Chapter 192: The End of the Midterms

Chapter 192: The End of the Midterms

When I looked back on what I had done,

It started with apprehending the Blood Cult elder to reduce the danger level of the main quest.

[Successfully secured a Blood Fury Pill.]

[Rewards have been enhanced.]

I swiftly secured a Blood Fury Pill in advance and handed it over to the disciplinary committee members.

[Ogres defeated: 9]

[Rewards have been enhanced.]

[Alpha Ogre defeated.]

[Rewards have been greatly enhanced.]

By defeating the Alpha Ogre and multiple Ogres, I was able to drastically reduce the casualties among the other students.

[Injured: 72]

[Casualties: 0]

[Rewards have been greatly enhanced.]

And so, while injuries were inevitable, there were no deaths at all.

As a result, the reward level shot up several tiers.

[You have acquired ‘Enchantment (F)’.]

One of the powerful abilities that once stood shoulder to shoulder with Copy, Amplification, and Monarch had returned.

It was also a skill that greatly contributed to my nickname, “The S-Rank Factory”.

I’ll take my time to thoroughly inspect everything once I exit the dungeon.

Even though a storm had swept through, the midterm exam was still ongoing.

In that case, wasn’t it the duty of a seasoned player to make sure to grab all the benefits available?

▷Crystals

Red 100% x2

Blue 100% x3

Green 100% x2

Yellow 100% x1

Red 0% x1

Green 0% x1

Blue 0% x2

I had already completed one set of crystals, charged the extras at the sanctuary, and even got more from the Ogres’ drops.

I had more than enough, even to the point of overflowing.

So first, I sought Seo Ye-in’s permission.

“Is it okay if I use the extra crystals?”

“Mhmm.”

Seo Ye-in nodded her head casually.

I asked for permission since we shared points as teammates, but I knew she’d easily agree because she wasn’t really interested in the practical evaluation.

Next, I approached the duo of Kwak Ji-cheol and Jeong Soo-ji.

The two were utterly exhausted and sitting haphazardly on the muddy ground.

“How many crystals did you collect?”

“...Only two yellow ones.”

Kwak Ji-cheol replied with a bitter expression on his face.

As expected, they hadn’t gathered much, and to make matters worse, both were the same color.

Typically, on the third day of the midterms, the most crystals are dropped and recharged.

However, the Blood Fury Pill incident erupted on that critical third day, and they had spent all their energy dealing with the Ogres.

Now, even if they rushed to the sanctuary, it would be too late, and if they clashed with other teams, they’d be guaranteed to lose.

It seemed they had no choice but to settle with the two yellow crystals.

I threw them a casual remark.

“You guys are in luck. I happen to have two of each color except yellow.”

“...Really?”

“Why would I lie? If you don’t want to believe me, then don’t.”

“I believe you. What do you want in return?”

Of course, the concept of “free” didn’t exist in my vocabulary.

Especially now, when the value of crystals was even higher.

If I were to hand over three, they’d have to pay an appropriate price.

Knowing this, Kwak Ji-cheol immediately asked what I wanted.

I smiled and answered.

“An emerald. B-rank would be ideal.”

“...Are you telling us to get it outside?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“...Hmm.”

Besides, there was no rule saying they had to pay immediately.

They could settle the payment after the midterms, once they were outside the dungeon.

The two exchanged glances with each other.

Judging by their interested expressions, they were almost convinced.

“How much do you have left now?”

“-5...”

Wait, it could drop below 0%?

With the exam over, there was no reason for her to stay, so I told Seo Ye-in to go get some rest.

“Get plenty of sleep over the weekend, and I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Mhmm...”

Seo Ye-in responded to my goodbye with a slow wave of her hand before trudging out of the dungeon building.

Next, Kwak Ji-cheol and Jeong Soo-ji came over from another class.

As promised, Jeong Soo-ji handed me a large emerald.

“Thanks.”

“No, we should be the ones thanking you.”

I quickly accepted it and stored it in my inventory.

Although my business with the two of them was now concluded, Kwak Ji-cheol hesitated as he was about to leave and looked at me. His mouth was slightly moving as if to say something.

Then, after looking away, he finally spoke.

“...I, uh, I also wanted to thank you. For everything. I’ll make sure to repay this debt.”

“Alright, I’ll be expecting it.”

I’m not the type to turn down something if it’s offered.

Kwak Ji-cheol then fully turned his back on me and walked away. He was even faster than Jeong Soo-ji.

Watching him go, I thought it was about time for me to leave as well, so I started to move.

“Hey.”

But Song Cheon-hye and Han So-mi called out and stopped me for a moment.

It seemed they had just returned after reporting to Lee Soo-dok.

Han So-mi cheerfully raised a hand and extended it toward me.

“You did great! High five!”

“Yeah, you too. Good job.”

I raised my hand to meet hers, and we exchanged two quick high fives, smack, smack.

Song Cheon-hye also gave me a slight nod.

“You’ve worked hard. Thanks to your early warning, we were able to handle the situation before it got worse.”

“You too. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to gather up ten people.”

It’s only right to acknowledge each other’s efforts.

From Song Cheon-hye’s perspective, she was grateful that I quickly informed her of the emergency and helped plan a response.

From my perspective, things were made easier because she had brought along the disciplinary committee members in droves.

If it had been just a group of four instead of ten, the damage inflicted on Alpha when I used the [Paralysis Scroll] would have been less, and we would have had to fight off at least one or two ogres after the second phase began.

Perhaps she felt awkward after the rare exchange of compliments between us, Song Cheon-hye looked around nervously and said,

“Well... have a good weekend.”

“Bye!”

“Yeah, you too.”

Even after the two of them left the dungeon building, I still had to exchange a few more farewells.

Hong Yeon-hwa waved hesitantly before leaving, Park Na-ri shyly expressed her thanks, and Bum rubbed his forehead against my knee a few times before retreating into his cube of life which was his personal hideaway.

Go Hyeon-woo and Shin Byeong-cheol kept me back and eagerly went over the battle against the ogres and Alpha Ogre in detail.

When these two get together, they can be surprisingly chatty.

Only after that did I finally find myself alone.

I guess it’s time to head out.

I needed to organize what I gained today and plan my next steps.

So, once again, my final destination would be the training center.

The midterms had just ended, but for a stagnant water player like me, there was no such thing as rest.

***

Back at the dormitory, Seo Ye-in efficiently got ready for bed.

She was always lazy and sluggish, but in moments like this, she showed a bit of diligence.

Before she knew it, Seo Ye-in was dressed in her pajamas and had burrowed into her bed.

She clung tightly to a large tiger plushie.

It was their first reunion in three days.

Seo Ye-in was about to close her eyes when,

“......?”

She slowly reopened them and looked at the tiger plushie.

Then she tilted her head. She felt as if something had changed.

It was hard to pinpoint, but it felt less comfortable than before.

The tiger plushie was right there as always, so what had changed?

However, Seo Ye-in was far too sleepy to figure out the reason.

So, she hugged the tiger plushie again and closed her eyes.

Soon, the soft sound of her breathing filled the room.

***

TN: She got a favorite human