The Support Ate it All

Since the chase was over, the disciplinary committee members patrolled the train as usual.

“Was there a need to let him off?”

Song Cheon-hye glanced over her shoulder with a fleeting look.

The one who broke the silence was Geum Jo-han, a fellow member of the disciplinary committee just like her.

Ever since their first meeting, he had constantly engaged her in conversation, even over trivial matters.

She was aware that his actions stemmed from kindness but she had no intention of returning the favor.

However, to maintain harmony in group settings she couldn’t completely ignore him either.

In the end, Song Cheon-hye sighed inwardly and responded.

“What are you talking about?”

“That guy who butted in talking about cookies or something. If it were me, I would’ve shown him what’s what just out of annoyance, but he seemed fine even after taking your Hummingbird.”

Han So-mi also nodded in agreement and added her two cents.

“Right, you went easy on him at the end, didn’t you? Your control over your spells has improved~”

“…….”

Jo Byeok was silent by his nature so he didn’t say anything, but his demeanor equally suggested agreement with the other two’s words.

Song Cheon-hye suddenly remembered something and stopped for a moment.

Geum Jo-han asked her.

“What’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing.”

She pretended like nothing was wrong and resumed walking but her mind was now twice as cluttered.

Honestly, the man’s interference had been completely unexpected.

Because it was so sudden, it had momentarily disrupted her focus, and embarrassingly, her control over the Hummingbird was a beat too slow.

When she saw the lightning explode against the man’s hand, her heart sank.

Did I accidentally harm an innocent person?

But somehow, that man had taken the full brunt of her Hummingbird and remained unscathed.

Not just unscathed, but he looked to be unaffected altogether.

Even the expert in the Magic Tower would have shown a brief disruption in their movements if they were hit, but that guy just brushed it off.

How is this possible?

A vague sense of unease took on a more concrete shape in her mind.

Song Cheon-hye mulled over the recent events.

She found the situation increasingly bizarre the more she thought about it.

Did I make some rookie mistake?

Perhaps she hadn’t channeled enough magical power, or her spell was sloppy.

But her train of thought was abruptly cut short.

A voice came through the small communicator in her ear.

[There is a student conflict in cabin 4-C. Assistance is requested.]

“I’ll be right there.”

Song Cheon-hye shifted her gaze to the other members of the disciplinary committee.

It seemed they had also received the same message as they nodded in agreement.

“Let’s go.”

“That’s right.”

Then she handed the zipper bag which contained the wig to the smiling Han So-mi.

“So-mi, please take this to the station attendant. He should be around carriage 13. Also, check if there are any issues with the slot machines on your way back.”

“Okay! I’ll be back soon!”

Han So-mi waved cheerily as she departed.

Song Cheon-hye walked along the train corridor and let out a small sigh.

Let’s just forget about it for now.

There was a mountain of tasks to handle.

The oddly annoying man was also a new student this year, so all questions could be resolved later.

***

Originally, the train bound for Dragon Slayer Academy was designed as a luxury tourist train for the upper class.

Due to the complex situations of the adults involved, the project was eventually scrapped. However, Dragon Slayer Academy recognized the sturdiness and quality of the train and decided to buy it.

Now, after being remodeled to suit its intended purpose, it was running fine.

Yet, remnants of the ‘tourist train’ still lingered in various parts of the train, serving as a kind of hidden piece within <Dragon Slayer Academy>.

My goal was precisely that hidden piece.

Carriages 1 to 10 were designated for first-year students, with the following ones for second and third years.

As the two of us passed carriages 8 and 9, nearing the end of carriage 10, Go Hyeon-woo, who had been following me, seemed to realize that my destination was beyond carriage 11.

“Kim-hyung, do you have business in the second-year area?”

“In the second year area, there are second-year disciplinary committee members patrolling. It’s impossible for us to get through with our current abilities.”

“So, what then?”

“Just watch. We’re almost there.”

At the end of carriage 10, there was a large empty space.

And there, hidden within an inconspicuous corner was an old, small slot machine.

This slot machine was a remnant of the tourist train which was part of a small arcade and casino set up for guests.

Although most of it was swept away during the remodeling process, for some reason, this slot machine couldn’t be removed.

It was a typical old-fashioned slot machine, with three screens that spun when a coin was inserted and the lever was pulled.

The machine was unlit, and someone had even stuck a note over the coin slot that read “Out of Order”.

It seemed risky to insert a coin, as it might just swallow it without returning anything.

Go Hyeon-woo looked puzzled.

“Are we in the right place? It says it’s out of order…”

“We’re in the right place.”

I started by peeling off the “Out of Order” label.

In reality, it worked perfectly fine.

[Inventory]

▷5 Silver Coins

Next, I pulled out a silver coin from my inventory.

Without giving Go Hyeon-woo a chance to stop me, I quickly inserted it into the slot machine.

“…….”

“…….”

But the machine remained dark and unresponsive.

For a while, the two of us just stared at the screen without saying anything.

Go Hyeon-woo, unable to hold back any longer, opened his mouth to say something.

“Seems like it’s really broken—”

Ding Dong Ding!

Suddenly, a sound like that of an arcade game rang out, and all the lights on the slot machine started flashing wildly.

“Ooh…”

While Go Hyeon-woo let out a sound of amazement, to me, the scene was all too familiar and even somewhat boring.

This was the hidden event, the <Slot Machine That Seems Broken>.

It was an event known and played by only a select few among countless players.

The first time you board a train is at the beginning of the story before the tutorial has even been completed.

To the eyes of beginners, an old slot machine tucked away at the far end of carriage 10 would hardly catch their attention.

And even if they did notice that there was a slot machine, the bold ‘Out of Order’ sign would likely deter them from risking their precious silver coins.

Unless they knew everything about it, like I did.

When I pulled the lever, the three screens started spinning chaotically.

Whirring Whirring

Various symbols flashed by.

Ice, spider, apple, diamond, flame, elephant, mana…

And then,

[Ice] [Mana] [Water]

There was a clattering sound and an item emerged from the slot machine’s prize outlet.

It was a 500mL bottle of water. Obviously, this one was a dud.

I didn’t expect much anyway.

I inserted another coin nonchalantly and pulled the lever again.

The three screens whirled once more.

Go Hyeon-woo, who had been watching with interest, asked,

“So, Kim hyung, why did you bring me here?”

“Technically, what we’re doing is against school rules.”

“I don’t understand. It’s just an old gambling machine. How does that breach the rules?”

“It’s not the use of the machine that’s the issue. It’s the items it gives out that are problematic.”

The slot machine’s top rewards were [Dark Ice Crystal], [Cute Deadly Poison], and [Purgatory Lava].

These were all ‘prohibited items’ that students were not allowed to possess.

This means that from the moment you get one of those items you have to avoid the attention of the disciplinary committee.

“I see, then you’ll just have to look out for any trouble, won’t you?”

“Yeah. And if by chance we get caught, delaying them would be even better.”

“Hmm… We might end up dealing with those guys we saw earlier.”

“There’s a high chance of that. Does it seem difficult to you?”

I asked this as if it were a passing remark, but inwardly, I was keenly observing Go Hyeon-woo’s reaction.

In truth, it was a one-sidedly risky situation for him.

There was no real benefit for him in this, while the risks included violating school rules and potentially clashing with the disciplinary committee members.

However, Go Hyeon-woo readily nodded his head.

“I’ll give it a try. It may be hard to guarantee victory, but I can certainly buy us some time.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you would at least ponder over it a bit.”

“Haha… Once you step into something, it’s the warrior’s way to see it through to the end. Just like when I got involved in the dispute between Miss Song and Shin-hyung, there must be something more to this. You’ll explain everything later, right?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Though he spoke boldly, Go Hyeon-woo seemed slightly tense as he subtly caressed his iron sword.

I reassured him as I inserted the next coin.

“But it’s unlikely anything will happen. The disciplinary committee doesn’t come here that often. Considering the timing, they should be heading towards carriage 1 right now, so no need to worry.”

“Hello, hello! What are you doing over there?”

“?!”

“?!”

We both whipped our heads around simultaneously.

From the direction of the number 11 carriage that was located in the second-year students’ area, a female student approached us.

She wasn’t a second-year student but she was a face I had seen before.

She had a cute smiling face and a disciplinary committee armband on her arm.

It was Han Somi.

“I guess we… do need to worry after all.”

“…. She’s a disciple of the Sword Marquis, right?”

“So we’ve heard.”

It’s said that if you speak of the tiger, it appears. And there she was.