108 – Summer Vacation (3)
108.
Summer vacation.
A kind of break implemented to promote the health and stability of students amid the scorching heat.
Students, facing a lengthy break of approximately 5 to 6 weeks, typically spend their vacation through methods such as travel, outings, group camps, part-time jobs, and so on.
Each person plans how to spend their summer vacation in a unique way.
And I was no exception.
To make the most of the summer vacation, I diligently created a schedule.
And now.
I was struggling in accordance with the summer vacation schedule.
In a very dangerous and dark dungeon.
“Kkiyeee, eee, eeek!”
Thud!
With a deafening noise, dust soared into the air.
The monster ‘Five-eyed Widow Spider,’ boasting a size of about a few meters, had collapsed.
It was the boss monster of the dungeon called the Spider’s Den, but since I already knew the strategy, I could subdue it relatively easily.
Of course, even knowing the strategy, it was a quite powerful monster, so I had a considerable struggle.
“Kkiyee, eee, eee, eee……”
The five-eyed widow spider, with its entire body pierced, clicked its front legs while letting out a pitiful whimper.
However, most of the widow spider’s legs were already severed, oozing green blood.
It seemed there was no more strength to resist.
So now, only the task of cutting off its breath remained.
“Kki, eee, e… eek?!”
Thud!
A knife stabbed directly into the five-eyed widow spider’s head.
The blade, imbued with a dense magic, pierced through the skull as hard as steel, jolting the brain and causing havoc.
“Gge, ugh, eee… eee….”
Eventually, the widow spider shook its head. The legs and body that had been wriggling also stopped moving.
Its breath was cut off.
That formidable monster became pitifully insignificant.
“Hoo. Quite troublesome, this spider creature.”
Soyeon pulled out the sword embedded in her head. Green blood gushed from the widow spider’s wound.
“Wasn’t it, Jinhak?”
Soyeon approached with a sly smile.
Even after fighting that spider monster, she seemed unharmed.
I glanced silently at what Soyeon had just said.
Quite troublesome, huh…
You’ve really grown a lot, Soyeon.
It’s no wonder, considering the five-eyed widow spider wasn’t an easy monster to deal with, enough to express quite a bit of annoyance.
Even though we knew its weaknesses and how to attack it, the five-eyed widow spider was a monster comparable to the Black-Handed Long-Armed Ape that had appeared at the academy.
No, personally, it seemed even stronger.
But to think that a mere first-year academy student like Soyeon played a part in subduing this widow spider?
Even though she did it with the help of pro heroes, Soyeon played more than her part.
It’s truly surprising when compared to the time when she was a mess, terrified of the Black-Handed Long-Armed Ape in the past.
She’s not just a typical growth-type protagonist.
“Amazing, Soyeon.”
At that moment, a young woman’s voice was heard.
It was Han Seowoo of the Gaon Nuri Clan. She was looking at Soyeon with a face mixed with admiration.
“Our clumsy team member is much better than I thought, huh?”
“Oh, Seowoo unnie.”
Today, in conquering this spider’s den, Soyeon not only helped but also received assistance from the Gaon Nuri Clan.
To be precise, with Yoo Seolhyun providing the location of this dungeon, they formed a team with the Gaon Nuri Clan members and conquered it together.
For pro heroes, it might be uncomfortable to have academy trainees involved in such dangerous dungeon conquests, but thanks to Yoo Seolhyun’s help, there weren’t any major issues.
Furthermore, I had explored dungeons with Han Seowoo before, and at that time, I received a lot of help, so she was quite positive about my and Soyeon’s participation.
Well, in the case of Soyeon, unlike me, there was still no proven track record, so Han Seowoo seemed a bit skeptical, but that wouldn’t last long.
After the first battle with the monster, she quickly realized that Soyeon was different from ordinary academy trainees.
“At first, I was worried if you could do well. Oh, I was really surprised, you know? I’ve heard rumors about a new rising star at the academy these days, but I never thought it would be to this extent.”
“Ah, no. What did I do? It’s all thanks to Seo-woo Unni and the other Heroes, really.”
So-yeon clapped her hands with a slightly troubled expression.
It seemed a little embarrassing to be praised so much.
But Han Seo-un didn’t know how to stop her praise.
“Excessive humility is no different from deceit, you know?”
“Oh, hahahaha… Is that so?”
“Honestly, I’ve never seen someone like you. Stronger than the best of the best? Isn’t it an exaggeration? If you have that much potential at your age… could you become a High Ranker in the future? No, what’s a High Ranker, you could even become a Single Ranker, right?”
“Unni, aren’t you exaggerating too much?”
“Exaggerating what! Honestly, you’re better than most active Heroes, aren’t you? I’m serious.”
Han Seo-woo flattered her.
As if she was talking about the childhood of a figure who would later become a legend in South Korea.
Well, it was understandable.
So-yeon’s performance during the dungeon conquest was so impressive that it was too much to see her as just an Academy trainee.
Better than most mid-level Heroes.
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With this level of ability at her age, it wasn’t unreasonable for her to boast like that.
“Ugh, Jin So-yeon, you better act like you don’t know me when you make it big, okay? Got it?”
“Ah, how could I?”
“So-yeon, how about joining our Gaon Nuri Clan? I’ll take good care of you. You’re friends with Yoo Seol-hyun, right? You’ll get some benefits if you join a clan with friends, won’t you?”
“…I actually don’t want to join more because of Seol-hyun.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“No, it’s really nothing, Unni.”
Soyeon awkwardly scratched her cheek with a smile.
For Soyeon, who had a bad relationship with Yuseolhyun, Gaon Nuri was definitely one of the clans she never wanted to join.
Although Gaon Nuri was one of the leading clans, given Soyeon’s current abilities, any clan would welcome her.
“I’m truly grateful for your offer, but I’d like to think it over a bit more.”
“Oh, come on. Soyeon, really, join our clan…”
“Han Seowoo, Captain. Since we haven’t finished clearing the dungeon yet, please stop and come over here.”
Yuseolhyun, who couldn’t stand it, intervened.
Han Seowoo looked a bit disappointed as he glanced at Soyeon, then nodded.
Suddenly, Han Seowoo started walking towards Yuseolhyun. Yuseolhyun let out a deep sigh. I approached Soyeon unexpectedly.
“Good work, Soyeon.”
“Huh? Oh, you too. I survived thanks to your orders. It’s definitely easier with an operator around.”
Soyeon laughed softly and nodded.
“Jinhyuk, it would have been dangerous without you. Thank you.”
“Really? I don’t think so.”
To me, he still seemed quite relaxed.
Even if he hadn’t received any orders, he would have performed his role well enough.
Since awakening, he seemed to have grown rapidly, already possessing skills beyond those of a superior hero.
He’s grown well even without my care.
Now, I just need to take good care of items and artifacts.
It was astonishing to see how much she had grown in just a few months, but when he thought of Soyeon in the game, it was easy to understand.
He had worried if she could become as strong as the original, but now he was relieved.
After all, Soyeon was anti-Yudahee.
If Soyeon, who had already reached the high-rank level, had the talent to rival Yudahee, she should be able to do this much.
“Phew, now that we’ve conquered the dungeon owner, all that’s left is to collect the loot. I wonder what treasures are waiting for us. Exciting, isn’t it?”
Soyeon glanced around and started whispering in a small voice.
“Heh… Your future prediction ability is really something, huh? You can even find hidden dungeons like this.”
“That’s true.”
He had just remembered the location of the dungeon.
Hey, Soyeon, this is actually one of the dungeons you coincidentally found later in the original, right?
“Thanks, Jinhuk. Thanks to you, I’ve conquered dungeons, defeated various monsters, and even caught wanted criminals… I’ve had so many great experiences.”
“It’s nothing. You don’t have to thank me that much.”
There really was no need to thank him.
Conquering monsters, dungeons, and arresting wanted criminals with Soyeon throughout the summer vacation had all been actions taken for his own benefit.
As Soyeon became stronger, it was advantageous for him.
In the future, the one who would confront powerful criminals like Yudahee wouldn’t be him, but Soyeon.
Only Soyeon could bring down Yudahee.
“…Why do you say that? Even though I take care of you so much. Is it too much for you to handle?”
Soyeon absentmindedly twirled her hair.
He had indeed taken great care of Soyeon during the summer vacation.
Using the pretext of future predictions, various items and opportunities were generously bestowed upon Soyeon.
For Soyeon, who was just an academy trainee, participating in dungeon exploration itself was an enormous privilege.
Generally, endeavors like dungeon conquests were golden opportunities carried out by clans or organizations.
Dungeons, often referred to as otherworldly realms distinct from the present.
Within dungeons lay various items, goods, relics, treasures, and more.
Heroes with the chance to explore dungeons scattered sparsely across the world, how many could there possibly be?
Moreover, Soyeon participated not as a laborer but as an individual combatant.
Considering that the rewards were to be equally shared along with such an experience, no matter how skilled she might be, it was an excessive favor for Soyeon, who was nothing more than a commoner.
“I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this debt.”
“I told you not to worry too much.”
“You’re not looking down on me too much, right? Well, Jinhwan, if you want something, just say it. I’ll listen to everything.”
“Hm? Really?”
“… If it’s something I can do.”
As I smiled wryly and looked at her, Soyeon hesitated for a moment before responding with a slightly uncertain voice.
“Well, then… Just watch over me a bit.”
“Huh?”
“If, by any chance, I’m in danger later on, prioritize protecting me, okay?”
“Don’t worry about that. Jinhwan, no matter what measures I have to take, I’ll protect you. I promise.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah!”
Gazing at Soyeon, who nodded vigorously, I found myself momentarily lost in thought.
Taking Soyeon around like this, allowing her to gain practical experience, was also a way for me to objectively evaluate how much strength she had acquired.
This could lead to a direct confrontation with the Rebellion members starting this summer vacation.
There’s a high likelihood of being exposed to danger.
So, I wanted to confirm Soyeon’s abilities in combat, against monsters, and in dungeon conquests, to see if she was prepared or not.
If she wasn’t ready, I was prepared to handle it on my own, but Soyeon was more than ready.
As a reliable hero, she was fully prepared to fulfill her role.
“You’ve become so much stronger since the kidnapping incident, Soyeon.”
“I was really shocked, thinking you were dead back then. Maybe that’s why my dormant talents suddenly burst out?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“That was just a misunderstanding on someone else’s part.”
“Anyway! If something really dangerous happens later… Stick with me if you think it’s dangerous. I’ll definitely protect you, as your older sister.”
“Oh, that’s reassuring.”
Is the day finally coming when I’ll be protected by Soyeon?
“…Anyway, it’s just for show.”
Yu Seol-hyun, who had been silently watching us, rare for her, shook her head and muttered something resembling a swear word.
It seems like we’re in quite a ridiculous situation.
Well, let’s just play along for once.
“Seems like you two get along really well. Even in the dungeon. Someone might think you’re back together if they saw you like this.”
“There’s no way that’s possible.”
“hehehe. Ah, as expected, huh?”
Yoo Seolhyun immediately tilted her head.
What’s this answer trying to provoke?
“Well, I guess it would be difficult to date someone you’ve broken up with once. You must have suffered a lot because of Soyeon. Isn’t that right?”
“What?”
With a frown, Soyeon stared at Yoo Seolhyun.
Yoo Seolhyun met Soyeon’s gaze with a smiling face.
…Why are they trying to fight again all of a sudden?
I tried to improve our relationship a bit, but was it all in vain? Sigh.
