Chapter 522: It’s Easier to Ask for Forgiveness Than Permission Part 1

Slot Plus.

It’s a universal slot expansion item. As long as it’s a slot-type skill or trait, it can add one slot without any restrictions.

It’s also an item that’s notoriously hard to obtain, so I had half given up and was considering alternative methods.

And yet, Lucky Charm just casually pulled it out.

“……!”

“……!”

Maybe that’s why everyone looked visibly stunned.

They stared at Seo Ye-in’s hand like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

Then, regaining my composure, I said,

“Let’s talk outside.”

“That would be wise.”

We stepped through the teleportation portal before the dungeon completely collapsed.

As soon as we emerged, Dang Gyu-young covered us with her shadow.

After checking that no patrolling disciplinary officers or staff were nearby, she took the lead and cleared the path.

We walked silently for a while, until Dang Gyu-young glanced back at Seo Ye-in and let out a wry laugh.

“Seriously, your luck is unreal.”

“She’s not called lucky charm for nothing.”

“Even knowing that, it still surprises me. So, what are you planning to use it for?”

Everyone turned their attention to me, waiting for my answer.

Hong Yeon-hwa, in particular, had her ears perked up with excitement.

There are three main options.

[Shadow Extraction], [Copy], and [Bond] slots.

First, I compared Shadow Extraction and Copy.

Copy is slightly better for now.

Because I could gain skills or traits equivalent to A or even S-Rank.

It would instantly boost my fighting power in leaps and bounds.

But in the long run, Shadow Extraction has more potential.

Copy is effectively capped at S-Rank.

As of now, I still don’t know whether EX-Rank skills even exist or if they can be copied.

If my hunch is right, chances are they can’t.

On the other hand, Shadow Extraction has the potential to go far beyond that ceiling.

It’s a unique skill, and it also has synergy with Dang Gyu-young’s other skills, traits, and gear.

As for the slot placement, I can just use a Locked Pin.

Locked Pins were rare items in their own right, but they were definitely less scarce than Slot Plus.

And since I already had a spare one on hand, there’s no urgency.

So, Copy is out.

Next, I weighed Shadow Extraction against Bond.

Expanding Shadow Extraction is a bit easier.

Because I could make use of the Necromancer hidden piece.

I’d most likely have to strike a deal with the principal, but that’s still easier than acquiring another Slot Plus.

Of course, the difference in difficulty wasn’t the deciding factor here.

The real question was something else entirely:

Which one offers the greater boost in overall fighting power?

Do I raise Dang Gyu-young’s individual ceiling?

Or do I add another person to the Bond network?

The benefit of the latter is limited, for now it only means Hong Yeon-hwa gets to share two traits.

And even though those two traits are essentially S-Rank, that’s still the extent of the immediate gain.

Other party members wouldn’t benefit just yet.

At least for now.

But long-term, that changes.

With Bond’s Shared Trait feature, any member can register traits, not just me.

Right now, we’re limited by the number of slots, and everyone’s still developing, so I’m prioritizing my own traits.

But eventually, traits from Dang Gyu-young and Seo Ye-in will be shareable too.

And as for Hong Yeon-hwa, she was basically a lottery ticket with a guaranteed win. By giving her a slot early, I could accelerate her growth and bring forward the time she can start sharing her own traits with the team.

When I explained this, Dang Gyu-young nodded with understanding and tilted her chin.

“Sure. I’ll expand mine some other way. I still need more practice managing two of them anyway.”

Hearing that, Hong Yeon-hwa’s face lit up with joy.

She’d secretly been worried that she might have to wait for the next opportunity.

Eventually, we made it out of the dungeon building without being spotted.

It was a bright sunny daytime outside, and the campus was full of students coming and going.

We couldn’t exactly perform a Bonding in front of everyone, so we moved to a more secluded spot.

[Activated ‘Slot Plus’.]

▷ Bond [2/3]

1. Dang Gyu-young

2. Seo Ye-in

3. (None)

I shared the system message so everyone could see it.

Then I turned to face Hong Yeon-hwa and asked,

“You sure about this?”

“Mhmm, I’m sure.”

She replied clearly, with a serious expression.

That was more than enough confirmation, so I was just about to initiate the Bond when a thought suddenly occurred to me. I asked,

“By the way, how did you convince your sister?”

“My… sister…?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t seem like she’s too fond of me.”

While she was all-in when it came to supporting Hong Yeon-hwa’s growth, it was pretty obvious she wasn’t thrilled about the romantic vibes between us.

Most likely, she was worried that dating might cause Hong Yeon-hwa to fall behind in the race as a promising student or that she might lose ground to rival factions.

And now, we were about to be bound by a powerful contract?

I seriously doubted Hong Yeon-hwa’s sister would take that lightly.

Sure enough—

“I… haven’t told her yet…”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s pupils shook wildly from side to side.

She’d been so focused on her own decision that it hadn’t even occurred to her.

I watched her for a moment, then said,

“You should at least talk to your family first. This isn’t a light contract.”

Since it can’t be undone, it’s basically the same as entrusting your future to the Monarch.

Even Seo Ye-in, who does everything her own way, had gotten her parents’ permission first.

Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to come to the same conclusion. Slowly, she nodded up and down.

“Mhmm… I’ll talk to them. Unnie… and my dad…”

“Want me to come with you?”

It’s only fair that I ask for their blessing too.

And showing up together might help convey how serious I am.

Hearing that, Dang Gyu-young’s eyes curved into a playful smile from the side.

“Mhmm, go with her and ask for permission like this. Father-in-law! May I leave an indelible mark on Yeon-hwa’s body?!”

“Your choice of words is a bit questionable.”

“You said it to me too.”

Seo Ye-in chimed in.

“He said it to me as well.”

“You two sure get along well at times like this.”

Well, I guess there comes a day when I get hit with a combo attack from Team Sloth-Qyu.

I shook my head and turned to face Hong Yeon-hwa, whose face had turned bright red.

“So, what do you think? Want me to come with you?”

“No, it’s fine…”

“Just ignore them. They’re just messing around.”

“It’s not that… I just think I’d be more comfortable talking to them alone…”

“Alright. If you change your mind later, just text me.”

“Okay.”

We decided to postpone opening the box for now.

And with that, we sent Hong Yeon-hwa back to the Ruby Magic Tower.

***

Hong Yeon-hwa stood hesitating in front of the clubroom door.

By now, it felt as comfortable as her own home, but today for some reason it felt strangely unfamiliar.

Thinking she couldn’t keep doing this, she took a deep breath to calm herself.

…Okay, let’s go in. Go in and talk.

But even then, it took her several more tries of the same hesitation before she finally managed to grab the doorknob.

She opened the door just a third of the way, peeked her head in, and scanned the room.

Inside, a meeting was in full swing.

Hong Ye-hwa and the second and third-year members were sitting together, deep in discussion.

– Not many promising students among the new freshmen…

– I heard some promising ones are joining Sapphire Tower, though…

That was roughly the gist of what she overheard.

Apparently, there weren’t any particularly outstanding second-years this year, so once they became third-years next year, the influence of the Ruby Tower club might weaken.

It didn’t help that the incoming first-years also didn’t seem especially impressive.

On the other hand, the rival club… the Sapphire Magic Tower was expected to welcome a new freshman. It was Han Gyeol-eul, the younger sister of the current third-year Han Gyeol-woo.

Apparently, she had talent that surpassed even her sister’s, and she was already being considered a promising student.

However, the expressions of the Ruby Tower members weren’t all that grim.

After all, as long as they had Hong Yeon-hwa, the wielder of Aqua Flame, no matter what tricks Sapphire pulled, they could never surpass Ruby.

As the meeting continued, Hong Yeon-hwa quietly made her way to a corner of the room and sat down.

That, in turn, caught Hong Ye-hwa’s attention.

She’s… sitting quietly?

Normally, she’d dive straight onto the couch, whether there was a meeting or not, and regardless of who else was in the room.

But today, she was acting unusually cautious, like a guest in someone else’s house. She kept glancing around, carefully gauging the mood.

Hong Ye-hwa sensed it immediately.

Something’s up.

And it didn’t seem like something minor, either.

So after the meeting ended, Hong Ye-hwa took her little sister into the club president’s office.

And the moment the door shut, her eyes narrowed into a glare.

“Hey, Hong Yeon-hwa. What is it this time? What kind of trouble did you get into?”

“Trouble?”

“You must’ve done something! Why else would you be acting like this?!”

“I didn’t do anything, okay? Everything went fine. What trouble…”

Grumbling, Hong Yeon-hwa pulled out the Book of Chaos and handed it over.

After accepting and putting it away, Hong Ye-hwa continued her interrogation.

“If it’s not trouble, then what? Don’t even try to deny it. It’s written all over your face.”

“What about my face? There’s nothing wrong with my face. Seriously…”

But to anyone looking, her expression was suspicious, no doubt about it.

She had the exact look of a puppy who just got caught chewing up their owner’s favorite shoes.

Hong Ye-hwa almost pressed her harder but held back.

“Haah… Just tell me. I won’t get mad.”

“…Really?”

“Mhmm. Really.”

Of course, it wasn’t the first time Hong Ye-hwa had made such a promise.

And if you looked back, there were more times she hadn’t kept it than she had.

Even so, Hong Yeon-hwa decided to muster up the courage.

But… where do I even start?

Her thoughts instantly turned into a jumbled mess.

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Opened it again, then closed it once more…and kept repeating the cycle over and over.

Watching this, Hong Ye-hwa’s anxiety steadily grew by the second, but because of the promise she’d made earlier, she did her best to keep it in check.

At last, Hong Yeon-hwa looked her sister straight in the eye and dropped the first bomb.

“Unnie.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m not going to be the Ruby Tower Master.”

“Wh-What?”

Whoooosh!

Flames erupted from Hong Ye-hwa’s entire body, and molten lava began to drip from her hands.

Like that, she started walking toward her sister, one step at a time.

Normally, Hong Yeon-hwa would’ve been terrified and backed away but not this time.

She kept a serious expression and stood her ground.

“I thought about it a lot before deciding.”

“If you’re not going to be the Tower Master, then what are you going to do?”

The question had barely left her lips before Hong Ye-hwa sucked in a sharp breath.

She’d realized something.

With wide startled eyes, she stared at her sister and asked again.

“…Don’t tell me…you’re going with Kim Ho? No, right? Tell me you’re not.”

“I am. Kim Ho.”

“You what?! Hong Yeon-hwa—!”

Kaboooom!

A fiery explosion tore through the club president’s office.

Hong Yeon-hwa barely managed to throw up a barrier in time and shouted,

“You said you wouldn’t get mad! You said it! You said you wouldn’t!”

“Do I look like someone who’s not mad right now?!”

“Ugh, whatever! Kim Ho’s a Monarch!”

“…What?”

It was something she hadn’t realized. So Hong Ye-hwa froze for a moment.

Then, she carefully retraced her memories and lingering questions up to now.

“If he’s a Monarch… that does explain a lot. So?”

“So, a bond with him—”

“Ab. So. Lute. Ly. Not.”

Hong Ye-hwa pronounced each part clearly and firmly.

She had some knowledge about Monarch bonds, too.

“Even adults don’t do that lightly, and you? A first-year?”

“I can do it early if I want!”

“No. I’m telling you….you’ll regret it. And you can’t even undo it! It’s seriously dangerous!”

“I said I won’t regret it! It’s not dangerous!”

Even though Hong Yeon-hwa insisted several times, Hong Ye-hwa remained unyielding.

She shook her head and said,

“Hanging around him is one thing, but this? I can’t allow it. Over my dead body.”

“Come on, unnie!”

“I said no, and that’s final. Get out. I need to clean up.”

“……!”

Frustration built up in Hong Yeon-hwa until it felt like she might explode. Her fists clenched and unclenched over and over.

Maybe that’s why—

She curled one side of her lips into a smirk and said something she didn’t truly mean.

“It’s already done. The bond.”

“…What?”

Hong Ye-hwa’s face went pale.