Chapter 67: The Depths (1)

Chapter 67: The Depths (1)

The swordsmanship club.

It was a pillar among the four major powers within the Martial Alliance.

The sole requirement for joining was the use of a sword as ones main weapon.

There was a saying that the sword was the king of all weapons, and the number of students who used swords was overwhelmingly greater than that of other weapons.

Moreover, as long as one wielded a sword, the club did not discriminate against members from other factions outside the Martial Alliance.

This gathering of swordsmen had formed one of the top two huge forces within the Dragon Slayer Academy.

Only the White Magic Club could somewhat rival it with a significant gap between them and the other clubs.

Should a full-scale conflict arise, even mid-tier clubs like the thieves club could be swiftly overwhelmed, so even someone like Dang Gyu-young had no choice but to be wary here.

Of course, someone at the level of a club president would have a few means to smooth over any issues that might arise.

It was likely that most of Dang Gyu-youngs concerns were directed towards me.

You probably know this, but getting on the bad side of the swordsmanship club is on a whole different level than with the Emerald. Are you still going to go through with it?

Yes, I am.

Dang Gyu-young was taken aback by my immediate and unwavering response.

It seemed she had expected me to back down at this point.

Really? Youre serious?

Really.

I did find the timing somewhat coincidental.

I hadnt anticipated that my goals would align with those of the swordsmanship club at this very moment.

But that was all there was to it.

Eventually, I was bound to either collaborate with or confront the Martial Alliance in some way.

The only difference now was that this intersection of paths was happening sooner than expected.

Ill take care of everything. Please proceed.

.

Dang Gyu-young looked at me with complicated eyes before shaking her head in resignation as if to say she couldnt stop me either way.

Haah, alright. I suppose our junior-nim here who has graduated over 200 times must have some tricks up his sleeve. So well proceed with this plan. When do you plan to head out?

Its a dungeon that takes up quite a bit of time, so Friday seems like a good choice.

Yeah, Friday does seem best from my perspective too. Whos going with you? The handsome guy and the girl with the gray hair you brought last time?

She was probably referring to Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-eun, with whom she only lightly got to know during my duel with the Emerald Magic Tower.

Just the handsome friend will accompany me this time.

Werent you with him on Monday too, for the D-rank one? With Byung-cheol as the guide. For the depths, two more will join you. It will be me and her.

Dang Gyu-young pointed to herself and then to the girl with a tablet.

Shin Byung-cheol was taken aback and asked

Youre going yourself?

If were going to do this, might as well do it right. But Ill be charging extra for labor. What do you think?

Following that, Dang Gyu-young sought my opinion.

I would be grateful if someone with the skills of a club president would be covering for us, even if it meant paying a higher price.

I also like to be sure.

Good.

Dang Gyu-young would use shadows to erase the presence of those accompanying us, while Shin Byung-cheol would take care of the physical devices.

Naturally, disabling magical engineering devices like crystal balls was the responsibility of the girl with the tablet.

Meanwhile, the tablet girl was quietly listening to the conversation on one side with a tired expression on her face.

But her fingers never stopped tapping on the tablet.

Dang Gyu-young glanced back and forth between me and the tablet girl before she tilted her head in confusion.

?

Why does it look awkward between you two? Her face seemed to say.

Then, something seemed to click in her head and her eyebrows shot up in realization.

Its not awkward; were just meeting for the first time.

We had seen each other during the raid on the temporary storage, but I had been wearing a mask at that time.

It was only because she was still carrying the tablet around that I recognized her; otherwise, I would have had no clue.

Dang Gyu-young noticed that point too late and introduced her to me.

Ah, this is Chae Da-bin.

The tie pin indicated she was a second-year.

Chae Da-bin gestured towards me and asked,

Its a request, so I dont mind going down with him, but hes a first-year? Can he beat a B-rank dungeon?

Thats Well, explaining it outright is a bit complicated. Hey, is it alright if I tell her that?

Id rather live with the regret. Im someone who prefers to live a long and humble life. Im sorry, but it might be better to look for another senior to

Ghost Dance.

!

!

The faces of the three members of the thieves club hardened at once.

[Ghost Dance] was a hidden piece that no one in classes valuing stealth could simply ignore.

Even the two assassins Jang Sam and Wang Pil had been tempted and the thieves before me were no exception.

Dang Gyu-young asked,

That actually exists? I thought it was just an urban legend.

It does exist.

I knew how to find it.

It would take some time but I was confident I would find it within the semester.

Sharing that hidden piece with the three individuals before me was the reward I offered.

Of course, giving you the Ghost Dance just for helping me reach this dungeon in the depths would be a loss for me, so Ill ask for a few more favors.

Thats only fair. What about you Da-bin?

Chae Da-bin furrowed her brow in thought and did not respond.

The sudden offer of such a significant hidden piece as a reward must have seemed unbelievable to her.

Dang Gyu-young sought confirmation once again.

Can we really trust this person?

Hes not one to make things up, thats for sure.

Then I cant miss this opportunity. Ill take on this request.

Me too. Since Byung-cheol is out, we just need to find a replacement. Who was good at dealing with mechanisms again?

Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin were already discussing the matter while excluding Shin Byung-cheol from their considerations.

Suddenly, Shin Byung-cheol did a complete 180 and inserted himself into the conversation.

Hey, hold up, time out. Who said anything about being left out? You cant discuss mechanisms without mentioning Shin Byung-cheol, can you?

Werent you the one saying you wouldnt go because it was too risky?

After giving it some thought, I figured if we follow the strategy closely, it should be fine, right?

Shin Byung-cheol sought my agreement.

I echoed the words Shin Byung-cheol had just used.

Didnt you say you wanted to live a long and humble life?

Me? When? A true man lives a short and impactful life, right?

Shin Byung-cheol was blatantly denying his earlier words.

His skin seemed so thick that it appeared as if not even a tribal spear could pierce through it.

For me, there was no downside.

I had confirmed that Shin Byung-cheols ability to dismantle traps was on par with those in the second and third years.

If he was willing to join us, he was more than welcome.

However, there was a baseline of effort that had to be met.

I flashed a grin and pulled out another stack of documents.

Memorize this by Friday.

It was the [Black Death] strategy guide, not the summarized version Dang Gyu-young had, but the original version I had made Go Hyeon-woo memorize.

Shin Byung-cheols expression turned to one of suffocation as he gauged the thickness of the documents.

Guh, this is quite a lot. Isnt it a bit too much to memorize all this in just two days?

Given that we were actually entering the dungeon, there was much more to be aware of, hence the volume of material.

So there was no room for compromise on this matter.

Skimming through the dungeon guide or granting more time were both out of the question.

Youll have to give something up, then. Either take fewer errands or cut down on sleep.

..

Theres always the option not to participate if you dont like it.

Upon hearing this, Shin Byung-cheol adopted an exceedingly polite demeanor and took the strategy guide.

Theres no way I dont like it. Give it here. Ill input every single detail into my brain.

Ill test you later. If you get it wrong, youre not coming.

Dont worry. I said Ill memorize it all, didnt I?

As if eager to start immediately, Shin Byung-cheol took the documents and headed to a corner of the room.

I could hear him muttering to himself,

Never thought Id see the day Id be studying again