Chapter 1133 – 1133. Savior Of The Academy
Kim Je-oh, the head teacher of the Smithing Department, sat in his office, his fists clenched tight. He had received information from the students that morning.
It was about some first-year students attacking an infected area with Seong Hari. And at the center of it, as if it were natural, was Seong Yujin.
‘Suddenly going to an infected area with Seong Hari? That guy is definitely planning something.’
And by moving Seong Hari, he was sending a warning. That he had Seong Hari in his corner.
‘…Damn bastard.’
The duel between the Smithing Department and the Spirit Department was less than a week away.
Kim Je-oh was confident in the Smithing Department’s victory. The Spirit Department had one person, while the Smithing Department had seven. The numerical difference was seven times. Even if Seong Yujin was the strongest first-year, within the rules of this duel, the Smithing Department could use external items thanks to their specialty.
The Smithing Department would bring carefully selected smithing items to use. Even if the opponent was an A-rank hero, he was confident that they could overwhelm them with the power of smithing. And the Smithing Department also had Shin Nari. Their power was more than enough. The Smithing Department’s victory was set in stone.
That’s what he thought. Until he heard Seong Hari’s name.
‘…What if Seong Hari is involved this time?’
Seong Hari.
One of the Five Heavens of Korea, and the only SS-rank hero in Korea. Although her activities had been sparse in recent decades, she was once recognized as the strongest hero in the world. Even the academy’s headmaster, Kang Ji-young, was considered a step… no, several steps below Seong Hari.
‘If Seong Hari’s skills, connections, and items were in Seong Yujin’s hands?’
The Smithing Department might lose.
Kim Je-oh nervously bit his nails.
“Teacher Kim Je-oh. Are you there?”
The door opened without permission. Kim Je-oh glared at the intruder, his mouth tightly shut.
“What brings you here?”
“Don’t be so cold. I’ve come to help you. I’m also bothered by the existence of the Spirit Department. I can help you.”
He approached, a carrier in one hand.
“This is the Smithing Department’s business.”
“Are you going to say such hurtful things between us?”
“…The Smithing Department’s power is enough.”
“Why don’t you take a look in the mirror? You look like a character from a horror movie right now.”
“……”
“If the Smithing Department loses this time, you’ll lose a lot. The already declining reputation of the Smithing Department will fall to the ground, and the students will laugh at you. And you… you’ll lose the Vice-Principal’s trust.”
Vice-Principal.
At that word, Kim Je-oh’s eyes widened.
“I know you. You’re the kind of man who would shake hands with the devil to achieve your goals.”
“Are you calling yourself the devil?”
“Why such harsh words? You know what I said was just a metaphor.”
He finally reached Kim Je-oh’s desk.
Thud.
The carrier was placed on the desk. Mana vibrated from his palm. A magical lock was released, and the carrier opened.
“……!!”
Kim Je-oh’s eyes widened like saucers. A deep curse was felt from the open carrier. His eyes twitched.
“…They’re all smithing items.”
“As a teacher of the Smithing Department, you’ll know how amazing these items are.”
“Just in terms of money, they’re worth tens of billions… Where did you get them?”
“That’s a secret. Anyway, with these, the duel will be no problem. I’ll donate them to the Smithing Department. Use them as you see fit.”
“…If we use these, the academy might suspect something.”
“Hahaha. Do you really think so?”
“……”
Kim Je-oh’s expression twisted.
He knew.
The academy didn’t have much interest in the Smithing Department. Maybe in the past, but not now. The academy officials didn’t know exactly what smithing items the Smithing Department had. There were documents, but no one actually looked at them. Why? Because the Smithing Department was declining.
“This duel isn’t just about the future of the Smithing Department. Your future is also at stake.”
“……The Smithing Department and I have nothing to offer you in return.”
“I only need one thing in return. The disbandment of the Spirit Department.”
He turned away, leaving the carrier behind.
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
He disappeared.
Kim Je-oh exhaled. His eyes flickered strangely. His hands, as if possessed, reached for the carrier. A smile spread across his face as he examined each smithing item.
‘I will definitely win and prove the value of the Smithing Department.’
•••
The day of the duel arrived.
I looked around before entering the artificial dungeon.
There were many spectators. Most of the academy teachers were present, and even academy students who had heard the rumors had gathered. There were fewer second-year students. It was the practical training season.
I calmly scanned the gathered first-year students. Most of them predicted that the Spirit Department would lose. No matter how strong I was, it was impossible to fight seven people alone. That was the reason.
‘Lee Si-eun is cheering for me… and even Ryu Hana came. That’s unexpected.’
I ignored Kim Chun-woo and Ma Jin-bae. I had no interest in those guys.
Then, my gaze stopped at Choi Da-yeon. Our eyes met. Choi Da-yeon, arms crossed, was aloof. Even after what happened, she didn’t avoid my gaze. That was very much like Choi Da-yeon.
I looked away. I looked at the seven members of the Smithing Department. Six of them, except for Shin Nari, were hostile. Shin Nari was calm. She was doing it because she had to. That was the feeling.
“I will explain the victory conditions.”
Kang Ji-young, the headmaster of Maruhan Academy, said.
“You win by either conquering the dungeon or incapacitating the opponent.”
I loosened my shoulders as I listened to her words. The good thing about the academy’s artificial dungeon was that you wouldn’t die even if you took fatal damage. So, there was no need to hold back.
“First, Seong Yujin of the Spirit Department will enter, and the Smithing Department will enter 10 minutes later.”
10 minutes.
The only advantage I was given.
‘I don’t really need it.’
I had no intention of winning by conquering the dungeon. I was going to defeat the seven members of the Smithing Department. That was my goal.
“Let’s begin.”
As soon as Kang Ji-young finished speaking, I entered the dungeon.
The scenery changed in an instant.
A dry sky and four hills greeted me. I stood there, arms crossed, waiting for the Smithing Department to enter.
Even after 10 minutes, the Smithing Department didn’t appear.
‘There are some dungeons where the flow of time is strange. But this is an artificial dungeon, so that shouldn’t be the case….’
There was only one answer. Each of them had a different starting point. I didn’t know because the dungeon information wasn’t released beforehand.
‘Tsk. I have to go find those Smithing Department guys. How annoying.’
I moved leisurely.
The curses of the Smithing Department were not suitable for fighting monsters. Curses were basically specialized for fighting people.
‘Basically, dungeons require you to fight a large number of monsters. It’s several times easier for the Smithing Department to fight me than to conquer the dungeon.’
It wasn’t me who was in a hurry, but the Smithing Department guys.
“Found you!! Seong Yujin!!”
A third-year student from the Smithing Department shouted. His voice was filled with hostility, but it just seemed ridiculous to me.
The third-year male was covered in smithing items. He wore an old bamboo hat on his head, a black apple at his waist, and held a broom with a dark aura in his hand. I aimed a rocket launcher at him and pulled the trigger. A rocket flew towards him.
A preemptive strike with a rocket out of nowhere.
A first-year student who hadn’t gained much experience would be taken out without even being able to react. But the opponent was a third-year. He hadn’t been attending the academy for nothing, and he created a barrier using magic. The rocket exploded, but it didn’t break the earth barrier.
“Bringing a weapon like that into a dungeon? Are you kidding me?”
The third-year growled. The academy, no, heroes, didn’t like modern weapons. They despised them. The reason was simple. The limitations of modern weapons, firearms, were clear.
I ignored his words and loaded a new rocket into the launcher.
A smile naturally formed on my lips at the thought of feeling the hand of the RPG-7.
The rocket flew with smoke. He didn’t even think about dodging. He trusted the barrier in front of him. That was his mistake.
Kwaaaang!
An explosion three times stronger than a normal rocket occurred. The barrier shattered, and his body rolled across the ground.
‘I asked Yoon Hee-jung, my homeroom teacher, to enchant it.’
Normally, it wasn’t allowed.
But this dungeon was an exception. It wasn’t just the Smithing Department that could use items.
“Kuh, uh….”
I walked towards him, step by step.
“Did you think that because the first attack was ordinary, the second attack would also be an ordinary rocket? You’re so stupid, it’s comical.”
His barrier suit was sparkling. It meant he was about to be taken out.
“Hmm?”
He was bleeding. Normally, he shouldn’t be bleeding.
“…Did he intentionally adjust the barrier suit?”
Why?
The answer to that question came immediately.
“You’ve been caught…!!”
His old bamboo hat emitted an ominous aura.
Looking at his triumphant face, I realized. It was a curse that activated with the caster’s pain and blood.
A sticky curse clung to my body. And then it disappeared.
Fssst!
The smithing item, the old bamboo hat, turned to dust and disappeared. It was the price for the curse failing.
“Wh, what?!”
I smiled and raised my wrist. A white rope was wrapped around my wrist.
“That item, could it be… ?!”
An item that countered curses. There were quite a few if you looked for them. One of the reasons why the Smithing Department was declining was because of that. Frankly speaking, even holy water alone could render low-level curses ineffective.
“You guys were obviously going to bring dozens of smithing items, did you think I wouldn’t prepare anything?”
“E, even so, there will be a limit…!”
He threw the black apple at me and swept the ground with the broom. Curses came crashing down. I calmly faced them. The curses couldn’t even touch a hair on my head.
“No way… What is that item?! Could it be… a holy relic…?”
“You idiot. How would I have a holy relic?”
I kicked him in the head. It wasn’t even worth using a weapon. His body floated into the air and then fell to the ground. His body disappeared. He was taken out. He would receive appropriate treatment outside the dungeon.
‘Six left.’
Before moving, I checked the rope.
『Rope of the Divine Tree
Rank: S
Immune to curses.
Durability 43/50』
My eyes widened.
Durability 7 had decreased at once.
‘I only blocked three curses, and the durability disappeared in a chunk!’
Was I seeing things wrong? I rubbed my eyes and checked the durability again. It was the same.
‘…This is crazy. Those Smithing Department bastards brought dangerous items. If I had known this, I shouldn’t have acted cocky and just taken them out right away.’
I regretted the lost durability.
At the same time, a question arose.
‘The Smithing Department had such dangerous smithing items… I underestimated the Smithing Department too much.’
I changed my mind from thinking that Shin Nari was the only one to be careful of in the Smithing Department and moved to find the others.
[The Heavenly Eye is opened.]
I opened both the Spirit Eye and the Heavenly Eye at the same time. My pupils turned golden. It wouldn’t be difficult to find the Smithing Department guys.
