The Support Ate it All

Jeong Jin-myeong’s magic struck the ice wall.

Boom, boom!

With a score in the 1,000s range, his magic was powerful and he could tear down the ice wall quickly.

But,

I can just put the wall back up again.

Even Cha Hyeon-joo gave up after two layers of walls. What would he do if I kept putting up three or even four layers?

Besides, I had no intention of just letting him keep breaking it.

When I subtly signaled again, Seo Ye-in began to slowly raise the frying pan in her hand.

It was as if she was ready to bring it down the moment I gave the signal.

Sensing the threat, Shin Byeong-cheol desperately pounded on the ice wall.

“Hey, hey, hey! Stop, stop! Wait a second, pause! Stop!”

Jeong Jin-myeong must have realized there was room for negotiation because he momentarily stopped casting his magic and called out from the other side of the wall.

“What do you want?”

“What I want is for you to tell me what you want.”

“……?”

“Do you want second place, or do you want third place?”

Jeong Jin-myeong caught the meaning behind my words and responded.

“You’re saying if I want second place, I should cooperate, right?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded my head.

If he didn’t intend to cooperate, I was ready to make Shin Byeong-cheol the first victim of Seo Ye-in’s frying pan.

After that, taking care of the now-alone Jeong Jin-myeong in a two-versus-one fight would be easier than flipping my hand.

Especially since Seo Ye-in was a marksman, she already had the advantage over a mage.

There’s also the option of not fighting him at all.

Taking care of Shin Byeong-cheol and then leaving the area wasn’t a bad option either.

Jeong Jin-myeong would have to deal with the traps alone, which would naturally lower his survival rate.

In either case, he’d most likely end up in third place.

It seemed Jeong Jin-myeong had reached a similar conclusion because he let out a long sigh.

“Whew… What a mess. I came here thinking I’d get an easy win, and now look at this. Totally got caught in the wrong situation.”

His original plan had been to team up with Shin Byeong-cheol and easily handle the traps together.

As a bonus, with a lower average score, battles would’ve been easier.

But that plan was now in shambles because of one partition I had erected.

I spoke casually.

“Given the situation, isn’t it better to at least break even?”

“…Yeah, I guess.”

In the end, Shin Byeong-cheol and Jeong Jin-myeong accepted the offer they couldn’t refuse.

Rather than letting their pride get the better of them, it was smarter to take second place, hold onto their points, and aim for first place in the next match.

Still, the voice from beyond the ice wall sounded slightly bitter.

“So, how are we doing this?”

“Byeong-cheol moves with us. As we go, he’ll work hard to clear the traps we come across.”

“And me?”

At Jeong Jin-myeong’s question, I answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“You’ll need to move separately, won’t you?”

“It’d be more efficient for all four of us to move together.”

“Speed takes priority over efficiency.”

The next goal was to locate Team 3, who had to be somewhere out there.

And splitting into two groups would make the search much faster.

Jeong Jin-myeong might sustain some damage, big or small, from traps while moving alone, but that wasn’t my problem.

Another sigh came from beyond the ice wall.

“Man, I really picked the wrong fight this time. So what happens when we find Team 3?”

“You know how to use communication magic, right?”

“I do.”

“Contact us immediately and fight.”

“…Two against one?”

“Yeah. Wear them down as much as you can, and we’ll finish the job.”

After dealing with Team 3, Shin Byeong-cheol who had been working with us would declare forfeit.

That way, second place would be guaranteed for them.

Shin Byeong-cheol who had been listening quietly cautiously asked,

“But what happens if we can’t find them in the end?”

What would happen if we kept missing Team 3 and couldn’t find them until the match was over?

Seo Ye-in answered in my place.

She raised her frying pan once more.

“Bang.”

“Ahem… I’ll do my best to find them.”

Of course, that was half a joke, and we had already accounted for the possibility of not running into them at all.

“If it turns into a long match, we’ll have the advantage anyway.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

Shin Byeong-cheol would take care of most of the traps, and since we had three people on our side, our chances of survival were significantly higher.

“No more questions, right? Let’s get moving.”

“Wait.”

As I started to move, Jeong Jin-myeong stopped me for a moment.

“I’ve been curious for a while now. How do you know my brother?”

It seemed he’d been subtly bothered ever since I mentioned Jeong Chong-myeong the first time we met.

If I were acquainted with his brother, it would make it harder for him to treat me recklessly.

Maybe that was why my proposal (or threat) had been so effective.

Of course, I had no intention of answering easily, so I gave a sly grin.

“Go ask him yourself.”

***

After sending Jeong Jin-myeong off on his own, the three of us also began making our way through the labyrinth.

The passage in front of us was filled with traps, both large and small, but we didn’t have the slightest reason to worry.

After all, we had a trap master with us.

I turned to Shin Byeong-cheol and asked,

“Care to show us?”

“Hmph, these traps are nothing.”

Shin Byeong-cheol stepped forward while showing off as usual.

But unlike his usual bluffing, this time he had the skills to back it up.

Swoosh!

Chopsticks shot out in all directions, embedding themselves deep into small crevices in the walls or the gaps in the floor.

A metallic clinking sound followed briefly before fading into silence.

The traps malfunctioned and came to a stop.

Shin Byeong-cheol gestured politely and led the way.

“Right this way, if you please.”

“Ah~ how convenient~.”

I muttered with a half-hearted tone of admiration.

After advancing a bit farther, Shin Byeong-cheol’s chopsticks flew out once again.

Swoosh!

Once more, they embedded themselves into the ceiling, walls, and other surfaces.

While most of the traps stopped functioning as before, a few of them didn’t.

A low rumbling came from the ceiling, and then—

Bang!

An iron contraption about the size of a human body came crashing down.

Shin Byeong-cheol simply shrugged as if he had planned for it.

“If the trap won’t deactivate, just set it off first. Right?”

“Ah, I see. Impressive.”

I replied with the same empty enthusiasm while glancing to the side.

Seo Ye-in silently clapped her fingers together in response.

“Wow—”

But no matter how skilled a trap master he was, everyone had their weaknesses.

When magic circles began appearing, Shin Byeong-cheol’s face immediately soured.

“Looks like we’ll have to avoid these ones…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll throw you over.”

“Huh?”

Boom!

With a sudden burst of compressed air, Shin Byeong-cheol soared through the air in a wide arc.

In an instant, he cleared the magical traps and tumbled to the ground before rolling across the floor.

I landed lightly beside him with Seo Ye-in, looked down at him, and said,

“Your landing could use some work.”

“Ugh, it’s just because I haven’t practiced enough. The more you do it, the better you’ll get.”

Even when sprawled out on the ground, Shin Byeong-cheol didn’t lose his dignity as a man.

The labyrinth exploration and search continued for quite some time, but we didn’t have any noteworthy results on our side.

Instead, Jeong Jin-myeong was the first to send a communication.

– I found them. Going in now.

It seemed he had discovered Team 3 and, as instructed, immediately engaged in combat.

I turned to Seo Ye-in and Shin Byeong-cheol and said,

“Let’s go too.”

We then changed direction and began moving toward Jeong Jin-myeong’s location.

Although we didn’t know the exact spot, just getting close would increase the chances of encountering Team 3.

We had made it about halfway there when Jeong Jin-myeong sent another short communication.

This time, his voice sounded quite exhausted.

– Took one down. Make sure you win.

That was all he said before the communication ended.

As expected from someone with a 1,000-point, even in a 2-on-1 situation, he managed to take down one opponent. However, it seemed his health had given out first, leaving him unable to continue fighting.

I exchanged a glance with Shin Byeong-cheol.

“We just need to take down one more.”

“Then it’s three on one. We’ve already won.”

“It’s not guaranteed until we meet the opponent.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll break through in no time.”

Shin Byeong-cheol began tossing his chopsticks around with enthusiasm.

Swish!

***

After advancing a little further, we suddenly heard a small explosion in the distance.

Boom.

The sound of an explosion meant a trap had been triggered, and a triggered trap meant someone was there.

And that “someone” could only be the remaining member of Team 3.

“Fufu… Gotcha, you little bastard.”

With a sly grin, Shin Byeong-cheol led the group forward.

As expected, we soon came face-to-face with the remaining member and it turned out to be someone I knew.

I greeted him cheerfully while waving my hand.

“Hey, Hyeong-taek! How’s it going?”

“……”

The moment our eyes met, Son Hyeong-taek’s face twisted into a grimace.

It seemed like the painful memories from the battles in the Lava Zone and the Cloud Stairs were coming back to him.

Swimming in lava couldn’t have been a pleasant experience for him.

To make matters worse, his expression grew even darker when he noticed Shin Byeong-cheol standing beside us. It wasn’t just two people; there were three of us.

“So you guys teamed up, huh? What a bunch of dirty cheaters.”

“Hyeong-taek, are you really in a position to say something like that?”

After all, back in the three-way battle in the Lava Zone, hadn’t he formed a temporary alliance with Kang Hee-chan to take me down first?

And then he turned on Kang Hee-chan and stabbed him in the back too.

“……”

Son Hyeong-taek, while sly, wasn’t shameless, and he seemed at a loss for words as the memory of that time flashed through his mind.

Eventually, he must have decided there was no chance of winning. He turned to leave, but—

“Hyeong-taek, where do you think you’re going?”

An ice wall suddenly shot up, cutting off his escape route.

Son Hyeong-taek clicked his tongue softly and threw a punch with all his strength.

“Like this is going to stop me—!”

Boom!

But all he managed to do was leave a dent in the ice wall.

Even Cha Hyeon-joo or Jeong Jin-myeong would have trouble breaking through it easily, so how could a single punch possibly do the trick?

If it had worked, he’d be considered a promising student by now.

I asked him,

“That wall’s a bit tougher than you expected, huh?”

“Grrr!”

Perhaps deciding that he had nothing left to lose, Son Hyeong-taek finally charged straight at us.

I looked at him with pity in my eyes.

“Hyeong-taek, I really think that’s a terrible choice.”

“What the hell else am I supposed to do?!”

“That’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own.”

I shrugged my shoulders and reached my hand out in front of me.

Whoosh—

A whirlwind infused with physical force wrapped around Son Hyeong-taek, locking him in place.

As luck would have it, he had just stepped on a magical trap.

The magic circle beneath his feet began glowing red, while Shin Byeong-cheol started flinging chopsticks all around. The traps activated and began assaulting him.

Flames erupted beneath him, while sharp weapons rained down from above.

Whooooooosh—!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

“Aaaagh!!”

Before long, Son Hyeong-taek was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed he had quickly run out of health and become incapacitated.

Now, only the three of us remained in the labyrinth.

Seo Ye-in silently stared at Shin Byeong-cheol.

“Finish you off.”

Then she raised her frying pan and slowly began to approach him.

Shin Byeong-cheol stepped back and started waving his hands frantically to keep her at a distance.

“Whoa, whoa! Wait a second! Just hold on!”

“……?”

“Why are you so quick to try and smash someone’s skull in? Can’t I just forfeit instead?”

Seo Ye-in turned her head toward me and her eyes silently asked, “Can’t I just hit him?” I slowly shook my head.

There was no need to resort to violence now that it was all over.

Seo Ye-in let out a faint sigh of disappointment and lowered her frying pan. As soon as she did, Shin Byeong-cheol hastily declared his forfeit and fled the labyrinth as if he was running for his life.

Shortly after, the scoreboard displayed the match results.

[Kim Ho, Seo Ye-in 1st Place]

“Good work. Let’s get some rest.”

“Kim Ho pillow.”

Seo Ye-in looked up at me and spoke.

Her gray eyes sparkled brightly.

I guess I can make an exception today.

Thinking back, Seo Ye-in had even turned down my offer to lend her a hoodie last week and had been cutting back on her sleep to train.

On top of that, she tackled this duel battle with energy, so it seemed only fair to offer her some sort of reward.

So I nodded readily.

“Alright, you can use me as a pillow.”

But Seo Ye-in’s eyes continued to shine as she added an unexpected comment.

“Today is the day to do it.”