The swordsmanship club.
It was a pillar among the four major powers within the Martial Alliance.
The sole requirent for joining was the use of a sword as ones main weapon.
There was a saying that the sword was the king of all weapons, and the number of students who used swords was overwhelmingly greater than that of other weapons.
Moreover, as long as one wielded a sword, the club did not discriminate against mbers from other factions outside the Martial Alliance.
This gathering of swordsn had ford one of the top two huge forces within the Dragon Slayer Academy.
Only the White Magic Club could sowhat rival it with a significant gap between them and the other clubs.
Should a full-scale conflict arise, even mid-tier clubs like the thieves club could be swiftly overwheld, so even soone like Dang Gyu-young had no choice but to be wary here.
Of course, soone at the level of a club president would have a few ans to smooth over any issues that might arise.
It was likely that most of Dang Gyu-youngs concerns were directed towards .
You probably know this, but getting on the bad side of the swordsmanship club is on a whole different level than with the Erald. Are you still going to go through with it?
Yes, I am.
Dang Gyu-young was taken aback by my imdiate and unwavering response.
It seed she had expected to back down at this point.
Really? Youre serious?
Really.
I did find the timing sowhat coincidental.
I hadnt anticipated that my goals would align with those of the swordsmanship club at this very mont.
But that was all there was to it.
Eventually, I was bound to either collaborate with or confront the Martial Alliance in so way.
The only difference now was that this intersection of paths was happening sooner than expected.
Ill take care of everything. Please proceed.
.
Dang Gyu-young looked at with complicated eyes before shaking her head in resignation as if to say she couldnt stop either way.
Haah, alright. I suppose our junior-nim here who has graduated over 200 tis must have so tricks up his sleeve. So well proceed with this plan. When do you plan to head out?
Its a dungeon that takes up quite a bit of ti, so Friday seems like a good choice.
Yeah, Friday does seem best from my perspective too. Whos going with you? The handso guy and the girl with the gray hair you brought last ti?
She was probably referring to Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-eun, with whom she only lightly got to know during my duel with the Erald Magic Tower.
Just the handso friend will accompany this ti.
Werent you with him on Monday too, for the D-rank one? With Byung-cheol as the guide. For the depths, two more will join you. It will be and her.
Dang Gyu-young pointed to herself and then to the girl with a tablet.
Shin Byung-cheol was taken aback and asked
Youre going yourself?
If were going to do this, might as well do it right. But Ill be charging extra for labor. What do you think?
Following that, Dang Gyu-young sought my opinion.
I would be grateful if soone with the skills of a club president would be covering for us, even if it ant paying a higher price.
I also like to be sure.
Good.
Dang Gyu-young would use shadows to erase the presence of those accompanying us, while Shin Byung-cheol would take care of the physical devices.
Naturally, disabling magical engineering devices like crystal balls was the responsibility of the girl with the tablet.
anwhile, the tablet girl was quietly listening to the conversation on one side with a tired expression on her face.
But her fingers never stopped tapping on the tablet.
Dang Gyu-young glanced back and forth between and the tablet girl before she tilted her head in confusion.
?
Why does it look awkward between you two? Her face seed to say.
Then, sothing seed to click in her head and her eyebrows shot up in realization.
Its not awkward; were just eting for the first ti.
We had seen each other during the raid on the temporary storage, but I had been wearing a mask at that ti.
It was only because she was still carrying the tablet around that I recognized her; otherwise, I would have had no clue.
Dang Gyu-young noticed that point too late and introduced her to .
Ah, this is Chae Da-bin.
The tie pin indicated she was a second-year.
Chae Da-bin gestured towards and asked,
Its a request, so I dont mind going down with him, but hes a first-year? Can he beat a B-rank dungeon?
Thats Well, explaining it outright is a bit complicated. Hey, is it alright if I tell her that?
Before answering the question, Dang Gyu-young sought my permission.
I caught on to what that ant and nodded my head.
Chae Da-bin didnt seem like the type to spread rumors, and even if she did, I was confident I could handle the situation.
Dang Gyu-young then introduced .
This guy is Inferno Fist.
!!
Chae Da-bins eyes widened in surprise as she looked at .
She evidently hadnt imagined that the person who defeated Kwak Seung-jae was a first-year student.
That was you?
Yes, that was .
So, then B-rank might be possible for you too? Is it possible?
She asked Dang Gyu-young as if she was unsure about her own level.
But it appeared that Dang Gyu-young was also uncertain.
She looked at with an ambiguous expression.
Well, Im not sure about that. Kim Ho, be honest. Are you stronger than ?
Of course not. How could I possibly beat a third-year?
So whats the plan? B-rank is tough even for .
Instead of a long explanation, take a look at this.
I handed Dang Gyu-young a docunt.
The [Black Death] strategy guide.
For quick understanding, I have summarized much of the content from what I gave to Go Hyeon-woo.
And Dang Gyu-youngs eyes sparkled with interest from the first page,
Every ti she flipped through the pages, the corner of her mouth kept on curling up into a smile.
Wow where did you manage to find this?
Shin Byung-cheol and Chae Da-bin were both curious and they peered over from behind, sneaking glances at the strategy guide.
The gazes of the three began to shift unsettlingly and they started whispering among themselves after casting furtive glances my way.
So to summarize, we just go in, grab the core, and get out? This is just like
What thieves do.
No better than a burglar.
I told you. This person fits right in with our clubs ideal candidate profile, didnt I
Now that I think about it, he does seem a bit cunning
I knew it from the start. Could it be the aura of a fellow kindred spirit I felt before?
Sensing that another recruitnt offer might be forthcoming, I preempted Dang Gyu-young just as she was about to speak.
How about it? Do you think its possible?
! Youre always quick on the uptake. Yes, with your strategy, there would indeed be fewer battles.
Then, Dang Gyu-young pointed to a section in the strategy guide.
However, looking at this part, it seems well need soone to dismantle the chanism.
I was actually going to ask for your help with that as well.
Why look any further? We have one right here.
All eyes converged on Shin Byung-cheol.
Shin Byeong-cheol pointed at himself with his finger.
? You want to go in? Into a B-rank dungeon?
You were the one who said last ti, If its up to , those chanical traps are childs play!
Yes, I did say that, but B-rank is a whole different story. Were talking life and death here.
Whats there for you to fear? Youve seen the strategy. And if things go south, theres always the ergency escape.
But what if sothing goes wrong? That could be the end!
Then youll just have to make sure nothing goes wrong!
Dang Gyu-young and Shin Byung-cheol bickered back and forth for a while.
Shin Byung-cheol who was usually subdued by the authority of the club president, stood his ground this ti, perhaps feeling the threat to his safety more acutely.
Dang Gyu-young was also aware of the dangers within the dungeon this ti so when considering the potential risks, she preferred persuasion over coercion.
Their standoff was so evenly matched it seed they could go on all day.
So I had no choice but to interject into their ongoing argunt.
Lets talk about the compensation. You might change your mind after hearing it.
No, I wont do it. No matter what you offer as compensation, I absolutely wont do it. Really, no. Not even if you beat to death. Just no.
Shin Byeong-cheol expressed with his whole body that he did not want to enter a B-rank dungeon.
Is that so? You might regret it.
Id rather live with the regret. Im soone who prefers to live a long and humble life. Im sorry, but it might be better to look for another senior to
Ghost Dance.
!
!
The faces of the three mbers of the thieves club hardened at once.
[Ghost Dance] was a hidden piece that no one in classes valuing stealth could simply ignore.
Even the two assassins Jang Sam and Wang Pil had been tempted and the thieves before were no exception.
Dang Gyu-young asked,
That actually exists? I thought it was just an urban legend.
It does exist.
I knew how to find it.
It would take so ti but I was confident I would find it within the sester.
Sharing that hidden piece with the three individuals before was the reward I offered.
Of course, giving you the Ghost Dance just for helping reach this dungeon in the depths would be a loss for , so Ill ask for a few more favors.
Thats only fair. What about you Da-bin?
Chae Da-bin furrowed her brow in thought and did not respond.
The sudden offer of such a significant hidden piece as a reward must have seed unbelievable to her.
Dang Gyu-young sought confirmation once again.
Can we really trust this person?
Hes not one to make things up, thats for sure.
Then I cant miss this opportunity. Ill take on this request.
too. Since Byung-cheol is out, we just need to find a replacent. Who was good at dealing with chanisms again?
Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin were already discussing the matter while excluding Shin Byung-cheol from their considerations.
Suddenly, Shin Byung-cheol did a complete 180 and inserted himself into the conversation.
Hey, hold up, ti out. Who said anything about being left out? You cant discuss chanisms without ntioning Shin Byung-cheol, can you?
Werent you the one saying you wouldnt go because it was too risky?
After giving it so thought, I figured if we follow the strategy closely, it should be fine, right?
Shin Byung-cheol sought my agreent.
I echoed the words Shin Byung-cheol had just used.
Didnt you say you wanted to live a long and humble life?
? When? A true man lives a short and impactful life, right?
Shin Byung-cheol was blatantly denying his earlier words.
His skin seed so thick that it appeared as if not even a tribal spear could pierce through it.
For , there was no downside.
I had confird that Shin Byung-cheols ability to dismantle traps was on par with those in the second and third years.
If he was willing to join us, he was more than welco.
However, there was a baseline of effort that had to be t.
I flashed a grin and pulled out another stack of docunts.
morize this by Friday.
It was the [Black Death] strategy guide, not the summarized version Dang Gyu-young had, but the original version I had made Go Hyeon-woo morize.
Shin Byung-cheols expression turned to one of suffocation as he gauged the thickness of the docunts.
Guh, this is quite a lot. Isnt it a bit too much to morize all this in just two days?
Given that we were actually entering the dungeon, there was much more to be aware of, hence the volu of material.
So there was no room for compromise on this matter.
Skimming through the dungeon guide or granting more ti were both out of the question.
Youll have to give sothing up, then. Either take fewer errands or cut down on sleep.
..
Theres always the option not to participate if you dont like it.
Upon hearing this, Shin Byung-cheol adopted an exceedingly polite deanor and took the strategy guide.
Theres no way I dont like it. Give it here. Ill input every single detail into my brain.
Ill test you later. If you get it wrong, youre not coming.
Dont worry. I said Ill morize it all, didnt I?
As if eager to start imdiately, Shin Byung-cheol took the docunts and headed to a corner of the room.
I could hear him muttering to himself,
Never thought Id see the day Id be studying again
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