051. Live Gate Training (2)
051. Live Gate Training (2)
Contrary to my expectations, Im Ga-eul's squad had come together in a solid composition: two Damage Dealers, one Tank, and two Supports.
If Gukbap, our Tank, hadn't been here, the party composition would've been a wreck,
but since she'd joined us first and laid the foundation for the party, we'd managed to pull together a decent lineup.
'It would've been even better if the last member was a Healer... but eh, I can't complain.'
There was one thing I hadn't expected, though—
the other Support besides Im Ga-eul turned out to be someone I knew.
A guy whose name was already hazy by now.
I was pretty sure it was Kim Something-or-other.
"Boss—!!!"
He was one of the male quota students I'd been in a squad with during basic training.
I gave him a half-hearted nod.
"...Yeah, well, good to see you, but what's with that thing?"
I jerked my chin at the huge backpack strapped to his back.
"Ah, this? Heh heh, call it our own little survival strategy."
"Survival strategy?"
The quota guy nodded with a proud look on his face.
"Yeah, you know me and Cheol-hyeon are kind of lacking in combat ability, Boss."
"Kind of...?"
"W-Well, anyway! So we figured we couldn't cut it on ability alone."
"So you're doubling as Porters?"
"Yeah. We thought about it a lot after basic training. The way people look at quota students has changed a lot thanks to you, Boss, but that didn't magically give us skills we never had."
Oh-ho. When I first saw this guy, I'd pegged him as totally useless, but he'd taken a pretty decent turn.
I privately reassessed him with some admiration.
Naturally, my party had subspace storage, so I wasn't about to recruit him,
but no party in their right mind would turn down a guy who doubles as a Support or Healer and a Porter.
'A Porter who can use skills is a rare find.'
"Good thinking."
I nodded.
"Jin Yu-ha, who's this? Someone you know?"
As the quota guy and I exchanged greetings, Lee Yu-ri, who was standing next to me, asked.
"Ah, a quota guy from basic training."
"Oh, from the finals back then! That Support guy?!"
When Lee Yu-ri put the pieces together and showed recognition, the guy stiffened into a rigid posture and bowed his head.
"Yes! Greetings, Gukbap! I've heard a great deal about you from the Boss! I'm Kim So-hun, a Support!"
Lee Yu-ri's face flickered with bewilderment.
"...G-Gukbap?"
"Yes! The Boss drilled it into my ears so much I've got calluses—when you're on the same side, nobody's more reliable, but when you're the enemy, you can never let your guard down! Gukbap!"
At words that could've been a compliment or an insult, Lee Yu-ri's expression twisted oddly.
"Fufu. Everyone seems to be getting along so well—how nice~♪"
As we squad members chatted amongst ourselves, Im Ga-eul, who'd been watching from behind us, smiled serenely.
"No, are you insane—. A party with two men...?"
But whenever five people gather, there's always one who has to kill the mood.
"And what's all this, you think gate training is a game?!"
Choi A-ram stepped forward and snarled at us.
"You're a bunch of first-year brats who just got here, and you've got no idea how dangerous this training is—acting like you're at a damn party! Huh?!"
The Problem Child had been held back, so she was in the same first year as the rest of us.
Still, she seemed determined to show she'd spent an extra year here, acting like a senior and trying to lay down the law.
"...Boss, who's she, though? If she's here, isn't she a first-year cadet like us? But the way she's talking, like she's our sunbae or something..."
The quota guy, still oblivious to the situation, glanced sideways at her and whispered.
But his voice must have been louder than he thought, because it apparently reached the Problem Child's ears.
Choi A-ram's face flushed red with humiliation.
"...Why you son of a—!"
Just as she was grinding her teeth and about to scream something.
Clap—!
"All right~ everyone. Now that we've formed our squads, shouldn't we go see the Chairwoman?"
Im Ga-eul clapped her hands, settling the situation.
Choi A-ram, who'd been fuming and at a loss for words, glared at us and then whipped her head away.
'Mm, I was hoping to shut her down with a dose of reality, but too bad.'
We followed Im Ga-eul to see Chairwoman Rina.
Chairwoman Rina slowly swept her gaze over us, then flinched the moment her eyes landed on me—her eyebrow twitched.
Then she called me over.
"...Jin Yu-ha."
"Yes?"
"...What in the world did you say to Seol-hee?"
'Hm, to the Instructor? I'm pretty sure I didn't say anything in particular.'
When I gave her a look of genuine confusion, she burst out.
"What on earth did you spout off that had her acting like she'd die if she didn't wring another Subspace Tattoo out of me—like she was ready to eat me alive, I tell you!"
Chairwoman Rina's eyes brimmed with sheer indignation, like an elementary schooler told to stay after school for homework.
An appearance that, no matter how you looked at it, kept making you forget she was an adult.
'Ah, did the Instructor give her flak about getting Gukbap a Subspace Tattoo this time?'
I felt a little sorry for the Chairwoman for getting hounded over it, but there's no way I was turning it down.
I chuckled and bowed my head.
"I'll be in your care, Chairwoman."
"...Hrk!"
"By the way, aren't we supposed to be heading out?"
Sensing that any more reaction from her would drag this out, I cut her off mid-sentence.
At that, Rina ground her teeth audibly and turned her head away.
"...Cadet Im Ga-eul. Step forward."
Im Ga-eul, who had been staring blankly as Rina and I exchanged words, snapped to attention and stepped forward with a stiff face.
"This is a summon bell for emergencies. All second-year cadets leading a party must carry one."
"Ah, yes."
"If you press this, a signal will come directly to me. Should an emergency arise, do not hesitate to use it."
What she handed over was an Emergency Summon Bell.
Normally, no machines of any kind function inside a gate.
That meant you could only use magic tools, and this was, as you'd expect from Velvet Academy's caliber,
handing them out like candy, one per party.
"Yes. Thank you."
"And the gate you will be going to is a C-rank dungeon—the Ogre Village."
"...What?!"
When a dungeon far higher in rank than expected was assigned, Im Ga-eul's eyes widened into circles.
"Maximum clearance time is six hours. The target is 100 Magic Stones. If you meet your quota, you may return early."
"B-But...! At our level—!"
She looked back at her party members with a visibly flustered expression.
"Hah, 'at our level'? This was selected after gauging the approximate abilities of your party members. I will not entertain any objections."
Chairwoman Rina scoffed and spoke decisively.
There was no way Im Ga-eul could resist that. She had no choice but to bite her lip and nod.
"...Understood."
"Then, Cadet Im Ga-eul and party members: depart immediately."
* * *
Using the warp gate inside the academy, we reached the dungeon entrance in the blink of an eye.
And then, guided by the female soldiers standing by, we immediately entered the C-rank dungeon, the Ogre Village.
A desolate landscape greeted us, completely different from Camela Forest.
Every tree was bone-dry and withered, the ground so cracked that with every step the sand crumbled beneath our feet with a rustling crunch.
"Th-This is insane... Why the hell would they shove us into a C-rank dungeon, not even a D-rank...!"
Just a moment ago, Choi A-ram had been posturing with a stiff attitude as if she were our senior.
"And with two fucking men in the party too... Th-This can't be happening...!"
As if her earlier bravado had never existed, she clutched her pink hair in both hands and trembled violently.
"C-Could this be a conspiracy to kill me...? Because I got held back, because I'm completely useless. So they're just going to take care of me now..."
Choi A-ram had started spinning ridiculous little stories all on her own.
Im Ga-eul was flustered as well, but she was doing her best to assess the situation coolly.
Chairwoman Rina.
Contrary to her adorable face—the kind that made you want to scoop her up in a hug—she was an ability user hailed as the pinnacle of magic.
Nobody at the academy could disregard her.
'...And a chairwoman like that said she assigned this after gauging our party's approximate skill level. Which probably means...'
Im Ga-eul's gaze shifted to the back of the black-haired boy walking ahead of her.
'She definitely spoke to him first, like they were close.'
She'd never seen another cadet speak so comfortably with Chairwoman Rina.
'Just what is he?'
When he'd first come to find her, she'd thought he was just a cute, naive male freshman.
But now, it felt like there was something he was hiding. Of course, banking on that alone and charging recklessly into a subjugation still made her uneasy...
'...We'll just have to give it a try.'
Right. If something goes wrong, I can just ring the summon bell.
Im Ga-eul steeled herself against her agitation and fiddled with the summon bell.
That was when.
"One ogre spotted up ahead!"
*
"Gruoooh—"
Two huge tusks jutting out from below its jaw. A monster with dirt-colored skin.
An ogre.
Its frame was roughly three times the size of a human, with a belly that bulged out, giving it a sluggish appearance.
The thing was roaming around, dragging a giant axe in one hand with a grinding scrape.
"...I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. They want me to face a monster like that—I can't do this..."
Beside me, the Pink-Haired Problem Child was gnawing on her fingernails and trembling.
Even our quota Support guy was doing his best to keep a poker face, but this was truly a pathetic sight.
I turned my head to look at Im Ga-eul.
She gulped and spoke in a tense voice.
"...It doesn't seem to have noticed us yet. First, I'll use every supporting skill I can. Then we'll take it down with a surprise attack. If anything goes wrong, I'll ring the summon bell immediately. So don't worry too mu—"
"Hold on a sec."
I cut her off.
"Huh...?"
Well, it wouldn't be a bad idea to check out how strong Im Ga-eul's abilities are in their base state first...
"Sunbae. Before you use your skills, why don't you hold onto this and give it a try?"
But I just don't like dragging things out.
I pulled an item I'd packed in advance out of my pocket and handed it to her.
Taking it with a quizzical look, Im Ga-eul glanced at it.
"Huh, what's this... Th-This is—?!"
In a flash, her eyes flew wide open.
Here you go, noona.
Open wide.
"It's a M-Magic Stone?! And a highest-grade one at that?!"
Energy infusion incoming.
"Gruooh—?!"
And then, perhaps because her startled voice was too loud, the ogre spotted us.