You Slept Together?

The underground floors of the Dungeon Hall.

A certain dungeon.

This place, its fortress walls towering high into the dark, was a [Siege Defense] themed dungeon—the goal being to hold back the swarming monsters by joining forces with the soldiers garrisoned in the stronghold.

But now, everything lay submerged in black pools, rotting away.

"......"

The woman in the black robe stood atop the fortress wall, gazing down at the scene below.

Her manner was as casual as someone looking out a window and thinking, lovely weather today.

Then came the sound of heavy footsteps climbing the stairs to the wall.

When they finally stopped behind her, the robed woman spoke.

"Elder."

"Legion Commander."

The owner of those footsteps was the man in martial robes—the Blood Cult Elder.

The robed woman kept her gaze fixed beyond the wall as she spoke.

"If I recall correctly, you told me the midterm results were already decided."

"An unexpected variable wormed its way in. I never dreamed those brats would be so strong."

If things had gone according to plan, the berserk ogres should have produced a staggering number of casualties.

The scheme had been to trample the seedlings who would one day become heroes, and in doing so shatter the world's trust in Dragon Slayer Academy.

There had been plenty of injuries—but not a single death.

Even the Alpha Ogre, injected with not one but two Blood Explosion Pills, had been subdued by first-years.

How they had brought down a monster that even a second-year would struggle against, without suffering so much as a scratch, was beyond comprehension.

But would a single "a variable intervened" really cover the blunder?

The robed woman's side had risked a great deal to seize control of the dungeon, and had gained absolutely nothing for it.

"I have quite a few regrets. I may need to reconsider this partnership with the Blood Cult."

"I understand your displeasure, Legion Commander. The fault lies entirely with my own inadequate preparations, and for that I apologize. But surely it would be a shame to sever our cooperation so soon?"

"...That much is true."

The two of them had, naturally, prepared a great deal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more than the Blood Explosion Pills.

Ditching all of it just because the first plan had collapsed would be a waste for both sides.

"Then let us set the matter of blame aside and speak of the next plan. This time—"

"Unfortunately, that conversation will have to wait."

The robed woman cut him off.

The man in martial robes had sensed something as well, and turned his gaze beyond the wall.

Between the black pools, two figures were strolling toward them as leisurely as if out for an evening walk.

One of them was famous enough that even the man in martial robes recognized him at a glance.

"......The Human Butcher."

Lee Su-dok, his fierce eyes glinting—

and beside him, Seo Cheong-yong, wearing a warm, friendly smile.

There'll probably be a fight.

There had been the incident of the midterm dungeon's control being stolen, but the academy was hardly the type to sit back and take that lying down.

Among the countless skills in existence, there were those that could trace an item's previous owner.

Use one of those on the Blood Explosion Pill syringes, and pinpointing the culprits' location would be simple enough.

So I expected a sizable battle to erupt somewhere in the underground floors,

but they'll manage to slip away somehow.

Those two were far too strong to be felled on the spot.

Still, getting a taste of real heat would leave them badly cowed, so at the very least they'd lie low for a while.

And in the meantime, I needed to keep growing stronger and prepare for their next move.

Which meant now was the time to shore up my foundations.

First, I checked [Bestow], the reward from the main quest.

A powerful skill—and befitting that power, riddled with restrictions.

It did hand over a skill the caster possessed, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but its potency dropped drastically in the process.

Bestow a C-rank skill, for instance, and the target received an F-rank skill, three full ranks lower.

Granted, as [Bestow]'s own rank climbed, that penalty would presumably ease.

The short duration and long cooldown were much like Amplification's, and those too would likely soften as the rank rose.

And then there was one more restriction, one the skill description didn't mention:

You have to give it to someone whose class it somewhat fits.

Handing a magic-related skill to Go Hyeon-woo, a martial artist, would be utterly pointless,

and giving a gunslinger skill to Hong Yeon-hwa would leave her better off just sticking with the magic she already used.

Restrictions aside, though, gaining even a temporary extra skill or trait was a tremendous advantage.

Next up for review: the Fixing Pin.

Here was what was currently registered in my copy slots.

Which of these should I make permanently mine?

The first one required no deliberation whatsoever.

[Elemental Resistance] slipped out of the copied-traits tab, and one copy slot sat empty.

I planned to hunt down another trait and fill that slot in due time.

From this moment on, [Elemental Resistance] was wholly and truly mine.

I could raise its rank, and fusing it with other traits or skills was now on the table as well.

It would probably be the first trait of mine to smash ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through the S-rank wall and cross into EX-rank.

Granted, I still had no idea how—but simply prying open a door that had been sealed until now carried enormous significance all on its own.

That still left one more Fixing Pin, but

this one I should save.

However precious a Fixing Pin might be, the remaining candidates each had their flaws.

[Thief's Step], thanks to being copied from Dang Gyu-young, was high-ranked as skills went, but graded against the full catalog of movement skills, it sat somewhere in the upper-middle tier.

[Featherwalk], the one Seo Ye-in had picked up, was already a cut above it.

[Overheat]'s versatility left something to be desired outside its synergy with Inferno Fist—and since the day would come when I'd discard Inferno Fist itself, there was no pressing need to fix it.

[Crown of the Wise King] was reasonably rare, but as an unranked trait it couldn't grow in the first place.

So I decided to shelve the second Fixing Pin for now.

Until I obtained a skill that was sufficiently rare and capable of growth.

Hong Yeon-hwa headed for the school store with Baek Jun-seok to buy snacks.

But even as her feet carried her along, only a single thought filled her head.

And that thought was about none other than Kim Ho.

Against the ogres, Hong Yeon-hwa had been assigned to rain down firepower from the rear.

That gave her a wider view of the battlefield than anyone, and Kim Ho's role had stood out unmistakably in it.

He's come back having learned something incredible again.

Hong Yeon-hwa had seen it with her own eyes.

A spell that looked utterly unremarkable—compressed wind, detonated on impact—ripping the ogre's thick hide wide open in a single strike.

Thanks to that, the rest of the team's attacks had landed far harder than they should have.

Whether the others had even noticed this was another question entirely.

For all the power of that magic, even his close combat hadn't fallen one step behind the other frontliners.

Hong Yeon-hwa glanced briefly at Baek Jun-seok.

...I think Kim Ho was better than him.

"?"

Baek Jun-seok looked thoroughly baffled when she suddenly shot him a sulky glare.

But Hong Yeon-hwa looked away and sank back into her thoughts.

Even against the Alpha Ogre, she was fairly sure she'd glimpsed Kim Ho using a fire-type skill.

And she suspected the conspicuous stiffening of Alpha's legs right afterward was his doing as well.

These were nothing more than guesses, of course.

If only I still had the replay......

She could have verified every one of her hunches.

The fact that nothing had been recorded gnawed at her endlessly.

As one thought about Kim Ho chased the next in an endless chain, Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly felt her face grow hot.

Because she'd remembered the conversation Seo Ye-in and Kim Ho had shared on the second night of the midterms.

Born and raised in the Ruby Magic Tower, Hong Yeon-hwa harbored a quietly conservative streak.

To her, that exchange between the two of them was almost impossible to process.

They slept together? Because she couldn't sleep?

That close? Pressed right up against each other?

Hong Yeon-hwa posed a question to herself.

If she were suffering from insomnia, could she sleep pressed up against Baek Jun-seok?

"Ugh."

The mere act of imagining it raised goosebumps across her entire body.

Scowling, Hong Yeon-hwa doubled the distance between herself and Baek Jun-seok.

"?? What is it this time?"

Baek Jun-seok asked, utterly bewildered, but no answer came.

Hong Yeon-hwa turned the problem over and over in her mind.

Before long, a new question surfaced.

What if her common sense was the thing that was wrong?

Could pairs actually sleep snuggled up together?

But there was no one she could think of to ask.

Within Dragon Slayer Academy, exactly one person existed whom she could entrust with a question this deep.

And so, Hong Yeon-hwa bought a coffee to go at the store.

Her usual, of course—petroleum-flavored coffee with unlimited extra shots of espresso.

Then she arrived at the Ruby Magic Tower club room and held the takeout cup out to her sister, Hong Ye-hwa.

"Sis, coffee."

"Well, this is a surprise. I'll enjoy it anyway."

The sisters' tastes were nearly identical, so the petroleum-flavored coffee went down without the slightest complaint.

As Hong Ye-hwa sipped, the hesitant Hong Yeon-hwa finally worked up the nerve to begin.

"Sis, there's something I've been wondering about......"

"What is it?"

"There's...... someone I know?"

"Someone you know. Mm. Go on?"

Hong Ye-hwa nodded slowly.

Inwardly, of course, she'd already guessed that this 'someone she knew' was Hong Yeon-hwa herself.

Dressing up an embarrassing story as 'this is about a friend of mine' was a time-honored trick, after all.

"She...... got paired up with a boy, you see."

"At this midterm?"

"Yeah."

"Keep going."

Hong Ye-hwa kept sipping her coffee, drifting down memory lane.

I went to the island back in my first year too. It was actually pretty fun—had a real camping feel to it.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Hong Yeon-hwa's explanation continued.

"So, they were on the island...... and at night, when they went to sleep......"

"Mm, and then?"

"Th-they...... slept snuggled together, that night?"

FWOOOOSH—!

The coffee flared up and evaporated, cup and all.

A moment later, Hong Ye-hwa rose from her seat and advanced on her sister one deliberate step at a time.

Her palm was wreathed in smoldering flame.

Face frozen hard as stone, Hong Ye-hwa pressed her interrogation.

"Hey. Hong Yeon-hwa."

"Huh? Huh?"

"Answer me straight. Who's the boy."

Hong Yeon-hwa blinked, thrown by her sister's abrupt change in demeanor.

"Is that...... important?"

"Of course it's important! Why wouldn't it be! Who is it? Is it Baek Jun-seok?"

This time it was Hong Yeon-hwa who jumped.

"Why does Baek Jun-seok even come into this?"

"Then who is it! Tell me! Now!"

Hong Yeon-hwa couldn't make sense of it at all.

Was this really something worth flying into such a rage over?

It was somebody else's business anyway, wasn't it?

Still, faced with her sister's glacial fury, she decided she'd better answer.

"Kim Ho. Seriously, why does that even matter?"

"Kim......!"

Hong Ye-hwa felt a wave of dizziness and pressed a hand to her forehead.

I told her to get along with Kim Ho, and now she's dating him?

They slept snuggled together during the midterms?

In short order, the dizziness curdled into roaring fury, and Flame Back Smacks rained down without mercy.

SMACK! SMACK!

With every blow, Hong Ye-hwa spat out another word.

"You're! Already! Falling! Head over heels!"

"Ow! Why! What! Why are you hitting me!"

Hong Yeon-hwa took flame smacks until her backside was practically ablaze, without the faintest idea why.

It would be a long, long while before she was given the chance to explain herself.