After that, Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa continued their rivalry, trading the lead back and forth as they made their way up to the third floor.
The overall layout was much the same as before.
A carrot machine stood at each end of the room, with a glowing cord connecting the two.
Just like before, they had to be destroyed simultaneously.
The difference was that the number of rabbits had dropped dramatically.
In their place stood all kinds of magic engineering devices, apparently prepared while the fighting had been going on downstairs.
The moment the two women appeared, a rabbit that looked to be a foreman shouted,
“Kyuit! Begin!”
Fzzzzzzzt—
At once, the magic engineering devices all around them activated. Mana gathered throughout the room, forming walls, pillars, traps, and other obstacles.
The carrot machines themselves were also surrounded by multiple layers of mana barriers.
It was essentially a fortress and a maze rolled into one.
Under normal circumstances, anyone confronted with such a sight would have hesitated for at least a moment, wondering how to break through.
But Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa merely exchanged a quick glance before immediately stepping into the magic engineering maze.
Right now, only one thing mattered to them.
I have to get there first.
I need to beat her again.
Of course, they hadn’t charged in recklessly.
Using the strategy guide, they had already memorized the locations of every trap and mapped out their routes in advance.
Fzzzt—
Song Cheon-hye drew crackling electricity into both hands and kicked off the ground.
She sprinted down the corridor at full speed, making sharp turns one after another.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Apparently triggering a trap, volleys of mana arrows shot at her from the side, but she casually blocked them with the barrier she had already deployed.
Looking ahead, she spotted a magic engineering device and the thick mana wall it had created.
Rather than changing direction, Song Cheon-hye chose to charge straight through.
Kraaaash!
She smashed through the mana wall with her entire body.
Maintaining her speed as she tore through the maze, Song Cheon-hye stole a sideways glance at Hong Yeon-hwa.
…I’m faster!
And not by a little either. She was well ahead.
Well, it only made sense that she had the advantage in anything that relied on physical ability.
Hong Yeon-hwa had switched to a pure artillery mage build long ago, while Song Cheon-hye had continued specializing as an all-rounder.
“…….”
Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to realize she had fallen slightly behind.
Apparently, she had been stealing glances in Song Cheon-hye’s direction as well.
Even so, she didn’t look the least bit flustered, and Song Cheon-hye soon understood why.
Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly came to a stop and focused her mind.
Whoosh.
In an instant, she appeared right beside the carrot machine.
Song Cheon-hye’s eyes widened.
Blink!
Before winter break, Hong Yeon-hwa had barely been able to move a single step with it, but her proficiency had improved tremendously in such a short time.
Song Cheon-hye instinctively started to cast Blink as well but stopped herself.
…Not now.
She had steadily practiced it too, and her own Blink had improved, but compared to Hong Yeon-hwa’s, it wasn’t even close.
Her casting time was much longer, while her teleport distance was less than half as far.
If I use it, they’ll compare us for sure.
And it would all be preserved in the replay.
The entire reason they were attempting this dungeon with such a small party and going for a speedrun was to prove they were superior to the other top-ranked students.
If they both used Blink one after the other, there was a good chance that would become the center of attention.
Naturally, Hong Yeon-hwa would steal the spotlight.
After working so hard, Song Cheon-hye would end up with nothing but the short end of the stick.
More than anything, she hated the fact that there would be recorded evidence.
Absolutely not!
She made up her mind.
She would seal away Blink for this entire dungeon run.
Instead, she would force her way through the magic engineering maze with sheer determination.
Lightning raged without pause, blasting open a path before her.
Kraaaack! Boom!
Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa looked not just relaxed, but downright bored.
She lit the tip of her staff with a flame, repeatedly bringing it close to the carrot machine before pulling it away again.
Then, seemingly talking to herself, she murmured,
“I wonder how Kim Ho’s doing. I’ve got so much time to spare that my mind keeps wandering~”
“.……!”
Song Cheon-hye’s body trembled with rage.
Her movements grew even fiercer as she smashed through the magic engineering devices and traps in her path.
Kraaaash!
Not long afterward, Song Cheon-hye reached her own carrot machine.
The two women exchanged a brief glance, silently signaling one another before attacking at the exact same moment.
Boom!
The instant they confirmed both machines had been destroyed, they sprinted toward the staircase.
The fourth floor is the last one.
The moment the carrot machines on the fourth floor were destroyed, every function of the Rabbit Center would be completely disabled.
Even the Combined Chompy Robot, which had been practically invincible until now, would finally become vulnerable.
He should be on his way up by now.
Luring the Combined Chompy Robot after him while pretending to flee.
If they wanted to minimize the clear time, it was far more efficient to fight the boss on the fourth floor than to climb back down to the first.
For Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa, that meant they needed to destroy the carrot machines and eliminate any remaining obstacles before the final battle began.
The fourth floor also served as the deciding round of their own competition.
The two women exchanged another challenging look.
I have to make up for it this time.
I’m winning again.
***
Bzzzt… Bzzzt…
The lights throughout the entire building flickered erratically.
At long last, even the carrot machines on the fourth floor had been destroyed.
This time, by the narrowest of margins, Song Cheon-hye had reached hers first.
Right as they finished clearing the fourth floor, Kim Ho appeared with the Combined Chompy Robot in tow, and a boss fight unfolded that barely deserved to be called a boss fight.
With the Rabbit Center’s support cut off, the battle was over in less time than it would take to drink a glass of water.
The rabbits ended up as prisoners of war.
After making them sit in a neat row, Kim Ho spoke in the tone of a kindergarten teacher.
“All right, repeat after me.”
“…….”
“We’re all friends.”
“…….”
The rabbits kept their mouths tightly shut, wearing expressions as though they’d just bitten into a bug.
Kim Ho cast a subtle glance to the side, and Hong Yeon-hwa responded by igniting a threatening blaze.
Fwoosh.
In the end, the rabbits surrendered their pride in the face of overwhelming force and muttered in tiny, reluctant voices,
“…Kyut. We’re all… friends.”
“Friends sometimes call each other by nicknames.”
“Friends… sometimes… use nicknames.”
“Starting today, we’re all Chompies.”
“…….”
The rabbits merely moved their lips soundlessly.
Even they couldn’t bring themselves to say those words.
At that, Hong Yeon-hwa without anyone even asking conjured several fireballs and began juggling them.
Fwoosh… Fwoosh…
Then, whether by accident or on purpose, she let one slip.
Boom!
It landed on a rabbit wearing a lab coat, instantly engulfing it in flames.
“Kyuuuuuut!”
The rabbit flailed and rolled frantically across the floor until the fire quickly went out, but it served its purpose perfectly as an example.
Terrified, the other rabbits hurried to speak.
“K-Kyuit! I’ll sign!”
“I… We’re Chompies from today onward!”
“Kyut! Damn you humans, call us whatever you want!”
Kim Ho looked thoroughly pleased.
He gave Hong Yeon-hwa an approving look before turning back to the rabbits with a warm smile.
“Good. Chompy, if we run into each other again, take care of me, okay?”
“…Kyuit.”
The rabbits muttered what sounded very much like a curse under their breath before turning away.
Rumble…
A vibration began somewhere in the distance, steadily growing stronger.
Moments later, a teleportation portal materialized.
They had accomplished their objectives, destroying the Rabbit Center and subduing the Chompy Brothers. So the exit had opened.
Several small boxes sat in front of the portal.
[Rabbit Center Random Box (D+)] ×4
Although the dungeon itself was only D-rank, it seemed they had received upgraded rewards for clearing it with only three people while achieving the highest completion rating.
As Kim Ho picked up the boxes, he looked back and forth between Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa.
“You all worked hard. Should we divide these up and open them later, or do you want to crack them open together?”
“…….!”
“…….!”
Both women practically had exclamation marks pop over their heads.
After exchanging another competitive glance, they answered simultaneously.
“Let’s open them together.”
“I want to open them now.”
Their contest wasn’t over yet.
***
After returning to the surface, Kim Ho’s party headed to the convenience store.
Each bought a cup of coffee before taking seats on the second-floor terrace.
They chatted casually for a while.
Then Kim Ho placed the random boxes in the middle of the table.
“Who’s opening one first?”
“…….”
“…….”
Neither woman spoke, merely watching the other’s reaction.
Finally, Hong Yeon-hwa took a small breath and reached out.
“I’ll go first.”
Since the outcome depended entirely on luck, the order didn’t really matter.
In that case, it was probably best to get it over with as quickly as possible, no matter what the result turned out to be.
Hong Yeon-hwa soon picked up one of the random boxes and pulled it in front of her.
As she lifted the lid, she made two wishes.
Please let me get something good! Or at least let her get something worse than me!
Flash!
The moment the box burst with radiant light, Hong Yeon-hwa’s face lit up as well.
With an effect this dramatic, at the very least, it probably wasn’t a dud.
A moment later, as the light faded, the item left where the random box had been was—
[Carrot Cake (D)]
▷Increases health and mana regeneration.
▷Provides a slight bonus to skill/trait modifiers.
▷Tastes better the fresher it is.
“……”
Hong Yeon-hwa’s expression immediately fell again.
The item she had received was one rank below the random box itself.
On top of that, consumable items generally weren’t as valuable as equipment or crafting materials.
In contrast, Song Cheon-hye looked noticeably more at ease.
I just need to pull a D+. Even a D would be fine if it’s equipment.
She wasn’t usually unlucky, so breaking even should be well within reach.
Soon, just as Hong Yeon-hwa had done, Song Cheon-hye pulled a random box in front of her.
She put on an air of confidence, but the moment she opened the box, she squeezed her eyes shut.
Flash!
[Carrot Cake (D)]
“……”
“……”
Everyone was left speechless.
No one had expected them to get the exact same item.
After taking another look at the item’s description, Kim Ho spoke.
“Should we just eat them?”
Besides the recovery effects, it couldn’t hurt if they helped even a little with rank progression.
The description also seemed to be subtly emphasizing that they should be eaten while fresh.
Before long, the three of them began cutting up the carrot cakes with forks borrowed from the convenience store.
Song Cheon-hye took a bite and thought to herself,
…It actually tastes pretty good.
More importantly, what were they supposed to do now?
Should they keep taking turns opening one box at a time?
Sneaking a glance to the side, she saw that Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to be wrestling with the exact same question.
But should we really keep opening them?
What if they both ended up getting another carrot cake?
It would probably be better to let the other person have the remaining random boxes, but then their little competition would end without a clear winner, which didn’t sit right either.
Just as neither of them could decide what to do,
Kim Ho suddenly looked out beyond the terrace, waved his hand, and called out,
“Lucky Charm-nim, over here!”
Sure enough, Seo Ye-in was slowly making her way toward them.
It seemed Kim Ho had sent her a message right after they finished the dungeon.
“……!”
“……!”
A sense of alarm spread across Song Cheon-hye’s and Hong Yeon-hwa’s faces.
An unexpected and formidable rival had appeared at the very end.
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