Ch. 117 - The Korokoro Tribe Village (1)

Chapter 117: The Korokoro Tribe Village (1)

Since that day, Flame had strangely started to distance herself from Baek Yu-Seol.

Naturally, rumors followed like a shadow.

‘Baek Yu-Seol and Flame broke up. They used to be inseparable.’

Oddly enough, people didn't notice the strange distance between the two even though they had always been close.

Furthermore, Flame’s expression seemed off for some reason.

She had always been cheerful and full of energy, but now she appeared as if she had been hit hard, like a sledgehammer to the chest.

It was natural for everyone to worry.

Even though she denied that anything was wrong when asked, the dark circles under her eyes were so prominent that it was hard to believe she was fine.

"They broke up."

"Yeah, they did."

"They're no longer together."

Flame, who had been enjoying a happy relationship for weeks, got dumped!

Such a picture was painted in the minds of the boys and girls.

"What? They broke up?"

"Unbelievable. They acted like they were going to get married. What happened? Who broke up with whom?"

"I heard Baek Yu-Seol broke up with her. So, Flame is practically dying of grief..."

Because they had been an unusually prominent couple, the news of their unexpected breakup spread faster than expected.

Flame and Baek Yu-Seol both denied it outright, but given that they were no longer hanging out together and their relationship had soured, denying it didn't really matter.

"Sigh."

Well, anyway, they had almost completed their contractual dating period...

It was about time to break up anyway.

But he didn't expect the other side to make such a fuss about it.

‘Is it that shocking that I’m from Earth?’

Judging by her reaction, it was clear she had figured out his origin.

But, why such an exaggerated response?

‘I don't know.’

Baek Yu-Seol had no clue about women's hearts.

If he were so good at understanding women, he would have had a girlfriend long before Flame.

A real girlfriend, not a fake one like Flame.

Baek Yu-Seol thought about it for a moment.

Anyway, it didn't matter.

Flame was a trustworthy partner.

Just because she found out about his origin, she wouldn't kick up a fuss or anything.

‘I'd rather just get it off my chest.’

‘Sharing where I lived on Earth, what I did, which school I attended, which singers and celebrities I liked… Just sharing our hometowns will create a connection, and there are so many stories to share.’

[Insufficient Narrative Power.]

‘But, the darn lack of Narrative Power is the issue.’

Even though Baek Yu-Seol wanted to be frank, his mouth stubbornly remained shut.

He had asked why he shouldn't tell Flame about his origin, but he never received an answer.

If it weren't for this Narrative Power issue, they might have already met up separately, had a drink of soju, reminisced about Earth, and stayed up all night...

Anyway, that was in the past.

Now, it was time to think about the next steps.

First, the Aslan Seminar.

To be honest, there were almost no cases involving dark magic there, and most of it consisted of verbal battles, so there was very little Baek Yu-Seol could prepare for.

Eisel and a girl named Selyen might clash... Whether he could intervene and help during that was a question.

More importantly, it would be wise to prepare keyword items related to the Ancient Karmenset ruins.

For about a month, Jeliel would probably remain quiet, but after that, she would undoubtedly try to bother him in some way.

‘I remember a keyword item dropping in some dungeon…’

As he slowly searched through his [Dungeon] folder, he found what he was looking for.

[Village of Korokoro Tribe]

Korokoro Tribe.

He remembered they were a peculiar race with three horns on their heads.

It was recorded that one of the map pieces leading to the Karmenset ruins could drop at the end of their Tribe’s territory.

[Village of Korokoro Tribe]

[Estimated Difficulty: Level 4 Danger]

[Recommended to form a party if you're a player of Class 3.]

[If you gather about four skilled players, there should be no problem.]

[Don't bring inexperienced members, otherwise you'll get frustrated with the newbies.]

[Strategy: If I were to compare my current level to other mages, my level is still around Class 3, right? So, in other words, clearing this dungeon with just a few more people should not be too difficult. As a student of the Stella Academy, I can submit a dungeon solo strategy permit, so it's possible for students to cooperate in dungeon clearing.]

‘Moreover, there are quite a few skilled Class 3 mages around me, aren't there?’

Dungeons were hard to find, but the rewards go beyond just financial matters.

Dungeon clearing rewards increased a mage's maximum mana and raised their elemental affinity, which were essential stats for a mage.

So, with a bit of persuasion, anyone could be recruited.

‘Now, the first person to recruit should be…’

Ma Yu-Seong.

‘He was a necessary tank... I mean, a tanker for the dungeon attack.’

"Want to go to the dungeon?"

"Sure.”

“Do you have the time?"

"Yeah. It seems like it will be fun."

Anyway, it was great to have someone with such a positive attitude.

Maybe it was not just because of the dungeon rewards but because it seemed ’fun.’

Regardless, it was all good for Baek Yu-Seol.

Next, he needed someone who could unleash explosive firepower from a distance.

Baek Yu-Seol’s first choice was Flame.

She couldn't cover as broad a range as Eisel but, like Hong Bi-Yeon, her utility with Light Magic was top-notch in this world.

However, that was out of the question now.

She was too depressed to entertain thoughts of going to a dungeon while moping around.

So, he visited Eisel, who was her next candidate.

"Dungeon?"

"Yeah."

She was writing something quite diligently with a very scholarly look.

At a glance, it seemed like she had been organizing the thesis she would present at the Aslan seminar all night.

"It seems a bit... challenging. I have to do quite a bit of research because I have to present a thesis for the entrance ceremony, and I didn't have any prior knowledge..."

"... I see."

Even a quick glance revealed an enormous amount of magical and academic books piled up like a tower on her desk.

"Next time, let's go next time..."

Unable to help it, Eisel gave up.

The next candidate was Hong Bi-Yeon.

She seemed to be in a rather good mood for some reason, but her circumstances weren't much different from Eisel’s.

"Wanna go to the dungeon?"

"Uh."

However, unlike Eisel, who appeared somewhat disheveled, Hong Bi-Yeon was quite neat despite staying up all night studying.

Aside from slightly droopy eyes due to fatigue, there wasn't much difference from her usual self.

"... It's difficult now. I have a tight schedule up to the seminar."

"I see. It can't be helped."

She glanced at the magic books and Baek Yu-Seol alternately, with a somewhat regretful expression.

"Not this time, but maybe next time we can go together..."

"Huh? I won't be going next time."

“...Then get lost.”

"Uh, okay... Got it."

Leaving behind the suddenly distant Hong Bi-Yeon, Ma Yu-Seong and Baek Yu-Seol were left wandering.

In reality, Class S had plenty of Class 3 mages, but the problem was that most of them weren't his close friends.

"Hey, do you have many friends? Do you know anyone we can bring along?"

"I do."

"Oh, really? You're quite the social butterfly."

Ma Yu-Seong immediately went somewhere. The person he approached was Hae Won-Ryang, who was currently vigorously casting spells in the training grounds.

Bang, bang!

As he unleashed the magic intensively, his body was drenched in sweat, and an indescribable sense of discomfort emanated from him.

‘... Is he really at the Class 3 level?’

Baek Yu-Seol remembered Hae Won-Ryang as being the next in line after Flame, Eisel, and Hong Bi-Yeon to reach Class 4.

They were all probably just on the cusp of reaching Class 4, so for Hae Won-Ryang to already be at that level...

‘Could it be related to overcoming the Dark Magic Corruption event?’

He wasn't sure, but if Hae Won-Ryang had reached Class 4, he would likely be the most powerful attacker among the first-year students.

"... Wanna go to the dungeon?"

"Yeah."

Ma Yu-Seong approached him readily and Hae Won-Ryang glanced at Baek Yu-Seol and Ma Yu-Seong alternately, then casually said a few words.

“While someone is struggling with heartache, someone else is planning a dungeon attack at ease?”

“It’s not exactly at ease...”

So, what's the answer?

With a skeptical look, Hae Won-Ryang thought for a moment and nodded.

"Alright, why not? I wanted to practice some magic in real action anyway."

And so, a party of three was formed for the dungeon expedition.

—

During breaks between lectures, students typically returned to their respective classes to rest.

However, Stella had well-maintained spaces like a café and a garden, so quite a few students visited these places.

"...”

Hae Won-Ryang crawled through every nook and cranny of the western garden of Stella to find Flame hiding.

True to her exemplary nature, she was holding an ancient runic dictionary and glaring at it while her petite body was curled up like a shrimp, exuding an aura of melancholy.

"Flame, are you okay?"

He sat down beside her and Flame raised her head to look at Hae Won-Ryang with her big round eyes.

“Yeah. What’s up?”

Unlike the past few days when she was quite moody, she seemed to be in relatively good spirits.

“You seem to have... gotten over it.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Had a change of heart?”

“Um, yeah~ How should I put it? He’s trying to maintain this relationship, but it seems silly for me to distance myself. So I’m going back to how it was before.”

She had thought deeply about it.

She had felt guilty.

To think that she had shattered his efforts and determination to keep his distance from her in a moment.

‘Even the act of contracting a relationship would have been against Baek Yu-Seol’s beliefs and determination.’

But now, looking back on it...

Even though it was just an act, for that moment... Baek Yu-Seol seemed to have enjoyed his time.

He laughed at even the smallest things.

Perhaps, at that moment, Baek Yu-Seol remembered not her, but 'another her.'

But that 'another her’ was not Flame.

She couldn’t have the same feelings as another ‘her’.

So, just like things were before.

Baek Yu-Seol had worked so hard for that, and she would do the same.

All she had to do was go back to the forced relationship bestowed by Jeremy, and just be friends as normal.

… That's all.

‘But, when I think about this topic, why do I keep feeling frustrated and confused?’

"Going back to how things were means..."

"Hmm?"

Hae Won-Ryang glanced at her for a moment, then said.

"Breaking up with him and becoming friends again?"

"Huh? Um~ maybe?"

"I see..."

"Well, let's not get too serious about it. How about we go grab something to eat?"

As Flame enthusiastically got up and started to walk ahead, Hae Won-Ryang followed.

She might think she had gracefully accepted this situation, but in Hae Won-Ryang's eyes...

It looked like she was forcibly trying to erase her lingering feelings.

—

Today was an afternoon break due to a gap in the schedule, so Baek Yu-Seol had some time to go out briefly.

Lately, he had been visiting Leafanel quite often.

Specifically, he had come to Ha Tae-Ryeong’s cave connected to the Spirit Garden.

Here, there was a unique magical formation... It had a very positive effect on the training of Mana Leakage Delay.

Below this cave flowed a dragon vein. It was an entirely different phenomenon from what mages referred to as the ‘vein of mana.’

A dragon vein was where the flow of heavenly energy touched, a place where the earth breathed, akin to the roots where all life began.

Soon, it would be a heavenly training ground for the Mana Leakage Delay practitioners who must accept the energy of nature.

He examined the ground closely.

To concentrate the energy of the dragon vein in one place, a special formation was drawn.

From here, you could also feel a part of heavenly energy and immerse yourself even deeper into the mysteries of nature.

However, there was one thing to be careful about. If you immerse yourself too deeply... you would become one with nature.

In other words, you would die.

Baek Yu-Seol was fortunate enough not to experience that thanks to a great training partner.

[But whether this information would reach you, the reader, was uncertain. Please be careful not to lose yourself.]

Ha Tae-Ryeong kindly wrote down instructions on the use of the formation and precautions.

To be honest, he hadn't tried it so far because the idea of becoming one with nature and dying was a bit frightening.

Baek Yu-Seol didn't think he would achieve enlightenment in one go, like the protagonist of a wuxia novel.

But, as Ha Tae-Ryeong had mentioned, with an excellent partner, there should be no problem.

‘Oh, it's been a while!’

So, as long as he had Leafanel’s assistance, he could do it whenever he wanted.

‘I liked this one~’

“Why?”

‘Every time I did it, I felt stronger!’

"Oh? That's a bit peculiar."

Could it be that dragon veins had an impact on spirit too?

Since Ha Tae-Ryeong was the only one in this world who knew how to control dragon veins, he couldn't find any information even if he looked up everything.

They decided to go to the dungeon this weekend, so he planned to continue training to be able to activate Tae-Ryung Breathing Technique when needed.

Even now, to activate the technique, he had to stand still and concentrate for at least 10 seconds, and even if he managed to activate it, it would dissipate immediately upon making any aggressive movements like swinging a sword.

It was at a level where it was almost impossible to use effectively in real combat.

So, despite the slight risk, he needed to become stronger as quickly as possible using the dragon veins.

As Baek Yu-Seol was about to step onto the dragon vein, he gazed at a peculiar sword firmly embedded in the center of the warehouse.

"Ha Tae-Ryeong’s sword technique? Is it here in the warehouse too?"

"Huh? There wasn't a manual for sword techniques."

"There is! Ha Tae-Ryeong sealed all of his sword techniques into the sword!"

"Sealed them into the sword...?"

"Yeah, but only those who qualify can wield it."

Strange and mystic barriers surrounded the sword with that unusual aura. It was so enigmatic that even through his analytical spec, he couldn't comprehend it.

It wasn't magic.

In this era, things that weren't considered magic were often referred to as ‘non-magic’ or ‘mystical,’ and those words truly suited it.

However, someday, if he qualified...

He could learn the ‘Grand Magic Swordsmanship’ created by Ha Tae-Ryeong, the ancestral sword master.

When that time came, he would become much stronger, even more so than the ‘Character Baek Yu-Seol’ in the game.

With that anticipation in mind, he threw himself into the dragon vein.

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