The Support Ate it All-Chapter 366 - 2nd and 3rd Week Large Scale Dungeon (1)

Late at night.

Song Cheon-hye tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Not just tonight. It had been like this all week. The reason? Kim Ho.

More precisely, the mysterious debuff skill he had revealed for the first time in this week’s duel battle.

What on earth triggers it?

She had replayed the ten minutes she spent fighting Kim Ho dozens of times but couldn’t find a clear answer.

All it did was tangle her thoughts.

– You can’t lose focus. Watch your knees.

– I told you, be careful of your knees.

– Catch me if you can~

Knees? What about them? What did he do to the knees!

If only there had been a replay, she could’ve analyzed it in more detail…. but unfortunately, the match had been private.

He might have anticipated this and requested it not be recorded.

Nothing to do now but make do with other replays.

With that thought, Song Cheon-hye pulled out two crystal balls.

They contained the replays of Kim Ho’s matches against Yang Ji-hong and Son Hyeong-taek.

Their situation had been no different from hers.

Debuffed, turned into walking time bombs, and left to desperately chase Kim Ho around until the match ended.

He’s so annoying.

Completely unfair.

Despite muttering complaints, Song Cheon-hye played the replays over and over again.

It wasn’t the first time she’d done this either. She had already watched them dozens of times.

And yet, the exact condition for the debuff skill remained a mystery.

…Don’t tell me it triggers just from making eye contact.

That thought crossed her mind for a brief moment.

But she brushed it off with a self-deprecating laugh.

No way.

That would be far too ridiculous.

There’s no way such an overpowered skill exists in this world.

Grasping at random ideas just because she couldn’t find an answer…Song Cheon-hye knew that was a bad habit.

There had to be some condition she wasn’t aware of.

If I just straight-up ask him… he probably won’t tell me.

Not knowing the trigger for the debuff was a huge advantage.

From Kim Ho’s perspective, there was no reason to give up that edge.

He’d most likely respond like this:

– If you’re curious, use a wish ticket.

So, after several days of deliberation, she came to one conclusion.

A bet is the only way.

Win a series of wagers, strip him of his wish tickets, and collect more of her own.

Then she could either get her answers or challenge him to a direct duel….whatever she wanted.

This time, I’m going to win for sure.

Song Cheon-hye renewed her resolve.

***

Monday.

Strategy Battle class.

Seo Cheong-yong’s demeanor hadn’t changed at all between the first and second semesters.

Wearing his usual gentle smile, he slowly swept his gaze across the room.

One thing he had in common with Lee Soo-dok was that his eyes lingered on Kim Ho longer than anyone else.

So many teachers seem to love giving me attention.

Soon, Seo Cheong-yong smiled again and began to speak.

“There’s an important announcement first. Starting this week, students who have earned over 10,000 points in Strategy Battle can now access the E-Floor.”

5,000 points earned you access to the F-Floor.

10,000 got you access to the E-Floor.

Seo Cheong-yong glanced at Kim Ho and a few others.

There was a subtle hint of meaning in his gaze.

“I’ve heard the top students are already approaching 20,000 points. At this rate, you’ll reach the D-Floor in no time.”

In fact, students like Kim Ho, Go Hyeon-woo, and Seo Ye-in had already surpassed 15,000.

They had finished nearly every Strategy Battle with the highest score, and their midterm and final exam results were outstanding. Even among first-years.

Scoring 5,600 points in just the final exam says it all.

At this pace, just like Seo Cheong-yong said, they’d hit 20,000 points in no time.

You do need to pass a separate test to get access to the D-Floor, though.

Some students just mindlessly repeat the F-Floor dungeons, so starting from the D-Floor, additional conditions are required beyond just accumulating points.

The academic office designated a specific dungeon and then reviewed the student’s clearing process to decide whether to grant access.

Of course, that wasn’t something worth worrying about right now, since we didn’t even have the necessary points yet.

Seo Cheong-yong only mentioned it briefly, then continued the lesson.

“Alright, let’s talk about the next Strategy Battle. Even if dungeons are the same rank, their size can vary drastically.”

For example, in the Defense Strategy Battle, the goal was to protect the Goddess Statue, so it took place within the extremely confined space of a temple.

The Rainbow Lake, where Gap-doo Fish appeared, was also limited to the lake and its surrounding area.

On the other hand, there were huge dungeons like the deserted island from the midterms or the Iron Maiden from the finals. So large you could walk around all day without finding an exit.

Seo Cheong-yong continued.

“It goes without saying, but the larger the dungeon, the longer it takes to clear. The difficulty tends to go up as well.”

Just moving around takes up a lot of time, and sometimes the objectives are scattered all over the place.

There’s a high chance you’ll be spending several days inside the dungeon.

“That’s why you’ll need to prepare much more thoroughly. During the midterms and finals, the evaluation standards were different, so we deliberately left out that aspect.”

The key focus of the midterms was crystals; for the finals, it was a hostile environment.

Too many rules could become distracting, so supplies were either dropped periodically or hidden in secret rooms.

“But this time, you’ll be preparing everything yourselves and clearing the dungeon from start to finish.”

Rules and environmental conditions appeared on the board.

MAP: [Large Scale Dungeon]

RULE: [4-Person Team] [Custom Rules]

“Some of you might be going underground for the first time this semester, so I’ll say it again: You can only earn Strategy Battle points in designated dungeons. You must submit a replay recording. No exceptions.”

There was nothing surprising about this, and most students nodded in understanding.

“Lastly, for this Strategy Battle, you’ll be given plenty of time. The dungeon area will be open for two weeks.”

In the first semester, the scale of Duel Battles and Strategy Battles was small, so they were held on alternating weeks.

But in the second semester and especially from the next academic year onward, it won’t be unusual for a single practical evaluation to take up several weeks.

“We’ve got plenty of time, so it’s best to analyze things carefully and prepare thoroughly, right? Then, I wish you the best of luck!”

***

As soon as class ended, students immediately started gathering in groups, forming parties, and discussing which dungeon to enter.

We were no different.

Go Hyeon-woo looked quite pleased.

“Good thing it’s a four-person limit. That’s a relief.”

“Lots of spots available.”

Seo Ye-in chimed in after him.

When it was a two-person rule, Go Hyeon-woo usually gave up his spot to Seo Ye-in and paired up with Shin Byeong-cheol instead.

He acted like he didn’t mind, but it was clear he felt a bit disappointed.

But now that it was a four-person rule, we actually needed to bring in one more person.

Sensing the situation instantly, Shin Byeong-cheol sidled over and casually approached us.

“Well, well, everyone. Looks like you’ve got a spot left. Any interest in recruiting a trap master, an expert in mechanical magic?”

“Sorry. We’re full.”

“…Full?”

Shin Byeong-cheol looked around, as if wondering who besides him could possibly be the fourth.

And then he locked eyes with Hong Yeon-hwa who was approaching from behind.

As soon as she confirmed it was a four-person dungeon, she had messaged us and come over from another class.

Hong Yeon-hwa gave Shin Byeong-cheol a cold stare.

“You want to compete with me?”

“Oh no, not at all. I had no idea you already had a full party. Well then, good luck to you all. Hope you get lots of loot. Fighting! Hehe…”

Shin Byeong-cheol quickly backed away and began scouting out another party.

“……”

Even after that, Hong Yeon-hwa continued glaring at Shin Byeong-cheol for a while, and for some reason, it reminded me of a puppy fiercely guarding its food bowl.

But when our eyes met, her expression softened immediately, as if nothing had happened.

Anyway, since our party was now complete, I looked at the three of them in turn and said,

“Let’s go somewhere else. It’s way too noisy here.”

“That would be best.”

Whether we headed to the store or found a quiet bench somewhere, it would be better than staying in the classroom.

Just as we were about to walk off—

“Excuse me.”

Surprisingly, Song Cheon-hye called out to me.

Beside her, Han So-mi was cheerfully waving her hand with a bright smile.

I jerked my chin over my shoulder and said,

“Our party’s full.”

“I know. That’s not why I’m here.”

“Then what is it?”

At that, Song Cheon-hye hesitated slightly before lowering her voice.

“…Can we talk for a minute?”

“Is it something you can’t say here?”

“…Yes.”

Whatever it was, Go Hyeon-woo’s face lit up with curiosity, and Hong Yeon-hwa looked around in confusion.

Of course, it probably wasn’t for the reason they were thinking.

It’s obviously about the wish ticket.

I had brought up the wish-ticket bet on the first day of the duel battle week, but now that a whole week had passed without any follow-up, she must have been getting impatient.

And asking to talk in private likely meant she didn’t feel great about it.

She was part of the disciplinary committee, after all. What would it look like to others if she seemed obsessed with a bet or swayed by a wish ticket?

I understood how she felt, so I took her to a corner of the classroom.

Even though I already knew, I asked the obvious question out of courtesy.

“So, what is it?”

“When are we doing it?”

“The bet?”

“Yes. You said you’d bring it up when the time was right.”

I shrugged.

“Nothing’s come to mind yet.”

“Then… would it be okay if I suggested something?”

“Let’s hear it first.”

At that, Song Cheon-hye took a small breath, looking slightly tense, and then spoke.

“This upcoming large-scale dungeon. Let’s bet on who clears it first.”

“Sounds like you’re confident.”

“I wouldn’t bring it up if I wasn’t. So, are you in?”

It made sense for the four members of the Disciplinary Committee to be confident.

Even if I didn’t count myself, by standard four-person party metrics, they probably had the upper hand.

From my perspective, it wasn’t a bad offer either.

Challenging the author of strategy guides with a strategy-based bet….how naive.

Of course, I didn’t say any of that aloud. Instead, I paused on purpose before nodding.

“Sounds fair enough. But we should set some conditions. We’re going into an E-rank dungeon.”

“That won’t be a problem. We are too.”

“Well, you are the Disciplinary Committee. So, what kind of wish are we betting? Small, medium, or large?”

Apparently, Song Cheon-hye hadn’t thought that far ahead, and she hesitated for a moment.

After a brief pause, she answered.

“…Let’s go with a small one.”

“That’s a bit underwhelming. Come on, we might as well go big if we’re doing this.”

“No, thank you.”

“Scared?”

“…We’re just starting small! From the next bet, it’ll be medium.”

Song Cheon-hye was clearly irritated, but she didn’t fall for the provocation.

Maybe she was being cautious since it had been a while since her last bet.

Pushing further would probably backfire.

There’d be plenty more chances after today anyway.

So I simply nodded.

“Alright, let’s do it that way. Just to be clear though. Don’t rush it or cut corners. You could get hurt in the lower levels.”

“Of course. Safety comes first, then the practical evaluation.”

“Good. Then I’ll see you after it’s done.”

With that, we wrapped up our conversation and returned to our respective parties.