I approached the fallen Park Hayeon.
A severe wound.
Her abdomen was torn open so badly that her internal organs were visible.
This was serious.
If something were to happen to Park Hayeon, who would stand against the Demon King?
I quickly took out a potion and sprayed it on her.
New flesh began to grow, sealing the torn abdomen.
“Stay with me, Park Hayeon!”
I kept shaking her to prevent her from losing consciousness.
‘How did this happen?’
It was the C-rank monster ‘Luna Bear’ attack event. Even a newcomer playing ‘Hero Name: ZEUS’ would know it was an easy rescue mission that could typically be completed in one try.
Now that I think about it, there is something notable. At this point in the story, the protagonist should possess the ‘Mist Shadow Martial Arts’ skill. But since I consumed it, the only skills I have now are ‘Guardian of the Species’ and ‘Electrokinesis.’
‘Is it because of me?’
I realized I could control ‘Luna Bear’ without the Mist Shadow Martial Arts but thought it might be difficult for the average user.
At this point, I was certain.
‘I guess it’s because of me.’
I suddenly felt a surge of guilt. I’d have to give Park Hayeon a good hidden skill soon. As an old player of ‘Hero Name: ZEUS,’ I know the locations of the hidden skills hidden throughout the Academy.
Park Hayeon slowly opened her eyes. She looked at me and smiled faintly.
“You came to save me…”
“Don’t rush into such dangerous situations. I’d be worried if you got hurt.”
Teachers arrived a little late, fully equipped. They saw the horrific scene and clutched their heads in anguish.
“Is everyone alright!”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Our team and Park Hayeon are fine, but the team that was attacked first…”
A student had his spine twisted in an unnatural direction after colliding with a tree. A student’s face had been torn off. Another student had been slashed by claws and was covered in blood.
Only one student survived.
I knew according to the story that these students were meant to perish. Still, seeing the horrific sight triggered a burning sensation in my chest. I couldn’t let this pass without questioning the teacher.
“Why is ‘Luna Bear’ here? Didn’t you say only Horned Rabbits and Slimes would appear?”
The teachers looked away as if they had agreed upon avoiding responsibility. Only the homeroom teacher of Class A looked down and apologized. He was a young, handsome man with horn-rimmed glasses.
“I’m sorry. For some reason, there was an anomaly, though ‘Luna Bear’ shouldn’t be in this area.”
“That’s…”
‘Isn’t this lack of safety awareness going too far?’
Though infuriated, there was nothing I could do about it.
The teacher apologizing noticed Yang Min-seo standing beside me and greeted her.
“Ah, Yang Min-seo. Your team defeated the Luna Bear, I see.”
Indeed, Yang Min-seo was famous even to the Class A homeroom teacher.
However, Min-seo hesitated and glanced at me, feeling guilty about taking full credit.
I gave a slight nod.
She confidently declared,
“Yes. When we heard the screams, we rushed to help. Shinnoda played a significant role here.”
“Oh, this student? Thank you.”
After tidying up the bodies, we returned to the base camp. The atmosphere was somber. With casualties on the first day of school, it was understandable. The teachers also looked heavily burdened by the responsibility.
The teachers gathered us in an open space and announced the situation. I stood with Park Hayeon and Yang Min-seo’s group at the front with the teachers.
An older teacher stepped forward and began speaking. He seemed strict.
“Unfortunately, casualties happened during the hunt, so today’s schedule has been prematurely canceled. A much stronger monster appeared in an area where it shouldn’t have. The cause is unknown, but we will soon dispatch an investigation team.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Hearing about the casualties, everyone wore grave expressions.
“The Academy has decided to close the Gigantic Forest Dungeon until the investigation concludes. Students wishing to train can use the temporary training area being set up on the basement’s second floor.”
The teacher pointed at us and added,
“And, these students noticed another group’s peril and came to help. This is the essential attitude that heroes should have. Everyone should look up to them. Yang Min-seo’s group, and Park Hayeon, you are from which group again?”
“Oh, I belong to the Kim Sin-ho team.”
“Where are your other team members?”
“It’s just…”
Park Hayeon stammered and couldn’t answer directly. The teacher pressed her.
“It seems the other team members didn’t agree then. Were you acting alone? Is that correct? Kim Sin-ho team, raise your hand.”
Among the listening students, three hands went up.
The teacher looked at a nametag on one male student and asked,
“Are you the team leader?”
“Yes. I am Kim Sin-ho.”
“Did Park Hayeon act alone?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Park Hayeon’s expression darkened, whereas Kim Sin-ho remained composed.
“Why didn’t you go to help?”
The color drained from Kim Sin-ho’s face. He answered in a quieter voice than before,
“I judged it too dangerous. After all, we were inside the dungeon…”
“If a stronger villain appeared after you became a hero, would you turn a blind eye today? Would you abandon citizens to their deaths?”
“Uh… that…”
He bowed deeply and failed to respond properly. The teacher tsked, reproaching him.
“Your answer wasn’t entirely wrong, but think about situations where you’d be harshly criticized like this. Such irrational scenarios are prevalent in actual combat. That was the lesson.”
“Yes, understood.”
The warm moment seemed to end, but the teacher added,
“Oh, by the way, your team is docked points on teamwork.”
“Yes…”
The male student tightly shut his mouth and glared at Park Hayeon.
That was how we exited the dungeon. Even though we hadn’t cleared the field dungeon, we could move between the inside and outside freely.
Yang Min-seo, who had passed through the gate late, came rushing over with her hands full of something. She extended her hands after looking up at me.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the Orb of Growth. The teacher said this came from the Luna Bear and asked me to distribute it accordingly, but I thought Shinnoda’s contribution was the greatest, so I’ll give it all to you.”
Orb of Growth.
In this game, similar to ‘Level Up’ in typical games, we have the ‘Orb of Growth.’
For a moment, I considered giving some of them away.
‘No, no.’
But after reconsideration, it wasn’t the right call.
Yang Min-seo, Ji Soyeon, Oh Haena.
Though I feel bad, they have relatively low growth potential. It’s better for me to eat them all for the greater good.
“Thank you, I’ll use it well.”
I took the orbs and consumed them right there.
——–<Orb of Growth (Strength)>——–
[Strength increased permanently by 20]
—————————————–
——–<Orb of Growth (Strength)>——–
[Strength increased permanently by 20]
—————————————–
——–<Orb of Growth (Strength)>——–
[Strength increased permanently by 20]
—————————————–
——–<Orb of Growth (Strength)>——–
[Strength increased permanently by 20]
—————————————–
——–<Orb of Growth (Strength)>——–
[Strength increased permanently by 20]
—————————————–
Compared to ‘Succession,’ the boost is embarrassingly lackluster.
If I used ‘Succession’ on Luna Bear, I could have gained much more stats.
‘Should I sneak back to the Gigantic Forest?’
There is certainly an hidden gimmick in the Gigantic Forest.
In the original story, the protagonist discovers it in their third year, clears the dungeon, and shuts the gate.
‘I’ll decide later.’
I had things to do right now. First, I should give Park Hayeon a hidden skill.
“Status Window.”
————<Status Window>————
◈ Name
n̶̡̡̛̟̠͈͎̟̍͜͝͡͠ų̢̰̭̲̋͒̓͊̀̒́͘͡l̴̳͙͓̞̻̝͇̥͆̋͂̉̕͡͠͠l̨̛̫̖̝͓̮̳͓͆̃̈̈́̈́͆̈̕
◈ Stats
[Strength 014 A]
[Agility 661 B]
[Intelligence 024 C]
[Luck 149 F]
[Overall C]
◈ Skills
[Succession 822 A]
[Dragon Heart — A]
[Telekinesis 641 C]
[Magic Engraving — B]
———————————–
Thanks to the Orb of Growth I just consumed, my Strength has risen from B-rank to A-rank.
My pure stats have finally hit A-rank.
‘Great.’
My growth was going very smoothly. Now, I just need to focus on Park Hayeon’s growth.
I waited with Park Hayeon at the front of Class A for our trip home. Class A was still conducting its dismissal while Class B had finished early due to a lazy homeroom teacher.
“Alright, see you all tomorrow.”
When the Class A teacher finished speaking, the students rushed out. I caught Park Hayeon, who was heading somewhere in a hurry.
“Where are you going? Let’s go home together.”
“Eh, uh? The team leader has something to say to me…”
“Hmm… Is it important?”
“No, not really…”
“Then let’s just go.”
With a nod, Park Hayeon followed me. As we walked and reached the gate, she mentioned her agenda.
“Are you busy tonight?”
“Huh? I could be, but why?”
“There’s a place we should go together.”
The flustered her.
“Uh, uh? Even so, isn’t this moving too quickly? Is this how things go in the city?”
‘Why is she acting like this?’
I couldn’t understand why her face turned red, and she was flustered.
“Let’s talk about it over dinner.”
“Uhm, alright!”
We went to a restaurant I had researched beforehand.
A specialty store for prime Hanwoo beef.
A place that only serves top-grade Hanwoo.
While flipping the meat, I brought up the subject.
“Tonight, we are sneaking into school.”
“Wha, at the school?! Even if that’s how it is, we can’t…”
“Haven’t you done this before? Friends usually would try it once, wouldn’t they?”
“Try it once?! Seoul people truly are different then.”
Park Hayeon, as the main character, seems to be quick. She recognized the courage test I hadn’t even mentioned yet.
Of course, the courage test is a cover-up. The actual plan involves ‘accidentally’ finding a dungeon and clearing it, all to provide her with a good skill.
To access the hidden dungeon gate I’m aiming for, special conditions must be met. Among other things, first, we must head to the second-floor women’s restroom in the annex late at night.
“Let’s go around 10 p.m. after dinner, by that time the school should be empty. Do you want to pass the time at Coco’s until 10?”
“Got it!”
Then I realized something I had forgotten.
“Ah, right. Just in case, tell the teacher you might not be able to come to school tomorrow. Let’s vaguely say you feel unwell.”
Clearing a hidden dungeon takes longer than expected.
For users, it’s about an hour, but in-game, time passes quite significantly.
Not entirely certain, but upon clearing the dungeon, the protagonist typically has this monologue:
<When I came out of the dungeon, it was already morning. The events of last night feel like a dream.>
This suggests it will take at least until the next morning.
Park Hayeon’s face turned sour.
“Wait, I’ve never done this before! How long are we going to be doing this?”
“It depends, but we might be there until tomorrow morning.”
“Hii…”
