“Graaaagh—!”
“Raaaargh!”
It didn’t seem like they were targeting me, Han So-mi, or Geum Jo-han.
They were simply charging in from all directions to break the seal on the boss monster.
But in doing so, they seemed to recognize us as obstacles, and the shadow creatures shaped like four-legged beasts leapt at us.
In response, cold sword energy sliced through the air.
Slash! Slash!
Han So-mi cut them down in a single stroke.
I, on my part, used Wind Force to push them aside or kicked a lunging shadow wolf square in the snout.
Breaking through the opened encirclement, I glanced over my shoulder.
Slash! Slash!
Every time Geum Jo-han swung his sword, golden flashes of sword energies flared.
They called him the Young Master of the Golden Lotus Clan.
Golden Lotus.
Just like the name suggests, they’re a group with immense financial power.
They were originally a merchant guild, but over time they transformed into a martial family.
As a young master of such a prestigious clan, he must have learned quite a few elite family techniques.
He’s got the skills to be on the Disciplinary Committee, at least.
Slash!
Thanks to that, the shadow monsters couldn’t even get close to the seal before being cut in half.
At least the boss won’t be getting unsealed early.
The time limit still applied, of course.
It was best to gather as many Light Stones as quickly as possible and regroup with Geum Jo-han.
The side quest minimum is 10.
Of course, I had no intention of being satisfied with just 10.
The more I collect, the better the reward will be.
I’m grabbing every single one I can find.
I moved quickly with Han So-mi following close behind.
We went up and down rolling hills, weaving past sparse trees, rocks, and other obstacles.
From time to time, shadows would suddenly rise up and chase after us.
Slash.
But Han So-mi would dart forward and cut them down without hesitation.
As we picked up speed again, she spoke up.
“Hey, hey!”
“What?”
“Wouldn’t it be better if we split up and searched separately?”
The terrain and Light Stone placement in this dungeon were randomized.
Given that we were already a small group, splitting up would certainly be more efficient than sticking together.
Of course, that’s only true in general cases.
I asked Han So-mi in return,
“Are you confident you can find them well?”
“I am!”
“Confident you’ll find one everywhere you go?”
“Hmm? Not really!”
“I am, though.”
This wasn’t my first time doing this. Even with random placements, I could roughly sense where they’d be.
So far, I’d been pretty accurate.
Right then, something seemed to glint at the edge of my vision, so I pointed a finger.
“See? There it is.”
“Whoa, you’re right!”
Han So-mi dashed over.
She soon pulled out a Light Stone embedded deep in the ground.
The moment she did, shadows sprang up all around and transformed into monsters that came rushing at us.
As Han So-mi instinctively leaned back, a shadow wolf’s forepaw brushed right past her nose.
“Eek, that scared me!”
“There are ambushes.”
Boom!
Compressed air exploded, and the one charging in from the blind spot was blown away.
“Sticking together is safer, right?”
“That’s true!”
“And it takes longer to fight them alone.”
“Also true!”
Han So-mi agreed while swinging her sword.
Splitting up might increase search efficiency a bit, but it would also make it harder to defeat or shake off the monsters.
In the end, the difference wouldn’t be significant. In that case, staying together was better, especially for responding to emergencies.
Slash!
After taking down the last shadow monster, we resumed our movement.
A little farther ahead, we saw an old tree standing alone on a barren hill.
As we passed it, I suddenly pointed upward.
“There’s one up there, right?”
“Whoa…. you’re really good at this!”
Han So-mi let out a sound of admiration and quickly climbed the tree, retrieving the Light Stone wedged between the branches.
She immediately readied for battle, but this time, nothing appeared.
So I said,
“Looks like there’s no ambush here. Let’s keep moving.”
“Okay!”
We continued on, collecting Light Stones using the same method.
As we went on, Han So-mi seemed to grow more relaxed and began making small talk here and there.
“I have something I’m curious about!”
“Go ahead, ask away.”
Han So-mi gave me a look as if she were interrogating me.
“You’ve been hanging out with Cheon Hye-rang a lot lately!”
“And?”
“It’s suspicious!”
“What’s suspicious about it? We just spar together and stuff.”
I answered casually, but Han So-mi didn’t ease up with her questioning gaze.
“No, something’s changed.”
“I don’t really notice anything. Like what?”
“She looks happier than usual? And what else? Her steps are springier!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Like this, kind of?”
Han So-mi demonstrated a “bouncy walk” herself.
“I’m not really convinced. She actually walks like that?”
“Sometimes? Without even realizing it!”
“Maybe you just saw it wrong?”
“Nope, even Kwak Seung-jae saw it too!”
The image of the disciplinary office popped into my head on its own.
Song Cheon-hye striding across the room with a light springy step.
And Kwak Seung-jae who saw that asking in his usual blunt tone:
– Song Cheon-hye.
– Yes,?
– Something good happened? Your steps are awfully light.
– ?! N-No…….
Just imagining it made me feel embarrassed. She probably ended up kicking her blanket in bed that night.
Han So-mi suddenly thrust her fist at me like a microphone.
“Anyway! What’s your secret?!”
“I really have no idea.”
Had I done anything special with her?
Most of my memories involve hitting her repeatedly with a toy hammer.
Sometimes, I’d watch her crash into a wall using Blink.
Still, Han So-mi clearly believed there was something going on between me and Song Cheon-hye.
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but feel a bit mischievous, so I flashed a sly grin.
“You’ve got sharp eyes. Just like you said, I’ve been slowly making my move lately.”
“Ah! I knew it!”
“It won’t be long now. Just a little more and…”
“Are you two dating? Are you dating?!”
“That’s right. She’ll be girlfriend number four.”
“……Huh?”
Han So-mi looked momentarily confused.
She started counting on her fingers, going through the people around me.
Then she looked at me in horror.
“You total womanizer!”
“Kuhuhu… That’s right. This old man is a greedy, womanizing beast.”
“At last, your true colors are showing!”
Even as she said that, Han So-mi was grinning from ear to ear. It seemed she had caught on that this was all just a roleplay.
Poof!
I smacked down a shadow monster that had suddenly appeared, then spoke in my “pervy villain” tone.
“The power of Topaz shall now be mine!”
“Give Cheon-hye back, you villain!”
Ssshrkk!
Han So-mi shouted urgently, slashing through the shadows and grabbing the Light Stones.
We kept going back and forth like that, laughing as we played out the scene until I suddenly wiped the smile off my face.
“Seriously though, there’s nothing special going on between us.”
“Really?”
“At least, not from what I can tell.”
“You never know what might happen later!”
“No one knows the future.”
Han So-mi seemed satisfied with that answer.
This time, I asked the question.
“What about you and Go Hyeon-woo lately?”
“Hmm…he’s been really sweet!”
Since the midterms, their relationship seemed to have taken a step forward. They were practically glued together whenever I saw them.
But then Han So-mi’s expression turned a bit complicated.
“But…”
“But?”
“I feel like… there’s some kind of wall?”
“Like you can’t get any closer than you are now.”
“Mhmm, so I’m a little worried…?”
“You’re afraid you might grow apart?”
“……”
Instead of answering, Han So-mi gave a small nod.
Before saying anything more, I raised a hand to slow our pace.
At the spot where we stopped, thick shadowy arms were rising from the ground, and I could see a Light Stone glowing inside one of their grasp.
I stepped closer and yanked it out without hesitation.
Crunch!
The shadow briefly collapsed, then reformed. The thick arm planted itself on the ground and started to pull something up from below.
What emerged was a hulking shadow giant.
It immediately swung a huge fist at us, and we split to either side to dodge.
At the same time, I asked:
“You heard about the sect, right?”
“…Just a little.”
He had briefly mentioned having a long-held wish tied to the sect, but I guess he hadn’t gone as far as inheriting a sacred relic.
Well, it was a serious matter, and the suspicions surrounding the Blood Wind Sword haven’t completely died down yet.
Boom!
I struck the shadow giant hard as I kept talking.
“Anyway, you get that this is something important, right? It’s related to the sect.”
“Mhmm.”
“He probably doesn’t have much room to breathe right now. He’s in that phase where he’s just charging forward.”
Han So-mi’s expression dimmed a little.
After dodging a few heavy shadow punches, she asked:
“I get it… but then what should I do?”
Whooosh—
A whirlwind mixed with raw force pinned the shadow giant in place.
As it did, I threw out a question.
“Think about it. He’s got no time. But why do you think he still chooses to be around you?”
“Sparring?”
“That’s part of it, sure. But doesn’t it mean you’re worth carving time out for?”
“…You think so?”
A bit of light returned to Han So-mi’s face as she rallied her energy.
A chill began to take hold of the area around us.
I nodded and answered.
“Just keep staying by his side like you are now. Don’t stress too much about it.”
“Really? That’s enough?”
“I think it’ll be fine. Over time, he’ll probably start to find a little more breathing room.”
“Got it!”
Han So-mi gave a little hop as she unleashed her ultimate technique.
Razor-sharp sword energy tore through the shadow giant.
Screeeeaaak!
Its shredded body tried to piece itself back together, but a burst of wind exploded through it and scattered it completely.
With the monster dealt with, we started moving on to the next location.
“……”
Meanwhile, Han So-mi stayed quiet for a while as if she was deep in thought. But judging by her brighter expression, it seemed most of her worries about Go Hyeon-woo had faded.
I didn’t say anything and just gave her space, waiting patiently. Then, after a moment, she asked as if she was talking to herself:
“Should I… give up the Disciplinary Committee in second year?”
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