Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

Chapter 20 Academy Underground Dungeon (5)

“Dad, why are you so busy these days?”

Kim Chae-eun looked at Kim Myeong-hyun, who was sitting at his desk.

Lately, he seemed restless all day long.

During work hours, he educated students at the academy, and in his spare time, he taught his exclusive disciples… and when he returned home, he was engrossed in writing something.

Except for weekends, he worked all day on weekdays.

As a result, Kim Chae-eun barely had time to eat with her dad.

Kim Myeong-hyun smiled kindly at his daughter’s question.

“I’m working on creating teaching materials.”

“Teaching materials?”

“Yes. Do Jae-hyun is excellent in practical aspects of swordsmanship, but his theoretical knowledge is almost non-existent. Since there are limitations to conveying things verbally… I’m trying to put it in simple writing.”

Do Jae-hyun had exceptional absorption ability as a Holder.

Judging from his registration as an assassin-type, he probably had talent in the [Dagger] rune category, but in Kim Myeong-hyun’s eyes, he seemed more talented in the [Sword] rune.

Just by looking at him learning swordsmanship from two masters.

Both [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique].

The ways of learning and the nature of these sword techniques were entirely different.

Unlike ‘Derived Skills’ that one could learn somehow as long as their level was sufficient, ‘Possessed Runes’ required insights and a profound understanding of the specific rune to be registered.

“Ordinary warrior-type Holders don’t acquire runes even if you teach them as exclusive disciples.”

“You mean the Water Sword Technique?”

“Yes. Unlike the normal runes like the sword, derived rare runes like the Water Sword Technique are in the realm of talent.”

The same applied to the [Wave Sword Technique].

These two sword techniques weren’t rare runes for no reason.

They couldn’t be learned just by following someone; they were runes that couldn’t be acquired unless you truly understood them.

However, Do Jae-hyun didn’t stop at learning them separately.

He often attempted various approaches to combine the two sword techniques.

His efforts to learn and fill the gaps were driven by his passion.

As a Holder educator at the academy, Kim Myeong-hyun couldn’t help but like him.

Kim Chae-eun watched her dad with a puzzled expression.

“Do you like Do Jae-hyun that much?”

“Hahaha. From a professor’s standpoint, a diligent student is always appreciated.”

“Anyone would think he’s your son.”

She said it curtly, but a slight smile played on Kim Chae-eun’s lips.

It was because even after work, her dad, who was working on extra tasks, didn’t look tired; he looked cheerful.

‘He seems to be in a good mood’.

Kim Myeong-hyun took great pride in his swordsmanship.

His sword moved smoothly and flexibly, like an art, parrying gracefully.

It took him many years to complete his unique sword, and he had walked most of his Holder life with such distinctive moves.

That’s how he developed [Water Sword Technique].

And that’s how he earned his position as a professor.

‘But…’

However, he wasn’t warmly welcomed by the other Holders.

Most warrior-type Holders sought destructive and powerful forces.

So Tak Won-ho, who wielded an exhilarating sword technique, became popular, and due to Kim Myeong-hyun’s lack of special achievements and clan, his interest was relatively low.

Of course, not all of his [Sword] basic classes were unpopular.

His teaching style was neat and informative, making it famous.

It’s just that there were few who actively wanted to learn [Water Sword Technique].

That’s why Kim Myeong-hyun didn’t take on any exclusive disciples.

Because there was genuinely no one who wanted to learn from him.

‘I’m glad Jae-hyun is here’.

Recently, her closest friend, Do Jae-hyun, became Kim Myeong-hyun’s exclusive disciple to learn his sword techniques.

And it seemed he made a strong impression.

Even Kim Myeong-hyun’s passion for education was reignited.

Positive changes brought about by good people.

Kim Chae-eun, who was close to both of them, couldn’t help but be satisfied with this change.

“Anyway, when you’re done with that, come to the dining table. I’ve prepared dinner.”

“….”

She had prepared dinner.

At that one word.

Kim Myeong-hyun, who was rolling his pen, stopped moving.

Then he looked at his daughter with a serious face.

“Do I really have to eat?”

“Are you trying to starve yourself?”

“I guess I was talking nonsense because I’m too tired. I’ll be there soon, Chae-eun.”

Kim Myeong-hyun quickly nodded his head and changed his words.

Now that Do Jae-hyun wasn’t here due to a special promise, Kim Myeong-hyun was the only one left to share Kim Chae-eun’s homemade dinner.

***

ippotranslations

***

Academy Underground Dungeon.

Our party successfully cleared the initial stage and took a step towards the next level. However, we encountered a particular obstacle.

“Why won’t this budge?”

Moon Ga-eun grumbled as she tried to push the rock.

The rock remained unmoved, as expected. It had prevented us from advancing to the next stage of the dungeon.

“Step back a moment.”

Kang Juyeon raised both her hands as if preparing to cast a rune spell. Moon Ga-eun and I quickly moved behind her.

Kaga-Gaga – whoosh!

The [Light Meteor] that had been greatly effective in hunting lizardmen shone brightly once again. Originally, [Light Meteor] was an area-of-effect skill that could be used against multiple monsters, but it could also be focused on a single spot to create a concentrated explosion, as demonstrated on this large rock.

Several rough fireballs poured down on the rock like bombs. But after the smoke from the flames disappeared, the dungeon fell into a slight silence.

“….”

“Juyeon, not even a scratch?”

Moon Ga-eun was truly remarkable. She could make such a comment to Kang Juyeon without hesitation. Isn’t she afraid of angering her?

“… wait.”

Kang Juyeon bit her lip.

I took a magical preparation posture once again.

Ah….

I wouldn’t be able to do that no matter what, because it was the same in the original, and it is still the same now. That rock at the entrance that leads into the dungeon.

Though it was an effective shock tactic, Kang Juyeon’s magic couldn’t break the rock.

First, the rock wasn’t an ordinary one; it was a special rock composed entirely of ‘Magic Stone’. Magic Stones inherently contained magic power and had a high affinity for all things composed of magic. Thus, this rock, composed entirely of Magic Stone, wasn’t easily shattered by powerful attacks imbued with magic.

The second reason it was difficult to break was due to Kang Ju-yeon’s magic being of the ‘Fire’ element. Fire-based magic wasn’t very effective against objects like rocks. Even the powerful magic wasn’t very effective; on top of that, it was magic that had an unfavorable compatibility with rocks. Thus, Kang Juyeon’s attack wouldn’t be able to break the rock no matter what she did.

Kaga gaga –

whoosh, whoosh!

[Light Meteor] exploded again. This time, the attack seemed to have more power than before, but it was still ineffective.

Once again, a breathless silence filled the dungeon.

“Ahaha. There’s something Juyeon can’t do. It’s intriguing. Ahahaha.”

“….”

Please, stop it, Moon Ga-eun…

The atmosphere instantly became as cold as ice. I took the lead to try and lighten the mood.

“Haha! Kang Juyeon’s Fire magic is among the best, but seeing this rock, it must be a type of rock that’s hard to break with magic. We’ll have to use our strength too…”

But as I stood in the front, my body suddenly froze. I felt something strange about what I had just said.

To use our strength…?

As I fiddled with the rock, a sudden thought came to mind.

After entering the dungeon and hunting lizardmen, I had fortunately obtained a rare rune called [Strengthen]. Unlike normal runes, rare runes often had skills or special effects from the start. [Strengthen] was one such case that possessed both.

The special effect of [Strengthen] was that it allowed the Holder to exert twice their physical strength when lifting or pushing specific objects.

The large rock blocking our path naturally fell under the category of ‘specific objects.’

In order to test my idea, I quickly positioned myself in front of the rock and called Moon Ga-eun to help me.

“Moon Ga-eun, can you help me push this for a moment?”

“Push it again? This thing didn’t even budge before.”

“It’ll be okay, just this once.”

“Hmm… alright.”

Moon Ga-eun stood beside me, and I prepared myself by taking a deep breath.

“Ha- Hup!”

With all my strength, I pushed against the rock.

Though it still didn’t move entirely, I could feel the rock slightly giving way under my palms.

“What…?”

And I wasn’t the only one who felt it.

Moon Ga-eun, who was pushing with me, looked surprised.

“What’s this? Why does it seem to be working?”

“Let’s try one more time.”

“Sure, yeah.”

Gr-gr-gr-gr-

I could hear the sound of the rock beginning to move.

However, we still didn’t have enough strength to push it away completely. The rock showed signs of giving way, but it hadn’t moved visibly yet.

Nevertheless, this was a significant improvement compared to before.

Moon Ga-eun asked with a surprised expression, “Wow, Jae-hyun, how much strength do you have? It’s starting to move a bit.”

“I was surprised too. I never thought it would have such an effect.”

The strength stat I had was 27. With [Strengthen], it doubled to 54, which should be enough to exert some force against this tough rock.

“But it still seems impossible to push it away with our current strength.”

“Yeah, I think so…”

Even with my [Strengthen] and Moon Ga-eun’s reasonably high strength stat, we weren’t able to push the rock away completely. If Kang Juyeon joined us, it would likely be the same. She was a magic-oriented Holder with a strength stat that was practically negligible.

In that case, the key to pushing this rock and advancing beyond the initial stage lay in one thing.

“Party members. Do we need more help?”

Adding a new Holder to the party was the solution.