Chapter 24. Dungeon Practice
Time passed quickly, and Friday arrived.
After classes ended.
I was talking with Lucy and Lumi in the classroom.
"Hoyeon... Are you sure we can create our club?"
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
"If Hoyeon says not to worry, then it'll be fine, Lucy."
"Okay, I trust you...!"
The twins' sparkling eyes felt a little burdensome.
After today, no new clubs could be established for the semester.
As expected, there was no word from the club department.
Now, it was almost certain. There was only one possible source of trouble.
The Magic Research Club. They made the first move.
Since they declared war first, I had no choice but to counterattack.
With all preparations complete, I confidently headed to the club department.
Lucy and Lumi followed closely behind me.
I told them to stay outside and not get involved for now.
"Why? I can go in and ask with you. Wouldn't it be better if more people were present?"
"That's true, but I'm going as a student council officer."
"Oh, I don't really get it, but okay!"
As soon as I mentioned my student council position, they agreed to stay quiet. Power is indeed useful.
Looking at the new club registration desk, I noticed that the male student from last time was gone, replaced by a new female student.
Her face gave off an air of diligence—almost as if the word "sincere" was stamped on her forehead.
"Hello. I'm here regarding a new club registration."
"Yes. Do you have all the necessary documents?"
"I submitted them last time, but I was told there was a system error. Has it been processed?"
"Ah, let me check for a moment."
"The club president is Lucy. Three members. Club name: [Let's Have Fun Club]."
The female student typed away diligently, then tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
"I'm sorry, but there's no record of such a club at all…"
"Ah, junior. You're here again?"
Just then, an annoying face blocked my path.
The club president cut off the female student mid-sentence and stepped forward.
"Senior..."
"It seems like the new staff member made a mistake today. Your club application had too many irregularities. The clubroom was already occupied by another club, and the supervising professor declined."
After stalling for days, of course, they had rigged everything in advance. His smug smirk made me furious.
"Ah, so that's why it wasn't approved?"
"Yes, unfortunately. But if you hurry and find a new clubroom and professor by today's deadline, you might still have a chance. You have until this afternoon—maybe if you try hard enough, you'll find something?"
He was openly mocking me now, fully aware that I wouldn't be able to find replacements in time.
In reality, when I searched for clubrooms, every single one was occupied. All the professors had also refused.
But what the club president didn't know was…
I had the connections to fix everything.
"Oh, so all I need is a clubroom and a supervising professor?"
"Yes. You have about two hours left until the deadline..."
"It's fine. I've already secured them."
"Huh?"
Before he could react, I pulled out new documents.
Everything had been arranged in advance, so I had nothing to worry about.
"Tch, this is ridiculous. You're claiming Professor Im Sol is your advisor, and your clubroom is in the student council's PR office? Even if you're a student council member, this is beyond acceptable limits, Hoyeon."
"Stop making excuses and just process the application."
"... What did you say?"
"Everything has been approved, so just enter it into the system, senior."
"... Hah. So you think just because the student council president is being nice to you, you have real influence? The president is kind to everyone. You're seriously mistaken."
Then, he made a call on his smartwatch.
"Hello, President Moon Surin? This is Park Mingang, the club president. One of the new student council members is insisting on using the PR office as a private clubroom, and—wait, what?"
Park Mingang. A name I didn't care to remember. I'll just keep calling him Club President.
The club president had been smirking, but suddenly his eyes widened.
"Yes… I understand. I'll make sure to confirm properly from now on. Yes, thank you."
He repeatedly bowed toward his smartwatch before ending the call.
Click.
"Just enter it into the system. I have other things to do."
"Wait, you're really close with Professor Im Sol? And how did you even get the student council president involved...?"
His reaction was disappointingly predictable. Dealing with an extra like him was exhausting.
"Just do it while I watch. I want to confirm there won't be any 'errors' this time."
"... I'll reject the application based on my own discretion. There are too many irregularities. I don't want to cause unnecessary disputes."
"Man, you're really annoying."
"W-What?"
"Forget it, asshole. I'm done playing along."
Dealing with this jerk any longer was a waste of time. If it were a heroine or a girl, I might have been more patient. But why should I cater to some random guy?
Lucy and Lumi were waiting outside, and the female staff member had already been sent away. No one else was here to witness this.
I pulled out my smartwatch and made a call.
"Hey, Surin? I'm on the 16th floor at the new club registration office. Can you come down for a moment? There's some trouble."
"S-Surin? What are you saying..."
I had tried to handle this alone, but since they were playing dirty, I had no choice.
Bang!
Less than a minute later, Moon Surin burst through the door.
She must have sprinted from the 17th floor, yet not a hair was out of place.
As expected of my amazing Surin! Now, put this guy in his place!
"President, there have been continuous issues with our club registration. The club president is rejecting us without proper cause, likely under external influence."
"W-What nonsense! President, that's completely untrue!"
"Hmm, well. Let's check the records and find out."
"P-President! Are you really going to take his side? I've been dedicated to the club department since the beginning!"
"I know, I know. I'm just verifying things. Why are you getting so nervous?"
"I-I'm not nervous, but..."
The club president visibly shrank in real-time.
Too easy. I should've called Surin from the start.
"No, it's not that...."
Watching the club president shrink in real time was quite the sight.
This is too easy. If I had called Surin earlier, I wouldn't have had to waste so much time.
After enjoying the sight of the club president being put in his place, I thanked Surin and left.
Of course, the club was successfully established.
No matter how much pressure the Magic Research Club exerted, there was nothing they could do once the student council president got involved.
I approached Lucy and Lumi, who were waiting outside.
"Hoyeon! How did it go?!"
"I saw the student council president rush in earlier... Did something happen inside?"
"It's fine. Everything's taken care of. Here, this is the club approval form."
"Oh! But the clubroom is listed as the student council's PR department... Isn't that a mistake?"
"I just put that down for the application. We'll change it back to Room 205 later. Don't worry."
The remaining clubrooms were all occupied by fake clubs set up by the club president. Since no new clubs can be created after today, those will disappear, and we can claim our space then.
"And the advisor is Professor Im Sol?"
"Yeah, I used my connections for that. She's just lending her name, so don't worry about it."
"Anyway, this is great. Thanks so much for today! Starting a club with Lumi has always been my dream! Let's meet at the clubroom next time!"
"Thank you, Hoyeon."
Even though they're twins, their personalities are so different.
Still, I feel accomplished solving this issue today.
Next time something like this happens, I'll just call Surin right away.
*
『Quest Complete!』
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lucy]
- [ Affection: 33 ]
- [ Lust: 15 ]
- [ Appetite: 30 ]
- [ Fatigue: 30 ]
Completing the quest increased Lucy's affection.
Me: Thanks for today, Surin. I'll treat you to a meal later.
Surin: It's fine. It wasn't a big deal. It looks like the Magic Research Club has some connection with the club administration. I'll investigate and let you know the results. As the student council president, I'm really sorry about this.
Me: What are you apologizing for? It's those underlings who didn't listen to you who are at fault.
Surin: Haha. Thanks! But I'll definitely take you up on that meal. Looking forward to it! (Bunny popping a firework emoji)
Managing so many heroines at once is exhausting.
Am I going to end up getting stabbed on a boat someday?
This weekend, I have to visit Baek A-Young's volunteer center, and I can't neglect my training or studies either.
Annoying as it is, I have to get things done. Saturday is for the Sunlight Orphanage visit and training. Sunday is for training and studying.
"Sigh, to wear the crown, one must bear its weight."
If I want to be the king of the harem, I have to endure the burden.
*
The weekend ended, and Monday arrived.
Honestly, weekends feel harder than weekdays.
There was just too much to do.
Plus, I missed Baek A-Young at the orphanage because of scheduling conflicts.
But at least keeping up appearances should prevent any suspicions, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.
On Sunday, I meditated in the Meditation Room and increased my magic stat by 1.
Spending days in the Meditation Room just to raise one stat point left me feeling a bit empty inside.
I can gain multiple stats just by completing a few quests!
Today is finally the day of the dungeon training exercise.
At the front of the classroom, Homeroom Professor Kim Jinhyuk was going over important precautions for the cadets.
"Priority number one is safety. Priority number two is also safety. Dungeon training is one of the most accident-prone exams."
The cadets listened intently without any signs of boredom.
Since dungeon training provides a real combat experience, everyone was looking forward to it.
"You will enter the dungeon in teams. The teams remain the same as the ones assigned at the beginning of the semester. By now, you should be familiar enough to trust each other."
Surprisingly, aside from Lumi, I hadn't spoken to any of my teammates since that day.
Nam Daeun always disappeared somewhere before I could even get a word in, and the other guy… I didn't care about him.
"After a final equipment check, you'll be deployed into the dungeon. Training will begin in 30 minutes."
I had nothing left to prepare, so I looked for my teammates.
Lumi met my eyes and quickly ran toward me. Soon after, we found the other guy and Nam Daeun and gathered as a team.
"...."
"...."
"...."
"Sigh...."
These idiots have zero camaraderie.
Lee Byunghoon, who used to keep pestering Nam Daeun, seems to have given up after constantly hitting a wall. Now he just sits there silently.
I'm just worried about how this training will go.
*
"I don't like him."
"Huh? Jinhyuk, what's wrong?"
"That guy, Lee Hoyeon. Just looking at his face pisses me off."
Do Jinhyuk sat at the back of the room, talking with his cronies.
When Lee Hoyeon and Lumi walked past, Do Jinhyuk's face hardened.
"Oh? Yeah, I get it! He pisses me off too!"
"Yeah, totally. He ditched swordsmanship for magic, got involved with the student council president for no reason, and now there's even a rumor that he's had trouble with Professor Im Sol. Isn't he just an attention seeker?"
"Wow, listening to this, he totally sounds like one. Is that why you don't like him, Jinhyuk?"
"...."
Do Jinhyuk couldn't understand the feelings welling up inside him.
Those reasons were definitely part of it, but at most, they were just minor irritations.
Deep down, he felt a visceral, instinctual hatred.
It was as if this emotion had been imprinted on his heart since birth.
"Yeah, I guess that's it."
Instead of questioning it, he chose to accept it and act on it.
That, too, was his fate as a villain.
*
Dungeon training had begun.
The dungeon training exercise had begun.
The order of entry into the dungeon was determined by drawing lots. Our group was number 13.
Ten teams entered the first dungeon at a time, and since we were 13th, we were part of the second batch.
The waiting teams could watch the preceding teams clear their dungeons through a massive holographic display suspended in mid-air.
Since the second batch would be entering a different dungeon, there was no issue of fairness.
"...."
"...."
Unlike the other teams, who were chatting away, forming camaraderie and easing their nerves, our team remained silent like a heavy, unmoving stew. Feeling suffocated, I decided to head to the restroom.
As I was walking in search of the restroom, a group deliberately bumped into my shoulder in an obviously intentional move.
"Oops, my bad. That was an accident."
"Heh, hey, why are you apologizing? This attention-seeking bastard probably enjoys it."
Turning my head, I saw Do Jinhyuk and his lackeys.
Seriously, what did I even do to them?
I had no prior conflicts with them. We barely had any interactions, so I couldn't understand why they were picking a fight.
Is being the protagonist a crime?
Bullying in school often starts for the most trivial reasons, but this was just ridiculous.
"Be careful in the dungeon. I might mistake you for a monster and stab you, haha."
One of the scrawny lackeys sneered at me.
"The moment I see you guys, I'll blast you with magic, so dodge accordingly."
"What? This bastard...!"
If they wanted to act like dogs, I responded in kind.
Once again, men don't deserve kindness or courtesy.
The lackey, clearly offended, reached for his weapon, so I gathered my mana in response.
Of course, I had no intention of fighting. It was purely a defensive measure.
"Enough. There are too many eyes watching."
At that moment, Do Jinhyuk intervened.
The lackey, upon hearing Do Jinhyuk's words, reluctantly stepped back.
"Tch. Consider yourself lucky."
He sounded like a third-rate villain trying too hard.
Do Jinhyuk stared at me for a moment before turning and walking away.
A few students had turned their gazes toward us. I didn't want any more attention, so I left the scene.
'If we meet in the dungeon, I should make it look like an accident and blast him with magic.'
I returned to my seat.
Back in place, I saw that the hunters dispatched by the association to oversee the dungeon training were being introduced.
"Hello, my name is Baek A-Young."
Naturally, Baek A-Young was among the dispatched hunters.
"Whoa, it's the Saintess! The Saintess!"
"I just want to protect her... I swear, I have to join the association."
"Weren't you saying the same thing about joining the student council when you saw the student council president?"
Her nickname, "Saintess," was undoubtedly due to her stunning appearance.
Long, flowing black hair reaching her waist, flawless pale skin, and deep blue eyes. Her unembellished, pure face evoked an instinct to protect her.
Every person who had spoken with her before left with a moved expression, so her overwhelming popularity was evident to even those meeting her for the first time.
Though she found the "Saintess" title embarrassing and cringeworthy.
She looked around, and when her eyes met mine, she gave a small wave.
'Seeing a beautiful woman really helps reduce my stress.'
This is why people enjoy being around beautiful women.
After dealing with those annoying bastards earlier, just looking at Baek A-Young's face made my anger fade away.
Once the introductions of the dispatched hunters were finished, Baek A-Young gave me a subtle smile before approaching.
"Tada! Surprised? It's a surprise~."
Her bright, cheerful smile was undeniably cute.