After the match, I stepped outside and saw Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in waiting for me.
“Kim-hyung.”
“How’d it go?”
“Unfortunately, I ended up with joint attack teams two matches in a row. Still, it was a pretty valuable experience.”
A mindset that values the experience over winning or losing.
Go Hyeon-woo was about to ask how things went for me, but Han So-mi rushed over and answered for me.
“I just went up against him!”
“Against Kim-hyung?”
“That’s right!”
“I’d love to hear all about it.”
“Then let’s head to the snack bar!”
Han So-mi tugged on Go Hyeon-woo’s arm and flashed me a giggle.
Looks like she’s learned.
She must’ve figured out from experience that the best way to get through to Go Hyeon-woo is by mentioning me.
I could’ve shared my side of the match too, since I was directly involved, but I didn’t want to interrupt the two of them.
So after sending them off, I turned my head and saw Hong Yeon-hwa hesitantly walking toward me.
When our eyes met, her gaze darted away.
“Um… good job out there.”
“You too. Your decision-making was solid, and the team coordination was great.”
If there was a deciding factor, it was probably that I was the only one with ★Blink★.
But Hong Yeon-hwa didn’t seem too hung up on that.
If anything, she looked happy to be complimented. Her expression brightened.
Then, still a bit shy, she cautiously asked,
“Do you… want to get some coffee?”
“Let’s do that. We’ve got stuff to talk about anyway.”
I walked over to the snack bar with Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeon-hwa, and each of us bought a drink.
We sat side by side on a nearby bench, chatting casually for a while, until I asked Seo Ye-in,
“How was it for you? The duel matches.”
“Two on defense.”
“Just like you wanted. Did you win?”
“Won both.”
Seo Ye-in made a V sign with her fingers.
She confidently declared a wipeout beforehand, and it seems like that’s exactly what she delivered.
I asked another question.
“Any parts you weren’t satisfied with?”
“…A little?”
“Like what?”
“Blink.”
These days, she often talked about Blink like it was a habit, but this time, it seemed like there was a different reason.
So we all watched Seo Ye-in’s replay together.
Inside the crystal ball, four students of different classes appeared.
They worked together in a joint attack, albeit clumsily.
Flying sword energy, blades, magic, and arrows were all aimed at her, but Seo Ye-in dodged them with excellent control, occasionally using the Immortal Pot to block some attacks.
However, there were times when attacks grazed past her by a narrow margin.
Of course, the defense team had a 5% special shield applied, so glancing blows didn’t cause much damage.
On the other hand, every time her magic gun fired, the attacking team’s health dropped noticeably, and eventually, they went down one by one.
I complimented Seo Ye-in again.
“Well fought.”
Since the same pattern continued until the end of the match, there didn’t seem to be much more worth watching.
I had a good idea of what she was dissatisfied with.
“You couldn’t shake them off, the melee fighters.”
“They run fast.”
The Feather Step that Seo Ye-in had learned was a movement skill with multiple effects.
Leaving aside the lighter body and turbulence generation effects, even just in terms of speed, there are quite a few movement skills that match or exceed it.
And for a ranged class, getting caught by melee fighters practically means defeat.
This week’s duel had special rules applied, and Seo Ye-in’s skills were far superior to those of the four opponents, which is why it looked the way it did.
I held up two fingers.
“There are two solutions.”
“What are they?”
“Simple. You get faster.”
Even without Blink, there were plenty of auxiliary skills from the marksman/archer/thief lines she could learn.
She already had Ghost Dance.
If she learned several and used them in the right combination, it would be hard for anyone to catch her.
“The other option is to slow the enemy down.”
With debuffs like freezing, slowing, or binding.
She also had some usable trap skills, so exploring that route seemed like a good idea too.
For example, a skill that lets you plant traps while moving.
“Of course, you don’t have to choose just one.”
“I’ll learn them all.”
“Good. Talk it over with the butler later. For now, let’s wrap up what you’ve been working on.”
“The core.”
“Let’s get that A-rank first.”
Seo Ye-in gave a small nod, then tugged at my sleeve with a burst of enthusiasm.
“Training center.”
“Go on ahead. I’ve got some things to take care of today.”
“Mhmm.”
Normally, she only practiced mana cultivation with Kim Ho-pillow at her side, but today, she seemed eager to raise her core as quickly as possible and headed to the training center alone.
Next, I turned to look at Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Let’s go to your club room.”
“Our club room…?”
“There’s something I want to discuss with your sister.”
“……?”
Though she looked increasingly curious, Hong Yeon-hwa nodded easily. This kind of thing happened from time to time.
Before long, we arrived at the Ruby Tower club room.
As we stepped inside, Hong Yeon-hwa called out.
“Unnie, I’m back!”
“Mhmm, take it easy.”
Hong Ye-hwa seemed busy with club work and didn’t even glance our way as she gave a half-hearted response.
So Hong Yeon-hwa raised her voice again.
“Kim Ho’s here too!”
“……?”
Only then did Hong Ye-hwa snap her head around.
When she saw us standing there side by side with coffee cups in hand, her brow furrowed immediately.
But, true to her position as club president, she quickly composed herself and spoke.
“So, you’re here, Kim Ho.”
“Yes, senior. I came to ask you about something.”
“Alright, have a seat.”
Hong Ye-hwa led us to the guest sofa set up on one side of the room.
Then, for some reason, Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly rushed ahead of us and began quickly tidying up the scattered cushions.
She averted her gaze and mumbled an excuse.
“I-I just thought it looked a bit messy…”
“Try cleaning like that all the time!”
“Better late than never!”
“Unbelievable.”
Shaking her head in disbelief, Hong Ye-hwa sat down on the sofa, and I took a seat across from her.
Hong Yeon-hwa scurried off again.
She came back holding a premium cookie set and placed it in front of me.
“Here… have some.”
“Hey, Hong Yeon-hwa. You still had those?”
“I hid them. If I left them out, unnie would’ve eaten them all.”
“And you’re just handing them over ‘cause Kim Ho showed up?”
“It’s not because he showed up! He’s a guest, a guest.”
“You really go the extra mile.”
Hong Ye-hwa let out an exasperated sigh.
Then she took a moment to collect herself and looked at me.
“Sorry, I’m a bit busy today, so let’s get straight to the point.”
“Of course. Then I’ll get right to it. I’d like to ask if I could borrow the [Book of Chaos].”
The Book of Chaos.
A book bound with multiple Chaos Scrolls. Each time it’s used, it increases both the uncertainty and rewards of a dungeon.
I had borrowed it once before. Back then, I used two scrolls back-to-back in a D-rank dungeon, significantly powering up the boss monster.
After defeating it, I scored a B-rank random box.
So when I asked to borrow it again, Hong Ye-hwa looked troubled.
“You know as well as I do that item’s managed by the White Magic Club. Even our own members have to accumulate contribution points to borrow it.”
Last time had been a special exception, granted as a reward for successfully retrieving an item from temporary storage.
I nodded and replied,
“I’m aware. That’s exactly why I’m asking if another exception can be made.”
“It’s possible. If it’s worth it.”
That was the answer I’d expected.
No matter how close we were, it wasn’t realistic for her to just hand over a high-value club asset.
Of course, I had something prepared to offer in return.
“During the next strategy battle week, I’m planning to go after a hidden piece that boosts core development.”
Some underground dungeons are known for their exceptionally high elixir drop rates or mana density surpassing even that of specialized cultivation rooms.
A spark lit in Hong Ye-hwa’s eyes.
“That’s where you plan to use the Book of Chaos, right?”
“Exactly.”
“So what’s in it for us?”
To that, I pointed at Hong Yeon-hwa.
“I’ll take her with me.”
“…….!”
Hong Ye-hwa’s interest was visibly piqued.
If Hong Yeon-hwa managed to reach A-rank core status, she could leap ahead in the race among promising students.
That would raise the prestige of the Ruby Magic Tower as well.
Hong Yeon-hwa herself looked thrilled at the thought of hitting core A-rank and finally learning Blink.
She kept sneaking hopeful glances at her sister.
Sensing that the two were nearly convinced, I decided to push just a bit further.
“It probably hasn’t been made public yet, but Song Cheon-hye just reached A-rank.”
“Song Chun-hye? When?”
“This morning. I saw it with my own eyes.”
As intended, the flames of rivalry blazed in the sisters’ eyes.
She had barely managed to hold her down at the Fixed Zone tournament, but if they ended up facing off again in a future duel, the difference in core level would decide the outcome.
In that case, the public opinion favoring the Ruby Magic Tower would be completely overturned.
Before making a final decision, Hong Ye-hwa asked one last question.
“If you use the Book of Chaos in that dungeon, how much can she gain?”
“It’s hard to give an exact figure. But it should significantly shorten the time to reach A-rank.”
“Alright. Let me know when you plan to go in. I’ll borrow the book in time for that.”
“Thank you.”
With the discussion concluded, I stood up, exchanged farewells with the Hong sisters, and left the Ruby Magic Tower.
As soon as the door closed, I could hear an argument breaking out behind me.
“You couldn’t take your eyes off Kim Ho, could you?”
“What, was I supposed to look somewhere else when we had a guest? Ignore him?”
“You don’t even react when other guests come.”
“That’s not true! Why are you being so sensitive?”
“I’m not being sensitive… your eyes were literally shooting heart beams!”
“…They were not heart beams!”
Leaving the escalating sisterly quarrel behind, I quickened my pace.
Leave a Reply