Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

Chapter 21 Talent (1)

It has been proven that magic stones, special rocks, can be moved with a high physical strength value. My physical strength, which doubles when pushing objects with [Strengthen]. And the physical strength of Moon Ga-eun, moderately equipped as an archer. When the two of us combined our efforts, the rock shook, making it seem like adding just one more person as a Holder here would be enough to push the rock aside.

As entrusted in protecting the secret of the underground dungeon… Getting a Holder who could lend some strength to push the rock, would be hard to come by.

Reporting an ‘Undiscovered Dungeon’ to the country would result in a tremendous reward.

But finding a Holder who perfectly fits the criteria, a talent like that, was flashing in my mind.

‘Park Jin-woo.’

The protagonist of the original story and a passionate Holder dedicated to training and growth.

If it were him, he would participate in dungeon conquests without being swayed by political situations or external factors. And he would quickly adapt to party hunting as well.

Originally, he was supposed to form a party with Kang Juyeon to conquer this dungeon.

The reason Park Jin-woo couldn’t pass this rock was that Kang Juyeon’s magic didn’t affect it, and his physical strength at that time was not enough to push it.

‘It was initially a device to assist Park Jin-woo’s early growth.’

C-grade monster, Lizardman. They have high physical strength but are weak against magical attacks.

They became important opponents for Park Jin-woo to gain practical experience with his low initial stats.

Park Jin-woo would tackle the early stages of the dungeon with Kang Juyeon, achieving significant growth in practical duel skills and rapidly increasing his proficiency in the [Wave Sword Technique].

In essence, this dungeon serves as a device to help the protagonist’s early growth and align the main characters as a party.

…Now, I had taken on that role, and Park Jin-woo had not even learned the [Wave Sword Technique], which almost lost its meaning.

‘Professor Tak Won-ho also ended it here.’

The middle section of the dungeon beyond the rock.

The two of them agreed that they couldn’t enter it.

Professor Tak Won-ho also gave up on the dungeon conquests easily since he couldn’t participate in them and felt no need to force his students into the dungeon conquest when he couldn’t be part of it.

Perhaps in the future, when the restraint of the Tak family has been lifted, or when the two main characters have grown sufficiently.

There might have been a separate dungeon conquest, but such a story did not appear in the original.

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The beginning of the academy’s underground dungeon. A section that could be recognized as a device for growth. The next step of that device, I was about to venture into it with overflowing curiosity.

“Juyeon, Jae-hyun has better rock-pushing ability than you.”

“…Be quiet.”

“I mean, learn some gravity magic. With your skills, it’s more than enough… Ow! Why’d you hit me?”

“……”

“Ah, ugh… Are you a magician? Why is your strength so strong?”

Moon Ga-eun complained endlessly but ended up being hit.

Knowing Kang Juyeon’s personality well, I found the current sitcom-like scene quite fascinating.

The original Kang Juyeon would have simply ignored such pointless jokes.

But since it was Moon Ga-eun, she allowed some teasing.

I clapped my hands loudly.

The chaotic atmosphere was restored, and everyone’s gaze turned towards me.

“Then… shall we finish distributing the magic stones for today?”

“Are we giving in now?”

“Yeah. Since we’ve roughly found a solution, we need to add a new member and come back.”

Moon Ga-eun asked with a curious expression, “Who are you thinking of selecting as the new member?”

“Well, that’s the thing. If you both agree, can I choose on my own? I’ll keep it a secret and choose someone who can be helpful to the party.”

Bringing up this topic required caution.

For good reason, both of them were exceptional talents in the upper class.

One was the daughter of an S-grade Holder, and the other was the daughter of a high-grade clan…

If it wasn’t for Kang Juyeon’s approval and Moon Ga-eun’s curiosity, there would have been almost no chance to give me the authority to choose a new member for the party.

It’s definitely not going to be that easy.

However, Moon Ga-eun looked at me and said,

“Isn’t that obvious? It’s your party. I don’t know why you’re asking, but I agree. Are you not the leader?”

Moon Ga-eun turned her head, and Kang Juyeon had a similar expression.

“Same thoughts.”

Thanks to that, my expression instantly softened.

Are you guys cool with it just like that?

With picky Kang Juyeon…?

Even though Moon Ga-eun’s words are correct, entrusting me to select new members to the party is not easy. Because If I randomly brought in an F-grade Holder, it might cause a backlash from them.

‘’Did I build a good rapport by fighting well this time?’

There seemed to be no other reasons, no matter how much I think about it.

Abruptly, Kang Juyeon’s eyes and mine met. She seemed to have a cold gaze, but unfortunately I couldn’t stare at them for so long.

She is always on her guard at any moment.

She is making eye contact with me… I couldn’t pass 3 seconds and I looked away.

“….?”

Oh fuck. This is what kang Juyeon looks like.

As I live, I have seen all sorts of unusual sights.

Even if I had no idea about how well I did fight, It was clear that I fought well.

If not, her gaze was an act that’s hard to even imagine.

…From now on, our party was looking bright.

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ippotranslations

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-If both of them are okay with it, can I choose on my own?

Do Jae-hyun, the leader of the party, had asked this question. It was about selecting a new member, which was the core of moving the magic stone boulder and preparing for future conquests. Kang Juyeon found it quite strange. Both she and her friend, Moon Ga-eun, had a significant impact on the party’s performance, but the fact remained that Do Jae-hyun was the one who formed the party. Without his proposal, the party wouldn’t have been established in the first place, and they wouldn’t have known about this undiscovered dungeon that was so promising.

Especially considering Professor Tak Won-ho’s situation and the need to keep the dungeon’s information secret, revealing such matters to people who didn’t know anything about it was not an easy decision but showed a sign of trust. Perhaps helping during the sizzling salamander hunting had influenced their decision.

When it came to choosing a new member for the party, it was only natural for Do Jae-hyun to have the final say.

‘And… he became incredibly strong.’

Do Jae-hyun’s constant growth was visible every moment. When Kang Juyeon first saw him in practical duel training, he was barely on the level of an E-grade Holder. Though he fought fiercely, his abilities were average, and he had no common skills at the rune level. However, during the sizzling salamander hunting, he showed results beyond his abilities, and rumors spread that he had reached the level of a D-grade Holder. And in this dungeon conquest, he displayed abilities and duel sense far surpassing D-grade level.

‘That’s what Dad meant by ‘gemstone’….’

Kang Juyeon finally understood what Kang Woo-hyun had said about ‘gemstones’. Gemstones were unprocessed treasures. If they were processed according to their usage and performance, they would be gems with infinite potential. Do Jae-hyun was such a gemstone. He wasn’t an elite from the beginning, but he knew his own worth and could spread his wings on his own. He could step into the realm of elites with just effort.

Kang Juyeon couldn’t help but smile subtly. The Holder Academy was not as dull as she had initially thought.

‘You called for me, Miss.’

While lost in her thoughts for a moment, a familiar voice came from nearby. A man dressed neatly in a suit with black pomade. He appeared to be a young businessman.

It was Choi Gyu-hyuk, the leader of the <Judgment of Fire> clan’s scouting team.

Kang Juyeon slightly furrowed her brow. “Don’t call me Miss”.

“Haha. I’ll still call you Miss. I can’t treat the Clan Master’s daughter like an ordinary clan member.”

Kang Juyeon sighed at Choi Gyu-hyuk’s words.

Despite Kang Juyeon pointing it out multiple times, it seemed that Choi Gyu-hyuk was enjoying himself and had no intention of changing. She took out a document from her pocket and handed it to him.

“This.”

Choi Gyu-hyuk looked surprised as he received the document. It seemed that he had never received such a document from Kang Juyeon before.

“What is this?”

“Holder documents.”

“….”

Choi Gyu-hyuk knew that much. The name ‘Do Jae-hyun’ was written on the report, along with brief information about him. However, Do Jae-hyun, the Holder, was a name he had never heard before.

Kang Juyeon shifted her gaze out of the window as she spoke.

“He is the person closest to what Dad meant by gemstone. Among our classmates, he’s the only one who stands out besides me.”

“Ah! Then…”

“I hope you’ll observe him. As for me…”

Kang Juyeon’s stern face softened slightly. The planned dungeon reconquest was in three days, and without realizing it, she was looking forward to that time.

“That person, I want to recruit him into our clan.”