Chapter 96
The golem stops moving and begins to crumble to the ground, the core of its heart having been ripped out.
“Huh?”
Jin-woo, who had just opened the door to enter the room, was dumbfounded by the sight of the golem collapsing in an instant.
Unlike him, the other kids, including me, were all looking at the wreckage of the golem with ragged breaths.
“Boss…….Did you just say that was the weakest one?”
“……I didn’t expect it to be this strong.”
Even though it was just a simple move, it was a horror that made my heart explode just by looking at it. I was convinced that if we hadn’t destroyed the core at the start, everyone would be dead.
“Good thing it ended well. Is anyone hurt?”
Convinced that the golem was completely neutralized, I looked around to check on the children.
Young-jae was breathing heavily from having pushed his magic to its limits, and Se-ah was sprawled out on the ground with her legs untangled.
And Choi Yeon, whose face was flushed red for some reason.
……What’s wrong with her?
Anyway, no one seemed to be seriously injured.
“Mr. Eugene. Then we can all get out, right……?”
Se-ah, who was sitting on the floor, asked in a weak voice.
“Yes. Soon, a portal will open on each floor that will allow us to go outside. Once that happens, the other children and teachers trapped here will be able to escape as well.”
The villains’ reign of terror was effectively over.
I walked leisurely over to the fallen golem and peered through the rubble.
“Here it is……..”
The mana core that powers this dungeon, and that hulking body.
This core was the ultimate reward, condensing all the mana generated by the runaway power stone, as well as all the other mana that had accumulated in the dungeon so far.
■■
“Oh.”
Maybe it was because it was a double dungeon, but it looked better than any other dungeon cores I’d ever gotten in the game.
After retrieving the core, I returned to the exhausted children.
“Haha, I really want to lie down and sleep like this.”
“I’m tired, too. I think I’ve scraped up to the limit of my mana.”
“Me too………..”
I told them something to cheer them up.
“Really? You’re not going to get the reward?”
“Reward?”
I said, and pointed to the room that seemed to be the exit.
“Ohhh…….”
Jin-woo was mesmerized and started walking towards it. The other kids are intrigued, too, and slowly follow suit.
A hack is a hack and a reward is a reward, and with the difficulty set at this level, there must be a reward beyond their wildest dreams.
When I opened the door to the reward room and walked in with the kids.
“Here it is……! Boss! Over here!”
A huge box appeared in front of them.
It was red in color and decorated with gold, and it proclaimed itself to be priceless.
It was more colorful than any dungeon reward in my memory.
“There’s no way that gorgeous box is a reward! It’s a Mimic! It’s a Mimic!”
Even Se-ah, who was next to me, had already lost her cool.
In case things got even more confusing, I gathered the kids together.
“For now, the reward is for each of you to take what you need most, and we’ll talk about everything else later in the club room. Any other ideas?”
I asked, scanning the other kids’ faces, but none of them spoke up.
“Then let’s do that, but don’t get your hopes up, it’s random. Now, open…….”
Slowly, I lifted the top of the box upward, and a golden aura began to emanate, illuminating my surroundings.
Golden, and iridescent.
“Crazy……!”
Isn’t this the kind of effect you get when you win a big gacha game?
The other kids stared at the box, mesmerized by the amazing sight.
Bam! POP!
Firecrackers explode and a project beam shoots upward from the box.
[Congratulations!!]
And a human face appears in front of me.
[Hello, juniors! If you’re watching this message, you’ve just beaten the highest difficulty level of my dungeon, so congratulations!]
It was the face of a man I’ve never seen before.
Having seen the message many times before, I naturally found the button on the inside of the box and pressed it.
“Skip.”
[After clearing the highest difficulty level────jig]
Phew. It got a little quieter.
The kids behind me shake their heads.
“What was that?”
“……I turned it off because it didn’t seem important. If we listened to it, all we’d get is a cheesy congratulations.”
The game gives you his phone number and that’s it…….
I didn’t regret it, knowing that even a congratulatory message on the highest difficulty level was really just a few minutes of bragging rights.
“So, inside is……oh.”
I looked inside the box and saw the expected stack of items.
“That’s a lot of stuff. I guess we can each keep one.”
Apparently, this room is also made up of items that fit the concept.
After a quick glance at the contents, I had a general idea of what the kids should take.
“I’d like to recommend some items here, since I have the Appraisal skill, is that okay?”
It wasn’t technically a skill, but I wanted the items to be as kid-friendly as possible.
“Right. You said you have an appraisal skill, so we’re good to go. We don’t have to take it to the appraiser.”
“That’s great. I’m sure the boss will give them out.”
Choi Yeon and Se-ah nodded and didn’t seem to object.
Let’s get started, then.
The first item I picked up was one I already knew.
“Ritual Obsidian Dagger. When plugged into a sunlit land, it summons three golems…….This is for Se-ah, I think it’s perfect for you to support from the back.”
I decided it would be best to give it to Se-ah, since she could use it in combination with her space magic.
“An item that can summon golems! That’s something that sells for a lot of money on the market! I love it, I love it, I love it!”
“Then give this to Se-ah. What about this……Cloak of Assault? It lets you hide in the shadows once a day. This one is for Jin-woo.”
“Eh, I only opened the door, but you give me something this good?”
A stealth item that greatly increased the chance of surprise was a valuable item, but I had the Maestro’s clothes anyway
That meant I already had a stealth item.
It would be more useful for Jin-woo, who was relatively lacking.
“You’ve worked hard, it’s enough.”
“Boss……!”
The next item was a bracelet with a blue band around it.
This was also a familiar item that I was quite indebted to in the game.
“This is a ‘Mana Circuit Organ’.”
It was a bracelet that increased spellcasting speed and mana recovery, which would be of great help to Young-jae, who was already lacking in mana for his usefulness.
Choi Yeon was next.
“……You’re giving me one too?”
“You’re the reason I was able to take on this dungeon, so you deserve it.”
“……Thank you.”
What I gave her was an item called Ancient Warrior’s Tape, which reduces the amount of impact on the palm of your hand.
The tape, which resembles a bandage, was a favorite of warrior players because it greatly reduced the amount of impact on the palm of the hand, reducing fatigue and slightly increasing strength.
Finally,
“I’ll keep this.”
I said, picking up the red ring that was tucked into the corner of the box.
“…… It’s pretty. What kind of item is it?”
Se-ah asked, her eyes sparkling as she took in the brilliant red hue of the ring.
“It’s an Ancient Berserker’s Ring, an item that stores the blood I shed to enhance my physical abilities.”
Indeed, the following information window appeared before my eyes.
[Name: Ancient Berserker’s Ring (Sealed)]
[Class: Artifact]
[Type: Ring]
[Description: This ring was worn by those called ancient berserkers. It absorbs the blood that flows from its wearer, enhancing their strength in return. An unknown force seems to be sealing the ring’s original abilities.]
It’s said that its powers are sealed, but it didn’t really matter to me.
I’ve already used it in the game, so I know how to unlock it.
“But, is it okay if only the boss gets such a useless thing?”
“What?”
“No, you’re right, it’s the boss’s style to fight without spilling a drop of blood anyway.”
Ah……lo and behold.
‘They don’t know my real fighting style.’
It’s a misunderstanding that stems from the difference between the way I fought as a Hitman and the way I fought at the Academy.
“I just thought it would be a good fit for me.”
“Well……you’re the boss.”
For some reason, they seem to think they’re the only ones who got something good, and they feel a sense of debt.
Anyway, I’m going to clean up and get out of here.
Of course, I have to take care of something first.
“Choi Yeon.”
“Huh?”
“Why don’t you join our club?”
“The club? The one you’re the president of?”
It was a direct invitation to her to join the club.
[Name: ‘Familia’ (Corleone)]
[Rating: Bronze]
[Family members: 4 / 5 (needs a rating boost!)]
[Affiliations: 4 ]
[Environment: Very Good]
[Club members are very happy!]
There’s only one spot left for a family member in the club system and it’s hard to think of anyone better than her at this point.
Besides, with the recent events at the lake and the goodwill that would have come from battling together, I decided to trust her.
“Club…….I’ll have to think about it.”
Choi Yeon looked confused by the sudden suggestion but I decided not to push it, so I nodded and said.
“Yeah, I guess it’s never too late to make a decision after you think about it.”
Deferring to her for an answer, I put the rest of my things back in the cube and looked at the door to the exit and the lever next to it.
“Let’s get out, then.”
A reasonable amount of time had passed, so everyone else should have left as well.
We had to sneak out in case they were already waiting for us outside.
I pulled down on the upward lever, and the stone gate slowly rose upward, revealing a portal into a distorted space.
After all, we had successfully defended against the Academy Terror, one of the main scenarios, so the big crisis was over.
After sending the others through the portal, I stepped inside and felt a wave of dizziness take over my head and my body move outward.
And just like that, I thought it was over…….
My smartphone suddenly vibrated violently as it picked up the radio waves.
When I checked my phone to see what was going on, I saw dozens of messages piling up.
And they were from…….
[Han Seo-Joon (99+)]
[Han Seo-Joon: Master, are you okay?]
[Han Seo-Joon: Master, I heard there was a terrorist attack on the academy, are you okay?]
[Han Seo-Joon: Master, if you can reach me, please reply immediately].
[Han Seo-Joon: Master, Don knows about it.]
[Han Seo-Joon: Are you there?]
[Han Seo-Joon: Don himself is moving.]
[Han Seo-Joon: I don’t think Parnello will convince Don not to take action himself.]
………
……
…
.
[Han Seo-Joon: Instead, Consigliere and the Hitmen have agreed to come to the Academy.]
……?
