The Support Ate it All

Chapter 96: 6th Week Mentoring and Strategy Battle (3)

Goblins poured out through the breach in droves.

Though their numbers were fewer compared to those at the main gate, they were still too many to ignore.

Without even a glance in our direction, they headed straight for the statue of the goddess.

I asked Song Cheon-hye in a calm tone.

Should I go and block them?

Hurry, please hurry.

As I slowly moved towards the wall, I cast Wind Force.

A wind imbued with physical force struck the goblins who were gleefully rushing towards the statue.

Keruk?

Keek?

The goblins hesitated as if they had hit an invisible wall and froze in their place.

As I drew closer, they were forced to retreat step by step.

The power of Wind Force had diminished due to the [Close Combat] restriction, but as the distance decreased, its true strength began to manifest.

I kept pushing the goblins back and gathering them as one would sweep trash with a broom and dustpan, and then forcefully shoved them back into the breach they had emerged from.

Kek!

Some, in a desperate attempt, threw their wooden spears at me but they werent even worth dodging.

Merely maintaining Wind Force was enough; the thrown spears would lose their momentum mid-air and harmlessly drop to the ground.

And then I started picking them up and throwing them back. They flew swiftly and embedded deeply with a thud.

While Song Cheon-hye was busy defending her main gate, she kept an eye on this side of the battle and wore a look of disbelief at the sight.

How is that possible

It seemed she couldnt believe how effortlessly the breach in the wall, albeit smaller compared to the main gate, was sealed.

At any rate, this side is taken care of now.

The problem was on Song Cheon-hyes side.

Every time a goblin or two slipped through, I would catch and toss them back, but as I moved to seal the newly breached hole, a gap was left in my previous role.

Kek!

Ah!

As feared, another goblin managed to dodge the barrage of lightning and slipped past Song Cheon-hye.

It dashed towards the statue of the goddess unhindered and began to recklessly smash it with the rock it held.

[Statue of the Goddess: 98%]

[Statue of the Goddess: 96%]

[Statue of the Goddess: 93%]

Kuk.

A thunderous hummingbird shot from Song Cheon-hyes hand.

A streak of light crossed the temple before striking the goblin squarely.

Fizzzzzz,

Shes ranked up.

From E-rank to D-rank.

It seemed she had also been diligently practicing her magic.

But at this moment, rank wasnt what mattered.

After all, the [Close Combat] restriction would render her as ineffective as if she were below F-rank.

Kek?

Despite taking a direct hit from the D-rank Hummingbird, the goblin merely trembled as if tickled and continued pounding the statue with its rock.

Sending the Hummingbird had, in fact, backfired.

The distraction had caused Song Cheon-hyes defense at the main gate to weaken even further.

Where previously only one or two goblins managed to get through, now four or five ran past her.

N-No.

Kikikik!

Keek!

Wooden spears and a barrage of stones flew toward the statue, and the goblins who had approached whether armed with daggers or hand axes, swung wildly without a second thought.

As the attacks became more concentrated, t, the health gauge of the statue rapidly depleted.

[Statue of the Goddess: 83%]

[Statue of the Goddess: 75%]

[Statue of the Goddess: 67%]

Ugh.

Song Cheon-hye seemed to think that this couldnt go any further and kicked the ground.

A bolt of lightning carried her swiftly to the statue where her lightning magic engulfed the goblins.

Fzzzzzzt!!

While most were reduced to charred remains, a few survivors continued to relentlessly hammer away at the statue.

Such blind persistence was largely influenced by being under the command of Dang Gyu-young.

[Statue of the Goddess: 51%]

[Statue of the Goddess: 45%]

Moreover, with Song Cheon-hye gone, a horde of goblins rushed in near the main gate like a green tide.

The green tide crashed over the statue like a wave.

This is the end.

Song Cheon-hye gritted her teeth and unleashed her lightning magic in all directions but the sheer number of enemies was overwhelming.

Especially since their focus was not on her, but solely on the statue, the situation seemed hopeless.

[Statue of the Goddess: 0%]

Eventually, with a loud crack, a significant fissure crossed the statue before branching off into several parts as it crumbled to the ground.

[Remaining Time: 5:03]

[The Statue has been destroyed.]

As the message indicating the failure of the defense appeared, everything including the shattered remains and the monsters evaporated like dust.

In the next moment, the statue was restored to its original state as if asking whether a battle had ever taken place,

It meant that the dungeon itself had been reset.

Soon after, Dang Gyu-young appeared from nowhere and landed gently nearby.

She said as she opened a teleportation portal,

Tell Kwak Ji-chul and Hong Yeon-hwa to come in. And then go over what just happened while waiting.

Yes, senior-nim.

***

When I stepped outside the dungeon, the first person I saw was Kwak Ji-chul to whom I relayed Dang Gyu-youngs message.

She said to come in.

Alright.

Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to really dislike being paired with Kwak Ji-chul and maintained a considerable distance while treating him as if he were invisible. However, once their mentor had decided they were a team, they had no choice but to accept it.

The two reluctantly entered the dungeon together, but when their eyes met, they growled at each other.

Try getting in my way.

Thats exactly what I was going to say.

As the two disappeared,

Song Cheon-hye quietly closed her eyes while lost in thought.

She seemed to be replaying the battle as instructed by Dang Gyu-young.

I didnt interfere and allowed her the space to be alone with her thoughts.

After a while, Song Cheon-hye who had opened her eyes asked me,

I have a question.

What is it?

Did you know the wall was going to break? It was clearly an unexpected situation, but you were so calm.

Of course, I knew.

I had been through countless dungeons and defenses, after all.

I had memorized everything from start to finish about how things were going to unfold.

However, I couldnt just say I knew it all because Ive done it so many times, so I offered a different reason.

I was mentally prepared. Things were going too smoothly, which made me suspicious. I couldnt pinpoint that a wall would specifically break, but I figured there must be something more.

Its a rule of thumb to harbor some doubt when things seem too easy, no matter the situation.

Even if I hadnt had the experience of going through countless dungeons and defenses, I likely would have reacted in a similar manner.

Song Cheon-hye seemed convinced and nodded her head.

I see. I hadnt thought that far. But then, werent you too passive afterward?

Since I had plugged the side breach very easily, I must have had room to do other things, so her point was why did I just sit back and watch until the statue was destroyed?

She gave me a probing look.

I answered nonchalantly.

I deliberately stayed out of it this time.

Why is that?

To see how you would handle it. I was also curious about your limits.

If she runs into one or two goblins while defending the main gate, what will she do if I dont help you?

How many creatures could she handle?

I tested those possibilities.

The purpose was to understand which areas Song Cheon-hye might need support in the future.

I understand your intention. Still, it would have been better if you had paid a bit more attention to the defense. We ended up failing too early to gather other necessary information.

The other necessary information Song Cheon-hye referred to included how many more goblins would appear, whether there was a chance for other monsters to show up, or if another wall could be breached, among other things.

But having experienced countless dungeon defenses myself, I already knew these details and didnt find them necessary.

However, I couldnt just state that outright so I vaguely deflected.

There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, and we can resolve that with more attempts.

This response seemed to irritate Song Cheon-hye.

I could tell that by her displeased expression.

She spoke to me with a tone that was half admonishing and half persuasive,

I think thats a complacent attitude. Regardless of how many chances we have, shouldnt we give our best every single time? It is said that only those who can snatch victory even in unfavorable circumstances can reach the top.

I feel like Ive heard something similar before Was it something your grandfather used to say?

Looking back, I remembered that when I had withdrawn from the placement test duel battle against her, she had quoted the sayings of her grandfather, the Thunder Lord, while reprimanding me.

Song Cheon-hye seemed on the verge of continuing her nagging when she suddenly hesitated.

She blinked her eyes several times before asking.

. You remembered?

Because it wasnt wrong.

I thought you wouldve let it go in one ear and out the other.

Why would I? Especially when its the Thunder Lord himself. One cannot simply ignore his words.

. Hmm, hmm. Isnt that true too? You know something after all.

The corners of Song Cheon-hyes mouth slightly rose up.

It appeared that the Thunder Lord was not only her grandfather but also her role model, so recognition and acknowledgment from others naturally pleased her.

Her stern demeanor quickly softened.

Seizing the moment to steer the conversation in a more productive direction seemed like the best course of action.

So I quickly took the initiative,

Regardless, I admit I was passive in my first attempt. Whats done is done. Lets discuss how we can move forward.

Yes, I think that would be best.

Would letting a goblin or two slip through, if repeated several times, make up for it?

Looking back at the root of our failure, it all started with Song Cheon-hye missing a goblin due to lack of control, which then snowballed into the main gate being completely breached.

Moreover, it being our first attempt meant we were not yet accustomed to the task.

With more practice, we would surely improve.

After some thought, Song Cheon-hye gave an honest response.

We can reduce the number. But ensuring not a single one slips through in 10 minutes might still be difficult.

Then lets do our best up to a point, and Ill handle any that slip through.

That would be more than enough.

We also discussed several other possibilities, such as other unexpected situations or what to do if the main gate were to be breached again.

Song Cheon-hye nodded her head in satisfaction.

Todays conversation is flowing well. I wish it could always be like this.

Youre quite cooperative today too, arent you? Last time, it took a wish ticket to get you on board.

I dont let personal feelings interfere with practical assessments. And I did help out last time, didnt I?

The last time I mentioned to Song Cheon-hye involved using a wish ticket I had won from a bet with her to arrange a friendly spar between Go Hyun-woo and Han So-mi.

Hearing later that the two had sparred several times, I felt relieved that things had worked out well.

After all, I had handed over quite a few sweets as part of the deal; it would have felt like a loss had it not been successful.

True, you were helpful. But remember, I still have another wish ticket. You know that, right?

Wh-why?

We won one of the stickers, remember? It was 1 to 0 in our favor.

But it wasnt you, it was Hong Yeon-hwa who removed it.

Yep, but we were a team~

If you are upset, maybe you should find a better partner next time~

Song Cheon-hye trembled with frustration.

Lets bet again, start over.

I dont want to. Winning all the time takes the fun out of it. There needs to be some excitement, some suspense.

Wow, youre really annoying.

Amid our light-hearted bickering,

The portal opened and Hong Yeon-hwa and Kwak Ji-cheol emerged.

It seemed they had failed just as we had, yet they had spent a longer time within the dungeon.

This implied they had managed to hold out for a longer period of time.

Their elemental affinity is inherently good.

Crowd control in a confined space like a temple, fire and earth magic held a clear edge over lightning magic.

With Hong Yeon-hwa using fire magic to do sustained damage over a wide area, and Kwak Ji-cheol either building earth walls or summoning golems around the goddess statue, their defense was bound to be much easier than ours.

Of course, they too must have failed to overcome the latter part of the challenge.

Nonetheless, it was clear that they were progressing further than us, and it seemed they were aware of this fact as well.

..

Hong Yeon-hwa casually glanced at Song Cheon-hye as if just passing by.

Though it appeared she intended to keep a poker face, one corner of her mouth involuntarily twisted upwards in a smirk.

She really couldnt control her facial expressions.

The unintended provocation struck a nerve.

Song Cheon-hyes forehead seemed to tense up with veins popping out in frustration.

Then Song Cheon-hye spoke in a low voice that only I could hear, but in a cold tone that was unlike anything she had said before.

. I really hope we win this time.