The Support Ate it All

Since there needed to be more discussion about the subjugation team, I followed Lee Soo-Dok and Seo Cheong-Yong as we moved along.

“……”

“……”

No one spoke during our walk. The risk of someone overhearing us was too great.

Even so, the two teachers’ gazes stayed fixed on me the entire time.

Lee Soo-Dok’s stare grew so intense it was almost piercing, while Seo Cheong-Yong’s expression remained gentle as always. However, I could sense subtle changes in his demeanor that were hard to notice otherwise.

Eventually, we entered an empty conference room.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and with the addition of powerful soundproofing magic, there was no risk of our conversation leaking outside.

As soon as we sat down, Lee Soo-Dok and Seo Cheong-Yong each made a comment.

“So you were hiding an ace up your sleeve all along.”

“I have to admit, I was surprised. For a first-year, your level is far too advanced.”

It’s only natural that they’d be shocked.

They probably had some anti-poison measures of their own, but at most, they would have been at the B-rank level with immunity to basic poisons.

The wall of invulnerability I’d reached was on an entirely different level.

Without using tricks like copy, poison resistance, and fixed pins, I likely wouldn’t have gained it until my third year. That’s if I ever managed it at all.

The Enchantment skill is even more ridiculous.

Even among the faculty, and likely the principal as well, this skill would be unheard of.

Its acquisition difficulty was so astronomical that no one in this world had likely ever mastered it.

I remember vividly when I first acquired [Enchantment]. It had been after I’d established myself at “Dragon Slayer Academy”. I also remember struggling for a long time even after dragging S-rank heroes along to get it.

[Copy] and [Amplification] were no different.

The reason I had already obtained so many of these overpowered skills was simple.

They were mine to begin with.

I hadn’t “learned” them anew. Rather, I reclaimed them while progressing through my reincarnation quest.

Of course, I had no intention of revealing any of this, so I responded naturally to the teachers’ comments.

“To be honest, I wanted to keep it hidden a bit longer. But considering the situation, I decided to reveal it after much deliberation.”

“You made a tough decision. But it would be best to keep it as concealed as possible moving forward.”

Seo Cheong-Yong said with a nod.

The ability to grant Poison Immunity would definitely play a crucial role in this subjugation, and my reputation would soar to unprecedented heights as a result.

But that would also make me an easy target for enemies.

They’d want to nip me in the bud before I could grow stronger.

This was why Seo Cheong-Yong believed it was better for me to keep a low profile, especially as a first-year. I fully agreed with his opinion.

After all, I couldn’t completely trust the faculty, either. The only reason I revealed a portion of my abilities was that they were bound by various magical constraints.

Seo Cheong-Yong turned to Lee Soo-Dok.

“We’ll need to prepare a disguise item. Something even the other teachers wouldn’t recognize.”

“Do as you see fit.”

Lee Soo-Dok replied casually.

Then, as if he had been waiting for the right moment, Lee Soo-Dok met my gaze directly and got to the point.

“Even if we keep your identity hidden, you’ll need to share more about that skill.”

“Yes, I understand.”

It was a basic principle to assess each team member’s strengths and abilities.

The more crucial the role, the more detailed the assessment needed to be.

Since this was within my expectations, I answered Lee Soo-Dok’s questions without resistance.

“How long does it last?”

“Fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes… Not bad. What about the cost or penalties?”

“It has a cooldown period.”

“How long?”

“It’s long. You can consider it a one-time use.”

The cooldown period for the C-rank Enchantment was 35 minutes.

That alone was already quite long, and it was uncertain how much more it would increase if it was cast on all team members.

Still, just in case, I decided to add a suggestion.

“If there’s a way to manage the cooldown, I could use it again.”

“There isn’t. That’s unfortunate.”

Lee Soo-dok shook his head firmly.

Cooldown management items or skills were usually time-based, starting at a minimum of A-rank and often reaching S-rank.

Not only that, but their rarity far exceeded other A-rank items, so it was uncertain whether even the principal would possess one.

That was why I hadn’t expected much and had only thrown the idea out there.

The two teachers exchanged glances.

“If it’s a one-time use, we’ll have to save it for the end.”

“That seems best.”

It was decided to save the granted Poison Immunity as a trump card for the decisive battle against the Witch of Corruption. Until then, everyone would rely on detoxification magic or potions.

Now it was my turn to ask a question.

“When do you plan to enter?”

“The day after tomorrow. We can’t give her more time.”

The Witch of Corruption had already established her fortress within the Teleportation Labyrinth.

From our perspective, the more time we allowed her, the worse it would be.

Moreover, there was always the risk that she might decide to move to another dungeon on a whim.

If that happened, we would have to sacrifice another rare offering to the Wall of Wisdom, and even at Dragon Slayer Academy, A-rank items weren’t in infinite supply.

For these reasons, we were heading into the dungeon with a much shorter preparation period than usual.

Seo Cheong-Yong smiled faintly.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll be going in unprepared. In reality, we’ve been laying the groundwork for a while now.”

Though the Witch of Corruption’s exact location had only recently been confirmed, the faculty had already recruited members and conserved resources to be ready for any dungeon raid.

Seo Cheong-Yong turned to me and said,

“So, Kim Ho.”

“Yes.”

“It’d be better for you to skip this strategy battle week. You need to manage your condition.”

With the A-rank dungeon raid and the showdown against the Witch of Corruption looming, the instructions were clear: conserve as much energy as possible over the next two days.

Some might think it was unnecessary to save energy for something as trivial as an F-rank dungeon strategy battle, but even minor exhaustion could cost lives in the heat of battle.

So I nodded my head without hesitation.

“I’ll rest.”

“I heard you were doing disciplinary action all weekend. Is that true?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And you caught quite a few Dark Ooblecks while cleaning the dungeons?”

“I did.”

A deeper smile spread across Seo Cheong-Yong’s face.

“As I hinted earlier, the main rule for this week’s strategy battle is [Boss]. But you’ve already defeated bosses much stronger than that.”

Then, he turned slightly to ask Lee Soo-Dok a question.

“Do you have any objections?”

“Strategy battles fall under your jurisdiction, Teacher Seo.”

Lee Soo-Dok replied nonchalantly. He was essentially granting permission.

Taking that as an agreement, Seo Cheong-Yong said,

“I’ll give you full marks for this week’s strategy battle.”

“Thank you.”

“As for the Teleportation Labyrinth, we’ll discuss it tomorrow when everyone is gathered. For now, go and rest.”

“Yes, understood.”

***

I spent the remainder of the weekend as instructed, focusing on recovering my condition.

Monday came.

Seo Cheong-yong conducted the strategy battle class as usual.

The sense of distance between us remained the same as before. I didn’t go out of my way to stand out, and Seo Cheong-Yong didn’t specifically single me out, either.

“Well then, as previously announced, this week’s strategy battle will—”

The rules and environment appeared on the blackboard.

As always, the [Hostile Environment] was there,

Along with [Boss] and [Double] rules.

At the same time, a notification message appeared in one corner of my field of vision.

[Side Quest: 15th Week Strategy Battle] (Completed)

▷ Objective: Clear the Strategy Battle Dungeon

▷ Reward: Rank Up (E)

This is way too convenient.

Thanks to having already taken down Dark Oobleck and Seo Cheong-Yong granting me full marks, the side quest was cleared the moment it appeared.

Since there was no downside to enhancing my abilities, I used the Rank Up reward as soon as I received it.

[Used ‘Rank Up (E)’…]

[‘The rank of Chillwind’ has increased. (E+ → D+)]

Meanwhile, before wrapping up the class, Seo Cheong-Yong made one more announcement.

“—Also, starting tomorrow, Teacher Lee Soo-Dok and I will be absent for a few days. Like before, Teacher Jo Ok-Soon will be covering for us.”

A collective groan rose from all sides.

Jo Ok-Soon was practically a walking sedative.

No matter what class she taught, she had the uncanny ability to put students to sleep.

Monster Ecology was already mind-numbingly boring, and the thought of that dullness extending to Strategy Battles and Duel Battles was enough to make anyone sigh.

Perhaps interpreting the groans differently, Seo Cheong-Yong chuckled in amusement.

“Why, do you miss me already? It feels nice, like I’ve become a popular teacher. I’ll finish everything quickly and be back soon. That’s it for today’s class!”

After casting a brief glance in my direction, he left the classroom.

When the classroom gradually filled with noise, a message unexpectedly popped up.

It was from Hong Yeon-Hwa, of all people.

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: (Waving Puppy Emoji)]

[Kim Ho: (Waving Puppy Emoji)]

[Kim Ho: What’s up?]

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: Uh, well…]

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: (Puppy Looking Around Emoji)]

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: Have you chosen your partner for the strategy battle?]

For some reason, the image of a puppy approaching with a ball in its mouth came to mind.

She must have mustered up some courage to send that message.

Unfortunately, the strategy battle was already over for me.

So I replied honestly.

[Kim Ho: I don’t think it’s possible this time.]

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: Oh… I see.]

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: (Sad Puppy Emoji)]

It seemed like that was the end of the conversation, but another message arrived not long after.

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: Then…]

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: What about going down….?]

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: (Tail-Wagging Puppy Emoji)]

It seemed like she was talking about tackling an ice-theme dungeon as part of her Aqua Flame training.

Thanks to the thorough clearing of dungeons we did over the weekend, there was no risk of encountering Dark Oobleck anymore.

However, a new obstacle had unfortunately arisen.

Because I’ll be entering the Teleportation Labyrinth.

Entering the Teleportation Labyrinth on a Tuesday meant that clearing it would take at least a full day, or up to three or four days at the longest.

I couldn’t be certain when I’d emerge, nor could I guarantee my condition when I did. Making plans right now wasn’t possible.

So, once again, I sent an honest reply.

[Kim Ho: This week’s going to be tough.]

[Kim Ho: Sorry, sorry.]

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: (Droopy Puppy Emoji)]

[Hong Yeon-Hwa: Got it…]

It felt like the ball the puppy had brought over was now rolling away limply.

I did feel a bit guilty, but what couldn’t be done simply couldn’t be done.

The real problem is that I’ll probably have to explain this all over again.

With that thought, I turned my head.

On one side was Go Hyeon-Woo approaching confidently with steady strides.

“Hey, Kim-hyung.”

On the other side was Seo Ye-In, with a sleepy look on her face as if she had just woken up, tugging lightly on my sleeve.

“…Let’s go together.”

Both of them had the same goal as Hong Yeon-Hwa.

They wanted to team up with me for the strategy battle.

In most cases like this, I would side with the lucky charm, but today was a little different.

The strategy battle had already ended. What could I do?

Well, I should at least explain the situation to them.

So, while alternating my gaze between Go Hyeon-Woo and Seo Ye-In, I finally spoke.

“You two will have to handle this strategy battle together.”

“Hmm?”

“……?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Seo Ye-In tilted her head in confusion.