“I can’t believe it…”
The eyes of the two graduates were filled with disbelief.
It was because I had broken through the formation and maze at a speed far beyond their expectations and appeared before them.
They must have watched the entire process through the crystal ball so the shock was even greater.
The confusing formations inside and outside the building were very responsive but I was able to react quickly and get out of the way whenever they tried to disorient me.
And I navigated the rooms intertwined like a maze as if they were my own home using the Throughwalk spell.
Without even looking around to see which walls were walls and which paths led to other places, I found the correct answers, so it’s no wonder they were bewildered.
At first, it seemed they were thinking, “How dare a first-year student be so arrogant?” but the results were so overwhelming that those thoughts disappeared completely.
In addition, they seemed to show a hint of awe.
“Do you perhaps possess detection or exploration-type skills or traits?”
Their disbelief was understandable because, by their logic, what I had done would have been impossible without such skills.
In reality, I had accomplished it all with my stagnant water sensor, but explaining or convincing them of that was impossible, so I gave a vague answer.
“I’m sorry. I can’t give you a definitive answer. I hope you understand.”
This seemed to be a sufficient response for the two graduates.
They took it as me possessing a powerful detection skill or trait but not wanting to reveal it.
In this game world, probing too deeply into someone’s skills or traits could be seen as a significant breach of etiquette.
It could easily be interpreted as “I want to analyze your abilities and find your weaknesses to destroy you.”
So, when I politely declined once, he had no choice but to drop the matter, though he did click his tongue.
At that moment, Dang Gyu-young appeared over the wall and he spoke to her.
“It’s a good thing this guy didn’t join the disciplinary committee. The thieves’ club would have faced dark times. Don’t you agree?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
Dang Gyu-young did not seem to agree very much.
She acknowledged my astonishing sense but couldn’t imagine the owner of “Inferno Fist” in the disciplinary committee club.
Still, she nodded along, considering it was her senior speaking.
“It’s impressive that you recognized such talent early and brought him in. Your eye for talent is remarkable, President Dang.”
“Haha, eye for talent? Not at all.” Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚·𝔫𝔢𝔱
Dang Gyu-young awkwardly smiled and waved her hand dismissively.
She hadn’t anticipated things would turn out this way, and since I wasn’t even a member before, it seemed difficult for her to find an appropriate response.
The middle-aged graduate turned his gaze back to me.
“As promised, I’ll get you anything listed on the black market. Investing in someone like you is never a waste.”
“I’ll gratefully accept.”
“Is there something specific you’re looking for?”
“I’ve made a list. The president has it.”
“Really? Let’s take a look.”
Dang Gyu-young, again with an awkward smile, handed over the paper slip she had received on the way to the downtown area.
The two graduates were curious about what kind of items someone with my skills might be looking for and read through the list with intense attention.
Their expressions turned strange as they encountered the array of highly dangerous items.
Despite the brief incident, the middle-aged graduate and the woman with the tear mole continued to show great interest in me as they bombarded me with questions.
They even put aside their pride as graduates and seriously sought my advice, asking if there were any notable flaws or areas for improvement in the confusion formation and Throughwalk maze they had designed.
From my perspective, even though it was a reward for a bet, the quality of the items I was to receive was quite high so I felt I should at least do something in return.
Additionally, if this black market deal went smoothly, I would be able to use it without any issues next year and the year after.
Therefore, I gave them sincere and thorough feedback to the best of my ability, and based on my advice, the security of the exchange was further strengthened.
Around the time the black market matters were somewhat settled,
Dang Gyu-young appeared with all sorts of snacks, including skewered grilled meat.
It seemed she had swept through the street vendors at the meeting point.
She handed me a chicken skewer.
“Let’s eat together.”
We watched the bustling crowds as we bit into our skewers.
Then Dang Gyu-young looked back and forth between me and the academic side and asked,
“Are you leaving now?”
“Yes, I should be going soon.”
I had to train separately and I also had to absorb the energy of the elixir Kim Gap-du gave me, so no matter how much time I had, it wasn’t enough.
Suddenly, Dang Gyu-young narrowed her eyes and looked at me.
The situation continued for quite a while so I asked her,
“Senior-nim, why are you looking at me like that?”
“I suddenly have a feeling. Somehow, it seems like you’re going to take a detour.”
In hindsight, this senior had quite a sharp intuition.
In this case, it seemed like she had simply guessed, but since she was right, I admitted it readily.
“There is a place I need to stop by.”
“You have a place to visit in the downtown area?”
“To be precise, there’s something I need to check.”
Dang Gyu-young’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“I’m curious, I’ll go too.”
“Even if you come, there’s nothing to see.”
“It’s fine. I’ll just watch without doing anything.”
Since she wanted to come this badly, it felt wrong to force her away, and even if I did, she would probably follow me secretly.
So I started walking with Dang Gyu-young.
The place we arrived at was an alley located in a corner of the downtown area.
The entire wide wall was filled with messy graffiti.
“Why? Are you going to write something there?”
“It’s the opposite. I’m here to find something.”
While Dang Gyu-young watched with curiosity, wondering what kind of graffiti I was searching for and why, I began examining the wide wall meticulously from the edge.
The types of graffiti were incredibly diverse.
There were rough sketches,
Notes like “OOO was here on XX month XX day!” or small doodles of hearts between the names of couples,
Gossips like “Mok Jong-hwa is a lazy bum, a non-recyclable piece of trash” that couldn’t be said to the person’s face,
And even secrets too private to share with others.
About halfway through,
One piece of graffiti caught my eye at knee level.
It seemed to have been drawn recently, as it wasn’t there when I briefly visited with Seo Ye-in last week.
There were several short, crisscrossing lines with dots scattered here and there.
As I stood still and just stared at the graffiti, Dang Gyu-young peeked over my shoulder with a curious gaze.
And then as was expected of the president of the thieves’ club, she immediately recognized the nature of the graffiti.
“Isn’t this a cipher?”
“Yes, it’s a cipher.”
“Seems like I’ve seen this somewhere before… What does it mean?”
“If you know, you’ll get hurt.”
“Oh, come on, tell me!”
“You said you’d just watch and do nothing.”
Since these were her own words, Dang Gyu-young pouted silently.
Normally, she would have coaxed me into answering somehow, but this time she couldn’t.
My expression was too serious.
I couldn’t help but be serious because the person who etched this graffiti, this cipher, is no ordinary opponent.
Moreover, they belong to a hostile faction against the Dragon Slayer Academy.
To them, the Dragon Slayer Academy where future heroes gather was a thorn in their side.
They wouldn’t just leave it alone.
They would want to reduce our numbers by any means before we fully grow,
And to do that, they would first have to penetrate the tight security and infiltrate Dungeon Island.
The optimal time for that is,
During the mentoring period.
With a huge influx of people from outside, including graduates, the security on Dungeon Island becomes relatively lax.
I suspect that the event boss performing a magic show in the downtown area also slipped in around this time.
Since they succeeded in infiltrating, that’s why there’s a cipher here.
And what this cipher signifies is,
In other words, they were signaling their presence to someone else and calling for a rendezvous at a specific time and place.
It was clear that if those scattered individuals gathered in one place, the problem would become more serious.
However, judging by the state of the graffiti, it seemed one side hadn’t seen it yet.
Things would get a bit easier.
I took out my magic dagger and scratched the wall, adding a few lines and dots to the graffiti.
It looked seamless as if it had been that way from the start.
As a result, the time and place for their meeting changed entirely.
One side would be stood up, and the other would head to the wrong location.
Dang Gyu-young who had been watching my actions from the start raised her eyebrows.
“You changed it? The cipher?”
“How did you know to do that?”
“I won’t teach you” and “It’s a secret” were my consistent responses but Dang Gyu-young no longer pouted her lips.
Instead, she asked in a cautious tone.
“Is it….by any chance, related to world peace?”
Keywords like “world peace” or “graduated 200 times” were usually jokes between us, but sometimes they were used seriously.
Like that night when we left the disciplinary room for a walk, and like now.
When I silently nodded my head in affirmation, Dang Gyu-young stepped closer and met my gaze.
“I know it’s dangerous. But I still want to help. I told you.”
If my vow that none of my people would die or get hurt was truly sincere, she was willing to become my accomplice.
I could see her resolve in her eyes.
I slowly nodded my head up and down.
However, it wasn’t a complete agreement.
“Not now. I’ll tell you everything when the time comes.”
“……Alright, promise.”
Dang Gyu-young extended her pinky finger, and I extended mine to link with hers.