The Support Ate it All

While chasing after me, Han So-mi cast a quick glance at the scoreboard.

[Kim Ho 100%]

vs

[Han So-mi 88%]

"Ah! My health's already that low?!"

"Told you, you're in trouble."

"I really am!"

Bit by bit, her health had been chipped away to a level that couldn't be ignored anymore.

Now that both Poison and Weathering were stacked, the rate of decline was even faster.

[Time remaining: 8:27]

Meanwhile, Han So-mi was in a position where she had to turn things around before time ran out.

So she picked up the pace, and the distance between us started closing even faster.

Let's see if this works.

[Ice Wall]

A thick ice wall suddenly shot up.

Han So-mi reacted instantly and smoothly sidestepped around it using her movement technique.

Definitely different from the average fighter.

Honestly, if she went full speed, Song Cheon-hye would probably be faster. But she couldn't stop or change direction well mid-run.

On the other hand, the Sword Queen's movement technique maintained speed while allowing agile directional changes, making it highly effective against someone like me.

Swoooosh!

Before I knew it, Han So-mi had closed the gap and was swinging her sword from behind.

At the same time, she picked up the conversation we'd paused.

"Please! Will you help me?"

"You mean about Go Hyeon-woo and the auction?"

"Mhmm!"

"I mean, do you really need to go through me? Did you ask him yourself?"

"Go Hyeon-woo's obsessed with you. All he ever talks about is 'Kim-hyung this, Kim-hyung that'."

So she figured asking him directly would just lead to him going, "Whatever Kim-hyung thinks~," and decided to ask me first.

It wasn't just me. It did sound like she was saying he was a mama's boy.

As I dodged her strikes with a few backsteps, I slowly nodded.

"Yeah, I get where you're coming from."

"You do?!"

"He can be frustrating sometimes."

"Exactly! He totally is!"

Han So-mi looked genuinely relieved as if a burden had been lifted from her chest.

She probably didn't have many people she could vent to.

"And for what it's worth, I'm rooting for the two of you."

"Really?"

"You're helping each other out, after all."

At some point, everyone runs into tough times. But having emotional support makes those moments much easier to endure.

It was the same from a practical standpoint.

She had been helping him with sparring all this time, and as fellow sword users, they could probably learn a lot from each other, too.

Han So-mi's eyes sparkled at my encouraging words.

"So you'll do it? You'll help?"

"Wait a second."

My cooldown had just reset.

[The target has been inflicted with the 'Poison (C)' status effect.]

"You hit me with it again!"

"Now, where were we? Oh right, the favor."

"Yeah! The favor!"

"Here's what we'll do. Since you said he's obsessed with me, just drop my name."

Han So-mi tilted her head in confusion.

"Huh? How?"

"Start with 'Kim Ho said~' to get his attention."

"Then what?"

"Bring up something he's into. Like swords, elixirs, or secret manuals. Then say, 'He said we should go check it out at the auction together~'—something like that."

"Oooh—!"

"Personally, I think the sword angle will work best. He's about due for an upgrade."

The C-rank magic sword I got from raiding the Feathered Serpent Temple. It had a durability protection feature, so it's been serving him well.

"But when I checked it last week, a crack had formed."

"Really?"

"Yeah. A few more uses and it's going to break."

"Then he definitely needs a new one!"

"You two can figure out a good one together."

"Okay! Thanks!"

Han So-mi's face brightened. Her earlier worries were clearly lifted.

Still, a match was a match and perhaps energized by the resolution of her dilemma, she suddenly amped up her game and unleashed a fierce sword strike.

A barrage of cutting energy came flying at me.

Shhhhhhhing!

I shifted into erratic footwork, then used Ghost Dance to widen the gap.

Han So-mi let out a small whine of disappointment.

"Dang, that didn't work!"

"It's going to take more than that to hit me."

And she kept chasing me down, swinging her sword relentlessly.

Swoosh!

"Another question incoming!"

"You sure have a lot of those."

"Just one more!"

"Alright, go ahead."

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"What's going on between you and Cheon-hye?"

"Nothing at all."

"I saw everything in the disciplinary room!"

"Saw what?"

"You two were whispering secrets!"

Back then, we had whispered about the wish ticket, and now she was bringing it up. She had clearly remembered it.

I thought she was a fool, but maybe not entirely.

I started to answer but stopped mid-sentence.

"…Wait a second."

Because I had just realized something.

I turned to Han So-mi with a probing look.

"You're only bringing up Cheon-hye now? After we've finished talking about Go Hyeon-woo?"

"…Ah!"

Han So-mi had also paused mid-swing, and for once, she looked flustered.

I kept pressing her.

"So, a random guy is more important than your best friend?"

"…That's not it!"

"So love over friendship, huh?"

"That's not true! It's not!"

Han So-mi shook her head fiercely, but I let out a deep sigh.

"Miss Han So-mi, so this is all your friendship amounts to. I'm honestly very disappointed."

"No! That's not it!"

"Take a moment to reflect on your actions. Face the other way and raise your hands."

"Okaay."

Han So-mi did as she was told, turning the other way and raising both hands.

Then, about three seconds later, she suddenly snapped to her senses.

"…Wait, I'm not supposed to be standing still!"

"You just realized that?"

Turns out, she really is a fool.

Meanwhile, I had already put a good amount of distance between us.

"Stop right there!"

"Nope, not a chance, dummy."

***

Han So-mi was one of the trickiest first-years I faced so far.

But of course, the result wasn't all that different from the others.

[Kim Ho 100%]

vs

[Han So-mi 66%]

She was fast and kept closing the distance, but none of her attacks landed.

Occasionally, her strikes were sharp, but even those were nullified by [Ghost Dance] and [Soft and Cushy].

All that chasing, grabbing, bickering, and running….it all repeated over and over until, before I knew it, we were nearing the end of the match.

[Time remaining: 0:57]

When I checked the scoreboard, Han So-mi stopped chasing and puffed out her cheeks.

Seeing that, I muttered to myself.

"Is that a pufferfish or a balloon?"

"You're like an eel. So slippery."

"Thanks for the compliment. Gotta have at least one debuff-removal skill, right?"

"Mhmm! I'm taking out Thousand-Pound Drop and putting it in!"

She would've been blown away by wind magic instead, but I didn't bother pointing that out.

There was no guarantee we'd meet again in the tournament anyway.

Soon, the timer hit zero, and the match results appeared.

[Kim HoWin]

vs

[Han So-miLose]

I gave her a small wave.

"Good job. Talk things through with Go Hyeon-woo, okay?"

"Mhmm! Thanks!"

With Han So-mi waving both hands enthusiastically behind me, I stepped out.

Just one match left before I could have another copy slot.

As soon as I queued, my opponent's name popped up on the scoreboard.

[Kim Ho 1,013 points]

vs

[Song Cheon-hye 1,044 points]

What is it, some kind of cursed day?

I had hoped for an easy match, but this made it three tough opponents in a row.

I guess my luck really is awful.

There was no changing the assigned opponent, so I braced myself for another ten minutes of effort.

The third match was set in a glacier zone.

No matter where you looked, it was ice everywhere.

Even the ground was a slick sheet of ice.

Song Cheon-hye, who entered right after me, took in the surroundings and gave a confident smirk.

"Not the best environment for running away."

"Not great for chasing either."

"Hmph. We'll see about that."

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

[Kim Ho 100%]

vs

[Song Cheon-hye 100%]

Just like I did with Han So-mi, I pointed over Cheon-hye's shoulder with feigned surprise.

"What—look at that! A flying penguin!"

"You think I'm that dumb? I'm not falling for that again. And penguins can't fly."

As expected, Song Cheon-hye didn't flinch.

Not that I expected her to.

Which is why I cast the real spell at the same time as the distraction.

[Ice Wall]

A wall of ice shot up, cutting off her view.

And the moment she stepped out with a scowl—

"Why waste mana on something like—"

"Got you."

[Activated 'Mutual Destruction Eye'.]

[The target has been afflicted with 'Weathering (C)' status effect.]

Song Cheon-hye's eyes widened.

"You cast that already?"

"That's what happens when you let your guard down."

"You didn't distract me. I couldn't see because you blocked me with a wall!"

"Isn't that basically the same thing?"

"That's so cheap, seriously…"

Song Cheon-hye who was shaking with frustration cast [Purification].

Her body was enveloped in a shimmer of light,

Fwoooosh…

But it dispersed weakly before it could take full effect.

She had failed the probability check.

[Song Cheon-hye 99%]

[Song Cheon-hye 98%]

With her health ticking down, she had no other choice.

Grinding her teeth, Song Cheon-hye said,

"This time, I will definitely catch you."

"You sound motivated. Come and get me."

And the chase began again.

With the floor still frozen, it was hard to even keep balance, let alone gain speed.

Of course, as I said earlier, that applied to her just as much as to me.

I cast Wind Force on the determinedly pursuing Song Cheon-hye.

Whoooosh—

The gust filled with physical force blew her sharply to the side. She flailed her arms and legs to regain balance.

"D-Don't push me!"

"At this rate, when are you ever going to catch me?"

"I totally can, okay?"

Fzzzzzt—

She soon summoned electricity, concentrating it under her feet. I didn't know exactly how it worked, but it definitely looked less slippery.

As she gradually picked up speed, she spoke again.

"You fought with So-mi just before this, didn't you?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I saw it was registered as a replay."

"You had time to check?"

This match had started right after my match with Han So-mi ended.

She shook her head.

"I just bought it ahead of time. I'll watch it after this."

"Pre-ordered, huh? As expected of a true fan."

"Don't call me that!"

Song Cheon-hye nearly lost her temper but forced herself to stay calm, then continued with her question.

"Did So-mi… ask?"

"You mean about you?"

"Yes."

"She did."

"…Did you tell her anything?"

"I didn't. It's still a secret, after all."

I may be a coward, but I'm not a blabbermouth.

Song Cheon-hye let out a small sigh of relief.

I took that moment to throw her a question.

"While we're at it. How was it after I left that day?"

"…Nothing special happened."

"You don't look like someone who went through 'nothing special'."

"I just… got scolded a bit."

But judging by the troubled look on her face, it didn't seem like it was just "a bit".

I didn't point that out and kept asking.

"So, no more betting with wish tickets?"

"Would you, if you were me?"

The cooldown had reset by then, so I quickly cast the mutual destruction skill.

[The target has been inflicted with 'Poison (C)' status.]

"Ugh! You did it again?"

"Aren't you curious how I pulled it off?"

"Just tell me already."

"Use a wish ticket."

"I told you I'm not betting anymore!"

"Then I'm not telling you."

"Ugh, you're so annoying."

Even in this place covered with glaciers, Song Cheon-hye started fanning herself, as if the heat was getting to her.

And once she seemed confident in her balance, she began to pick up even more speed.

Fzzzzt—!

"Heh, if you keep speeding up like that, you're going to regret it."

"If I'll regret it either way, I'd rather go all in."

"Fair point."

It made sense, so I nodded.

Song Cheon-hye kept picking up speed, and the distance between us began to close rapidly.

In the middle of it all, I suddenly reached back and cast [Ice Wall].

The moment a wall of ice shot up in her path, Song Cheon-hye kicked off the ground hard and changed direction.

Sparks flew from the spot where she kicked.

Fzzzzzzt—!

She must've come up with a countermeasure after getting caught so many times.

Of course, I expected that and had a countermeasure for her countermeasure ready.

Boom—!

Compressed air exploded, forcing Song Cheon-hye who had just turned away right back toward the ice wall.

"No, wait—"

Crash—!

***

TN: One thing I like about this story is that the heroines don't like mc because he saved them from some trouble or something. It just happened. And this looks to be the same for Han So-mi and Go Hyeon-woo