Week 13 Conquest Battle (1)

Seo Ye-in was showing a surprising degree of interest, but it didn't seem that Ahn Jungmi had raised the question merely to change the subject.

It was a problem I would have to deal with sooner or later anyway. More to the point, there was likely some connection between bringing Seo Ye-in into the underground dungeon floors and my summer vacation plans. So I asked back, just to be sure.

"I take it there's a reason you're asking."

"The Chairman wishes to meet you, Kim Ho-nim."

"This Chairman, you say...?"

"He is the young miss's grandfather."

I stole a glance at Seo Ye-in. I'd guessed it involved someone at the executive level, but—

So she's the chairman's granddaughter.

That more than explained why she was under the Future Strategy Office's management, and why she'd been assigned a butler of all things. And given the way the conversation was flowing, a heavyweight like the Hyeseong Group chairman wanting to see me meant—

"I'd say he wants to verify my qualifications."

"That is correct."

Whether my skills were genuinely sufficient to conquer a high-grade dungeon. What sort of person I was. Whether I was a young man worth trusting with his granddaughter. He intended to see for himself and judge.

No reason not to go.

If I meant to bring Seo Ye-in along on underground expeditions, this was a gate I'd have to pass through anyway. The luck-related dungeons paid out quite handsomely, so the sooner I secured permission, the better.

There would be side benefits, too.

He had gone so far as to invite me over—would it really end with one look at my face? Every time I helped Seo Ye-in or did her a favor, Hyeseong Group had sent back a reward worth the trouble. No doubt this time would be no different.

If I find the time, I might even pick up a hidden piece or two.

The New City, where Hyeseong Group Headquarters stood. A few hidden pieces in that vicinity did come to mind. All things considered, making the trip seemed the better choice—but no one can read what tomorrow brings. So I decided to put off my answer for now.

"I don't have any set plans yet. Still, I'd like to think it over a little longer before deciding."

"Of course. Please tell us whenever it's convenient."

Promising to respect my wishes, Ahn Jungmi inside the crystal orb bowed her head with perfect courtesy. Seo Ye-in, on the other hand, apparently wanted an answer sooner rather than later.

"Come play at our house."

"We'll see."

"Come play."

Every chance she got, she tugged at my sleeve—shff, shff—firing off come play over and over.

Our three-birds-one-stone training carried on through the weekend as well. On weekends I normally left Seo Ye-in to her own devices, but for once she'd thrown herself into it of her own accord. When I asked why,

"Couldn't punish her."

was the terse reply. She had given Gwak Ji-cheol his thrashing in the final match of the PvP assessment, but apparently that hadn't been enough to satisfy her. She said she'd keep grinding her rank in preparation for the day she eventually crossed paths with Hong Yeon-hwa.

This kid really does hate losing, in her own quiet way.

For Go Hyeon-woo and me, it was welcome news. The three-birds-one-stone training couldn't proceed with even one of the three missing. And so, from then until Sunday evening—Seo Ye-in on Explosive Bullet, Go Hyeon-woo juggling techniques and footwork in tandem, and I on wind magic—the results spoke for themselves.

Talent-monster Seo Ye-in had, naturally, pushed Explosive Bullet all the way to C-rank, and Go Hyeon-woo had raised his proficiency to the point of being genuinely combat-ready. As for me—

I, too, had managed to bring Wind Barrier up to standard.

Monday. Conquest class. Seo Cheong-yong opened his mouth with his usual easygoing smile.

"This week, as ever, you'll be surviving in a hostile environment."

"......"

He hadn't even announced the details, and already the students' faces were full of fatigue and irritation. Last week's Cloud Stairs alone had been an utterly detestable map. We'd had to pick our way across the stepping stones for fear of dropping, and since the clouds scattered at the slightest damage, every probing attack from an opponent sent us scrambling. The stress had been anything but trivial—add to that the deeply unpleasant experience of skydiving with no parachute. Everyone had probably plunged to their death at least once across the three matches, so the Cloud Stairs were, in truth, a place impossible to like.

And now we were told more of the same would continue for the rest of the semester. No wonder they were annoyed.

Present company excluded, of course.

A veteran, after all, takes a certain pleasure in watching ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠newbies suffer. And sometimes in being the author of that suffering himself. Whether Seo Cheong-yong felt any such pleasure I couldn't say, but as a teacher he was obliged to steer his students in the right direction. So he reasoned with them in a graver tone.

"Look, I get that it's rough. But if you go through this now and get used to it, it will absolutely pay off later."

For now, failing to adapt to a hostile environment cost you nothing worse than being knocked out of the fight or a few docked points on the practical evaluation. After graduation, there was no such mercy. Out in the field, failing to overcome a hostile environment cost not points but lives. And so Seo Cheong-yong earnestly made his case to the students: better a little hardship now than regret down the road. Once the mood had softened somewhat, he resumed the lesson he'd paused.

"Now then, this week's conquest battle is as follows."

The blackboard wiped clean, and in its place the rules and environment appeared.

"First of all, the familiar Crystal rule makes its return."

Retrieve the crystal sitting somewhere in the dungeon, carry it to the Sanctuary, and charge it. The instant you stepped outside the Sanctuary's radius, the charge drained away fast, so you had to stay within a set distance at all times. Then Seo Cheong-yong added a caveat.

"But this time, it's a hostile environment. Don't forget that."

Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠while holding position near the Sanctuary, you had to know when to pull out if the situation turned against you. This week's environment in particular was a [Poison Zone]—linger too long and the poison took hold, grinding away at you continuously. Safety or charging, which to prioritize? You would need to make that call from moment to moment.

"And this week will proceed in three-person teams."

Team composition, until now capped at two, had grown by one. The headcount for practical evaluations climbed like this as the weeks piled up, eventually scaling all the way to full expeditions and class-versus-class wars.

Works out nicely.

"Brother Kim."

"Let's go together."

Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in, eyes gleaming on either side of me. These past few weeks Go Hyeon-woo had been making concession after concession, but the days of agonizing over which of the two to team up with were over.

We can just go as three.

The moment class ended, we headed for the Dungeon Hall and set foot on the stairs down to the underground floors. As expected, the students going up and down the spiral staircase were all 2nd- and 3rd-years again. Most first-years still needed to weigh their options carefully and make at least minimal preparations even for an F-rank dungeon—but all of that already lived in my head. I'd even picked out a dungeon tailor-made for clearing in advance.

We passed through the teleport portals one after another, and the next instant we were standing before a ticket booth on its last legs. Seo Ye-in peered curiously into the interior, but—

"Nobody's there."

"I'm afraid they're not open for business."

The truth of this place was a botanical garden that had been forced out of business. Shift your gaze slightly to the side and there stood a big, weathered sign reading ⟨Herb Botanical Garden⟩, with a turnstile beneath it—likewise on the verge of collapse and failing at its one job. We shoved our way through, and a winding path laid out for visitors opened up before us. I took the lead along that path, and Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in followed, glancing left and right.

Go Hyeon-woo spoke ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in a tone half wonder, half wariness.

"This is certainly no ordinary botanical garden."

The surroundings grew more rainforest-like with every step, and each individual plant was anything but ordinary in size. Plenty of them looked outright grotesque, and their pointlessly garish flower colors made them more grotesque still.

"Poisonous plants at a glance, no?"

"They certainly look the part."

- Hissssss......

What's more, acrid smoke kept rising here and there.

"Toxic fumes at a glance, no?"

"Mm."

And away in the far distance, some enormous plants were swaying side to side as if dancing.

"Monsters at a glance, no?"

"So it would seem."

Go Hyeon-woo's hand drifted slowly toward his hip, but I kept leading the way regardless. Before long, a building that must once have been a greenhouse revealed itself. Its glass walls were shattered to nothing, leaving only a skeletal frame, with all manner of plants spilling out through the gaps. I trudged straight inside without a moment's hesitation, and the other two followed. At the very center of the greenhouse, a single small tree was giving off light.

"Sanctuary at a glance, no?"

"Impossible to mistake, certainly."

"We just find the crystals and bring them back here to charge."

The clear condition for this dungeon was to charge two crystals.

"Grading is based on average HP."

How much average HP the three of us had left at the moment the crystals were fully charged. Naturally, the more remaining, the higher the score. At the same time, I pulled up this week's sub-quest.

Maximum achievement: average HP of 95% or higher. In other words, we had to come out virtually unscathed. And with a three-person team, it wouldn't do for me alone to carry—everyone had to perform. A fair bit of difficulty, then, but—

More than worth it.

The rewards scaled accordingly, after all.

"One piece of good news: our position here is quite favorable."

Standing at the Sanctuary and surveying the terrain, I could make out a few narrow paths threading between the densely packed giant plants.

"If monsters want to charge in, those chokepoints are the only way."

"It does look a fine ground for fighting."

There were plenty of other Poison Zone dungeons—jungles, swamps, and the like—but this was why I'd gone out of my way to choose the botanical garden. The approaches were narrow, so we'd never be surrounded, and anything that came at us could be cut down as it arrived. Go Hyeon-woo, however, seemed to have a concern.

"Yet, Brother Kim, does not that same confinement bind us as well?"

"Fair point."

- Hissssss......

Right on cue, acrid smoke bloomed up from the ground nearby. Toxic gas and pollen scattered at random like this all the time, and if it happened mid-fight, right on top of you, there would be nowhere to run. Of course, I had a solution prepared for that problem too.

"Second piece of good news."

Showing once would be faster than saying it a hundred times. Turning my gaze to a spot nearby, I found a garishly colorful flower in bloom. I reached out and closed my hand around it, and purple pollen scattered in clouds. This, too, was obviously brimming with poison, but—

My HP didn't drop so much as a point—I wasn't even poisoned. I dusted off my hand and asked.

"And what are we?"

"......!"

At the sight, Go Hyeon-woo looked as though he'd just remembered a fact he'd forgotten.

"Thousand Poisons Immunity."

"Exactly so."

All three of us.