The Support Ate it All - Chapter 130: 7th Week Mentoring and Duel Battle (15)

“You did well.”

“Thank you.”

Hong Yeon-hwa returned confidently like a triumphant general.

She had dominated Bukgung Han-seol who had a score in the 900s throughout the entire match and proved her skills. Her pride was sky-high.

But when our eyes met,

“…”

She quickly regained her humility and gauged my reaction.

She had overwhelmed someone in the 900s, but she remembered that the person before her was an opponent she couldn’t even touch.

Despite glancing around cautiously, she seemed to expect something from me, probably feedback on her performance in the match.

If Hong Yeon-hwa had a tail, it would have been wagging gently.

I decided to praise what deserved praise and move on.

“You did well. You carried out the match just as we practiced.”

“…!”

Her face brightened even more. As if she were pleased to have received recognition.

If she had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously like a propeller.

Leaving Hong Yeon-hwa alone for now, I turned to Dang Gyu-young and asked,

“Now it’s just me left. Who do they have on their side?”

“I’ll have to ask again.”

The last member of Kim Gap-doo’s team had been delayed for some reason, but no matter how late they were, they should have arrived by now.

Sure enough, as soon as Dang Gyu-young sent a message, a reply came back quickly.

[Dang Gyu-young: Are you here?]

[Kim Gap-doo: Yep, I’m here! >.<]

[Dang Gyu-young: Who is it?]

[Kim Gap-doo: Then I’ll reveal it! The long-awaited final member is…!]

[Kim Gap-doo: Drumroll…!]

[Kim Gap-doo: (Drum-playing frog emoji)]

[Kim Gap-doo: It’s Jo Byeok!]

“What? Jo Byeok?”

Dang Gyu-young furrowed her eyebrows.

She had expected that since Kim Gap-doo kept it hidden until the last moment, the final member would be quite skilled, even among those who had a score in the 900s range. However, she never anticipated that it would be a member of the disciplinary committee.

[Dang Gyu-young: Are you kidding me right now?]

[Dang Gyu-young: You should have told us from the start]

[Dang Gyu-young: (Fox with a bat emoji)]

[Kim Gap-doo: Surprised!]

[Kim Gap-doo: (Surprised frog emoji)]

[Kim Gap-doo: (Winking frog emoji)]

[Dang Gyu-young: (Serious fox emoji)]

[Dang Gyu-young: (Fox with a bat emoji)]

[Kim Gap-doo: …… ]

[Kim Gap-doo: What handicap should I give you?]

From the moment the name “Jo Byeok” was mentioned, everyone’s attention turned to me.

Although Dang Gyu-young was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a disciplinary committee member, she didn’t seem overly worried since she trusted that I could handle it.

Hong Yeon-hwa also seemed to think I would win.

On the other hand, Song Cheon-hye’s expression had become noticeably serious.

As a fellow disciplinary committee member, she knew better than anyone here how strong Jo Byeok was, but since my abilities were still uncertain, her expectation was that Jo Byeok would win.

Moreover, Kwak Ji-cheol not only bet on Jo Byeok but also seemed to secretly hope that I would lose.

Though I couldn’t tell whether it was because he didn’t want to be the only one to lose or because he was looking forward to seeing me get beaten by Jo Byeok.

Anyway, I found his attitude annoying so I decided to tease him a little.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What’s wrong with my eyes?”

“I sense a rather impure intention.”

“…it’s your imagination.”

Kwak Ji-cheol averted his gaze. As if he was admitting to himself that he felt guilty.

I continued to stare at him for a bit longer, then turned to Dang Gyu-young and asked,

“What happens if I lose?”

“Since it’s 2-2, there would be one more match point game.”

In that final match, the strongest players from each team, Song Cheon-hye and Jo Byeok, would face off to determine the winner.

Dang Gyu-young asked Song Cheon-hye,

“What are your odds of winning against Jo Byeok?”

“It’s hard to say who has the upper hand.”

Song Cheon-hye and Jo Byeok had faced each other several times in duel battles or disciplinary committee sparring sessions, and their wins and losses usually depended on their condition on any given day.

Sometimes Song Cheon-hye won, sometimes she lost.

If one had to quantify it, Jo Byeok had a very slight edge of approximately 4.8 to 5.2.

In other words, the outcome of the match was entirely unpredictable.

This time, Song Cheon-hye asked me,

“Do you think you can win?”

“I don’t know, if I choose the right handicap.”

“What will you choose?”

Since Dang Gyu-young was also waiting for my answer to this question, I replied to her,

“I’ll go with crystal charge speed acceleration.”

“Charge speed acceleration, not bad. What multiplier?”

“Three times.”

With a threefold increase in charge speed, the crystal that charged at 1% would now charge at 3%.

And since the charge would be much faster, the match duration would be significantly shortened.

Dang Gyu-young exchanged messages with Kim Gap-doo again.

I glanced at the message window and saw an array of cute frog emojis.

However, seeing as there was not even the slightest change in Dang Gyu-young’s expressionless face, I think that Toad Senior would be blocked again as soon as this game was over.

Anyway, the two seemed to have reached some sort of agreement after a brief negotiation.

“It can’t be three times, but we’ll settle for 2.5 times.”

“I deliberately aimed high, so how did we end up at 2.5 times?”

“They have to adjust to our side. Especially after the other side hid Joi Byeok like that.”

Originally, the goal was about twice as much, but Dang Gyu-young managed to secure slightly better terms.

This was partly because of her good negotiation, and partly because Kim Gap-doo felt guilty for hiding the matter of Joi Byeok until the last moment. He seemed to have made a small concession.

Therefore, the crystal charging speed became 2.5 times faster.

It would have been better to give this handicap to Kwak Ji-cheol in his match, but…

There was no way Kim Gap-doo would have allowed a handicap in a match between players who were both in the 600-point range, and even if he had, Kwak Ji-cheol would have likely refused out of pride.

That guy was destined to get beaten by Ilgong one way or another.

As I stepped onto the teleportation magic circle with those thoughts in mind, Song Cheon-hye gave me a piece of advice.

“If it seems impossible, try to drag it into a war of attrition. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“No, I’ll just win this.”

“…Are you confident?”

“Of course, I’ve already planned everything out.”

It was called the Son Hyeong-taek plan. (TN: Son Hyeong-taek should be the one who fought Song Cheon-hye in the first match between the two teams.)

I planned to run around frantically with the crystal in hand.

“The crystal charging speed is 2.5 times faster.”

Kim Gap-doo explained the handicap to Jo Byeok.

“Time will be tight in many ways. But since the opponent’s score isn’t even at 600 points, winning shouldn’t be difficult. The real issue is what comes next.”

.

Regardless of the handicap, it was already a given that they would defeat Kim Ho and even the score, and the match point against Song Cheon-hye could be considered the main event.

As a fellow member of the same disciplinary committee, Song Cheon-hye was by no means an easy opponent for Jo Byeok.

“So, it’s best to conserve as much energy as possible in the first match.”

“Understood.”

“I’m sorry, I made you go through two matches because of my greed.”

Kim Gap-doo sighed deeply.

Then he stared at the distant cliff where Dang Gyu-young’s team was stationed and continued.

“I know this kind of betting is pathetic and undignified. Even if we win, it might be pointless. What dramatic change could come from one date? But….”

“……”

“It’s a crush I’ve had since the first year. I just hope for even the smallest chance rather than giving up like this.”

Jo Byeok had never experienced romantic feelings for anyone, so he couldn’t empathize with Kim Gap-doo’s emotions.

Still, he understood that Kim had high expectations for him, and regardless, this was a duel battle.

So he responded in a calm tone.

“I will do my best.”

“I’m counting on you.”

When Jo Byeok teleported down using the teleportation magic circle, the scoreboard displayed the names of both sides.

[Jo Byeok 993 points vs. Kim Ho 569 points]

Kim Ho.

Jo Byeok didn’t know much about Kim Ho.

He had just picked up a few rumors here and there.

Being the type who didn’t pay much attention to such things, he let most of them go in one ear and out the other, but there was one rumor that caught his attention.

He is said to be a close friend of Go Hyeon-woo.

In the duel battle of the placement test, the match between Go Hyeon-woo and Jo Byeok had ended inconclusively with the destruction of their iron swords. Jo Byeok had engraved Go Hyeon-woo’s name in his memory and started looking forward to the day when they would have a proper fight.

After that, unlike Kim Ho, Go Hyeon-woo’s reputation frequently reached Jo Byeok’s ears and mostly in a positive light. His excellent swordsmanship, handsome appearance, and well-rounded personality easily earned him the affection of other students.

Many wanted to befriend him, but Go Hyeon-woo kept a certain distance so no one could fulfill that desire.

However, when someone subtly asked about Kim Ho, Go Hyeon-woo responded without a moment’s hesitation.

– Kim is a friend I truly acknowledge. He is a more than deserving to be my friend.

This held a very strong meaning for Jo Byeok.

If someone as lofty as Go Hyeon-woo acknowledged Kim Ho, there must have been a good reason.

If he underestimated Kim Ho because of his 500-point score or the general opinion of him as a “coward”, he might be caught off guard.

Kim Gap-doo had advised him to conserve his strength for the match against Song Cheon-hye, but somehow, Jo Byeok felt that he shouldn’t.

I will give it my all.

The countdown began with Jo Byeok making up his mind.

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

Surveying the surrounding environment from a high ground was a basic principle.

Especially in this week’s duel battle. After all, identifying the location of the crystal was of utmost priority.

Jo Byeok quickly climbed the cliff.

With an agility that didn’t match his bear-like physique, he swiftly reached the top and scanned the surrounding area.

He expected to encounter Kim Ho soon, but,

He’s not here.

The top of the cliff was empty, devoid of any sign of Kim Ho.

He thought perhaps Kim Ho was climbing up a bit later, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

I should focus on the crystal for now.

Jo Byeok looked down and started carefully surveying the area below the cliff.

Then, as he slowly shifted his gaze sideways, something moving quickly caught his eye.

That is…

That something was none other than Kim Ho, who hadn’t even cast a shadow on top of the cliff.

He had been running aimlessly in one direction and at the end of it was a makeshift altar and a crystal.

His movements seemed as if he had already known the location of the crystal.

How Kim Ho had figured that out was no longer important.

What was important now was,

I’m late.

He had been beaten to the punch.

However, Jo Byeok who was about to follow Kim Ho toward the makeshift altar soon changed his mind.

The next destination is already decided anyway.

Since the crystal needed to be charged, he would inevitably head towards the sanctuary.

So, Jo Byeok started running towards the towering rock in the distance like a lighthouse.

Sure enough, just when he was almost near the sanctuary,

Wheeing—

The sanctuary sent down a pillar of light not far from him.

The place indicated by the pillar of light was where the crystal and Kim Ho were.

By heading directly to the sanctuary early, he was able to significantly close the gap between them.

[Crystal: 2%]

[Crystal: 5%]

The crystal’s charge level was rising at a frightening pace as if to prove that it was 2.5 times higher.

Just like Kim Gap-doo had said, time was tight in this duel battle.

Thump!

Jo Byeok kicked off the ground with even more force and dashed forward.

He climbed up and down the cliff that rose like a hill and passed by strange rock formations, finally catching up to the point where Kim Ho came into view.

“…”

Kim Ho continued running with his back to him, then glanced over his shoulder.

There wasn’t a trace of urgency in his eyes.

Then, as if he was uninterested in him, he turned his gaze forward again and continued running.

“I won’t let you get away.”

Jo Byeok concentrated his internal energy on his legs and increased his speed.

Kim Ho’s speed was fast, but the distance between them gradually narrowed.

Jo Byeok who had nearly caught up to Kim Ho’s back clenched his fist tightly.

Then just when he thrust his fist forward, Kim Ho suddenly turned around and thrust one palm forward to meet it.

Bang—!

Their palm and fist collided, and Jo Byeok was pushed back.