The Support Ate it All - Chapter 128: 7th Week Mentoring and Duel Battle (13)

[Hong Yeon-hwa 688 points vs Bukgong Han-seol 968 points]

Hong Yeon-hwa quietly stared at the names and scores displayed on the scoreboard.

900 points.

This is the league of skilled individuals who achieved three consecutive victories in the placement test.

There was a time when she was immensely frustrated that she couldn’t start at 900 points.

According to Hong Ye-hwa, all the promising talents or those with equivalent skills this year had reached the 900-point range.

It made her feel particularly left behind.

Therefore, it was hard for her to accept competing in the 600-point range.

Even if she won and her score increased, it still felt significantly lacking compared to the 900-point range and losing only plunged her deeper into self-loathing.

However, her thoughts have changed a bit now.

The scores in individual matches are indeed a meaningful indicator of skill.

But one cannot judge a person’s skill solely based on their score.

The living proof of that was in her group.

Kim Ho who started at the 300-point range with one win and two losses.

Although his score was lower than Hong Yeon-hwa’s, when they actually faced off, the overwhelming difference in skill made it impossible for her to even make a move.

Another example was that recently, opponents in the 600-point range had started to feel too weak.

This week, Hong Yeon-hwa had faced two random opponents in the crystal duel battles, and both of them collapsed before she could even properly chain her spells.

Looking back, the memory of being beaten up by Kim Ho was so strong that it overshadowed everything else, but most of her other duel battles had been like this.

She was now certain.

As the semester continued and she participated in more duels, her score would only continue to rise.

As a result, her yearning for 900 points had significantly diminished, but a trace of curiosity still remained.

How would her skills measure up against those in the 900-point range?

Had they been effective before? How about now that she was stronger?

She was about to find out.

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

[Hong Yeon-hwa: 100%] vs [Bukgong Han-seol: 100%]

[Crystal: 0%]

Hong Yeon-hwa extended her wand forward.

The ruby on her wand shone as it instantly drew a large Fire Pillar magic circle beneath her feet.

Even though her casting speed was already unparalleled, it seemed to have shortened even further recently.

When she absorbed the completed Fire Pillar through Overheat, Hong Yeon-hwa’s entire body became engulfed in flames.

In her enhanced state, she kicked off the ground a few times and quickly ascended to the top of the layered cliff.

“…”

She spotted Bukgong Han-seol on the opposite cliff in the distance.

Since she arrived first, she was already searching for the crystal.

Hong Yeon-hwa quickly scanned the surroundings as well,

There it is.

She discovered a makeshift altar cleverly hidden among the cliffs.

When she glanced at Bukgong Han-seol, she noticed that the latter was still looking around and was still unaware of the altar’s location.

Yet she occasionally glanced towards Hong Yeon-hwa, ready to follow if she found the crystal first.

In that case…

Hong Yeon-hwa deliberately acted startled and exaggeratedly pretended she had found the crystal.

Then, with a thud, she stomped her feet and dashed down the cliff.

Bukgong Han-seol didn’t miss this and started running after Hong Yeon-hwa.

“Hmph.”

However, once Hong Yeon-hwa descended the cliff and was out of sight, she quickly changed direction.

Her deliberate behavior had been to create a fake-out.

She sent Bukgong Han-seol in the exact opposite direction of where the crystal was located.

Taking advantage of this, Hong Yeon-hwa leisurely moved to the makeshift altar, grabbed the crystal, and headed straight for the sanctuary.

“Oh my, Han-seol…”

Kim Gap-doo who was watching the match palmed his face.

To fall for such a simple trick.

He hoped Bukgong Han-seol would realize this soon, but she wandered aimlessly in the wrong direction, just as Hong Yeon-hwa had intended.

Whirrrrr—

From a distance, a beam of light shone down from the direction of the sanctuary.

[Crystal: 1%]

“!?”

Bukgong Han-seol stood frozen and was unable to comprehend the sudden situation.

When did she get there?

She should be searching for the crystal with me around here.

Then, like a lightning bolt, a thought struck her mind.

…. I’ve been tricked!

No wonder she hadn’t seen even a shadow of Hong Yeon-hwa despite heading in the same direction; she had fallen for the fake-out.

[Crystal: 4%]

Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa glanced at the scoreboard and thought,

She must have realized by now.

Since the sanctuary and the crystal were connected, everything must have been exposed.

By now, she would be running madly in this direction.

But enough time had already been bought.

The ruby embedded in the wand flashed red continuously.

Each time it did, a small magic circle appeared on the ground.

Hong Yeon-hwa was dominating the area by consecutively setting up fire magic circles.

[Crystal: 19%]

A little later, Bukgong Han-seol arrived at the scene and started to rush at Hong Yeon-hwa but had to stop.

It was because of the sheer number of magic circles etched into the ground.

The whole area was a minefield.

Just falling for a minor trick had led to this outcome.

No, I can do this.

It was still too early to be discouraged.

Even in the second match, Kwak Ji-cheol had perfectly fortified his position but didn’t he lose to Ilgong in the end?

You never know until you fight.

While Bukgong Han-seol was burning with determination,

Fwoosh,

Hong Yeon-hwa casually threw a small fireball as a greeting.

This is nothing.

Bukgong Han-seol focused on the rapidly approaching fireball and started gathering her power.

An icy coldness began to gather in one hand.

The technique she had mastered, the Ice Extreme Snow Soul Palm was manifesting.

Since fire and ice were opposite elements, the stronger force would push the other back.

With the right amount of cold infused in her hand, deflecting that fireball should have been easy.

When Bukgung Han-seol swung at the fireball with such a lighthearted mindset,

Whooooooosh!

The flame which should have been snuffed out with a flick engulfed her hand instead and set it on fire.

“W-what? This, this can’t be.”

Bukgung Han-seol frantically summoned more ice, but it was instantly consumed by the flames.

She hurriedly poured all her energy into it, and only then did the fire slowly recede.

She managed to extinguish the fire, but the energy expenditure was far greater than expected.

Such flames…

Ignoring the elemental relationship, the small flame had completely overwhelmed and melted her ice energy.

Then, she remembered something she had forgotten.

Hong Yeon-hwa had mastered a powerful trait, one that was very rare even among the fire mages of the Ruby Tower.

Aqua Flame!

It seemed she had met her true counter.

Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa was facing her opponent while maintaining her arrogant attitude.

But inwardly, she thought,

What? Why is she like that? What’s going on?

Similarly, she had been quite flustered.

She had thrown the fireball without much thought, but Bukgong Han-seol had tried to swat it away but her hand caught fire and she started flailing around in a panic.

She eventually managed to extinguish it, but there seemed to be a hint of fear in her eyes as she looked at her.

When she thought carefully about what had happened,

Right, Aqua Flame. It reached C-rank.

In Hong Yeon-hwa’s memory, Aqua Flame had been E-rank.

At that time, its rank was low, so even when she used fire magic against ice-element opponents, they could somewhat cope with it.

But now it had risen two ranks while melting the Millennium Iron alloy and reached a remarkable C-rank.

Currently, the skill/trait rank limit for first-year students was generally C-rank, with the average being around D-rank.

At C-rank, it was a level that could competently apply to all opponents among the first years.

Even though she understood this in her mind, she hadn’t had the chance to face an ice-element opponent until now, so she was just starting to test its exact power.

But to see someone with over 900 points struggle so much just to shake off a single fireball.

Aqua Flame might be a stronger trait than she had thought.

Hong Yeon-hwa had inadvertently countered her opponent.

Bukgong Han-seol hardened her expression and looked at her opponent.

I must avoid it at all costs.

She must not get hit by any fire magic.

If she struggled this much with a hastily thrown fireball, a properly cast fire spell would be beyond her ability to handle.

That meant she had to dodge all the incoming spells and approach Hong Yeon-hwa to snatch the crystal.

But was that even possible?

Bukgong Han-seol took in the sight of the magic circles filling the battlefield.

To her eyes, they looked like fiercely burning flames rather than magic circles.

[Hong Yeon-hwa 100%] vs [Bukgong Han-seol 94%]

[Crystal: 34%]

However, time was not on her side.

The crystal’s charge percentage was steadily increasing even as she hesitated.

If she didn’t move, defeat was inevitable.

Bukgong Han-seol gathered her internal energy and concentrated it in her hands, then she lunged forward and released the energy.

Papapapapapapat!

Hong Yeon-hwa watched the threatening energy projectiles flying toward her and thought,

Should I dodge?

It might hurt a bit if they hit.

She was about to move sideways but quickly changed her mind.

She extended her wand forward and cast a spell rapidly.

Fwoooosh—

A stream of flames burst out like a flamethrower before engulfing the energy projectiles.

As expected, the Aqua Flame-enhanced fire easily neutralized Bukgong Han-seol’s long-range attack.

“……!”

Bukgong Han-seol’s eyes widened in shock. She didn’t expect her attack to be blocked so easily.

However, it was too late to stop, so she didn’t slow her momentum.

Just as she was about to unleash another powerful strike,

Hong Yeon-hwa snapped her fingers.

A magic circle right in front of Bukgong Han-seol turned red, and

Boom—!

“!!”

A vivid pillar of fire shot up.

Bukgong Han-seol barely managed to retreat and avoid the Fire Pillar.

However, she was already deep in enemy territory.

Magic circles filled the surroundings.

One was even set right under her feet and it was already glowing red.

Glowing… red?

Boom—!

Bukgong Han-seol desperately dashed to avoid the pillars of fire erupting everywhere.

Surviving was more important than targeting Hong Yeon-hwa at the center of the formation.

Boom—!

She zigzagged, running this way and that, before she finally escaped the reach of the magic circles.

After she managed to catch her breath, Bukgong Han-seol thought,

Well, at least I made her use up quite a bit.

Once a magic circle casts a spell, it disappears.

With her frantic running earlier, she had triggered dozens of Fire Pillars, so if she repeated this a few more times, wouldn’t she reach Hong Yeon-hwa?

However, what caught her eye next were new magic circles rapidly filling the empty space.

Bukgong Han-seol suddenly wanted to go home.