A sudden announcement of resignation from the Disciplinary Committee.
I had a rough idea of the reason, but I figured hearing it directly would be more certain, so I asked:
“Why are you quitting the Disciplinary Committee?”
“I don’t have time!”
“Wouldn’t that be because of Mr. Go you’ve been seeing?”
“No, it’s not!”
Han So-mi answered firmly.
Maybe she thought her explanation was lacking, so she added,
“I don’t even hang out with him, you know? We mostly just train when we meet.”
“Then isn’t that fine? You go to class, attend your club, and train.”
“No, it’s not fine!”
“Why not?”
“I can’t meditate!”
“So what you’re lacking is time alone.”
“Mhmm! Mhmm! That!”
Han So-mi nodded enthusiastically, as if I’d hit the nail on the head.
Physical training is of course important, but the still contemplative aspect of training like organizing insights and reflecting on martial arts is just as important.
So when she tried to make time, skipping class wasn’t an option; she had to keep training with Go Hyeon-woo, and at night she had to cultivate mana or her [Core] would fall behind.
And what was left after eliminating everything else… was the Disciplinary Committee.
“I get it, but maybe you should think it through a bit more. It’s not a place you can just come and go as you please.”
The Disciplinary Committee’s mission is to guide students down the right path.
Exceptional skill is just the baseline, and members are only accepted after a rigorous selection process.
And one of the values that the Disciplinary Committee places the most importance on is…
The resolve to carry out your duties to the end.
It means the determination to dedicate everything to upholding the order of Dragon Slayer Academy, without yielding to any internal or external hardship.
To quit the Disciplinary Committee is to admit that such determination doesn’t exist, making rejoining almost impossible.
In other words, it’s not a decision to make on impulse.
I kept asking questions.
“Think about why you joined in the first place. That might still be a good reason to stay.”
“I don’t really have one?”
“You just joined for no reason?”
“Mhmm, my teacher said I could do whatever I wanted, and Cheon-hye was there too?”
So she must’ve joined on a whim from the start.
In that case, there wasn’t much to keep her tied to it either.
“What about the support? Are you okay giving all of that up?”
It’s not like being in the Disciplinary Committee is just volunteer work.
Because they rely on the power of future hero candidates, they receive full support from the Academy.
For example, access to special cultivation rooms, VIP crafting tickets, exclusive club perks, equipment and elixirs, and more.
Naturally, all those benefits are cut off the moment you resign.
Even so, Han So-mi remained detached.
“I don’t need them!”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure!”
The way she answered so quickly made it clear this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision.
I gave a small nod.
“Then quitting might be the right call. But you’ve still got time, so give it some more thought.”
“Okay!”
“If possible, talk to others about it too. Talk with your fellow members. If you suddenly say you’re quitting, they might feel betrayed.”
“You’re right! I’ll talk to them!”
From the other members’ point of view, they’ll be sad and probably try to stop her. But if her resolve is firm, they’ll eventually let her go.
Of course, there’s still a slight chance she might change her mind before then.
As we moved on to the next location, I fell into thought for a moment.
If Han So-mi really does leave the Disciplinary Committee…
It wouldn’t hurt to give her a hand.
As Go Hyeon-woo’s training partner and emotional anchor, I figured if she maintained a comparable level, they’d create a good synergy.
There are plenty of ways to help.
For instance, since she’d lose access to the special cultivation room, I could get her a VIP ticket. I could assign her [Harship], or include her in the underground floor raids.
And whatever I lose, I’ll just squeeze out of the Sword Queen.
It’s all for her disciple. She’s not going to complain, right?
As I was thinking all that, I suddenly snapped out of it to find Han So-mi staring intently at my face.
“…You totally looked like a demon lord just now.”
“Me?”
“Mhmm, you smiled like this!”
Han So-mi mimicked my expression.
She curled one corner of her lips into a sinister grin. It was a perfect imitation of a demon lord.
I responded casually.
“You must’ve seen it wrong.”
“Nope, I definitely saw it!”
“Hey, hey, we’re here. Look over there, something’s shining.”
“Whoa!”
***
After continuing the dungeon search like that—
We ended up gathering a total of sixteen Light Stones.
We could’ve found a few more, but we sensed that time was almost up, so we turned back.
When we returned to the place where we had first entered, Geum Jo-han was still locked in fierce combat with the endless shadow monsters.
As he swung his golden sword, he spotted us and spoke up.
“You’re back.”
“Yeah.”
“How many did you collect?”
“Sixteen.”
A pleased expression spread across Geum Jo-han’s face.
“You’ve done well. Looks like the effort paid off.”
“I told you, as long as you did your part, we’d get promoted.”
“Good. Now, it’s boss battle time?”
At those words, everyone’s eyes turned toward the boss monster, still sealed away.
The black wall-mounted mirror was covered with countless scratches, crisscrossed like a spiderweb.
An ominous energy was steadily seeping out from it.
Keeping my eyes fixed on the mirror, I gave the order.
“It’ll break free soon. Get ready.”
“Sure. But…”
Geum Jo-han’s gaze shifted to the Light Stones in my hand.
“With that many, wouldn’t it be fine to use one or two? We’ve basically secured the promotion already.”
“That’s a pretty soft way of thinking.”
“Why’s that?”
“It doesn’t matter how many we collected. What matters is, the moment you use even one, you go from tough guy to super coward.”
“Hmm…!”
Geum Jo-han fell silent for a moment, his face hardening. Then he slowly nodded.
“…You’re right. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Let’s stay in tough guy mode till the end.”
Zzzrrrk!
At that moment, a loud noise burst from the seal. It was far louder than before.
The black wall mirror began to shake violently, and something inside started tearing through the scratches from within.
Then it began to swell, like a balloon inflating.
Maybe because the dungeon had been scaled down, it wasn’t as absurdly huge as in the footage Seo Cheong-yong had shown us.
Still, its size was nothing to scoff at. It was easily as big as two or three ogres combined.
And soon, it took the form of a four-legged beast.
“Grrrrr…”
Facing the creature, Umbra Behemoth, I gave instructions to my party.
“Just like we discussed: I’ll tank. You two focus on offense.”
“Got it.”
“Okay!”
Geum Jo-han and Han So-mi moved into their positions.
A triangular formation to surround the beast.
“Grrrrr…”
Umbra Behemoth bared its fangs and growled low, then suddenly spun and tried to strike Geum Jo-han with its front paw.
But in the next instant, compressed air exploded—
Bang!
—and the beast was blasted back to its original spot.
I had anticipated its move and attached a Sylphid in advance.
Realizing I was the one behind the attack, all of its hostility locked onto me.
“Graaargh—!”
A front paw, as tall as I am, slammed down toward me.
I stepped lightly to the side, using feather step and in an instant, its gaping jaws lunged at me with terrifying speed.
I dodged again with ease and pointed my index finger at it.
Bang! Bang!
Two Frozen Spirit Shots detonated inside its mouth, exploding in rapid succession.
Its body was made of shadow, so its structure differed from ordinary creatures, but the slowing effect still worked.
Now slightly sluggish, it was immediately bombarded by golden and sky-blue sword energy.
Shhhrrrkkk—!
“Kraaaargh—!”
Umbra Behemoth let out a fierce roar and then hunched over.
Its four-legged form collapsed in on itself, shrinking rapidly. Then a dozen or so writhing, tentacle-like limbs shot outward in all directions like some kind of mollusk.
Staying locked onto me had become too risky, so it shifted into an octopus-like form to keep all three of us in check.
And it worked to some extent. Geum Jo-han and Han So-mi had no choice but to focus on evading for a while.
With several tentacles swinging erratically, it seemed too risky for them to attempt a counterattack.
Let’s see how long that works.
Those two weren’t just anyone. They were top-tier fighters in their own right.
Before long, they adjusted to the new form and a hint of confidence returned to their faces.
Spotting an opening, their eyes lit up, and they struck like lightning.
Slice, slice, slice—
Tentacles were cut clean off, one after another.
Though the shadows tried to regroup and regenerate them, the sword energy reached the main body even faster.
“——!”
Umbra Behemoth let out a shrill screech, writhing in agony.
Its form crumbled once more. This time, it morphed into a giant turtle with a rock-hard shell.
Since even controlling multiple opponents at once didn’t work, it was now going full defense, trying to outlast us.
Han So-mi, out of curiosity, fired a slash of sword energy at the shell only for it to bounce off.
“Oh? That’s tough!”
Then, the giant shadow turtle’s mouth opened wide and began firing shell-like projectiles in rapid succession.
Thunk, thunk!
I didn’t dodge at all. I just blocked it with my Sylphid Armor.
At the same time, a sly grin crept across my lips.
You just made a very bad choice.
As I extended my staff forward, a vortex began to gather, aiming straight at the beast.
Whooooooooosh—!
At the same time, I issued orders to the team.
“Let’s finish this.”
“Huh? Already?”
“We can do it. Get your biggest attacks ready.”
Whooooooooosh—!
The whirlwind kept tightening its focus on the creature.
Geum Jo-han and Han So-mi exchanged a glance, then nodded.
They immediately began channeling energy, preparing their final strikes.
The Umbra Behemoth seemed to sense what was coming, but its attacks were still solely focused on me.
It must’ve been counting on its defense to hold out.
Thunk, thunk—!
Shadow cannons kept raining down, hammering against my Sylphid Armor.
I could feel the wind around me thinning little by little.
If this kept up, it would eventually break through. But I stayed rooted in place.
We’ll break through first.
Whooooooooosh—
Meanwhile, the vortex continued to compress, focusing tighter and tighter until, at last, it erupted in a huge explosion.
Booooom!
The shell that had looked nearly indestructible shattered in an instant.
It was the defense-piercing effect of the Spiral Explosion.
Without missing a beat, the two Disciplinary Committee elites unleashed their final strikes.
A pillar of golden sword energy crashed down like a hammer, while countless thread-thin blades lit up the air.
“——!”
The Umbra Behemoth let out a deathlike shriek and thrashed wildly.
Its form flickered uncertainly, as if it couldn’t decide what to transform into next.
“Now!”
The three of us charged in at once, unleashing a relentless flurry of attacks on the creature. Its huge body began to shrink and before long, it vanished completely.
Moments later, a teleportation portal opened, signaling that the dungeon had been cleared.
At the same time, a notification appeared in the corner of my vision.
[Side Quest: 14th and 15th Week Strategy Battle] (Complete)
▷Objective 1: Clear the Promotion Exam Dungeon
▷Objective 2: Defeat the boss while holding at least 10 Light Stones (16/10)
Leave a Reply