The Support Ate it All

[Kim Ho, 683 points, 38%]

My score found its place around the middle of the leaderboard.

Perhaps due to the overall high level of this year’s batch, it had fallen a bit short of my expectations.

Still, this should be sufficient for me to finish the strategy battle test in the upper middle range without any issues.

By this stage of the placement test, the topics of conversation among the first years had been divided into two main themes.

The leaderboard and the test content.

And most of the talk about the test content was filled with complaints.

– Damn, I totally got wrecked.

– Me too. When I went in, it was like my body wasn’t my own. It wouldn’t listen to me.

– Never thought I’d see the day when fighting a goblin would be tough.

– The seniors are going to hate it.

The more skills and traits one usually boasts, the more profoundly they will feel the impact of the F-rank fixed zone.

It’s going to be quite a struggle to get used to it.

I understand why they dislike it, but there’s really no other choice.

The [Fixed Zone] isn’t a common rule, but it pops up every now and then, just when you’re about to forget it.

Several infamous boss monsters were placed in their dungeons, which led to disasters where even well-performing parties were annihilated in the fixed zone.

If one didn’t want to become the protagonist of such a disaster they had no choice but to quickly get used to this rule.

[Lee Seong-hyeon, 951 points, 1st place]

[Han So-mi, 928 points, 2nd place]

[Mo Yong-jun, 903 points, 3rd place]

The top ranks lived up to their reputation even under such harsh conditions.

The names surrounding Han So-mi must have been the promising students I heard about from Shin Byeong-cheol.

Lee Seong-hyeon was the son of a Sword Master, and Mo Yong-jun was the grandson of a Sword Saint.

If their skills were at a similar level to Han So-mi, then,

Go Hyeon-woo might stand a chance.

That guy hadn’t been outmatched in swordsmanship when he faced Han So-mi on the train.

If only in swordsmanship, the syllogism of Go Hyeon-woo = Han So-mi = the promising students could be established.

With the rules being the fixed zone and the spec elements almost completely excluded, the likelihood of him ranking high was very strong.

I was quite curious to see how many points he would score.

I didn’t find his figure when looking around, and I didn’t see his name on the leaderboard so he must still be taking the test.

As I alternated my gaze between the leaderboard and the teleportation portal while waiting, Seo Ye-in emerged before Go Hyeon-woo did.

She moved her head slowly as if looking around, and then upon spotting me, she approached.

I asked her.

“How was it? Did good?”

“…. It was tough.”

[Seo Ye-in, 781 points, 21%]

Though she said it was tough, her score wasn’t too shabby.

The fixed zone was a very unfavorable rule for magic-based classes such as gunslingers and mages.

They had to score points with extremely limited magical power.

While high scores weren’t impossible, it was easier for someone like me who relied on physical strength to smash through everything.

Considering that, as a gunslinger, securing a top 21% ranking on her first try was quite commendable.

Seeing that she still held her rifle, it seemed she had followed the strategy I suggested to her earlier.

– Wow!

Right then, exclamations erupted among the students who were watching the leaderboard.

The reason was clear.

The first place has been updated.

[Go Hyeon-woo, 1,023 points, 1st place] New!

[Lee Seong-hyeon, 951 points, 2nd place]

[Han So-mi, 928 points, 3rd place]

“Oh.”

I thought there was actually a very high chance of him ranking very high, but he ended up taking the top spot.

And that too, with a significant margin over the second place.

The audience was ecstatic as if it were their own achievement.

Because they experienced it themselves, they knew how impressive that score was.

– So, 1,000 points were possible… I am less than nothing in comparison…

– Which club is he with? The sword club?

– No, he’s not in our club.

– I checked; he’s unaffiliated.

– An unaffiliated student just beat all the promising ones and took first place.

– Didn’t he fight Jo Byeok in the duel match earlier?

– I think so.

– No wonder, he was good even back then.

– I need to check out the replay later.

All eyes were on Go Hyeon-woo as he walked confidently through the crowd.

Go Hyeon-woo then expressed his gratitude to me.

“It’s all thanks to you, Kim-hyung.”

“Not really. You’re the one who did well.”

“No, if I hadn’t regained my strength during lunchtime, I wouldn’t have been able to score so high.”

Was that really the case?

Though it seemed a bit of an overinterpretation, it wasn’t entirely incorrect.

Since the crowd was closely watching Go Hyeon-woo’s every move, naturally, their attention also drifted to me who standing beside him.

– Who’s that guy next to him?

– Isn’t he the one who forfeited against Song Cheon-hye?

– Oh, that coward?

– Is he already clinging to Go Hyeon-woo?

– There’s always someone like that. They should use that effort to improve their skills.

Even though I was just having a normal conversation with Go Hyeon-woo, my image seemed to be deteriorating in real-time, perhaps due to the poor first impression.

There was no way Go Hyeon-woo, with his keen ears, didn’t hear such murmuring.

His expression hardened in an instant.

I stopped Go Hyeon-woo as he seemed about to rebuke the crowd.

“Forget it, let it be.”

“But, Kim-hyung…”

“It’s okay, really.”

“…Alright. If that’s what you wish, Kim-hyung.”

As I cut him off decisively, he closed his mouth and suppressed his anger.

His expression remained stern though.

The murmurs continued for a while but they didn’t last long.

After all, it was the first day of the semester and there was only so much they could gossip about me.

Attention soon shifted to Song Cheon-hye who had just finished her test.

“……”

Unlike other students who emerged exhausted and staggering from their tests, Song Cheon-hye walked with perfect composure and didn’t show any signs of disarray.

As she passed by with her measured stride, she slowed down for a moment and glanced at me from the corner of her eye.

And then she continued on her way.

I suddenly found myself curious about her score.

I started reading the leaderboard from the top, but…

She’s not there.

Even after scanning about 40% of the list, Song Cheon-hye’s name was nowhere to be found.

I didn’t feel like searching any further.

If she’s not in the top ranks, then it doesn’t matter.

It seemed she hadn’t scored particularly well.

Considering that even mages struggle in the fixed zone, her performance wasn’t entirely surprising.

As I was about to dismiss the thought, I kept feeling someone’s gaze on me.

“……”

It was Song Cheon-hye, stealing glances in my direction.

Her look wasn’t the usual displeasure she showed, but rather, it seemed like she was cautiously observing me.

Whenever our eyes met, she quickly turned her head away.

Why is she like that again?

***

Song Cheon-hye was in quite the low spirits.

Though her spirits had been low since the morning, when looking back, they plummeted sharply around lunchtime.

After finishing the duel battle test, which was messy in many ways, she ordered dessert in an attempt to lift her spirits.

Strawberry and whipped cream cake.

It was a popular dessert among female students, made in limited quantities every day at a high-end bakery in the downtown area.

She had heard rumors that this cake was so delicious even before entering school, so she had high expectations and finally the time had come for her to get it.

But then…

“It’s sold out…”

Its popularity also meant fierce competition.

This competition was strictly first-come, first-served.

Status or background made no difference here.

After all, everyone’s background was formidable.

As a result, Song Cheon-hye tasted the bitterness of defeat instead of sweet whipped cream.

Han So-mi comforted the downcast Song Cheon-hye.

“Cheon-hye, cheer up. They’ll have it next time. Let’s eat this today.”

Han So-mi shared half of her sweet red bean jelly with her.

Although it was hard to understand why she favored sweet red bean jelly among so many snacks, Song Cheon-hye found it surprisingly pleasant as she ate.

And her mood seemed to improve a bit.

However…

Just when Song Cheon-hye’s spirits seemed to be lifting, they quickly plummeted again.

After checking the dessert coupon usage history she had sent to Kim Ho.

There it was, the strawberry and whipped cream cake she had missed out on.

Song Cheon-hye’s slender fingers trembled.

That guy…!

Actually, if she thought about it calmly, she had no reason to be angry.

It was her own lightning magic that caused the cookie to fall to the ground.

And she was the one who first suggested sending him the dessert coupon.

It was purely coincidental that Kim Ho used the coupon to buy the strawberry and whipped cream cake.

But that was a rational thought.

Emotionally, it felt like the cake she had been longing for was snatched away from her.

Honestly, though she knew she was at fault, did exchanging a piece of cookie for a slice of premium cake sound even remotely close to a fair trade?

Song Cheon-hye aggressively devoured the remaining sweet red bean jelly with those thoughts in her mind.

***

That must have been the reason.

Why she found herself sending displeased glances towards that man.

Even though she decided to ignore him, her gaze kept drifting his way.

Kim Ho was chatting with a gray-haired female student.

Seo Ye-in. She remembered her clearly as her opponent from the duel battle test.

As Seo Ye-in was preparing to enter the dungeon, Kim Ho advised her.

– It might be better to switch to a rifle.

– If you feel that mana management is becoming difficult, just focus on headshots for those that get close.

How ridiculous.

Where did he get the confidence to give such advice so freely?

He was a caster, yet daring to give tips to a gunslinger?

And how was he so sure that a rifle would be better than a pistol in the dungeon?

What if something went wrong? Could he take responsibility?

Even more astonishing was that Seo Ye-in actually took his advice at face value.

Song Cheon-hye sighed in disbelief as she watched Seo Ye-in obediently switch to a rifle.

“Huh.”

It’s disheartening when the person in question is acting like that…

Now she didn’t care anymore. Let them be, they would figure it out on their own.

Accepting advice was Seo Ye-in’s choice, as was dealing with the consequences.

After Seo Ye-in and Kim Ho disappeared into the portal, Song Cheon-hye’s name was called.

“Cheon-hye, fighting~”

Leaving Han So-mi’s cheers behind, Song Cheon-hye stepped into the misty forest.

And there she encountered hell.

Her entire body felt heavy as if drenched cotton was soaked in water.

When she checked her status window, all her stats had plummeted to F-rank.

Her usually abundant mana had also dwindled to a mere trickle as her [Core] dropped to an F-rank.

What can I even do with this meager…

To make matters worse, most of her favored lightning spells were ineffective.

[Chain Lightning], [Thunder Zone], [Lightning Whip]…

All her area-of-effect spells, which could easily annihilate dozens of goblins, now only slowed their movements slightly and that was it.

She had anticipated a decrease in power, but not to this extent.

“What should I do now…”

The plan she had formed before entering the dungeon had become utterly useless.

Magic was ineffective, time was passing, and the number of monsters was increasing.

Her mind turned blank in confusion.

Then, it happened.

The man’s advice suddenly came to mind.

– It might be better to switch to a rifle.

Even as she frowned, wondering why this thought came to her, Song Cheon-hye continued pondering.

Why did he suggest switching to a rifle?

The biggest difference between a pistol and a rifle would be multiple light shots versus a single heavy shot.

Maybe…

Song Cheon-hye raised one of her hands.

The electric current generated on the black glove coalesced and compressed, forming a sphere the size of a baseball.

The F-rank single-target spell, [Thunder Ball].

When she hurled it at an approaching goblin,

“kwaeaeg!”

[+4 points]

It worked surprisingly well.

That was it. If area-of-effect spells didn’t work, she could use single-target spells.

How had she not thought of something so simple?

Song Cheon-hye kept throwing [Thunder Ball].

“I must be a retard.”

“I must be an idiot.”

“I must be a retarded idiot!”

She repeated to herself with each throw.

But soon, she hit another limit.

My mana…

It wasn’t completely depleted, but there was too little left for the remaining time.

Moreover, the increasing number of orcs and trolls made [Thunder Ball] less effective.

Then, Kim Ho’s second piece of advice echoed in her ears.

– If you feel that mana management is becoming difficult, just focus on headshots for those that get close.

Only headshots for the ones that get close.

If I interpret this for myself…

Suddenly, a sense of rebellion stirred in a corner of her heart.

Do I really have to do as he said?

I thought his idea was ridiculous earlier.

Don’t you have any pride?

But it’s still better than retiring…

Images of the eliminated participants rolling on the ground flashed in her mind.

The thought of ending up in such an embarrassing state was unbearable to her.

Just imagining it made her face burn with humiliation.

I absolutely can’t let that happen!

Song Cheon-hye made her decision.

She would choose the lesser of the two evils.

[Lightning Enchant]

She wrapped currents of electricity around her gloved fists.

Then, she assumed a clumsy fighting stance.

It felt like the first time she was fighting this way since kindergarten, but what other choice did she have?

“Grrrrr…”

A troll stood right in front of her and growled menacingly.

Maybe because it was in the fixed zone, it seemed twice as big as the ones she had defeated before.

“…!!”

With her eyes tightly shut, Song Cheon-hye thrust her fist forward.

***

[Remaining Time: 0:00]

[Current Score: 571 Points]

As soon as the remaining time hit zero, the monsters that had been charging at her all evaporated.

The misty forest regained its initial stillness.

Only then did Song Cheon-hye let out a deep sigh and collapsed on the spot.

It’s over, finally…

She lasted 10 minutes.

For those 10 minutes, she managed to survive.

She was never so glad to see the exit open its mouth.

Wait a minute.

Just as Song Cheon-hye was about to step outside, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Looking at herself, she realized she looked no better than a ghost.

After all, in the final moments, she had been grappling and wildly swinging her fists at the monsters.

In any case, she couldn’t go out looking like this.

– Fzzzt

A short current of electricity buzzed at the tips of Song Cheon-hye’s fingers.

As she brushed it from the top of her head down, her disheveled hair was instantly neatened.

She tidied her hair into a neat bun, straightened her clothes, and finally, sent another current through to blow away every speck of dust on her body.

[Would you like to save the replay?]

[Accept/Decline]

“Never. Absolutely not.”

She couldn’t bear the thought of this embarrassing history being saved, even in death.

***

When she stepped outside, Song Cheon-hye caught the attention of the other students as usual.

Despite enduring ten hellish minutes in the fixed zone, she appeared completely unruffled and perfectly in control of herself. The others even let out an impressed sigh at her composure.

There were already those searching for her name on the leaderboard.

But they would not find it easily.

[Song Cheon-hye, 571 points, 47%]

Her score was much lower than what they might have expected.

It didn’t meet the reputation of the Topaz Magic Tower, but that wasn’t important to Song Cheon-hye at the moment.

I want something sweet…

She promised herself to buy strawberry milk after it ended.

Song Cheon-hye, who was walking back with a graceful gait, spotted Kim Ho in the crowd.

She suddenly felt embarrassed.

The realization hit her that she had overheard, dismissed, and, ultimately, survived thanks to his advice.

Song Cheon-hye quickened her pace slightly.