Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Master of the Dungeon
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"Whoa."
Arriving at my destination, I stood there with my jaw dropped at the completely changed landscape.
A massive cave had appeared where there'd once been nothing but empty land. This was the golden dungeon, brimming with vast deposits of natural magic stones.
"Heh heh heh."
Grinning from ear to ear, I stepped inside.
Like all dungeons, this one was shrouded in darkness and an eerie chill.
I was dying to start mining those natural magic stones right away, but first, I had to clear the dungeon.
"Hmm."
Maybe just a quick look around.
As I ventured deeper, the howls of monsters echoed through the tunnels.
A chill ran down my spine, and the dungeon's thick mana pressed down on me like a physical weight.
According to my memories, this place was at least A-rank, if not higher.
Trying to solo it would be risky.
That said, it wasn't impossible, especially with one solid ally to back me up.
"Hmm. But who should I bring along?"
If Kim Jin-woo wasn't the landowner here, I could've just called Lee Seo-jun and tackled it together.
"Hire a mercenary?"
But a mercenary I could truly trust with my back...
And splitting the rewards? Who wouldn't mind that?
As I pondered, it hit me.
"Oh?"
A face flashed in my mind.
Back at the dorm, Gretel greeted me with a sausage dangling from her mouth.
"Ong-aeng."
"Gretel."
I scooped her up in my arms.
She tilted her head at my enthusiastic welcome, looking puzzled.
"You've been living easy lately, huh?"
Gretel cocked her head further, clearly not getting what I meant.
I plucked the sausage from her mouth. She stared at it longingly.
"Gretel."
Her gaze shifted from the sausage to me.
"Time to earn your keep."
"Aeng?"
Gretel wasn't a pet. She was a summon.
And she had combat abilities, like summoning wooden vines.
Now it was time for her to step up as a proper summon.
I set her down and sank into thought.
The biggest reason I couldn't use Gretel effectively in battle, even though she was my summon, was that I didn't know summoning magic.
Normally, contract summons return to their home plane when mana supply cuts off, but Gretel stubbornly refused to unsummon.
"Hmm."
A sudden idea struck me.
What if the point shop had a solution?
I opened the shop and scrolled through. One item caught my eye.
"This it?"
The description matched what I needed.
The ??? rank was odd—not a trait or skill, apparently.
"20,000 points."
I hesitated, then decided.
Buy it. Points can be farmed again, and this would pay off long-term.
A pure white light seeped into my body, imprinting the ability's usage in my mind.
"Perfect."
Then a message appeared.
Current location meant the dorm.
'Designate current location.'
"All set?"
I'd moved fast; even I wasn't sure if it'd worked right.
"Guess testing it will tell."
I grabbed my gear and headed out of the dorm to the school's private training grounds.
No prying eyes here—perfect for a quiet test.
"Let's do this."
A deep breath, then I gathered my mana.
The method was imprinted in my mind, so it came naturally.
The mana flow felt a bit off from what I was used to, though.
A summoning magic circle bloomed on the ground.
Flash! Light erupted, and Gretel popped out.
"Oh, it worked!"
I called her happily. She looked confused by the sudden change in scenery.
Then I felt mana steadily draining from me.
Not just summoning—my mana was anchoring her here.
Like borrowing her temporarily at a mana cost.
Still, it wasn't too bad; I could maintain it for over 30 minutes.
"Gretel, anything feel weird?"
She shook her head.
Seemed fine.
"Good."
Summon worked; now for unsummon.
"Back you go."
I severed the mana link.
Flash! She vanished in a burst of light.
After that, I dove into Gretel training.
The summoning gave me a reliable ally, but her power level was still low.
Time would fix that.
I also registered ownership of the dungeon on my land.
Legally mine now.
Installed pricey magic security systems to deter thieves.
Dungeon dive postponed until Gretel levels up more.
...A week flew by.
The school's painful memories faded; smiles returned.
Seats of the fallen would be filled by transfers next spring.
The second midterm was replaced by other exams and regular performance scores.
My top-tier performance scores made it a win for me.
My overall rank jumped from 13th to 9th.
Top 10 at last.
Just 4 spots from qualifying for next year's Se-mu Festival.
Top 10 is tight—built-up scores like concrete. Finals need top 2 at least.
Today, I climbed the main building stairs for Special Class.
Room 503.
Turning the corner on the fifth floor, someone jumped out.
"Boo!"
"Gah!"
I recoiled in shock.
A girl with light brown hair grinned mischievously, hands up like a ghost.
"Whoa, you scared me. What the hell?"
Choi Seo-yoon giggled at my reaction.
"Saw you coming from the window and waited."
Takes time to climb; she's got nothing better to do.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
The peaceful school vibe was back. And I didn't hate the childish prank.
"Huh? You're smiling. Knew you secretly liked this stuff."
"Shut up."
I ignored her and headed to 503.
She stuck by my side. Same team as first semester.
Inside the classroom.
I sat; then Lee Seo-jun, Shin Young-jun, and Lee Hyun-joo entered, followed by Yoon Ha-young and Yoo A-ra.
Seats filled; door slid open. Special Class teacher Park Jung-wan appeared.
"Good to see you. Class canceled last week for memorial, so two weeks since last time."
Park scanned us, then continued.
"Today's class will wrap quick. But next Fri-Sat-Sun, makeup for last week's."
I blinked. Makeup over weekend?
Park checked his watch.
"Notifications should be here. Check your smart student handbooks for the extra class details."
Everyone whipped out their devices.
"...What the hell is this?"
An episode that never happened in the original.
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Real Combat Prodigy
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Tuesday evening.
Finished practical sparring with Choi Il-hyeon. Leaning against the wall for a breather.
Slow breaths to calm my pounding heart.
"Hoo... I'm dying here..."
"Still, you've improved a ton. Not devoid of talent after all."
"...Improved? I haven't even landed a clean hit yet."
"Nah. Learning forms is slow, but you adapt fast in real fights."
Choi Il-hyeon said, eyes on his smartphone.
"Strong in actual combat, huh."
Not wrong.
Skill proficiency barely budged learning forms, but skyrocketed in spars.
Result:
22% already.
Fast progress for the time invested.
Keep sparring like this, and A-rank in a few weeks.
Am I actually talented in reinforcement arts?
"Oh, right. Personal stuff this weekend—no training."
"No biggie. Special Class all weekend anyway."
"All weekend? What's up?"
Curious, Choi Il-hyeon looked up from his phone.
"Joint terror prevention training with UK and US Sorcerer Academies."
"Ooh, sounds fun. Where at?"
"Dunno. Classified."
"Hm. Have a blast."
He grinned teasingly.
"It's training, not a vacation."
"Same diff."
Choi Il-hyeon shrugged.
"What about you, teacher?"
"Got important research."
"Ah."
His research. I knew what it was from the original.
Pretty crucial.
I nodded and stood.
"Anyway, training's done. I'm out."
"Yeah, go on. Won't see you for a bit."
"Too bad."
"...Tch. Empty words. This ain't the master-disciple bond I dreamed of."
"Says the guy training me."
"Hmph. Where else you gonna find a master like me?"
"Sure, sure. See ya."
Casual goodbye, then out of the training ground. Straight to the dorm, no detours.
Inside, Gretel sprawled out sleeping.
More tired from recent training, sleeping a lot.
But she practices magic on her own now without me. Earning her keep—adorable.
Oh, and I gained a neat ability. Came with the contract summoning trait.