The Support Ate it All

On Sunday, most of the graduate mentors, including Ahn Jung-mi and the shrewd-looking graduate, boarded the train to leave Dungeon Island.

After seeing them off, I went straight to the training center.

Something will definitely happen during the midterms.

By eliminating one of the Blood Cult elders in advance, I had partially disrupted their plans but they wouldn’t give up that easily.

Rather than scrapping their plan at this point, they would choose to proceed with one screw loose.

It was certain they were going to pull something.

And now with just a few days left before the midterms, all I could do was…

Skill training.

To get a little stronger.

[Acquired ‘Air Burst (F+)’.]

My top priority was to complete the [Spiral Explosion] skill.

To achieve that, I needed to raise all three prerequisite skills—Twister, One Point Explosion, and Air Burst—to C rank.

The first two were done so the only one left was Air Burst.

Whoosh—

When I operated the terminal attached to the training room wall, a wooden dummy appeared and clattered in front of me.

A mass of wind gathered and condensed above my hand.

I sent it flying straight at the wooden dummy.

The speed was comparable to throwing a soccer ball; at best, it was fast but not exceptionally so.

When the wind mass hit,

Bang—!

The wooden dummy shattered and scattered wooden fragments everywhere.

Though it was hard to aim, the impact was quite powerful when it connected.

And hitting the target frequently was the way to raise Air Burst’s rank.

I manipulated the terminal to replace the dummy with a new one.

This time, I increased the wood’s durability slightly,

Clatter, clatter,

And made it scuttle left and right vigorously.

I observed the movement of the dummy, predicted its path, and launched another Air Burst.

Bang! Bang!

I gradually accelerated my training.

I changed the material from wood to iron, increased the number of dummies, increased their speed, and enhanced the AI so they could dodge incoming attacks automatically.

Bang! Bang!

As I relentlessly hit the wildly moving dummies with Air Burst and smashed them all,

[‘Air Burst’ rank has increased. (F+ -> E+)]

The rank quickly went up a level.

Compared to other skills, it wasn’t of high rank which made it relatively easy to rank up.

I immediately used the Rank Up (E) I had obtained from the game center.

[Used ‘Rank Up (E)’]

[‘Air Burst’ grade has increased. (E+ -> D+)]

I’ll keep pushing forward.

Bang!

There was one more skill I needed to rank up.

I settled in the Mana Cultivation Room and took out the [Sealing Demon Box] from my inventory.

I had left the [Purification Talisman] attached to it, and now the once pure white talisman was burned black, leaving only a black rectangular mark.

When I lightly touched it, black ash scattered.

The purification talisman gradually consumes itself as it purifies or neutralizes demonic energy.

The fact that it had turned to ash meant it had fulfilled its role.

The interior of the Sealing Demon Box needed to be checked, but I guessed it had neutralized quite a bit, even if not completely purified.

I untangled the gold string wrapped around the Sealing Demon Box and removed each of the talismans stuck to it one by one.

When I half-opened the lid,

Ssssss…

Black energy slowly seeped out.

Although it was considerably neutralized, demonic energy was still demonic energy.

Its venomous presence was undeniable.

I straightened my index finger and cast Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger.

Crackle,

My finger instantly froze solid and turned into an icicle.

The cold seemed not to be satisfied with just swallowing my finger, it tried to enter my hand, was repelled by elemental resistance, and then tried to enter again and again.

In that state, I thrust my hand into the half-opened Sealing Demon Box.

The seeping demonic energy eagerly clung to my index finger.

I maintained the Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger for a while,

This should be enough.

After some time had passed, I withdrew my hand which was now blackened from being eroded by the demonic energy.

When I dropped a few droplets of the basic elixir on it, it quickly returned to normal.

The method to synthesize demonic energy with attributes.

It involved using the demonic energy from the Sealing Demon Box.

Using condensed demonic energy made the process significantly faster than ordinary methods.

If it hadn’t been neutralized by the purification talisman, it would have been even faster.

But the side effects would have been greater too.

Therefore, it was necessary to reduce the side effects to a level that could be managed with a basic elixir.

And the current speed was sufficient.

I will finish this before the midterms.

The goal was to reach B-rank.

I cast the Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger again and thrust my hand into the Sealing Demon Box.

Monday’s class.

All the students were focused intently on every word from Teacher Lee Soo-dok.

They weren’t exactly scared by the intense atmosphere but rather showed a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

Finally, Teacher Lee Soo-dok brought up the topic they had been waiting for.

“Like I announced two weeks ago, this week is midterm week. After revealing the exam content today, you’ll have a brief preparation time on Monday and Tuesday, and the midterms will be held over three days starting Wednesday.”

This meant we would spend Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday inside a dungeon.

First, Lee Soo-dok revealed the environment.

MAP: [Deserted Island]

Various scenes of the deserted island appeared on the screen projected on the blackboard.

Tropical rainforest, caves, ruined buildings, wandering monsters.

“It is an enormous artificial dungeon created by Dragon Slayer Academy. All first-year students will enter this deserted island to take the exam. And of course, a deserted island needs appropriate rules.”

The screens on the blackboard vanished and were replaced by the rules.

RULE: [Survival][Double][Crystal]

“I will now explain the most important [Survival] rule. First, your inventory will be sealed for the three days you are in the dungeon.”

“…….!”

The students’ faces turned pale with shock.

Having their inventories sealed would essentially make them primitive humans during the midterms.

Those who had stocked up on items from the marketplace would be even more shocked.

Regardless, Lee Soo-dok continued his explanation without a care.

“You can only carry two items and your uniform. Don’t even think about sneaking items into a space backpack. That trick wouldn’t work.”

“……!”

“You’ll have to be self-sufficient in the dungeon for everything else. Although there will occasionally be supply drops.”

He added a meaningful comment. This likely meant that they wouldn’t be given away for free.

The [Double] was a rule that had already appeared frequently and didn’t need further explanation.

It meant scores would be given in pairs.

So, Lee Soo-dok moved on to the [Crystal] rule.

On the podium, he placed red, blue, yellow, and green crystals.

“As you can see, there are four types of crystals. At the end of the midterms, the grading will be based on how many ‘charged’ crystals you possess.”

Example 1 appeared on the blackboard.

All four crystals were charged and glowing brightly.

“For each type of charged crystal, you earn 500 points, for a total of 2,000 points. Additionally, the awarded point multiplier is four times.”

“……!”

This meant charging all four types of crystals would grant a whopping 8,000 points.

The students were more shocked than when the survival rules were explained.

Some were already showing signs of excitement and anticipation.

Next, Example 2 appeared on the blackboard.

Only the red and blue crystals were glowing, while the yellow one was merely held but not lit.

“Uncharged crystals are excluded from scoring. In this example, only the red and blue crystals are counted, for a total of 1,000 points.”

In other words, just holding uncharged crystals meant nothing.

However, even with just two charged crystals, like in Example 2, you could earn 1,000 points which multiplied to 4,000 points.

At this point, many students might be thinking it was best to aim for a middle ground.

But would that be as easy as they think?

Example 3 appeared on the blackboard.

Four red crystals were charged.

“One red crystal is worth 500 points, and each additional red crystal gives 250 points. In this example, the total is 1,250 points.”

“……!”

“You are free to collect points by gathering any type of crystal in any way you choose.”

For example, you can trade with other students to collect one of each color crystal,

Or you can steal them.

Having more crystals always means more points, so it’s beneficial.

Therefore, it’s not just about charging the crystals but also about keeping them safe for three days without losing them.

Even holding onto two will be difficult.

At that moment, a student cautiously raised their hand.

“Excuse me, teacher.”

When Lee Soo-dok nodded for them to speak, the student asked their question.

“But… how do we get the crystals?”

“Good question. Crystals can be obtained in various ways on the deserted island. For example,”

The screen displayed goblins, trolls, ogres, and various other monsters.

“If you defeat these creatures, they will ‘occasionally’ drop crystals.”

And although Lee Soo-dok didn’t go into detail, the stronger the monster, the higher the drop rate.

In other words, it’s better to defeat one ogre than to take down hundreds of goblins.

“Of course, like I mentioned earlier, there isn’t just one way to obtain crystals. You will need to use everything you’ve learned since entering this Dragon Slayer Academy.”

This meant that although it wasn’t explicitly stated in the rules, elements of duel battles and strategy battles we had experienced would be integrated throughout the dungeon.

Lee Soo-dok concluded the class by advising us to think carefully and prepare thoroughly.

He then stared at me for a while before turning his back and leaving the classroom.

He looks scary.

He really makes people uncomfortable.

He had been glancing at me during class as usual, but it felt more intense after the questioning session the other day.

It didn’t seem like he had discovered my Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger or the graffiti, but he must have sensed something.

Since it wasn’t an issue I could address immediately, I decided to focus on the task at hand.

First, I pulled up the newly arrived side quest.

[Side Quest: 9th Week Midterms]

▷Goal: Charge the Crystals

Red (0/1), Blue (0/1),

Yellow (0/1), Green (0/1),

▷Reward: Varies based on performance.

The side quest rewards were tailored and designed to provide items, skills, or traits necessary for the player’s growth.

And since the midterms and finals were more difficult than other side quests, the rewards were also much more generous.

If all four types of crystals were fully charged and the side quest cleared with the highest achievement, the reward would be:

Fixed Pin.

An extraordinary item that allowed a copied skill or trait to become completely one’s own.

It was something I absolutely had to get. No matter what.

Then, let’s start preparing step by step.

The first thing to decide was, of course, who to pair up with.

As soon as class ended, two strong candidates approached me.

To my right was Go Hyeon-woo with his eyes sparkling.

“Kim-hyung, shall we take the midterms together?”

To my left was Seo Ye-in who was gently tugging at my sleeve.

“Let’s do it together.”

Both of them spoke at the same time.

And their gazes clashed in mid-air.