The Support Ate it All

Chapter 113: Downtown Area (4)

Did the butler like spicy food?

Seo Ye-in had chosen the gift with genuinely pure intentions, but would the butler really like the Hellfire Pizza Bread?

Or was she merely teasing her?

Several questions arose in my mind, but it already seemed like it wasn’t my place to get involved.

For now, I decided to just watch and see what would happen.

Just as we had decided our next destination while eating honey toast, we headed to a game center where one could win dolls.

After leaving the bakery, Seo Ye-in and I walked leisurely, almost as if strolling, toward the bustling heart of the downtown area.

As we got closer to the center of the downtown area, popping sound effects began to ring in my ears.

The sound effects became clearer with each step, and soon a game center that was illuminated by flashing lights and lined with various arcade machines came into view.

The noise intensified as we stepped into the game center where a cacophony of different sound effects, barely comprehensible shouts, yells, and cheers all converged.

– Did you hit the high score?

– No, stop using that trick!

– That’s not how you do it.

– I lost, but it was a good fight.

“…”

And there was Seo Ye-in who was quietly covering her ears with both hands.

Her expressionless face was clearly marked with displeasure.

I had a feeling it would be like this.

Of all the places we had visited together so far, this game center was by far the loudest.

It didn’t seem right to stay long.

I gestured and mouthed to Seo Ye-in.

– Let’s just quickly look at the dolls.

– Mhmm.

We first scanned the rows of claw machines which were relatively easy.

The dolls were piled up like a mountain and it seemed like we might snag something.

“…”

Seo Ye-in stared into the claw machine for a long while but nothing seemed to catch her eye.

This won’t do.

Clunk,

But we couldn’t just leave.

I put a silver coin in the claw machine and snagged a shark doll in one go.

I handed it to Seo Ye-in and moved on quickly.

Next were the dolls displayed at the prize corner.

These were slightly more difficult ones that could be obtained by clearing several mini-games in succession.

A large panda, a long anaconda, a starfish, a penguin…

“…”

Seo Ye-in’s interest gauge seemed to increase slightly as if she was curious for a moment, but it quickly plummeted to the bottom.

This won’t work either.

Shoo shoo shoo!

I cleared the mini-games at the speed of light and wrapped the anaconda doll I won around Seo Ye-in’s neck.

Then we moved to the next and final destination.

A special area set aside in one corner of the game center.

Looking inside, the facilities were almost similar to the rest but this area was unusually quiet.

There were fewer than ten people playing the mini-games inside and all of them were students.

Ordinary people either didn’t step foot inside or left quickly if they did.

Seo Ye-in tilted her head curiously and asked with her eyes, “What is this place for?”

“The student corner.”

This area of the game center was designated solely for the students of Dragon Slayer Academy.

As soon as we entered the student corner, the noise that had been filling my ears noticeably decreased.

The reason was the soundproofing magic applied to both the interior and exterior.

Of course, there were plenty of arcade machines and students actively playing so it was far from quiet.

Still, the level of noise was tolerable enough that Seo Ye-in removed her hands from her ears.

Looking around at the students engaged in the games…

Most were third-year students with a few second-year students.

Like the shuttle bus, there were no first-year students at all.

Unlike other areas, the atmosphere here wasn’t one of enjoyment but rather everyone was playing the games with a markedly serious demeanor.

Why? Because “they aren’t here for fun”.

The main reason for their seriousness can be attributed to the cost of playing games in this student corner, which is paid in “Dragon Slayer Academy Tokens”.

These tokens are sold exclusively at the student store.

And the price?

300 points each.

Considering it’s just for a single game, the cost is quite high.

To put it in perspective, let’s compare it to this week’s strategy battle where Song Cheon-hye and I brainstormed various tactics and after numerous trials, we scored 925 points.

We then applied the ground floor strategy multiplier of 0.8 to receive 740 points.

However, a couple of games at the game center could just evaporate those 600 points.

While sales of replays do bring in more revenue, the fact remains that 300 points per token is a significant burden.

In the long run, spending 500 points for access to the special training room might be a more constructive use of points.

Therefore, first-year students don’t even dare to try and even second- and third-year seniors play the games with such gravity.

So why are they intensely investing 300 points in these mini-games?

Seo Ye-in and I looked at a bulletin board set up on one side.

<This Week’s Prize List>

[Invisibility Scroll – Armor]

[Equipment Enhancement Stones]*2

[Random Rank Up]*3

[All-in-One Skin Whitening Cream]

…

The prize list was updated randomly every week.

Nine out of ten items were cosmetic or decorative and not directly related to one’s combat abilities.

Examples include the [Invisibility Scroll], which makes unsightly armor invisible, and the [All-in-One Skin Whitening Cream], which combines skin lightening with other cosmetic benefits.

However, some prizes directly enhance performance.

[Random Rank Up] upgrades a random skill or trait,

[Equipment Enhancement Stones] are one of the few ways to improve the performance of equipment.

Naturally, I came here targeting these performance-enhancing items.

While we were looking through the list, Seo Ye-in mentioned one of the prizes.

“A tiger doll?”

It likely caught her eye simply because it was “a doll” but now that it had, she seemed curious to find out more about it.

Then our gazes met with the majestic tiger doll sitting proudly on the prize display.

It was roughly the size of a large dog and from the features of its face to the tip of its tail, the details were excessively well-defined.

At a glance, one might easily mistake it for a real tiger.

“………”

Seo Ye-in approached the tiger doll and after a moment, stared intently at it. As if engaging in a silent staring contest.

She then pressed its nose and cheeks with her index finger.

Seeing her fingertip sink into the plush, it was clear the object was indeed a doll.

“…”

Seo Ye-in couldn’t take her eyes off the tiger doll.

She was obviously captivated by it.

I asked her,

“Do you want it? The tiger.”

“Mhmm.”

It was good that she had found a doll she wanted to have.

The next issue, then, was how to acquire it.

This was the second reason the seniors were so seriously engrossed in the mini-games.

[Tiger Doll]

▷Acquisition condition: Watch the ending credits

This was because there was a condition attached to obtaining the prize.

The condition to get this tiger doll was to watch the ending credits.

No matter which game was chosen, one had to complete it to the end.

And if you died along the way, you had to use the “Continue” option which meant inserting tokens each time.

That meant each death required an additional 300 points.

When I explained this, Seo Ye-in quietly listened and then said,

“I have a lot of points.”

“Oh? How much?”

Seo Ye-in pulled out her student ID and checked the point balance on the back.

“20,000.”

“That’s quite a lot.”

Currently, the only ways for a first-year to earn points were by conquering ground-floor dungeons and selling replays.

The fact that she had accumulated 20,000 points meant that, although she wasn’t on par with Go Hyeon-woo or other promising students, Seo Ye-in’s replays were selling quite well.

Of course, even with a hefty balance, constantly dying like it was nothing could quickly deplete 20,000 points.

“Maybe we should try to increase it a bit.”

So it wouldn’t hurt to secure a few more tokens in advance.

Before entering the main game, I took Seo Ye-in to a slot machine in one corner.

The operation of the slot machine was simple.

You put in a token, pull the lever, and the machine gives back tokens based on the results.

It could return five or ten tokens and even thirty if you hit the jackpot, but you’d get zero if you had mediocre luck.

It meant swallowing up 300 points and then nothing.

But what if our lucky charm here pulls the lever?

What if Seo Ye-in who had extraordinary luck tried her hand?

It was definitely worth getting our hopes up.

After exchanging a glance with me, Seo Ye-in purchased a few tokens at the student store.

As she did, several coins clinked into existence out of thin air.

Seo Ye-in inserted a token into the slot machine and pulled the lever; the machine shuddered and spat out four tokens.

The start is decent enough…

Seo Ye-in inserted another token and pulled the lever again. This time the machine dispensed two tokens.

On her third attempt, she put in one token and got one back, breaking even.

It seems to be going just as expected.

The hypothesis I had formed while she was opening the Black Death Random Boxes seemed somewhat validated.

Seo Ye-in seemed to have a virtual “luck battery” trait, where once a jackpot was hit, a significant amount of her luck would deplete.

Continuing to test her luck would drain the remaining battery more and more until eventually, her trait would seem almost nonexistent.

After a certain period, her luck would recharge like a battery and the jackpots would start bursting again.

Today has definitely been a jackpot.

We had drawn two A-rank bracelets; to ask for more would be shameless.

From here on out, it was only right to rely on skill.

“Let’s do this then.”

“Mhmm.”

We casually circled the student corner and started deciding which game to challenge next.

The first priority was choosing a genre Seo Ye-in was most confident in.

It wouldn’t make sense for her to suddenly become a swordfighter and expect her to perform well.

Thus, we settled on a shooting game.

Secondly, it was crucial to choose a two-player co-op game.

This place was designed for aspiring future heroes.

Given the greatly increased difficulty of the mini-games, it would be impossible for Seo Ye-in alone to cope; there was a much higher chance we would burn through all 20,000 points before even seeing the ending credits, so it was better for me to take the wheel to some extent.

With these considerations, we chose our game meticulously.

On the screen, a pair of men and women posed with pistols.

And there in front of us were two pistols that were identical to those held by the figures on the screen.

After picking up the pistols, Seo Ye-in was the first to insert a token into the arcade machine.

She then offered me a token, but I shook my head.

“I’ll use my own.”

For me, the amount of points spent was not an issue.

It was because the prize I was aiming for had slightly tougher conditions to meet compared to others.

[Random Rank Up]*3

▷Acquisition Condition 1: See the ending credits

▷Acquisition Condition 2: Use no more than five tokens

The condition to see the ending credits was the same for Seo Ye-in, but the moment “Continue” exceeded four times, we would have to abandon this reward.

This meant we had to play with great care while valuing each attempt.

Typically, even the second and third-years wouldn’t dare attempt such difficulty.

But for me, it was merely a laugh-worthy challenge.

No need to even use up to five tokens.

I planned to finish with just one coin.

At this point, I recalled various nicknames I had earned at the game.

The S-rank Hero Factory, the Graduates’ Manufacturing Machine, the Top Ranker, the Strongest Support, the God of the Fixed Zone,

And,

The Mini-game Demon King.