The Support Ate it All

The sun was high in the sky, and broad daylight wasn’t exactly the best time for stealing.

Of course, Dang Gyu-young was an exception.

Anywhere you go, there’s always shade somewhere, and she was a master of shadows.

Swish—

We used the shadowy places to sneak into the manor, and when there was nowhere to hide, Dang Gyu-young made a temporary shadow by summoning a shadow butterfly.

She paired that with [Shadow Leap] to teleport us. This allowed us to steal what we needed and slip out nearly undetected.

While the manor was vast, it didn’t hold any gold, jewels, elixirs, or legendary weapons, but it did have something of equal value.

Dang Gyu-young was quickly flipping through the pages of an old, worn book.

[True Interpretations of Heavenly Formations (B)]

True Interpretations of Heavenly Formations was a high-level book on formation techniques, and as a B-rank text, it held some advanced insights.

Even though none of our party members used formation techniques, quite a few students at the academy did.

Dang Gyu-young closed the book and spoke.

“This will be something that Jegal So-so will love.”

“Please handle the sale.”

Jegal So-so would definitely be interested in True Interpretations of Heavenly Formations, and as the vice president of the Swordsmanship Club, she would probably pay well for it.

I could have handled the trade myself, but Dang Gyu-young was closer to her, so I decided to leave it to her.

“What now?”

“First, let’s check on the situation over there.”

It had been some time since we sent Go Hyeon-woo and the others to take care of the Bloodlust Demon, and even more time had passed while we carried out this theft.

So by now, there was likely news?

When I sent a message, the response came in just three seconds.

– Kim-hyung.

“How did it go?”

– It was resolved without much difficulty, thanks to Jang-hyung and Senior Chae’s help.

“Good work. So, what are you planning to do now? You can either join us or kill some time over there.”

– I recall there’s a place nearby that Kim-hyung pointed out. I’d like to investigate it.

“You remembered that?”

There was indeed a hidden piece near the Bloodlust Demon’s activity zone.

Although I had mentioned it in the strategy guide, I thought he might have forgotten due to the urgency of the situation. Yet, he made sure not to overlook it.

His thorough execution of the tasks assigned to him was commendable.

Moreover, he had managed to work smoothly with Jang Moo-geuk and Chae Da-bin, despite it being their first time collaborating. At this rate, when we eventually form a large raid team, Go Hyeon-woo seemed like a solid candidate for a team leader position.

“Anyway, do as you see fit. Our location isn’t great, so we’re just planning to take it easy for now.”

– Hmm, understood.

While Go Hyeon-woo’s side had a hidden piece nearby, we would need to travel a significant distance to reach our next destination.

Moving now at this late stage of the raid could throw off our timing, and forcing it could lead to unnecessary risks. It was better to be satisfied with what we had achieved so far.

Go Hyeon-woo understood this as well and readily agreed.

– Then, let’s meet up when it’s over.

“Yeah, good job.”

The communication ended.

Dang Gyu-young who had been listening beside me asked,

“So, we’re done now?”

“Yes, we’re done.”

Like we planned before entering the manor, I intended to buy some local specialties or snacks if we came across any.

While we were walking side by side, Dang Gyu-young suddenly started talking.

“Hey, Kim Ho.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been thinking about something.”

“About what?”

“Why did you send those three ahead and leave just the two of us here?”

Judging by the narrowing of her eyes as she looked at me, it seemed she had figured something out.

To be honest, the manor’s defenses weren’t that strict. If I had wanted to steal something, I could have done it alone.

Even so, there was a reason I specifically brought Dang Gyu-young along.

“Shadow Leap shuttle, right?”

Honestly, I couldn’t deny there was some truth to that. Her ability had made things significantly easier for me.

Still, words can make all the difference depending on how they’re phrased.

“Shuttle? That word sounds so negative. There are better ways to put it.”

“Like what?”

“For example, something like ‘high-level personnel’ or ‘right person in the right place’. Doesn’t that sound better?”

Dang Gyu-young seemed slightly intrigued as if the phrasing had won her over for a moment. But then, her eyes narrowed again.

She must have realized I had only changed the wording without changing the meaning.

“You sure know how to talk. But if I’m high-level personnel, shouldn’t I be treated accordingly?”

“I was planning to do just that.”

That answer piqued her interest again.

“Really? How do you plan to treat me?”

“Let’s grab something to eat. Do you like dumplings?”

“Dumplings? Yeah, they’re good.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Alright!”

We started heading toward the market street.

Just like when we first entered, the market was eerily quiet.

The inns were all locked up as well.

If bandits suddenly barged in or a fight broke out inside, not only would the inn be wrecked, but lives could also be at stake.

However, the important thing here was that they closed up out of fear, not because they didn’t want to do business.

In other words,

“If you look closely, there are places that only pretend to be closed.”

“Oh, I see.”

Of course, there were inns that locked their doors but secretly accepted guests.

And I had already figured out which places were still operating, and among them, which ones served the best food.

I’ve explored every corner of this dungeon after all.

Compared to finding a rare herb in a field of weeds, scouting out these inns was a much easier task.

Eventually, Dang Gyu-young and I stopped in front of one particular inn.

The signboard featured a roughly drawn duck holding an egg with crooked handwriting that read:

<Duck Egg Inn>

“Duck egg inn? Do they serve boiled duck eggs or something?”

“You’ll see.”

As expected, this place had its doors tightly locked, but I lightly knocked on the closed door.

Soon, the door opened just a crack, revealing a man who seemed to be a shopkeeper peeking out with only his eyes visible.

I asked him in a casual tone, as if it were the most natural question in the world,

“Are you open for business?”

“…Yes, we are.”

The shopkeeper opened the door to let us in, then immediately locked it again once we were inside.

As soon as we entered, I placed my order.

“One duck soup and a plate of dumplings, please.”

“Ah, sure.”

My relaxed demeanor, as if I were a regular, left the shopkeeper with a slightly puzzled expression. But he seemed to decide it wasn’t his concern and headed toward the kitchen.

Dang Gyu-young glanced briefly at him before leisurely inspecting the inn.

“Not bad, the atmosphere here.”

The inn seemed to have been in business for quite a while, as traces of time were evident throughout the place.

Still, it didn’t give off a dirty or unpleasant vibe, thanks to its neat and tidy upkeep.

We were sitting across from each other at a corner table and started chatting about this and that, when the waiter came out with duck soup and dumplings.

When she looked down at the plate, Dang Gyu-young chuckled as if she was amused.

“So, this is why they call them duck eggs.”

Each dumpling was round and smooth like a duck egg and small enough to be eaten in one bite.

Dang Gyu-young picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth.

After chewing for a moment, her eyebrows shot up in amazement, as though she was genuinely impressed.

“This is a real gem. Wow, this is the best dumpling I’ve ever had.”

“It’s good, isn’t it? Let’s eat.”

“Mhmm.”

For a while, we set aside our conversation and focused on devouring the duck soup and dumplings.

When the plate was nearly empty, Dang Gyu-young glanced around the inn and spoke.

“But it’s a bit disappointing. When will we ever come here again? It’s so good, it makes it even harder to leave.”

To return to this inn, we would have to enter either [Gathering of Villains] or a dungeon set in this city.

Of course, dungeons like that weren’t exactly common, and tackling one just for a food tour was absurdly impractical given their high level of difficulty.

In reality, this was both our first and last visit.

I answered casually.

“Is this the only good place? There are plenty of others.”

“You’re saying you’ll take me to other spots too?”

“You’re high-level personnel, after all. I have to treat you well.”

A wide grin spread across Dang Gyu-young’s face as she slyly extended her pinky finger.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Only after linking pinkies and sealing the deal did Dang Gyu-young finally let go.

Then, as if something else came to mind, she asked another question.

“By the way, what are you doing during summer break?”

“I haven’t decided for sure yet, but I’m planning to stay at Seo Ye-in’s place for a while.”

“……?”

Dang Gyu-young’s face momentarily froze in confusion, and then the smile slowly disappeared from her lips.

“…Why there?”

“Remember when we talked about the underground floor last time? Her family was strongly opposed to it, right?”

“Yeah, they were.”

“That’s why they want me to visit. Looks like they’re planning to run some kind of test.”

If Seo Ye-in participated in underground floor raids, the range of dungeons we could choose from would increase significantly.

So even though I said it wasn’t confirmed yet, the decision to visit Hye-seong Group was almost finalized.

On top of that, ever since Ahn Jeong-mi mentioned it, Seo Ye-in had been throwing invitations at every opportunity which played a big role too.

– Come over.

– Come visit my place.

With invitations like that, it didn’t feel necessary to make other plans.

Dang Gyu-young seemed to understand my reasoning and nodded her head.

“Yeah, it sounds like you have to go at least once.”

“It’s the better option.”

However, despite the casual tone of her words, Dang Gyu-young’s chopsticks were pointlessly poking at the duck egg dumplings on her plate.

Even the shadow at her feet seemed to darken a bit and swirl in a faint way.

I could guess what might be going through her mind, but I pretended not to notice and replied in a composed manner.

“We’ll still see each other during the break.”

“You’re not spending the whole time there?”

“Of course not. I’ll also be getting mentoring.”

“…Ah!”

Dang Gyu-young’s eyes lit up with sudden realization.

The second mentoring session.

The schedule depended on the mentor’s availability and whether the mentees chose to participate, but it was usually held during the summer break.

For Dang Gyu-young, this was her first time serving as a mentor, and since the official notice hadn’t been issued yet, she had completely forgotten about it.

“If it happens, will you come?”

“Of course.”

If it opened, I would participate without question.

Just like the previous mentoring session, quests would be assigned and event bonuses would be up for grabs.

This time, I asked a similar question.

“Will you be doing it?”

“Of course.”

Dang Gyu-young was burning with enthusiasm. She said that she would do it even if it meant putting aside her schedule for the Thieves Guild.

***

After filling ourselves with dumplings, we leisurely strolled through the marketplace and bought a few regional specialties.

Since the trio from Go Hyeon-woo’s side was still working hard to secure the hidden pieces, I figured we should prepare some snacks to share with them once everything was over.

Meanwhile, I kept in touch with Pang Mi-ryeong who asked the same question several times in disbelief when she heard about our situation.

– Did you really get three kills? Really?

“I told you so.”

Dang Gyu-yeong answered with a smile.

Only then did it start to sink in, and Pang Mi-ryeong expressed her amazement.

– Even just two kills would’ve been amazing. Thanks to you, I can finally relax a bit. Thank you.

“How many have we taken out so far?”

– Including you all, eleven kills. Three teams are working on the last target. It’ll be over soon, so get ready.

“Okay.”

After giving Go Hyeon-woo a heads-up, I spent some more time sharing some tanghulu (sweets) with Dang Gyu-young.

Soon, the ground began to tremble as if an earthquake had struck, and a teleportation portal suddenly appeared in the distance.

Just as Pang Mi-ryeong had said, it meant the three teams had defeated the final demon and cleared the dungeon.

We exchanged a quick glance.

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s go.”

And with that, we walked into the teleportation portal together.

Now all that was left was to ascend without getting caught by the disciplinary committee.

***

TN: She wants him.