Chapter 73

Chapter 73

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 73: Intern (3)

“Alright, let’s start the meeting now.”

Tak Yoon-il walked toward the screen where the hologram was displayed and began to speak.

“The dungeon we will be targeting is known as the Lair of the Water Lizards. It is filled with water-attribute lizards.”

“That’s fine.”

Kim Seo-hyun nodded in response to Tak Yoon-il’s statement.

Having Hong Yu-hwa, who had awakened fire attribute mana, might have been a concern, but with Park Woon-hyuk, who used wind and lightning, and Kim Seo-hyun, who had awakened most attributes, it wasn’t a big issue.

My Energy of Defying Heaven would also not be a problem.

Most of my abilities were of the ‘negating’ type.

“Seo-ha, you’re okay too, right?”

“I’m fine too.”

“Of course, I am fine as well.”

“Then there should be no problem with this dungeon. Let me first explain its structure.”

Tak Yoon-il pointed to one side with a laser beam.

“This dungeon has a two-floor structure. Monsters inhabit both the first floor and the basement. Once all the monsters on the first floor are defeated, an elite monster appears, and after clearing the basement monsters, the boss, the leader, appears.”

The hologram screen switched.

Images of two monsters, different from the water lizards within the dungeon, appeared.

“The elite monster is a giant water snake, approximately five meters in length, with mid to lower-tier strength. The boss monster is a giant water snake with the power of cold snap, possessing mid to upper-tier strength. This giant water snake, literally awakened with the ice attribute…”

Tak Yoon-il’s explanation continued.

I looked at Tak Yoon-il with deep eyes.

Tak Yoon-il wasn’t always a Mine.

As mentioned before the meeting, he genuinely admired the great hero.

Despite his frivolous behavior, appearance, and fashion sense, he was one of the heroes who sincerely worked for humanity.

He had been.

But not anymore. He had seen the darkness of the association, fallen into mistrust of humans, and was gradually reaching the stage of hating heroes.

At that point, there was no stopping him from becoming a Mine, no matter what means were used.

‘He may look like a delinquent, but he was popular because of his good nature.’

A spirited and handsome man, indeed.

That was why there were users who hoped to prevent him from becoming a villain. But they all failed. It was certain that Tak Yoon-il would become a Mine.

‘Not yet, though.’

“Anyway, that’s all for the briefing on the dungeon. Any questions?”

“Are we going to the dungeon by ourselves?”

“No, as I mentioned before, your safety is our top priority. We’ll be bringing two mid-tier members from the Cheonryu Guild. Those members are…”

I raised my hand.

“Is there a chance that a Mine might interfere?”

“A Mine, huh? You’re very worried, Chief. But as much as I’d like to reassure you, there have indeed been many reports of Mines causing trouble recently. So, we’ll move with our elite forces. In case of an emergency, the top elites of the Cheonryu Guild will act immediately, so don’t worry.”

“I see.”

I shifted my gaze. A translucent blue window greeted me.

Main Quest Chapter 4.5: Stop Villain Tak Yoon-il’s Plan.

The not-yet-corrupted hero, Tak Yoon-il, is scheming something.

◈ Reward: Increase in Talent, Sword Demon’s Rank

◈ Failure: Serious injury or death of Kim Seo-hyun.

This quest seemed to be quite challenging.

Just before heading to the dungeon.

We headed to the second floor to receive potions and other items from the Cheonryu Guild. There were training rooms, lounges, and places for alchemy.

“Normally, these would cost a fortune in the market, but lately, thanks to the hot trend of ‘Veritas’, our guild’s alchemists have seen a remarkable improvement in their skills. They’re quite useful.”

Tak Yoon-il chuckled as he spoke.

“Don’t casually mention ‘Veritas’, okay? If you want a good elixir.”

A sharp voice was heard, and a woman with dark circles under her eyes appeared.

“Oh, a fan of ‘Veritas’ has arrived.”

“Of course. He’s a prominent figure leading all alchemists. Not quite as much as the great hero for us, but almost at that level.”

“Really?”

Tak Yoon-il’s eyes widened in surprise.

I couldn’t lift my face. I fell into the shameless category, yet even I couldn’t raise my head in the face of such effusive praise.

“Ah, Director Jung Yuri. These are interns from the Korean Hero School. The renowned top student, Lee Seo-ha, along with Kim Seo-hyun and Park Woon-hyuk, are here.”

“The rumors were true? The top student, Kim Seo-hyun, and Park Woon-hyuk?”

Director Jung Yuri gave Park Woon-hyuk a peculiar look. It seemed she couldn’t fathom why the scion of the Sun Guild was here.

“Well, it’s their personal choice, so I can’t say much. Let’s go in and see the elixirs.”

Jung Yuri led us inside with a haughty demeanor.

Inside, figures that looked like zombies or graduate students moaned. Yet, their smiles were unnervingly content.

“Sorry. My team has been engrossed in research lately.”

“Due to the shift in magical properties?”

“Yes, are you aware of it?”

“Recently, it’s been quite hot. I’ve heard that the interactions between magicians and alchemists have grown more frequent, and the costs are steep.”

“The government has provided various forms of support. I heard they invested 10 trillion this year alone to advance basic alchemy and achieve global leadership. But without ‘Veritas’, none of it would be possible.”

I pretended not to listen and turned my attention to the elixirs.

Among them were some decent elixirs. Most aimed to fine-tune magic or alter properties, but their performance was still lacking.

‘Ah, this one looks promising.’

[Blue Flame Granting Elixir (D)]

An elixir created by an alchemist in awe of another.

: Grants a blue flame effect to a weapon for 30 minutes.

“Interested, Seo-ha? Oh, you’re studying alchemy, right?”

“Yeah, this elixir is pretty well-made.”

I looked at the Blue Flame Granting Elixir.

It certainly maximized the expected value of the ingredients.

“Pretty well-made?”

Director Jung Yuri looked at me with a somewhat offended expression.

“Are you the chief? Even though you set records at the Korean Hero School, alchemy is a completely different field. You might be great, but you can’t outdo me in alchemy, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

I nonchalantly agreed.

“Well, if you want to challenge me, try your hand at alchemy right here. You won’t be able to best me, the first disciple of ‘Veritas’.”

“…?”

I didn’t have a disciple like you.

“Gasp, Director Jung Yuri, you became a disciple?”

“Of course. I was the first to discover and research the recipes bestowed upon us by him.”

“…”

Kim Seo-hyun looked uncomfortable.

“Isn’t that just being the first fan…?”

“That’s almost like being a cult follower.”

“Of course. I believe in ‘Veritas’, who enlightened me with new truths. Oh, ‘Veritas’.”

Watching Director Jung Yuri clasp her hands and pray left me speechless.

We headed towards the dungeon.

At the entrance stood people wearing emblems with the symbol of Cheonryu.

“Tak Yoon-il and five others. Confirmed.”

“Alright. Everyone’s working hard.”

We entered the cave.

The space was large enough for two people to walk side by side with room to spare.

“Ugh, this humidity.”

“Yeah, it’s quite hot.”

Tak Yoon-il and Park Woon-hyuk led, with Kim Seo-hyun and I following.

Behind us, two mid-tier heroes trailed.

Kim Seo-hyun, sweating, had removed his outer garment and was now in a short-sleeved shirt—an oddly sensual sight. I glanced at Kim Seo-hyun with a curious look and then refocused on the path ahead.

The dungeon wasn’t a problem at my level, but carelessness could still lead to injury. I knew the dungeon’s layout well, but there was no need to show my hand to others.

After walking for about 10 minutes inside, I sensed strange presences within my range of awareness.

A little further in, we encountered water lizards. They were about 1 meter long.

“These are the water lizards. Lower-tier heroes could easily handle them.”

Tak Yoon-il slung his spear over his shoulder.

Swish- He swung his spear, severing the tail of a water lizard.

-Kyaaak!

From the severed tail, a new water lizard emerged.

“If you don’t kill them all at once, they split like that. That’s why you need to kill them in one hit without injuring them. That’s what makes water lizards classified as tricky monsters.”

Thump!

Tak Yoon-il swung his spear again, bursting the water lizard’s head. Its body shook and then collapsed limply.

“Ah, and the water attribute mana stones they drop are very valuable. Make sure to collect them.”

Tak Yoon-il said, while extracting a blue mana stone from the water lizard’s body.

“See those two over there? Who wants to take them down?”

“I’ll do it.”

Park Woon-hyuk stepped forward with a determined expression.

He assumed a stance, readying himself for a charge.

“Ho-ho?”

His stance was quite solid. Even Tak Yoon-il seemed impressed.

Flash!

Park Woon-hyuk stomped on the ground and swung his spear.

Rumble!

The sound was like thunder as he struck the heads of the two water lizards accurately. Wham! The water lizards’ heads separated from their bodies – a sure sign of death.

“Ho-ho, neat spear skills.”

“He’s grown a lot.”

Park Woon-hyuk’s expression softened momentarily under the praise from Tak Yoon-il and Kim Seo-hyun. He then cleared his throat and picked up two mana stones.

“Well done. As expected from kids who’ve already earned their reputation.”

“It’s nothing. Especially compared to Tak Yoon-il, who’s been directly titled a master by the world.”

Despite his words, Park Woon-hyuk’s shoulders were as high as mountains.

“…So annoying,”

Kim Seo-hyun muttered under his breath.

We continued to move forward.

Although the water lizards were tricky monsters, they weren’t enough to stop us, and we cleared all the monsters on the first floor quickly.

“Wow, you guys are amazing. It’s no wonder the professors say that this year’s first-year students are ready for real battles.”

“The professors say that?”

“Yeah. Students’ information is confidential, but that much is okay to say. It’s an open secret that this year’s students are exceptionally talented.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Everyone knows the results from the trial tower in the entrance exam. The scores were overwhelmingly high.”

Tak Yoon-il glanced at me.

“Of course, all that got overshadowed by Lee Seo-ha over there.”

“Now that I think about it, how did you finish that so quickly?”

Park Woon-hyuk asked in a puzzled tone.

“A one-hit kill technique,”

Kim Seo-hyun said with a meaningful smile.

He probably thought about the technique I had used recently to push Harun, an upper-tier villain, to the brink of death. Well, I was grateful he thinks that way.

“So, it just crushes any compatibility.”

“Let’s leave the curiosity for later and focus on the dungeon,”

Tak Yoon-il said with a smile.

Not long after, we encountered the elite monster.