After hearing what happened in the inner world, I realized exactly where the whole “Kim Ho’s taste” controversy had come from.
It was because Dang Gyu-young’s sparring partner had been dressed head to toe in gothic fashion.
“That’s just a gear set.”
“……Wait, that’s all it was?”
“And the stats are insane too. Every piece is S-rank.”
Dang Gyu-young looked slightly deflated.
Then, as if something crossed her mind, she glanced sideways at me and asked,
“……Still, it’s not like you dislike gothic stuff, right?”
“I don’t dislike it.”
“Hmm, okay. Good to know.”
“The intent behind that question sounds extremely suspicious.”
“It’s not that suspicious. Anyway, who were those people?”
Dang Gyu-young changed the subject with impressive speed.
I decided not to dig further and answered her next question instead.
“You’ve probably already guessed to some extent. They’re old connections.”
“The ones you met while graduating over 200 times?”
“That’s right.”
“So you really are an old senior.”
I had once said I’d introduce them someday if the chance came up, and with [Invitation], that had finally become possible.
Dang Gyu-young nodded before asking again,
“If I go back in, will I see her again?”
“Probably.”
There were several other S-rank shadow mages besides the “gothic lady”. They were each the result of experimenting with different builds.
Still, for the time being, it seemed more likely that one specific person would continue greeting Dang Gyu-young rather than multiple people taking turns.
“But seriously, how do you start beating someone up the moment you meet them?”
“She probably thought there was a reason for it.”
Even if someone accepted the invitation, it was probably impossible for them to remain inside the inner world forever.
There had to be some kind of limitation.
And within those limitations, the “gothic lady” seemed to have chosen the option that would help the most.
Dang Gyu-young nodded as though that made sense.
“I did learn something thanks to her. What was that skill she used at the end? All the shadows suddenly became identical.”
“Probably [Uniformity].”
It was a universal skill and naturally useful for Umbramancers as well.
The effect was exactly what the name implied.
Once your number of slots increased and you kept registering more shadow undead, there would eventually come a point where too much variety became a liability.
Learning [Uniformity] basically gave you more options for situations like that.
Dang Gyu-young asked excitedly,
“So I could do things like four Qyu Lab Directors or four Qyu Shadow Commanders?”
“Of course.”
“When do I learn it?”
“Later. It might show up while doing Hardship.”
“What, not now?”
“Right now you should focus on other things.”
It was still far too early to worry about diversity when her number of slots was so limited.
Dang Gyu-young puffed out her lips before saying,
“Still, I did learn something after going in there.”
“You’ll learn a lot more from now on.”
Right now, the gap in strength between them was so overwhelming that she got kicked out almost immediately, but as she grew stronger, she would be able to last longer inside.
And the longer she lasted, the more she would learn.
It’ll probably help with enlightenment too.
The shadow mages, including the “gothic lady” had already walked the path Dang Gyu-young was trying to follow.
If they could pass down everything they had gained along the way, then the moment she broke through her wall could be brought forward as well.
And maybe even EX-rank.
According to the kind explanation from Grandpa Ghost Demon:
The reason the Blood Cult Leader kept sacrificing subordinates and stirring up chaos across the world was to break through the wall to EX-rank.
More precisely, he was trying to create more powerful opponents comparable to himself and gain enlightenment through life-or-death battles against them.
I had already seen some potential in that method myself, but—
I learned [Invitation], didn’t I?
My inner world was already overflowing with powerful people.
And unlike certain someone, I didn’t have to struggle and wander around searching for them. I just had to use a skill once a week.
Actually, I can probably do it even faster.
Because [Time Share] could reduce cooldowns.
Of course, right now it was more beneficial to focus on [Hardship].
Managing the cooldown of [Invitation] would probably become important once my companions gradually approached S-rank and enlightenment started carrying more weight.
Or if I increase my cooldown management methods.
If I completed the Golden Pocket Watch, or one of its lower-tier versions—
Then I’d be able to comfortably manage both skills at the same time.
The Minute Hand was supposedly going to be made by the Underworld Dragon King, and I’d already raised [Greedy Selection Ticket] to C-rank.
While I was thinking about what item to go after next, Dang Gyu-young spoke up.
“Hey, but there’s something I’m upset about.”
“What is it?”
“If it’s your inner world, then it should reflect your true feelings too, right?”
“Probably.”
“Then why is it packed full of your senior veterans while we’re nowhere to be seen?”
At those words, Seo Ye-in also poked her head out from under the blanket.
“……Upset.”
“So in the end, we weren’t even on your mind?”
“Not on your mind.”
Questions like this were best answered quickly.
The longer you hesitated, the more it sounded like you were making excuses.
So I answered honestly with the first thing that came to mind.
“I still don’t fully understand the inner world myself, but there’s one thing I’m sure about.”
“What is it?”
“There’s no way there’s only one room.”
“How do you even know tha— …Ah!”
Dang Gyu-young, who had been on the verge of sulking, suddenly brightened up.
If I assumed there were more rooms, then that meant I was at least thinking about the two of them to some extent.
She started smacking my arm repeatedly.
“Pffhahaha, you almost made me feel hurt there.”
Seo Ye-in also nodded with a satisfied expression.
“……Approved.”
Right afterward, Dang Gyu-young’s eyes sharpened like a great detective’s.
“……Next time I go in, I should look for the Qyu-Qyu Room. There might even be a gothic Qyu-Qyu inside.”
“Please stop slandering me.”
“I’m joking. Still, I am curious what’s in there. I’m definitely gonna look around.”
“Even if you find it, wouldn’t it be hard to actually get inside?”
Dang Gyu-young tilted her head at my words.
“Why?”
“Wouldn’t the senior veterans stop you? If you wander around looking for random things instead of sparring.”
“……That’s true, huh?”
After pondering for a moment, Dang Gyu-young exchanged glances with Seo Ye-in.
Then, in a solemn tone, she declared:
“From this moment on, the senior veterans are our enemies.”
“Take down the seniors.”
“We defeat them and claim it.”
“The Sloth-Qyu Room.”
The two of them had found themselves a brand-new goal.
***
With the [Invitation] experiment temporarily concluded.
Dang Gyu-young and I were summoned by the Dang Clan Head to join him for a meal.
Even though the Blood Cult’s attack had left him overwhelmingly busy, he still made time for it.
The atmosphere remained warm and friendly throughout.
That said, every now and then the Clan Head would glance at me with an awkward expression.
“Ahem……! Couldn’t you have used it a little earlier?”
Because I had revived him with [Retro Recovery] immediately after he finished leaving behind his final words, he had ended up creating an absolutely catastrophic black-history moment.
In response, I answered in a calm tone.
“It’s not like I delayed it on purpose. Still, thanks to that, you were able to express your true feelings, so I hope you’ll think of it positively.”
“Ahem! Well, I certainly am grateful for that part.”
After coughing awkwardly once more, the Dang Clan Head looked warmly toward his daughter.
Then his expression turned serious as he asked,
“No amount of gratitude would ever be enough for what you’ve done. But at the same time, I can’t help being worried.”
“…….”
“A skill that powerful must surely come with a considerable price.”
A recovery skill powerful enough to completely heal severely wounded people in an instant.
And I had used it on dozens of people.
Naturally, he was worried I might have suffered some kind of backlash as a result.
I answered casually.
“I did pay a price of my own. Still, I believe it was more than worth it.”
After all, I had massively increased my contribution to the main quest and even obtained two powerful exclusive skills.
Even so, concern still lingered on the Dang Clan Head’s face.
“Would you be willing to tell me what that price was?”
“Cooldown.”
[Cooldown Remaining: 61 Days 21:23:17]
The cooldown of A-rank [Enchantment] was twenty minutes.
But after chaining it together with [Octopus Limbs], it had been applied according to the square of the number of targets.
At this rate, the skill would remain locked even after the semester started again, but—
“I’ve already prepared a countermeasure.”
[Magic Scroll – Time Leap (S)]
The moment it was used, it could reset the cooldowns of every skill and trait.
For now, I was saving it, since I planned to stack up a bunch of other cooldowns first before using it.
The Clan Head nodded slowly.
“I see. In that case, I would like to reward you for that as well. If there is anything you desire, speak freely. Anything at all.”
The phrase “anything at all” was not something people should use lightly, yet he emphasized it even further.
That alone showed how determined he was to repay me.
At times like this, refusing would actually be more disrespectful.
So I brought up several items I wanted.
“There are a few things I need.”
The Clan Head’s eyes sharpened as he listened attentively.
“I’ll send people to investigate immediately. If it exists anywhere in Sichuan, it shall be yours. And even if it doesn’t, I will make sure to obtain it for you.”
“Thank you.”
None of them were easy to acquire, but I decided to trust in the Dang Clan’s intelligence network and financial power.
The Clan Head then moved on to the next topic.
“Would you show me the Soul Summoning Bell for a moment?”
“Here it is.”
Clink……
Perhaps recalling the fierce battle against the Blood Cult, his gaze sharpened intensely for an instant.
But he soon regained his composure and spoke.
“You may put it away now.”
“Are you sure it’s alright for me to keep it?”
“It doesn’t matter. Rather, I’d say there is no one more worthy of owning it than you.”
Despite it arguably being the greatest spoil of war, he showed no sign of greed.
The Clan Head soon looked at the two of us and spoke.
“Things within the clan have been quite chaotic lately, but I intend to enter secluded cultivation as soon as possible.”
“It seems you’ve gained some insight.”
A clue toward reaching S-rank.
He nodded readily.
“Until now, I had been trapped in lingering delusions. Because of that, there were things I needed to do, words I needed to say, yet I failed to act.”
“……”
“But through this incident, I was finally able to break free of it. It is entirely thanks to you.”
“Not at all. I sincerely hope you achieve great success.”
“Thank you.”
The Clan Head then turned to Dang Gyu-young and spoke.
“There is still much I wish to talk about, but it seems I must postpone it for now. I’m sorry.”
“Just hearing you say that already means a lot to me.”
“From now on, I will strive to become a better father.”
The father and daughter of the Dang family exchanged warm looks.
***
As we left and walked along, Dang Gyu-young quietly took my hand and spoke.
“You know how I said I was going to go by Kim Gyu-ri when I re-enrolled?”
“Yeah.”
“I think I’ll just use Dang instead.”
“Dang Gyu-ri?”
“Mhmm.”
Now that she had repaired her relationship with her family, it seemed she had grown attached to her surname again.
I understood, but there was still a practical issue.
“Wouldn’t that make it too obvious?”
“I’m willing to deal with that. Besides, I think it’ll be fine as long as I keep my abilities hidden.”
“Dang Eun-bi will figure it out.”
“I’ll give Eun-bi a heads-up beforehand.”
She wasn’t the type to go around blabbing about it, and if anything, she’d probably be happy just to attend school with her older sister.
So I nodded.
“Then go with that.”
“Okay.”
We walked side by side for a while longer when Dang Gyu-young suddenly stepped in front of me, stretched out her arms, and pulled me into an embrace.
Then, after burying her face against my chest, she spoke.
“……Thank you for coming to my family.”
We stayed like that for a long while, holding each other and sharing each other’s warmth.
Leave a Reply