The Support Ate it All - Chapter 157: The Lucky Seo Ye-in

I brought the rice cracker to Seo Ye-in’s mouth.

“Lucky Charm-nim, please try this too.”

“Mhmm.”

Seo Ye-in took a small bite of the rice cracker and chewed it.

She seemed to like it as she started nibbling on the rest bit by bit.

I had bought it from a market near the Great Eagle Escort Agency, thinking its mild sweetness and light flavor would suit her taste.

“Lucky Charm-nim, how about this one?”

“Like it.”

I laid out various other local snacks and offered them to her one by one.

The reason was obvious. To prepare for the upcoming random box opening ceremony.

I needed to boost Seo Ye-in’s condition as much as possible in advance.

Of course, Seo Ye-in’s mood or condition might have nothing to do with actual luck.

Nevertheless, the reason for offering these tributes was similar to throwing coins into a fountain.

“The rice cracker is tasty, isn’t it, Lucky Charm-nim?”

“Tasty.”

“Then I must give you more. Here you go.”

“You eat some too.”

Seo Ye-in accepted the rice crackers and then picked one up and popped it into my mouth.

“…”

Meanwhile, Ahn Jeong-mi stood a little distance away and kept watching us with a look of pure contentment on her face. As if she could die without regret.

Just as Ahn Jeong-mi seemed to be on the verge of ascending to heaven in that state,

“Kim-hyung.”

Go Hyeon-woo arrived right on time.

Having completed all his mentoring sessions and sparring with Han So-mi in between, his days were the longest among the three of us.

He waved cheerfully as he approached, then stopped when he saw us feeding each other rice crackers.

A pleased smile spread across his face and he turned around with a twinkle in his eye.

“Come to think of it, I just remembered something urgent.”

“I know you don’t have anything. Come back.”

“But seeing the two of you enjoying such a lovely time, I feel like I might be intruding.”

Ahn Jeong-mi silently nodded her head in agreement.

However, regardless of what the two of them thought, it was decided that we would open the random box today.

“Enough, sit down.”

“Can’t we do it another time?”

“Is there really a need to delay? We should get it over with while the three of us are here.”

“Hmm, if that’s what you wish, Kim-hyung.”

Go Hyun-woo sat across from me. He eyed the assortment of local snacks and picked a few that were relatively untouched.

He had no intention of touching the rice crackers though.

Anyway, since all three of us were gathered, I got straight to the point.

“It’s time for another unboxing.”

Then I took out the random boxes from my inventory.

[Great Eagle Escort Agency Random Box (E)] *3

We had obtained a total of four E-rank random boxes but we gave one to Shin Byeong-cheol who got a teacup from it.

So, three remained.

[Great Eagle Escort Mission Random Box (D)] *3

We also gained seven D-rank boxes in total, but we exchanged four of them for the Sealing Demon Box. So we were left with three.

“…….”

Meanwhile, as soon as I took out the random boxes from my inventory, Ahn Jeong-mi quietly stepped back and turned invisible.

During the last unboxing of the Feathered Serpent Temple Random Boxes, Seo Ye-in suddenly directed an “arrow” at her, and Ahn Jeong-mi had no choice but to open the box in her place, which resulted in an F-rank wooden cup.

Fearing the same thing might happen again, she stepped back early this time.

It was a display of the skillful tactical maneuvering of the head of the Future Strategy Office and the stealth skills of a veteran Marksman.

Somehow, I’m sorry.

I handed the D-rank random box to Seo Ye-in first.

“Lucky charm-nim, I’m counting on you again today.”

Through several experiments, we discovered that Seo Ye-in’s luck operated in a rechargeable manner.

She would bring extraordinary luck once or twice, and then her luck would gradually become similar to that of an average person.

So, it was best to have her open the higher-ranked D-rank boxes first.

“…….”

And as always, Seo Ye-in was about to casually open the lid of the random box, but then she stopped and tilted her head.

“What happened?”

“I’ll open it later.”

Then, Seo Ye-in gently shook her head.

I wondered if opening it now would yield subpar results.

Sensing there was something she couldn’t quite express, I decided to let it go for now.

You can’t force a jackpot.

In this situation, Seo Ye-in was the ultimate boss.

It was much better to let her open it when she felt like it than to not do it at all.

I looked at Go Hyeon-woo and picked up an E-rank random box.

“Go Hyeon-woo, it’s a showdown.”

“…!”

Go Hyeon-woo understood my intention and picked up an E-rank random box as well.

A competition to see who drew a higher grade.

“I never thought my first showdown with you would be like this… But fine, I won’t back down.”

“We’ll open on the count of three. Three, two—”

“—one.”

We opened the random boxes at the same time.

Click,

Click,

[Ten-Year Knotweed (E)]

[Ten-Year Knotweed (E)]

“A tie.”

“A tie indeed.”

We smiled at each other and put the knotweed in our respective inventories.

When I subtly signaled to Seo Ye-in, she still shook her head gently.

It meant it wasn’t the right time yet.

So, I picked up a D-rank random box with Go Hyeon-woo again.

“I’ll open mine first.”

“Go ahead.”

Go Hyeon-woo closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and then slowly lifted the lid of the box.

Flash!

Inside were two small wooden cases.

The first case was filled with finely ground powder, and the second was full of bean-sized granules.

[Golden Wound Medicine (D)]

[Internal Injury Medicine (D)]

The Golden Wound Medicine was a powder for treating external wounds. Specifically injuries to the skin and flesh.

The Internal Injury Medicine was, as the name said, a pill for treating internal injuries.

“You got exactly what you needed.”

“Indeed.”

I rarely got hit thanks to my experienced dodging skills, but Go Hyeon-woo wasn’t so lucky.

He had suffered numerous internal injuries from facing the hidden boss White Snake in the Black Death Dungeon and had come back with scratches from the Feathered Serpent Temple, though the damage was relatively minor.

As he continued to explore the underground levels, he wouldn’t know what formidable foes he might encounter and he couldn’t afford to stock up on expensive potions.

In this situation, having both internal and external injury medicines meant he could treat most wounds with them.

Next, it was my turn.

I took on a serious attitude and then opened the D-rank random box.

Flash—!

[Rank Up (D)]

“I got something good too.”

Since Rank Ups permanently increased the user’s abilities, they were more valuable than other items of the same rank.

Now, only one D-rank and one E-rank random box remained.

I asked Seo Ye-in again.

“How about now?”

“I’ll open it.”

Finally ready, Seo Ye-in slowly pulled the D-rank random box in front of her.

Unlike us, she opened the random box with a completely relaxed attitude.

Flaaa—ash—!

As expected, a burst of brilliant multicolored light exploded and filled the room.

This must be a guaranteed B-rank.

Judging by the spectacular effect, it had to be a high rank.

However, it was too early to celebrate.

We still needed to see what kind of B-rank item it was.

After I shielded my eyes and waited for a moment, the brilliant light gradually subsided.

What emerged was a single pure white talisman.

[Purification Talisman (B)]

▷Purifies demonic energy.

“Amazing.”

“What is it used for?”

“You know the sealing demon box we got? It pairs with that.”

“…I see.”

The sealing demon box contained excessively dense demonic energy, making it untouchable for ordinary martial artists and even moderately skilled demonic practitioners.

The purification talisman played a great role in purifying or neutralizing that demonic energy.

Usually, one would need to obtain a purification talisman separately or find another method to cleanse the demonic energy, but Seo Ye-in had pulled it out of the random box as if she had aimed for it.

“You truly are a lucky charm.”

“Mhmm.”

I offered her another rice cracker as a tribute.

Now, only one E-rank item remained.

“Since we’re at it, do you want to open this one too?”

“……”

Seo Ye-in quietly looked down at the random box, then turned around and looked behind her.

She stared at the empty space for a long time, then slowly shifted her gaze sideways and started staring again.

After repeating this a few times, Ahn Jeong-mi finally revealed herself from hiding.

She realized that remaining invisible and pretending not to notice would only make things harder for her later on.

Looking like a condemned criminal receiving her final sentence, Ahn Jeong-mi accepted the E-rank random box.

I gave her an encouraging smile.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s just E-rank, so even if you pull an F-rank item, it’s fine.”

“Yes, Kim Ho-nim. …Then, I’ll open it.”

Click,

[Great Eagle Escort Agency Teacup (F)]

Ahn Jeong-mi’s complexion became like that of the teacup.

“I’m sorry.”

“I told you, it’s fine.”

It wasn’t just the butler who was like this.

Unexpectedly, Shin Byeong-cheol found himself a fellow collector.

The thieves club room.

Dang Gyu-young couldn’t help but sigh as she looked at the mountain of paperwork.

“When am I going to finish all this?”

She had been extremely busy for the past month.

As a third-year student, she attended classes and participated in strategy battles and duel battles.

As a mentor, she followed the first-year students into dungeons, watched over them, and took care of them.

As the president of the thieves club, she also managed the club’s operations.

Because of all this, paperwork related to the black market had been pushed aside.

Ideally, she should have handled it in advance but she had to deal with it all at the last minute for the reasons above.

The second-year twins grinned wickedly and commented.

“Want to finish quickly so you can go out with that first-year?”

“You look so much happier these days. You used to always have a scowl on your face.”

Dang Gyu-young didn’t react at all to their words.

Instead, shadowy arms rose from below and put the twins in joint locks.

Crack,

“They deserved that.”

Chae Da-bin who was helping with the paperwork glanced up and looked at them with a not-so-sympathetic expression.

Then she lowered her gaze back to the papers and said,

“But if you endure just one more week, things will get easier. Mentoring ends this week, after all.”

“That’s true.”

But even when mentoring ended, the hard work would not.

That was the life of a club president.

Dang Gyu-young still couldn’t understand why she had readily accepted the previous president’s proposal and taken this position.

By the time she realized it, it was already too late.

And when Chae Da-bin took over the president position next year and regretted it, it would be too late for her as well.

At that moment, a strange presence was felt outside the club room.

It was most likely a guest coming to request their services, so a second-year member went out to greet them.

“Welcome. What brings you here—”

The usual business greeting was cut short as the club member saw the visitor’s face and hesitated.

Other club members who were curiously peeking out also froze in place when they confirmed the identity of the visitor.

She was a female student with an intellectual beauty and a neat appearance.

The gold pin on her tie indicated she was a third-year student.

In one hand, she held a half-open folding fan that covered her mouth slightly. This gave her an intellectual yet mysterious aura.

She was a well-known figure among the students at Dragon Slayer Academy.

Jegal So-so.

She was called the brains of the swordsmanship club and was a key figure among the key figures who sat in the position of commander-in-chief and vice president.

Her visit here meant one thing.

It signaled that the swordsmanship club was starting to take serious action.

Jegal So-so snapped her fan shut.

Then she spoke with a faint smile on her lips.

“Could you clear the area, please?”

“…….”

When Dang Gyu-young signaled with her eyes, the club members stopped what they were doing and quickly left the room.

Chae Da-bin was the last to leave. She gave the two a puzzled look, but in the end, the thieves club room became as quiet as a mouse.

Soon, Dang Gyu-young also slowly stood up and met Jegal So-so’s gaze.