The Support Ate it All

Soon, we moved to an empty conference room and sat across from each other.

Seo Cheong-yong began speaking with a wry smile.

"Sorry I couldn't tell you in advance. The conditions were so strict that we had to go through several rounds of internal discussion."

"I understand."

On the surface, this mission involved sneaking into an A-rank dungeon with two students.

To a faculty member unfamiliar with the situation, it would sound extremely dangerous.

Most would reject the idea outright, and some might even try to block it entirely.

That's why, according to Seo Cheong-yong, they first narrowed it down to staff members who were trusted by the principal, and from there, selected only those with exceptional skill.

"In the end, no one was more suitable than Mr. Lee Soo-dok. He's fairly well-acquainted with you two, and he also made a great contribution during the Witch of Corruption subjugation."

"With the two of us, our fighting power should be more than enough. What do you think?"

"I think so too."

I nodded without hesitation.

Then Lee Soo-dok asked,

"So this is our full party? Just the four of us?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Let's hear the operation details."

Even though everyone had probably read the strategy guide, hearing an explanation in person was always different.

It also gave them a chance to ask questions.

Soon, I stood in front of the whiteboard and began the briefing.

"The dungeon we'll be entering is <Research Facility No. 4>."

It was a place where magic engineering and specifically dark magic research was conducted.

The main field of research was chimeras.

In other words, combining multiple monsters to create a new species.

"There are two objectives. Destroying the lab and defeating the research director."

"Not something we need to bother with."

Lee Soo-dok said in a dry tone.

The former would require fighting a massive army of chimeras, and the latter was a powerful enemy on par with the two teachers.

Given our limited manpower, avoiding both was the wiser choice.

And that was indeed the plan.

"Our goal is solely the hidden piece."

"You mentioned a dark magic book?"

"More accurately, it's closer to a thesis."

There was no reason to explain the hardship in detail to the teachers, so I simply referred to it as a "hidden piece".

The quest Dang Gyu-young had received was as follows:

[Side Quest: Stage 10 Hardship] (In Progress…)

▷ You are ready to begin the next journey.

▷ Awaken a new power.

(Option 1): Form a contract with a dark spirit

(Option 2): Acquire the knowledge of a dark mage

(Option 3): Tame two demonic beasts

Among the three options, the one we were aiming for was the second. That was acquiring the knowledge of a dark mage.

It suited Dang Gyu-young's disposition the best and also had the highest potential.

If my guess was correct, she could even reach EX-rank someday.

That was the main reason we chose a dungeon related to dark magic.

The quest didn't explicitly state it, but depending on the level of knowledge acquired, the completion rate and rewards would vary.

That's why we chose the A-rank, the highest difficulty available.

We had to go so far as to ask the teachers for help, but it was well worth it.

Seo Cheong-yong asked a question.

"I think I asked this before, but there's no way to just bring that dark magic thesis out of the dungeon, is there?"

"Unfortunately, no."

If it had been classified as an item, we could've just sent in the faculty members to retrieve it.

But since that wasn't possible, someone had to go in and read it directly.

I then drew a simple floor plan of the research facility on the whiteboard.

A four-story building in the shape of a square.

Next, I marked a small X in the corner of the fourth floor.

"The thesis is stored here, in the director's office. Once we get inside, finding it is easy."

"The problem is how to get there."

"And we'll have to do it stealthily."

If we were discovered, enemies would swarm us like hornets.

Obviously, sneaking all the way to the corner of the fourth floor wouldn't be easy.

The facility was crawling with researchers, magic engineers, and dark mages… and countless chimeras had been let loose.

To top it off, surveillance crystals were embedded throughout the building.

Those crystals, in particular, were basically impossible to avoid.

I marked a small X in a corner of the first floor.

"That's why the first thing we have to do is take over the security room."

"If we can just disable the crystals, we'll be able to find enough blind spots."

With Dang Gyu-young's stealth ability, she should be able to avoid the attention of both the researchers and the chimeras.

But even after taking over the security room, there was still one big problem—

"We don't know when we'll be discovered."

"A race against time, then." Cоntеnt first rеlеаsеd оn М_VLЕМ_РYR.

Before the enemy noticed anything wrong with the security room, we'd need to reach the director's office as quickly as possible.

"From that point on, combat will likely be unavoidable."

"We can't sneak past everything."

While it was possible to avoid the researchers and chimeras to some extent, taking long detours would waste too much time.

It would be more efficient to take out whatever enemies we could while moving forward.

It would take more than mediocre strength to take down an A-rank monster in an instant. That's why Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong were coming along.

"After reading the thesis, we'll leave the lab immediately and use the escape scroll."

Everyone silently nodded, as this was all clearly laid out in the strategy guide.

Then Lee Soo-dok asked,

"I'd like to go over the variables again."

"The biggest variable will be the chimeras."

The only random element in this dungeon.

It was the types of chimeras wandering inside the building.

Depending on which monsters were mixed together, we could get one with overwhelming fighting power or one with exceptional detection abilities.

Lee Soo-dok asked,

"But you said you know how to handle them."

"Yes. That's why I'm the guide for this mission."

"My curiosity just keeps growing, but I'll let it go for now. You're confident, I assume?"

"Of course."

"Good. Any other variables?"

In response, I pointed at Dang Gyu-young and said,

"She'll need to read and absorb the thesis on the spot, so it'll take some time."

"She can't read it outside the lab?"

"There's a tracking spell on it. If we try to take it out, they'll come after us immediately."

"…As expected."

"It might take longer than we thought, so in the worst case, we may need to fight our way out. Please be prepared for that."

"Understood."

***

The A-rank escape scroll, the battle suit, and magic scrolls for emergencies. All the supplies would be provided by the Academy.

Dang Gyu-young and I just had to show up with ourselves, so we were ready to go at any time.

However, since the professors had their own schedules, the dungeon entry was pushed back by two days.

In the meantime, I stopped training and focused on conditioning, and the sloth that usually suffered under my program finally got to enjoy a rare moment of peace.

Right now, the three of us, including Go Hyeon-woo, were sitting together drinking coffee.

"….…"

Seo Ye-in was staring at me with a straw in her mouth, clearly full of things she wanted to say.

She'd been like that ever since I brought up the lab mission.

Soon, she tugged lightly at my sleeve and spoke.

"I want to go too."

"Young miss, please stop begging. How many times is this now?"

"I've got a super ultimate move."

"No means no."

"…So sad…"

Naturally, I didn't budge, and after yet another rejection, Seo Ye-in's energy visibly deflated.

Go Hyeon-woo gave a wry smile as he watched.

"To be honest, I'm quite disappointed too. It's a rare chance to witness the skills of both professors up close."

"Can't be helped. Still, we'll get a chance to head down together soon enough."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

Then Go Hyeon-woo's gaze shifted to the Immortal Pot, and a curious light appeared in his eyes.

"By the way, that pot… it already looked extraordinary before, but it feels like it's changed somehow. If you don't mind, may I take a closer look?"

– Head shake, head shake.

Seo Ye-in shook her head right away.

She even quickly hid the pot behind her back.

In truth, Go Hyeon-woo wasn't the only one who had shown interest in the pot.

Hong Yeon-hwa had peeked over curiously, and Han So-mi had even asked, "Can I touch it?"

Of course, none of them had been allowed to touch it or even take a proper look.

It's her number one treasure.

Leaving aside its performance, the pot had been crafted with contributions from Kim Ho, Doppelgang-Ho, Father Seo, and even the Dragon King himself.

It must hold special meaning for her.

At Seo Ye-in's refusal, Go Hyeon-woo immediately raised his hands in retreat.

"I meant no offense to Miss Seo."

"It's fine."

Which meant, "It's fine, but you're still not seeing the pot."

Go Hyeon-woo quickly picked up on that and changed the subject.

After chatting a bit longer, once their coffee cups were nearly empty, he rose from his seat.

"Well then, I'll take my leave. I have a sparring session scheduled with Miss Han."

"Alright, enjoy."

"You both as well."

As I watched Go Hyeon-woo walk off into the distance, I turned to Seo Ye-in.

"About the pot."

"Mhmm?"

"This time might get a little dangerous. Mind if I borrow it?"

The Immortal Kim Ho-Kim Ho Pot, whatever anyone said, was an S+ rank piece of gear.

It was forged from pure adamantite ingots.

On top of that, it had options like Energy Blocking and Impact Nullification. It had nearly broken defensive capabilities.

And in an emergency, it could even cast [Severed Space], which, if used right, could protect not just me but the whole party.

She'll probably say no, though.

It was her number one treasure, and she'd just reacted the same way with Go Hyeon-woo.

Still, no harm in asking.

"……"

Seo Ye-in stared at me silently.

Then glanced down at the pot, picked it up, and placed it over my head.

I hadn't expected her to hand it over so easily. It was a bit surprising.

"Thanks. I'll use it well and return it."

"Okay."

She answered like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Seeing that, I suddenly felt a little playful.

"Lend me the Fluffy Cloud Bracelet too."

"Okay."

"And the tiger plushie."

"Here."

Soon enough, I found myself wearing the pot on my head, bracelets on both wrists, and holding a giant tiger plushie in my arms.

I'd just been handed Treasure No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3…. all of them.

Honestly, I thought she'd refuse at least one.

I asked her casually,

"If you give me everything like this, what's left for you?"

"……"

Once again, Seo Ye-in silently looked up at me.

Then reached out and gently patted my head.

"A not-hurt Kim Ho."

***

TN: Ugh, my heart…