The Support Ate it All

Chapter 79: 5th Week Mentoring and Duel Battles (2)

When Kwak Ji-cheol made eye contact with me while climbing the stairs, his complexion turned a little pale and he lowered his gaze.

The memories of the day he was ruthlessly beaten to the ground must have resurfaced.

On the other hand, I no longer harbored any old grudges against Kwak Ji-cheol.

I have already vented my frustrations enough.

And so when we were close enough, I took the initiative to break the ice.

163-H?

Yes.

Youve come to the right place.

Song Cheon-Hyes attitude towards Kwak Ji-cheol wasnt as disdainful as it was when she looked at me, but it was clear she harbored a mix of complex emotions.

One of them seemed to be concern about the pairing of Kwak Ji-cheol and me.

After all, weve already dueled before, and now well be mentoring together for a month, so Im sure shes wondering if this is a good idea.

And the last member to join was even more surprising

With shoulder-length red hair, a staff inlaid with rubies,

And the person who had fought alongside me in last weeks strategy battle,

It was Hong Yeon-hwa.

Hong Yeon-hwas face was full of dissatisfaction as if there was something here that she didnt like so much.

With that unhappy expression, she scanned the seating chart,

And then her gaze shifted towards me where 163-H was,

Only to discover me sitting squarely in the same seat.

..!!

Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to freeze and she grew as still as a statue.

Her pupils darted wildly as if they were caught in an earthquake.

She swiftly turned her back and started rummaging through her belongings, likely double-checking the back of her student ID.

But just as it had been for Song Cheon-Hye and Kwak Ji-Cheol, destiny couldnt be changed.

She might as well accept it. I dont know whether it would ease her mind though.

Hong Yeon-hwa then climbed the stairs with steps as heavy as if her legs were weighed down by sandbags.

There I was, comfortably seated by myself, while the three of them awkwardly stood a little apart.

To an outsider, the scene must have looked quite comical.

So, whos going to be our mentor?

The person meant to teach us was nowhere to be seen even though all those meant to learn had already gathered.

Fortunately, the wait wasnt long.

A stir from below captured the attention of the four of us, who had been looking elsewhere, and our gazes focused on one figure.

Our mentor received those gazes calmly and continued climbing the stairs with relaxed and leisurely steps.

A third-year student and the president of the thieves club,

Dang Gyu-young.

Hello? Im your mentor.

Dang Gyu-young briefly introduced herself and sat down before she leaned against the back of the seat in front of me.

Then she flashed me a sly smile as if asking,

How about that, surprised?

So this is what she meant by see you Monday.

It wasnt shockingly surprising, but it was unexpected.

Those who belong to the thief class are generally a free-spirited bunch who do not like to be tied down to anything, and they often prefer leisure over diligence.

On the other hand, participating in mentoring means being bound by a contract with Dragon Slayer Academy and having to diligently follow the schedules of the students being taught, which is quite different from what a thief would like.

In addition to that, Dang Gyu-young was the club president which meant she was likely far busier than the average member.

Yet contrary to my expectations, she had become a mentor.

I wonder if theres some hidden story behind this.

I doubted she would have accepted the role without good reason; the academic department must have offered her something quite enticing.

Lets ask her about it when the opportunity comes.

Dang Gyu-young silently observed each of us in turn,

After secretly making eye contact with me, she no longer pretended to know me. Since she was a mentor, she should not give the impression that she favored any of the students.

Among us was Song Cheon-hye, the younger sister of the third-year student council president, Song Cheon-gi.

Considering the prickly exchange they had during the temporary storage room break-in, it seemed Dang Gyu-young and Song Cheon-gi were not on the best of terms.

Then there was Kwak Ji-cheol, the younger brother of Kwak Seung-jae.

Despite the heated relationship between the thieves club and the disciplinary committee, Dang Gyu-young seemed to hold a relatively positive view of Kwak Seung-jae.

He was difficult to deal with, but he was a respectable opponent.

But her opinion of his younger brother, Kwak Ji-cheol, shouldnt be good.

During our duel, he had resorted to borrowing a third-years golem and equipment and he even resorted to underhanded tactics like using space defense (turtle tactic), which likely left a very negative impression.

Among the four of us, Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to have the least in common with Dang Gyu-young, but given my limited knowledge of the relationship between the Ruby Magic Tower and the Thieves Club, this was something to keep an eye on.

Altogether, it was a combination that was headache-inducing just to look at.

However, now that we were all part of the mentoring program, we had to accept each other regardless of the mix.

Dang Gyu-young was capable enough to be a club president so she certainly knew how to separate personal feelings from professional duties.

She began in a business-like tone while setting emotions aside.

You all came under my guidance with the goal of becoming all-rounder mages. You might be skilled in magic, but being an all-rounder requires more than just that.

An all-rounder mage must not only fulfill their role but also adapt to the changing dynamics of a party, moving between the front, middle, and rear lines, and taking on additional roles as needed.

Dang Gyu-young continued.

I dont know where or how much you lack in certain areas. So, today, well find that out.

Through this weeks duel battles.

Dang Gyu-young brought up the duel battle map and rules next to her.

MAP:[Round Arena]

RULE:[Strong Enemy][Random Rule]

The first rule that stood out was [Strong Enemy].

The strong enemy for the second weeks strategy battle was the Beheader Goblin, which was several times stronger than a standard goblin.

The strong enemy for this duel battle would be equally difficult.

By this point, it was almost predictable who that would be.

The strong enemy is obviously me.

!

Dang Gyu-young pointed at herself with her thumb.

If the goal was to assess skills, there was no better way than direct confrontation.

It was also an opportunity for mentors to prove their strength and validate their qualifications to teach.

In short, it is time to establish discipline.

Song Cheon-hye, Hong Yeon-hwa, and Kwak Ji-cheol, though only first-year students, belonged to well-known factions.

This meant they had great pride and there was a chance they might question the mentors background or status.

Their somewhat cold stares at Dang Gyu-young were a sign of this sentiment.

Especially when you think about the negative view of the thief class.

Dang Gyu-young wasnt part of the Magic Tower Association but belonged to the Guild Union as a mage.

To avoid unnecessary complications, it was best to firmly establish discipline right away.

No matter what, defeating a third-year might be an excessively harsh demand. So, Im going to add [Random Rules].

Some rules could be adjusted at the mentors discretion.

With a snap of her fingers, Dang Gyu-young added the rules.

MAP: [Round Arena]

RULE: [Strong Enemy][Limit][Sticker][Duo]

Ill start by wearing this in the fight.

At some point, a bracelet appeared on Dang Gyu-youngs finger and it was swaying gently.

It resembled an electronic bracelet with a large C displayed on its screen.

This was a bracelet that played a similar role to the [Fixed Zone] in the strategy battle placement test as it limited the wearers abilities at C rank.

Skills and traits were diminished in power, and the use of some higher-rank skills was restricted.

For example, [Blink] which was a highly versatile and fundamental movement spell for mages, was naturally a B-rank skill and so it couldnt be used in this case.

Even with everything limited to C rank, the gap in specs between first-years and her remained significant.

The sheer difference in the number of skills mastered was staggering,

Not to mention that most skills held by first-years were at best C rank, with many at lower levels of E or F rank.

For this reason, the next rule, [Sticker], was also in our favor.

Dang Gyu-young pulled out three palm-sized stickers and attached one to her outer thigh, one to her side, and one above her collarbone.

Seeing that, Kwak Ji-cheol blushed and turned his head.

What on earth was he thinking?

This creep.

Though it was clear that Dang Gyu-young had seen his reaction, she didnt show it and continued to explain.

You dont need to defeat me completely; just removing all three stickers will count as a win. Of course, I wont just stand by idly.

To remove the sticker, of course you will have to approach within arms reach, and this means that Dang Gyu-young can keep the approaching opponent in check.

The last rule, [Duo], was so obvious it hardly needed to be mentioned.

It simply meant that two people should try their best to cooperate and remove the stickers.

Thats all. If you have any questions or complaints, speak now.

..

With such handicaps in place, there was hardly room for complaints.

Even if there were, no one wanted to be the only one grumbling when everyone else remained silent, for fear of wounding their pride.

Dang Gyu-young led us to the front of the arena.

She stood in the teleportation circle and said,

Enter in pairs when youre ready. Decide amongst yourselves who pairs with whom.

Then, Dang Gyu-young vanished inside with a swift movement.

.

.

The eyes of the four left behind wildly crisscrossing in the air.

After a tense moment of silent stand-off, Song Cheon-hye suggested to Kwak Ji-cheol,

Lets pair up.

That sounds good.

I guess Song Cheon-hye came to the conclusion that Kwak Ji-cheo was the least troubling option among the group.

It seemed Kwak Ji-cheol had arrived at the same conclusion.

No matter what, he probably didnt want to be with me, and it was better to team up with a fellow member from the Topaz Magic Tower rather than from the rival Ruby Magic Tower.

The newly formed team stepped onto the teleportation circle and was whisked away into the arena.

Hong Yeon-hwa who was left behind looked on with a mix of frustration and resignation.

In front of Song Cheon-hye and Kwak Ji-cheol, she had maintained her usual confident and slightly irritated demeanor, but now left alone with me, her confidence waned and she became visibly anxious.

I guess shes still the same.

I thought she might be a little more at ease with me after we had managed to navigate through last weeks strategy battle together but I guess that wasnt the case.

Anyway, wouldnt something work if we relive that experience and do something similar?

While waiting for Song Cheon-hye and Kwak Ji-cheol to come out,

I read the notification messages that had just come in.

[Event: 1st Mentoring] (In progress)

[Remaining Duration: 27 Days]

Accelerate your growth with the help of a mentor.

Increased probability of acquiring skills/traits.

Increased skill/trait growth speed

[Side Quest: 5th Week Duel Battles]

Objective: Remove Stickers (0/3)

Deadline: ~ midnight on Sunday.

Reward: Varies based on the time of completion

Setting aside the mentoring event for a moment.

Although Dang Kyu-young has not mentioned it yet, this Removing Stickers from a Strong Enemy duel battle allows for multiple attempts.

However, the point to note here is that the rewards vary depending on the time of completion.

There was a fairly large difference in reward between succeeding today, the first day, and barely succeeding by the end of Sunday.

And so I set my sights on cleanly removing all three stickers on my first try.

Argh.

Just then, Kwak Ji-cheol came tumbling out like a ball and abruptly interrupted my thoughts.

He rolled and rolled, losing momentum before sprawling out on the ground with faint sparks of electricity crackling from his body.

Soon after him, Song Cheon-hye trudged out while looking really tired.

She seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment, but when she noticed us, she tried her best to appear calm.

Then she raised her trembling hand and pointed toward the arena.

Its your turn to go in