As Seo Cheong-yong gestured lightly, the rules and environment appeared on the board.
MAP: [Eclipse Land]
RULE: [3-person] [Random Matching] [Boss Raid] [Light Stones]
“This is a replica dungeon of Dungeon No. 18, Eclipse Land. As I mentioned, the difficulty has been adjusted to around D-rank, and the dungeon’s scale has been greatly reduced.”
The original was a large-scale dungeon intended for raid-sized parties, but now that it had been scaled down, a team of three should be more than sufficient.
“By now, you should all be familiar with the [Boss Raid] rule. As for what you’ll be facing… see for yourselves.”
With that, Seo Cheong-yong brought up a display.
The first thing that appeared was a group of people outfitted in various gear and clothing.
They were likely a past raid party that had entered the dungeon.
They had surrounded a huge figure made entirely of shadow.
Soon, the figure rippled violently and took the form of a four-legged beast.
It crouched low, then lunged forward like a bullet, trampling and swiping at everything in its path.
The raid party responded immediately.
Arrows, magic, and sword energy rained down, and the warriors charged in.
In turn, the creature rippled again and transformed into a giant shadow serpent.
Its thick tail swept wide, sending the raid members flying.
After that, it continued to shift forms from giant, bird, octopus….it kept switching between offense and defense.
Umbra Behemoth.
A rare shadow-type boss monster.
One day, even that creature would have the honor of joining the Legion of Shadow and Darkness.
“Looks tough, right? The key is to adapt flexibly every time it changes form. This one is adjusted to a basic C-rank level. But don’t get rattled. There’s a reason for that.”
After calming the murmuring students, Seo Cheong-yong brought up an image of a crystal-like object on the screen.
It glowed with a muted, achromatic light and was about half the size of a palm.
“This is the Light Stone, the key item for this raid. Using it will weaken the boss.”
The raid members threw Light Stones at the Umbra Behemoth.
Blinding white light burst forth from various spots, and the creature thrashed in apparent pain.
Its shadows seemed to grow a little fainter, too.
“Left alone, it’s a C-rank boss, but if you use several Light Stones, its difficulty can drop below D-rank. Obviously, that makes it easier to take down. So then, where do you get the Light Stones?”
Next, a map appeared on the screen.
At the very center was the icon of the boss monster, wrapped tightly in chains.
All across the dungeon, small icons of monsters and gems were scattered evenly.
“It’s similar to the Crystal Rule. Some are just lying around, while others are hidden. Make sure to search thoroughly. And finally—”
Seo Cheong-yong pointed to the boss monster in the middle of the dungeon.
“When you first enter, the boss will be sealed. But after a certain amount of time, the seal will be lifted.”
Then, nearby regular monsters were shown gradually moving toward the boss.
“If those regular monsters start hitting the seal, it’ll break faster, so be careful. Ideally, you should try to stop them.”
Thus, roles are divided into two main types:
Protecting the seal and scouring the dungeon to collect Light Stones.
“You’ll want to discuss among yourselves and decide who’s doing what. By now, your party assignments should have arrived. Check your messages.”
Just as Seo Cheong-yong said, a short message had come through moments earlier.
[Group 7]
▷ Geum Jo-han
▷ Kim Ho
▷ Han So-mi
Glancing to the side, Han So-mi was grinning happily.
In contrast, Geum Jo-han looked absolutely miserable.
Meanwhile, Go Hyeon-woo was locking intense stares with Lee Seong-hyeon and Jo Byeok. It was a party of pure manly energy.
Other students were also exchanging glances with their party members, their faces a mix of joy and disappointment.
Seo Cheong-yong gave them a moment, then began to speak once the murmuring had died down.
“The duration of this raid is two weeks. Even if you fail the promotion exam, you can try again, so don’t feel too pressured. Just give it your best shot!”
Of course, I had no intention of wasting time taking the promotion exam two or three times.
There was too much to do down there. I had to finish it in one go.
Let’s see what kind of conditions are attached.
I pulled up the notification messages.
[Side Quest: 14th and 15th Week Strategy Battle] (In Progress…)
▷Objective: Clear the Promotion Exam Dungeon
▷Reward: Varies depending on achievement level
[Would you like to use the ‘Challenge Book’?]
[Accept / Decline]
As soon as I selected “Accept” without hesitation, the side quest was updated.
[Side Quest: 14th and 15th Week Strategy Battle] (In Progress…)
▷Objective 1: Clear the Promotion Exam Dungeon
▷Objective 2: Defeat the boss while holding at least 10 Light Stones (-/10)
▷Reward: Varies depending on achievement level
Defeating the boss “while holding Light Stones” meant I had to carry them all the way without using them.
In other words,
You’re telling me to defeat him without weakening him.
While others would lower the boss to D-rank, we had to take it down at full C-rank strength.
The problem wasn’t the difficulty. It was whether my party members would agree to this.
Looks like I’ll have to do some convincing.
As soon as Seo Cheong-yong left the classroom, the students immediately started grouping into threes and chatting.
Likewise, Han So-mi came walking up to me.
“Here I am~!”
“Let’s do our best again.”
“Let’s get promoted!”
We sealed the deal with a high-five, full of team spirit.
Then Geum Jo-han glared at me for a few seconds before finally speaking.
“…Not exactly the kind of lineup I’d prefer.”
“Same here. But that doesn’t mean we can half-ass it.”
“True. That would be even worse. I’ll at least pull my own weight. Just don’t waste my time.”
“Don’t worry. As long as you do your part, we’re passing the exam.”
A chilly atmosphere settled over the group.
Despite that, Han So-mi cheerfully held an imaginary mic up to my mouth with her fist.
“Got a plan?”
“Of course. A surefire way to get promoted.”
“Surefire? What is it?”
I raised the corners of my mouth and answered.
“We kill the boss without using Light Stones.”
“Huh? Without weakening it?”
“Without weakening it.”
Just as expected, Geum Jo-han immediately pushed back.
“I don’t get it. Ignoring a core mechanic is supposed to help us get promoted?”
“Of course it is. Think about it. Which party looks stronger. The one that beats a D-rank boss, or the one that beats a C-rank boss?”
“……!”
“For the record, we’re not not collecting Light Stones. We’re just not using them.”
“You’re not exactly wrong, but I don’t see the point in going out of our way. Just sticking to the basics should be enough to pass.”
Logically, he’s right.
It’s not like he has a quest riding on this like I do.
In times like this, there’s no choice but to break out the forbidden art: the Provocation Technique.
I drop a single word.
“Scared?”
“Using such cheap psychological tricks? You think that’ll work on me?”
“Scaaared?”
“I didn’t think your level was this low. I’m honestly embarrassed to associate with you.”
“Scared~?”
“As I said, it’s unnecessary effort. Do you really think I’d be afraid of a mere C-rank boss?”
“Scared?”
Geum Jo-han’s face twitched uncontrollably.
“…Fine. Consider it a loss on my part. I’ll take the bait.”
The moment he accepted, he’d already lost.
The Provocation Technique was always a fantastic return on investment.
I turned to Han So-mi to confirm.
“You okay with this too?”
“Mhmm! Sounds fun!”
“Excellent attitude. Unlike someone whose name starts with Geum.”
A vein bulged on Geum Jo-han’s forehead once again.
Just as he was about to snap back, Go Hyeon-woo and his two manly teammates who had been strategizing a short distance away turned to glance over at us.
“Sounds fun? Something going on over here?”
“Mhmm! We decided to beat the boss without using Light Stones!”
“…….!”
At Han So-mi’s response, the manly party was stunned.
Lee Seong-hyeon looked at me with eyes full of admiration.
“You always exceed my expectations. I’ve learned something new today.”
Jo Byeok chimed in, addressing Geum Jo-han directly.
“Well done, Geum Jo-han.”
“…If it’s for the reputation of the Disciplinary Committee, a little extra effort is a small price to pay.”
Gone was the displeasure from moments ago. His attitude flipped like a switch.
Then the three manly men exchanged glances.
“We can’t be outdone. No Light Stones for us either.”
“Agreed.”
Hearing this, another nearby party, who had been eavesdropping, murmured, “Should we try it too?” and applied a self-imposed handicap. That buzz spread from party to party.
Unexpectedly, a wave of handicap challenges had broken out.
Since it wouldn’t benefit me for people to find out I was the cause of it all, I looked over at Geum Jo-han and Han So-mi and said,
“Let’s head out right away.”
“Let’s.”
“Let’s gooo!”
***
Dungeon Building.
The circular staircase leading to the underground level was as crowded with students as usual, but the ground floor, where the advancement assessments were held, was eerily quiet.
No need to wait in line. Actually, that worked out just fine.
As we scanned our student IDs one by one at the terminal set up nearby, a teleportation portal opened its mouth.
Standing before it, I asked,
“Ready?”
“Of course.”
“All set~!”
The two answered without hesitation.
“Good. Follow me.”
With that, I stepped toward the portal.
The first thing that came into view was a sky in the midst of a solar eclipse.
The sky was a deep navy, as if it were evening or dawn. The sun, obscured by the moon, emitted only a faint glow.
Han So-mi and Geum Jo-han who followed right after looked up as if spellbound.
“Whoa~”
“……”
After enjoying the moment in silence, we lowered our heads to scan the area ahead.
There floated a pitch-black, flat oval shape. At a glance, it looked just like a wall-mounted mirror.
Crack—
A jagged line suddenly appeared at one edge of the oval, and a sinister black aura began to seep out.
Geum Jo-han who was watching it said,
“That must be where the boss appears.”
“Most likely.”
Crack—
The jagged line slowly expanded, and with it, the ominous black aura began to pour out at an increasing pace.
One thing was certain. Time was not on our side.
Geum Jo-han spoke again.
“We should move right away.”
But just then, presences stirred all around us.
Shadows began to emerge, one after another.
Some took human form, others resembled beasts.
Among them, a wolf-like creature let out a low growl.
“Grrrrr…”
At that, Geum Jo-han calmly scanned the area before drawing the sword at his hip.
“Go on. I’ll hold things down here.”
Of course, we had already divided roles before entering the dungeon.
I led Han So-mi in one direction.
“Let’s break through over there.”
“Okay!”
The moment we stepped forward, shadow monsters surged at us from all sides.
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