The Support Ate it All

Like before, I briefly stopped by my room and then headed to the girls' dormitory in time for our meeting.

While I was waiting nearby, Dang Gyu-young came walking out in casual clothes.

"Late-night snacks are going to be a bit late. Let's head in first."

"Is Byeong-cheol bringing them again today?"

"Mhmm, he's basically the only one who delivers at this hour."

"Such a commendable attitude. I heard he's made a lot of money too, working day and night."

"He's got the right mindset. The problem is he keeps going off in weird directions."

Come to think of it, most of the items he bought at the auction ended up being losses.

As we talked, alternating between praise and jabs at Shin Byeong-cheol in an 8:2 ratio, we stepped into the girls' dormitory.

Of course, as the president of the Thieves Club, Dang Gyu-young wasn't too concerned with school rules, and with her shadow magic, bypassing security wasn't too hard.

She'd gotten even better recently, so it was even easier now.

Using the power she trained for world peace for personal gain without hesitation, we reached her room in no time.

As soon as we stepped inside, Dang Gyu-young headed straight to her bed, sat on the edge, and patted the spot next to her.

"Let's chat until the food gets here."

"Sure."

I did wonder why we were sitting on the bed when there was a perfectly good chair and table, but I took a seat beside her without complaint.

After a bit of casual conversation, the topic shifted to the No. 4 Research Facility raid.

"By the way, what was with that pot? Its performance was crazy. You even used a spatial isolation field."

"Pretty great, right? I just borrowed it this time."

"From who?"

"Seo Ye-in."

"Oh~ it was hers? Can I take a look?"

"That's a no."

I drew a firm line without hesitation.

Even if it's something I borrowed, I shouldn't treat it as mine to show off freely.

If Seo Ye-in didn't give permission, then I shouldn't show it. Simple as that.

Dang Gyu-young seemed to understand, though she did pout a little, maybe feeling slightly disappointed.

Then something seemed to occur to her, and she asked again.

"Come to think of it, she took Night of Severance at the auction, right?"

"She merged it during an upgrade."

"You went to see the Crow? With her? When?"

"Just last week."

"Just last week" would've been right in the middle of her clearing stage 9 of the Hardship Quest.

She didn't look too happy to hear that I went without her during such a rough time.

"You got a new staff too. Was that from the Crow as well?"

"Yeah, that too."

"……Hey, you better take me next time. Hurry up and put it on the calendar."

Dang Gyu-young grabbed my arm and gave it a light shake.

Though I swayed like a reed in the wind, I responded with a gentle smile and a soft tone.

"There's no need to be so competitive. If you don't get to see the Crow this time, you can go next time. What matters is the memories we'll make moving forward."

"Ooh…"

Dang Gyu-young let out a quiet murmur of admiration.

She stared at me for a while, then finally spoke.

"That was a really cool line… and complete trash at the same time."

"It was definitely trash, I admit."

"You're owning up to it?"

"I have to. I am a bit greedy, after all."

"Mhmm, too much. Way too much."

She lightly bumped her head against my shoulder.

Then she suddenly stood up and looked down at me with her arms crossed.

"I know it's not a competition. But you think people's feelings are that simple? Sometimes I want to be first too."

"I understand."

"So anyway… I looked into that whole Monarch thing?"

It didn't take much to realize that [Monarch] wasn't just some nickname.

Just the fact that S-rank dimensional Crows treated me differently made that clear.

So, out of curiosity, Dang Gyu-young had apparently done some digging of her own.

Since it was information from another world, it wasn't widely known and much of it was restricted. But if you were determined enough, there were ways to find out.

"I heard there's a unique trait that comes with it."

"Do you know what it is?"

"……"

Instead of replying, Dang Gyu-young lifted the corners of her lips slightly, walked over to a discarded necktie in the room, and picked it up.

Then she draped one end around my neck and the other around her own.

"…Is it something like this?"

"Pretty close."

The Monarch class came with powerful effects like mental barriers and special authority. But its true nature started to shine once you began acquiring the unique skills.

One of those was called [Bond].

"You haven't learned it yet, right?"

"Not yet."

I figured it would likely be rewarded as part of progressing through the main quest.

Still wearing the necktie like a makeshift tether, Dang Gyu-young spoke up.

"When you do, I get dibs on the first slot. Got it?"

"I'm fine with that. But are you ready for what it means?"

[Bond] was a slot skill.

However, unlike other slot skills, this one couldn't be removed or overwritten.

In other words, it wasn't a skill to be used with a half-hearted desire to just be "number one".

At that, the smile on Dang Gyu-young's lips deepened.

She slowly pushed against my chest, laying me down on the bed, then climbed on top of me like a cat.

She looked straight down at me and spoke.

"I made up my mind a long time ago. Even before the Hardship began."

"Good. We're in this to the end."

"Of course."

We smiled at each other.

Then, as if something had just occurred to her, Dang Gyu-young gave a seductive smile and leaned in closer.

"…Come to think of it, there's one more thing I can be number one at."

"If this keeps up, I might have to pass on the late-night snack."

"So what if you do?"

I felt a bit sorry for Shin Byeong-cheol who was probably still waiting, but I'd just make it up to him with a bonus or something later.

Dang Gyu-young's face drew even closer until our noses were practically touching.

But just then—

Thump thump thump!

Someone banged loudly on the door.

Startled, Dang Gyu-young sat up.

Thump thump thump!

"We're here~ We're here~ Your delicious late-night snack~ is here~!"

The voice beyond the door wasn't Shin Byeong-cheol's.

But it was a voice we knew all too well.

Blinking a few times, Dang Gyu-young muttered to herself.

"…Sho?"

Thump thump thump!

"Qyu!! I know you're in there! Kim Ho! What are you two doing?! Open the door!"

"…Of all times."

Dang Gyu-young let out a defeated sigh and got off the bed.

The knocking still hadn't stopped when she flung the door open wide.

"Sho, why are you bringing that?"

"I ran into Byeong-cheol in front of the dorm. He said you ordered it. You weren't answering your messages. And then I just knew! Kim Ho had to be here!"

"Then you should've taken the hint and come back tomorrow morning!"

At that, Jegal So-so smacked the door with a loud thwack!

"Ha! There should be boundaries between men and women! How dare you cross the line in this sacred dormitory!"

"Are you Jegal So-so right now, or Amitabha So-so? And be honest. You'd have done the same!"

"Fine! I admit it! I'm jealous! Just give me a taste too!"

"What the hell are you even saying!"

The two who had been bickering nonstop fell into a brief lull and both started panting with frustration.

Then came the rustle of what sounded like a bag being handed over, followed by Jegal So-so's voice.

"…Anyway, take it."

"…Anyway, thanks."

"You're not seriously planning to just send me away like this, are you?"

"Isn't that obvious? Get out."

"Qyu! Is this all our friendship means to you?"

"You're my one and only best friend. Go to bed."

Dang Gyu-young's defenses showed no sign of cracking.

Jegal So-so must've realized this wouldn't work, because she called into the room.

"Young monarch, won't you come out for a moment?"

"Yes, noona."

As I obediently approached the door, Jegal So-so asked with a disarmingly gentle smile.

"I'm feeling unusually restless and bored tonight. Mind if I join you?"

"Come on in."

"Thanks!"

Delighted by my answer, Jegal So-so lit up and marched into the room like a triumphant general.

In contrast, Dang Gyu-young's lips stuck out in a pout.

"I feel so betrayed right now."

"How could I just turn her away? Since she's here, let's eat together."

"…Haah. Fine, whatever."

Dang Gyu-young gave in with a shake of her head.

She might've been annoyed that the mood was ruined, but she probably didn't feel right sending a friend away either.

Still, she leaned close and whispered in my ear:

"…We're picking up where we left off later."

"Okay."

Once the agreement was sealed, Dang Gyu-young began setting up the late-night snacks with noticeably more enthusiasm.

A variety of food spilled out of the large bag.

She must've ordered a ton. Soon the table was completely covered.

This is a lot even for three people.

Since Dang Gyu-young had ordered all this on her own, it was no wonder Jegal So-so immediately guessed, "She's with Kim Ho, isn't she?"

Now that everything was out in the open, the more the merrier.

We chatted warmly as we devoured the food.

At one point, Jegal So-so reached for a french fry, then paused and gave Dang Gyu-young a long look.

Her eyes lit up with curiosity as she asked,

"…Qyu, something feels different about you?"

"Me? How?"

"It's hard to put my finger on it… but you seem a bit darker?"

Dang Gyu-young and I looked at each other.

We had a pretty good idea what she meant by darker.

It was probably because she had "changed class" into an umbramancer. That would explain the shift in vibe.

This wasn't something she could fully reveal, but giving a partial explanation seemed fine.

It's not like we could hide everything anyway.

So instead, I answered her question.

"We picked up a new skill."

"I knew it. You went to a dungeon, didn't you?"

Jegal So-so nodded, seemingly convinced.

Then she turned to Dang Gyu-young again and asked,

"What about the place we were going to? Are we just skipping it?"

"Hmm… that place…"

Dang Gyu-young trailed off slightly.

From the sound of it, she might've been invited to another dungeon raid.

Judging by the fact that there didn't seem to be any pressure, it was probably something they could clear even without a person or two.

Still, she didn't hesitate long before answering.

"Let's go. It's only a C-rank anyway."

"You're really putting in the work lately."

"The tournament's coming up."

Dang Gyu-young replied as if it were no big deal.

Of course, the real reason wasn't the tournament.

She's probably just trying to fill a slot.

Currently, her [Shadow Extraction] had two available slots.

Aside from Qyu Lab Director, one spot was still open.

After this dungeon week, there would be a week of duel battles, followed by the tournament.

That meant the dungeon building would shut down for about a month, and access to the underground floors would be restricted.

For Dang Gyu-young, the smart move would be to enter any dungeon she could before then and register whatever she could.

C-rank dungeon monsters were still strong enough to be useful in actual combat.

And if she needed something stronger later, she could just overwrite it.

Of course, Jegal So-so had no way of knowing all this, so she seemed to assume the tournament really was the main goal.

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked,

"You're training for the tournament? You've never cared about it before."

"It's my last year. I figure I might as well see how far I can go."

It was more of an excuse than anything, but there was some sincerity behind it too.

Especially in what she said next.

"…There are a few people I'd love to beat up if I run into them."

With a bone-in chicken leg held like a bat, Bat Gyu-young wore a chilling smile at the corners of her mouth.