Episode 245 Settlement
As soon as he left the dungeon, Dang Gyu-yeong raised his magical power and prepared his skills.
The next moment, the view changed completely and the depths of the dungeon were revealed, and the other people who had participated in the raid also came out walking.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Amidst the commotion and confusion, our five party members and Peng Mi-ryeong quickly exchanged glances.
And as soon as they gathered in one place, Dang Gyu-yeong unleashed the skill he had prepared.
[Shadow Ratcher]
A shadow burst out from under our feet and covered the five of us, then stuck to Peng Mi-ryeong’s shadow and merged into one.
Shadowlatcher.
This is a skill that hides in the target’s shadow.
Depending on the caster’s ability, it is possible to hide multiple people at the same time like now.
Since it has a fatal flaw in that it is immediately canceled when attacked, it must be cast secretly enough that the host does not notice, or prior consent must be obtained.
Of course we are the latter.
Another drawback is that the shape of the shadow is not that of Peng Mi-ryeong, but rather that of the five of us gathered together.
If you look at just the Pengmiryeong alone, you can see the difference at a glance.
Of course, after considering these shortcomings and discussing them thoroughly, the other expedition members took their places as if they were surrounding Pengmi Ridge.
Now, no matter what angle the light hits, the shadows will all be in a clump, so it’s unlikely to be detected.
Suddenly, the area in front of the dungeon became crowded and a patrolman who had been patrolling the area approached.
Then, after briefly looking over the faces of the expedition members, he asked Peng Mi-ryeong.
“Are there any casualties?”
“doesn’t exist.”
“That’s good. You must be tired, so go in and rest.”
“Yeah, you too, thank you for your hard work.”
Since they had challenged the strategy after the formal bidding, there was no reason for the leadership to keep them for long.
So he said that much and then went back to his patrol.
They seemed completely unaware that we were hiding in the shadows.
Peng Mi-ryeong glanced in the direction he had disappeared and then said,
“Let’s go up.”
Everyone started walking towards the circular staircase.
Then, a third-year student approached and offered an apple to Peng Mi-ryeong.
Judging by his dark complexion, he seemed to be the team leader who had been rude to the guests and had been beaten up by the two men.
“… … I’m sorry. I should have just done it according to plan.”
“Of course you should be sorry. The entire expedition was almost in danger because of you. If you keep doing this, I won’t be able to work with you again.”
“From now on, I will follow your orders completely. I promise.”
Team leader 2 repeated his pledge.
The reason he acts so humble is because he feels sorry, but it is also likely that he is trying to manage his reputation.
If you get rumored to be a troll, you won’t be accepted on the expedition for the rest of the semester, and even after you graduate.
Then he lowered his gaze to the shadow and expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you, Dang Gyu-yeong. Thanks to you, we got through it without too much damage.”
“There’s nothing to be thankful for. I worked hard and received everything I deserved.”
When Dang Gyu-yeong responded as if it was nothing, Team Leader 2 turned his head to Pang Mi-ryeong and spoke.
“I will cover the damage.”
“Well, whatever.”
Three of the two teams’ quota were missed.
However, because we were given an urgent request, the actual loss of the expedition increased to 6 random boxes.
If you want to cover that with your own money, you’ll have to clear out a lot of inventory.
Still, he seems to have decided that it is better to suffer an immediate loss than to lose his reputation.
If you can just maintain your place at the party and move up, there will be plenty of opportunities ahead.
‘The way you conduct yourself is fine.’
Even though he was a guest during the raid, his qualifications as a team leader seem to be decent.
Even though he must have a lot of pride, he apologized in front of everyone and promised compensation.
Perhaps because of this, the gazes of the other expedition members seemed to have softened.
The Pengmiryeong expedition team continued to move upward and escape the depths.
As with the C-level descent, the lead agents were patrolling the area, maintaining a tight security net.
Of course, they only exchanged light greetings and did not keep the Pengmiryeong expedition team for long.
Among them, Kwak Seung-jae looked at the group closely as if he had sensed something,
“… … .”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, senior.”
When Peng Mi-ryeong asked, he immediately gave up his seat.
Dang Gyu-yeong whispered quickly while hiding in the shadows.
– Did you see it? You won? Two wins, right? Two wins, right?
– You’re doing a lot today.
– I told you it’s 8 to 2 with Kwak Seung-jae. He can’t do it to me.
It was Dang Gyu-yeong who was full of confidence.
After that, several of the leaders with good instincts sent strange looks, but no one actually saw through the hiding.
After all, who would want to even look at the shadow if they didn’t know that the other person was Dang Gyu-yeong?
Meanwhile, the expedition team changed elevators several times and quickly reached floors D, E, and F, finally being able to completely leave the basement.
Perhaps because it took quite some time to conquer the area, the sky was slowly turning blue and there were very few people around.
Nevertheless, Peng Mi-ryeong opened her mouth after checking to see if there were any last watching eyes.
“You can come out now.”
As soon as Dang Gyu-yeong released [Shadow Ratcher], Peng Mi-ryeong’s shadow rose up in three dimensions, revealing the five of us.
“Wow—that was so easy to get up to. Thank you.”
“No, we appreciate it. Take it.”
Before she knew it, Peng Mi-ryeong was holding three random boxes in her hands.
After that, we exchanged brief greetings with the expedition team and parted ways, deciding to disband for the time being.
Because I had traveled long distances and fought many fierce battles within the dungeon, I was very tired.
Dang Gyu-young said.
“Get some rest and we’ll meet again when you wake up. You’ve worked hard.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I did some mana training at the training center and took a short nap.
* * *
Saturday morning.
As I headed to the Thieves Club office on time, Dang Gyu-yeong greeted me as if he had been waiting for me.
“You’re here. Did you get some rest?”
“yes.”
“Sit here.”
She led me to a small central table, where snacks from the local market—dried fruit, beef jerky, pancakes—were spread out.
It looks like they are going to share it with the party members as an after-party.
As we sat down at one end of the table, Dang Gyu-yeong sat right next to me and put a piece of dried fruit in my mouth.
“Try this. It’s super sweet.”
“Oh, it tastes like pineapple.”
“right?”
And then he waits near his mouth, holding a piece of candy, as if he’s about to pass it on.
“… … .”
Cha Da-bin looked at us for a moment with unknowing eyes, then decided to ignore us completely and focused on her tablet. Of course, her hands were constantly moving between the snack table and her mouth.
After a short while, Go Hyun-woo and Jang Moo-geuk also arrived at the office.
“hello.”
“Okay, come and sit down. Eat, eat.”
We all sat around the table and talked about what had happened in the dungeon.
Then, when the snacks had dwindled and there was little to talk about, Chae Da-bin started to tidy up one side of the table.
And then Dang Gyu-yeong stood up and got to the main point.
“Then shall we start distributing it slowly?”
Before distribution, we need to clearly understand what we have obtained.
So, Dang Gyu-yeong started taking out items from his inventory one by one and placing them on the table.
Two elixirs dug up from the weed field.
[Three hundred years of sewerage (C+)]
[Five hundred years of sewerage (B)]
A bunch of poisonous plants that I dug up while working hard,
[Bloodclotting herb (D)]*3
[Short story (C)]*2
[Full leaf (C)]*2
… … .
Clear rewards and random boxes received from Peng Mi-ryeong.
[Villains’ Gathering Random Box (B)]*6
And one book stolen from the garden and a hidden piece that Go Hyun-woo worked hard to bring back until the end.
[Cheon Ki Jin Hae (B)]
[Taecheongdan (C+)]
There was also the all-important Ghost Dance, but since everyone would have equal opportunity anyway, there was no need to put it on the table.
Dang Gyu-yeong continued speaking while looking around the audience.
“I think it would be better to share it instead of boxing it. Is that okay?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
In cases where we are close friends, like Go Hyun-woo and I, or Dang Gyu-young and I, we open all the random boxes and distribute the contents according to each person’s needs.
Even if the needs overlap, there won’t be much friction.
On the other hand, the five of us are a temporary party formed because our interests coincide.
For example, although Chae Da-bin and Jang Moo-geuk are friendly with me, it is difficult to see them as close, and Go Hyun-woo and Dang Gyu-yeong are simply senior and junior.
If you hit the jackpot unexpectedly from a random box, or on the contrary, you get hit hard, you might feel hurt.
Therefore, Dang Gyu-yeong decided that it would be fair to distribute the random boxes based on the criteria before opening them and have each person take turns emptying the boxes.
That way, your head hurts less.
“Take them one at a time.”
One box was distributed to each of the five people, based on the number of party members.
Next, Dang Gyu-yeong pointed to me.
“Kim Ho, choose first.”
I am giving you priority because I contributed the most to this strategy.
Thanks to my strategy guide, I was able to obtain many hidden pieces, including the Ghostly Shadow, and I was able to gain the upper hand in the battle with the Flying Mountain Twin Horses from the beginning with S-rank [Poison Resistance].
I glanced over the items lined up on the table.
Usually, the value is almost the same as B rank, but the answer was already decided.
“I’ll take one more box.”
There is even a hidden card in the random box reinforcement order book, so it is right to take a chance.
Dang Gyu-yeong nodded coolly.
“Yeah, and take all the poisonous plants too.”
Next up are Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin.
He also made a great contribution within the dungeon, and faithfully fulfilled his role as a guide to the depths externally.
If it weren’t for their help, I probably wouldn’t have even dreamed of making it to the dungeon without the attention of the leaders.
Dang Gyu-yeong also seemed to have decided what he was going to pick early on, and as soon as it was his turn, he reached out to Cheon Gi-jin.
“I’ll take this. I’ll get a lot for it if I get rid of it. Dabin, do you need this?”
“No, I’ll take the elixir.”
Chae Da-bin shook her head.
As expected, since he is in the magic engineering field, he doesn’t seem to have much interest in items related to formations.
So, it was concluded that Chae Da-bin would take the B-rank Hasuo, and Go Hyun-woo and Jang Moo-geuk would each take the remaining C+ rank Hasuo and Hwan-dan.
Dang Gyu-yeong looked refreshed when he saw that the table was completely empty.
“This distribution was really clean. Now, the main dish is left… … .”
“… … !”
Then he gives me a quick glance.
Eyes full of anticipation were focused on me.
In particular, Jang Moo-geuk’s eyes were burning with anticipation beyond words.
I smiled faintly and then got up from my seat.
“Thank you for waiting so long. Let’s go right away.”
To get Ghost Shadow.
The supporters eat it all
