After suffering consecutive defeats in the mini-ga, Father Seo raised his eyes slightly in disbelief.
“Strong opponent…!”
He tried to continue the match, but after checking the ti, he got up with a hint of regret.
No matter how fun the mini-ga was, he couldn’t spend the entire day just playing.
He handed both and Seo Ye-in a Rank Boost each.
“I’ve learned sothing. A good match.”
“It was a good match for as well. Thank you.”
“Let’s do this again soti.”
After Father Seo left, Ahn Jeong-mi who had blended into the wall deactivated her stealth.
Then, while looking toward the door, she said,
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him enjoy himself like that.”
“Really?”
“Yes, he occasionally offers us a ga too.”
However, according to Ahn Jeong-mi, the staff couldn’t hold up as worthy opponents and fell easily.
Since there was a bit of pressure to participate, the fun was lacking too.
In such monotonous days, a formidable challenger had suddenly appeared. How could he not be delighted?
Maybe I overdid it?
If I had lost the first round on purpose, it might’ve ended there.
Still, half-hearted effort didn’t suit my nature.
And I unexpectedly earned a Rank Boost too.
If he ever challenged again, I was more than willing to accept.
***
From that day on, mini-gas beca part of the daily routine.
After sparring with Seo Ye-in and doing so rank training, while we were resting, Ahn Jeong-mi who had been on standby would casually deliver a ssage.
He was inviting us to the eting room to hang out.
Then I would happily go over and utterly crush him.
There were days he didn’t call us over, perhaps because he was busy with work.
On those days, Father Seo would co find us in our room in the evening.
Bringing along a few mini-gas, so late-night snacks, and a Rank Boost as the prize.
At this point, isn’t he basically just giving it to us?
Maybe he was offering it because he considered the fact that I was training with Seo Ye-in.
Thanks to that, my rank had been climbing steadily.
The mini-ga for today was a simple round of chess.
And just like with the other gas, Father Seo quickly fell into a cornered position, barely into the match.
He stared at the chessboard with a serious expression.
“……”
anwhile, Seo Ye-in, possibly having lost interest after constantly losing, didn’t join in.
She just lay beside us, watching while lounging around.
While using my lap as a pillow.
Father Seo glanced at her briefly, then spoke.
“Daughter.”
“Mhmm?”
“That comfortable?”
I’d thought he didn’t care at all whether she used my lap as a pillow or not. But maybe that wasn’t entirely true.
Seo Ye-in squird for a mont as if trying to find the perfect lap-pillow position.
Then, with her eyes half closed, she answered.
“Heaven…”
“I see.”
Father slowly nodded up and down.
As if saying, as long as she was happy, that was enough.
At last, he turned his gaze back to the chessboard and moved a pawn forward.
And imdiately, I picked up my queen and drove it deep into enemy lines.
“Checkmate.”
“…Masterful.”
***
It had been over a week since we arrived in Hye-seong City.
As a result of training every single day without fail—
[The rank of ‘Mutual Destruction Eye’ has increased. (E → D)]
[The rank of ‘Airburst’ has increased. (C → B )]
Both skills had leveled up by one rank.
If we kept up this pace, reaching C-rank in Mutual Destruction Eye before the second ntoring session seed more than doable.
Twister and One-Point Explosion would soon break through to B-rank as well, and then they’d combine into Spiral Burst at B-rank.
Seo Ye-in was growing even faster than I was. The Impact Bomb she had just learned had already reached C-rank in no ti, making it possible to chain it with the Explosive Impact combo.
Purification had also reached D-rank.
Since I was constantly throwing out debuffs and she had to keep using Purification to remove them, her skill rank naturally rose quickly alongside mine.
While we were taking a short break like that, Ahn Jung-mi casually spoke up again.
“He says to co by the workshop today.”
“So it’s not another mini-ga, then.”
Realistically, there was only one other reason to call us over.
It must be the magic engineering items.
We had left a pair of Cloudsteppers and the Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot with him. It looked like the upgrades and crafting were finally finished.
When I glanced at Seo Ye-in, her eyes were already sparkling with anticipation.
I was just as eager, so the two of us practically floated our way over to the workshop.
The workroom was cluttered with all sorts of odds and ends scattered around.
As soon as we stepped inside, we saw two pairs of sneakers neatly placed in a noticeable spot.
Father Seo gestured toward them with a nod.
“Go ahead, check them.”
“Thank you.”
[Cloudsteppers (A)]
▷Automatic durability recovery
▷ Bonus to movent skills.
▷Ignore inertia (C )
▷Multicolor Defense (C)
▷Double Jump (B)
The mont I saw the item options, I was more than satisfied.
Good call leaving them with him.
Maybe it was because he was the original creator of the Cloudsteppers. Either way, the upgrade was excellent.
The item’s rank had reached A, and “Ignore inertia” now ca with a bonus effect.
The new option was Double Jump.
Just like the na suggested, it allowed the wearer to jump again midair by stepping on empty space.
That ant I could now leap higher or change direction while airborne.
It would pair well with Wind Force too.
The dream of aerial combat was now well within reach.
Seo Ye-in also seed satisfied with the upgrade, but she kept glancing around restlessly as if looking for sothing.
Then she walked up closer to her father and asked,
“Dad.”
“What.”
“Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot.”
As expected, her anticipation for the pot must have been even greater.
She must have thought it was completed along with the shoes, so it was only natural for her to be puzzled when there was no sign of it.
Father Seo slowly shook his head.
“Not yet.”
“When will it be done?”
“No idea.”
“A sha…”
The mood sank heavily.
He looked down at his daughter for a mont before speaking again.
“Still gathering materials.”
“Mm…”
“Ultra-durable pot.”
“…….!”
At those words, Seo Ye-in’s eyes lit up with excitent once more.
If soone capable of making A-rank shoes was using the word “ultra-durable” then it clearly wasn’t going to be an ordinary item.
Maybe that’s why I felt a slight chill.
What kind of material was he planning to use…?
What kind of resource could even the Hye-seong Group have to source from elsewhere?
***
A few more days passed, like a wheel turning on autopilot.
This ti, we received a call from the chairman’s side.
He had ntioned arranging a eting soon, and it seed today was the day.
So we got into the sedan driven by Uncle Cookie and headed back to the sa high-rise building we’d visited on the first day.
When we stopped in front of the elevator that led directly to the chairman’s office, Ahn Jeong-mi spoke.
“Today, only Kim Ho-nim has been asked to co up.”
“I want to go too.”
Seo Ye-in clung to my arm as she said it.
But Ahn Jeong-mi’s attitude was far more firm and strict than usual.
“I’m sorry, young miss. The chairman’s instructions were clear.”
“I still want to…”
Seo Ye-in must’ve realized there was no room for negotiation this ti. Though disappointed, she let go of my arm and stepped back.
I gave her a light smile.
“It won’t take long. Just sit sowhere and wait.”
“Okay…”
Leaving the two behind, I pressed the button near the top.
The elevator shot upward rapidly, then gradually slowed before coming to a stop.
“………”
There he was again. The chairman of the Hye-seong Group, standing in the sa spot, gazing out the window.
Even that alone carried a heavy presence.
I almost blurted out, “Did you enjoy the cookies?” but held my tongue just in ti.
After all, a man’s pride is sothing to be respected.
Eventually, he turned to face and approached with a composed stride.
“I want to start by apologizing. I said it would be soon, but ended up calling you much later.”
“It’s alright. Timing doesn’t matter much in situations like this.”
“That’s true. To explain, I had soone I wanted to introduce to you.”
He ant it had taken longer than expected to bring that person here.
In fact, from the mont I had entered the chairman’s office, I had sensed a faint but distinct disturbance. Like a ripple in stagnant water.
It didn’t feel like stealth. More like an entire space had been disguised.
The level of concealnt was so high that even I wasn’t entirely sure.
When my gaze drifted in that direction, the chairman’s eyes glead.
“You really do have sharp instincts. But before I make the introduction, I want to ask one thing of you.”
“Please go ahead.”
“No matter who you see, I want you to stay calm and listen until the end.”
“I understand.”
I nodded without hesitation.
Having co this far, I was prepared to see it through, no matter what.
Soon, the chairman gave a slight nod in the direction where I had sensed the disturbance.
“You may co out now.”
At that, the space shimred, and a man revealed himself.
He had long black hair and wore black from head to toe.
Though he looked very young, his appearance didn’t seem to reflect his actual age.
If there was one thing truly out of place, it was the black crown floating above his head.
The mont I saw it, my expression hardened.
There was only one being in this world, in this ga world, with such a form.
Pluto, the Underworld Dragon King.
An S-rank boss monster and a dragon.
He was also one of the three guardians who protected the teor Dragon.
And the fact that such a Guardian was here ant that teor Dragon himself had sent him.
Which also ant there was a close connection between Hye-seong Group and teor Dragon.
It was sowhat unexpected.
When playing the ga, teor Dragon had always maintained a neutral stance.
Clearly, being an EX-rank quest, the characters were varied, and the power dynamics were a bit different from what I rembered.
It makes sense they asked for a promise in advance.
He had hidden a dragon in the room and then revealed him. So they couldn’t have known how I would react.
Given the perception of dragons in this world, they probably thought I might attack on sight.
Of course, I wasn’t soone so lacking in judgnt.
When I looked silently at the chairman, a strange light flickered in his eyes.
“…You’re quite composed for a young man. You seem to recognize him, yet you’re not surprised?”
“To be honest, I was surprised. I’m just not showing it.”
At first, I had even suspected it might be a trap.
But if they truly intended to eliminate , there were plenty of ways to do so without setting up a eting like this.
Just sending soone like Ahn Jeong-mi after would’ve been more than enough to get the job done.
Also, since the principal had sent here, they probably couldn’t make a move so easily.
“And didn’t you say it yourself? That you wanted to hear everything until the end.”
That at least suggested they were willing to solve things through dialogue.
Interpreted in a positive light, it also ant there was little chance of harm coming to .
The chairman nodded in satisfaction.
“You’re right. As I said, the reason I called you here today was to introduce you to this friend. There’s no hidden agenda, so you can rest easy.”
anwhile, from the mont he appeared, the Underworld Dragon King had been staring intently at .
Unable to bear it any longer, the chairman scolded him.
“Are you just going to keep staring like that?”
“…He is indeed a Monarch. But he still seems to lack the proper rank. How strange.”
“Let’s save that talk for later. For now, start by exchanging nas.”
Soon after, we looked at each other and each spoke a word.
“Pluto.”
“Kim Ho.”
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