Episode 228 Week 13 Strategy (1)
Although the calligrapher was showing an unexpectedly great interest, it didn’t seem like Ahn Jung-mi was simply asking this question to change the subject.
Isn’t this a problem that will have to be solved someday anyway?
Rather, I think there must be some connection between taking the calligrapher to the basement dungeon and my summer vacation schedule.
So I asked again to confirm.
“I think there must be a reason why you are asking.”
“The chairman would like to meet Mr. Kim Ho.”
“That person called Chairman… … ?”
“You are the young lady’s grandfather.”
I glanced at the calligrapher.
I guessed it would have to do with executive-level personnel matters.
‘She was the chairman’s granddaughter.’
In that case, it is understandable that he is managed by the Future Strategy Office and even has a butler.
And in the flow of conversation, it seems that a big shot like the chairman of Hyesung Group wants to see me.
“I guess you want to check my qualifications.”
“Yes.”
Is my skill sufficient to conquer high-level dungeons?
What is the nature of a person?
Is he a bastard I can trust with my granddaughter?
It means that I will see and judge for myself.
‘There’s no reason not to go.’
If you want to take the calligrapher to conquer the basement, this is a gateway you have to pass through anyway.
Since the rewards for luck-related dungeons are quite generous, the earlier you get permission, the better.
‘There may be side benefits as well.’
I invited you to come see me, but do you really think I’ll just see your face once and that’s it?
The Hyesung Group would often return generous rewards whenever I helped out a calligrapher or did a favor for them.
It’ll probably be the same this time too.
‘When I have time, I’ll pick up a hidden piece or two and eat them.’
A new city where the headquarters of Hyesung Group is located.
A few hidden pieces nearby come to mind.
In many ways, things were leaning in that direction, but you never know what the future holds.
So I decided to postpone the answer for now.
“I don’t have any special plans. But I would like to think about it a little more and then decide.”
“Okay, feel free to talk to me anytime.”
An Jeong-mi bowed her head politely, saying that she would respect my opinion.
On the other hand, the calligrapher wants to hear the answer quickly,
“Come play at my house.”
“Look.”
“Come play.”
Every time he got a chance, he would grab my sleeve and keep saying, “Come play.”
* * *
The triple-bird training continued over the weekend.
On weekends, I usually leave the calligrapher alone, but for some reason he felt motivated to participate.
I asked because I was curious about the reason,
“I couldn’t scold you.”
A short reply came back:
In the final match of the interpersonal battle, Kwak Ji-cheol became the bullet shield, but it seems that wasn’t enough.
So I’m adding more ranked works in preparation for meeting Hong Yeon-hwa someday.
‘I heard he also secretly hates losing.’
It was a pleasant experience for Go Hyun-woo and me.
Because the practice of killing three birds with one stone cannot proceed if even one of the three people is missing.
As a result, until Sunday evening, Seo Ye-in continued to practice explosives, Go Hyeon-woo continued to practice herbal medicine and magic, and I continued to practice wind magic.
Naturally, the talented monster calligrapher has also raised his proficiency to the point where he can use his explosives at C rank and Go Hyun-woo can use them in real combat.
[‘Wind Barrier’ rank increases. (D+->C+)]
I was also able to raise the wind barrier into orbit.
* * *
monday.
Strategy class.
Seo Cheong-yong opened his mouth with a friendly smile.
“This week again, we’ll be trying to survive in a hostile environment.”
“… … .”
Even though the details weren’t revealed, the students’ faces were already filled with fatigue and annoyance.
Even the Cloud Stairs last week was an absolutely disgusting place.
You had to be careful to step over the platforms so as not to fall, and you had to move quickly whenever the opponent tried to block you because the clouds would disperse even with the slightest damage.
The stress was more than just this.
Plus the very unpleasant experience of skydiving without a parachute.
I probably would have fallen at least once out of every three games, so the Cloud Stairs were really not a place I liked.
But something similar continued throughout the rest of the semester.
It was enough to annoy me.
‘Except me, of course.’
Veterans often feel sorry for newbies when they see them suffering.
Sometimes, we become the subjects of pain.
I don’t know if Seo Cheong-yong felt the heat or not, but as a teacher, he needed to guide his students in the right direction.
So I spoke to him in a more serious tone.
“Guys, I understand that it’s hard. But if you experience it now and get used to it, it will definitely help you later.”
Even if you are not well-adapted to a hostile environment now, the only consequences are being incapacitated for combat or having your performance evaluation score slightly reduced.
But after graduation, there is no such thing.
If you can’t overcome the hostile environment in real life, you will lose lives instead of points.
So, wouldn’t it be better to go through a little trouble now rather than regret it later? Seo Cheong-yong was trying hard to persuade his students.
As the atmosphere softened somewhat, he resumed his class, which had been interrupted for a while.
“Okay, so this week’s strategy is as follows.”
The blackboard was wiped clean and rules and circumstances emerged in its place.
MAP:[Poison Zone]
RULE:[Crystal][3 people]
“First, the familiar crystal rules are back.”
The rule is to retrieve a crystal located somewhere in the dungeon and take it to the sanctuary to recharge.
You must always stay within a certain distance, as your charge will decrease rapidly the moment you leave the range of the sanctuary.
Seo Cheong-yong added a word here.
“But this time, we must not forget that it is a hostile environment, right?”
Even if you stay near the sanctuary, you must know how to leave if the situation becomes unfavorable.
In particular, this environment is a [toxic zone], so if you escape too late, you will become addicted and suffer continuous damage.
We need to decide at every moment which one is more important: safety or charging.
“And this week we will proceed with teams of three.”
The maximum number of team members, previously two, has been increased to three.
The number of people for the practical evaluation increases by one or two as time goes by, and eventually it goes to an expedition or class competition.
‘It went well.’
“Brother Kim.”
“Let’s go together.”
Go Hyun-woo and Seo Ye-in, their eyes shining on either side.
In recent weeks, Go Hyun-woo has been making concessions, but now there is no need to worry about which of the two to team up with.
‘The three of us can go together.’
As soon as class was over, we went to the dungeon building and took the stairs down to the basement.
Of course, this time too, all the students going up and down the circular stairs were second and third year students.
Most first-year students need to carefully consider everything and go through the minimum preparation process for even an F-rank dungeon, but I don’t mind skipping that step.
I’ve also selected dungeons that are easy to clear in advance.
[No.808] [Herb Garden]
We passed through the teleportation portal one after another, and the next moment we were standing in front of a collapsed ticket booth.
The calligrapher looked inside with curious eyes,
“doesn’t exist.”
“They say you’re not doing business.”
The identity of this place is a botanical garden that was ‘forced’ to close.
If you turn your gaze slightly to the side, you will see a large, old signboard with the words “Herb Botanical Garden” written on it, and underneath it is a ticket gate.
Likewise, since everything is falling apart, it cannot do its job.
As we pushed our way in, we found a winding path for the visitors.
As I led the way, Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in followed, looking left and right.
Go Hyun-woo said in a tone that was half curious, half wary.
“It certainly doesn’t look like an ordinary botanical garden.”
The environment is becoming more and more like a tropical rainforest, and the size of each plant is unusual.
Many of them were also bizarre in appearance, and the flowers were even more bizarre because they were unnecessarily colorful.
“It looks like poison ivy even at first glance, right?”
“It looks like that.”
– Shoooooo… … .
Also, acrid smoke rises here and there,
“Even if you just look at it, it looks like poison smoke?”
“hmm.”
Moreover, in the distance, large plants are swaying from side to side as if dancing.
“Even if you just look at it, it doesn’t look like a monster?”
“I see.”
Go Hyun-woo slowly put his hand on my waist, but I continued to walk ahead regardless.
Soon after, a building that had once been a greenhouse came into view.
The outer wall, which was supposed to be made of glass, was completely broken, leaving only a bare frame, with various plants sprouting out.
I walked inside again without hesitation, and Go Hyun-woo and Seo Ye-in followed me.
In the center of the greenhouse, a small tree was shining.
“It looks like a sanctuary even at first glance, doesn’t it?”
“It’s definitely easy to understand.”
“Just come to the crystal and recharge.”
The condition for clearing this dungeon is to charge two crystals.
“The grading criteria is average physical strength.”
[Kim Ho 100%]
[Go Hyun-woo 100%]
[100% calligrapher]
How much average health do the three people have left when the crystals are fully charged?
Of course, the more you leave, the higher your score.
At the same time, let’s recall the sub-quest of the week.
[Sub Quest: 13th Week Strategy]
▷Goal: Clear the dungeon before the attack
▷Deadline: ~Sunday midnight
▷Compensation: Differential payment based on performance
The maximum achievement is an average stamina of 95% or more.
This means that it should be barely cut.
Even if we are a team of three, it is not something that can be done well by just me.
We all have to do well together.
I think it’s quite difficult, but
‘It’s worth it.’
The rewards are also quite substantial.
“The good news is, the location here is pretty good.”
Standing in the sanctuary and examining the surrounding terrain, you will notice a few narrow paths between the densely packed various giant plants.
“If monsters are going to invade, there’s no other place to go.”
“Fighting looks good.”
There are many other poison zone dungeons, such as jungles and swamps, but this is the reason why I chose the botanical garden.
Because the path is narrow, you won’t be surrounded by monsters, and you can kill them as they come.
However, Go Hyun-woo seemed to have some concerns.
“But Brother Kim, aren’t we also limited in our movements?”
“That’s right.”
– Shoooooo… … .
Just then, acrid smoke rose from the nearby ground.
Where would you run to when poisonous gases and pollen are flying around in the middle of an urgent battle?
Of course, we have prepared a solution for this problem as well.
“What’s the second good news?”
Showing is better than telling a hundred times.
I looked around and saw a colorful flower in bloom.
When I reach out and grab it, purple pollen flies out.
Even if you just look at this, it’s full of poison.
[Kim Ho 100%]
[Kim Ho 100%]
Not only did it not reduce my stamina, it didn’t even make me addicted.
I asked, shaking my hands.
“What are we?”
“… … !”
Go Hyun-woo looked at that and seemed to remember something he had forgotten.
“… … It’s invincible.”
All three of us.
