Chapter 27

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Classes were immediately canceled.

Originally, we were scheduled to have classes until this afternoon.

However, due to the unexpected accident, the mock dungeon class that was scheduled for all classes today was postponed.

The other students returned to their respective dorms first.

Currently, Lee Myung-Joon and other staff were deployed to rescue the students who were still inside the dungeon.

Eight people, including myself, who had killed the giant tree were sent straight out through the exit, but we were immediately sent to the infirmary, where they asked us to wait a while for questioning.

"Do you have any particular pain anywhere?"

“It’s just muscle pain, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

The middle-aged woman looking at me and asking me looks like an ordinary person at first glance, but she was actually a healing hero who had spent several years in the field.

Even in response to my answer, she reached out her hand and sprayed a light that seemed to scan my body calmly, but after a while, she nodded her head.

"Yeah… Didn't you say that two others besides you guys have been out for too long? I think those two need a thorough examination. You'll have to wait a while."

With those words, she immediately opened the door and went out.

I put a pain relief patch on my ankle, which I had sprained without even realizing it, leaned on the bed with a sigh.

“Whew….”

The room was filled with an awkward silence.

The bed next to me was occupied by Choi Hyun-Woo and Ivan Hunt in turn, with Lee Yu-Na on the other side.

And next to her were Jin Ye-Seul and Na Il-Jun.

Unlike what I had seen before, Na Il-jun looked very discouraged, and he was mumbling something alone as he was curled up in the corner and covered himself with a blanket.

Thanks to this, I could hear the health professor who was looking at him muttering in a quiet voice, saying that he needed psychological counseling.

‘Was he that shocked?’

He certainly wasn't the kind of guy you'd expect to appear in the beginning, I didn't think he was that far gone.

I was just thinking that.

"Excuse me."

Lee Yu-Na, who was half lying on the other side of the room, called out to me.

“I couldn’t say it properly earlier, what's…… .”

“Yoo Ji-Hyuk.”

“No, I’m not asking for your name.”

Lee Yu-na squirmed her lips for a moment.

Then she bowed her head towards me and said.

“Thank you for saving me. Thanks to you, I survived."

I wondered what she would do if she were meeting me for the first time.

But I thought so because I knew the character of Lee Yu-Na well.

She was a self-made person who struggled through life without anyone to believe in.

Perhaps it was because she was thrown into the world since childhood, but she was averse to being looked down on by others and to being in debt to the point of death.

Maybe it was because of this that she tried to be secured about her relationships and couldn't express her true feelings.

On top of that, she was probably the most desperate person among all the playable characters, who wanted a scholarship that the Academy gives to the best students.

‘There is no tuition fee and living expenses are paid monthly, but…… .'

Attending as an academy student, when you looked at it, there was a lot of money that would inevitably go in here and there.

It wasn't an amount that could be taken lightly, considering that the amount is equivalent to the tuition of any university.

Above all, she was in a situation where she had to remit money every month, so she was in desperate need of money than anyone else here.

“Well, don’t worry about it.”

In response to my answer, Yu-Na gave me a slightly relaxed expression.

Then, Ivan, who had been quiet after coming here, suddenly muttered.

“Then what the hell was that earlier?”

Choi Hyun-Woo answered his question.

“Isn't it just a natural occurrence in the dungeon? The professor said so too.”

In response, Ivan quietly shut his mouth.

But I could tell that it was a silence that meant he was not convinced, that he did not understand.

'It's roughly expected.'

Ivan Hunt was supposed to be more sensitive than anyone else in terms of spirits.

Even though it is weak, he had the protection of the Spirit King.

But even though the old tree in the dungeon was obviously a kind of spirit, he couldn't notice anything.

I guess he can't admit that.

‘'Oh, I suppose I noticed it first, too.'

Well, I guess it would be fine.

Ivan's character was no different than the nobleman himself.

I took out my cell phone from my pocket with that thought.

'Let's see…… .'

The notification that an update was available twinkled above.

Quests, inventory, status, setting book, skill enhancement, and Q/A.

Other than this, there were several places filled with ‘???’ that were still not opened.

would these be opened after the update was over?

‘I don't have anything else to do anyway.’

I was touching the screen with the idea of ​​checking everything one last time and updating it.

"Huh?"

And in the inventory compartment that was supposed to be empty, was a piece of equipment I had never seen before.

Silent Dagger (Rare)

This is a dagger forged by an outstanding blacksmith, the best disciple of the legendary blacksmith of Yado, who showed off his skills to the fullest.

It looks like any other dagger on the outside, but due to the magical characters engraved on the core of the blade, it has the ability to hide all sound, along with the presence of a projectile.

As it is a dagger that exists to launch an unexpected attack from the blind spot aiming to catch the opponent off guard, it can be seen that it contains the power worthy of its meaning.

However, it should be noted that other than that, it's nothing different from an ordinary dagger.

― When throwing the silent dagger, only the presence and sound will be greatly concealed.

'What?'

It was the first time I had seen the item.

If it was rare, it obviously wasn't bad at this point, so it could be said that it was a good weapon, but why was it in my inventory?

‘I don't understand.’

I wanted to check it out right away, but there were too many eyes around.

After hesitating for a moment, I immediately clicked on the notification window.

[The latest update is available. Do you want to update? (Y/N)]

[Estimated time: 6 hours 23 minutes]

[Update list: Portability and compatibility, data optimization, and other convenience features updates.]

‘YES…… .'

I immediately put my phone in.

It would be about six hours from now and I would be in the dormitory, so it would be easier to find more information when I updated it and looked at it.

Then, I suddenly felt a gaze on me and saw an unexpected person looking at me.

“Um, can I ask you one thing?”

It was Jin Ye-Seul.

The words were so unexpected that I didn't even think to respond.

‘What's wrong with her all of a sudden?’

As I was thinking that, Jin Ye-Seul immediately asked me as if she was talking to herself.

“When you fought with that monster earlier, how were you able to hurt it…? I don't mean it in any other way, but you're an E-rank like me... How on earth did you do it?"

At her question, there was a sound of Lee Yu-Na and Ivan tossing and turning.

It was probably something they both were curious about but couldn't ask, but Jin Ye-Seul penetrated into it to the point that seemed rude.

"Uh… .”

Of course, there was no reason to answer Jin Ye-Seul's question.

But what was important now was that 'Jin Ye-Seul, who plays a failing student who has maintained a score enough not to be expelled on purpose, is drenched in powerlessness and defeatism', asked me a question tantamount to rude in the presence of others.

It was clearly an action that did not match what she had been acting up until now.

Why?

The words drifted through my head.

'No way.'

My head started to spin quickly.

Jin Ye-Seul, whose attitude suddenly changed.

Na Il-Jun, who has become like an abandoned man.

The two who were together.

A dagger of a rare rank that suddenly appeared in my inventory.

A mock dungeon that was a mess.

Expansion of abilities, awakening of skills.

Henir's Shadow.

A skill that Jin-Ye Seul should have gotten originally, and that she was obsessed with.

'Wow, crazy.'

When the conclusion reached that point, a horrifying assumption came to my mind.

It was that Jin Ye-Seul somehow figured out that I had Henir's Shadow.

'Na Il-Jun, that bastard... !’

Come to think of it, his main weapons were a long sword and a dagger.

Could it be that Jin Ye-Seul witnessed him throw a dagger at me without me knowing, and Henir's shadow grabbed it?

This was the only plausible scenario that came to mind right now, but it was convincing enough.

"Um…… .”

When I didn't answer as I was lost in thought, Jin Ye-Seul opened her mouth again as if to urge me.

Then Choi Hyun-Woo, who was next to her, cut her off with a slightly annoyed voice.

“That sounds like a weird question.”

When I glanced at him, Choi Hyun-Woo was looking straight at Jin Ye-Seul.

“Do you not know that it is extremely disrespectful to ask about other people’s abilities or talents?”

“No, that’s… But we're in the same party. So... ."

“I definitely know that it's rude to ask the other person directly unless they've told you first. You're an academy student and you don't know that?"

“Hey, what's wrong with you?"

I smiled awkwardly to stop Choi Hyun-Woo, who wasn't angry with me even when I falsely accused him.

It was because there was no way that Jin Ye-Seul, whose eye had changed colors, would not suddenly attack Choi Hyun-Woo.

‘She's really not the kind of girl you would want to get tangled up in the wrong way.’

It was frustrating because I couldn't even say that.

In response to Choi Hyeon-Woo's sharp response, Jin Ye-Seul finally shut her mouth and lowered her head.

Lee Yu-Na and Ivan didn't say anything, and I didn't know what Na Il-Jun was thinking.

It was an awkward situation.

knock-knock.

“Excuse me, please, Choi Hyun-woo and Yoo Ji-Hyuk... Oh, here it is."

A refreshing voice sounded in the silence, and then the door opened and Han Soo-Young pushed her head in.

She looked at me and Choi Hyun-Woo standing right next to the door, and she opened the door and walked in.

It was a welcoming face in the current situation.

“Oh, Soo-Young! You were okay, too!”

As I welcomed her fiercely, Han Soo-Young looked at me with a trembling look.

“… Did you get a head injury?”

“…… .”

I shut my mouth at her reaction.

Han Soo-Young looked around and found Ivan and bowed slightly to him.

And she looked at Choi Hyun-Woo and tilted her head.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Really?"

When Choi Hyun-Woo answered, she had a look of  'I hope so' on her face.

She then lifted the plastic bag she was holding in one hand.

“Since you're doing well, I’ll go for it. I just came here, so I bought you some ice cream.”

"Oh."

Han Soo-Young walked around and distributed ice cream to everyone.

Lee Yu-Na nodded, saying thank you with an awkward look, and Ye-Seul Jin kept her head down without saying a word.

Han Soo-Young, who frowned for a moment as she looked at Na Il-Jun, tossing it on his blanket as if throwing it.

"Thank you."

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

After a brief greeting with Ivan, a member of the same party, Han Soo-young handed an ice cream to Choi Hyun-Woo.

It was his favorite vanilla flavor.

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

Han Soo-Young then handed me the last one that was left.

As I casually accepted it, Han Soo-Young whispered in a quiet voice, 'Thank you'.

“…We can talk separately later."

"What?"

When I looked up, Han Soo-Young had already left with the words, 'Take care'.

‘What's wrong with her?’

My head throbbed for a moment, so I put the unwrapped ice cream to my forehead.

I thought I was going to be a little tired for a while.

* * *

"This is..… .”

After all the students were rescued, Lee Myung-Joon, who was investigating the scene of the incident, picked up the remains of the giant tree that had been dyed black.

'I was told that the tree was taking the shape of a human being.'

If so, it was highly likely that it was either a golem or a spirit.

However, considering how tightly controlled this mock dungeon was, he was well aware of the fact that the chances of a golem, an artificial creature, appearing was almost zero.

So, by a process of elimination, it would have to be a spirit.

And a very powerful one at that.

‘Was it burned?’

If it was a giant tree monster, the easiest way to deal with it would naturally be fire-based magic.

However, after looking around the area, there were no signs of flames enough to create this large wreckage.

On top of that, the texture of the wreckage was closer to that of dried and twisted rather than burnt-out charcoal.

Yeah, like getting sick or poisoned...….

'Poison.'

The poison spreading through the arm of Esmeralda Lysnerger, who was currently in custody, had yet to be deciphered.

And her arms, like this remains, were black and dry as if she had the Black Death.

Even to extract her information from her, they needed to detoxify the poison that ate her life.

'Did they say that there were four people who hurt her in the attack?’

And among them, there was Yoo Ji-Hyuk.

Lee Myung-Joon sighed heavily and dropped the remains in his hands to the floor.

“I'll have to meet him.”

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