The portal for teleporting outside the dungeon stood before me.
In front of it lay four small boxes.
[Winterhalt Random Box (D)] *4
The standard reward was three. Plus one extra for defeating the Ice Witch made for a total of four.
And on top of that, the main quest reward was included.
[Main Quest 2-1] (Completed)
▷Objective: Investigate the unidentified monster.
▷Reward: Random Box Enhancement Scroll *2
[Main Quest 2-2] (In progress…)
▷Reward: Reward varies based on achievement
Since the second main quest was connected to the previous one, the rewards weren’t overly generous right from the start.
Still, this is decent enough.
The Random Box Enhancement Scroll.
Using it on any random box would add a “+” to its rank.
If it was used on a D-ranked box, it would become D+, and the chances of better rewards appearing would increase.
Naturally, it made more sense to save it and use it on a B-ranked box I would obtain soon rather than using it right away.
We’ll split the loot fifty-fifty.
So, my share would be two random boxes and one enhancement scroll.
I had already used the rank boost thanks to Hong Yeon-hwa’s help, and soon I would be getting rubies as well, so it didn’t feel like I was missing out at all.
Once I stepped through the teleportation portal and exited the dungeon, Shin Byeong-cheol who had been waiting camouflaged against the wall smoothly revealed himself.
“You’ve returned, hyung-nim.”
The reason he was showing such respect with his entire body was because I had promised him a random box I didn’t actually need to give him.
A faithful servant to capitalism, really.
Shin Byeong-cheol started to say something but stopped short when he noticed Hong Yeon-hwa on my back.
“What’s this? Is she hurt?”
“She’s just tired and asleep.”
“Oh, that’s a relief, then.”
Entering a dungeon below one’s qualification level was already a rule violation, and if she were to get seriously injured there, the issue would only escalate.
In that case, every person involved, including the guide, would be investigated.
Shin Byeong-cheol might have had those calculations in mind too, but it seemed he was genuinely more concerned as a fellow human being.
Only after he confirmed the soft rise and fall of Hong Yeon-hwa’s breathing did he finally relax his expression.
He lowered his voice significantly. As if he was trying to be considerate.
However, his tone remained as laid-back as ever.
“So, how did it go? Did you clear it successfully, hyung-nim?”
For me, clearing a D-rank dungeon wasn’t particularly difficult.
In fact, it was practically like a place I visited as routinely as eating.
Still, the reason Shin Byeong-cheol asked was likely due to a train of thought that went something :
Kim Ho cleared the dungeon well.
→ The rewards must be generous.
→ There’s enough for my share too.
→ Jackpot, this is awesome!
So I gave him the words he wanted to hear and handed him the random box.
“Go ahead, open it now if you want.”
“How do you read me so well, Kim-hyung?”
Shin Byeong-cheol accepted the D-rank random box with a dramatic imitation of Go Hyeon-woo’s voice.
Then he took a few deep breaths. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥
He must have been secretly nervous because he had steadily walked the path of a cafe owner up until now.
But I couldn’t wait forever, so I threw out a taunting comment.
“Hey now, give me a second to build up my energy.”
“Hurry up and build it.”
The taunt worked; Shin Byeong-cheol immediately placed his hand on the box lid.
Then, in a flash, he narrowed his eyes in intense focus.
We both let out sounds of amazement at the same time.
It was the brightest light yet from any box Shin Byeong-cheol had opened.
As the glow faded, the results were revealed:
Well, this was unexpected.
To be honest, I handed him the random box with the idea of filling up the “failure” stamp, but I was genuinely impressed.
“Not bad. Congratulations.”
“Aw, come on, no need to congratulate me. This kind of thing’s a breeze.”
Shin Byeong-cheo who had been nervous until just now was full of arrogance.
But at the same time, he smacked his lips as if he was slightly disappointed.
“…But it feels like it’s a bit lacking.”
“Well, if it’s going to show up, it might as well have been something a little better.”
It seemed human greed really knew no bounds. Even though he landed a solid hit, Shin Byeong-cheol was already wishing for “something just a little nicer”.
Quietly, I pulled out a second random box from my inventory.
Then I offered in a voice like the devil’s whisper,
Shin Byeong-cheol’s face froze in place.
He was probably running the calculations through his head at lightning speed.
Would he be satisfied here and make do with the two random Rank Ups he just earned?
Or would he hand over the Rank Ups to me and take a fresh gamble with a new random box?
The deliberation didn’t take long.
A grin slowly curled at the corner of Shin Byeong-cheol’s mouth.
“Looks like I don’t have much choice. A real man never shies away from a challenge.”
“As expected. You’re a real man.”
“And today’s me is different from yesterday’s. I’m on a roll; that’s what I’m saying.”
Having done well with this box, he now fully believed he would have even better luck next time.
At moments like these, he seemed even more optimistic than our positive boss Go Hyeon-woo.
Then Shin Byeong-cheol chuckled to himself.
“I’d better apologize in advance to Hong Yeon-hwa. Tell her I’m sorry.”
“Why would you be sorry?”
“Because the brilliance of my pull is going to wake her up!”
Shin Byeong-cheol opened the random box vigorously!
Shin Byeong-cheol silently stared down at the mug in his hand.
Then he asked with a pitiful smile.
“Any chance of a refund?”
Leaving Shin Byeong-cheol to wallow in regret, I headed toward the girls’ dormitory with Hong Yeon-hwa on my back.
When I finally reached the entrance, I called over my shoulder.
Though she had dozed off until that moment, my voice seemed to rouse her just a bit.
Her arms which had been loosely draped around my neck relaxed as she got her feet under her and stood.
She was still half-asleep. She didn’t even bother to say goodbye and just wobbled her way inside.
Well, can’t really blame her.
Given the circumstances, I let it go and returned to my dormitory to take stock of things.
The first thing to check was the stamp coupon I managed to fill thanks to Mr. Shin’s help.
▷ Reward for 5 stamps: Rank Up (D)
Stockpiling Rank Ups was always beneficial.
There would be no shortage of skills and traits to upgrade in the future.
On top of that, I had just secured two [Random Rank Ups].
Now, I just needed to fail three more times to complete all 10 stamps and claim the final reward.
With this, I could raise one of my skills or traits stuck at Rank C up to Rank B.
If things went well, I might even manage to fill all 10 stamps by the end of this week.
Next, I looked over the newly copied skill, Chillwind.
▷ Copies – Skills [3/3]
Dark Oobleck’s skill, or more precisely, the magic skill it had swallowed from the Ice Witch.
The skill’s main effect, as I had experienced firsthand, was slowing down all enemies within range.
There were quite a few skills that inflicted the slow status, but Chillwind was known for being exceptionally potent in this regard.
Even though I had only faced the F-rank Chillwind, my S-rank elemental resistance hadn’t been able to fully counter it.
Naturally, if its rank increased, its potency would only grow stronger.
It’s a tricky one to block.
With its dual nature as an ice attribute and wind attribute, ways to defend against or dodge it were severely limited.
And then there was the third, final effect.
Any target that entered Chillwind’s range would receive additional ice attribute damage and effects.
This was part of the reason why even the F-rank slow effect had been able to partially pierce my elemental resistance.
Of course, a skill this powerful came with its downsides.
It’s an absolute nightmare to rank up.
Why else would the D-rank boss Ice Witch have kept it as an F-rank skill?
She must’ve learned it but hadn’t managed to rank it up herself.
Being a high-level spell, it had a growth difficulty similar to Amplification or Monarch.
It was virtually impossible to grow through repetitive training alone, so I had to use Rank Up.
Of course, this didn’t surprise me.
It’s not like that’s the only one.
I already had five or six skills and traits that barely advanced, so adding one more made little difference.
And since high-difficulty skills came with a guarantee of exceptional performance, I had no reason to hesitate.
Then the investment is already decided.
To grow a copied skill, I had to make it mine first, so I took out the last remaining fixed pin.
[‘Chillwind (F+)’ has been fixed.]
▷Spiral Explosion (C+)
▷Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger (B)
The next fixed pin should probably go to Poison Resistance.
The S-rank trait Poison Resistance that I copied from the Crow Tailor.
Even without fixing it, its performance was already exceptional on its own, but once I was fully “prepared”, I planned to use a fixed pin on it as well.
Just as Spiral Explosion combined three C-rank wind spells, certain skills or traits could merge into something even more powerful if the right conditions were met.
In fact, I had considered delaying fixing Poison Resistance, but with the second main quest confirmed, that wasn’t an option anymore.
The Dark Oobleck hadn’t appeared naturally. It had been intentionally unleashed by someone.
Normally, I would have to uncover its origin by following a sequence of chain quests, but I had already solved this puzzle enough times to already know the answer.
The Witch of Corruption.
An A-rank necromancer and one of the corpse dragon’s legion commanders.
As the name implied, she specialized in poison magic.
To handle her effectively, the best course would be to fix [Poison Resistance] and merge it with related traits before reaching the final stages of the second main quest.
In other words, I still have some time.
For now, this was just the beginning phase.
The Witch of Corruption had shattered the Dark Oobleck into dozens, even hundreds of fragments before scattering them across the underground floors of the Dungeon Building, and now they were starting to be discovered.
This week alone, at least dozens of parties would venture into those underground floors, and a few of them would run into a Dark Oobleck like we did.
Even if they didn’t die, the students were in for a tough time.
After much struggle, they would manage to escape the dungeon, and whether they shared their replay, confided in those around them, or reported it to the Academy, the news would spread anyway.
And as similar reports piled up, the academy would gradually become more vigilant.
This was the series of events set to unfold this week.
The danger wasn’t right in front of us yet, and I had a rough idea of when it might get closer.
In that case, it was better to act quickly rather than shrink back because of the main quest.
I need to secure what I can and fast.
As rumors spread, the atmosphere would grow more tense and the security on the underground floors would be reinforced.
That would make sneaking in and out much harder.
I had to move before that happened.
I sent a message to Dang Gyu-young.