Chapter 17: Mock Dungeon (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: Mock Dungeon (1)
“What is this?”
I’d unintentionally skipped my morning workout for the past few days, so I headed out earlier than usual today to increase the intensity.
‘I’m not out of breath.’
Was this the effect of the elixir?
Normally, running at this intensity would have left me winded and been too much for a morning workout, but now it felt easy.
Or maybe…
I glanced at the Vitality Enhancement Bracelet on my wrist.
Was it because of this thing? To be honest, I hadn't felt its effects at all until now, but perhaps they were finally starting to kick in.
“Hahh…”
Behind me, Yu Hana, who had been keeping pace, stopped to catch her breath.
Her breathing was strangely soft.
She always looked composed, but today she seemed a little strained.
Her flushed form, heated from the workout, radiated a peculiar warmth that contrasted with the chilly air.
“Feeling good today?”
I turned my head to look at her and replied.
“Yeah, not bad.”
Catching my own breath, I asked her, “By the way, were there any important classes while I was gone?”
She thoughtfully touched her chin with her index finger.
“Hmm… Just theory classes? But you’re good at that, aren’t you?”
“…Yeah.”
She was right, but how did she know?
‘Never separate theory from practice.’
That’s what the Old Man always used to say. At first, I’d scoffed at the idea.
‘I’m the one who came up with all these settings.’
That thought didn’t last long.
‘A Dungeon Break has released high-density mana into the outside world, causing a Spatial Distortion Phenomenon. If you must rescue civilians trapped in the resulting Phase Space, what is the minimum mana threshold required for the rescue while preventing the space from collapsing?’
“…Pardon?”
From that day on, I studied the settings I had created as if my life depended on it.
‘It was grueling.’
Ah, right.
Speaking of settings, something suddenly came to mind.
“Yu Hana.”
“Yes?”
It was about time for Yu Hana’s main story to unfold.
And it wouldn’t be too soon for the warning signs to start appearing now.
Now that we’d gotten to know each other a bit and the mood was right, it seemed like the perfect time. I tossed out a casual question.
“By any chance, have you been worried about anything lately? Any problems?”
“No, not at all…? Ah.”
Yu Hana was about to deny it firmly but stopped herself. Then, a slightly mischievous smile graced her lips. Just as quickly, she wiped the playful look from her face and put on a gloomy expression.
“Yes… Actually, lately…”
Just as I expected. It seemed to have already begun.
“My heart keeps pounding and my face gets all red. Do you know why?”
She took a step closer to me. The heat radiating from her workout-warmed body subtly reached me. As her face drew near, her breath tickled my ear.
‘Huh?’
I had no idea about that.
Originally, Yu Hana is the scion of a prestigious martial family.
I figured that around this time, she would be interacting with other strong students and feeling a new desire to improve, facing new challenges.
So I expected that whatever her worries were, they’d be related to her swordsmanship.
What was I supposed to say to this…?
As I hesitated, mulling over her words, Yu Hana saw my reaction and let out a playful laugh.
“Actually… it’s not that. I’ve been worried about my swordsmanship lately.”
Ah, right. This was it.
I nodded, inwardly relieved.
“In that case, how about we do some partner training during our morning workouts instead of just running?”
I asked her directly, without hesitation.
My proposal was a common training method in this world. Partners who used different martial arts and wielded different weapons would train together, helping each other overcome flaws they couldn’t see in themselves.
I used a spear and she used a sword, making us a perfect combination.
And this kind of training was more effective the longer you did it together. The sooner we started, the greater the benefits, so I had to make it happen.
She knows who I am. I believe my moniker, ‘Mukgui,’ has piqued her interest and stimulated her desire to improve.
Otherwise, there’s no way she’d be coming out for morning workouts with me every day.
‘Accept it.’
My inner voice screamed.
Yu Hana seemed to ponder my words for a moment.
“No.”
It was a rejection I never expected.
Just as I was starting to think I’d been too hasty, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
“Morning workout time is for working out, so…”
She tilted her head slightly and looked me in the eye. A clear intention seeped into her bright eyes, a smile playing on her lips.
“Let’s just meet up separately, just the two of us. As for the time…”
Her gaze intensified.
“Late evening would be best.”
*
After washing up, I came out and checked my watch. A single message notification was waiting.
[Mr. Jung Hae-in, the item sent from Japan has arrived. Please visit anytime.]
“Already?”
They worked faster than I expected. Perfect timing.
I’d already set up a training plan with the future owner of the Dongbaek Sword.
The problem was how on earth I was supposed to hand over an artifact so valuable its price was whatever the seller named.
If it were up to me, I’d just give it to her. The question was whether her pride would even let her accept it.
‘I’ll think about this a bit more for now.’
I brought a glass of warm water to my lips and switched the screen on my watch.
I wanted to check Glory’s stock price, which I hadn’t been able to do for the past few days.
Spphht—
Seeing the screen, I couldn’t help but spill all the water I was drinking.
“Wh-what?”
[Jung Hae-in’s Purchase Amount]
[1,245,242,186 KRW]
My balance, which had been hovering around 1.2 billion won.
[Jung Hae-in’s Assessed Value]
[2,132,143,167 KRW]
It had somehow reached 2.1 billion.
I quickly checked to see what had happened.
[Glory Hospital Signs Partnership with Arcadia Cult… Large-Scale Deployment of Healing Priests Planned]
[Glory Pharmaceutical Succeeds in Developing New Drug… Anticipation at an All-Time High]
It turned out that starting the day after I bought the stock, Glory had been churning out a relentless stream of good news.
‘Pharmaceutical… Hospital… Electronics…’
Every single one of them was an affiliate company under Kang A-rin’s control.
Kang A-rin’s talents weren’t limited to combat; she also excelled in business management.
Judging by the nature of the news, it seemed her characteristic drive had been put into action.
It seemed that after the death of her older brother, Kang Yu-sung, the scope of her management responsibilities had expanded drastically.
“The only thing better than money is more money.”
This was a good thing. I couldn’t obtain every elixir and artifact myself.
A situation that could only be solved with money was bound to arise eventually.
In that respect, my current situation wasn’t bad at all.
‘The time…’
I glanced at my watch and saw it was almost time for school.
“Fuck.”
I just couldn’t get used to this.
*
The morning consisted of a simple theory class.
I was planning to confront Cheon Yeo-wool. I was simply curious about her true intentions.
But she didn’t show up to class, even by the time it ended.
Meanwhile, Yohan, the one who’d been beaten to a pulp by Kang A-rin, was already in the lecture hall.
‘He’s tough, that one.’
As expected of the Hero, he seemed to recover quickly.
The afternoon class, I heard, would be held at the training ground. Today was a joint class with another section.
Lost in thought, I arrived at the training ground before I knew it.
Perhaps because I’d arrived just in the nick of time, all eyes in the area turned to me.
‘Sion?’
Sion, who was sitting in the waiting area across the way, waved at me.
It seemed today’s joint class was with Class A, which Sion belonged to.
Sion patted the empty seat next to her, gesturing for me to come over.
But she was so sociable that a large crowd had already gathered around her.
‘How am I supposed to get over there?’
I shook my head and sat in the nearest available seat. Sion’s expression immediately fell.
A moment later, the door opened and an instructor walked in. It was one I hadn’t seen before.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Choi Eun-ha, and I’ll be in charge of the Mock Dungeon Strategy class. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
As a small round of applause died down, she continued.
“In the Mock Dungeon class, you will undergo training unlike any you have experienced before.”
The words ‘Mock Dungeon’ sent a murmur through the students.
Mock Dungeons are extremely inefficient to create, and they’re facilities that are difficult to maintain and repair for any academy less prestigious than Gaon.
Therefore, it was rare for even the students here to have actually experienced one.
“For that reason, not everyone will be participating in today’s first class.”
“Eight ‘Seed’ students, selected based on their performance in the last Unit Activity Class, will lead teams to clear the dungeon.”
“The rest of you will have the opportunity to observe and learn.”
It seemed that due to the high difficulty of the Mock Dungeon, today’s class would be centered around eight outstanding students.
“I will now announce the Seeds. For your information, student Cheon Yeo-wool is absent today, so she has been excluded.”
“First Seed, Class B’s Yu Hana, Rank 5.”
“Second Seed, Class B’s Yohan, Rank 2.”
With each name, the students’ gazes turned to the person who was called.
“Third Seed, Class B’s Kang A-rin, Rank 1.”
“Fourth Seed, Class A’s Han Iri, Rank 13.”
A few more names were called out.
All the selected Seeds were well-known students who boasted exceptional skills.
“Seventh Seed, Class A’s Ma Hae-jin, Rank 29.”
Before the final name was called, the training ground fell silent.
“And the final, eighth Seed. Class B’s Jung Hae-in.”
A brief silence enveloped the training ground.
Soon, every gaze in the room was fixed on me.
“He has no rank.”
At the instructor’s addendum, some students looked puzzled, others smirked, and some showed open displeasure.
‘This is already exhausting.’
And I quietly accepted all the stares directed my way.