The Weight of Trust

I sat on a bench in the academy park late at night. With a soft creak, a luxury sedan pulled up right in front of me. Cha Jiyun stepped out. She gave me a light bow when she saw me, then walked over and sat down beside me on the bench.

She began to speak but quickly fell silent, as if the words had caught in her throat. The reason she had come to me was obvious. It was the extensive knowledge about monsters I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had displayed while fighting that lich last time. She must have been desperate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enough to grasp at straws and seek me out.

"An article just went up on the internet."

I turned on my phone and showed her the article. She nodded in understanding.

Of course I knew. In my previous life playing the game, I had cleared that dungeon hundreds of times. It was the perfect spot for gold grinding...

After that, I shared every piece of information I knew about the 'Labyrinth Swamp' dungeon.

Cha Jiyun stared at me with a dazed expression.

Cha Jiyun returned home and collapsed onto her bed.

Could she really trust his information? She sat up and moved to her computer. She logged into the auction site.

On the auction site, dungeon-related information was traded for cash. Dungeons contained countless monsters and traps. If you knew what monsters would appear and what traps existed, you could build a strategy around them. The difference between entering with a plan and entering without one was like night and day. That was why dungeon information traded at such high prices.

She accessed the post she had written.

There was one comment.

Her head throbbed. The auction site assigned ranks to information sellers: Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, then Bronze. The higher the rank, the more trustworthy the information was considered.

Once you entered a dungeon, communication with the outside world became impossible. That was why you had to gather as much information as possible beforehand and build the right strategy before going in. But what if that strategy was wrong? Every hunter who entered could end up dead.

That was why you needed at least a Platinum-ranked seller before you could trust dungeon information and build a strategy around it. But Nam Doyun wasn't even a registered member here, let alone Platinum. Was it really right to trust the words of someone like that and build a raid strategy based on them?

If the information Nam Doyun gave her was wrong, the entire guild party could be wiped out because of the flawed strategy she built from it.

Going to see Nam Doyun had been far too hasty a decision.

I woke up in the morning, stretching with a big yawn. After a quick shower, I rubbed my sleepy eyes and stepped out of the dormitory. I took a seat. Beside me, Cha Jiyun was blankly staring off into the distance.

I wasn't sure whether she would use the information I had given her or not. If she didn't, I could understand why. If I were in her position, I probably wouldn't have trusted me either. But if she couldn't trust my information, she would definitely fail the dungeon raid.

Still, I couldn't exactly threaten her into following my intel. It was entirely up to her choice.

The classroom door slid open and the homeroom teacher walked in.

The teacher scanned the students.

The kids' eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Whoa—"

The students cheered. At Elphon Academy, students went on field trips once every week or two. The destinations varied—mountains, beaches, urban areas, and more. In truth, it was less of a learning experience and more like a picnic.

The teacher posted a large sheet of paper at the front. It listed the three possible destinations for next Monday.

1. Seoul Guild Tour.

2. Gangwon Province Wetland Exploration.

3. Gwangalli Area 'Dungeon' Exploration.

I glanced to the side.

Cha Jiyun looked at Jeong Hayeon, who had called her name with a dazed expression.

Jeong Hayeon walked over with light steps and wrote Cha Jiyun's and her own names under option 1. Radeon saw Cha Jiyun's name and casually added his own beside it. I needed to sign up for that one too. An attack by Demonic Humans was going to happen on option 1.

"!!!"

My eyes widened as I stared at option 1. There was only one spot left. I quickly wrote my name down and turned away.

I'd managed to sign up, but there was one problem. To stop the Demonic Human that would appear, I absolutely needed to unlock one of Nam Doyun's skills. The requirement was the Tears of Heliwood, a gem that cost a staggering twenty million won.

After ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠class ended, Cha Jiyun returned to her room in the mansion. Tomorrow was the day the Oriental Guild would attempt to raid the 'Labyrinth Swamp' dungeon. She had mobilized every connection she had to gather information, but she hadn't been able to obtain anything useful. In the end, the only thing left was whether to trust Nam Doyun's information or not.

Cha Jiyun let out a quiet sigh and made a phone call.

A young man's voice answered.

He was the leader of the party that would enter the 'Labyrinth Swamp' dungeon tomorrow.

Just as the party leader was about to end the call—

She relayed all the information about the 'Labyrinth Swamp' that she had heard from Nam Doyun to the party leader.

She lowered her head in shame.

The next day, Cha Jiyun paced back and forth in the school hallway.

Cha Jiyun kept checking her phone.

In just one more minute, they would know whether the dungeon raid had succeeded or failed. Please... it had to succeed.

Her phone rang with an incoming call.

It was the party leader's joyful voice.

She placed a hand over her chest in relief.

Cha Jiyun narrowed her eyes and looked at Nam Doyun, who was sitting in the classroom.