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chapter 165
The students of our class were entering the potion pouch shop, selecting pouches.
However…
‘Even if it’s normal for the others, why on earth are they here…?’
Among them were a few unexpected faces.
“Elliot, are you really going with that one?”
“Why not? It’s practical.”
“That may be, but….”
“Elena, what about this one? I think it would suit you.”
“Oh my, what a pretty pouch.”
Elliot and Elena, members of the British royal family. Why on earth were they here?
It’s not that I was being discriminatory. It’s just that they had no reason to buy potion pouches.
‘Even if the size is small, they probably have a pocket dimension.’
And if they have a pocket dimension, they wouldn’t need something like a potion pouch. A pocket dimension is far more convenient than a pouch.
So why are they deliberately buying a potion pouch and blending in with the other students?
‘…Maybe they just came to the market out of boredom while staying in the dorm and happened to meet us.’
That was possible. Considering Elliot’s personality, it would have been strange if he spent the day quietly in the dorm. Elena, unwilling to leave him alone, likely followed him out, and after meeting the other students, they probably decided to buy pouches too and blended in.
‘Besides, they’re keeping their identities hidden.’
…Although, in our class, more than half of the students already knew their true status, but let’s not dwell on that.
“Geon-woo, what are you planning to buy?”
“I don’t need a pouch. I have a pocket dimension. I’m thinking of buying a smartphone case instead.”
As I thought this, Idu-min asked and drew me into their group. Meanwhile, as I joined, Jin Cheon-ha shivered and avoided my gaze, but Idu-min seemed oblivious. For Jin Cheon-ha’s sake, I kept a proper distance and mingled with the others.
Meanwhile…
“This is who I am.”
“Oh, yes. And I am like this.”
Jin Cheon-ha’s parents, my mother, and Lee Ha-eun’s mother exchanged business cards, introduced themselves, and began chatting.
“I heard that last time your son gave our son a strict lecture.”
“Pardon?”
…They must be talking about what I did to Jin Cheon-ha in the dungeon. Probably, his attendants told his parents about it when they came to pick him up. Since my mother had never heard the story, she seemed a bit flustered. If she only heard what Jin Cheon-ha’s father said, it might have sounded like I was bullying him unilaterally.
“Oh, I don’t mean your son bullied our son. On the contrary, we are grateful to him. Recently, we were a bit worried our son might be going off track.”
“Oh, I see…”
Fortunately, Jin Cheon-ha’s parents didn’t seem to take issue with what I did. Well, considering that they assigned bodyguards to him and how those bodyguards treated him, it’s likely they just didn’t want him entering the dungeon.
‘Indeed, for an average Awakener, it’s safer to just go to high school and eventually get a job than risk death or injury in a dungeon.’
Parents naturally want their children to live in safety.
After that, except for Jin Cheon-ha’s father, the mothers began chatting about parenting troubles and boasting about their children. Jin Cheon-ha’s father, not wanting to join the chatter, kept a slight distance and sat somewhere else.
“Geon-woo, what’s up?”
“I was just thinking about what kind of phone case to get.”
Not wanting to eavesdrop on the mothers’ chatter, I joined the students and talked with them.
However…
“Geon-woo, how’s this? Does it suit me?”
“…It’s pretty, but carrying a pouch like that will be annoying.”
I sighed, looking at Lee Ha-eun, who treated potion pouches more as fashion accessories than practical tools. She had combat experience but had never actually used potions, so she didn’t seem to know what kind of pouch was best.
‘…It’s probably the same for the others, not just Ha-eun.’
Thinking this, I spoke loud enough for the other students to hear.
“Choose a pouch that’s easy to fix around your waist if possible. A leg bag fixed to your thigh works too.”
Bringing a potion pouch usually meant entering a dungeon, which often meant having weapons in hand. Carrying a pouch in your hand would get in the way. It’s better to prepare a pouch that can be secured to your body.
“How about this one?”
“It’s too big.”
“But you can carry more potions.”
“That’s for magic users. For those of you fighting with your body, you need to move freely, so pick a small one.”
While I was explaining this to Idu-min…
“Um…”
“Hm?”
“Ugh…!”
Jin Cheon-ha made eye contact and shivered violently. It was a little awkward, but I could tell he was trying to muster courage, so I patiently waited until he spoke again.
“Huff…! Could you pick one out for me too…?”
“Sure.”
It wasn’t a difficult request. As I helped the students choose pouches, a faint wave was felt.
“!”
It wasn’t just me. The parents and association staff, who weren’t Awakeners, didn’t feel it…
“Eh? What was that just now?”
“Who is it?”
“It seems to have started over there.”
All the Awakeners in the market seemed to sense it.
‘…A prelude to a corrosion-type dungeon.’
Right, it was about time. Using my pre-knowledge of dungeons, I analyzed the information.
‘Slime Dungeon… Even if evacuation isn’t perfect, there won’t be many casualties. But property damage will be massive.’
The problem wasn’t just the dungeon’s infiltration destroying existing infrastructure, but the slimes could adhere to and corrode nearby structures.
‘Dungeon creation date is about a week from now. Location… the road in front of the market. Luckily, it’ll only slightly damage the road.’
Since it was right in front of the market, the dungeon could be tackled quickly by Awakeners.
“What on earth is happening…?”
“Should we get our weapons ready just in case?”
Soon after…
Ding dong~.
[Announcement from the Association: Due to detection of abnormal waves in front of the Association building, nearby roads will be temporarily controlled. Repeat…]
The market broadcasted this, and everyone’s phones vibrated as the Association sent messages about the situation.
‘The upper ranks of the Association decided that while evacuation isn’t necessary, precautions should be taken.’
The message also stated that incoming vehicles would be blocked unless the person lived in the affected area. This control would likely be lifted in about three days.
“What should we do?”
“It’ll be fine. The market isn’t stopping operations, so it’s not serious.”
People unaware of corrosion-type dungeons assumed the Association would handle it and went back to their daily routines.
I, knowing about such dungeons, also stayed silent and picked a phone case. Of course, I didn’t believe the Association could handle it. Even I, who understood corrosion-type dungeons, couldn’t stop one myself.
‘But I can prepare to some extent.’
I had useful contacts. Thinking that, I took out my smartphone and messaged the person most useful for this situation, making sure to embed internal energy into the signal so no one else could intercept it.
‘That’s all I can do for now.’
All that remained was to wait for the results.
Two days after buying the phone case while the students got their potion pouches, Richard, the president of the World Awakeners’ Association, held an emergency press conference.
[(Abnormal but weak energy has been detected in various parts of the world. Our researchers believe this is a prelude to dungeon emergence.)]
President Richard announced this based on the information I had sent him. Of course, he couldn’t reveal that this would be a corrosion-type dungeon—there was no evidence. But there was enough reason to believe this dungeon would be unlike previous ones.
[(Is there evidence that this is a prelude to dungeon emergence?)]
[(The Association has confirmed that before dungeon appearances, specific energy waves can be detected in the area, very weak but measurable by devices. This time, the pattern of the energy was similar to prior pre-dungeon energy, though the intensity was higher.)]
Richard continued, taking a brief pause.
[(Since the energy is stronger than usual, this dungeon may be much more intense than prior ones… or, like about ten years ago, multiple monster types may appear at once… it’s possible monsters will rush out as soon as the dungeon is created.)]
He recommended temporarily evacuating people near the energy-detected areas based on the research findings.
‘This will surely prevent casualties.’
Not just in Korea, but worldwide. Property damage, however, couldn’t be prevented.
Anyway…
‘The emergence of a corrosion-type dungeon means the black mist is starting to move in earnest again.’
Awakeners would be busy dealing with dungeons created by the black mist. And if they’re busy…
‘It creates an environment where those with other intentions can move freely.’
In other words, criminals are likely to start acting again. It was the same before my regression. Although there are more living Awakeners and more police now, so the situation won’t be as serious.
“What is happening to the world….”
“Sigh… indeed.”
As I thought that, my mother and Yeon Mirae, watching the news with me, remarked similarly. Especially Yeon Mirae, who seemed unsurprised. She already knew about the corrosion-type dungeon and that the Iron Blood Guild would soon be busy.
