Originally, the excitement was supposed to last for a while even after the tournament ended.

However, that mood quickly vanished with a single piece of news.

– Dragons have appeared on the front lines!

To be more specific, it went like this:

The Red and Blue Dragons suddenly flew over the frontline fortress without any warning or signs.

They unleashed powerful magic and breath attacks, then disappeared just as leisurely.

Thanks to the kind of defensive facilities and spells you’d expect at the front lines, the damage wasn’t too severe.

But the very fact that dragons, who had been quiet for so long, had resumed their activities was a major threat to humanity.

So the capture of Exhaustion must’ve triggered something.

They might’ve made a decision after hearing the news, or maybe the witches pressured them.

Since both sides are hostile toward humans, they’re likely bound by some shared interests. But up to now, only the Corpse Dragon side had taken the hit.

One way or another, it’s clear those guys are starting to move but I doubt a massive war will break out right away.

They’re not fully ready yet either.

[High Rank (EX) has been unlocked.]

According to the Underworld Dragon King and the Hye-Seong Group Chairman, it hasn’t even been a full year since that alert message started popping up.

Many of the top-ranked fighters are still in the middle of trying to break through their barriers, so they likely would show up on the battlefield eventually.

Of course, we can’t afford to be complacent either.

“Eventually” could mean next year or the year after, but it could also mean next month or even next week.

Besides, with the dragons launching a preemptive strike, the fuse has already been lit.

From now on, we’ll keep hearing news like a hero has fallen, a dragon has been slain, a fortress has fallen, a martial sect has been wiped out and eventually, war will erupt.

We have to be ready before that happens.

If we want to protect world peace, we need to get even stronger.

With that in mind, I began my preparations.

First up: elixirs.

These were what I received from the Shadow Lord and the Sword Queen.

[Summoning Talisman (B)] ×2

[Thousand-Year Tuber Fleeceflower (A)]

[Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Ginseng (S)]

I divided them into five portions and distributed them to Go Hyeon-woo, Seo Ye-in, Dang Gyu-young, and Hong Yeon-hwa.

Song Chun-hye was excluded, as we hadn’t built enough trust yet.

The reason I didn’t keep everything to myself wasn’t out of generosity, but efficiency.

Elixirs lose their effectiveness with repeated use.

The summoning talismans were two in total, and both the fleeceflower and the ice ginseng were large enough to be taken in multiple doses.

If taken that way, the ginseng’s effectiveness would gradually drop from S to A, then to B rank.

So, instead of wasting potential, I decided it was better to raise the overall core levels of the group.

It’s not like me getting stronger alone would solve everything anyway.

And you always get back as much as you give.

We’ll be diving into countless dungeons together from now on, so I can always claim a bigger share of random boxes or hidden pieces equivalent to the value of the elixirs.

Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa had already paid her due. Noticing her mana had significantly increased, Hong Ye-hwa had summoned me to the Ruby Magic Tower’s club room.

What I received there was one of the four prizes. It was [Rank Up (B)].

Honestly, it worked out better for me; that item was much harder to come by.

Even though I split the elixirs five ways, their high rank meant I still gained a considerable amount of mana.

To put it in numbers, I was now about 95% of the way to an A-rank core.

I had expected to reach that by the end of my first year, so this was well ahead of schedule.

Next up: Rank Up.

I had two. One from my duel with Song Cheon-gi, and another from Hong Ye-hwa as payment for the elixir.

I had already decided where to use them.

[‘Rank Up (B)’ has been activated.]

[‘Time Share’ has been upgraded. (B → A)]

[Sharing Ratio: 20%]

[Cooldown Reduction: 5% → 15%]

[‘Rank Up (B)’ has been activated.]

[‘Amplification’ has been upgraded. (B → A)]

[Duration: 15 min → 30 min]

[Cooldown: 50 min → 30 min]

As expected of A-rank skills, the improvements were significant.

With Time Share’s efficiency boosted, I’d be able to use Harship more frequently as well.

Amplification now had its duration and cooldown perfectly aligned, meaning I could keep at least one skill or trait constantly amplified.

Of course, that’s assuming I don’t chain it with the tentacle ability.

With that, I’d used up nearly everything I’d gained recently.

Now it was time to decide on my next direction.

I’ll need to reinforce my defense.

Especially against area-of-effect attacks.

The Witch of Death’s massive [Corpse Explosion] or the Witch of Depletion’s [Drain Tower]….no matter how skilled your control is, those are simply unavoidable.

You can either escape the area entirely or endure it within the range.

Some dungeons also have extremely harsh environments; without sufficient defensive measures, you can take damage the moment you enter.

Until now, I’ve avoided such places, but since there are hidden pieces that can only be obtained there, I’ll have to tackle them eventually.

One way or another, boosting my defense is a must.

Fortunately, the foundation is already in place.

I’ve got the Wise Armor and the Wind Barrier, after all.

What’s left is the final third piece.

Once I learn it and bring its rank up to match the others, I’ll be able to complete the combination.

And the place to obtain that skill is, of course—

The dungeon.

It’s about time I headed back down there.

***

Due to the sudden emergency, most of the parents began preparing to leave earlier than planned.

After all, there’s no guarantee the dragons would only appear on the front lines.

Their next targets could very well be the magic towers, corporations, or martial sects they belong to, so as leaders or high-ranking officials, they needed to return and secure their organizations.

However, before leaving, all the parents gathered near the Dungeon building.

A low hill formed the base of the Dungeon building.

Unlike usual, a massive magic circle was inscribed there.

It was so large it stood out even from far away, filled edge to edge with densely packed formulas.

No wonder the parents here are all so powerful.

Now that I think about it, they must have sent invitations mainly to those capable of contributing to that spell.

Soon, under the guidance of the faculty, the parents took their positions at various points around the enormous magic circle.

Then, at a signal, they began chanting the spell.

Wooooong—

A resonant hum spread like an echo across the entire dungeon island.

The colossal magic circle gradually began to shine until the upper floors of the Dungeon building were so engulfed in light that they could no longer be seen.

The chanting continued for quite some time afterward, and the spectators, their eyes stinging from the brightness, began turning their heads away one by one.

After what felt like an eternity—

Flaaash—!

The colossal magic circle gave one final, deep resonance before all the light it had been radiating was sucked into the Dungeon building.

Most of the spectators simply looked on in wonder, but I could more or less guess what had happened.

They’ve cast a buff.

And not just on a single dungeon. On every dungeon within the building, and one that would likely last for over a week.

The effect must be considerable.

The details would probably be announced later in the strategy battle class.

That marked the end of the day’s schedule, and the parents boarded the train leaving Dungeon Island.

I saw them off at the platform.

Ahn Jeong-mi handed a booklet titled “Instruction Manual” to Seo Ye-in, repeating her request several times.

“Please make sure to read this before you use it.”

It seemed Hye-seong Group had developed another exclusive new weapon….this time, it was a different kind of firearm, so her insistence made sense.

Seo Ye-in merely nodded halfheartedly and stuffed the manual into her pocket.

We’d have to see whether she actually read it.

Then Ahn Jeong-mi turned to me and bowed slightly.

“Kim Ho-nim, I’ll be counting on your support going forward.”

“Yes, I’ll be in touch. I’ll also make sure to speak to her about that matter.”

“Thank you.”

Only then did Ahn Jeong-mi board the train with a relieved expression.

Off to the side stood Dang Gyu-young and Dang Mun-hyeong, and when they noticed me looking, they waved hurriedly for me to come over.

It seemed they wanted me to join in the farewells before everyone left.

So I walked over and stood beside Dang Gyu-young.

“Have a safe trip home, Uncle.”

“Thank you. Take care of yourselves, both of you.”

“I’ll visit during winter break.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Uncle Gyu smiled softly and turned away.

As I watched him go, Dang Gyu-young leaned close and whispered in my ear.

“And after all that, you’d be sending me to the main house alone? He’s going to be very disappointed.”

“Feels like I’m the one cleaning up the mess Noona made.”

“Of course you are. You should take responsibility if you’ve left a permanent mark on my body.”

“Why are you making it sound so weird? Those word choices are questionable.”

“Oh, come on….it’s true. You stamped your seal on me. Now I can’t even marry anywhere else.”

As Qyu and I kept bickering over the visit to her family’s house and the whole seal issue, a loud shout suddenly rang out from somewhere.

“Daaaughter—!”

“Dad! Can you not yell like that right before you leave?!”

Of course, the booming voice belonged to Hong Yeom-baek.

Even as his daughters, Hong Ye-hwa and Hong Yeon-hwa, scolded him, he didn’t so much as flinch and kept saying what he wanted.

“I’m just sad to go! Come on, let me give you both a hug before I leave—!”

“No way!”

The Hong sisters recoiled in disgust, while Hong Yeom-baek’s expression turned a bit empty and dejected.

Then, when he spotted me approaching, his face brightened instantly.

“You there!”

“Have a safe trip, sir.”

“Right, see you next time.”

His hand about the size of a pot lid patted my shoulder heavily.

Off to the side, I spotted Father Song along with Song Cheon-gi and Song Cheon-hye.

At a glance, their atmosphere was stiff and overly formal.

You can’t expect a strained family relationship to mend overnight.

All I could do was hope things would work out for them.

“……”

Just then, Song Cheon-ho subtly turned his gaze toward me.

If I went over, Song Cheon-hye would realize I was acquainted with her father and brother, so instead, we exchanged discreet glances.

A silent message passed between us—

– Please take good care of Cheon-hye.

– You can count on me.

After the fathers came the Sword Queen, who happened to spot me as she walked by…and immediately mouthed a string of insults.

– Wretched bastard, Conman Kim Ho, terrible bastard.

In response, since my core was still fortified with S-rank ice ginseng, I bowed deeply, full of gratitude.

The Sword Queen scrunched up her face in frustration and boarded the train.

Before long, only the students remained on the platform as the train sped off into the distance.

We watched it shrink into a dot on the horizon, then turned our backs.