Chapter Index





    Ch.142Weekend Work for Everyone – 1

    “Arbiter. Are you really okay? If you’re feeling unwell, we should immediately…”

    “Hey, do you realize that’s the hundredth time you’ve said that to the Arbiter?”

    Hyunwoo Lee, you were actually counting that? Impressive.

    Anyway, as he pointed out, Soohyun’s concern was persistently continuing.

    Surely she must know my physical condition by now after visiting me in the hospital so many times.

    I’ve rested for over a week, so moving around shouldn’t be a problem at all.

    Anyone watching would think I’m a toddler who needs constant supervision.

    “Yes, Soohyun. I’m really fine, so please stop now. You’re making Hana uncomfortable with all this.”

    It wasn’t an idle comment. Hana Kang had been watching us nervously since before we entered the portal.

    If Soohyun keeps this up, Hana looks ready to drop to her knees and apologize profusely.

    We’re not at the Academy, and it’s not even a weekday, so why are we doing this?

    Why is Soohyun constantly worrying about me while Hana looks uncomfortable?

    The reason was none other than Magic Tower Clan business.

    “I’m truly sorry, Arbiter Seojin Baek. But since joining the clan, your team hasn’t had any real activities, so I had no choice. I’d appreciate if you could handle just one dungeon this weekend. I hope you understand.”

    Shortly after ending my brief yet lengthy hospital stay and returning to the Academy.

    The Magic Tower Clan master, Inbeom Kang, visited me and said this with an apologetic expression.

    He seemed quite concerned about assigning clan duties immediately after my return.

    In reality, I didn’t mind his request at all.

    If anything, I felt bad for not having contributed to the clan since joining.

    It had been about a month since I joined the Magic Tower Clan and was assigned to a team.

    Yet for various reasons, I hadn’t participated in any clan activities.

    Between Academy evaluations, the Gate incident, the Monster Upheaval…

    And now fighting with The Elder—it really couldn’t be helped.

    “Especially with the Gate incident and Monster Upheaval, the government has been pressuring all clans to increase their dungeon clearing activities…”

    He explained that to meet the government-assigned quotas, they needed to deploy all teams.

    Not just our team, but all available personnel had to be mobilized.

    Given the circumstances, he hoped I would understand.

    What could I say to that? Could I refuse? I was a Magic Tower Clan member after all.

    When the Clan Master is making a request rather than giving an order, saying “I don’t want to” would make me look insane.

    Or perhaps like Rina’s madness… no, even Rina works for what she receives, doesn’t she?

    “So I’ve selected an easy-to-clear dungeon for you. It’s in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province…”

    “No, Clan Master.”

    I always appreciate his consideration for my convenience.

    Of course he’s concerned that my body might not be fully recovered yet.

    But the current situation doesn’t allow for such luxury.

    If I stay in the infirmary just because of a few scratches, I might as well head straight to my coffin.

    Even with bleeding and scrapes, this is a time when I need to keep moving.

    “If I’m going to participate in clan activities anyway, I’d prefer a more challenging dungeon rather than an easy one. Preferably a B-rank dungeon.”

    “B-rank? These days B-rank dungeons aren’t what they used to be. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

    I nodded in response to Inbeom Kang’s question, indicating that it would be fine.

    First of all, Hana Kang, who’s responsible for our team’s firepower, is a capable B-rank ability user.

    Additionally, Dasom Yoo has considerable field experience, so we should be able to handle it.

    But Inbeom Kang’s concern seemed to lie elsewhere.

    “That boy, Hyunwoo Lee, I heard he’s still Bronze rank by Academy standards.”

    “By that logic, Dasom Yoo is also Bronze.”

    “But Dasom Yoo was originally Gold rank before voluntarily dropping down, wasn’t she?”

    “You don’t need to worry. I personally vouch for Hyunwoo’s abilities.”

    After hearing that someone who fought toe-to-toe with The Elder was vouching for him, Inbeom Kang immediately closed his mouth.

    If anything, my endorsement seemed to spark his curiosity about Hyunwoo.

    “…Alright. Well then. I heard there’s a B-rank dungeon that appeared in Changwon. If you could clear that this Saturday, that would be great.”

    And that’s how we ended up here this Saturday morning, ready to use the portal.

    After meeting with team members and brief greetings, we headed straight for the portal to Gyeongnam.

    “Welcome, everyone. We’ve been waiting for you.”

    As we exited, a Magic Tower Clan dispatcher who had been waiting greeted us.

    Next to him stood two people in slightly different attire who appeared to be government-affiliated ability users.

    They were probably there to verify and report on our dungeon clearing.

    “Since you mentioned being short on time, let’s move right away. You requested a B-rank dungeon, correct?”

    I nodded, and the dispatcher marked something on his documents, confirming it.

    He didn’t comment on our personnel, suggesting he had already been briefed.

    “Confirmed. Please follow me. It will take about 30 minutes by car to reach the dungeon area.”

    We left the portal area and followed the dispatcher.

    Outside, there were surprisingly many people around.

    At first glance, it almost felt like we were at an airport.

    “There are so many people here.”

    Hyunwoo Lee exclaimed from behind me.

    Even Hana Kang, who initially thought it was normal, tilted her head in confusion.

    “Were there always this many portal users? It seems excessive.”

    “Ah. About that.”

    The Magic Tower Clan dispatcher walking ahead answered for us.

    “Remember the Gate incident that caused such chaos recently? And then the Monster Upheaval on top of that. Meanwhile, anxiety has grown that if dungeons aren’t continuously cleared, they might cause problems too.”

    “Haven’t there been no reports of issues with the dungeons themselves yet?”

    “That’s true, but human psychology is predictable. People always assume the worst. And that worst-case thinking naturally affects the government.”

    And so the government ordered all clans to mobilize as many personnel as possible to clear dungeons.

    They threatened penalties for any clan that didn’t immediately process dungeons as they appeared.

    The conclusion was that clans had no choice, given the crisis mentality that had taken hold.

    “Then all those people over there…”

    “Yes. They’re ability users dispatched from various clans. Most of them are heading to clear dungeons.”

    As it turned out, we weren’t the only ones mobilized on the weekend.

    Given the situation, it felt almost like a state of emergency had been declared.

    Thanks to this realization, my mood about weekend work improved considerably.

    If I were suffering alone, I’d be frustrated enough to tear my hair out and cry.

    But if I discover everyone else is going through the same hardship?

    Then I can smile and say, “Let’s all work hard together!” with enthusiasm.

    “Despite all these people coming, the actual scale of dungeon raids remains similar to before.”

    “What? Why?”

    “You know why. After the Monster Upheaval, teams must be formed with at least twice the previous number of personnel. So even though there are more people, the number of operations is about the same.”

    It seems they’re trying to compensate with numbers since they can’t quickly raise skill levels.

    It’s not a wrong approach, but it can’t be considered a perfect solution either.

    A stopgap measure. Yes, that’s exactly what it is.

    There’s a limit to what can be achieved by sheer numbers. Human resources are the most precious thing in the world.

    If things get worse, there will be numerous casualties.

    “Here comes our vehicle.”

    Sure enough, a car prepared by the Magic Tower Clan stops in front of us.

    We get in and head toward the location of today’s dungeon.

    “As you may already know, today’s dungeon is B-rank with no unusual environmental features. However, most of the monsters inside are Dire Wolves, including the boss.”

    “Dire Wolves are quite troublesome monsters.”

    Hana nods in agreement with Dasom Yoo’s comment.

    “Dire Wolves are those large wolf monsters, right?”

    “Yes, that’s correct, junior.”

    “But what makes them so troublesome?”

    “Um, junior? Didn’t you attend the lectures? Dire Wolves must have been covered at least once.”

    Hyunwoo laughs awkwardly, avoiding a direct answer.

    I see. He probably just sat through lectures without paying attention.

    I heard he’s the type who focuses only on physical training and ignores theory.

    Hardworking protagonists are always one of two types: either strong in theory too, or weak in it.

    “They operate in packs with remarkable cohesion. Individually, they’re not very strong, but they’re dangerous as a group. Think of them as well-oiled gears working together.”

    “Plus, the boss is quite cunning, making it one of the more difficult B-rank monsters.”

    “I’ve heard about them too. While the threat level of a single creature is low, it’s high when facing the entire pack.”

    What’s this? Even Soohyun knows about them, but Hyunwoo is the only one who genuinely doesn’t know.

    Listen, kid. No matter how good you are at practical skills, if your theory is terrible, you’ll be at the bottom of the Academy.

    I should make him study when we get back.

    I glanced outside. An utterly ordinary landscape greeted my eyes.

    Above it, I could see a sign saying “Welcome to Changwon.”

    “…”

    What is this? This sudden ominous feeling.

    Strangely, I have a bad premonition. And sad premonitions are rarely wrong.

    ‘Could something happen in the dungeon?’

    I’ll need to be more vigilant once we enter the dungeon.

    I clenched my fist slightly as I reminded myself of this.

    Tap—

    Suddenly, something lightly bumps against the side of my hand.

    Turning my head, I see a pale white hand placed next to mine.

    “Soohyun?”

    “You looked troubled. Is something wrong?”

    “No. Nothing at all.”

    “That’s good then.”

    Um, Soohyun. You’re subtly holding my hand while saying that.

    I considered mentioning it but decided against it.

    The warmth from her hand had somewhat dispelled my sense of foreboding.

    This warmth transmitted from Soohyun wasn’t unpleasant at all.


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