hyeon-woo, and Han So-mi, and now she was lying limp like soggy seaweed.
“A sad day…”
“You did well, young miss.”
“……”
Seo Ye-in shot me a disgruntled look.
Her eyes clearly said, “This is all your fault.”
She slowly tried to lift her pot, but even that seemed like too much effort, and she let it drop back down.
I grinned and said,
“You worked hard today, so you can use my lap as a pillow.”
“Pillow…”
Crawling over, Seo Ye-in rested her head on my lap.
While she lay there, I pulled out the communication crystal.
“I’m going to talk to Uncle Dragon for a bit. Just lie there and watch.”
“Mmkay…”
After a few rings, the image of the Underworld Dragon King appeared in the crystal.
From the background, it looked like he’d been lounging on the couch in his office, just relaxing.
Grandfather Seo was nowhere to be seen, so he must’ve stepped out.
– Young Monarch and my dear niece.
“I’ve found some information about the penalty, so I wanted to report in.”
– You’ve figured it out already? Impressive. All right, let’s hear it.
I laid out everything that had happened yesterday and today.
The rock-paper-scissors game, the suspiciously well-timed closing of the bakery, the Reverse Luck Radar, and even the broken fickle trap.
Listening to the story, the Underworld Dragon King silently nodded.
– Luck… So it was that, after all.
Then, after a moment of contemplation, he spoke again.
– This is something I still can’t talk about right now. I’m sorry once again.
“It’s all right.”
– There is one thing I can say for certain. The higher your [Core] rank, the milder the side effects become.
Skills of this kind tend to impose penalties in proportion to the amount of borrowed power.
If your base strength improves, you can achieve the same effects with less borrowed power, which naturally reduces the backlash.
– If my guess is correct, you’ll be reaching A-rank soon. Still, the sooner the better. I’ll send over a few things through Team Leader Ahn.
“Thank you. I’ll put them to good use.”
No matter how many elixirs we had, it still wouldn’t be enough.
It’s not just for me. We need to raise everyone’s core rank.
I’m thinking of going into a dungeon focused on elixirs during the next strategy battle week.
– Also, I expect the side effects will linger for a while.
“I’m estimating around a week, give or take.”
It’s a short time, if you think about it. But judging by how today went, it’s not going to be a smooth week.
– It’s going to be rough, so make sure to look after her. Not that you wouldn’t anyway. And as for you, my niece—
Seo Ye-in had been dozing off, but at that moment, her eyes fluttered open.
“…Godfather.”
– Your mother is coming back, I hear. She’ll probably contact you soon.
“…! Okay.”
A flicker of joy passed through Seo Ye-in’s eyes.
She might not have a wide social circle, but at least with her family, it seems she has strong bonds.
After exchanging a few more words with the Underworld Dragon King, we ended the call.
I decided to satisfy my curiosity.
“What kind of person is your mother?”
“A genius gunslinger.”
“A genius? Even more than you?”
Seo Ye-in slowly shook her head, then pointed proudly to herself.
“Super genius.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
“Ultra super genius.”
“Yes, you’re amazing.”
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