I repeated a question I had asked before.
“Are you planning to challenge it?”
“I’d like to, but the circumstances won’t allow it.”
The principal gave a bitter smile.
Even with a strategy guide, he knew the chances of pulling it off were close to zero.
Recruiting the right people is the first hurdle.
You’d need to gather S-rank individuals to match the dungeon’s capacity, but most of them are tied to organizations. Like the chairman of the Hye-seong Group or the Thunder Lord.
If they leave their positions and enemies strike during their absence, the damage would be disastrous.
Especially now, when dragons are flying around, the risks are even greater.
Even if you manage to clear the S-rank dungeon, it’d likely just break even or worse, be a loss.
And there’s no guarantee of a 100% clear either.
The dungeon is so difficult that there’s a chance party members might not be able to live up to the strategy.
If that happens, you could walk away with nothing but injuries… or even lose your life. How many S-ranks would willingly take on that kind of risk?
Even those close to the principal and even former comrades wouldn’t find it an easy decision.
I pressed further.
“Then why do you need the strategy guide?”
“There’s something I’m curious about. I probably won’t need the full guide.”
Well, it is far too valuable to hand over in exchange for a simple skill demonstration.
I gave a small nod.
“What number dungeon is it?”
“Number 6.”
No. 6 Scylla.
A dungeon composed of six rooms in total.
The participant limit is also six.
Each room contains its own trial and enemies, and the overall difficulty is fittingly brutal for an S-rank dungeon.
One unique feature of this dungeon: in each room, one party member must stay behind.
So the second room is tackled with five people, the third with four, and when the final person enters the sixth room, boss monsters appear in all rooms simultaneously.
Defeat them all, and the dungeon is cleared. Fail, and it’s over.
The key is deciding who stays behind and when.
Each room has a different nature, which naturally means certain classes are better suited for specific challenges.
At first glance, it might seem like you could simply leave one person behind in each room as you go. But in reality, it’s not that simple.
You also have to consider party balance.
For example, if you leave behind your supporter, you’ll have to continue without buffs. If you leave behind your tank, you’ll have no front-line defense.
If you get caught off guard in that state, the entire strategy could fall apart.
On the other hand, if you just leave someone at random, it throws the team’s survival and the outcome of the boss battle into uncertainty.
It’s a dungeon that forces you to make critical decisions at every step.
The principal scratched the back of his head.
“I challenged it back when I was still active. You’ve probably figured it out by now. But yeah, it didn’t go well.”
“How far did you get?”
“We made it to the boss battle, but not long after it started, two of us went down. We had no choice but to retreat there.”
Thanks to quick action, no one lost their life, but the injuries were severe enough that it required a long recovery period.
And the cost of withdrawing midway was enormous, so there was never a second attempt.
Staring out the window, the principal spoke quietly.
“…I still don’t know where it went wrong. Back then, I thought everything was perfect.”
The two who were taken out were only the result. There had to be a different cause.
I replied in a calm tone.
“Diagnosing the issue wouldn’t be too difficult. But…”
“But?”
“I just wanted to ask…do you really want to know?”
It happened a long time ago, and there’s little chance of a second attempt.
Is there any real need to dredge it all up and assign blame now?
It would definitely have a negative impact on the relationship between him and his party members.
“……”
The principal fell silent with a stiff face.
He had been so focused on his curiosity that he hadn’t considered the consequences.
Then he let out a deep, heavy sigh.
“…Maybe ignorance is bliss. Forget it.”
“You can ask something else, if you’d like.”
“No, it’s fine. At the very least, I’ve let go of my regrets.”
In other words, he’d treat our earlier exchange as the price paid.
That, and perhaps the mood had been soured a bit too.
Perhaps eager to just demonstrate the skill and send me on my way, the principal rose from his seat.
I had no complaints about how smoothly things were going. But still, there was something I wanted to say.
“Someday, I’ll be able to give you an answer. In a better way.”
“…A better way?”
Not long after, a flicker of realization passed through the principal’s eyes as he caught the meaning behind my words.
I nodded and replied.
“Because one day, we’re going to take on that challenge too.”
***
S-rank Heroes can’t just go showing off their powers wherever they please.
There are always eyes watching, and there’s a risk of buildings collapsing or the terrain changing from the aftermath.
So we moved to the staff-exclusive training room.
It’s sturdy enough to withstand multiple blows from an S-rank Inferno Fist.
After placing me somewhere safe, the principal took his place at the center of the room.
Drawing a golden holy sword, he asked,
“One demonstration enough?”
“That’ll be more than enough.”
“Alright. Watch closely.”
He began gathering mana.
His entire body gradually became enveloped in a golden glow, and a resonating hum filled the air like a swarm of bees.
Wuuuung…
Once everything had reached its peak, the principal drove the holy sword into the ground.
A golden shockwave spread out, sweeping across the training room.
Whoooooooooooosh—!
Though nothing could be seen with the naked eye, I kept my gaze fixed firmly on the center of the room.
Eventually, the golden light faded, and the principal retrieved his sword.
“That enough?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Not sure what it’s for, but if it helps, go ahead and use it.”
Of course I’ll use it well.
Just as I expected, while the principal was preparing his powerful skill, the trait had activated.
I had already completed both the copy and the locking processes.
[Activated ‘Copy-Trait’.]
[The target’s trait ‘Circulation Ring (S)’ has been registered to the slot.]
[Activated ‘Locking Pin’.]
[‘Circulation Ring (S)’ has been locked.]
▷Copy-Trait [3/4]
1. (None)
2. Time Resistance (S)
3. Pain Delay
4. Chain Explosion (S)
[Traits]
▷Sovereign’s Crown
▷Self-Generation (S)
▷Circulation Ring (S)
The three traits soon merged, and a notification message appeared.
[You have acquired ‘Great Sage’s Ring’.]
Immediately, a change occurred within my body.
Several rings formed around my [Core], resonating with one another as they supplied mana.
It felt even more abundant than when I had just reached A-rank.
The first effect is the rank bonus.
Like [Sovereign’s Crown], it grants bonuses to all skills/traits related to mana control.
The second effect is increased mana recovery speed.
Even without rest or meditation…no, even during combat, it regenerates on its own.
A trait specialized for prolonged battles.
Since it’s unranked, the Fixed Zone will have little to no effect on it.
And the third, most important effect is—
Greatly increased mana cultivation efficiency.
More than double the original rate. Perhaps even three to four times higher if the environment is favorable, like in a special training chamber.
Add in elixirs or hidden pieces like Poison Serpent Core here and there, and mana will accumulate at a terrifying speed.
Then hitting S-rank in second year wouldn’t be a stretch.
No matter how many hidden pieces you gather, time is always the bottleneck.
But with this trait, that time could be significantly reduced.
Not just for me….for everyone.
Now I need to share this.
▷Shared Traits [2/2]
1. Distortion
2. Poison Immunity
Unlike the [Bond] slot, which is practically fixed for life,
The [Shared Traits] slots can be changed at will.
But there’s no reason to remove the current ones.
The ones I have now are already borderline overpowered.
And the cooldown is long too.
It’s not measured in hours. It’s measured in weeks.
So rather than replacing a slot, aiming to add a new one would be the better option.
It’s about time it came out.
Most likely as a reward for next week’s duel battle or the final exam side quest.
Once I get an extra slot and share [Great Sage’s Ring]—
Hong Yeon-hwa will ll hit A-rank in no time.
***
The weekend marked the end of Strategy Battle Week.
Seo Ye-in and I contacted the Hye-seong Group.
It was to inform them that she had learned a new skill.
Beyond the crystal orb, the Underworld Dragon King looked visibly pleased.
– That’s a skill even the Chairman couldn’t learn. As far as I know, you’re the first human to acquire it. You’ve finally done it, young monarch.
“The Great Sage said he made an exception in honor of his old friendship with the Meteor Dragon.”
– It’s been quite some time, but it seems he still hasn’t forgotten. Someday, they’re bound to meet again.
The Underworld Dragon King nodded with a pleased expression.
Seo Ye-in who was resting her head on my lap added a word.
“We gave him a lot of statues.”
– Of course, that’s not a skill you can get through friendship alone. I trust you made thorough preparations, young monarch.
“He gave everything to me.”
– He gave up his own deal?
“Mhmm.”
– I see. I thank you once again.
“Rather than splitting things halfway, it’s better to make at least one thing solid.”
– I agree. In any case, we owe you. The Chairman will likely want to repay the debt as well. If there’s something you want, speak up.
This was something I’d already thought through.
I had considered trading a “Blink-derivative skill” with the Great Sage Crow, but with the Underworld Dragon King, there’s no need for that.
Because their domains are completely different.
Just as a blacksmith works with metal gear while a jeweler handles gems and accessories—
The Great Sage is a master of space magic.
And the Underworld Dragon King is a master of time magic.
So I smiled and said,
“I’d like you to craft a time-related item.”
– That’s no simple request. But it’s not entirely impossible either. What kind of item, exactly?
“The ‘minute hand’.”
Currently, I own the following time-related items: [Golden Gear], [Golden Second Hand], and [Hour Hand of Regret].
If I can just obtain the minute hand, I’ll have the full set of needles.
On top of that, if I raise [Greedy Material Selection Ticket] to S-rank and exchange it for a Body Frame, I’d say I’m already more than halfway done.
The Underworld Dragon King gave a nod.
– It’ll take some time. Come collect it when it’s ready.
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