[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)
▷Reward: Greedy Material Selection Ticket (F)
I even put a challenge book on the side quest and exceeded the objectives, so why was I given nothing more than an F-rank reward?
The reason was simple.
It’s not an ordinary F-rank.
[Greedy Material Selection Ticket (F)]
▷Growth-type item
▷Consumes material items to gain experience.
▷Exp: 0.00%
Once experience reaches 100%, the rank increases by one, and the grade of materials that can be exchanged rises accordingly.
Should I feed it one as a test?
I took out a [Crude Apatite (C+)] from my inventory.
I had originally planned to use it for a statue, but since I’d received an abundance of better items through sponsorship, there was no harm in feeding it.
The Apatite scattered like dust, and the ticket’s rank was updated.
[Greedy Material Selection Ticket (D)]
▷Exp: 48.33%
It jumped two ranks at once, and the experience gauge rose to nearly half.
Of course, it would only be like this at the beginning; the higher the rank, the more exponentially the required experience would increase.
Still, with steady investment, I believed it could eventually reach S-rank.
What I was ultimately aiming for was—
The Golden Pocket Watch parts.
Above all, the most crucial item was the [Movement].
On top of that, since I already had the hour hand, second hand, and gears, even if I used substitutes for the remaining parts, I could at least complete the crafting.
Even if it’s a downgraded version, it’s still a time-type item.
If I could gain even a partial effect, I could expect a significant boost in fighting power.
So I added “securing material items” to my future objectives.
As soon as we exited the dungeon, we submitted the replay to the faculty members who were waiting nearby.
Since not many people were taking the promotion exam, they said the results would be out in a day or two.
At that, Geum Jo-han smiled confidently.
“It’s obviously a pass. There’s no way we could’ve done any better than that.”
Han So-mi and I alone had collected sixteen Light Stones.
Geum Jo-han, for his part, flawlessly defended the boss seal from the waves of incoming monsters.
And in the end, we even beat down a boss that was practically C-rank like it owed us money.
Wouldn’t it be stranger if we didn’t pass?
Soon, Geum Jo-han turned to face me and spoke.
“At the very least, you’ve got the skill to back up your big talk. Good work.”
“Yeah. You too.”
“We’ll be heading out now. We’ve got things to take care of.”
Those “things” were almost certainly Disciplinary Committee duties.
Geum Jo-han turned his back and left, and Han So-mi followed after him, waving enthusiastically at me as she went.
Watching their retreating figures, I thought,
He’s not a complete bastard, at least.
Maybe because he was from a prestigious family, he was a bit arrogant, but compared to Cha Hyeon-joo, he was practically gentle.
Well, that was probably why he could continue his Disciplinary Committee activities without causing any major friction.
After waiting a bit, teleportation portals began opening here and there, and students who had finished their raids started to emerge.
Seo Ye-in had been on a team with Park Na-ri and Lee Seul-bi, and for some reason, Bum and Chammy were perched on Seo Ye-in’s shoulders.
So I asked,
“When did you all get so close?”
“Starting today, we’re friends.”
“Meow.”
“Beep.”
The three beasts answered at the same time.
Park Na-ri watched the scene with a complicated look in her eyes.
It was understandable. Everyone seemed close except for her.
“H-Hey, guys. Let’s get going now……”
Still, the fact that they obediently moved back onto their owners’ shoulders meant they listened well enough.
The problem was that they started hitting as soon as they got there.
After the rest of the party left, I asked Seo Ye-in who had been left alone,
“You did well too, of course?”
“Wiped them out.”
“Did you guys do the challenge too, by any chance?”
– Shake, shake.
Looks like they cleared it the standard way.
With the boss weakened by the Light Stones, three promising-level fighters would’ve steamrolled it without breaking a sweat.
Next, the manly trio appeared, striding out proudly.
They exchanged a few words with each other.
“It was a battle that set my heart ablaze.”
“I agree. If fate allows, I would like to fight alongside you brothers again.”
“I feel the same.”
If they got any closer, it felt like they might swear a brotherhood oath.
After their warm and spirited farewells, Go Hyeon-woo spotted us and approached.
“Kim-hyung, Miss Seo.”
“No need to ask, I take it.”
“Haha. The two of you did well.”
Lastly, Hong Yeon-hwa emerged with her party, apparently having defeated the boss without much trouble.
That meant everyone’s promotion was essentially guaranteed.
Not needing a retry also meant there was no risk of schedules overlapping during the remaining strategy battle weeks.
Feeling the eyes of the three on me, I spoke up.
“Like I said before, we’ll be heading down in a few days. All together.”
“You said it was a fortuitous opportunity related to internal energy?”
“That’s right. I’ve already secured the items too.”
When I glanced at Hong Yeon-hwa, she nodded.
She had mentioned earlier that she’d already borrowed the Book of Chaos.
“We could go in as early as tonight, but we’ll need to wait a bit until noona comes out.”
“Sounds like you’ll be doing a separate run.”
“Third-years have their weekly quota too.”
And they’d probably want to pick up some items while they were at it.
From what I’d heard, ever since proving her abilities in the tournament, offers had been pouring in from all over the place.
An all-rounder mage who could use a lab director as a tank and even carry out assassinations with the Shadow Lord?
Of course they’d want to recruit her at all costs.
Which was why she was currently tackling a B-rank dungeon with the Pang Mi-ryeong expedition team.
“They said they’d be out around Wednesday if nothing special comes up. Until then, train individually and manage your condition. Once we go in, we’ll be staying for several days, so make sure you bring what you need.”
“Understood.”
“Mhmm……!”
The group nodded.
***
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was Wednesday.
Besides Dang Gyu-young’s return, there was one more thing I was waiting for.
The statue.
“…….”
As always, Kang Byeol was completely absorbed in her work.
From what I’d seen while passing by, it looked like she’d barely eaten or slept properly for almost a week.
Perhaps because of that, she had grown noticeably thinner, with dark circles deeply set under her eyes.
She’s working incredibly hard.
It wasn’t as if someone had a gun to her forehead, forcing her to do it.
Still, in a way, it was understandable.
Once she started to immerse herself, nothing else would come into view.
Thanks to that, about a week after she began, the statue was nearing completion now.
Woooong—
With hands glowing a soft blue, Kang Byeol slowly traced over the surface of the statue.
She was doing the final finishing touches.
Sensing that the end was near, quite a few onlookers had gathered around.
Students from first to third year, from both the combat and production tracks, could be seen among them.
And off to one side stood the principal and vice principal.
Woooong…….
After a moment, the light gradually faded from Kang Byeol’s hands.
Staring straight ahead, she slowly stepped backward, as if wanting to take in the whole piece at once.
Which meant—
It’s really finished.
I stared at the completed statue.
A hero clad in armor, holding a sword in a reverse grip.
In line with the principal’s skills, it gave off an overall golden sheen.
Here and there, gemstone decorations were set in tastefully, without being excessive.
Even a layperson could tell it was a masterpiece.
However, what truly mattered wasn’t the appearance.
Among the onlookers admiring it together, a third-year student cautiously asked Kang Byeol,
“Mind if I check the effects?”
“Yes, senior.”
At that, he stepped closer to the statue and seemed to read something in silence, then his eyes flew wide open in shock.
“……!”
Unable to contain their curiosity, several other students followed and checked the options as well, reacting with the same astonishment.
[Hero Statue (S)]
▷Provides a bonus to the mastery of combat skills/traits of S-rank and below.
▷Automatically casts ‘Clear Mind (A)’ on all targets within range (Cooldown: 3 days)
Worth the investment.
It was clearly a superior version of the [Orc Hero Statue].
The upper limit had risen from A-rank to S-rank, and not only skills but traits were boosted as well.
On top of that, it even had an additional option.
[Clear Mind] was a buff skill that cleared the mind, increasing the efficiency of various forms of training and mana cultivation.
Its duration wasn’t very long, and the cooldown was a full three days, but as long as the timing was right, everyone would be able to receive it.
Woooong—!
Soon, a clear tone rang out from the statue, and golden ripples spread in all directions.
The buff had been applied.
The students stood there in silence for a moment, then exchanged glances.
– Shouldn’t we go… train, now?
– Let’s go. Right now.
– Hey, want to spar with me for the first time in a while?
– Sounds good. Get a room.
And with that, they swarmed off to the training rooms and cultivation rooms.
In an instant, the hall was left empty, while only the principal and vice principal remained in place.
The principal had one hand raised, covering the area around his mouth, as if he were lost in deep contemplation.
“Hmm…….”
Then, when his gaze met Kang Byeol’s, he offered praise in a gentle tone.
“You’ve worked hard, Student Kang Byeol. You must be tired, so go in and get some rest.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Kang Byeol gave a small bow and left her spot.
Just as the principal said, fatigue seemed to be catching up with her. Her steps were sluggish and dragging.
But the next moment, as if she had remembered something she’d forgotten, she spoke to me.
“Come by around the weekend. I’ll have them ready.”
“Yes, senior. Please get some rest.”
By “have them ready”, she meant the crow-trade statues I’d asked her to make.
It seemed she was well aware of her duties as a sculpture slave.
Since I’d probably be back by the weekend after clearing this dungeon, I could just visit her then.
“Should I take this chance to get some materials too?”
There was already plenty lying around, so I briefly considered taking some and feeding them to the Greedy Material Selection Ticket.
But I soon dropped the idea.
“There’s no need to drag the future forward.”
It wasn’t as if I’d only be asking her to make one or two statues in the future, and using them up just to gain a bit of experience faster would be a waste.
If I looked around, there were plenty of other places to source materials anyway.
So I waved her off as she left.
“Hmmm…….”
The principal was still covering his mouth with one hand, letting out low hums as he admired the statue.
At that, the vice principal stepped closer and abruptly grabbed his hand, pulling it away.
The revealed mouth was stretched into a wide, slack grin, the corners nearly reaching his ears.
Disdain filled the vice principal’s face, while the principal who was utterly oblivious kept blurting out his admiration.
“Wow, it’s really made incredibly well.”
“You like it that much?”
“Of course I do. It’s my statue.”
Since every student who uses the training center from now on will be affected by the statue’s effects, it’s bound to leave a strong impression as well.
If I had to give it a nickname, something like “Boost Principal” would fit.
Not exactly stylish, but one way or another, he’s definitely left a mark.
Pointing at his highly idealized statue, the principal said to the vice principal,
“Honestly, doesn’t it look exactly like me?”
“Please, have at least a shred of conscience.”
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