Soon Seo Ye-in stepped onto the second-floor terrace.
But instead of coming any closer, she simply stood there in silence, staring at Kim Ho.
“โฆ….”
At some point, a pot had also appeared in one of her hands.
The same thought crossed everyone’s mind.
She must be mad.
Really mad.
She was practically a permanent member of Kim Ho’s party, yet this raid had been completed without her.
Even if there had been good reasons for it, she had every right to feel hurt.
Kim Ho seemed to be thinking the same thing. He walked over to her himself and spoke.
“What’s with that look?”
“โฆโฆ.”
“Come have some cake with us. It just came out, and it’s really good.”
“โฆโฆ.”
Still, she didn’t answer.
Instead, the closer he got, the higher the pot slowly rose.
The tension on the terrace steadily mounted.
Kim Ho, on the other hand, asked as casually as ever,
“Why are you so sulky?”
“โฆโฆ.”
Clang.
Seo Ye-in gently set the pot on top of Kim Ho’s head.
“Set” was honestly a more accurate description than “hit”.
Instead, she gave him one light bonk for every exchange of words.
She had probably realized that a full-force swing would never connect. He’d obviously dodge itโฆ.so she’d changed tactics to lots of gentle hits instead.
Kim Ho didn’t seem to mind that much. Even while taking the pot boinks, he kept asking questions.
“Did the raid go well?”
Clang.
“Mhmm.”
“You took good care of Go Hyeon-woo and Han So-mi, right?”
Clang.
“It was exhausting.”
“But you still took good care of them, didn’t you?”
Clang.
“I did.”
“I bet they went straight to the training center afterward.”
Clang.
“They did.”
“They’ve been busy putting themselves through hell lately.”
Clang.
“And you?”
“Me too. I treated those two well.”
Clang.
“What’d you do?”
“Remember Chompy? I went to see him.”
Clang.
“Why did only you get to see him?”
“Come with me next time.”
Clang.
“I’m hurt.”
“I know. I know. But there were reasons for it.”
“โฆ…?”
Just as Seo Ye-in was about to deliver another rapid series of pot bonks, Kim Ho leaned close and began whispering into her ear.
“โฆ….”
The more the devil’s silver tongue worked its magic, the more visibly Seo Ye-in’s displeasure melted away.
She even looked a little intrigued.
For some reason, Hong Yeon-hwa had a pretty good idea what he was talking about.
A dungeon, probably.
The raid period lasted two weeks, but they’d finished the practical evaluation almost immediately.
There was more than enough time to clear another dungeon or two.
He was probably telling Seo Ye-in that although he hadn’t taken her this time, he’d bring her along for those instead.
…Will he invite me too?
I need to work on my rank too…
I’d give it everything I’ve got if he asked…
With a mixture of envy and anticipation, Hong Yeon-hwa stole a glance at the two of them.
Meanwhile, Song Cheon-hye was thinking about something else.
Chompy?
She’d already found things suspicious from the moment they entered the dungeon.
Thinking back on what the rabbit in the gentleman’s suit had said to Kim Hoโ
– Kyiiiiiiiiik! I told you not to call me that!
– That guy’s no ordinary villain.
– Kyukyut! He tied a rope around my neck and threw me!
The two of them were clearly bound by a long-standing feud.
And where that feud had begun was obvious enough.
Another dungeon.
But as a Kim Ho replay collector and proud owner of the complete archive VIP edition, Song Cheon-hye knew of no record of him ever clearing a dungeon related to “Rabbit”.
Which left only one possible conclusion.
He snuck down there.
Not only that, but asking Seo Ye-in, “Remember Chompy?” meant the two of them had cleared that dungeon together.
If she had to guess, whatever he was whispering into Seo Ye-in’s ear right now was also about that unauthorized dungeon run.
Song Cheon-hye’s eyes sparkled.
I should be able to see it for myself soon.
During winter break, her grandfather had personally taught her a stealth skill.
She was going to make full use of it to catch Kim Ho and his group in the act, then slap them with disciplinary action and demerits.
That would settle, once and for all, who the real amateur was.
It was, in every respect, a flawless plan.
I’ll focus my patrols underground for a while.
As Song Cheon-hye busied herself running simulations and refining her plan, Hong Yeon-hwa gave her a curious look.
“Why are you smiling?”
“…Me?”
“You’ve been grinning to yourself.”
“I haven’t. You must’ve imagined it.”
Song Cheon-hye denied it without missing a beat, but Hong Yeon-hwa only looked even more suspicious.
“You’re thinking something weird.”
“I’m not.”
“Kim Ho?”
Song Cheon-hye flinched.
She quickly smoothed over her expression.
“…I said no.”
“Then why’d you freeze?”
“You caught me off guard. Why would he even come up?”
“You were looking at him while you were grinning.”
“I wasn’t grinning. And I wasn’t looking at him either.”
Fortunately for Song Cheon-hye, the interrogation didn’t last long.
Kim Ho had successfully soothed and persuaded Seo Ye-in and returned to the table.
“Thanks for understanding.”
“A generous heart.”
“Try some carrot cake. Say aah.”
Kim Ho scooped up a small bite of cake with his fork and held it out.
Each time he did, Seo Ye-in accepted it without hesitation, like a baby bird opening its beak.
Then, perhaps noticing Hong Yeon-hwa watching with envious eyes, Kim Ho grinned and held the fork toward her.
“Want some too?”
“M-Me too…?”
But before Hong Yeon-hwa could happily open her mouthโ
Seo Ye-in suddenly grabbed Kim Ho’s arm and promptly popped the fork into her own mouth.
“Mine.”
“โฆ….”
Normally, the two of them shared things and yielded to each other without much fuss.
Today, however, she had no intention of sharing.
Intentional or not, he’d gone into a dungeon without taking her, after all.
Hong Yeon-hwa understood why, but that didn’t stop her from feeling a little disappointed.
After a few more bites of carrot cake, Seo Ye-in looked completely over her anger.
As though he’d been waiting for exactly this moment, Kim Ho pulled out the random boxes.
“Shall we open these now?”
Seo Ye-in quietly looked down at them before taking one for herself and handing the other to Kim Ho.
“Here.”
“One each?”
“Mhmm.”
“Sounds good. I’ll go first.”
Since Lucky Charm herself had assigned it to him, the best course of action was to trust her, whether it paid off or not.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Kim Ho opened the random box.
Flash!
[Rank Up (D)]
“Not bad.”
He nodded in satisfaction.
Like the carrot cake, it was a consumable item but the rank increase was permanent.
In some ways, it was even more useful than equipment.
Now it was Lucky Charm’s turn.
With everyone’s eyes fixed on her, Seo Ye-in simply grabbed the lid and lifted it off.
Flaaash!
A brilliant light flooded the terrace.
When it faded, a single rolled magic scroll remained.
[Rank Boost]
Two of these were generally considered about equivalent to a B-rank-or-higher reward.
One was roughly worth a C-rank reward.
Even valuing it more conservatively, it was still better than the carrot cake.
Then Seo Ye-in added,
“I held back.”
“You can do that?”
In response to Kim Ho’s question, she tilted her head as though she wasn’t entirely sure herself.
“…That’s just how it feels.”
“What’d you hold back for?”
“Saving my luck.”
“So you’re going to hit the jackpot later?”
“Mhmm.”
“Later” almost certainly meant the higher-ranked dungeons they planned to enter afterward and the random boxes waiting there.
After all, hitting the jackpot on a B-rank reward was far more valuable than hitting it on a D-rank one.
However, Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa were focused on something else entirely.
…She held back and got a C-rank.
…I lost.
At least in that moment, both of them were noobs.
***
After some discussion, it was decided that I would receive both the [Boost] and the [Rank Up].
It seemed that neither Hong Yeon-hwa nor Song Cheon-hye cared all that much about dungeon rewards.
Then again, the support they received from the Magic Tower and the Disciplinary Committee was more than enough.
Besides, my strategy guide had played a major role in clearing this dungeon quickly and easily, so they had given me a larger share of the rewards.
[Activated ‘Rank Up (D)’.]
[The rank of ‘Diamond Freeze (D)’ has increased. (D โ C)]
โทThe next freezing effect applied becomes ‘irremovable’ for 30 seconds (20 โ 30 seconds).
โทCooldown: 8 minutes
One step at a time.
Next, I brought up the notification message.
[Side Quest: 2nd and 3rd Week Strategy Battle] (Completed)
โทObjective: Clear a dungeon designed for four or more (0/4)
โทCondition 1: Clear it with a party of three or fewer (0/3)
โทCondition 2: Party must consist entirely of mages
โทCondition 3: Clear it within 10 minutes
โทReward: +1 [Bond] slot
Since it was a challenge quest, and I’d even exceeded the objective, the reward was fairly generous.
โทBond [3/4]
1. Dang Gyu-young
2. Seo Ye-in
3. Hong Yeon-hwa
4. (Empty)
It’s a little disappointing that it’s the party size slot.
There was no one I could register at the moment.
Go Hyeon-woo was tied up with the Sacred Relic challenge, and Song Cheon-hye and Han So-mi still needed a lot more time to build trust.
Still, it’s not a bad reward.
I’d definitely use it someday, so having an extra slot was nothing but a benefit.
The fact that this time the reward was a [Bond] slot also meant…
There’s a high chance the next reward will be a [Shared Trait] slot.
They usually alternated.
Unless, of course, the need for one side suddenly increased dramatically.
Once the number of shared slots increased, I’d be able to raise everyone’s overall specs again with another powerful trait.
Meanwhile, Seo Ye-in was still glued to my side like a clingy magnet.
I spoke to her.
“Shall we make our next plan?”
“Challenge Hardship.”
[Side Quest: Stage 16 Hardship] (In Progress…)
โทClear a B-rank dungeon in cooperation with your mirror self.
This was the card I’d prepared to calm down the angry Seo Ye-in.
I’d started with, “I’d already decided last weekend that I’d be going down with you,” and spent quite a while talking her through it.
A moment later, Seo Ye-in tilted her head slightly.
“Where are we going?”
“I’ve narrowed it down to a few options, but I want to finalize the party first.”
Out of all the B-rank dungeons, only a handful could be cleared by our group alone.
Since we’d have to sneak down without anyone noticing, the number of people we could bring was limited.
If one or two more members dropped out, our choices would become even more restricted, so it made more sense to settle the party first and pick the dungeon afterward.
With that in mind, I sent a message, and before long, the second party member arrived.
It was first-year student Dang Gyu-ri.
She had the highest specs among our group, so she’d greatly improve the party’s stability.
Besides, if we were going to sneak all the way down to the deeper levels, having a guide was absolutely essential.
“Seniooor~ You called for me~?”
Dang Gyu-ri asked with a bright smile.
Her face was practically overflowing with mischief. She was clearly planning to tease Seo Ye-in.
“……”
Contrary to expectations, however, Seo Ye-in simply stared at Dang Gyu-ri.
Then she tilted her head.
“…Qyu?”
“What? How did you know?”
Dang Gyu-young was the one who flinched in surprise.
And she’d figured it out the moment she saw her.
I was just as curious, so I asked Seo Ye-in.
“You could see through it?”
She shook her head.
For a moment, I’d wondered if her eyesight was so sharp that she’d even seen through the disguise, but apparently not.
Then again, there was no way an item prepared by Dragonslayer Academy would be that easy to bypass.
“Then how did you know?”
“Instinctive instinct.”
“What did your instinct tell you?”
“Qyu vibe.”
“She had a distinctive vibe?”
– Nod
Then Seo Ye-in added,
“Deductive deduction.”
“And what was that based on?”
“You looked close.”
If she had that distinctive vibe and also seemed close to me, then the chances of her being a freshman were extremely low.
I exchanged glances with Dang Gyu-ri.
“Quite the detective.”
“I told you, she’s surprisingly perceptive.”
At that, Seo Ye-in puffed up with a hint of pride and declared,
“There is always only one truth.”
“Where do you keep picking up lines like that?”
The Underworld Dragon King was the most likely culprit.
Anyway, I explained the situation from the beginning.
We needed to clear a B-rank dungeon to complete the Challenge Hardship objective, and I was in the process of gathering party members.
Dang Gyu-ri’s expression immediately brightened with interest.
“Then I guess we’ll be seeing the chattering sloth again? It’s been a while.”
“Most likely.”
Since the objective specified clearing it “together with your mirror self”, the hologram Seo Ye-in would probably appear as soon as we entered the dungeon.
Though there was no guarantee it would be the chattering sloth.
Dang Gyu-ri nodded without hesitation.
“Of course I’m in. Who else are you inviting?”
“I was going to ask Go Hyeon-woo too.”
And while I was at it, Han So-mi as well.
Whether the two of them joined or not would have a surprisingly large influence on which dungeon we ended up choosing.
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