Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Baek Seolhwa (3)

Baek Seolhwa's steps as she left the dormitory were unusually light.

Today was a day with Cha Eunwoo's lecture.

She'd always liked his class, but today she was especially looking forward to it.

"Hmm~."

Baek Seolhwa hummed as she headed to class.

Florian Training Hall No. 4.

The Sword Department's lectures were mostly held at the Training Hall.

Given the nature of the sword as a major, learning by doing was far more helpful than sitting at a desk studying theory.

Baek Seolhwa stepped into the Training Hall.

For the first few weeks starting from the first class, just Baek Seolhwa walking in had been enough to make the Training Hall's atmosphere go still, but by now everyone was used to it.

Even so, there were still many students who kept their distance from Baek Seolhwa.

But there were exceptions.

"Morning, Seolhwa."

Today, too, Park Seohu greeted Baek Seolhwa warmly.

Park Seohu was the closest thing to a friend Baek Seolhwa had among her classmates at the Academy.

"Hey. Morning."

Park Seohu was slightly surprised.

He'd greeted her without actually expecting Baek Seolhwa to respond in kind.

Normally, she either half-ignored him or gave nothing more than a slight nod.

In the two months they'd known each other, he couldn't even remember when he'd last heard Baek Seolhwa say "morning" back to him.

Park Seohu asked.

"Something good happen today?"

"Same as always."

That's what she said, but Baek Seolhwa wore a faint smile.

Her expressions were so subtle that Park Seohu had only recently learned to distinguish it.

She definitely had something good going on.

"I see."

"...Why are you nodding like you understand? I said nothing happened."

"Alright. Alright."

Park Seohu grinned.

Baek Seolhwa wanted to hit Park Seohu.

But it was a good day, so she held back.

The Sword Department's lecture was as boring as always.

For Baek Seolhwa, the major courses were too low-level.

That might sound somewhat arrogant, but it was the truth.

Baek Seolhwa was exceptional.

'Maybe I should ask to be put in an upperclassman course next semester.'

After the major course ended, she moved to her next class.

Park Seohu followed along beside her.

"Wasn't today's class fun? The professor's stories from his active days were hilarious."

"You're... never mind."

Baek Seolhwa had been about to ask why he was following her, but stopped.

They were heading to the same class anyway, so there was no harm in walking together.

It was a thought the usual Baek Seolhwa wouldn't have had, but she was in such a good mood right now that she didn't bother pushing Park Seohu away.

The two of them entered the lecture hall.

Inside the Osung Building's main lecture hall.

This was where the Dungeon Research and Practicum class was held.

When Baek Seolhwa entered the lecture hall, Im Hansol, a member of B-team, greeted her.

"Hey, Seolhwa."

"Hey. Hi."

Baek Seolhwa returned the greeting with a faint smile.

"Huh, what?"

Im Hansol was momentarily thrown off.

It was too different from the usual stone-faced nod she'd get.

Did she eat something weird today?

Baek Seolhwa took her seat in good spirits.

The cold aura that normally hung around her had thinned, and the nearby students watched curiously.

Soon, Cha Eunwoo entered and the lecture began.

"By now, you should have a rough grasp of the tactical theory concepts I've been teaching. Today, I've prepared a practicum to put all of it together."

At the word "practicum," the students grimaced.

The nightmare of the Fermet Golems from last class had resurfaced.

"That was awful."

"So awful."

Everyone commiserated, though the newly recruited A-team students just tilted their heads in confusion.

Cha Eunwoo said,

"Before we start the practicum, let's cover some theory first. The basics of tactical theory ended with the last lecture. Starting today, we'll cover something a bit different."

When he pressed the remote, the monitor at the front of the lecture hall turned on.

A prepared slideshow appeared on screen.

"In the previous exams, the boss monsters were the giant monkey and Mine Crung. You could beat those by just going head-on with brute force, but not every dungeon works that way."

The slideshow advanced to the next page.

It featured a news article about a guild in China.

"As you all know, the nineteenth S-rank dungeon this year opened recently. Last week, China's Emperor Guild attempted the raid but failed."

Emperor Guild.

A guild with extremely high prestige in China. In Korean terms, it was comparable to Bisang or Geumok.

As a guild from the powerhouse that was China, its scale was far greater than any Korean guild.

Normally, the strategy for S-rank dungeons was to collaborate between multiple guilds -- that was common sense.

S-rank dungeons were beyond standard scale.

It was impossible for a single guild to clear one alone.

Many guilds had tried, but the only one to succeed was America's Unicorn Guild, which was regarded as a guild beyond guilds.

Emperor Guild was also world-renowned, but tackling an S-rank dungeon solo was beyond their reach.

"Experts cited inadequate response to the Nightmare and Siren monsters at the dungeon's entrance as the decisive reason for the failure."

In truth, they would have failed regardless, but I didn't bother bringing that up.

Under normal circumstances, they might have pushed through to the mid-to-late dungeon before turning back, but Emperor Guild hit a trap right at the entrance and was annihilated.

A student asked a question.

"Aren't Nightmares and Sirens nothing-tier monsters?"

"That's right. If a priest uses mental defense skills or if the party members have some degree of resistance, they can be dealt with easily. But they couldn't. You could call it the result of arrogance."

The slideshow advanced.

This time, it showed statistical data published by the Hero Association.

"Let's talk a bit more on the topic of mental attacks. According to a study by the Hero Association using 2,000 high-ranking Heroes as a sample, only 30% of them knew the correct way to handle mental traps."

The shocked students murmured among themselves.

The statistics on the slide were hard to believe.

If that was the case for high-ranking Heroes, then it meant the Heroes below them were in even worse shape.

Which naturally meant there were just as many cases of dungeon raids failing because they couldn't handle mental traps.

"It's not just mental traps -- the same goes for other types. They're easy if you know how to deal with them, but few people actually do. Last time I only skimmed the surface, right? Starting today, I'll teach you properly how to handle them."

Baek Seolhwa's pen glided across the page, steadily filling her notes.

Perhaps because she was in high spirits, she couldn't focus on the lecture today.

The slideshow advanced again.

"Copy down everything here. These are the 37 debuffs you could commonly encounter in a dungeon. Let's start with Confusion. You all experienced it during the exam at the Pale Monkey Forest, right? When you fall into a confused state, your body starts moving on its own."

The students nodded vigorously in agreement.

Thinking back on the suffering those monkeys had caused still made their blood boil.

"There are generally 11 ways to counter it, so pick whichever suits your situation. Starting with the most commonly used methods......"

Starting with a topic the students were interested in made it easy to draw them deeper into the lecture.

Today's lecture, too, hit all the key points and seared them into the students' minds.

"That's all. Any questions?"

The lecture hall was quiet.

"If not, let's move on to the practicum. As before, the first team to finish gets to leave. And just like last time, going over the class time limit means failure."

Magic activated, and the students were transported inside the barrier.

Everyone had seen it once before, but it was still a marvel.

Each team gathered and headed for the corridors.

"It's going to be harder than last time, right?"

"Yeah. Probably."

B-team's members began to worry.

Im Hansol stepped up to boost morale.

"Why are you guys scared? We came in first last time. We're the best team. Just do what we always do -- don't worry too much."

"Right. Hansol's right."

"Yep, yep."

B-team's members rallied together, lifting the mood.

For Baek Seolhwa, speaking up in this kind of atmosphere was difficult.

Still, she gathered her courage and said,

"I have a suggestion."

"You, Seolhwa?"

The lively atmosphere went cold in less than five seconds.

Baek Seolhwa's position within B-team was awkward in many ways.

Nobody in B-team disliked Baek Seolhwa.

If anything, everyone liked her.

A skilled carry who didn't berate or abuse anyone -- the teammates had no reason to dislike her.

She was just a bit -- well, very -- intimidating as a team leader.

"Since we're practicing anyway, how about trying something different from usual?"

"How so?"

"I usually operated at the very front as a Free Role. What if I pulled back a bit this time and focused on teamplay?"

The teammates exchanged glances.

B-team still remembered when Baek Seolhwa had tried functioning as a deal-supporter and it fell apart, forcing a tactical change.

It didn't exactly inspire confidence, but nobody could refuse Baek Seolhwa's proposal.

Im Hansol spoke.

"Um... I'm for it. Like Seolhwa said, this is just practice, so it should be fine to try different things, right?"

"M-Me too."

Once one person agreed, the rest followed in a rush.

The motion passed unanimously.

"Then let's go."

The barrier's structure was the same as last time.

To reach the exit, they'd need to climb the uphill swamp inside the barrier.

To climb the swamp, they'd presumably need to defeat the boss inside.

B-team's members looked at each other without a word.

That alone was enough to share their thoughts.

"Let's go in."

B-team entered the swamp together.

Just as expected, dozens of golems waited inside the swamp.

The golems' cries filled the swamp.

-- GROOOORRRKK-KKRRRK-KRRRRK!

"Aaaaah!"

"Wh-What is that?!"

The Fermet Golem's evolved form, the Fermet Golem MK-2.

The bizarre cry had evolved into something even more bizarre, startling B-team.

There were dozens of spheres marked with familiar patterns.

The difference from before was that the golems were purple.

"Here they come! Maintain formation!"

Spherical golems hovering in the air.

B-team faced them in a 2-4 formation centered on Baek Seolhwa.

The tactic had Baek Seolhwa supporting from the center while creating openings for the other dealers to shine.

CLANG!

Baek Seolhwa's sword collided with a golem.

It was an Aura-coated strike, but the impact only slightly dented the surface.

'It's much harder now.'

The golem's center glowed brightly.

She sensed danger instinctively. She had to dodge this.

ZZZING!

The golem fired a laser.

It was fast enough that reacting at point-blank range would've been impossible.

Baek Seolhwa had thrown her body clear ahead of time, so she managed to dodge.

"Wh-What was that?"

"A laser-shooting golem? It's way fucking harder now!"

"Fuck! Professor, are you serious?"

Baek Seolhwa calmed the heat rising in her blood.

Right now, Baek Seolhwa was the party's control tower.

If she lost the ability to command, the whole team could collapse.

Don't get excited.

Use the routine the Professor taught me and stay calm.

"Take them out from the front line, one at a time! We can't split our targeting!"

Against a large number of enemies, whittling them down one by one was critical.

If damage was scattered carelessly, the fight would drag on without reducing their numbers, and the raid would stall.

To make that happen, Baek Seolhwa needed to create the right angles.

WHOOSH--!

Baek Seolhwa's sword moved back and forth.

First, focus fire on just one.

She drew a single sphere inward while pushing the others back.

"Now!"

At Baek Seolhwa's command, B-team attacked the nearest golem in unison.

Even the sturdiest golem crumbled under concentrated firepower.

"Nice!"

"Let's go!"

But the golems weren't about to just take it lying down.

They flashed and fired lasers in retaliation.

Each one was weak individually, but when dozens of lasers came simultaneously, the force was nothing to scoff at.

"Maintain defensive magic! The laser attacks have a delay, so watch for the timing!"

Baek Seolhwa gave orders while slicing through lasers with her sword.

Just as they were picking off golems one by one and seizing momentum, the golems began to move with a bizarre sound.

-- GROOOORRRKK-KKRRRK-KRRRRK!

The golems converged in one spot.

Golem crashed into golem, fusing into a single mass until a massive golem was formed.

"It's coming! Get ready!"

Fermet Golem MK-2's Phase 2 had begun.