Episode 262 Kwak Seung-jae’s Big Picture
Items and skills that allow you to read information about others, including magnifying glasses, are classified as part of the ‘mental interference’ category.
This is because it works by reading and outputting necessary information from the subject’s subconscious.
And I have a trait that makes me resistant to this kind of mental interference.
‘monarch.’
The monarch’s mental barrier is particularly strong, and cannot be breached unless the interfering party’s rank is quite high.
‘It has to be two steps higher to even try.’
The magnifying glass that the leadership team would prepare would most likely be B rank, or at most A rank.
When the monarch was a C-rank, there was a risk that he would be pierced by an A-rank magnifying glass.
Now that I’ve reached B rank, I need to get to S rank to break through.
And the possibility of the leader taking out his precious S-class magnifying glass has converged to 0.
‘Even if I had it, I probably wouldn’t have used it because it would have been a waste.’
After calculating up to this point, I placed a bet and was able to lightly deflect the magnifying glass that Song Cheon-hye used.
Actually, I didn’t intend to destroy it, but I guess its durability was already running low.
“Seo, senior… … .”
Song Cheon-hye looked at Kwak Seung-jae, sobbing slightly.
Maybe your eyes will go dark.
He curiously mentioned the magnifying glass and even accepted the bet, only to not only fail to use it, but end up breaking it.
‘I feel a little sorry.’
He was just doing his job as a leader, but he ended up making a lot of mistakes.
That’s why bets aren’t something you take lightly.
Even more so when the opponent is me.
“… … .”
Meanwhile, Kwak Seung-jae had his gaze fixed on me from the moment the magnifying glass was destroyed.
And after staring at me for a while longer, he opened his mouth.
“Judging by the reaction, I guess you expected this to happen.”
“Yes.”
I admitted it readily.
If [the monarch] had not been there, I would have refused to use the magnifying glass outright, just like Dang Gyu-yeong did.
“Looking back, there were some lax aspects to the conditions. ‘I used a magnifying glass, but the prohibited items didn’t come out.’”
“… … .”
If you wanted to be more specific, you could add a condition like “if there are no banned items on the list”.
Because in order to print the list, the magnifying glass must first be working properly.
On the other hand, I added a rather vague condition, ‘If you write it but it doesn’t come out,’
‘That’s not wrong.’
It’s true that even if you use it and fail, the banned item won’t come out.
Kwak Seung-jae looked straight at me and said.
“Kim Ho.”
“Yes, senior.”
“I hate puns.”
“sorry.”
“You know, we can do the same thing if we want to.”
The first condition that was stipulated when allowing the use of magnifying glasses was that the viewing angle be reduced.
I didn’t tell anyone not to tell anyone, so if I wanted to, I could go around talking about what happened here all I wanted.
“But that’s not my way. What happened here will remain silent.”
Kwak Seung-jae, as befitting his straightforward personality, chose not to do so.
When I look at Song Cheon-hye, she nods as if agreeing.
This was a condition that was set from the beginning, taking into account the personalities of both people.
“Also, as promised, I will not pursue you further regarding the stolen banned items. However… … .”
Kwak Seung-jae’s gaze became even more intense.
“… … This incident has definitely put you on the watch list. At the very least, the two of us will continue to keep an eye on you.”
“I will be more careful in the future.”
Even though the charges were dropped, it is impossible to avoid the eyes of suspicion.
If anything, it would feel doubly suspicious because the magnifying glass wouldn’t work.
As long as you have a [Monarch], it was bound to happen someday.
In that case, I made the bet with the intention of gaining as much profit as possible.
Kwak Seung-jae stared at me for a while longer, then turned his gaze to Song Cheon-hye.
“Song Cheon-hye.”
“……yes.”
Song Cheon-hye shrugged her shoulders in nervousness, as if she thought it was coming.
“I will not hold you responsible for the broken magnifying glass, but I hope you have learned something from this incident.”
“……sorry.”
“Even if the information is lacking, a bet is a bet. Whatever Kim Ho demands with his wish certificate, I will definitely do it.”
“……all right.”
Song Cheon-hye’s shoulders slumped.
After saying that, Kwak Seung-jae opened the wooden door that had been closed for a moment.
As we followed him back to the Room of Truth, everyone stopped talking and focused their attention.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Curious eyes fly in and fixate on me.
I wonder what the results will be after using the magnifying glass.
However, as mentioned earlier, Kwak Seung-jae seemed to have no intention of revealing this to a third party.
I only gave a very brief report to Oh Se-hoon.
“I decided to cover it up.”
“okay.”
‘Decided to cover’ means that the banned items did not appear.
Perhaps that’s why Oh Se-hoon smiled faintly and didn’t ask any more questions, and it seemed like everyone else was reacting the same way.
“… … !”
However, Dang Gyu-yeong looked a little surprised, as he was the only one here who knew of the existence of the Cube of Life.
If there were a lot of banned items inside and you said you ‘decided to cover it up’, then you should have disabled the magnifying glass in some way.
I’ll explain this later when I get the chance.
Since my work here wasn’t over yet, I went back to sit next to Dang Gyu-yeong.
Then, Kwak Seung-jae looked around the audience and opened his mouth.
“Even if you exclude the forbidden items, I think you know why you are here, seniors.”
They used the crystal balls installed in downtown areas for crime prevention without permission.
He caused a commotion and damage in the downtown area by summoning large-scale magic and spirits.
I entered a temporary storage facility where only authorized personnel are allowed to enter.
Obstructed the performance of official duties by the leadership.
“If you have anything to say, say it now.”
“… … .”
“No, there isn’t.”
The evidence was so clear and most of the crimes were committed right before the eyes of the leaders, so the managers readily admitted their guilt.
Then, Kwak Seung-jae looked in my direction as well, and it seemed like he was saying, ‘Kim Ho, this includes you too.’
Since I was also guilty of breaking into the temporary storage facility and of crashing Song Cheon-hye into the ice wall, I readily admitted my guilt, just like the other managers.
There is no immediate evidence or way to determine whether or not they possess banned items, but these are spot arrests.
Kwak Seung-jae continued speaking.
“Therefore, we will be imposing penalty points and disciplinary action on all those involved in this incident.”
“Let’s try our hand at cleaning the drain too.”
Jeong Jong-myeong chuckled.
He was a model student and had never been disciplined before, but this time he caused an accident and was about to be mobilized to clean the infamous sewer.
But surprisingly, Kwak Seung-jae shook his head.
“You will be assigned to a different job this time. There are more pressing matters at hand.”
“… … !”
“… … !”
The managers’ eyes deepened.
The same thought seemed to have crossed my mind.
This is an issue that has recently become a hot topic and that the academy hopes will be resolved quickly.
It is the Witch of Corruption who is hiding in the Dungeon Cave, and the Dark Oobleck she has been spreading widely.
As if his guess was correct, Kwak Seung-jae drove the wedge in.
“I would like to ask for help cleaning the dungeon.”
‘That’s why it was like that.’
I was skeptical from the beginning.
Was it really necessary to launch a ban wave during these turbulent times?
I wonder if this will only add to the confusion.
Now that I look at it, I see that he was trying to use discipline to clean up the dungeon.
If you ask for cooperation from a club or the like, you will have to pay a price, but if you confiscate banned items and give them as punishment, you can use them for free.
There, the clubs involved in infiltrating the temporary storage facility can participate more actively, so it is cost-effective in many ways.
Dang Gyu-yeong grumbled and asked.
“I had a feeling it would be like this. Since when?”
“You can start as early as tomorrow.”
“Is that okay? It’s the week of the big show right now.”
“I’ve received permission from the academy. We’ll be opening the dungeon building for a limited time this week.”
‘The faster the better, right?’
The Dark Ooblecks are growing in strength by eating everything they can get their hands on even at this very moment.
The longer you give it, the harder it will be to take it down, so it’s better to take it down as quickly as possible rather than waiting until the week of the raid.
Hong Ye-hwa and Jeong Jong-myeong nodded and said a few words.
“Well, I guess cleaning dungeons is better than cleaning sewers.”
“What exactly should we do?”
“I will explain now.”
Kwak Seung-jae began to explain the detailed plan.
* * *
When I was released from the leadership room, it was already dawn.
Everyone returned to the dormitory looking tired, but Dang Gyu-yeong and I still had work to do.
Distribution of banned items immediately.
I took my share, emptied the cube, and handed the remaining items over to Dang Gyu-yeong.
Then, Dang Gyu-yeong forgot his fatigue and started laughing heartily.
“Hehehe.”
“Do you like it that much?”
“Of course it’s good, I totally benefited this time too~”
“You know it’s all thanks to me, right?”
“I know~ Of course I know~”
Dang Gyu-young answered with a bright smile.
Most of the forbidden items brought from the temporary storage are of high value.
Plus, I’ll be receiving a commission from the White Magic Club, so doing a little dungeon cleaning as a disciplinary action is nothing.
If the leader had continued to trip up the banned items that had disappeared, the punishment would have been greater, but since I had even managed to cover it up with a magnifying glass bet, it was even more advantageous for Dang Gyu-yeong.
Dang Gyu-yeong shook the Book of Chaos.
“I’ll give this to you. I have to meet them at least once to get paid anyway.”
“Yes, please.”
“It’s not urgent, is it?”
“Yes, you can take your time.”
Although I was able to borrow the Book of Chaos as a commission, unauthorized raids are impossible for the time being.
The threat of the Witch of Corruption still exists, and the dungeon’s borders have been strengthened due to it.
I plan to rent it when it quiets down a bit.
Dang Gyu-yeong said with a slightly regretful tone.
“We can’t be punished together. It would be fun if we went into the dungeon together.”
“There’s nothing I can do.”
According to Kwak Seung-jae, the dungeon cleaning will be carried out by having people designated by the leadership team conquer the designated dungeon.
And unless the leadership is crazy, there’s no way they’d put first-year and third-year students in the same dungeon.
I said it casually.
“There’s still plenty of time. Let’s go together later when it’s less crowded.”
“Okay then.”
Dang Gyu-yeong smiled, nodded, and asked again.
“When will you start moving in?”
“I’m going to rest a bit and then go on Friday or over the weekend.”
“What are you going to do during your break?”
“Even if you take a break, it’s still training. Strengthening your inner strength.”
If you clean the dungeon, you will probably encounter Dark Oobleck once or twice.
It is not just a simple punishment, but is also related to the main quest.
In that case, we need to raise the specs a little more before that.
‘There are not enough ingredients.’
And my inventory was filled with various poisons.
The supporters eat it all
