Even in the world of the game, trains were an extremely common means of transportation.
Railways had been laid almost everywhere people traveled, and you could even get close to frontline fortresses by train.
Among the countless trains in operation, however, those that traveled to and from Dungeon Island were somewhat limited.
There were security concerns, and once the semester began, neither students nor Dragon Slayer Academy personnel had much reason to leave the island anyway.
So we got off at the transfer station and headed toward the train bound for Dungeon Island.
Dragon Slayer Academy uniforms could be seen all around us, and they seemed to be in a similar situation.
Groups of students chatted away in small clusters.
“Are we actually going the right way?”
“Yeah, look, there are upperclassmen over there too.”
“How can you tell they’re upperclassmen?”
“Just look at their tie pins.”
“Oh, you’re right. Is silver for third-years?”
“No, silver is for second-years. Gold is for third-years. But aren’t you staring a little too hard?”
Judging by the conversation, they were freshmen.
We glanced at them as we continued walking and approached the station attendant standing near the train.
Back in first year, it was that guy with the wig.
A huge commotion had broken out when Shin Byeong-cheol committed the deeply unethical act of stealing that wig.
The karmic payback came in the form of an electric “massage” from Song Cheon-hye.
The station attendant in front of us, on the other hand, looked completely ordinary and unremarkable.
After mechanically checking the tickets we handed over, he gestured to one side.
“Second-years are over there.”
“Thank you.”
The reason the train cars were separated by grade level was to minimize incidents and accidents.
After all, it was probably less awkward for students to sit with their classmates than to mix lower and upper grades together.
Soon, we boarded the second-year car and walked down the corridor.
As we passed by, we peered through the small windows in each compartment door.
Familiar faces appeared from time to time: Jeong Su-ji from the Emerald Magic Tower, Kang Hee-chan from the Guild Union, and Cha Hyeon-joo, the rabid chihuahua.
The moment they made eye contact with me, they immediately frowned, but I cheerfully waved and kept walking.
Eventually, through a half-open compartment door, I spotted Go Hyeon-woo and Han So-mi sitting together.
As if they had noticed us at the same time, their faces immediately brightened.
“Kim hyung, Miss Hong.”
“Hiiiii! It’s been forever!”
We were welcomed enthusiastically, so we naturally stepped inside and took seats across from them.
The next moment, a puzzled look appeared on Go Hyeon-woo’s face.
After glancing out the door, he said,
“I don’t see Miss Seo.”
“She went to Hye-seong. We decided to move separately for about a week.”
“I see.”
“And I went to visit her family.”
As I said that while gesturing toward Hong Yeon-hwa, Go Hyeon-woo slowly nodded.
Then he looked at us with sharp eyes.
“You two do seem closer than before.”
“Look at you, picking up on that so quickly.”
“Did something happen?”
“We slept together.”
I simply stated the facts without adding or omitting anything, and as usual, Go Hyeon-woo responded with a faint smile.
He already had a decent understanding of the Kim Ho Pillow phenomenon, and he had seen Seo Ye-in sticking to me countless times before.
Han So-mi, on the other hand, seemed far less immune to these things. Her lips kept silently forming the words, “Pervert. Pervert!”
I casually threw a question back at them.
“Weren’t you two hanging around with Jo Byeok as well?”
“Mhmm, the whole time!”
“What about now?”
“Went to the Disciplinary Committee!”
Although they had spent winter break together at the frontline fortress, it seemed he was traveling with the committee members on the train.
Han So-mi, meanwhile, was lounging comfortably in the compartment because she had quit the Disciplinary Committee after her first year.
The main reason was to secure more time for training.
Though I suspected that making more time to spend with Go Hyeon-woo was also a significant factor.
With a teasing grin, I remarked,
“Must be nice not having to work.”
“It is!”
Han So-mi grinned back.
If she were still on the committee, she would probably be busy patrolling the train right now.
Their job was to deal with things like intruders and students violating school regulations.
A moment later, Han So-mi looked back and forth between Go Hyeon-woo and me.
“Come to think of it, this reminds me of last year! The slot machine!”
“Haha, of course I remember.”
Go Hyeon-woo laughed awkwardly.
Back then, we had discovered a slot machine hidden at the very end of the first-year train car and decided to challenge it.
The reason, naturally, was to obtain a hidden piece.
By coincidence, Han So-mi happened to pass by and spotted us, which led to a sparring match between Go Hyeon-woo and her.
The result had been a draw after my Iron Sword was destroyed.
Of course, considering Go Hyeon-woo’s stats back then, I probably would have lost if the fight had gone on just a little longer.
Still, it bought me enough time.
Thanks to that, I was able to obtain the Dark Ice Crystal.
It was a prohibited item, so it normally would have been confiscated, but I dumped the whole thing into my mouth on the spot.
The evidence was gone, and since it happened before enrollment, the matter ended up being quietly brushed aside.
Han So-mi seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion and shot me a suspicious look.
“The more I think about it, the more suspicious it seems.”
“It was pretty suspicious, wasn’t it?”
“Mhmm!”
“Want to know the truth?”
“I do!”
Han So-mi’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
But just as I was about to speak, I hesitated.
“…No. If I tell you, I feel like you’ll go straight to Song Cheon-hye with it. Then she’ll come after me, right?”
“I won’t tell!”
“Can you promise?”
“I promise!”
“Can I trust you?”
“You can!”
“Very well.”
I slowly nodded.
Then I beckoned Han So-mi closer and whispered into her ear.
“The truth is, it really was a Dark Ice Crystal.”
“…You tricked everyone!”
“You actually fell for that? You idiot.”
“I’m not an idiot! …Huh?”
Another question seemed to occur to her, and she tilted her head.
“Then how were you completely fine?”
“I had a trait.”
The reason the Dark Ice Crystal was classified as a prohibited item was because of its penalty.
The overwhelming cold energy harmed whoever consumed it and could even take their life.
But I possessed the S-rank Elemental Resistance trait, so I was able to absorb the energy while ignoring the penalty.
Thanks to that, I created a Core from scratch and raised it to E-rank.
I shamelessly replied,
“No one got hurt, so doesn’t that mean it all worked out?”
“I guess so? Mhmm, I guess it did!”
Han So-mi giggled.
As expected, she didn’t seem particularly bothered by it.
Since things had gone this way, I decided to take it one step further.
In a conspiratorial tone, I continued,
“The truth is…”
“The truth is?”
“…You’re going to keep this a secret from Song Cheon-hye, right?”
“My lips are sealed!”
“Good. The truth is…”
“The truth is!”
I leaned in and whispered into Han So-mi’s ear again.
“…I’m going to do it again once we get back to school.”
“Break school rules? Like what?”
“For example, sneaking down to the underground floors.”
“……!”
Han So-mi’s eyes widened.
She already knew that we secretly cleared underground dungeons from time to time.
After all, there had even been a time when Kwak Seung-jae caught us and dragged us to the Student Discipline Committee office.
Still, she apparently hadn’t expected me to declare it so openly, and she looked visibly conflicted.
“That’s not okay. That’s really not okay.”
“You said your lips were sealed, right?”
“I did, didn’t I?”
“So you’ll keep it a secret?”
“That’s not okay. That’s really not okay.”
She looked torn between keeping her promise and staying loyal to the Disciplinary Committee.
At that moment, Go Hyeon-woo and Hong Yeon-hwa each added a comment.
“I intend to join whenever the opportunity arises.”
“Me too.”
Han So-mi raised an eyebrow and looked back and forth between them.
Naturally, her attention quickly settled on Go Hyeon-woo.
“Why do you keep going?”
“As I’ve mentioned before, I owe Kim hyung a great debt, both materially and otherwise.”
“But you already went into a dungeon this time and got items too.”
“That alone is not enough. The only thing I can truly do for Kim hyung is wield my sword on his behalf.”
“…….”
Han So-mi’s cheeks puffed out.
Her face practically seemed to say, There he goes again with that, “Kim hyung”.
Go Hyeon-woo appeared to notice as well and responded with a wry smile.
“Besides, it is also an opportunity to test myself against many powerful opponents. It will help my growth considerably.”
“…….”
“I hope you can understand.”
“…….”
The air slowly leaked out of Han So-mi’s puffed-up cheeks.
She shot me a dissatisfied look before speaking.
“…Then I’m coming too.”
“The more people, the better for us. But are you sure? What if you get caught?”
Just last year she had been a Disciplinary Committee member.
If she got caught sneaking into the underground floors this year, it would be an incredibly embarrassing situation.
But Han So-mi was stubborn.
“I don’t care! I’m coming!”
“If you insist.”
“To be honest, I’ve always been a little curious. What exactly you guys do down there.”
“Really? Since when?”
“Since we did dungeon cleanup together?”
The dungeon cleanup had taken place during the period when the Witch of Corruption had occupied the underground floors.
The Dark Ooblecks had been scattered indiscriminately across dungeon after dungeon, driving up their difficulty.
As a result, the Student Council deployed some of its members along with students under the Disciplinary Committee to eliminate them.
Song Cheon-hye, Han So-mi, Shin Byeong-cheol, and I were assigned as a four-person team and spent our time clearing F-rank dungeons.
We handled some of them using my methods, and since they were far faster and more reliable than the conventional approach, they must have left quite an impression on her.
It was easy enough to understand, so I nodded.
“Sounds good. Let’s continue this conversation during Strategy Battle Week.”
“Let’s do that!”
The next topic of conversation naturally turned to how everyone had spent their winter break.
As I recounted everything that had happened at the Dang Clan, Go Hyeon-woo’s gaze grew serious.
“The Blood Cult and jiangshi… They must have been formidable opponents.”
“I doubt life on the front lines was easy either.”
“Of course, it was a valuable experience. Thanks to Kim hyung, I even managed to break through my bottleneck.”
Right before winter break, I had passed the [Purple Essence Pill] I received from Kim Gap-doo directly to Go Hyeon-woo.
The intention was for him to reach A-rank Core as quickly as possible and challenge his sect’s sacred relic.
Judging by the results, that plan had worked.
A long object wrapped tightly in chains and black cloth soon emerged from Go Hyeon-woo’s inventory.
The Blood Wind Sword (or rather, not quite).
“I’m ready to break the seal whenever the time comes.”
“Good. Let’s head inside and give it a try.”
“I also completed the task you asked of me.”
Go Hyeon-woo had two major goals during winter break.
One was ranking up his Core, and the other was clearing a dungeon near the frontline fortress.
Since it was an A-rank dungeon, receiving assistance from the Sword Queen, the Fist King, or both had been a prerequisite.
“Once I explained the situation, the Fist King willingly lent his aid. Jo hyung was quite persuasive as well.”
“I see. I’ll have to thank them. What about Grandma Sword Queen?”
“She wasn’t particularly pleased at first, but I told her what Kim hyung instructed me to say.”
I didn’t need to hear the rest.
The long-distance threat must have done the trick.
With two S-rank heroes involved, securing the hidden piece during the dungeon clear could hardly have been difficult.
Han So-mi added a comment.
“Master complained about you nonstop! She kept calling you a complete scoundrel and Bandit Kim Ho.”
“Haha, even so, I’m sure the Sword Queen meant no ill will.”
Go Hyeon-woo let out a wry smile and opened his inventory.
What emerged was a blue gemstone shaped like a curved droplet.
An item commonly known as a gogok.
[Earth Gogok (jewel) (A+)]
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