Episode 508: Please lend me a book
When I came out after the game, Go Hyun-woo and Seo Ye-in were waiting for me.
“Brother Kim.”
“Did you guys do well?”
“Unfortunately, we only lost to the combined team for two games in a row. Still, it was a pretty useful experience.”
The mindset that experience is most important, regardless of winning or losing.
Then, when Go Hyun-woo was about to ask how I was, Han So-mi quickly approached him and answered instead.
“I just got into a fight with him!”
“Are you talking to Brother Kim?”
“exactly!”
“I want to hear the details.”
“Then let’s head to the store!”
Han So-mi grabbed Ko Hyun-woo’s arm and pulled him towards her, giggling.
‘You’ve been studying.’
Based on my experience so far, I realized that Kim Hyeong-pal was the best fit for Go Hyeon-woo.
I could have talked about the interpersonal battle myself, but I didn’t want to bother them.
So after sending the two away, I turned my head and saw Hong Yeon-hwa approaching me, timidly.
When our eyes meet, he rolls his eyes.
“That’s… …thank you for your hard work.”
“You worked hard too. Your judgment was good, and your teamwork was also good.”
If there’s a downside, it’s that only I had ★Blink★.
Hong Yeon-hwa didn’t seem to care much about that part.
Rather, his face brightens as if he is happy to have been praised.
Then he hesitates again and asks cautiously.
“Coffee… would you like some?”
“Let’s do that. I have something to say.”
I walked to the store with the calligrapher, Hong Yeon-hwa, and we each bought a drink.
We sat side by side on a nearby bench, exchanging casual conversation for a while, and then I asked the calligrapher a question.
“How was yours? The big fight.”
“Defense twice.”
“It went as you wished. Did you win?”
“I won.”
A calligrapher making a V sign with his hand.
He confidently declared annihilation, and it seems he really did.
I asked another question.
“Was there anything you regretted while doing it?”
“……little?”
“What kind?”
“Blink.”
These days, I’ve been talking about Blink almost like a habit, but this time, there seemed to be a different reason.
So we all checked the calligrapher’s replay together.
Four students of different classes were reflected in the crystal ball.
They clumsily coordinate their attacks and combine their attacks.
The calligrapher evaded the flying swords, blades, magic, and arrows with excellent control, and sometimes even blocked them by gently lifting the pot of immortality.
However, there were also cases where the attack would pass by due to a slight difference.
Of course, since the defense team had a special shield of 5% applied, the damage wasn’t that great even if it just grazed them.
On the other hand, every time the magic gun fired, the combined attack team’s health dropped and eventually they fell one by one.
I praised the calligrapher again.
“You fought well.”
However, since the similar structure continued until the end of the game, there seemed to be no need to watch it any longer.
I also roughly figured out what was lacking.
“I can’t get it off, you knife wielders.”
“Run fast.”
The feather step learned by the calligrapher is a movement skill with complex effects.
Aside from the effects of making the body feel lighter or creating turbulence, there are many methods that can achieve similar or higher speeds.
And for a ranged class to be caught up to a melee class essentially means defeat.
This week’s match was held under special rules, and the calligrapher’s skills were far superior to those of the opposing team’s four, so it only seemed that way.
I held up two fingers.
“There are two solutions.”
“What is it?”
“It’s simple. You just have to get faster.”
Even if you don’t know Blink, you can learn as many auxiliary skills as you want for the Musketeer/Archer/Thief lineage.
I have a ghost story right now too.
If you learn several of them and mix them appropriately, you will hardly ever get caught.
“Another way is to slow down your opponent.”
Apply various debuffs such as freezing, slowing, and binding.
Since you also happen to have a useful trap skill, it might be a good idea to try that.
For example, a skill that sets up traps while moving.
“Of course, you don’t have to choose just one.”
“Acquire everything.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to the butler later. For now, I need to finish what I was doing.”
“Core.”
“Let’s start from A rank.”
The calligrapher shook his head slightly up and down and tugged at my sleeve with enthusiasm.
“Training Center.”
“I’ll go first. I have to go out and about today.”
“huh.”
He was a calligrapher who usually only practiced with Kim Ho-be, but today, he left for the training center alone, wanting to increase his core as soon as possible.
Next, I looked at Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Let’s go to your department.”
“Our fault… …?”
“I have something to discuss with you, senior.”
“… … ?”
Hong Yeon-hwa’s curiosity grew, but since this was something that happened often, she nodded calmly.
Eventually we arrived at the Ruby Tower club room.
Hong Yeon-hwa shouts as she enters.
“Sister, I’m here!”
“Yeah, take a rest.”
Hong Ye-hwa answered absentmindedly without even looking at me, perhaps because she was busy with club-related work.
Then Hong Yeon-hwa shouted again.
“Kim Ho-do is here!”
“… … ?”
Only then does Hong Ye-hwa turn her head.
The moment we saw each other holding coffee cups, our brows furrowed.
However, like the club president, he quickly controls his expression and speaks.
“Kim Ho is here.”
“Yes, senior. I came to see you because I wanted to discuss something with you.”
“Okay, sit down.”
Hong Ye-hwa guided us to the sofa for entertaining guests on one side of the room.
But for some reason, Hong Yeon-hwa hurriedly ran ahead of us and quickly cleaned up the cushions that had been scattered around.
Then he looks away and mumbles.
“Oh, no. I think it’s too dirty… … ?”
“Try to do it like that more often!”
“You can clean it up now!”
“Oh my, really.”
Hong Ye-hwa shook her head as if she was pathetic and sat down on the sofa, and I sat down across from her.
Hong Yeon-hwa running away somewhere again.
He brought out a fancy cookie set and placed it in front of me.
“Eat this… ….”
“Hey, Hong Yeon-hwa. Is that still there?”
“I hid it. If I just leave it, my sister will eat it all.”
“Can you just give me that because Kim Ho is here?”
“Don’t be so shocked just because Kim Ho is here! You’re a guest, a guest.”
“It does all sorts of things.”
Hong Ye-hwa let out a sigh as if her prayer was not answered.
Then he took a deep breath and looked at me.
“Sorry, I’m a bit busy today so I guess I’ll have to get straight to the point.”
“Yes. Then I’ll get straight to the point. Can I borrow the [Book of Chaos]?”
Book of Chaos.
A book that is made up of several Chaos Scrolls, and each time it is used, the dungeon’s uncertainty and rewards increase simultaneously.
I borrowed it before, and at that time I used two of them in a row in a D-rank dungeon to greatly strengthen the boss monster.
As a result of defeating the guy, a B-rank random box dropped.
When asked to borrow it, Hong Ye-hwa looked embarrassed.
“As you know, it’s an item managed by the White Magic Club. Even club members have to accumulate contribution points to rent it.”
At that time, a special exception was made for the reward that was safely seized from the temporary storage facility.
I nodded and said.
“Of course I know. I’m just asking you to make an exception again.”
“You can have both. If it’s worth it.”
It was the expected answer.
Even though it is a relationship of mutual assistance, it is not something that can be done by giving up the club’s interests.
Of course, I have prepared what to present.
“In the next raid week, I’m going to aim for hidden pieces that will help the core.”
Among the underground dungeons, there are some that have an exceptionally high drop rate for elixirs or a higher density of mana than the special training room.
A flash of color flashed across Hong Ye-hwa’s eyes.
“That’s what you’re going to write there? The Book of Chaos.”
“Yes.”
“Then what is the benefit to us?”
To that question, I answered by pointing to Hong Yeon-hwa.
“I will take you in and come back.”
“… … !”
Hong Ye-hwa’s expression became clearly appealing.
If Hong Yeon-hwa achieves Core A rank, she will be able to jump to the top in the close race among promising players.
The status of the Ruby Tower will also increase accordingly.
Hong Yeon-hwa, as Hong Yeon-hwa, was excited about reaching Core A rank and learning Blink.
I keep giving my sister a side glance.
Feeling like we were almost there, I decided to push the sisters a little harder.
“It may not have been revealed yet, but Song Cheon-hye has been promoted to A rank.”
“Song Cheon-hye? When?”
“Just this morning. I checked it myself.”
As intended, the rivalry between the two sisters flared up in their eyes.
I barely managed to suppress him in the Fix Zone tournament, but if we ever face him in a face-to-face match, I’m sure I’ll lose by a core difference.
Then, the public opinion that Ruby Tower is superior will be reversed.
Hong Ye-hwa checked one last time before making a decision.
“How much can you stack if you use the Book of Chaos in that dungeon?”
“It’s hard to give you a number. But I think you can shorten it quite a bit to get to A-rank.”
“Okay, send me a message when you decide when you’ll be coming in. I’ll lend you the book then.”
“thank you.”
Since that was the end of my business, I got up from my seat, said goodbye to Sister Hong, and left Ruby Tower.
As soon as the door closed, the sound of fighting came through.
“You couldn’t take your eyes off Kim Ho-han?”
“Then, when a guest comes, you look somewhere else? Are you ignoring him?”
“You don’t even care when other guests come.”
“No, that’s not true. Why are you so sensitive!”
“It’s not that you’re sensitive, it’s that heart beams come out of your eyes!”
“… … It’s not a heart beam!”
I quickened my steps, leaving behind the increasingly intense fight between my sisters.
The supporters ate it all
