NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33
“Riri, have you ever played an RPG game?”
“I’ll teach you how to carry as a supporter.”
After saying that, they grabbed the game and asked.
Suddenly, an RPG game, huh?
It’s a somewhat random topic that the listener might feel is out of the blue.
Riri seemed to think so too and responded in a somewhat uncertain tone.
“RPG? That… is the game where you hit monsters and earn money, right? I played it back in elementary school.”
“Then explaining will be easy. Everyone, listen well and think about it.”
[Yeah]
[Kayak’s lecture time has returned ㄷㄷ]
[Did they just turn this into a class?]
[Let’s just play the game already]
[Kayak’s Introduction to Support]
Casual users who have lightly enjoyed RPG games might not know, but most heavy users are aware of this fact.
Supporters in RPG games are called nobility and are treated almost like minor aristocrats in real life.
The reason is simple: there’s a lack of people.
Healers and buffers, categorized as support types, are always struggling with personnel shortages, and even with such a tiny user pool, they are an essential presence in parties.
There are no raids in this world that can be cleared without a supporter. Most well-known RPG games are designed that way from the start.
Each one is precious. Dealers or tanks can be replaced, but supporters are so scarce that they are irreplaceable.
There’s high demand but low supply. According to market logic, they naturally become rare entities.
There are even those who play as supporters despite finding it boring just to receive that kind of treatment, so you can tell how valuable supporters are in RPG games.
So, to summarize,
Supporters are essential in games.
However, due to the characteristic that they can’t become the main character, the number of players is low, and they are treated like nobility.
“…Huh?”
As the explanation continued, Riri suddenly made a somewhat puzzled sound.
“Did you notice something strange?”
“Yeah… So, the scarcity of supporters makes them precious, but that’s—.”
“Abyss is the same.”
[What?!]
[An identity I never expected ㄴㅇㄱ]
[Right;; Why aren’t supporters treated well in the Abyss?]
[Supporters of the nation, unite….]
[Wave the red flag of revolution]
If we follow the logic, it’s true.
In the Abyss, the number of supporter users is significantly lower compared to other roles.
Why is it that, unlike in RPG games, supporters are not valued and are even persecuted?
[Butch gave a donation of 10,000 won!]
– Abyss support is just a pain; it’s a game that doesn’t really need one.
[For real lol]
[We can win without support, for sure]
[Those tool idiots are at it again]
[Kayak got excited after hearing that]
[Supports are essential in RPGs, but in Abyss, their share is small]
[That’s a weird analogy]
Yeah, that’s probably the common reaction.
The perception is that supporters are useless and contribute less to victory compared to other positions.
Even if I yell until Mike’s ears burst, nothing’s going to change.
Seeing is believing, after all.
It’s better to show than to talk endlessly.
*
“Something feels off.”
The user Dodakbung, deep into the game, suddenly felt a sense of unease and paused.
Everything felt fine in the early game, but for some reason, things started to go weird halfway through.
The kill score wasn’t rising steeply like before.
Even if they got a kill here and there, there was no follow-up benefit; in simpler terms, only meaningless kills were happening.
Something’s fishy. Though nobody said it, everyone was silently feeling the same way.
– Our ally has been taken down!
An accident occurred.
Our ally Jerome got cut down while pushing the side.
This death was significantly more painful than the kills our side had gotten until now.
The enemy not only took out Jerome but also captured an epic monster that provided useful buffs.
In an instant, the cheerful atmosphere from the early game turned grim.
[Gaia of the Earth (Calliope) has singled out Revi (Jerome)!]
[Gaia of the Earth (Calliope): Time until Revi (Jerome) is resurrected – 18 seconds]
[Revi (Jerome): What?]
[Gaia of the Earth (Calliope): ? What’re you so proud of after getting cut down?]
The emotional expressions allowed within the game were now starkly different from earlier, when compliments were being thrown around like confetti.
Noticing the signs of conflict faster than anyone else, Dodakbung hurriedly typed in the chat.
[Dodakbung (Dan): Let’s take it slow, we still have a chance]
[Gaia of the Earth (Calliope): Time until Revi (Jerome) is resurrected – 10 seconds]
[Revi (Jerome): If I get pinged one more time, I’m quitting]
[Dodakbung (Dan): Let’s keep our cool, pleaseㅠㅠ]
Thanks to Dodakbung’s pleading, it was a relief that the team members didn’t continue to fight beyond that.
The team members didn’t continue the fight any longer.
‘Is this a damn game or am I raising kids…?’
Coddling these brats is incredibly annoying.
But what can you do? That’s how these games work.
In relationships between people, the one who cares more always loses.
Recently, Dodakbung’s score had taken a steep dive, making them desperate and willing to grovel.
[Dodakbung: Let’s get Hana out of the way.]
This was the last chance to turn the atmosphere around.
Given how the team members’ mental states appeared, losing here would undoubtedly mean defeat.
So, they decided to take a gamble.
With their ally supporter, Calliope, they took control of the nearby vision. It was a surprise attack using a blind spot.
[Revi (Jerome): Isn’t this already discovered?]
[Dodakbung (Dan): Let’s go.]
How long had the entire team waited?
Finally, the prey began to approach slowly.
The enemy team supporter was Theodora.
At a glance, this supporter seemed like a one-champ user and was also the culprit behind Dodakbung’s team’s current predicament.
How on earth does that person roam around so freely? Jerome getting taken down was also due to Theodora’s backup.
Just a supporter, but incredibly troublesome.
‘If I can just take them out here…’
Dodakbung was sure it would bring back the advantage.
As a supporter who should control vision, they wouldn’t be able to avoid this surprise attack.
They intentionally took control of the surroundings and revealed the marksman’s position on the map to avoid detection.
Dodakbung swallowed hard, heart racing.
‘Come on, come on. Just a little more…!’
Finally, Theodora stepped within range.
As Dodakbung grinned and dashed forward, it happened.
“What…?”
The world flipped upside down.
It was a moment that happened so fast it left them with that feeling instantly.
The vision shared from Dodakbung’s hero, Dan, was shaking violently. Their body swayed as if on a ride.
Crowd control. Commonly known as CC.
Among those, they had definitely been hit with a hard CC they couldn’t escape from on their own.
It was clear.
“No way!”
The fact that they immediately launched a CC after waiting like that meant the ambush had failed.
No, rather, they had been tricked in reverse. The fishing line was cast by the enemy team, not Dodakbung’s team.
– “Our side has taken hits!”
– “Killing spree!”
The price of the failed ambush was devastating.
Dodakbung’s team had been wiped out, except for the ADC who was out fishing.
[Gaia, Goddess of the Earth (Calliope): Targeting Dodakbung!]
[Gaia, Goddess of the Earth (Calliope): Time until Dodakbung’s resurrection – 22 seconds]
[Gaia, Goddess of the Earth (Calliope): What a level of orders, damn it.]
[Revi (Jerome): Support difference!]
[Gaia, Goddess of the Earth (Calliope): What support difference? Dodakbung messed it up with that terrible order!]
[Revi (Jerome): Just getting ganked by Teo shows the level difference!]
[Gaia, Goddess of the Earth (Calliope): The one who got picked off has a lot to say, huh? Haha.]
Despite being subtly accused of being the cause of the defeat and the in-game chat going wild, Dodakbung didn’t care at all.
To be precise, they couldn’t care less.
“What the hell…?”
They could only mumble with a blank look, their gaze fixated on one place.
– “Advance!”
There stood the enemy supporter, Theodora, fluttering their unique blonde hair.
*
“It may not be eye-catching, but the supporter’s role is to support the team from behind the scenes and control the game overall. That’s what a supporter is.”
[So you’re just good at it…]
[The host is at it again.]
[God of Support Kayak! God of Support Kayak! God of Support Kayak!]
[Support punch! Support punch! Support punch!]
[Seriously, predicting the brush from just seeing a mine is over the top.]
[How can I follow that?]
[Did I waste a second?]
[Reporting for map hacking!]
[Support carry, agreed.]
[Almost like the mastermind controlling the game, whoa!]
“Anyway, a supporter can carry just as well. That’s what I wanted to say.”
Supports are as good as Camilla, right?
Never underestimate a supporter.
Underestimating a little supporter can lead to big trouble.
At that moment, Riri’s tense voice came through.
It was different from her earlier sulky tone.
“Teacher, I want to be a supporter…”
Hearing that, I smiled with satisfaction.