episode_0108

Summer vacation.

It is a kind of break that is implemented to promote the health and stability of students in the sweltering heat.

Students facing a long vacation of about 5 to 6 weeks usually spend their vacation through methods such as traveling, summer retreats, group camps, part-time jobs, and so on.

Each student plans how to spend their summer vacation.

And I was no exception.

To make the most of my summer vacation, I diligently created a daily schedule.

And now.

I was struggling according to my summer vacation daily schedule.

In a very dangerous and dark dungeon deep within.

“Kkieeee, eee, eee, eeeek!”

Thud!

With a deafening noise, dirt and dust rose up.

The monstrous ‘Five-Eyed Widow Spider,’ boasting a size of about five meters, had been defeated.

It was the boss monster of the dungeon called the Spider’s Lair, but I already knew how to conquer it, so it was relatively easy to subdue.

Of course, even though I knew how to defeat it, it was a quite powerful monster, so I struggled quite a bit.

“Kkieeee, eee, eee, eee….”

The Five-Eyed Widow Spider, covered in wounds, whimpered and twitched its front legs.

But most of the spider’s legs were already severed, oozing green blood.

It seemed to have no more strength to resist.

So now, all that was left was to end its life.

“Kkie, eee, eee…. eeeek?!”

Swish!

A sword was immediately plunged into the head of the Five-Eyed Widow Spider.

The blade, infused with strong magic, pierced through the tough skull like steel, scrambling its brain.

“Kkeee, ugh, eee…. eee….”

Eventually, the Widow Spider’s head drooped. Its wriggling legs and body stopped moving.

Its life had been extinguished.

That powerful monster had been pitifully and miserably defeated.

“Phew. That was quite a hassle, this spider fellow.”

Soyeon pulled out the sword embedded in its head. Green blood gushed from the wound.

“Wasn’t it, Jinhyeok?”

Smiling, Soyeon approached.

Even though she had fought the spider monster, she seemed unscathed.

“Jinhyeok?”

I quietly pondered the words Soyeon had just said.

Quite a hassle, huh….

You’ve really grown a lot, Soyeon.

It was because the Five-Eyed Widow Spider was not an easy monster to express as quite a hassle.

Although I knew its weaknesses and how to conquer it, the Five-Eyed Widow Spider was a monster comparable to the Black-Handed Long-Armed Ape that had appeared at the academy.

Or personally, it seemed even stronger.

But for a mere first-year academy student to subdue this Widow Spider alone?

Even though she fought alongside the pro heroes, Soyeon had played more than her part.

Compared to the time when she was terrified and beaten up by the Black-Handed Long-Armed Ape in the past, it was truly remarkable.

She’s not just a growth-type chicken hero, I thought.

“You’re amazing, Soyeon.”

At that moment, a young woman’s voice was heard.

It was Han Seowoo from the Gaonuri Clan. She was looking at Soyeon with a face mixed with admiration.

“You’re much better than our clumsy team member, me.”

“Oh, Seowoo unnie.”

Today, not only Soyeon but also the members of the Gaonuri Clan helped in conquering this spider’s lair.

To be precise, with Yoo Seolhyun providing the location of this dungeon, they formed a team with the Gaonuri Clan members and conquered it together.

In a risky endeavor like dungeon exploration, it might be uncomfortable for academy trainees to be involved with professional heroes, but thanks to Yuseolhyun’s good work, there were no major issues.

Moreover, Han Seowoo had previously explored a dungeon with me, and at that time, she had received a lot of help, so she accepted my and Soyeon’s participation quite positively.

Well, in the case of Soyeon, unlike me, there was nothing proven yet, so Han Seowoo seemed a bit uncertain, but that didn’t last long.

After the first battle with the monster, she quickly realized that Soyeon was different from ordinary academy trainees.

“At first, I was worried if you could do well. Oh, really? I was so surprised? I’ve heard rumors that a new rising star has emerged in the academy these days, but I didn’t expect it to be this impressive.”

“Oh, no. I didn’t do anything. It’s all thanks to Seowoo unni and the other heroes.”

Soyeon lightly waved her hand with a slightly embarrassed expression.

It seemed a bit embarrassing for her to receive such praise.

But Han Seowoo’s praise didn’t stop.

“Excessive humility is no different from deceit, you know?”

“Oh, haha… Is that so?”

“To be honest, I’ve never seen anyone like you before. Stronger than the best of the best? It’s not an exaggeration, right? If you have this much potential at your age… You could become a high ranker in the future, right? No, what’s a high ranker, you could even become a single ranker?”

“Unni, are you exaggerating too much?”

“Exaggerating? What exaggeration! Honestly, you’re better than most active heroes, right? I’m serious.”

Han Seowoo continued to flatter her.

It was as if she was talking about the childhood of a figure who would become a legend in the future.

Well, it made sense.

Soyeon’s performance during the dungeon exploration was so impressive that it was hard to believe she was just an academy trainee.

She was even better than most mid-level heroes.

With this level of ability at her age, it wasn’t unreasonable for her to receive such praise.

“Ah, Jin Soyeon, don’t pretend you don’t know that you’ll do well in the future, okay?”

“Oh, how can you say that?”

“Soyeon, how about joining our Gaon Nuri clan? I’ll take good care of you. You’re friends with Yuseolhyun, right? If you join a clan where your friend is, you can get some benefits, right?”

“Well, I actually don’t want to join because of Seolhyun.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, unni.”

Soyeon scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.

For Soyeon, who had a bad relationship with Yuseolhyun, Gaon Nuri was definitely one of the clans she didn’t want to join.

Although Gaon Nuri was one of the representative clans, with Soyeon’s current abilities, any clan would welcome her.

“Thank you for your kind words, but I want to think about it a little more.”

“Oh, don’t say that. Soyeon, really, join our clan…”

“Team leader Han Seowoo. The dungeon exploration isn’t over yet, so stop and come over here, will you?”

The inexperienced Yuseolhyun stepped forward.

Han Seowoo looked a bit disappointed as she glanced at Soyeon before nodding her head.

Suddenly, Han Seowoo walked towards Yuseolhyun. Yuseolhyun let out a deep sigh. I approached Soyeon out of the blue.

“Well, good job, Soyeon.”

“Huh? Oh, you too. Thanks to your orders, I survived. It’s really convenient to have an operator.”

Soyeon smiled broadly and nodded her head.

“Jinhyuk, if it weren’t for you, it would have been dangerous. Thank you.”

“Well, I don’t think it would have been that bad.”

She seemed to have a bit more composure in my eyes.

Even if she hadn’t received orders, she would have done her job properly.

Ever since awakening, he had grown rapidly, seeming to possess skills that surpassed those of a superior hero.

He grew up well even without my help.

Now, all I have to do is take care of items and artifacts.

It was truly astonishing how much he had grown in just a few months, but thinking about the character in the game, it was easy to understand.

I was a little worried about whether he could become as strong as the original, but I felt relieved.

After all, Soyeon was against Yoo Da-hee’s regime.

If Soyeon, who had talents comparable to Yoo Da-hee, who had already reached a high rank, could be compared to him, then he had to do this much.

“Phew, now that we’ve conquered the dungeon owner, all that’s left is to collect the loot. I wonder what treasures are hidden there? Are you excited?”

Soyeon glanced around and started whispering in a small voice.

“Heh… Your future vision is really good, huh? You can even find hidden dungeons like this.”

“That’s true.”

I just remembered the location of the dungeon.

Hey, Soyeon, is this dungeon you found by chance one of the dungeons in the original?

“Thanks, Jinhak. Thanks to you, I’ve explored dungeons, defeated various monsters, and even caught wanted criminals… I’ve had a lot of good experiences.”

“It’s nothing. You don’t have to thank me.”

There was really no need to thank me.

All the actions I took to help Soyeon defeat monsters, conquer dungeons, and arrest wanted criminals during the summer vacation were all done for my benefit.

The stronger Soyeon became, the more beneficial it was for me.

In the future, the person who would have to face powerful criminals like Yoo Da-hee would be Soyeon, not me.

Only Soyeon could defeat that Yoo Da-hee.

“…How can you say that? I take care of you so much. Are you feeling overwhelmed by how much I take care of you?”

Soyeon absentmindedly twisted her hair into a bun.

I did take care of Soyeon a lot during the summer vacation.

I used the excuse of future vision to give Soyeon various items and opportunities.

For Soyeon, who was just an academy trainee, participating in dungeon exploration was a huge privilege.

Dungeons, which were called a different world from the present, contained various items, goods, artifacts, treasures, etc.

How many heroes would have the opportunity to explore dungeons scattered around the world and obtain loot?

Furthermore, Soyeon participated as a combatant, not as a porter.

Since we had agreed to share the experience and rewards equally, it was indeed a significant privilege for Soyeon, who was just a commoner, to receive such benefits, no matter how skilled he was.

“I don’t know how to repay this debt.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you looking down on me too much? It’s not going to work, Jinhak. If you want something, just tell me. I’ll do anything for you.”

“Hmm? Really.”

“…If it’s something I can do.”

When I chuckled and looked at her, Soyeon hesitated for a moment, then answered in a slightly uncertain voice.

“Then, um… Can you protect me?”

“Huh?”

“If I’m in danger later, please protect me first.”

“Don’t worry about that. Jinhak, no matter what, I’ll protect you. I promise.”

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

Looking at Soyeon nodding vigorously, I fell into contemplation for a moment.

Traveling around with Soyeon to give her practical experience was also a way to objectively evaluate how much power Soyeon had gained.

Starting from this summer vacation, we might directly confront the members of Rebellion.

There is a high probability that we will be exposed to danger.

That’s why I wanted to check Soyeon’s abilities through tasks like dealing with villains, monsters, and dungeon conquests.

To see if she was ready or not.

If she wasn’t ready yet, I was planning to handle things on my own, but Soyeon was fully prepared.

Prepared enough to fulfill her role as a capable hero.

“You’ve gotten a lot stronger since the kidnapping incident, Soyeon.”

“I was really shocked when I thought you were dead back then. Maybe that’s why your hidden talents suddenly exploded?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“That was just a misunderstanding by someone else.”

“Anyway! If something really dangerous happens later… if you think it’s dangerous, stick close to me. I’ll definitely protect you.”

“Oh, I feel safe.”

Is the day finally coming when I’ll be protected by Soyeon?

“…Anyway, it’s just for show.”

Yoo Seolhyun, who had been silently watching us, shook her head slightly and muttered a rare swear word.

Our situation seems quite ridiculous.

Well, we did make a fool of ourselves for a moment.

“Every time I see you two, it seems like you get along really well. Even in the dungeon. Someone might think you’re getting back together.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Haha. Oh, really?”

Yoo Seolhyun immediately shook her head.

What, was she trying to provoke this response?

“Well, it would be difficult to get back together with someone you’ve broken up with once. You must have suffered a lot because of Soyeon. Isn’t that right?”

“What?”

Soyeon glared at Yoo Seolhyun, her eyebrows furrowed.

Yoo Seolhyun met Soyeon’s gaze with a smile.

…Why are they suddenly trying to fight again?

I tried to make things better between them, but it seems like it was all in vain.