Hastily Assembled Party

I defeated Kang Changhyung.

The gap between Kang Changhyung and me had widened considerably more than when we faced each other at the end of the mock dungeon exam. In the end, it might have been natural. As expected, Kang Changhyung had a move that wouldn’t go down easily, but I managed to pierce through it somehow.

The judge’s decision of my victory was pronounced.

Along with that, I felt killing intent emanating from someone’s entire body.

It was Fist King Kang Taejin’s killing intent.

That killing intent was quite plausible. It would be a natural course for the Fist King, who was both master and father, to be angry when his disciple was defeated.

I descended from the arena and approached Kang Taejin. As soon as I approached, the killing intent disappeared like magic.

As if he had induced me to come to him.

Kang Taejin’s and my eyes met.

At that moment, a very bright shout was heard from the side. It was Choi Bit-na.

“Master! Well done!”

I told you not to keep calling me master when your real master is right beside you. Spear King Lee Jigwang also started glaring at me.

But she kept pushing her short hair forward, and I couldn’t resist patting it.

Because it was cute.

The Fist King seemed intent on continuing to stare at me no matter what I did.

Kang Taejin opened his mouth.

“Is it summer vacation after the martial arts competition ends?”

I nodded.

“Yes, that’s right.”

It seemed that one more schedule to be carried out during summer vacation would be added.

Even though there were already quite a few.

“Come to my guild, Power. I need to have a match with you.”

My, my, you’re too direct.

As soon as the Fist King’s words ended, the Spear King’s words followed.

“Kuku, it’ll take a while for your turn. He needs to stop by my guild too.”

The schedule has become too packed.

“Alright. I’ll make sure to visit.”

“Thank you. So, how was my disciple’s fist? In your view.”

“May I speak honestly?”

I intended to tell him honestly, as I said.

“Of course.”

“It was quite threatening. The way he deployed his domain with strong energy at first. That seems like a technique really worth learning.”

“…Worth learning? Do you know how long it took me to teach that to him?”

“Hmm, I think I could do it. I’ll try it.”

“”???””

The Fist King and Spear King’s eyes widened. Hmm, I think I could do it. What I just saw.

I realized I was still patting Choi Bit-na’s head beside me.

I hurriedly removed my hand.

“Let’s go eat!”

Choi Bit-na immediately grabbed my hand again.

“Ah, Hwayeon must have woken up too! Let’s eat together!”

I went to the medical room where Baek Hwayeon would be with Choi Bit-na.

Baek Hwayeon was wearing a white patient gown.

As soon as she saw me, she suddenly tightened her gown.

“Dojin.”

“You came, Dojin?”

Ryu Jia’s voice, sitting next to Baek Hwayeon, was also heard.

“Let’s eat! I got a card from the master.”

The two responded to Choi Bit-na’s words.

This is going to be a very chaotic meal.

After having dinner with Baek Hwayeon, Ryu Jia, and Choi Bit-na, and escorting them to the front of the dormitory, I walked along the central promenade of the school.

The problem was that there were considerably more students walking on the central promenade than I had thought.

“Please take a picture with us!”

Both male and female students rushed at me as soon as they saw my face.

After having photo time with about 5 people in total, I started walking with my hood pulled down. Still, some recognized me and a few clung to me.

In the blink of an eye, I circled the promenade about three times and sat on a bench. But someone familiar was already sitting next to it.

It was Rachel Walker, the magician with striking blonde hair and blue eyes.

Rachel’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw me.

A bit more excessively than usual.

“Oh, this is fate. I was looking for a useful dealer.”

“What?”

“Let’s clear a dungeon together. A dungeon gate suddenly appeared while I was training mana in the forest in Incheon.”

What kind of training are you doing in a place like that.

I didn’t say that out loud because I felt like Rachel’s chatter would get longer if I asked.

“Did you report it to the management bureau?”

“Of course not.”

In other words, it was an undiscovered dungeon that hadn’t been officially reported. When I closed my mouth with a dumbfounded face, she quickly added,

“Just in case it unexpectedly becomes a long-term battle, I’ve prepared return teleports, so don’t worry.”

“…Don’t you still have martial arts competition schedules left, senior?”

“Yes, I do. But I discovered it, so it would be a waste to give it to others. So I have to eat it. I’m saying let’s eat it together.”

Ah, she was asking after already deciding. She didn’t seem to have any intention of bending her will.

I inwardly acknowledged that desire. If I had discovered a dungeon, I probably would have entered right away too.

“Call? Die?”

“Call.”

Rachel, who smiled brightly at my answer, seemed to have thought of something else.

“Ah, we need one more companion. A beautiful tank who can stand firm and be a meat shield even if they get scratched and bleed a little.”

“Tank… yes, one comes to mind.”

The existence of a very suitable meat shield crossed my mind. I immediately took out my phone.

“Park Seonggu.”

It was Park Seonggu, the No. 1 tank in Combat Class 1.

-Oh! What’s up! Lee Dojin!

“What are you doing?”

-The season to renew my three big lifts has come! Gym!

“We need a tank for a dungeon raid. It’s tomorrow, can you make it?”

-Ah, I guess I can’t work out tomorrow.

A 3-person party was formed in exactly 7 minutes.

---

The martial arts match between Lee Dojin and Baek Hwayeon, which had effectively become the finals of the combat department’s competition, became a big issue among the students.

“Wow… how can I win this?”

Baek Hwayeon was replaying videos of Lee Dojin’s martial arts matches obtained through the Sword Empress’s power.

She reviewed with sweaty palms, from the videos that led to him being called the Hand Blade Lord to yesterday’s match against Kang Changhyung.

The Sword Empress was watching those videos together beside her.

“Yeah, how can you win this?”

“What? Master?”

Baek Hwayeon opened her eyes wide when Yoo Seol-ah, who should give the answer, agreed with her words.

Yoo Seol-ah smiled broadly. And she fiddled with Baek Hwayeon’s shoulder.

“Hmm, let’s try to make your current swordsmanship more powerful first.”

Baek Hwayeon said, feeling the massage her master was giving,

“Dojin will pay at least a little attention to my martial arts match, right?”

“He will, of course.”

Yoo Seol-ah agreed nonchalantly.

‘He won’t. Pay attention.’

Although her mind was thinking something completely different. She had to tell a kind lie for her disciple.

---

I slept and woke up.

It was the start of the weekend. It was also a day with no schedule for the first time in a very long while.

Thoughts about the martial arts match with Baek Hwayeon on Monday flashed through my mind.

And at the same time, naturally, the martial arts match that Ryu Jia and Baek Hwayeon had fought came to mind.

To be honest, Hwayeon’s victory was close to a coincidence. It was clearly Jia who was dominating that situation.

However, since neither of them went easy on each other, it couldn’t be denied that Hwayeon had achieved a victory that was both coincidental and inevitable.

After all, battles between martial artists are bound to have variables apply.

I packed the core of the nano black suit I had received as a gift from Yoo Seol-ah at the beginning of the semester and picked up my wooden sword.

Just as I was about to go out the door, something tapped my ankle.

The branch in the flowerpot was cutely stretching both arms forward.

As if crying not to leave it alone at home like a child.

Are you really the king of the great forest? No matter how I look at you, you’re not a king.

I lifted Kan out of the flowerpot. Then green light scattered like spores, and Kan wrapped around my arm. And it became invisible, its form unseen.

As I reached the main gate, a familiar large figure appeared.

“Hey, friend!”

Park Seonggu’s tension was quite high from the morning as usual.

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“No.”

“Then we can buy a roll of kimbap each.”

At that moment, a familiar footstep was heard. A noble footstep.

“Of course. We should have a meal. You’re Student Park Seonggu, right? I’m Rachel Walker, 2nd year magic department student.”

Rachel Walker was wearing a blue coat. The blue coat matched well with her blonde hair.

“Nice to meet you, senior.”

The two shook hands politely. They were both highly sociable in strange ways, but anyway, their interpersonal relationships were smooth, so that should be fine.

As Park Seonggu said, we each bought one roll of kimbap.

Crunch-

Park Seonggu asked not to cut it and chewed the kimbap noisily. Rachel watched that sight closely.

“The wildness is alive.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

And she ate her own kimbap one piece at a time.

Senior Rachel, who dissed directly and then made a face like she didn’t know anything, was a very interesting existence.

We took a bus and arrived in Incheon.

We took another bus and entered the foothills.

Rachel, wearing sneakers, led me and Park Seonggu like the leader of a hiking team.

A rippling dungeon-type gate came into view.

Judging by the color of the gate being close to red, there was a high probability it was an A to S-rank dungeon as Senior Rachel had said. The fact that I didn’t feel a great sense of crisis despite it being a high-rank dungeon was probably due to my combat power and Senior Rachel’s presence.

I stared at Park Seonggu.

Park Seonggu was fiddling with his magic shield. It seemed he had some work to do before entering the dungeon.

“How many times have you been to dungeons?”

“Hmm, twice. But B-rank was the highest grade.”

There would be very few first-year students with dungeon experience. Even I only had the experience of that dungeon I did with Senior Yeon Simun. In fact, that dungeon had problems other than monsters.

“Hmm, work’s done. We can go.”

Park Seonggu fiddled with his shield again and then nodded satisfactorily.

The three of us, me, Rachel, and Park Seonggu, entered the dungeon.

The dungeon was the most common forest-type dungeon.

And.

Thump thump thump!

Something approached, causing huge tremors in the ground like an ogre.

It was a golem made of gray rock.

Exactly 12 huge golems rushed in.

Very flashy from the start.

I gripped my wooden sword.