Episode 142 Week 8 Mentoring, Strategy Battle (4)
A calligrapher who has just finished her first challenge.
She was sitting in front of me and Ahn Jung-mi was giving meticulous feedback on each and every one of them.
“Overall, it was great.”
The calligrapher easily evaded the ogre’s attacks.
The results of practicing Feather Step for the past three weeks are clearly evident.
It was a very rewarding experience for An Jeong-mi, who put a lot of effort into teaching.
The result was a successful crystal recharge with stamina in the mid-80% range.
Considering it was the first attempt, it was a very good result.
“But, Miss, shouldn’t you also pay a little attention to your partner?”
The only problem was that the calligrapher had no interest in what his partner did.
Just a moment ago, there was no teamwork at all, and the poor partner was getting pummeled by the ogre and was rendered incapacitated.
“… … .”
The calligrapher opened his mouth slightly and yawned deeply.
And then, fighting off the drowsiness, he asked again.
“… … You didn’t have to worry about it last time.”
“It was because you were so strong at that time.”
‘Last time’ refers to the defense strategy battle two weeks ago.
At that time, partners were rarely treated as such, but the calligrapher’s own firepower was so strong that teamwork was meaningless.
If you can grind down goblins and beheaders, what’s the point of having a partner?
“But this crystal battle relies more on teamwork.”
Ogres cannot be crushed even with the destructive power of a calligrapher, and the grading criteria is the remaining health of both team members.
If your partner becomes incapacitated or loses a lot of health, it is a loss for you as a calligrapher, and cooperation is essential to prevent that.
“So, your partner must help you at least in times of danger… … Miss, you must not sleep here.”
“… … .”
“Miss, miss? Get up, miss.”
He kept calling, but the calligrapher’s eyelids continued to droop further and further.
But the moment An Jeong-mi gave up and was about to cover her with a blanket, something truly miraculous happened.
“… … ?”
The calligrapher’s half-drooping eyelids slowly rose again.
There was only one person in this Yongsal Academy who could perform such a miracle.
The person the calligrapher is currently exchanging messages with.
An Jeong-mi asked to confirm.
“Are you Mr. Kim Ho?”
“huh.”
“Can I ask why you are contacting us?”
“Let’s do it together.”
“Are you talking about… a conquest battle? But, Mr. Kim Ho, you must have a separate crew… .”
An Jeong-mi tilted her head in puzzlement.
As she recalls, Kim Ho was part of a four-person team led by the leader of the thieves’ club.
If that’s the case, then your mentor must have already paired you up in pairs, so why aren’t you doing it together and instead are asking me?
The calligrapher answered in a calm tone.
“He stretched out.”
“… … .”
Kim Ho’s pair, like the calligrapher’s random matching partner, also seem to have been beaten up by the ogre and passed out.
Then it makes sense that they would want to form a new pair until their existing partner recovers.
An Jeong-mi asked.
“Do you want to score points in real life?”
“huh.”
“Does the mentor over there know this fact?”
“I got permission.”
So now all that’s left is the permission from this mentor, An Jeong-mi.
An Jeong-mi wanted to receive it wholeheartedly.
Because as long as Kim Ho manages the calligrapher, life becomes comfortable.
But you shouldn’t handle things emotionally.
So she took a more sober look and considered the various factors.
The first thing that comes to mind is worry.
‘It’s too early to give scores… … .’
Seo Ye-in and Kim Ho-do have only just finished their first challenge.
If you enter a real situation without sufficient experience and an unexpected variable occurs, your performance may suffer a great blow.
For example, if one of the two is out of alignment and allows the Ogre to land a direct hit, they will immediately be unable to fight.
Hundreds of points just fly away.
‘But if it’s Mr. Kim Ho… … .’
With his skills, it might be possible.
Of course, An Jeong-mi did not know Kim Ho’s exact skills.
It’s because they keep it so well hidden.
But one thing is certain, he has the skills to go into the underground dungeons.
The [Wooden Cup of the Feather Snake Tribe] she uses as a coffee cup these days is from a D-rank random box.
In other words, this is evidence that Kim Ho cleared the D-rank dungeon.
If you have the skills to clear D-rank, the ground floor is child’s play, and getting a high score is no easy task.
Therefore, there is a much higher chance that the previous worries will end up as groundless fears.
‘Even if I fail… … it’s not bad.’
An Jeong-mi glanced at the calligrapher.
Her most prominent problem right now is her lack of teamwork.
So, I was trying to preach the importance of teamwork just a moment ago, but judging by the reaction, it doesn’t seem to have gone down well.
But if you pair up with Kim Ho and go into battle.
Maybe they’ll pay a little more attention and try to work together as a team.
Then, even if you fail and get a low score, it will be a meaningful experience.
Finally, this was a very rare instance of the human sloth showing any sign of motivation.
If An Jeong-mi rejects Kim Ho’s offer here, her motivation will hit rock bottom.
And the aftermath is the responsibility of the butler himself.
When she imagined it, she became afraid and An Jeong-mi trembled slightly.
In the end, the decision that An Jeong-mi made at the end of the long story was…
“Okay. Let’s have a battle of wits with Mr. Kim Ho.”
* * *
MAP:[Cave]
RULE:[Crystal][Strong Enemy][Weak][2 People]
“Are you okay with this rule?”
An Jeong-mi asked me.
I would like to give her one or two more favorable rules, but since I have temporarily left Dang Gyu-yeong’s group, I have to adjust to the difficult side.
So this time too, it ends with just [Weakness].
I nodded nonchalantly.
“Yes, it’s okay.”
“… … .”
The calligrapher also shook his head slightly as if it didn’t matter.
He takes in the teleportation portal and then stares at me.
The gray eyes seem to ask, ‘When are we going in?’
You seem very motivated today.
An Jeong-mi seemed to feel betrayed by the fact that the calligrapher was acting very different from when they were alone.
However, he controlled his expression professionally and lowered his head.
“Then I wish you good luck.”
We entered the teleportation portal with Ahn Jung-mi’s support on our backs.
[Kim Ho 100%]
[100% calligrapher]
In the middle of the forest, and a large cave right in front of you.
The calligrapher glanced at the cave and looked at me blankly.
I looked at him and pointed to the other side of the forest.
“Let’s get the crystals first. I go this way, you go that way.”
“huh.”
We split up for a moment, then returned to our original positions, each with a crystal.
Listen to what I say.
The next destination, of course, is the cave.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“depart.”
After walking with the calligrapher for a while, the goblins wandering around the cave discovered us.
“Keruk?”
“Crunch?”
And before they could even say hello, the calligrapher’s automatic rifle burst into a blue flame.
– Doo doo doo doo doo!
“Squeak.”
“Kekeke.”
‘Your shooting skills have improved.’
It looks like it’s just randomly firing, but there’s absolutely no waste of magic bullets.
Each one gets hit exactly between the eyebrows and falls out.
Hearing the sound of gunfire, several goblins came scurrying towards this direction, but the calligrapher knocked them all down.
For a moment, it seemed as if everything was quiet,
“Keeruk!”
“Keep going!”
A group of goblins are rushing in.
There are too many of them to hit one by one with an automatic rifle.
The calligrapher must have had similar thoughts, as the magic gun soon began to disassemble and reassemble.
I asked, watching the parts come together on their own.
“Shotgun?”
“huh.”
While the magic gun used before mentoring went back and forth between dual pistols and sniper rifles, this one goes back and forth between an assault rifle and a shotgun.
I saw it in the replay of Kwak Ji-cheol’s match.
The current switch to a shotgun is probably intended to clear out a large number of goblins in one shot.
However, since it is currently being reassembled, the calligrapher is effectively unarmed.
“It would be nice to have a sidearm. For times like these when your hands are empty.”
“huh.”
The calligrapher nodded slightly.
I’m afraid that when I go back, I’ll be nagging the butler.
Anyway, it was my job to buy time until the reassembly was finished, so I lifted the root and pointed forward.
-Whew—
The Leviathan Zone granted to the root was generating a weak upward current, and in addition, it cast Windforce upward.
The guys running towards you will suddenly float up and hit their heads on the ceiling or stalactites.
-Whew—
Just before those who had risen up could come back down, a whirlwind blew in one direction and pulled the goblins towards the center.
“Huh, huh?”
“Squeak!”
Even though they struggled, it was impossible for a single F-rank monster to resist C+-rank wind magic.
So they all ended up huddled together in one place like rice balls.
At that very moment, the calligrapher’s magic gun was also reassembled.
As the calligrapher pointed the shotgun forward and pulled the trigger,
– Bam!
A bunch of magic bullets scattered around, cleanly deleting the goblin rice ball.
Hearing the commotion, more goblins came rushing out from inside, but their fate was not much different.
– Bam!
I gather the goblins that are rushing in with a twister, and the calligrapher clears them out with a shotgun.
As I repeat this a few times, my vision gradually becomes brighter.
It means the sanctuary is near.
“An assault rifle would be better against ogres.”
“huh.”
The calligrapher obediently switched from a shotgun to an assault rifle following my advice.
As I continued to advance, occasionally shooting magic bullets at the goblins that popped out, a stone pillar emitting a bright light soon appeared.
Nearby, an ogre was crouching with his back to us.
In the first challenge, Gwak Ji-cheol came out to greet me because he shook the cave unnecessarily, but originally, even if it made a fuss, I would wait near the sanctuary like this.
– Wheein—
As we approached a little closer, the sanctuary and the crystal were connected by a thick pillar of light.
[Kim Ho 100%]
[Crystal 1%]
“It’s me again.”
“… … What the hell?”
Soon the ogre slowly turned his head to follow the pillar of light.
When he found me like that, his face distorted, he picked up the club lying next to him, and slowly got up from his seat.
“Kuuuuu… … .”
I asked the calligrapher, keeping my gaze fixed on the ogre.
“We went to the game center in our downtown area.”
“Gunslinger Adventures.”
“Oh. Let’s do the same thing we did there.”
“Suddenly?”
“Right. Flick.”
Today we’re going to review.
