Episode 237 No. 88 The Gathering of Villains (1)
A heavy atmosphere hung over the leadership room.
A large screen on one side was split into a dozen smaller screens, each showing a replay.
What they all have in common is that they all depict black monsters of all kinds of bizarre shapes.
On the whiteboard next to him, Kwak Seung-jae was listing some key information, and the second and third year members, including the head of the leadership team, Oh Se-hoon, were focusing their attention on him.
Soon, Kwak Seung-jae looked around the audience and opened his mouth.
“After cross-verification, we have confirmed that the monster is indeed Dark Oobleck.”
“… … I guess so.”
“I guessed it, but you were the Witch of Corruption.”
The leaders each said something.
The elder of the Blood Cult and the witch of corruption who caused the Blood Bomb Incident during the first-year midterm exam.
They were defeated in battle with the faculty and staff, including Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong, and hid deeper into the basement.
So, he’s been quiet for the past few weeks, but seeing him slowly resuming activities, it seems like he’s recovered his strength quite a bit.
Kwak Seung-jae continued the briefing.
“As of Thursday, there were 14 total reported cases, and that number is expected to more than double over the weekend.”
“Most of the big bids are on the weekends. How many bids are left this week?”
“There are 71.”
“There are a lot.”
The leader who asked the question clicked his tongue.
For dungeons that are large in scale or take a long time to clear, I tend to start clearing them around Friday afternoon to avoid conflicting with my academic schedule.
Also, the average difficulty of these dungeons is high.
Most of the places that were put up for bidding were B or C grade.
If Oobleck appears in a dungeon like this, the danger increases and the damage to the students will also increase.
One of the members asked Oh Se-hoon a question.
“Closing the dungeon for the time being?”
“The faculty meeting has already decided. There is no justification for this at this point.”
“Tsk, I guess so.”
The member nodded calmly, as if he had already expected the answer.
Although it was an unexpected incident, so far no students have been seriously injured or killed.
Even though word of Dark Oobleck has already spread, most parties who have placed bids will take the risk and push ahead with the raid.
If you hold it, many resources invested in the preparation process may be tied up or completely lost.
There is also the problem of a widening gap between students who have already completed the strategy and those who have achieved growth through practical assessment scores and clear rewards.
If the bachelor’s side were to lock the dungeon in this situation, the backlash would be enormous.
At least, it’s not a good enough excuse unless someone’s life is lost.
Of course, there were other reasons besides this largely political aspect.
So Oh Se-hoon added an explanation.
“There was even talk about this at the faculty meeting. It could actually be the witch’s intention.”
“You intended to close the dungeon…? What does that mean?”
As the leader frowned, Oh Se-hoon smiled and turned his gaze to Kwak Seung-jae.
As if he was asking you to answer.
Kwak Seung-jae bowed his head slightly and opened his mouth.
“Dark Oobleck is known to grow stronger over time.”
It has a habit of eating everything it sees and absorbing its power, so it would naturally absorb more if left alone.
“It’s still early so the power isn’t that different from the dungeon difficulty, but if we were given more time, it might be possible.”
“… … I have to deal with it before it gets too strong to handle.”
“Yes.”
Dark Oobleck has to be dealt with anyway, so if we leave it alone, the parties participating in the raid will do the job for us.
So, from the bachelor’s side, there is no reason to close it.
Another leader asked.
“Then, I guess we’ll be keeping the dungeon open this week. Have you prepared any emergency plans?”
“The structure request has been confirmed to be functioning normally.”
Request for structure.
This is virtually the only way to contact the outside world while inside a dungeon.
However, the moment you use it, the practical evaluation will go down the drain, and some of the clear rewards will have to be paid to the leaders.
But where does it get through?
“At least I guess no one will die.”
“Yes, of course, with the precondition that we respond immediately. So the policy is as follows.”
Significantly increase the number of pilots residing in the basement.
A map of the members’ basement floor layout appeared on the whiteboard.
It is tighter than before and patrols are more frequent.
“I will also open the door for you myself.”
This was the main reason why Kwak Seung-jae took on the role of commander.
You can travel almost anywhere in an instant through the unique magic of the wooden door.
Since all the leading members had experienced it, they all acknowledged Kwak Seung-jae’s skills.
“Okay, let’s proceed like this.”
“Can I ask you one thing I’m curious about?”
At that moment, a second-year student who had been quietly listening in a corner raised his hand.
Kwak Seung-jae slightly tilted his chin.
“Tell me.”
“What about the rest? That is, the dungeons that Oobleck entered but no bids were placed.”
All that is known is that the Witch of Corruption is the mastermind behind all this, and that she has been spreading the Ooblecks far and wide throughout the dungeons of the Underworld.
There’s no way to know whether it’s inside the dungeon or not until you go in.
So isn’t it quite possible that Oobleck entered a dungeon that students haven’t set foot on this week, or that he’s left there?
Kwak Seung-jae had also thought about this point at least once, so he answered without hesitation.
“Of course, we will need to investigate the rest of the dungeons as well. But that will come later.”
“why?”
“We are short on manpower.”
There are as many as a thousand underground dungeons.
Even excluding the deep part, hundreds.
Even if we add up the leadership and teaching staff, there is a severe shortage of manpower to go in and out of there every day.
“So for now, ensuring the safety of the students participating in the attack is the priority.”
“Seungjae is right.”
Oh Se-hoon interrupted Kwak Seung-jae’s words.
I’ve already thought of some solutions, but nothing concrete has been implemented yet.
You also need to get approval from the academic department.
“Let’s get through this week safely, and then we can talk about the basement investigation later.”
“……yes.”
“Be familiar with each of your positions.”
“All right.”
The leaders bowed their heads.
* * *
One of the good things about being friends with the Thieves’ Club is that you can get quality information quickly.
‘And I’m not close with the manager.’
[Main Quest 2-2] (Completed)
▷Objective: Gather information.
▷Reward: Rank Up (F)
To gather information about Oobleck, you either have to ask around or buy replays.
However, all I had to do was talk to Dang Gyu-yeong and receive information from the thieves’ club.
That concludes the second linked quest.
The compensation was quite generous considering the amount of food I received.
The F-grade rank up has already been used for a specific purpose.
[Use ‘Rank Up (F)’.]
[‘Chillwind’ rank increases. (F+→E+)]
It’s a rare skill that can be used even at F rank, but it’s been raised one level further.
The next linked quest also comes to mind.
[Main Quest 2-3](In progress….)
▷Objective: Collect a sample.
▷Reward: Differential payment based on achievement level
A small glass tube falls into the hand.
It means to defeat Dark Oobleck and bring me a sample in this glass tube.
But right now, the hidden piece right in front of you is more important than searching the dungeon to find that guy.
So, let’s put it on hold for now.
Dang Gyu-yeong was half-lying on the sofa, rolling around with a look of discomfort on his face.
“Ah, this is a difficult situation. What the heck is this?”
The main cause is, of course, Dark Oobleck.
There was no direct damage, but the security inside the dungeon was greatly strengthened because of them.
There will probably be leaders here and there.
Because of this, unauthorized attacks are virtually at an all-time stop.
Even if we send out guides, they’ll just get caught.
But even so, there are some things that are difficult to give up.
“I have to go. I have to go down.”
“We have to find a way through it somehow.”
[Gathering of the Villains] Strategy Guide.
The hidden piece hanging there is none other than the Ghostly Ghost that the Thieves’ Club has been searching for so desperately.
It is truly a rare opportunity, as the Pengmiryeong Expedition Team even takes care of the annoying part of the strategy.
Of course, this was the same from my perspective, so I asked Dang Gyu-yeong.
“Do you think it will be difficult?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure about this either. There are more than one or two leaders. Sometimes there will be teachers too.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“A few skills and ranks.”
“… … I’m just telling you. What are you curious about?”
Asking whether someone else has skills/traits and their rank is almost taboo.
Still, I needed to check to make a plan.
Dang Gyu-yeong also seemed to understand that fact, and although hesitant, he answered my question honestly.
It may also be because trust has been built between us.
As I spoke of my plan, Dang Gyu-yeong looked at me with a strange look.
“Kim Hoya, sometimes when I see you, I feel like you know me better than I know myself.”
“Can I use cheat keys again?”
“You know everything because you’ve graduated over 200 times?”
“You know very well.”
“Ugh.”
Dang Gyu-yeong is now shaking his head as if he has half given up.
I guess it’s not like I can say that I’ve raised a shadow wizard.
I kept the conversation moving quickly.
“What do you think the odds of success are now?”
“Honestly, is it still half and half?”
“Let’s give it a try.”
Dang Gyu-yeong narrowed his eyes.
“And what if I get caught?”
“Do you want to get more penalty points?”
“This guy is a total thief. You’ve become a mind.”
Still not joining the club?
It was Dang Gyu-yeong who was trying to sneakily recruit him again.
Then he suddenly asks what thought crossed his mind.
“But, that Oobleck or something, doesn’t it appear in the dungeon we’re entering?”
“I’m not 0% sure, but you can practically say that it won’t come out.”
The Witch of Corruption is A-rank.
The Oobleck she serves is naturally of a lower rank than him.
If you want to enter a B-rank dungeon, you need to put in at least a B+ rank, but that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get any meaningful results.
Because all B-rank bosses are incredibly powerful.
For example, even the Black Ark and White Snake would be no match for Oobleck.
So, even from the perspective of the Witch of Corruption, it would be more cost-effective to put your efforts into certain C or D ranks rather than wasting them on uncertain B rank dungeons.
Even after explaining it to this point, Dang Gyu-yeong still looked uneasy.
“But you never know.”
“So what, it’s not like we’re dealing with it.”
“… … Now that I hear it, is that so?”
We are in a position where we only provide the guidebook and strategy guide and sneak in.
Even if Oobleck appears, it is the Pengmi Ridge Expedition Team’s job to deal with him.
“It’s like irresponsible pleasure.”
“Okay, that’s it.”
Dang Gyu-yeong smiled bashfully.
The supporters ate it all
