The Support Ate it All

Chapter 55: Dismantling Junk Items (4)

Two female students were peeking from outside Workshop No. 4.

It wasnt hard to guess that they had come looking for me as their gaze remained fixed on me even while they talked.

Moreover, they tried to keep their voices low as if to conceal their conversation but I could hear every word from a distance.

Are you sure its him?

Hes not even a member of our club. But I heard he works here, so its a hundred percent him.

Then you go talk to him.

Come with me. Dont you have any loyalty?

It seemed they had come after hearing rumors about me.

Of course, it would have been easy for them to ascertain that I was the subject of those rumors.

Except for the senior at Workshop No. 4, who was quietly minding his own business in one corner, I was the only one left by process of elimination.

Finally, the female students stepped into the workshop.

I chose not to react and pretended not to notice them while focusing instead on the task at hand.

The female students also approached me with cautious steps, careful not to disturb me, and watched with interest as I neatly dismantled one of the failed projects.

After completing the dismantling, I paused before moving on to the next item, set down my tools, and lifted my gaze to meet the female students.

They were faces I had seen in passing once or twice while going to and from Workshop No. 1.

Additionally, a third-year pin was attached to their ties.

They were third-year seniors from the magic engineering club and they were first-rate craftsmen.

Good day to you.

Hello. We heard you took a request from Bong Jae-seok; is that right?

Just like I had guessed, these two seniors were interested in the dismantling of the failed projects.

It was a tedious task and anyone willing to take on such an annoying job was sure to attract attention.

Especially if that someone was rumored to have considerable skill.

I nodded my head in acknowledgment.

I did take on a few failed projects.

See, I told you so!

One of the seniors looked triumphant.

Without responding to the previous remark, the other senior asked me directly.

Would you mind working on ours as well?

Since they had just witnessed my handiwork firsthand there was no room for doubt about my skills.

The only matter left was negotiating the price.

As long as the pay is right, theres nothing I cant do.

What did you get from Bong Jae-seok?

I received a high-quality material from him.

Should we give you the same? What do you need?

Yes, a [Weather Chip] or [Levistone Extract] would be good enough.

Just like the [Magic Engine] I was to receive as payment from Bong Jae-seok, these were key components for my weapon.

While I could use dismantled items for the side parts, the core parts that determine the weapons performance required high-grade materials.

After all, what I was aiming for was an EX-rank weapon.

Oh, I have one of those!

One of the seniors immediately pulled out a [Weather Chip] from her inventory and handed it over as an advance payment.

The other senior seemed to have the same item as she flinched momentarily but it was already too late.

Can I give you another item instead? Her face seemed to be saying that.

However, her pride as a senior didnt allow her to make such request.

Levistone Extract. I dont have it right now but I can get it for you by tomorrow.

That sounds good. Lets do that.

I immediately received their failed projects.

Since they were also members of the magic engineering club, they were straightforward and did not beat around the bush.

Classes involved in production were always racing against time and were often willing to pay generously to save their own time.

I bowed deeply as I was filled with gratitude.

Ill have it ready by midnight.

That quick? You can take your time.

I have enough time.

Alright. Thanks! See you later!

The two seniors hurried to Workshop No. 1 after finishing their business.

They had a plethora of production requests waiting for them so they couldnt afford to waste any more time.

I picked up my tools once again.

Soon, the workbench was filled with a blue glow.

***

Sniff, sniff.

Dang Gyu-young pressed her sleeve to her nose and took a whiff.

She then grimaced deeply.

Somehow, it seemed her uniform had absorbed a certain odor.

Cleaning the underground sewers.

It was a meticulous task of exploring the maze-like passageways beneath the Dungeon Island.

The goal was to find and eliminate any monsters that had drifted in from the outside.

Naturally, no one wanted to wander through the dark, cramped, and damp underground sewers while inhaling the musty stench characteristic of this place.

Even more so because you could get drenched in monster blood while doing it.

But if left unattended, monsters could infiltrate the school grounds so it was a necessary task that someone had to undertake.

And so, cleaning the underground sewers was often assigned as a disciplinary action to students who had violated school rules.

Just like it was now assigned to Dang Gyu-young and the members of the thieves club.

When Dang Gyu-young and her club members finished their work for the day and emerged to the surface, Kwak Seung-jae was there to greet them.

He always appeared right on time at the end of their shift.

Have you finished, senior-nim?

Yeah. Take a look.

Dang Gyu-young casually tossed over a video recording crystal ball.

Similar to the replay crystal balls used in student battle duels and strategy sessions, this crystal ball was designed to record everything that happened in the underground sewers.

Showing this proof of their hard work was necessary to get the days punishment waived by the disciplinary committee.

Kwak Seung-jae quickly played back the crystal ball and then nodded in confirmation.

Ive confirmed it.

He then collected the crystal ball and began scanning the thieves club members student IDs with a device he brought with him.

During this, Dang Gyu-young asked him,

Hey, Seung-jae, how much longer do we have left?

She was asking about the remaining number of days on their punishment.

Kwak Seung-jaes response came back immediately.

You have nine days left for the underground sewers, five days for building repairs, and two more external requests each.

Thats quite long.

Heavy sighs came out from everywhere as if in agreement with those words.

Though they thought they had worked themselves to the bone, the end of their punishment seemed nowhere in sight.

Dang Gyu-young was also a human being so she was no different from others in disliking dirty and tough jobs.

Especially that foul smell.

After cleaning the underground sewers, the stench lingered around her nose for a while and it was enough to make her lose her appetite.

Kwak Seung-jae spoke in a calm tone to Dang Gyu-young who had a grumpy expression on her face.

I have a message from the president.

From the slit eyes?

Yes, I believe it will be a good opportunity for you, senior-nim.

The message from the disciplinary committee president Oh Se-hoon, and a good opportunity for Dang Gyu-young.

Judging from the flow of the conversation it likely involved a way to reduce their punishment.

However, with any deal, gaining something means having to give something in return.

Dang Gyu-young took the initiative.

I want to make one thing clear upfront; if this is about what happened last time, I have nothing more to say.

The prohibited items stolen during the last break-in at the temporary storage and the masked individual who used the [Inferno Fist] were still being pursued by the student disciplinary committee.

If Oh Se-hoons message was related to these matters, Dang Gyu-young was determined to keep silent.

She had no desire to betray Kim Ho at this point and most of the items had already been converted into money anyway.

Kwak Seung-jae slowly shook his head.

Were not even considering that.

Then what is it?

Take a look.

Dang Gyu-young took the document Kwak Seung-jae handed her.

The cover had this written in large letters:

<Mentoring Activity Plan>

Skimming through to grasp the key points, the gist was as follows:

This years freshmen are of a particularly high caliber and the academic staffs expectations are very high.

Therefore, there is a desire to conduct this mentoring session more intensively.

The goal is to keep the number of freshmen per mentor to an average of five or fewer.

To achieve this goal, a greater number of mentors than before are required.

If you meet the qualifications, we earnestly hope you will participate in the mentoring.

Dang Gyu-youngs abilities placed her in the upper ranks of the third year.

She was more than qualified to become a mentor and lead someone.

But

Something annoying has popped up again.

She absolutely hated the idea of playing babysitter.

She was already stressed out enough with leading the band of thieves behind her.

And now, to add more people to care for?

Moreover, the newbies likely to join as mentees would mostly belong to other clubs; they were essentially someone elses children.

Treating them with the same disregard she had for the thieves could likely lead to conflicts with other clubs.

It was almost as if she had to treat them with baby gloves.

Though her heart was quickly tipping towards refusing the offer, Dang Gyu-young held her tongue for a moment.

Its best to hear everything out before making a decision.

So, what if I agree?

The president said your current punishment would be completely waived.

Just for me? Or for these guys too?

For everyone involved in the current punishment.

..!

..!

Not only Dang Gyu-young but also all the members involved in the temporary storage break-in would be liberated.

The members of the thieves club shot intense glares all at once.

To an onlooker, it might seem as if lasers were shooting out of their eyes.

Please, president!

Nunim, just close your eyes and say yes.

Accepting it is the way for both the president and us to survive!

It was as if they would start a rebellion if she refused.

Look at these bastards?

How dare they exert silent pressure on someone as revered as the president?

When Dang Gyu-young returned their sharp glares, their eyes scattered in all directions.

She made a promise to herself.

She decided she needed to set aside time to straighten out the clubs discipline.

Returning to the main point.

Dang Gyu-young briefly summarized the proposal from the disciplinary committee.

So, in a nutshell, its mentoring instead of punishment right?

To put it bluntly, yes.

Hmm To accept or not?

Dang Gyu-young weighed her options with punishment on one hand and mentoring on the other.

Neither option seemed clearly more beneficial.

Instead of enduring the stench of sewers, dealing with a handful of babies brought its own set of troubles.

As Dang Gyu-youngs contemplation seemed to prolong, Kwak Seung-jae opened his mouth with a polite tone.

May I offer a suggestion?

What is it? Go ahead.

I believe it would be best for you to accept.

Why?

Isnt time the most important factor for the thieves club right now? You need to manage the errand center and prepare for the upcoming black market.

Dang Gyu-young swiftly turned her head to address those behind her.

Hey, is our security really up to par? The disciplinary committee knows our entire schedule!

Its an open secret, isnt it?

It was as evident as the fact that the thieves club would target the temporary storage after their next ban wave.

The operations of the errand center and the black market were well-known.

Moreover, just like Kwak Seung-jae pointed out, time was indeed very important for them.

Accepting the disciplinary committees offer would completely relieve the members of any punishment, allowing for much greater freedom of movement, and Dang Gyu-young herself would gain a bit more leeway.

And if you perform well in mentoring, you may be rewarded accordingly. Dragon Slayer Academy is thorough in such matters.

Isnt that an overly optimistic view?

Thats why I dont hold much hope for it either.

.

Dang Gyu-young frowned.

He was an annoyingly honest guy.

Still, Kwak Seung-jaes words did help in making a decision.

She clicked her tongue softly and responded.

Tch, tell them Ill do it.

Youve made a wise decision.

But are there many people interested in learning rogue-type skills?

As far as I know, there arent many. Besides

Kwak Seung-jae shook his head and added.

Dont you have another special field of expertise?

Shadow Caster Dang Gyu-young.

Not only was she a master versed in all the secret techniques of thievery,

But she was also a strong battle mage who could hold her own against the presidents of the Magic Tower Association.

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