The Support Ate it All

I spent the remainder of the strategy battle week holed up in the training center.

I went back and forth between the special training room and the practice hall, honing my [Core] along with other skills and traits.

By now, most of them were at B-rank, so the pace of improvement had slowed to a crawl, but even so, I had to keep investing time consistently.

While a few could be upgraded through sheer luck using Random Rank-Ups and the like, the number of skills and traits would only continue to grow, and eventually, they would number in the dozens.

Even a genius sloth would hit a wall without effort in the rank system of <Dragon Slayer Academy>.

While continuing my training like that, I also made sure to apply [Hardship] each time its cooldown reset.

[Hardship]

▷ Dang Gyu-young: Stage 8 (In Progress…)

▷ Hong Yeon-hwa: Stage 7 (In Progress…)

▷ Seo Ye-in: Stage 4 (Complete)

Dang Gyu-young seemed to be having a hard time now that she'd reached stage 8. She hadn't cleared the quest in over a week.

I would have to give her more time.

Hong Yeon-hwa said she was likely to complete the Hydra at stage 7.

After that, she would probably learn something entirely new.

Go Hyeon-woo was refining his martial arts through the Hardship quests.

He had even demonstrated a technique called [Turbid Flow] against the robot.

All three of them were highly motivated and had clear direction, so I figured I could leave them to it for a while.

Meanwhile, Seo Ye-in—

– Should we go to stage 5?

– …Later.

Just bringing up Hardship made her lose motivation, so she had stopped at stage 4.

In reality, Seo Ye-in was so efficient with her training that she didn't even need the added hardship of Hardship to make rapid progress.

If Go Hyeon-woo, Hong Yeon-hwa, and Dang Gyu-young were supercars, then Seo Ye-in was a jet.

Still, if there was a way to go even faster, it was only natural to want to recommend it.

I'll ask her again.

The right timing would be after we fulfilled our "playtime promise".

We were planning to stroll around the downtown area together sometime soon.

Of course, the outing was just a side event. The real focus was the auction house that would be held then.

***

A few days before the strategy battle week ended—

I received a call from Seo Cheong-yong.

Since the Witch of Corruption subjugation mission, we hadn't had much interaction, so it had been quite a while.

Of course, I had a pretty good idea of what this was about.

It's probably about certifying the strategy guide.

Not long ago, I had provided a copy of the guidebook in a deal with the principal, and one of the conditions was that the academy would officially certify it.

At the time, the principal had said, "I'll ask the teachers to handle it" and it seemed Seo Cheong-yong was one of those teachers.

He's definitely competent.

After all, the principal had gone so far as to personally appoint him as the instructor in charge of the strategy battle.

There probably weren't many people more qualified than him.

While thinking that, I eventually arrived at the faculty office, where Seo Cheong-yong greeted me with his usual warm smile.

"Welcome."

"Hello."

"Shall we go somewhere quieter first?"

Since this was meant to be a somewhat confidential matter, it wasn't ideal to have too many ears around.

So we moved to an empty conference room.

Once we were seated across from each other, he pulled out two copies of the strategy guide from his inventory. Just as I had expected.

"I've reviewed all the dungeons listed. You can consider the Dragon Slayer Academy's seal of approval as given."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Not at all. The guide was so thorough that it didn't feel like work at all. I heard you wrote it; is that true?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Seo Cheong-yong grinned.

"I learned a lot from it. Honestly, I think you're better than I am. You could probably be a teacher yourself."

"You flatter me. I still have a long way to go."

I returned his smile, keeping a humble tone.

After that, we exchanged a few more questions and answers about the dungeons covered in the guide.

When the conversation naturally began to wind down, Seo Cheong-yong brought up the next topic.

"The principal asked me, 'What's the other request?'"

It seemed the main reason I'd been called in wasn't actually the certification, but this.

After all, the matter of certification could've easily been handled over a message.

I mentally ran some calculations.

There's no rule that says I have to tell the principal directly.

And it wasn't like I had any reason to hide it from Seo Cheong-yong.

The very fact that he brought this up instead of the principal meant I had earned a considerable amount of trust.

And perhaps the one to grant this "favor" might end up being Seo Cheong-yong.

So I began, speaking in a serious tone.

"I'm planning to enter a high-rank dungeon."

"How high are we talking?"

"A-rank."

A glint of intrigue appeared in Seo Cheong-yong's eyes.

Letting me go into a place like that alone was out of the question.

Ensuring my safety would naturally be part of the "favor".

After thinking it over for a moment, he finally spoke.

"…Personally, I don't think it's going to be easy. You've experienced an A-rank dungeon before. You know what it's like."

The most straightforward example was the Teleportation Labyrinth we tackled in the first semester.

The raid team then had thirty members. More than half were faculty, and the rest were carefully selected third-year students who were all top-tier talents.

Of course, the situation back then had its own special circumstances.

We weren't just dealing with the dungeon. We also had to subjugate the Witch of Corruption. To minimize casualties, we went in with far more power than the minimum required.

Even so, under normal conditions, an A-rank dungeon would still require at least half that force—around fifteen people.

Seo Cheong-yong continued his explanation.

"To mobilize that many people, the proposal has to go through a faculty meeting, but I don't know if it would get approved."

Even if we stripped the proposal down to nothing but "an A-rank dungeon expedition", it still wouldn't pass easily.

Losing even a single faculty member during the mission would be a serious blow from the administration's perspective.

And if the reason turned out to be that they went just to escort some first-year student?

The odds of approval would be close to zero.

Naturally, I had already anticipated this kind of response, so I offered a faint smile and said,

"I'm not asking to clear the whole dungeon. I just need to grab a hidden piece."

Same as with the Black Death Dungeon. Just slip in, take what I needed, and get out.

Since the stay inside the dungeon and the planned route would be much shorter, the number of escorts needed would also be minimal.

It seemed Seo Cheong-yong had thought this far too, as he wasn't as negative as before.

"That's a bit better. Still, it's an A-rank dungeon, so it's just as dangerous. I'll consult with the principal and let you know."

"Understood. Please show him this while you're at it."

I handed him a book.

A strategy guide for the A-rank dungeon we had just mentioned.

It even included details on how to move once inside.

It served both to reduce the danger and to prove that I had a solid plan in place.

"……"

Seo Cheong-yong stared at me like he was seeing something unusual.

As if thinking, "Where did this guy come from?"

"Did you predict things would go this far?"

"Of course not. I just prepared in case."

"Thorough. I like it. I'll show this to him as well."

Seo Cheong-yong carefully tucked the strategy guide away.

At this point, I could reasonably expect a positive response.

***

As soon as I stepped out of the teachers' office, I sent a message to Dang Gyu-young.

[Kim Ho: Got the certification.]

[Dang Gyu-young: (surprised fox emoji)]

[Dang Gyu-young: Already? That was fast.]

[Dang Gyu-young: I thought it wouldn't happen until right before the auction.]

[Kim Ho: Mr. Seo Cheong-yong took it on.]

[Dang Gyu-young: Ah~]

[Dang Gyu-young: (understanding fox emoji)]

Before becoming a teacher, Seo Cheong-yong was already renowned as a dungeon strategy expert.

He had even led the expedition during the Teleportation Labyrinth raid.

With someone that capable sweeping through the dungeon, it was only natural the certification would be done quickly.

[Dang Gyu-young: Shall we start spreading the word now?]

[Kim Ho: Let's do it.]

Now that the issue of credibility which was the last obstacle was resolved, there was no longer any reason to keep the strategy guide a secret.

***

Swordsmanship club.

Vice President's office.

Jegal So-so and Pang Mi-ryeong sat facing each other with tea and snacks between them.

In a relaxed atmosphere, Jegal So-so gracefully lifted her teacup with a refined motion.

After taking a small sip, she spoke.

"Looks like Qyu is starting to make a move."

"Mhmm, word's already out."

Pang Mi-ryeong nodded her head.

Rumors about the strategy guides were spreading like wildfire among the students.

Even a single unknown guide would have drawn attention, but the fact that there were two of them, and bundled together at that, was like pouring oil on a blazing fire.

Whenever mid-level club executives gathered, the conversation always turned to the strategy guides.

Whether or not to join the auction was the hot topic.

Pang Mi-ryeong popped a snack into her mouth and mumbled,

"I heard it's even been certified?"

"How did they come up with that idea?"

In truth, Jegal So-so had also found the lack of credibility a bit disappointing.

When it comes to strategy guides, even the slightest doubt can drastically reduce their value.

That effect was even more pronounced when multiple guides were bundled together.

If the auction had gone ahead without verification, more cautious clubs would likely have backed out.

After all, spending hundreds of thousands of points on an uncertain guidebook wouldn't be worth it when those points could be used for other items.

But if it came with official certification from the Academy?

Then there was no need for doubt.

"Any club with points to spare will be jumping in."

"Competition's going to be fierce."

The final bid price could easily shoot through the roof.

They might end up spending more points than expected.

Still, regardless of how much it might cost, the Swordsmanship Club had already made up its mind.

"We're taking both books."

"Obviously."

The Swordsmanship Club had always been the best and would continue to be.

If they let someone else have the strategy guides, they'd also be handing over control of those dungeons.

Rather than being dragged along every time and having their pride wounded, it was better to spend the points and protect their dignity.

Besides, Jegal So-so and Pang Mi-ryeong knew something the other students didn't.

Namely, that the author of the strategy guide was Kim Ho.

Pang Mi-ryeong lifted the corners of her lips.

"Let's show them."

Show them that the Swordsmanship Club could offer the best deal, more than anyone else.

That whether they were selling strategy guides later or something else, bringing them to the Swordsmanship Club first would be the smarter choice.

With relaxed smiles, Jegal So-so and Pang Mi-ryeong sipped their tea.

As if they already had the guidebooks in hand.

***

White Magic Club room.

Club president Jeong Chong-myeong was resting his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

"……"

Hong Ye-hwa waited patiently for a while, but Jeong Chong-myeong showed no sign of snapping out of his own world.

So she threw out a question.

"What are you going to do?"

"To be honest, I was leaning toward backing out. I tend to avoid things unless I'm absolutely sure."

"But now you're sure, right?"

"Exactly."

Now that the guidebooks came with official certification, there were far more reasons to go for it than not.

If you had to name just one—

"We can't fall behind the Swordsmanship Club."

Jegal So-so and Jeong Chong-myeong were personally on fairly good terms.

When it came to team-based duels or strategy battles, they'd often reach out to each other first to form a group.

But as the vice president of the Swordsmanship Club and the president of the White Magic Club, they were complete rivals.

The two factions were the top two powerhouses in Dragon Slayer Academy, ranking first and second respectively, and naturally clashed often.

In most of those clashes, the Swordsmanship Club tended to gain a slight upper hand. But there were also plenty of times they were caught off guard.

The one in first place feared losing their throne, while the one in second was always eyeing a chance to strike back.

And this strategy guide auction was the perfect opportunity for both.

"We've got plenty of points too. Let's see who comes out on top."

It was about time Jegal So-so got a taste of bitter defeat.