[Kim Ho: (polite cat emoji)]
[Kim Ho: I’d like to make a brief announcement.]
[Seo Ye-in: ?]
[Kim Ho: Due to unavoidable circumstances,]
[Kim Ho: I’ll be doing this week’s strategy battle with a different party.]
[Seo Ye-in: No.]
[Seo Ye-in: (Absolutely against it! cat emoji)]
[Kim Ho: I’ve already asked Hyeon-woo and So-mi to team up with you,]
[Kim Ho: So I hope your strategy battle goes smoothly.]
[Kim Ho: (goodbye cat emoji)]
[Seo Ye-in: No.]
[Seo Ye-in: Come back.]
[Seo Ye-in: (wistful cat emoji)]
Leaving her with the swordsman couple didn’t exactly put my mind at ease, but for now, the side quest took priority.
For the sake of world peace, a small sacrifice was sometimes necessary.
A little later, I led Hong Ye-hwa and Song Cheon-hye to a quiet spot.
We needed to go over the briefing, exchange ideas beforehand, and decide on our roles.
I handed each of them a few sheets of paper.
“Take a look.”
The strategy guide for the dungeon we’d be entering.
As Hong Ye-hwa and Song Cheon-hye carefully read through it, a hint of surprise appeared in their eyes.
Almost simultaneously, they asked,
“We’re really going in with just the three of us… right?”
“Isn’t this a six-person dungeon?”
I answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“That’s right. Three people clearing a six-person dungeon.”
“Do we really have to go that far?”
“We don’t.”
Strictly speaking, only I did.
One of the Challenge Book’s conditions was to clear a dungeon designed for four or more people.
The reason I chose a six-person dungeon was simple: the higher difficulty came with better rewards.
Then why not pick a dungeon for seven or more?
Because once the roles split into four or more groups…
We’d simply run out of hands.
At that point, we’d have to bring along one more person.
And not just anyone, either. A skilled mage.
So this was the highest difficulty we could realistically manage while still meeting all the conditions.
Asking them for help while honestly explaining the situation would probably rank somewhere in the middle of the best-to-worst strategies.
There would likely be more situations like this in the future, and I couldn’t exactly rely on appealing to their goodwill every single time.
The best approach was to make them want to do it themselves.
All I had to do was give them the right motivation.
So I put on a serious expression and began.
“Our team took first place in last year’s final exam, didn’t we?”
“We did.”
“And you both did well on last week’s placement exam.”
“Yes. Except for losing to you…”
“I think it’s safe to say now.”
“…….?”
“That we’re among the very best in our year.”
“…….!”
Song Cheon-hye and Hong Ye-hwa both seemed to have exclamation marks pop up over their heads.
I continued.
“Of course, there are still people who won’t acknowledge that. At least not yet.”
“Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.”
“But what if we had undeniable proof?”
For example, replay footage.
If we recorded ourselves clearing dungeons under conditions far harsher than the other top-ranked students faced and doing it even more efficiently.
And if we kept building up a collection of those runs.
There would be less and less room for anyone to argue.
Hong Ye-hwa didn’t hesitate for long before answering.
“I want to do it.”
Ever since her first year, she’d constantly competed against the academy’s promising students.
The more firmly she established her own reputation, the more it would elevate the prestige of the Ruby Magic Tower as well.
And she’d be able to hold her head high in front of her older sister.
Song Cheon-hye seemed to be thinking along similar lines, but instead of agreeing right away, she narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously.
“That’s strange. You’ve never been the type to care much about rankings.”
“I have my own reasons. Is that a problem?”
“…No. I don’t mind.”
Even if our motives differed, our goal was the same.
I casually slipped in another condition.
“If we’re doing this, let’s make it a time attack too. We’ll clear it in under ten minutes.”
“Understood.”
As expected, both Song Cheon-hye and Hong Ye-hwa agreed without objection.
After that, I continued discussing the strategy guide with the two of them until they had every detail committed to memory.
Once we’d finished our final preparations, we headed for the Dungeon Hall.
The moment we stepped underground, the cave’s familiar cold, damp air greeted us.
So did the circular staircase that had long since become a familiar sight.
It stretched endlessly downward, disappearing far beyond the reach of our eyes.
This brings back memories of the first time I came down here.
The very first dungeon I cleared after entering the world of the game was No. 388, the Feathered Serpent Altar.
Since it had been an unauthorized raid, I’d had to walk all the way down to D Floor and then all the way back up again.
All while running around to avoid the Disciplinary Committee.
Those days were long behind me.
At least I’d earned authorization up to D-rank now.
After changing elevators a few times, we arrived on the D Floor, and it wasn’t long before we reached our destination.
[No. 307] [Rabbit Center]
After staring at the dungeon entrance for a few seconds, I turned to my party members.
“Everyone ready?”
“Yes.”
“What about the replay?”
“Here.”
Hong Ye-hwa held up a crystal orb.
The ten-minute countdown would begin the moment we entered, so it had to be prepared in advance.
“Good. Let’s go.”
I nodded and stepped forward, with the other two following close behind.
My vision went dark for an instant before brightening again, revealing a building directly ahead.
With two long ears sticking up from the roof, it looked unmistakably like a rabbit’s head.
Just like the dungeon’s name. Rabbit Center.
We started walking toward it.
Before long, we spotted a group of rabbits gathered a short distance away.
Naturally, they weren’t ordinary rabbits.
Each one was about the size of a large dog, and every rabbit was dressed differently.
A lab coat. Jeans and a hoodie. A tracksuit that looked just like the one our principal wore…
Among them was one particularly familiar face.
A rabbit in a neat suit, holding an oversized pocket watch.
The Clock Rabbit.
It had been the hidden boss of both Dungeon No. 336, Rabbit Room, and Dungeon No. 207, Rabbit Tower.
In this dungeon, though, it only made a brief appearance. There weren’t any hidden pieces tied to it.
A moment later, it recognized me as well and practically jumped into the air.
“Kyiiik! Y-You!”
Considering everything we’d been through in those two dungeons, it was only natural for it to recognize me.
I cheerfully waved back and greeted it with the nickname I hadn’t used in a while.
“Chompy! It’s been a long time!”
“Kyiiiiiiiiik! I told you not to call me that!”
Chompy shrieked in outrage.
I let out an exaggerated sigh, making sure to look thoroughly disappointed.
“Chompy, are you saying you still don’t like the nickname I gave you as a symbol of our friendship? That’s a shame. I guess we’ll just have to strengthen our friendship all over again.”
“Y-You…!”
Even as it trembled with fury, it instinctively backed away from me.
Watching this unfold, one of the rabbits in a lab coat asked,
“Kyiiiik? Why are you so afraid? It’s only a human.”
“Kyiiiiii! That’s because you don’t know him. He’s no ordinary villain.”
“What did he do to you?”
“He tied a rope around my neck… and threw me.”
At that, every rabbit in the room stared at me in shock.
Even Song Cheo-nhye and Hong Yeon-hwa.
This is so unfair.
Seo Ye-in was the one who put the collar on him. I only threw him.
So I replied with a gentle smile.
“Hoho… Mr. Rabbit, I think you’re being a little oversensitive. It was only a joke, wasn’t it?”
“Kyiiiik!”
The rabbits erupted in outrage.
The one in the lab coat looked even angrier than Chompy.
It glared at me and spoke.
“Kyukyut, I suppose I’ll have to teach you a lesson. Put a collar on one of us so carelessly, and you’ll regret it.”
“Kyuit, you’d better be careful. He’s evil to the core, but he’s just as strong.”
“Don’t worry about it. Stand back.”
“Very well. Good luck.”
Chompy hurried away as though fleeing the scene.
The rabbit in the lab coat raised one hand above its head and shouted.
“Kyuuik! Brothers!”
The other rabbits raised their hands as well.
Their cries varied from “Kyuyut!” to “Kyiiiik!”
The next moment, huge chunks of machinery materialized in midair and came crashing down.
Boooom!
Each one had its own cockpit, and the rabbits climbed inside in perfect unison.
Whiiiiiir—
The mechanical chunks then floated into the air, gathered together in one place, locked into one another with a series of metallic clanks, and unfolded.
What emerged, standing firmly on two legs, was a giant robot several times taller than us.
The Combined Chompy Robot, as it’s known.
Chompy himself was no longer here, but that was what I decided to call it anyway.
As was obvious at a glance, the rabbit in the lab coat was their leader.
It looked down at us from the robot’s head.
“Kyukyut, insolent humans, I’ll give you one chance and one chance only to surrender.”
“And if we don’t?”
Boom!
The Combined Chompy Robot took a single step forward.
“I’ll crush you.”
“You’re certainly fired up. But you know what happens if you can’t, right?”
“…Kyuit?”
“You become a ‘Research Chompy’.”
“……..!”
The rabbit’s face twisted with fury.
The Combined Chompy Robot finally began moving in earnest.
It drew back its fist past its shoulder before driving it straight toward me.
Fwoooosh—!
As I watched the mass of steel rapidly closing in, I thought to myself,
Two stacks of [Amplification] should be enough.
If I boosted my stats too much, I’d end up stealing the spotlight.
My objective here was the side quest from the start, so it only made sense to leave the spotlight to Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa.
[Activated Octopus Limbs].
[Activated Amplification].
[The rank of Wind Force has increased. (A+ → S+)]
[The rank of Ice Wall has increased. (B → S)]
I wrapped one hand in swirling wind and thrust it toward the robot’s incoming fist.
The result of the collision was the exact opposite of what appearances would have suggested.
Boom!
The robot’s fist was sent flying backward.
The Combined Chompy Robot staggered as it lost its balance.
Hong Yeon-hwa and Song Cheon-hye seized the opening and began chanting their spells.
A pillar of fire erupted beneath the robot’s feet while a massive bolt of lightning crashed down from above.
Fwoooooosh—!
Craaack! Boom!
“Kyuu, kyukyut!”
“Kyiiik?!”
Every rabbit looked thoroughly flustered, yet they still did everything they could to steady the combined robot.
But did they really think we’d just stand by and let them?
Boom!
Whoooosh!
I repeatedly cast Wind Force from different angles to throw off its balance while my party members unleashed a coordinated assault.
The battle had only just begun, yet the robot was already on the verge of becoming nothing more than a heap of scrap metal.
Even so, a relaxed smile remained on Research Chompy’s face.
“Kyuit! You thought you had us finished. But it’s all been in vain!”
A moment later, the rabbit-head-shaped building behind it began glowing brilliantly before firing a pillar of light high into the sky.
Fwaaaaaash—!
The next instant, the pillar of light descended onto the Combined Chompy Robot, and what had all but become a pile of scrap was restored to pristine condition in the blink of an eye.
The rabbits each chimed in as though they had already won.
“Kyuit! Go ahead and smash it as many times as you want!”
“We’ll just repair it again!”
“Kyukyut! We’re invincible!”
They shifted into fighting stances, ready for round two.
I simply nodded calmly.
“I see.”
Then my companions and I turned around in unison and started sprinting toward the rabbit-head building.
“Then we’ll destroy that first.”
“Kyuit?! Stop them—!”
The Combined Chompy Robot hurried after us.
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