The Support Ate it All

Dang Gyu-young asked,

“So, did things end well with the swordsmanship club?”

“They ended well, but something new has come up.”

“Something new?”

I explained the deal I had made with Pang Mi-ryeong.

In exchange for handing over the strategy guide, I was allowed to form a party of up to five members and enter [Gathering of Villains].

Once we were all inside the dungeon, Pang Mi-ryeong would focus on the main raid and the treasure map, while I would concentrate on the other hidden pieces.

And both sides would refrain from encroaching on each other’s territory.

Dang Gyu-young nodded her head as if she got the gist of it, but she still seemed to have many questions.

“But isn’t dungeon 88 part of the depths? Did you find a guide?”

“I’m confident you’ll help us.”

Dang Gyu-young’s eyes narrowed.

She showed a faint hint of displeasure.

“Kim Ho, of course I’ll help if you ask, but shouldn’t you discuss things like this with me first?”

The depths part of the dungeon building had a security that was far more stringent than lower levels, so sneaking in would require high-ranking members from the Thieves’ Club.

For example, when we entered the Black Death dungeon, Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin helped us.

However, if I asked for her to guide us to the depths without any prior discussion, there was a risk it could clash with Dang Gyu-young or Chae Da-bin’s schedules on the day.

It wouldn’t feel great for them to receive a request like a notification either.

So, it was the right approach to consult with the thieves’ club first.

I readily agreed.

“You’re right, but this time it was worth skipping that step.”

“Why?”

“Because I was sure both of you would agree no matter what.”

“…Really? What’s inside?”

“There is something.”

The fact that I was speaking so confidently meant that something inside the dungeon was enticing enough for Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin to accept my proposal without hesitation.

Dang Gyu-young’s eyes sparkled as she waited for my next words.

“The first hint lies in the dungeon’s name, [Gathering of Villains].”

Just as the title suggested, it was a dungeon where famous demonic martial artists gathered to fight like wild beasts.

Naturally, there had to be an enticing lure strong enough to draw them all to one place.

And whether righteous or evil, there are things that all martial artists go crazy for.

“Relics, elixirs, or a fortuitous encounter.”

“Yes, in this case, it’s a fortuitous encounter.”

And the better it suits your disposition, the more useful it becomes.

As a demonic practitioner, using the fortuitous encounters of Taoism or Buddhism would have been somewhat awkward in many ways.

On the other hand, a fortuitous encounter left behind by a master of the Demonic Cult would suit them perfectly.

“So what do you get if you follow the treasure map? Let’s reveal the answer first.”

“Oh! I was curious about that too. What’s the answer?”

“There is a martial art left behind by the Blood Ghost Blade Demon.”

“The Blood Ghost Blade Demon from the Four Supreme Demons Under Heaven?”

Dang Gyu-young was stunned.

The Four Supreme Demons Under Heaven were the four strongest masters of the demonic path in their time.

Their fame was so great that even though they were from a distant past, Dang Gyu-young still remembered their titles.

“Wow… If it’s the Blood Ghost Blade Demon, that’s amazing. Lucky for Pang Mi-ryeong. We should make her treat us.”

Since the number of members in the swordsmanship club who used swords was relatively small, the odds were high that the Blade Demon’s legacy would go to Pang Mi-ryeong.

Being the leader of the party increased her chances even further.

Then Dang Gyu-young seemed to have realized something and asked me.

.

“You’re not just telling me this to make me jealous, right? So, what do we get?”

“We have something similar. One of the Four Demons’ legacy.”

“That dungeon is a total goldmine. Another legacy from the Four Demons? Who is it this time?”

“It’s the Illusion Demon.”

“…….!”

Dang Gyu-young’s eyes widened in surprise.

Then, in a subtle voice, she asked me for confirmation.

“Kim Ho, is it… what I think it is?”

“Yes, it’s exactly what you think.”

The secret of the fortuitous encounter left behind by the Illusion Demon.

It was something that anyone with even a slight connection to the thief class, including Dang Gyu-young, desperately wanted.

“Ghost Dance.”

“…Ghost Dance? That’s definitely worth the leap. It’s a definite yes.”

In exchange for helping me infiltrate the Black Death dungeon, I had promised Dang Gyu-young, Chae Da-bin, and Shin Byeong-cheol a chance to acquire Ghost Dance, and now, that opportunity has finally arrived.

It was uncertain when another chance like this would come if they missed it now, so there was no way they could refuse.

Even if there were overlapping schedules, they had to drop everything and go.

“You said it’s during the next strategy battle week? When are we going in?”

“We need to wait until the other side finishes their preparations, so for now, we just have to hold tight.”

“That makes sense.”

By now, Pang Mi-ryeong was probably busy running around and recruiting people to participate in the raid.

Since we were practically tagging along, all we could do was follow their schedule once it was set.

Dang Gyu-young nodded her head slightly which meant she understood.

“Alright, let’s wait until the next strategy battle week then. What about our dungeon?”

So far, I have explored most of the underground dungeons with Go Hyeon-woo, but the frequency has been excessive.

So, to give Go Hyeon-woo a rest and some time to focus on his own skills, I planned to enter this week’s final dungeon with Dang Gyu-young instead.

The main objective was to meet the Crow Tailor and negotiate a deal.

We had already identified the location and appearance times through recently cleared replays.

“We’ll go in on Friday.”

“Number 294, right?”

“Yes, [Rainbow Lake].”

“What kind of place is that?”

“It’s a raid dungeon.”

The [Raid] rule.

The main goal was to take down the boss monster, which was the core of the dungeon.

“But if we want to see the Crow, we’ll need to stall for time.”

“Yes, we’ll have to drag it out.”

However, since the dungeon would collapse the moment the boss monster was defeated, it was necessary to keep it alive until the deal with the Crow Tailor was finished.

Because of that, the clear time would naturally extend.

“So how long will it take?”

“At least four to five hours, and if we’re unlucky, it could take even longer.”

This dungeon was a bit different from the ones we had cleared before.

The objective was clear, but there was no underlying story to support it.

And while there were certain strategies, the boss’s patterns were heavily influenced by luck.

As a result, the clear time could be either shorter or longer.

This isn’t really my type of thing.

I preferred clearing things with no gaps and 100% certainty.

If it weren’t for the Crow, I wouldn’t have bothered entering this type of dungeon.

On the other hand, Dang Gyu-young took it in stride.

“If we’re unlucky, we’ll just stay a little longer. Is there anything I need to prepare?”

“I’ll handle everything. Just bring yourself.”

“Hehe, then I’ll really just show up.”

Clearing the dungeon didn’t require much preparation, and we were already fully equipped.

As for anything else that might be needed,

“This isn’t really about the raid, but if the clear time drags on, it gets boring, you know.”

“Mhmm.”

“And it’s kind of quiet there unless we’re fighting the boss.”

“Guess we’ll need something to kill time.”

Dang Gyu-young’s lips curled up slightly.

She seemed more interested in finding things to do than the actual raid.

I added a reminder.

“Just don’t prepare anything too extravagant. It might end sooner than you think, so keep it light, like a small picnic.”

“I know, I know. I’ll take care of everything.”

Dang Gyu-young answered confidently. She looked more excited than she had all day.

Even more so than when we talked about the Illusion Demon.

***

We decided to enter the underground dungeon on Friday.

I gathered with Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in.

The reason was none other than,

“Today, we’re going to open some boxes.”

[Sealing Demon Random Box (D)] *2

For the random box opening ceremony.

Since it was a short dungeon, the reward was only three random boxes, and Shin Byeong-cheol had already exchanged one of them for a teacup set.

So, that left us with two.

However, even with just two D-rank boxes, there was a good chance something useful could appear. It all depended on who opened them though.

I handed the random boxes to Seo Ye-in with a very polite demeanor.

“Lucky charm-nim, please show us your skills today.”

“……”

Seo Ye-in was half-slumped over the table we were sitting at.

Lately, the sloth battery seemed to be draining faster than usual for some reason.

It was probably the Kim Ho pillow that was causing it.

At the same time, this was an opportunity to test a hypothesis I had in mind.

Is there really a connection between the sloth battery and luck?

“……”

As I watched with those thoughts in mind, Seo Ye-in who was still half-slumped slowly pulled the random boxes closer.

She placed her hand lightly on the lid and then flipped it open in one swift motion.

Flash!

What appeared next was a luxurious piece of parchment.

[Rank Up (D)]

This was considered fairly decent among D-rank items.

Considering how sleepy she looked but still managed to pull a rank-up right away, it seemed there might not be any real link between the sloth battery and luck.

Though a few more experiments would be needed to be certain.

Before using the rank-up, I sought Go Hyeon-woo’s consent.

It was the right step as a teammate.

“Mind if I use this?”

“Of course.”

And as always, Go Hyeon-woo readily agreed.

Soon, the light emanating from the parchment was absorbed into my body.

Flash!

[Used ‘Rank Up (D)’]

[The rank of ‘Enchantment’ has increased. (D -> C)]

▷ Rank of ‘granted’ skills/traits: -2

▷ Duration: 10 minutes -> 15 minutes

▷ Cooldown: 40 minutes -> 35 minutes

I’ve got this on track, too.

Except for the newly learned [Wind Barrier], everything was now C-rank.

I offered the last random box to Lucky Charm-nim.

Twice as polite as before.

“Please take care of this one, too.”

“Mhmm…”

Seo Ye-in who was still lacking enthusiasm as always didn’t refuse the request.

Half-lying down, she gave a slight shake of her head from side to side.

It seemed that nodding was uncomfortable in her reclined state, so she chose to roll back and forth instead.

Soon, Seo Ye-in slowly dragged the random box in front of her, just as before.

And as she lazily grabbed the lid and lifted it—

A bright light burst out like an explosion.

Flash—!

“Ooh.”

“Ooh.”

Go Hyeon-woo and I exclaimed in admiration at the same time.

The light was even brighter than before.

Since the previous item had been D-rank, this indicated that a higher-ranked item had appeared.

However, what lay in the place where the light had faded didn’t quite match the brilliant glow.

A strange black lump.

It looked like wet clay soaked in ink and haphazardly mashed together.

The smell was not pleasant either. It resembled medicinal herbs with a hint of a fishy stench mixed in.

Go Hyeon-woo who was carefully examining it showed a glimmer of recognition in his eyes.

“This is…”

“Do you know what it is?”

“I suspect it might be an inner core.”

“You got it right away.”

Go Hyeon-woo who was a warrior had a knack for instantly recognizing anything beneficial for the body, almost as if by instinct.

[Inner Core of the Venomous Horned Black Blood Serpent (C)]

The Venomous Horned Black Blood Serpent was known as a snake with a long, sharp horn on its forehead that resembled a poisonous stinger. It was said that even the strongest of warriors, if pierced by this horn, would instantly dissolve into a mere puddle of blood.

Furthermore, if wounded, the serpent would bleed pitch-black blood which was known to be a poison among poisons.

For many reasons, it was best to keep a safe distance from it.

Of course, the Venomous Horned Black Blood Serpent was not only a venomous creature but also a mystical one.

Though it was difficult to capture, if one could just obtain its inner core,

“It’s very beneficial for the body.”

“It must have the effect of increasing internal energy.”

“It’s not just about internal energy; it’s a poisonous creature after all.”

Eating it would increase one’s poison resistance.