The Support Ate it All

The atmosphere in the disciplinary committee room was heavy.

A large screen on one side was split into numerous smaller screens and each was replaying different footage.

The common element across all of them was that every screen displayed various grotesque forms of black monsters.

Next to it, a whiteboard had some key information listed by Kwak Seung-jae, while the committee members, including the club president Oh Se-hoon and the second and third-year members, focused their attention on him.

At last, Kwak Seung-jae looked around the room and began to speak.

“After cross-verifying, we have confirmed that these monsters are Dark Ooblecks.”

“…So it’s as we suspected.”

“We had a hunch, but it really is the Witch of Corruption.”

Each committee member murmured in turn.

During the first-year midterm exam, there had been an incident involving the Blood Demon Cult, led by an elder of the cult and the Witch of Corruption.

They had been defeated in a battle with faculty members, including Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong, and had retreated to even deeper underground levels.

Things had been quiet for the past few weeks, but the fact that activity was resuming suggested they had regained a fair amount of strength.

Kwak Seung-jae continued the briefing.

“As of Thursday, there have been fourteen reported cases, and it’s expected that this number will double by the weekend.”

“Most major attacks usually peak on weekends. How many bids are left for this week?”

“Seventy-one.”

“That’s quite a lot.”

The disciplinary committee member who had asked the question clicked his tongue.

For large dungeons or those that required a long time to clear, they typically began exploration on Friday afternoons to avoid overlapping with the academic schedule.

Additionally, these types of dungeons generally had a high average difficulty.

Most of the current bids were for B and C-rank dungeons.

If these Dark Ooblecks appeared in these dungeons, the danger level would increase, and the likelihood of students dying would rise as well.

One of the committee members posed a question to Oh Se-hoon.

“What about closing the dungeon building temporarily?”

“A decision was already made at the faculty meeting. Right now, they feel there isn’t enough justification.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.”

The member nodded in agreement as if he anticipated the answer.

Though it was an unexpected situation, so far, no students have been seriously injured or killed.

As a result, despite the widespread rumors about Dark Ooblecks, most parties with active bids would likely push forward and just accept the risks to clear the dungeons.

If they postponed, resources invested in their preparations could end up tied up or lost entirely.

Moreover, those students who had already completed their dungeon runs would gain an advantage through practical scores and rewards from clears, which would lead to a widening gap in growth and performance.

If the faculty locked down the dungeons in such a scenario, the backlash would be significant.

In other words, unless someone’s life was lost, they didn’t have sufficient grounds to close them down.

Of course, beyond these somewhat political factors, there were other reasons as well.

So, Oh Se-hoon added an explanation.

“During the faculty meeting, they also raised this idea. It might actually be the Witch of Corruption’s intention to provoke a shutdown of the dungeon building.”

“She intended to close off the dungeon building…? What does that mean?”

As the committee member furrowed his brows, Oh Se-hoon smiled slightly and turned his gaze toward Kwak Seung-jae.

It was as if he was inviting him to answer.

With a slight nod, Kwak Seung-jae began to speak.

“The Dark Oobleck is known to grow stronger over time.”

It has the habit of eating everything it sees and absorbing its power, so if left alone it would naturally absorb more.

“For now, since it’s still in its early stage, its power isn’t much different from the dungeon’s difficulty level, but if it’s given more time, who knows.”

“We need to deal with it before it becomes uncontrollably strong.”

“That’s right.”

Either way, the Dark Oobleck has to be dealt with, and if left alone, the parties clearing the dungeon would handle it in their stead.

So from the academy’s perspective, there’s even less reason to close the dungeon.

Another committee member asked a question.

“Then, are we planning to keep the dungeon building open this week? Have you set up any countermeasures for emergencies?”

“We confirmed that the rescue request system is functioning properly.”

The rescue request.

In effect, it was the only means to contact the outside world from inside the dungeon.

However, using it would nullify the practical evaluation, and a portion of the clear rewards would have to go to the committee.

Still, it was better than having no option at all.

“At least this way, we can be fairly sure no one will lose their life.”

“Yes, assuming we respond immediately, of course. Accordingly, here’s the plan.”

They would significantly increase the number of disciplinary committee members stationed on the underground floors.

On the whiteboard appeared a layout showing the new patrol distribution on the lower levels.

The patrols were now more densely positioned, with shorter intervals between rounds.

“Additionally, I’ll be opening the doors myself.”

This was the main reason Kwak Seung-jae was taking charge of operations.

He could instantly move to almost anywhere through his unique magic of the Wooden Door.

Since every committee member had experienced it firsthand, they all acknowledged Kwak Seung-jae’s skills.

“Alright, let’s proceed with this plan.”

“Can I ask just one question?”

At that moment, a second-year disciplinary committee member who had been quietly listening in the corner raised his hand.

Kwak Seung-jae gave a slight nod of his chin.

“Go ahead.”

“What about the rest? I mean, the dungeons where Oobleck has entered but no bids have been placed?”

All they had uncovered so far was that the Witch of Corruption was behind it all and that she had scattered Oobleck throughout the underground dungeons.

There was no way to know if it was in a dungeon without going in directly.

So wasn’t there a significant chance that some dungeons untouched by students this week could also have Oobleck and be left unchecked?

Kwak Seung-jae had considered this himself at least once, so he responded without hesitation.

“Of course, we need to investigate the other dungeons too. But that’s a matter for later.”

“Why?”

“We don’t have enough manpower.”

The underground dungeons numbered over a thousand.

Even excluding the depth dungeons, there were still hundreds.

Even if they combined all disciplinary committee members and staff, they were severely understaffed to enter and exit each one.

“So for now, ensuring the safety of students participating in raids takes priority.”

“Seung-jae is right.”

Oh Se-hoon supported Kwak Seung-jae’s words.

He had already considered a few solutions, but none had taken concrete shape yet.

They would still need approval from the academy side.

“For now, let’s just get through this week smoothly, and we’ll revisit the investigation of the lower floors afterward.”

“…Understood.”

“Everyone, make sure you’re familiar with your positions.”

“Understood.”

The disciplinary committee members all bowed their heads.

***

One benefit of keeping friendly ties with the thieves’ club was that it allowed me to obtain quality information quickly.

And I’m close with the club president, too.

[Main Quest 2-2] (Completed)

▷Objective: Gather information.

▷Reward: Rank-up (F)

Normally, gathering intel on something like Oobleck would require asking around or buying replays.

But all I had to do was chat with Dang Gyu-young and receive the intel from the thieves’ club.

With that, the second chain quest was complete.

The reward, for something so easily gained, was rather generous.

I had already decided where to use the F-rank Rank Up.

[Activated ‘Rank-up (F)’]

[The rank of ‘Chillwind’ has increased. (F+→E+)]

It was a rare skill that was useful even at F-rank, and now I raised it to another level.

Immediately afterward, the next chain quest appeared.

[Main Quest 2-3] (In progress…)

▷Objective: Collect a sample.

▷Reward: Varies according to achievement level

A small glass vial dropped into my hand.

It meant I had to defeat the Dark Oobleck and bring back a sample in this vial.

For now, though, hunting it down in the dungeon building could wait; the hidden piece right in front of me took priority.

So I decided to put it on hold for the moment.

Dang Gyu-young was sprawled halfway across the sofa and was rolling around with a clear look of frustration.

“Ah, what a mess. What kind of disaster is this?”

The main cause, of course, was the Dark Oobleck.

Though there hadn’t been any direct harm, its presence had heightened security within the dungeon building to the max.

The place was probably crawling with disciplinary committee members by now.

That made unauthorized raids practically impossible.

Even if she sent scouts, they’d be caught right away.

Yet, there were still things that were hard to give up on.

“I really need to go. I have to get down there.”

“We have to find a way through somehow.”

The [Gathering of Villains] dungeon.

The hidden piece at stake wasn’t just any prize; it was the Ghost Dance. The very thing the thieves’ club had been searching for.

Even better, the trouble of handling the main part of the raid was being taken on by Pang Mi-ryeong’s raid team, so this was a rare opportunity for them.

Naturally, this held true for me as well, so I asked Dang Gyu-young.

“Do you think it’ll be difficult?”

“To be honest, I’m not so sure. There isn’t just the disciplinary committee, you know. There might even be teachers patrolling.”

“Mind if I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“About a few skills and ranks of yours.”

“…I’m only telling you this. What are you curious about?”

Asking about someone else’s skills or traits, and especially their rank, is something that’s practically taboo.

Still, I needed to check to make a solid plan.

Perhaps understanding this, Dang Gyu-young hesitated slightly but answered my question honestly.

The fact that we had built up some trust between us was probably a big reason why.

When I mentioned my plan, Dang Gyu-young looked at me with a strange expression.

“Kim Ho-ah, why do I sometimes feel like you know me better than I know myself?”

“Can I use the cheat code again?”

“You know everything because you’ve graduated over 200 times?”

“You know me well.”

“Haah.”

Dang Gyu-young shook her head as if she had half given up.

It’s not like I could just admit that I’ve spent some time playing as a Shadow Mage too.

I moved the conversation along.

“So, what do you think? Our odds of success now.”

“Honestly? Still fifty-fifty?”

“Let’s give it a shot.”

Dang Gyu-young narrowed her eyes.

“And if we get caught?”

“What’s the worst that could happen? Penalty points?”

“You’re a real thief at heart now. You’ve got the mindset down.”

Are you still not joining the club?

Dang Gyu-young threw in yet another casual recruitment attempt.

Then suddenly, as if a thought crossed her mind, she asked,

“But that… what was it, Oobleck or whatever it’s called. Wouldn’t it show up in the dungeon we’re going into?”

“I can’t say there’s a 0% chance, but realistically speaking, it won’t appear.”

The Witch of Corruption was A-rank.

Naturally, the Oobleck she controlled would be ranked below that.

For it to appear in a B-rank dungeon, it would need to be at least B+ rank, but even then, there’s no guarantee it would have any meaningful impact.

B-rank bosses were all strong, after all.

Take the Black Snake and White Snake as examples. The Dark Oobleck wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

So, from the Witch of Corruption’s perspective, it’s more efficient to send her forces into sure-thing C- or D-rank dungeons rather than wasting resources on an uncertain B-rank dungeon.

Even after explaining all this, Dang Gyu-young still seemed uneasy.

“You never know, though.”

“Well, does it matter? It’s not like we’ll be the ones facing it.”

“…Now that you mention it, true.”

Our role was simply to provide the treasure map and strategy guide while keeping a low profile inside the dungeon.

Even if the Dark Oobleck does show up, it will be Pang Mi-ryeong’s raid team dealing with it.

“It’s like a ‘pleasure without responsibility’.”

“I like that.”

Dang Gyu-young smiled bashfully.

***

TN: Last one was probably a dirty joke. It’s like a saying in Korean, though it’s not always used in such way.