Chapter 753: Mountain Climbing Is My Hobby

After sending Park Nari word by message.

We headed for the Nature Club.

In one corner of the Dragonslayer Academy grounds, there was a large greenhouse.

It was a shared space for students who raised plants and animals, and the Nature Club had a considerable stake in it as well.

Just as we were nearly at the greenhouse, two small shapes came rushing toward us from the other side.

Beomi and Chaemi, shrunk down to mini size.

It seemed they had heard the news and come out to meet me.

“MEW MEW MEW.”

“CHIRP, CHIRP CHIRP, CHIRP—”

They circled around me, showing their delight with their entire bodies.

It had not even been long since midterms ended, but anyone watching would think it had been months.

Then Park Nari approached as well, waving a hand.

“You came......?”

“I certainly did.”

“Come inside....... We can talk.”

“Let’s do that.”

Soon, we walked across the greenhouse.

The scenery had changed quite a bit from last year, probably because Ha Suyeon and many other third-years had graduated and taken the plants and animals they had been raising with them.

Instead, I saw fresh-looking saplings, orchids, flowers, and the like that were obviously brought in by freshmen.

On another side, freshmen were hard at work training with their pets.

A mini bear throwing one-two punches into the air, a leopard jumping this way and that after a laser.

After walking along while looking at various things, we eventually arrived at the Nature Club room.

As we entered, Park Nari pointed toward a reception table on one side.

“Sit....... here.”

“I’ll gladly sit~”

“Coffee....... tea......?”

“Tea, please~”

Soon, Park Nari began making tea with clumsy motions.

She made a loud CLATTERING, CLANGING racket and turned half the shelf into a wasteland, but in the end, she brought over two teacups and set them down on the table.

“Here. It might be a little bitter....... It’s my first time.”

“Hosting a guest? Or making tea?”

“Both......?”

I tilted the teacup slightly and said casually,

“It’s drinkable. You’ll get better with practice.”

“Mm-hmm, I’ll practice more....... Kids?”

Park Nari was letting out a relieved sigh when she called Beomi and Chaemi.

Because the two of them had unexpectedly gathered at my feet.

They were looking down at Gyu-shadow as if fascinated.

“MEOW.”

“CHIRP CHIRP?”

Soon, Beomi seemed to slowly raise a front paw, then brought it down with a TAP!

After a few more TAP TAPs, it eventually started scratching at the floor with both paws.

SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH!

Gyu-shadow did not seem to have taken any particular damage or effect, but it wriggled as if annoyed, then merged straight back into my shadow.

Park Nari looked at my feet right after that.

“Is something there......?”

“Who knows.”

I probably should not say, “Actually, there’s a senior disguised as a junior hiding there!”

So when I feigned innocence, Park Nari looked puzzled, but seemed to decide to let it pass for now.

Then she pointed at Beomi and Chaemi and asked me,

“Can you watch the kids for a moment......?”

“Going somewhere?”

“To bring....... the captain.”

“Of course. Go ahead.”

Right after Park Nari left the club room.

Gyu-shadow wriggled out again and started teasing Beomi and Chaemi.

When the two rushed after it, it slipped away with a SWISH, and the moment they nearly caught it, it slipped away with another SWISH.

“You’re very good at playing.”

[I’m bored too.]

That made sense if they had to stay attached to my shadow the whole time.

Though they had chosen that themselves.

After I watched the game of tag for a while, Park Nari returned with a third-year male student.

The thought that immediately came to mind was,

He’s the exact opposite of Senior Ha Suyeon.

A wild man who looked as if he had spent about a month living in the Great Forest stood before me.

He must have been through some rough places, because his uniform was in tatters from top to bottom.

Saying he was walking around wearing scraps of cloth would be more accurate.

The body exposed beneath them was covered in taut muscle and filled with scars both large and small.

The Nature captain was also examining me in his own way, and soon frowned as he said,

“......Strange. Very strange.”

He lifted a finger and counted the people in the room one by one.

Then he counted heads again, muttering that it was strange.

Unable to keep watching, Park Nari timidly offered a word.

“Captain....... What is it this time?”

“But we’re one person short.”

“In front of a guest....... that’s rude.”

“Mm. Is it? It is.”

“And clothes....... Put some on.”

“Mm. Understood.”

The Nature captain silently nodded and opened his inventory, then took out a uniform jacket and threw it on roughly.

Then, after buttoning a few buttons, he tensed his upper body.

RRRIP.

Something tore.

But as if this happened all the time, he paid it no mind and introduced himself.

“I am Kwon Uram.”

“I’m Kim Ho.”

“I apologize for being rude when we’ve only just met. I keep feeling as if there is one more person here.”

He added that he had wondered if Senior Dang Gyu-young had come.

It seemed a beastlike instinct had worked on him, just like Beomi and Chaemi.

I answered in a gentle tone.

“It’s fine. If you thought of that senior, I suppose you had some connection.”

“I received a great deal of help in various matters. Especially when going underground.”

Apparently, in broad terms, they had both belonged to the Guild Alliance, and he had also frequently used the Thief Club’s errand center.

Judging by the mention of going underground, he must have requested a guide during unauthorized clears.

Soon, as if he remembered something, Kwon Uram stared closely at my face.

“Come to think of it, I heard that senior was especially fond of one first-year—”

“That would be me.”

“Now I think I understand why I made that mistake at first. You have a similar feel to Senior Dang Gyu-young.”

“They do say people resemble each other the closer they are.”

In truth, he had not been mistaken. There really was one more person hiding beneath my feet.

Gyu-shadow seemed delighted by the saying about resembling each other when close, and danced merrily.

Kwon Uram nodded and continued.

“I see. How is that senior doing?”

“Very well. I was in contact with them recently too.”

“Give them my regards next time. Tell them I will definitely repay them someday.”

“I’ll do that.”

“I hear Park Nari also has something to repay you for.”

“It isn’t anything that grand.”

When I humbly said all I had done was tell her about one hidden piece and give her a walkthrough, Park Nari cut into the conversation.

“I....... am grateful. Beomi too.”

“MEOW.”

“I really want....... to repay you.”

“So she says. If there is something you want from us, say it.”

Originally, this was about when I had planned to bring up my request.

But unexpectedly, I had obtained much better bargaining material from the Magic Engineering Club.

“Before that, there’s something I’d like to show you.”

“......?”

I turned my head toward Park Nari.

“Can you give me the cube for a moment?”

“......? Okay.”

I received [Life Cube(B)] and glanced over it.

It was in terrible condition, covered in scratches and beak marks.

I had cleaned it up once during the remodel, but Beomi and Chaemi must have used it quite roughly, because it had already ended up like this.

“It’d be better to replace it with a new one entirely.”

“A new....... one?”

“Yeah, a new one.”

As if I had picked it up on the way here, I set the S-rank cube onto the table with a THUNK.

At that, Kwon Uram and Park Nari could not hide their shock.

“What?”

“How......?”

Then they both looked at me at the same time, so I answered with a grin.

“Bong Jaeyeong worked hard.”

“I heard President Bong’s younger sister was a once-in-a-century genius. Even so, I thought it would be impossible within this year.”

“She progressed faster than I expected too. She said she had completed one already, so I brought it.”

In exchange, I would be taking back the prototype.

But even after listening to the explanation, Park Nari still did not seem to feel that it was real.

“Really......?”

“Really. It’s yours.”

To be precise, it was the property of the Nature guild and club, but for now, there was no one more suitable than Park Nari.

While the item’s owner hesitated, the house owners acted first.

“MEOW.”

“CHIRP, CHIRP CHIRP—”

Beomi and Chaemi hopped up onto the table.

They circled around the cube as if inspecting it, then, before anyone could stop them, shoved themselves inside.

And after settling in comfortably, they let out sounds like motorcycle engines turning over.

“PURRRRR......”

“CHIRRRR......”

Glancing at them, I said to Park Nari,

“They seem to like it.”

“But I still haven’t even....... paid you back for the hidden piece.......”

“Don’t feel too burdened.”

Kwon Uram slowly nodded and took up the words.

“Exactly. You need only repay what you received.”

“That’s right.”

“I think it’s about time we heard what you want.”

“It may be a somewhat difficult request.”

“Of course it would be. Considering you even brought a cube here before bringing it up. Say it.”

I paused briefly, then opened my mouth.

“I would like to meet Mountain Dragon.”

“......!”

“......!”

The two widened their eyes and looked at each other.

Soon, Kwon Uram threw me a question.

“That certainly will not be easy. What exactly is your business?”

“[Consecration] for a wooden item.”

When I took out [Thousand-Year Evergreen(S+)] and showed it to them, the two were shocked again.

Even they would not see S+-rank items easily.

After letting out a low groan and thinking for a moment, Kwon Uram said,

“If you are making this request, that must mean you have a rough grasp of the circumstances.”

“Roughly, yes.”

The number of people who could climb the great mountain during a set period was fixed.

Because Mountain Dragon preferred quiet by nature and did not welcome people visiting too often and making noise.

Kwon Uram added,

“Most of the priority goes to Emerald, Nature, or groups that have close ties to them.”

“Because their attributes are similar, I suppose.”

“Yes. Realistically speaking, outsiders almost never climb the mountain.”

“.......”

Instead of saying anything, I waited with a smile on my lips.

Then Kwon Uram and Park Nari each spoke in turn.

“But after you came all this way, we cannot say we refuse to hear you out.”

“I’ll make a place....... somehow......!”

“Have you decided on the timing?”

In other words, when I would climb the mountain and meet Mountain Dragon.

I answered without thinking for long.

“The sooner, the better. Ideally, summer vacation.”

“Summer vacation, of all times. That is when competition is fiercest.”

Well, all the other students came outside Dungeon Island then too.

Of course, that was not my problem to worry about.

Those two were the ones who had said they would make it happen somehow.

“I will contact the guild.”

“.......”

“I will also ask Mountain Dragon about [Consecration], but on this part, it is difficult to give you a definite answer.”

“If he refuses, then it can’t be helped.”

[Consecration] did not merely consume a little energy. It was normally something even most S- and S+-ranks avoided.

Even Meteor Dragon had postponed it, saying we would talk after the confrontation with Blood Demon was settled.

Despite the fact that she was extremely friendly toward me and the Seo family.

Considering those points, Mountain Dragon had no particular reason to grant my request.

But he probably won’t reject me outright.

Some random unheard-of guy brings an S+-rank [Thousand-Year Evergreen(S+)] and asks for [Consecration]?

On top of that, Kwon Uram, Park Nari, Gwak Seungjae, and others recommend me?

That might make him interested even if he wasn’t before.

At the very least, he would probably say he wanted to meet me first.