Side Quest: Dungeon Exploration Failure and Strategy (2)
Yu Seolhyeon.
She was the granddaughter of the legendary spear ghost Yu Gapryeong from Korea.
She was always surrounded by numerous children, and her elegant movements and haughty gaze suited her perfectly as a rich family's daughter.
Her grades were excellent in both practical and written exams, and combined with her beautiful appearance, her voluptuous breasts, slim waist, and long legs gave off a strong Western feel.
Due to her unique mixed heritage of East and West and the fact that she was the jade tree and jade branch of a wealthy family, she was very popular with male students.
She looked like a young lady from a soap opera drama.
Simply comparing popularity, it could be said that she had more than Jin Soyeon.
Although Jin Soyeon thought her appearance was never inferior, Yu Seolhyeon's unique decadent atmosphere and immense background had a bewitching quality that attracted male students.
"......"
Could Jinhyuk be the same?
For a healthy-bodied male student, it wouldn't be strange to show interest in a beautiful opposite sex.
But since he had known Jinhyuk for a long time, I knew how he viewed the opposite sex.
From elementary school to before entering the Union Academy, he had always only associated with Jin Soyeon as the opposite sex.
Jinhyuk had always looked at girls indifferently.
But why?
Why was Jinhyuk meeting with Yu Seolhyeon separately?
During the performance evaluation, they had no choice but to meet, but now there was no particular reason, right?
He hadn't been seen playing with other girls besides Jin Soyeon...
"Eh? Why is Jinhyuk with Seolhyeon?"
"Are they close enough to meet separately?"
"Oh? What? What? The reason Jinhyuk stayed up late at the karaoke last night was because of them?"
The students reacted with some interest.
Due to the monster extermination incident, the 1st and 16th team students were receiving a lot of attention.
Therefore, the meeting between Jinhyuk and Yu Seolhyeon was just good gossip for the other students.
"Soyeon, your ex-boyfriend is quite something?"
"......"
"Soyeon?"
"......Eh? Why?"
Kim Seoyoon let out a half-joking remark, but Jin Soyeon reacted a beat late as if she hadn't heard.
Then Kim Seoyoon had no choice but to smile bitterly in her heart.
No matter how nicely they broke up, the scene of her ex-boyfriend and childhood friend meeting with Yu Seolhyeon wasn't pleasant.
Moreover, Jin Soyeon and Yu Seolhyeon had a subtly bad relationship.
"Does it bother you?"
Kim Seoyoon nodded her head twice as if she understood.
"Yeah, seeing something like that would make you feel a bit uneasy."
Feeling uneasy, huh...
Indeed, her chest area felt a bit stuffy.
It was a bit chaotic feeling, or rather a gloomy feeling. Her heart felt tight for no reason.
I didn't know how to express this feeling exactly.
- Actually, I have a girl I like.
- She's much prettier and nicer than you.
- Now that we graduate from the academy, our school life will end, so we should try a real romance?
Suddenly.
The words Jinhyuk had said half-jokingly resurfaced.
I thought it was just a half-joke...
Was it not just a simple joke?
Did he really develop feelings for Yu Seolhyeon?
"......"
Hmm.
But what to say.
A bit, very a bit...
'It's a bit disappointing.'
Yeah, that's it.
It seems a bit disappointing.
When a girl he likes appears, he doesn't play with her as much as before.
Since Jinhyuk, who had always been by her side, was gone, it felt a bit empty.
Also, the sight of him putting Jin Soyeon behind him the moment a girl he liked appeared was a bit pitiful.
"......"
Anyway, it was something to congratulate Jinhyuk, who had always viewed the opposite sex indifferently, for developing interest in a girl.
Of course, Jinhyuk not having interest in other girls was partly because of Jin Soyeon asking him to be her fake boyfriend, but independently of that, Jinhyuk was extremely indifferent to the opposite sex.
Later, he even worried if Jinhyuk could properly date.
But.
But.
'Why Yu Seolhyeon of all people?'
As much as they had clashed from the first day, Yu Seolhyeon was a bit uncomfortable.
Yu Seolhyeon didn't seem to like Jin Soyeon very much either.
Yu Seolhyeon subtly poked at Jin Soyeon and provoked her. Honestly, she didn't seem like a nice person.
Why did Jinhyuk show interest in Yu Seolhyeon out of all the many girls?
"But is this okay?"
"What's that?"
Jin Soyeon slowly raised her head at Kim Seoyoon's casual remark. Kim Seoyoon swallowed her words for a moment. Ah, should I say this?
"......Soyeon, Soyeon. This is actually a secret."
Finally deciding, Kim Seoyoon whispered it into Jin Soyeon's ear so the other students couldn't hear.
"Seolhyeon... since middle school, there have been some rumors about her and boys."
"What?"
"It's just a rumor... what to say. Should I say she gives a little leeway to other boys who have girlfriends to seduce them? Or that she brainwashes them? Anyway, there are quite a few couples who fell apart like that."
She continued to whisper.
"But do you know?"
Kim Seoyoon raised her eyebrows slightly, glancing at the other students as if they might be eavesdropping.
"The girlfriends of the boys who were brainwashed by Yu Seolhyeon were mostly girls who didn't get along with Yu Seolhyeon."
"Then..."
"Yes, Soyeon. You honestly don't get along with Seolhyeon very well, right?"
The image of Yu Seolhyeon subtly winking at Jinhyuk like a fox flashed through Jin Soyeon's mind.
Did she do that on purpose?
"Of course, it's just a rumor, so don't take it too seriously. Anyway, this is a secret? If you tell me you heard it from me, don't say anything, okay?"
"Yeah. Got it."
Jin Soyeon nodded slightly and thought.
She knew that rumors were just rumors.
In fact, bad rumors had spread from girls who were jealous of Jin Soyeon in middle school.
But the rumors about Yu Seolhyeon were quite believable.
No, she wanted to believe they were believable.
"Hey~. Are you guys not going to the karaoke? We'll be late."
"Ah, sorry."
A male student spoke, and Kim Seoyoon answered with a gentle smile.
"Anyway, Soyeon, let's go. They might be meeting for separate reasons? So don't worry too much. If you're really worried, ask Jinhyuk later?"
"......Yeah, okay. Got it."
Jin Soyeon, who had been staring at the cafe for a moment, suddenly got up and left.
As Kim Seoyoon said, there was still no decision made.
It was unclear if Jinhyuk really had interest in Yu Seolhyeon or if Yu Seolhyeon was deliberately seducing Jinhyuk.
She would find out by asking Jinhyuk directly later.
'......I hope Seoyoon's words were true.'
Jin Soyeon thought it would be good if the rumors about Yu Seolhyeon that Kim Seoyoon mentioned were true.
After all, if the rumors were true, Yu Seolhyeon would be just like the villainess lady that appears in female-oriented novels.
Then Jin Soyeon could hate her with a clear conscience.
That villainess lady Yu Seolhyeon who was deceiving her childhood friend.
***
In a city cafe with clean interior and a subtle coffee aroma.
"Lee Jinhyuk."
Jinhyuk and Yu Seolhyeon sat facing each other.
With her arms crossed in a rough manner, she glared at me.
It seemed like my words had deeply hurt her feelings. Yeah, that made sense. After all, the fact that Yu Seolhyeon was involved in the Yeongdeung Mountain Dungeon exploration could be considered a secret, so to speak.
But a mere academy classmate suddenly talking about the Yeongdeung Mountain Dungeon made Yu Seolhyeon have to be quite cautious.
Being cautious, huh.
It wasn't a bad response.
At least it meant she wasn't taking my words lightly.
It was a necessary process to start talking about what I was going to say next.
"What are you? How did you know that my connection with the Yeongdeung Mountain Dungeon?"
"Before that, could you use some soundproof magic so that the sound doesn't leak out? There might be ears listening."
"Tsk."
Yu Seolhyeon glared at me with a displeased expression, but soon she snapped her fingers and created an opaque soundproof barrier.
Oh, clean.
It was a simple magic, but she knew how to use it well.
"Now it's done, so tell me."
"Yeah."
I nodded my head abruptly and thought.
From now on, I needed to speak a bit brazenly and firmly.
Because I had to give her the impression that there was something, so that she would start to have misconceptions about me.
"You are managing a hero team informally, right? Are you currently exploring the dungeon in Yeongdeung Mountain?"
"......"
Yu Seolhyeon frowned slightly and nodded calmly.
She didn't hide the fact that she was exploring the dungeon.
Because the dungeon exploration report had already been submitted.
And from Yu Seolhyeon's perspective, it was enough to hide the fact that she was operating the team.
"Is there something I want to propose to you regarding the Yeongdeung Mountain Dungeon exploration?"
I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a few sheets of documents.
It might be dangerous to reveal such information from the beginning, but to convince her and safely explore the Yeongdeung Mountain Dungeon, this much bait was necessary.
"......Ah?"
Yu Seolhyeon stared blankly at the densely written documents, then furrowed her brows.
It seemed like she had figured out what the content of these documents was.
"Yeongdeung Mountain Dungeon's layer-by-layer environment, types and weaknesses of monsters inhabiting it? Valid recommended equipment? Locations of traps and matters to be cautious about? What is this."
"Stop here."
I put the documents back into my bag so she couldn't read any more.
Yu Seolhyeon was momentarily stunned.
Her face looked a bit dazed.
"What was that just now?"
"The dungeon exploration manual for Yeongdeung Mountain."
"No, how? This doesn't make sense...?"
As the saying goes, it was unbelievable.
A strategy manual for a dungeon that was currently being explored?
Logically, it was something that couldn't be believed, but Yu Seolhyeon just kept her lips moving without denying my words.
Because as someone who received periodic reports on the dungeon exploration progress, she realized that the information I just showed matched what she had received.
"If you have this, it will make it much easier to explore the dungeon."
"How did you really know about these things?"
Yu Seolhyeon chewed her lips for a moment, then looked straight at me.
"Really, do you have some kind of precognitive ability?"
"......Who knows. Maybe."
I deliberately answered vaguely.
Because it was better to make her think on her own rather than saying it myself. If she thought I had precognitive ability, it would add credibility to my future actions and words.
Then...
"You have no intention of telling me, right? Then it's fine."
She swept her hair back roughly and soon started to speak in a low voice.
"Lee Jinhyuk, listen carefully."
She said it subtly.
"I don't need your help."
Yu Seolhyeon's eyes sharpened a bit more.
"Even if the information you have is completely true, it doesn't matter. The dungeon is already being explored smoothly."
"Yeah?"
"I won't ask how you found out about this fact. But, remember this."
Yu Seolhyeon leaned her face closer, and her eyes fiercely glared at me.
"It would be better not to casually spread around that I am managing a team. Got it?"
"Of course."
Warning.
Yu Seolhyeon was warning me.
If I spread useless words, she would impose some punishment somehow.
It was because I couldn't take her warning lightly, since I could actually use the power of her family.
'The power of the family.'
In fact, Yu Seolhyeon's power could be said to come from her background.
She could use the family's power more actively than SL Group's Lee Siwoo or Heogyeong Clan's Kang Daehan.
After all, she was already reporting clan business.
'I've given too much information to Yu Seolhyeon.'
To put it bluntly, if she had bad intentions, she could use the family's power to extract all my information.
Honestly, giving so much information to a person with a powerful back is quite dangerous.
But I was confident.
Yu Seolhyeon would never use such a method.
This was not some inexplicable trust or irresponsible reliance.
Because I already knew Yu Seolhyeon's character setting.
Also, through several months of observation, I had compared and analyzed Yu Seolhyeon's tendencies, personality, and behavior patterns with the character setting in my head.
And after combining all the various information I could obtain internally and externally, I had reached the current conclusion.
'Also, I have saved her before.'
There was a record of me saving her once when she was about to die helplessly to a long-armed monkey.
So, if I kept a proper line, Yu Seolhyeon wouldn't cross it either.
No matter how much Yu Seolhyeon had the setting of a villainess, she wasn't a double-faced person who would trap a life savior to suck out information.
Ah, of course, under the assumption that she didn't fall to evil.
'And Yu Seolhyeon is a person with strong talent hunger, so she won't worsen her relationship with people who seem helpful in the future.'
Thanks to the events of the past few months, she would have evaluated me positively.
Moreover, if I showed such a future-knowing appearance today? Thinking about Yu Seolhyeon's personality, she wouldn't cut open the goose that lays golden eggs.
She would maintain a good relationship and do mutual transactions.
And that was exactly what I wanted.
To properly utilize the numerous pieces of information I knew, I needed Yu Seolhyeon's background.
I would gain strength, and Yu Seolhyeon would gain information.
Since we both had tradable items, we could build a sufficiently positive relationship.
'Well, originally, if Yu Seolhyeon wanted to demand compensation after exploring the Yeongdeung Mountain Dungeon without much damage, she would have to open this much information.'
Separately from helping Yu Seolhyeon explore the dungeon, there was 'that item' deep in the Yeongdeung Mountain Dungeon.
I really wanted to retrieve that item at all costs.
Because with my current power alone, I could never explore that dungeon.
"Haa. Sorry. I seem to have spoken too exaggeratedly. Honestly, I reacted sensitively because you knew about those things."
"......"
"Honestly, the materials you showed... I'm curious about the source. Well, I couldn't just pry into it."
"......"
I listened to Yu Seolhyeon's words and secretly checked the time.
It seemed like the time was almost up.
It was a cutscene that had been repeated dozens of times in the past when I played the game multiple times.
I still remembered it.
When the bad news would be delivered to Yu Seolhyeon.
"Anyway, since I've said everything I needed to, I'll go first and check out..."
- Ring. Ring.
Suddenly, the phone ringtone rang out.
Yu Seolhyeon quickly checked inside her bag.
It was her phone's ringtone.
Ah, it's here.
"Answer it. It might be an urgent call?"
Yu Seolhyeon checked who the caller was, then furrowed her brows slightly and answered the phone.
Since a call came from a teammate who was exploring the dungeon at this time, she seemed a bit uneasy inside.
"......Hello. Yes? The academy is over. But ... why. Ah, yes?"
Soon, Yu Seolhyeon's eyes, which had been on the phone, shook non-stop.
"......"
How much time had passed since she answered the phone?
Suddenly, Yu Seolhyeon hung up the phone and sat down on the chair powerlessly.
"Are you okay?"
"......Ah."
At my words, Yu Seolhyeon slowly raised her head.
"......It's too timely to be a coincidence. You, don't tell me?"
"Who knows. I don't quite understand what you're saying, but..."
I trailed off a bit and then said.
"......Are you thinking of accepting my proposal?"