Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

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We slowly walked down the stairs.

The stairs that stretched out like a circular tower and spiraled around.

It was longer than I thought.

Even after walking for over 3 minutes, there was no end in sight.

Especially since the stairs themselves were all made of ice, the exterior was transparent and the texture was slippery.

“Ah…!”

“Are you okay?”

While going down, I suddenly grabbed Kang Juyeon’s hand and waist when she was about to fall.

“…I’m fine.”

Kang Juyeon turned her gaze slightly embarrassed and nodded her head.

Gripping her hand I grabbed tighter, I said.

“Hold my hand and follow me slowly. I have an assist rune so moving with magic power is a bit easier for me.”

“Okay.”

When moving in a special place made of extraordinary materials, you have to focus your magic power on the soles of your feet and legs as much as possible and move slowly like this.

It’s on the same principle as Holders riding on walls, trees, or water.

It can be seen as a kind of parkour utilizing magic power.

One of my assist runes, [Agile Agility], has the special effect of ‘becoming adept at parkour utilizing magic power’.

It’s an effect that is pretty useless in normal situations, but in situations like this, it makes me feel almost like walking on flat ground.

Thanks to it, I was able to arrive at the hidden boss room in no time without feeling the slipperiness of the ‘ice stairs’ at all.

“A dungeon with two boss rooms, isn’t this a first in the Holder world?”

“…I guess so?”

“I’ve seen dungeons in Japan with two bosses… I guess strange things really do happen when we explore together. We get to see all sorts of things.”

A dungeon with two bosses and a dungeon with two boss rooms.

As far as I knew, both were firsts in the Holder world.

‘There was also that time the rest room was a monster.’

I recalled the ‘Golden Goblin’ from <Goblin Village>, which made me laugh again involuntarily.

When I reported that, even Lee Ji-hye from the Holder Association didn’t believe me at all.

She asked how it made sense for the Golden Goblin to be the rest room.

Up until now, I had moved based on my knowledge as a Regressor, but looking back, there were quite a lot of bizarre phenomena that I had discovered myself.

It meant that I, as I am now, have adapted well to this world and am living a new life.

I no longer felt a sense of incongruity with the existence called Do Jae-hyun.

Squeak-

Swish-

I opened the door to the boss room.

The door, also made of ice, opened smoothly without making any creaking noises.

“Huh?”

“Whoa….”

And the moment the door opened.

The both of us couldn’t help but be amazed at the same time.

Snow was piled up everywhere around the entrance, and the trees sparsely planted here and there were dyed pure white.

The path stretched out in a circle, and inside it was filled with water…

No, ice.

Gorgeous ice flaunting its beautiful figure.

Ice so clear you couldn’t distinguish whether it was turquoise or sky blue.

It was the special boss room that Ice Rudolph possessed.

It was… a huge ‘ice lake’.

“…Is everything frozen?”

“It seems so. They called it an ice garden, but this beautiful place was hidden here.”

It really takes your breath away with its beauty.

The desolate-looking snow and frost boasted soft tones, and just looking at the water and ice in the lake made you feel like you could get sucked into it.

If you go on vacation to Northern Europe or Canada, you can see ice lakes like this, but the scenery before my eyes showed a much more mystical and harmonious appearance.

Kang Juyeon, who had been absent-mindedly looking at the lake, looked around and asked.

“…Where’s the boss?”

There was no boss even though this was the boss room.

In fact, I had already predicted this part upon entering.

“The irregular boss we defeated earlier was probably the boss of this boss room. The info window also said it was a dungeon owned by Ice Rudolph.”

In other words, this ice lake was just a peaceful, already-conquered space where even the rest room was combined into the same space as the boss room.

As we walked over there to check out the rewards, Kang Juyeon suddenly pointed at one area with her finger.

“…There.”

“Huh?”

Ice Rudolph, whom we had fought earlier.

There was a statue that looked very similar to him in front of the lake.

On either side of it were two small chairs, and magic stones and various items were scattered messily rolling around in the middle.

The rewards of a conquered boss room.

Even the rest room itself was merged into the same space.

We went over to confirm the rewards.

[Ice Queen’s Crown]

[Advanced Adrian’s Grimoire (Freezing)]

[Fluffy Gift Bag]

… …

As we scanned through the list of items, we scratched our heads.

“Something…”

“…….”

“It’s like… These items are supposed to be given to someone.”

We briefly glanced at the item info, but neither I nor Kang Juyeon were able to use them.

In such cases, normally they would be sold to the Association or auctioned.

However, neither I nor Kang Juyeon were the type of Holders to be concerned with such monetary factors.

These items probably had better use.

“Let’s leave dealing with them for later?”

“I don’t care… Do as you like.”

“Eh- We got them together so why bother. Let’s keep them for now and deal with them together later.”

“Sure.”

After finishing organizing the rewards like that.

We each sat down on the chairs placed in front of the ice lake.

Fortunately, there were two chairs and the distance to the lake was just right.

Perfect for sitting together and enjoying the scenery.

Especially with Ice Rudolph’s statue placed between us like a decoration, it strongly gave off the feeling of being some kind of tourist attraction.

If couple Holders came here, they would have definitely taken pictures and caused an uproar.

Unlike them…

We simply sat quietly and enjoyed the scenery.

“Being here really feels like a White Christmas. With all the snow piled around us.”

“…You’re right.”

While the <Ice Garden> gave the impression of simply being an ice rink and a park made of ice, this ice lake was a sublime landscape with snow and ice harmoniously mixed.

Thanks to it, even though there was no falling snow today…

The surroundings were filled completely with snow…

Showing us a beautiful, white Christmas eve.

“Jae-hyun.”

“Yes?”

While we were quietly enjoying the scenery like that.

I turned my head at Kang Juyeon’s voice suddenly calling me.

Staring at me with eyes like black gemstones, she asked.

“Do you… Remember what I told you about my rune last time?”

“Your rune? Ah, the one you awakened new in Japan?”

“Yes.”

“Of course I remember. Congratulations again. It rarely ever happens that someone’s main rune reawakens, you definitely have talent.”

Kang Juyeon’s main rune was originally [Unquenchable Flame].

It was an epic rune that I had tried to get many times but failed.

Now I’m able to get it but with [Elemental Master] I no longer have a need for that rune.

However, among fire elemental magic power runes…

It was still considered the best.

It was also the rune representing Kang Juyeon in the original work, and contributed the most to her growth from B-grade to A-grade.

The fact that such an important rune of hers had awakened anew was obviously an unbelievable event I had never experienced before, but now things like this happening didn’t faze me.

There were so many butterfly effects that occurred because of my actions so keeping track of every single one was more tiring.

“The awakening of this rune… Happened thanks to you, Jae-hyun.”

“Huh?”

Now this made me surprised yet again.

You’re saying the reason for the awakening is me this time?

I couldn’t even force an awkward laugh at that.

“When we were fighting Villain in Japan… My rune also reacted to your newly awakened power. It’s the power wielded by the Red Dragon Canales, bound by a pact of oath.”

A Red Dragon bound by a pact of oath, Canales.

While the name was completely unfamiliar, the word ‘oath’ gave me a clue.

[Forgotten Dragon Knight’s Pride].

That legendary rune containing the oath of an ancient Knight was related to yet another legend.

“Overall, this rune became better than my original one… And its trait itself changed to become more defensive.”

“Defensive?”

“Yes. So I also have more defensive-related skills… And my power becomes greater when I use magic power for defensive purposes.”

[Guarding Eternal Flame]

Even though she could’ve just not revealed the name, Kang Juyeon told me the name of that rune.

The destructive power of [Unquenchable Flame], considered to be the best fire elemental rune, combined with defensiveness and stability.

Judging by the ‘Defensive Barrier’ skill she used in Japan and the ‘Power Melting’ she showed today… I was already able to feel the power of that rune firsthand.

“But… It feels like the awakening isn’t over yet.”

“It’s not over yet?”

“…No.”

Kang Juyeon’s soft reply and her inability to meet my gaze…

It seemed she was trying to cautiously tell me something.

After hesitating a few times, Kang Juyeon slowly opened her mouth.

“Um… Since it’s a rune awakened by your rune… The final awakening probably also needs your power….”

“Ah…! I see.”

I immediately understood.

The power of the Red Dragon bound by a pact of oath.

To draw out its true capabilities, a special unsealing by the oathkeeper was probably necessary.

Especially since this involved my rune as well, during the awakening process new power could have arisen within me.

In delighted anticipation, I approached her and asked.

“What is it? If it’s something I can do, I’ll help out as much as I can.”

“Uhh… um.”

With our chairs pressed close like that.

Our proximity had gotten closer.

However, Kang Juyeon still had her head lowered, turning away her gaze.

Mumbling hesitantly, unable to easily speak.

And….

“We, we have to kiss.”

Kang Juyeon squeezed out with great difficulty.

At that moment, I felt like my brain had stopped functioning.

Did I hear that wrong?

“We have to what?”

“Kiss… If the knight who made the pact of oath kisses… The power sealed within the rune gets unsealed….”

With that final remark, Kang Juyeon deeply bows her head again.

…Is this for real?

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