Episode 162: The Swordsmanship Club (5)
Zhuge Liang poured himself some tea and asked a question.
“Would you like a drink?”
“I will drink it gratefully.”
I accepted the teacup without hesitation.
A deep, soft aroma rises from the warm cup.
I took a sip of tea and nodded.
“That’s a nice car.”
“This is Yongjeong (龍井) grown and blended by the family.”
“It certainly has a rich flavor. But… …. Is it okay for the person over there not to eat it?”
“… … !”
When I asked, nodding to the wall, Zhuge Xiaoxiao flinched in surprise, and his gentle smile faltered for a moment.
But it was only a moment, literally a passing moment.
He has the greatest composure of any person I’ve ever met.
“… … Since when did you notice?”
“From the moment I entered the room, I felt a strange sense of discomfort.”
Zhuge Xiaoso’s formation is at the third-year level and will have the vision of the Zhuge family added to it.
But I, with my old sense, was able to figure out the formation set up by the graduates.
Even if you don’t know exactly what kind it is, it’s not hard to tell that a formation has been established by looking at the slightest sense of discomfort.
Also, at this point, I figured there must be someone beyond the wall, since the only person she would hide from me would be someone else.
Zhuge Liang’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at me.
“That’s amazing. I heard it from Manager Dang Gyu-yeong in advance, but it’s definitely not easy.”
Soon, Zhuge Liang approached the wall and changed the positions of several objects placed nearby.
Then the formation was dismantled, a secret door was revealed, and a female student walked out through it.
The schoolgirl looked fierce from the first glance, and as if reflecting her fierce personality, she was carrying a large sword on her back.
“… … .”
The problem is that the way he looks at me is not only resentful but also hostile, so I think that’s why he made me listen in on the conversation in a secret, isolated space.
But now that we have this three-way meeting, it’s already spilled milk.
Zhuge Liang introduced her,
“This is Peng Mi-ryeong. She’s in the third grade, just like me.”
“This time, we conquered Heuksabang. It was a party hall.”
Peng Mi-ryeong accepted the offer.
With special emphasis on the part called ‘party leader’.
She is the direct victim of the Black Death infiltration.
Peng Mi-ryeong glared at me and spoke sarcastically.
“After preparing hard for a few weeks with my teammates, I went in only to find the inside a complete mess, and the Black Ark running wild. Thanks to that, I had a hard time.”
From the swordsmanship club’s perspective, their right to bid first, which is a vested interest, was violated, but that was only their position as a group.
If we look at it objectively, it is closer to a third party.
No matter how angry you are, it can’t compare to the anger of the person who actually entered the dungeon.
Actually, it was my fault, so I bowed.
“I’m sorry, senior. I understand why you’re upset.”
“I want to throw everything away, but I’ll hold back for now after seeing Soso and Dang Gyu-young’s faces. I heard you’ve prepared something grand, so be prepared.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
Peng Mi-ryeong glared at me with displeasure and asked.
“But what did you go into the black room to get?”
“I needed some materials.”
“ingredient?”
Instead of answering, I pulled out the root and showed it to him.
A short rod of glossy black metal is formed.
It is an alloy of perennial iron and black mithril.
Peng Mi-ryeong looked at it carefully and her eyes lit up.
“One season… … No, one season for many years?”
“you’re right.”
Peng Meiling and Zhuge Liang exchanged glances.
“Do ingots drop from the Black Sand Room?”
“I’m hearing this for the first time.”
“If you look closely at the corner, you’ll find a box of ingots.”
“… … ?”
Peng Mi-ryeong looked slightly impressed.
Since I didn’t quite understand what I was hearing, I took out the Heuksabang strategy book.
Since it was quite thick, I’ll just go over the strategy for when you enter the Ark’s lair.
Peng Mi-ryeong’s eyebrows rose at the sight.
“… … There was something like this here.”
“You didn’t know?”
“How do you know this?”
[The Black Chest of the Ark] is buried deep in a corner of the monument, and is painted black all over, so it is difficult to find unless you observe very closely.
Zhuge Liang thought for a moment and then said.
“Then you probably didn’t bring the ingot box anyway.”
“… … I guess so.”
In that case, it becomes a bit ambiguous to say that I was robbed of my reward.
Even if compensation is only part of the problem.
Because of that, Peng Mi-ryeong’s anger seemed to have subsided a little.
Also, rather than continuing to be angry at me, she was completely focused on checking the Black Death Strategy Guide.
It’s understandable that you’d be curious to know that there were hidden elements throughout the dungeon you cleared.
He quickly flipped through the pages, looked around here and there, and let out exclamations as if talking to himself.
“In such detail… …. Who wrote this?”
“I’m leaving.”
“You, tell me honestly.”
“That’s right.”
It’s normal to not believe it, since a first-year student who has only been enrolled for a short time knows everything about the deep dungeon.
Maybe he thinks there’s someone behind me.
On the other hand, Zhuge Liang’s perspective seemed a little different.
How I found out, or who was behind me, are questions for later.
What matters right now is.
“Are there any other dungeon strategy guides?”
“Yes, here it is.”
Next, I handed them the [Feather Serpent Altar] strategy guide, and they read it with interest as well.
Then, Zhuge Liang and Peng Meiling exchanged glances as if confirming each other’s intentions and nodded.
“There are a few dungeons that we are preparing to conquer. If you can write a strategy guide for them like this, I will put the bidding rights issue aside for now.”
It wasn’t a bad suggestion.
I have all the strategies for conquering the underground dungeons that are ‘conquerable’ in my head.
It’s just teaching one or two of them.
But I smiled softly and answered.
“That’s fine, but I think you’ll like what I’ve prepared more.”
We have already prepared a strong card, so there is no reason to negotiate with something else.
The two people exchanged glances again at my words.
“Let me give it a listen.”
“What I brought is a grocery list.”
I took out the pieces of the Jangbodo A and C from my inventory.
Zhuge Liang, who was looking at it, said:
“The Jangbo piece does fit. But you can’t judge its value just by looking at it.”
Depending on which dungeon you clear, the level of reward you ultimately receive will vary.
For example, if it’s a mediocre D-class or E-class dungeon, it wouldn’t be that great even if it’s hidden.
Of course, this was also an expected question.
It was for this situation that I gathered two pieces, even though one would suffice.
“Try to overlap and create the true fire of Samadhi.”
As I said, Zhuge Xiaozhu placed the two pieces of Zhang Bao Dao together appropriately, and golden flames shot out from his hands.
– Whoosh, whoosh,
Even though it was engulfed in flames, the pieces of Jangbo-do were not burned at all and retained their original shape.
After a while, when Zhuge Xiao Xiao withdrew his Samadhi Jinhua, the two pieces were overlapping as one, and a faint map was floating on top of it.
“This is… … .”
“Would you like to find out?”
Which dungeon map is this?
Peng Mi-ryeong glared at Jang Bo-do with her eyes narrowed as if nothing came to mind.
On the other hand, Zhuge Xiaoxiao’s eyes changed slightly as if he had realized something.
“A gathering of villains. Is that right?”
“You saw it correctly.”
Dungeon No. 88, B-rank.
A gathering of the wicked.
The keyword is [Boss Rush], and the goal is to kill all the bad guys, or demons, that appear in the area.
However, since each of them is a famous demon and some of them even cooperate with each other, dealing with them is not easy.
Therefore, it is famous for its high difficulty even among B-rank dungeons.
“And the reason they gather in one place,”
“Is it because of this report?”
“Yes.”
The word Madu naturally also includes the meaning of martial arts achievement.
As soon as their whereabouts are revealed, they will be pursued by the masters, so there must be some reason for them to gather in one place to the point of being called a ‘gathering’.
And the unfinished Jangbodo in Zhuge Xiaosha’s hand was proof of this fact.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Jegal Soso and Peng Meiling were lost in thought for a moment.
Unlike Zhuge Liang, whose expression remained almost the same as before, Peng Meiling’s face showed considerable changes.
Any irritation or anger towards me has almost disappeared, and is replaced by a great interest and longing.
If it’s a map of a B-rank dungeon and the hidden piece it points to, then it really isn’t an ordinary item.
Also, the hidden piece within this [gathering of villains] is still unknown.
If you can get it first.
First of all, it is a truly enormous honor that allows you to overlook things like having your bidding rights violated or your dungeon raid interrupted.
However, this report is incomplete.
Only the outline of the map vaguely appeared, but it did not appear exactly where to go.
Zhuge Liang asked.
“If you brought A and C, that means there’s a way to get the last piece, right?”
“Of course.”
Since clearing three dungeons in one week was a bit too much, I quickly cleared out the corresponding dungeons.
There was no need to go overboard, as two sheets were enough to prove the value of Jangbo-do.
“When do you plan on going to get the rest?”
“I will resolve this within the next week of the attack.”
Then Zhuge Liang asked Peng Meiling.
“How about it? Can you wait?”
Next week is midterm week,
The following week is the week of the big battle,
And then comes the week of the conquest battle.
It takes almost three weeks, so it can feel frustrating for those waiting.
However, Peng Mi-ryeong nodded without any hesitation.
“It’s okay. Just wait.”
If you just have a little patience, great opportunities will come your way.
Zhuge Liang also nodded his head.
“Okay, let’s test your skills.”
We were given three weeks to secure the final piece of the map.
* * *
[Use ‘Rank Up (D)’.]
[The grade of ‘Amplification’ increases (D->C)]
[Rank Up] from the random box in the corresponding table was used for [Amplification].
It was decided from the beginning that it would be the most difficult to rank up and the most useful.
Next, I took out the [Bongmaham] from my inventory and attached the [Purification] that the lucky calligrapher had given me.
Then, the pure white purification part began to turn black from the edges.
As you purify your magic, your purification department will also be consumed.
I didn’t watch any longer and put the seal back into my inventory.
I guess we can just leave it like this for a while.
Of course, it is impossible to purify all the condensed magic inside the Seal with just one Purification Unit.
But my original goal was not ‘purification’ but ‘neutralization’.
If you just neutralize it a little, it will be at a level that I can use without much trouble.
And the magic that was neutralized in that way,
‘Used for the cultivation of magical powers.’
During my preliminary survey of the Black Market, I made a list of prohibited items that I wanted to obtain and gave it to Dang Gyu-yeong, who responded with this:
– … … Why are there so many magic spells? Kim Hoya, how come you always seek out only gruesome things?
