NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10 - Dungeon Slayers Clan (2)
Baek Yu-Seong was an orphan.
As a child, Baek Yu-Seong grew up in an orphanage sponsored by the Magic Tower.
When he turned eleven, he awakened as a player.
Upon awakening, the principal treated him exceptionally well. He even bought him delicious snacks and was unusually kind.
The other kids at the orphanage were envious of the special treatment he received.
A few days later, a sleek black car arrived at the orphanage.
A large man in a black suit stepped out of the driver’s seat and carefully opened the back door.
That day, he realized that goddesses exist in real life.
She had violet-tinged hair, languid eyes with purple irises, a beautiful face, a curvaceous figure, and above all, an enchanting and mysterious aura that stuck to her like perfume.
It was as if a goddess from a fictional book had come to life.
Thump! Thump!
Baek Yu-Seong’s heart pounded wildly as he stared at her in a daze. She slowly walked towards him.
“Hey kid. Are you Baek Yu-Seong?”
The goddess called his name in a sultry voice that tickled his ears.
Just hearing the name made his face burn with embarrassment, and he barely managed to nod his head.
From that day on, he became her disciple and started learning magic.
Thanks to his unique ability, which he hadn’t revealed to anyone—not even her—he could easily master the various spells taught by her.
Learning magic from his goddess and teacher was a salvation for him, who had lived a shabby life in the orphanage.
But this happiness was short-lived. Gradually, the spells taught by his teacher became harder to comprehend, and he started failing frequently when he used them.
The mages of the Magic Tower grew increasingly disappointed in his declining skills and began to lose interest.
That was the same for Baek Yu-Seong’s goddess.
He didn’t care about anyone else.
But he didn’t want to disappoint his goddess, his teacher.
He stayed up late into the night and trained harder than anyone else in magic.
However, the harder he tried… No, he had known for a long time.
The unique ability, which he perceived to be a blessing, was actually a curse. He couldn’t reach a higher level and hit a wall.
Gradually, he spent less time with his teacher, and she took on a new disciple.
A girl with rich brown hair. And a cute face which would surely blossom into a beautiful one. The proud and confident personality added to her charm, and she possessed a magical talent that far surpassed his.
She captivated the guild members and even his teacher’s heart in no time.
‘This can’t be happening.’
‘This is unfair.’
‘My teacher belongs to me alone.’
From that day, everything changed for Baek Yu-Seong.
However, contrary to his wish to be alone with his teacher, Baek Yu-Seong’s position in the guild dwindled day by day.
He even trained in swordsmanship to regain her attention, but the teacher never looked his way.
And soon, the new school term would begin, and that girl would surely join the academy just like he did.
If that happened, her talent would blossom even more, and someone like Baek Yu-Seong would be…
“Damn it…”
Late at night, alone in the academy’s training ground, Baek Yu-Seong swung his sword until he couldn’t supress his anger anymore and threw it away.
The sword flew across the training ground and landed at someone’s feet.
“You seem troubled.”
“Who’s there?”
Baek Yu-Seong turned his head towards the intruder and yelled with a voice laced in irritation.
“Do you desire power, Baek Yu-Seong?”
“… What?”
The owner of the voice was barely visible in the darkness. He had an ordinary appearance and demeanor.
However, the owner’s voice possessed a tone that sparked curiosity.
Power…
‘Yes, if I had that, she would look at me alone.’
“It’s simple. Just join our ‘group’ and complete the missions given to you.”
“Who are you to say such thi—ugh.”
Before Baek Yu-Seong could finish, he extended a long finger towards him, and he felt his magic invading him.
Thump!
‘What’s this?’
As Baek Yu-Seong absorbed his magic, he felt an overwhelming, uncontrollable surge of immense power.
Unable to suppress the thriving energy and magic, he extended his right hand and launched a fireball at the adjacent wall. Unlike before, the fireball shone with a deep crimson and flew towards the training ground wall with ferocious intensity.
BOOM!
Baek Yu-Seong’s eyes began to tremble as he watched the shattered debris of the wall.
What power…
Afterwards, the magic he had bestowed upon Baek Yu-Seong dissipated, and he felt a profound sense of loss and a craving for the power he had just experienced.
Power.
Baek Yu-Seong desired that power to make his teacher belong to him alone.
“… I’ll join.”
Baek Yu-Seong sensed a chillingly profound smile spreading across his face. His reaction didn’t matter to him. If he could turn her attention solely to him…
In response to Baek Yu-Seong’s decision, he placed one hand behind his back and the other over his chest, bowing slightly. Simultaneously, ominous and ornate black wings unfolded from behind him. They exuded a suffocating presence.
“Welcome to ‘Black Wing.’”
***
“Alright. My introduction is over. Let’s go around and introduce ourselves. It’s awkward to keep calling you ‘freshmen.’ I’ll explain the clan afterwards. Let’s start with our cute Soo-Ah.”
Baek Yu-Seong spoke with a playful smile while looking at the girl named Soo-Ah. She sighed slightly and appeared accustomed to his behavior. She stood up to approach the podium.
With her long, dark brown hair cascading down her waist, petite stature, and a long staff in her hand, she had an undeniably cute appearance. After brushing her hair back, she spoke with a proud expression.
“My name is Jin Soo-Ah. I’m in Class 1-7, and although it’s a bit narcissistic, I’m a rather talented mage. Nice to meet everyone who was at the entrance ceremony.”
“What? You all know each other already? This is such a fateful meeting.”
Ignoring Baek Yu-Seong’s comment, Soo-Ah returned to her seat.
So it was Jin Soo-Ah.
She was the girl who had made it to the top seven at the entrance ceremony alongside Joo Jin-Yong.
‘I think her unique ability is related to magic. She appeared early in the story but didn’t feature much later, so I don’t remember well.’
Even though it was a bit annoying, as she said, Jin Soo-Ah was extremely talented in magic. She was depicted as the second disciple of the Magic Tower Guild Master, following Baek Yu-Seong. That’s why she could easily block Hwang So-Jun’s attack earlier.
After Soo-Ah, Joo Jin-Yong and Kim Baram briefly introduced themselves, and Baek Yu-Seong began explaining the clan.
“As you can guess from the name, our clan focuses on dungeon raids. You must participate in at least one activity on Thursday or Friday afternoons. On the other day, you can join other clan activities or participate in both days with our clan. We’re quite flexible, right?”
Joo Jin-Yong and Kim Baram nodded in agreement.
Satisfied, Baek Yu-Seong continued with a smile.
“We don’t know how many freshmen will join this time, but usually, we form teams with two senior cadets and four freshmen. At the start of the semester, we’ll explore dungeons that have already been mapped out to get you accustomed. We plan to start tackling actual dungeons around May.”
“What are the criteria for team formation?” Joo Jin-Yong raised his hand to ask.
“Teams are generally assigned based on each person’s role. However, since Jin-Yong and Baram are friends, I’ll use my authority as the clan leader to place you on the same team. I think that covers most of the basics. You’ll learn more as you participate in clan activities. So, do you plan to join?”
Joo Jin-Yong and Kim Baram exchanged glances and then nodded simultaneously.
“We’ll join.”
“Good choice. Soo-Ah is also joining, so I’ll add all three of you to our clan group chat. Could you both give me your student codes?”
“I haven’t agreed to join yet, senior.”
“Oh, and most announcements will be made in the group chat, so make sure to check it regularly starting next week. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the chat.”
Despite Jin Soo-Ah’s protesting voice, Baek Yu-Seong continued to explain, seemingly ignoring her objections as if he had some old grudges to resolve.
“See you next week, everyone.”
““Yes. Thank you.””
Creak! Click!
As they stepped out and closed the door, a brief silence hung between Joo Jin-Yong and Kim Baram.
“This has been… exhausting.”
“Yeah. Today’s been pretty eventful. Haha…”
Joo Jin-Yong replied with an awkward laugh.
“Do you want to check out the other clan tomorrow after lunch? I want to look around some more.”
“Sounds like a good idea. I’ll head in early today too.”
Joo Jin-Yong clearly felt the strain from today’s activities and readily agreed to his suggestion.
After parting ways with Joo Jin-Yong, Kim Baram turned on his smart watch, checked the map, and started walking towards his target building.
Throughout today’s events, one thing had become painfully clear to him.
It was that he, Kim Baram, was too weak.
Up to now, he had managed to get by with tricks and luck, but considering the future events he knew, he was sure this wouldn’t be enough going forward.
‘The best course of action now is…’
He stopped and looked up at the sign of the building he had reached.
In the story, if there were two places in the academy to boast about, they were the cafeteria and this training center. Thanks to the educational philosophy of the academy’s principal, Ma Dong-cheol, the cafeteria and this training center were equipped with the best facilities in the country.
Entering the training center, he first noticed the clean lobby and the dozens of rooms behind it. A woman, who appeared to be a staff member, spotted him and slowly approached.
She quickly scanned Kim Baram and greeted him with a bright smile.
“Welcome. You must be a new student. Is this your first time at the training center?”
“Yes, I heard this place is famous, so I came to take a look.”
At his response, the staff member began to explain the training center with a proud expression.
“You’ve come to the right place! Our training center is equipped with cutting-edge systems that rank among the best in the world, not just in the country. And as a student of the academy, you can use these top-notch training rooms for free.”
“Wow! Really?”
“Yes! In addition to multi-user training rooms, we also have private training rooms where cadets can practice their martial arts comfortably. Most training weapons can be borrowed from the counter here. Just make sure to return them when you’re done.”
“That’s impressive.”
Of course, Kim Baram already knew all this.
Considering how the guide was enthusiastically explaining everything to him, he made sure to respond with just as much enthusiasm.
“Um. Can I use a private training room right now?”
“Of course! Let me check… Ah! Room 615 is available. Just tap your smart watch against the scanner by the door, and you’ll be able to use it.”
“Thank you.”
After thanking her, Kim Baram took the elevator up, and as instructed, he tapped his smart watch against the scanner outside Room 615.
Beep!
[Cadet Kim Baram, KA045033, confirmed.]
Click!
As he pushed the door open, he found the interior to be quite sleek and modern, much like a personal gym. There was even a private shower room at the corner.
In the story, even Han SuYeon constantly trained here to increase her stats early on.
Training was the most efficient way to raise stats in the early stage.
“I can’t get any elixirs or gear right now, and to easily obtain them in dungeons later, I need to raise my stats first.”
Kim Baram remembered that the smartwatch had a feature to assist with training.
He manipulated his smartwatch to run the training app under the utility tab.
[Initiating Basic Training System. Follow the indicated actions as prompted.]
‘All of you future enemies are done for.’
‘I’ll come back stronger.’
***
Or so Kim Baram thought.
He was not going to kill anyone; he was the one who was going to die first.
“Huff. Huff… Damn it… I’m dying…”
Was this really basic training? Does basic mean hell-level difficulty in this world?
After nearly five hours of grueling training, he lay sprawled on the training room floor, unable to move.
“Status window.”
————
Name: Kim Baram
Age: 17
Attributes:
Strength: 11
Agility: 11
Stamina: 11 (-8)
Magic: 1
Charm: 41
Luck: 50
Skills:
Unique Abilities:
– VP (Variable Points): 8150 VP
———-
“What the… Nothing increased at all.”
Despite spending a whole five hours on frenzied training, he muttered in a defeated voice. Kim Baram’s stats for strength, agility, and endurance were all still at 11.
He didn’t expect a dramatic change in a single day, but considering how low his stats were, he thought they would increase at least a bit. Especially since Han Suyeon in the novel raised her stats steadily through training early on.
“Although each player’s training efficiency varies, this is too inefficient…”
True to his status as an extra, Kim Baram’s body seemed to have very low training efficiency. Still, if he wanted to raise his stats, he would have to endure this hellish training daily.
After taking a quick shower in the private shower room, he sighed at the bleak future and left the training room. Outside, the academy was already bathed in the colors of sunset.
“Let’s just go home and eat. Tomorrow’s problems can be dealt with by tomorrow’s me.”
Having experienced so much on his first day in the novel’s world, he decided to leave tomorrow’s tasks to his future self and dragged his aching body home.
And the next day, Kim Baram decided to revise his original plan completely.
Ding!
[Player ‘Kim Baram’s unique ability
[VP for Player Kim Baram’s daily actions have been calculated. 500 VP acquired.]