The Support Ate it All - Chapter 173: The Black Market (3)

“What the heck is this?”

“What…?”

The three members of the disciplinary committee tried to untangle the threads binding them, but it wasn’t as easy as they thought.

Even when they drew up their mana, the threads tightened even more instead of breaking.

I watched them struggle for a moment, then I made an exaggeratedly surprised face as if I had just remembered something.

“Ah! Senior-nim, that thing!”

“Huh? Aaah, that thing! I almost forgot about it!”

Though she didn’t know what “that thing” was, Dang Gyu-young quickly caught on and played along.

She grabbed my hand in a hurry and we bid farewell to Kwak Seung-jae and the others.

 

“Hey, we need to go now. We’ll visit the disciplinary committee office next time! Good luck!”

 

“Hey—”

Before Kwak Seung-jae could say anything, we quickly dashed off to the next building.

After running for a while, I checked behind us and couldn’t sense any sign of the disciplinary committee.

It seemed they still couldn’t break free from the fishing line.

“It’s worth the price, isn’t it?”

After stopping briefly to catch our breath, Dang Gyu-young spoke to someone in the distance.

Soon, a shrewd-looking graduate emerged from the darkness.

“Thank you for your help.”

Something thin and shining near him was drawn into his hand. It was probably the fishing line he had just used.

I knew it was a graduate.

The three members of the disciplinary committee had been subdued without much resistance and hadn’t managed to cut the fishing line even by the time we left.

I could say he was even more powerful because two of them were third-years.

Dang Gyu-young asked,

“But how did you know to come here?”

“I was just passing by when Da-bin told me.”

The shrewd-looking graduate answered nonchalantly. Dang Gyu-young immediately connected to the control tower.

Cha Da-bin’s concerned voice came through.

– Did you get out safely?

“Yeah. The response was great. We got one over on Seung-jae.”

– He’s a person of interest, so we’ve been keeping an eye on him.

Kwak Seung-jae had been a significant person of interest who had greatly contributed to increasing the arrest rate of the black market last year.

From the perspective of the thieves’ club, he was the target that they must pay the most attention to.

Because of this, several members of the control tower were focused solely on monitoring Kwak Seung-jae’s movements, and they tracked his next location the moment he summoned the wooden door.

When two third-year students joined, they sensed something unusual and requested help from the shrewd-looking graduate.

“How’s the situation?”

– It looks like Exchange C will be exposed soon. A is being searched too.

“That’s fast.”

Originally, the disciplinary committee should have wasted a lot of time at Exchange B, but a graduate from the disciplinary committee demolished the building in one go.

As a result, they could immediately deploy personnel to search for the next exchange.

“We can’t just sit back and take it. Let’s diligently interfere, Da-bin.”

– Yes, president.

“From now on, you take command.”

• ……!

“The disciplinary committee members are probably quite alert by now. We can’t just charge in recklessly anymore.”

For example, Dang Gyu-young and I ambushed Kim Jo-han and the senior with the hell axe to help the customer escape.

However, the same method wouldn’t work twice or thrice.

Kim Jo-han might not be cautious, but the senior with the hell axe would be even more vigilant. This would make it much harder to ambush them.

If we go in carelessly, we might end up getting caught ourselves.

So we needed to be even more cautious, and it would be better if Cha Da-bin secured the area beforehand.

To avoid having to get Dang Gyu-young’s permission every time, she handed over command entirely.

– But I’m not sure if I can do it well…

“You’ll have to do it eventually. You’re the president next year. Can I trust you?”

– …I’ll try.

Dang Gyu-young smiled brightly after hearing Chae Da-bin’s determined answer.

---

Cha Da-bin didn’t disappoint Dang Gyu-young’s expectations.

She made full use of the view provided by the crystal balls of the downtown area and faithfully fulfilled her role as a control tower.

Just as one of the customers was about to get caught in a random inspection, Dang Gyu-young asked,

“Should we go in now?”

– No, it’s a trap. Eight o’clock direction.

“Really? They’ve got some brains.”

When we checked the direction Cha Da-bin indicated, we saw several members of the disciplinary committee lying in wait.

They had set up a trap and waited for the thieves to step in.

We decided it was best to give up since we could get caught trying to save a single customer.

After spotting the next customer being chased, Dang Gyu-young asked again.

“What about that one?”

– No issues. You can go in.

“Okay. Kim Ho, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

We used wind magic and shadow butterflies to harass the disciplinary committee.

The disciplinary committee didn’t just take it lying down.

Despite Cha Da-bin’s appropriate guidance, the overwhelming difference in strength between them and the thieves’ club led to more and more thieves being apprehended.

To make matters worse, Cha Da-bin brought surprising news.

– Exchange C has been breached.

Looking at the screen Cha Da-bin shared, we saw the disciplinary committee flooding into the Exchange C building.

They had finally analyzed the barrier and the maze formation.

Dang Gyu-young asked,

“You evacuated everyone in advance, right?”

– Yes, no one was left behind.

“Then there won’t be any major losses. Next is A?”

– Half of them have been directed to A, and the rest have dispersed to start searching D, E, and F.

“It’s okay to give up A, but we must block the others no matter what.”

– Yes, president.

“Not much longer. Hang in there a little more.”

As the night deepened, the bustling downtown area grew quieter and most of the black market deals were wrapped up.

Now we just had to hold out for the remaining time.

To do that, we needed to more actively interfere with the disciplinary committee’s search.

Dang Gyu-young took the lead.

“Let’s go, Kim Ho.”

Just then, Cha Da-bin’s private communication came through.

“Yes, senior-nim.”

– Remember what you asked me before?

I had previously asked Cha Da-bin for a favor.

I had asked her to let me know immediately if she spotted anyone with a “suspicious appearance” while patrolling the downtown area today.

– …I found them, the suspicious person.

“……!”

– From the direction they’re taking, it looks like they’re headed to the place you mentioned.

Meanwhile, Dang Gyu-young realized that I had connected to a private communication. She immediately perked up her ears and narrowed her eyes while looking at me.

“…Senior? Which senior?”

“Senior Chae Da-bin.”

“Ah, Da-bin.”

Whatever she thought, Dang Gyu-young’s expression immediately softened.

However, a new question seemed to arise as her eyes narrowed again.

“Wait, do you contact Da-bin privately?”

“……”

Dang Gyu-young’s gaze was probing.

She seemed likely to start sulking depending on my answer.

But that wasn’t important right now.

I put on a serious face and started to speak.

“Senior-nim.”

“Mhmm?”

“Do you remember the graffiti from the preliminary field trip?”

“…The cipher.”

Dang Gyu-young’s face also turned serious.

During my preliminary field trip in the downtown area, I had found a cipher among the graffiti on a wall and cleverly altered it.

At that time, I hadn’t given Dang Gyu-young a detailed explanation but,

– I know it’s dangerous. But I still want to help.

– Not now. I’ll tell you everything when the time comes.

– Okay, promise.

“Now is that time.”

“…Tell me. I’ll help.”

“I’ll explain on the way. If possible, please call in the shrewd-looking graduate too.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

It wasn’t long after Dang Gyu-young sent the message that the shrewd-looking graduate joined us.

He looked at our faces one after the other, and asked with a bewildered face,

“What’s going on? Why’s the atmosphere like this? Did you two fight?”

“He said he’d explain.”

Dang Gyu-young passed the floor to me, and I led the way to our destination.

As we jumped from one rooftop to the next, I began to explain.

“The graffiti was indeed a cipher, as you suspected.”

“I figured as much. What did it mean?”

“It indicated a time and place.”

Given that the time and place were deliberately encoded, we could infer the intentions of those who wrote the cipher.

They wanted to meet secretly, away from prying eyes.

It also implied they were suspicious individuals who needed to act covertly.

“But didn’t you alter the cipher slightly?”

“I did.”

I changed the time and place completely so that the two parties would miss each other.

“And the altered time is now, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about the place?”

“…….”

I moved forward in silence for a while, then suddenly stopped.

Raising my hand slightly to signal, Dang Gyu-young and the shrewd-looking graduate following behind me also stopped.

I glanced downward and mouthed the words.

There it is.

A shadowy figure stood idly in the distance.

The person wore a large bamboo hat, which alone was enough to arouse suspicion.

Cha Da-bin had noticed this and sent the message.

Bamboo hats were typically used to keep clothes dry in the rain or to shield from the sun, but to wear one in the middle of the night.

It leaned more towards the purpose of hiding one’s identity rather than any practical use.

The shrewd-looking graduate seemed to have reached the same conclusion but still had many questions.

• So, what do we need to do?

– Please listen to me carefully from now on.

When Dang Gyu-young and the shrewd-looking graduate both nodded their heads, I pointed to the person wearing the bamboo hat.

– I need you to use a restraint technique on that person.

– What? Why?

It was understandable that the shrewd-looking graduate was confused.

He had agreed to help, thinking it was a matter involving the black market, but it turned out to be something entirely different.

Moreover, he was now being asked to restrain a stranger.

– What if we capture the wrong person?

– That’s why it’s a restraint technique.

I would have preferred to ask for a deadly technique, but I had no choice but to opt for a restraint technique.

This way, even if that person was innocent, they wouldn’t get hurt.

I added one more thing.

– I will take full responsibility.

– …….

The shrewd-looking graduate gave Dang Gyu-young a look as if to ask her to stop me, but Dang Gyu-young was already preparing the restraint technique as I had instructed.

She responded.

– I trust him. I’ll do everything I can.

– …….

The shrewd-looking graduate’s expression turned strange.

He didn’t expect Dang Gyu-young to go this far.

With a silent sigh of resignation, he asked me again.

– Alright, let’s say you’re right. What about that person’s skills?

– If my guess is correct… they’re A-rank.

– …….!

– …….!

Their faces grew even more serious.

A-rank was the level reached by only the top-tier graduates. It was an echelon touched by very few elites.

– So, you must use your full strength and your strongest skills. I will request support as soon as the battle begins.

– …We’ve really gotten ourselves into a mess.’

The shrewd-looking graduate grimaced.

He had intended to lend a bit of help to the black market and earn a nice reward, but now he found himself facing an unexpected A-rank opponent.

Despite this, he showed no intention of backing out.

Judging by the situation, if he didn’t help, Dang Gyu-young would face the battle alone and there was a high chance he would end up watching his junior die.

The shrewd-looking graduate put on a glove on each hand.

Shadow butterflies flitted around Dang Gyu-young and gathered around her.

With their spirits heightened, the two prepared their restraint techniques.

At the same time, they descended from the rooftop and unleashed their skills.

Ten thin strands of fishing line extended from the shrewd-looking graduate’s ten fingers.

“!!”

The enemy noticed them at that moment, but before he could react, he was already entangled in the fishing lines.

Countless shadow butterflies swarmed over him and they formed a cocoon of shadows around him.

At the same time, I used the remaining disciplinary committee flare.

A bright streak of light cut across the sky.

Shoooooo—Bang!

Meanwhile, the two were preparing their next attack.

If the enemy was indeed an A-rank like I said, our successful surprise attack would only give us a brief advantage.

Sure enough, the shadow cocoon began to tremble violently,

Crack!

Blood-red energy burst out and tore through the cocoon.

The energy started to take on a distinct form. It resembled a monster with six arms.

Seeing this, the shrewd-looking graduate’s eyes widened.

“Asura Blood Demon Art!”

If the enemy had mastered the Asura Blood Demon Art to the point of manifesting energy, there was only one possible affiliation he could think of.

The Blood Cult.