The Support Ate it All

Chapter 44: Duel Battle (6)

Would you please reconsider the expulsion?

While maintaining a steady pace, Mok Jong-hwa only turned his head to briefly glance at Kwak Seung-jae who said those words.

Then he continued to walk forward and opened his mouth

Why should I do that?

Didnt you see the duel battle?

I did. It was a pathetic trash duel battle.

There was a subtle anger in Mok Jong-hwas tone.

Kwak Ji-cheol who had been walking powerlessly with his head down shrank his shoulders.

Kwak Seung-jae did not spare his incompetent younger brother a glance but he continued to defend him verbally.

I cant say Ji-cheol did well, but this seems beyond his control. A perfect outcome against your golem. How many freshmen could do that?

A third-year golem and [Earth Cluster] for long-range attacks.

Dodging all of that perfectly and maintaining 100% health until the end was a feat difficult not only for first-year students but also for second-year students.

Even if Kwak Seung-jae had been in Kim Hos position, he would have received some effective hits.

This meant that Kim Ho was indeed a skilled contender.

Judging by this duel alone, he was at the level of a promising student if not higher.

It was a fight Ji-cheol was bound to lose. Isnt your decision to kick him out a bit too harsh?

Even so, the fact that he tarnished Emeralds reputation remains unchanged.

But was that tarnishing solely my brothers doing?

It was certainly Kwak Ji-cheols fault for overstepping his bounds and getting beaten.

However, tracing back the cause, it was also clear that Mok Jong-hwas aggressive approach to the situation was to blame.

Deep down, Mok Jong-hwa recognized this truth.

Yet he was also irritated at his shortcomings being exposed and stood silently in place while glaring at Kwak Seung-jae.

Does the student disciplinary committee involve itself in the affairs of the Emerald Magic Tower?

No. Its merely personal advice I wish to offer.

Is that advice to overlook your brothers mistake? They say Kwak Seung-jae handles everything with a sharp mind without being biased by personal feelings, but it seems thats a thing of the past.

That remains the same, whether in the past or now. I only hope for a fair judgment from you.

Kwak Seung-jaes face showed no change and remained impassive.

Facing that unchanging expression, Mok Jong-hwa felt that he would gain nothing by being angry and gradually softened his anger.

Mok Jong-hwa was no fool.

Surviving until the third year at Dragon Slayer Academy and rising to the position of club president wasnt something he achieved by mere luck.

Despite his occasionally explosive temperament, he was capable of making at least the minimum reasonable judgments.

The Kwak family was a venerable Earth element mage family, forming one of the pillars of the Emerald Magic Tower.

From birth, they were part of the Emerald Magic Tower.

And even before enrolling, their names were already associated with the club.

Expelling him for causing a significant scandal at the Emerald Magic Tower was one thing, but doing so for something of this magnitude would bring more trouble than its worth.

So, what are you suggesting I do?

Give him a chance.

The extent and nature of the chance were left to Mok Jong-hwas discretion.

He could push harder and completely overturn the expulsion, but that would infringe upon the rights of the club.

His advice had to end at making a suggestion.

Moreover, the fact that Kwak Ji-cheol had indeed embarrassed the Emerald Magic Tower was undeniable, and Mok Jong-hwa believed that he should rightfully face the consequences of his actions.

Mok Jong-hwa who had been silent for a while opened his mouth.

For two months. I will decide based on the rankings for the next two months. Any objections?

Thats enough.

Hmph.

Mok Jong-hwa gave the Kwak Seung-jae and Kwak Ji-cheol brothers a brief look before leaving them and walking away.

Half the reason was to give the two a chance to talk, and the other half because he found both of them distasteful.

.

Kwak Ji-cheol still looked dejected and he was unable to raise his head.

He might act like a fearless ruffian in front of others, but he always lost his nerve in front of his older brother.

Having shown such disgraceful behavior in front of his brother and owing his escape from expulsion to his brothers help, he had no face to show.

Kwak Seung-jae spoke in a calm tone.

However, those who knew him well would have felt that he was more affectionate than usual.

This is all I can do for you. The rest is up to you.

Im sorry, hyung.

Rather than apologizing, I want to hear that you will do your best.

Ill do my best.

Good, now go.

Kwak Ji-cheol made an effort to stride away with vigor.

After sending Kwak Ji-cheol off, Kwak Seung-jae stood alone.

Then he began speaking to an empty space.

Song Cheon-hye.

!

A startled movement was felt from beyond the alley.

Song Cheon-hye slowly poked her head out and then approached hesitantly.

You knew?

Ive told you before. You lack the skill to hide your presence.

Song Cheon-hyes face flushed with embarrassment.

Regardless, Kwak Seung-jae continued to ask questions.

What brought you to the arena?

I just stopped by while. passing

I saw you hiding in the spectator stands long before.

Struck by his blunt words, Song Cheon-hyes face turned even redder.

Such was Kwak Seung-jaes nature. It was completely opposite to the dishonest Song Cheon-hye.

He then offered direct advice.

You are part of the student disciplinary committee. Dont be ashamed or afraid, and confidently reveal yourself. At least its better than being caught while hiding poorly.

Ill keep that in mind.

Kwak Seung-jae stopped there and moved on to the main topic.

How was the duel?

It was impressive.

Do you think you could overpower him if you fought directly?

I cant be certain.

Cant be certain, huh.

Song Cheon-hyes abilities were unquestionably among the best of the first-year students.

Her skills were so superior that they couldnt even be compared to Kwak Ji-cheols.

Even Song Cheon-hye, who was that skilled, wasnt completely confident in a guaranteed victory.

Because she didnt know what else Kim Ho might be hiding.

The wind magic he had demonstrated this time was something she had never seen or heard of before.

Was a person like him really in the 300-point range, being called a coward, and keeping a low profile?

To Kwak Seung-jae and Song Cheon-hye, there were many aspects that didnt quite add up.

Were his hands clean?

Yes, I checked thoroughly.

The possibility that Kim Ho was the masked person from that night couldnt be dismissed either.

If he had used [Inferno Fist], even high-ranking priests healing magic would leave traces for a few days, but there wasnt even a tiny scratch on his hands.

Originally, the right move would be to shift focus to another suspect at this point but

The gaze of that freshman kept nagging at his mind.

An arrogant look that seemed to place everything beneath him.

It was strikingly similar to the atmosphere he felt when facing the masked person.

Yet this was also nothing more than a suspicion.

To get permission to use the [Magnifying Glass], there must be at least one clear piece of evidence.

Im sorry. It looks like youll have to put in more effort.

Im doing this willingly.

Im counting on you.

Song Cheon-hye felt a surge of motivation in her heart.

Ill definitely catch him.

***

Dang Gyu-young and Shin Byeong-chul seemed like they wanted to chat with us a bit more, but unfortunately, it was time to carry out their punishment.

They were probably assigned to some unpleasant tasks like cleaning the underground sewers.

Though their faces dripped with reluctance, that was the path Dang Gyu-young had chosen.

Its the price for stealing a lot of prohibited items.

Seo Ye-in opened her mouth slightly and yawned for quite a long time.

For some reason, she seemed much more tired than before the duel.

The duel battle had lasted at most 10 minutes.

Do you want to go to the dormitory to sleep?

Mhmm.

She nodded her head slowly and, before leaving, asked me a question.

Did the shoes help?

Yes, thanks to them, I didnt get hit even once.

Even when I had sneaked into the temporary storage room, merely using the [Thiefs Step] wasnt enough to completely avoid Kwak Seung-jaes barrage of mud bullets.

It was only because of my [Elemental Resistance] that it didnt show.

Had I relied solely on [Thiefs Step] this time, I would have likely been hit by at least a few pebbles.

Avoiding all of them perfectly was largely thanks to the sneakers Seo Ye-in had given me.

?

As we talked about the shoes, Go Hyeon-woos gaze naturally fell downward, and he noticed that Seo Ye-in and I were wearing the same sneakers.

His eyebrows raised slightly and the corners of his mouth followed.

You two When did you start wearing the same shoes?

What are you thinking?

Nothing much, just that it looks nice.

Then, Seo Ye-in gave a proper explanation which was pretty unusual for her.

However, she seemed to be reaching her limit as her speech was drowsy.

Kim Ho gave me a special lecture on magic bullets I gifted them as a thank you

So that happened.

Mhm Im going to go and sleep now

Go inside, Miss Seo.

Rest well.

Seo Ye-in waved her hand slowly in farewell and then headed towards the dormitory.

Go Hyeon-woo and I also had our own matters to settle.

We each picked up a drink from the store and stood in the same spot as we had two weeks before, each holding a cup of iced coffee.

The difference this time was that Go Hyeon-woo, unlike before, didnt down his drink in one shot. Instead, he slowed his pace, waiting for me to start the conversation.

I took out a card from my inventory and handed it to him.

Here, take it.

Go Hyeon-woos eyes became more intense as he accepted it.

This is what Kim-hyung mentioned

The Special Cultivation Room Season Pass.

He must have personally experienced the effects of the Special Cultivation Room over the past two weeks.

It was impossible not to feel the internal energy accumulating rapidly each day.

However, the points he must have spent frequenting the Special Cultivation Room during these two weeks would have been significant.

Even as the top scorer in the strategy battle, and despite earning a substantial amount of points through replays, by now, he was likely running low.

Using the Season Pass would allow him free and unlimited access to the Special Cultivation Room for the entire semester without further point expenditure. For a warrior, it was an invaluable treasure.

Go Hyeon-woo looked at the Season Pass with wavering eyes for a long time before suddenly turning to me with a formal and respectful demeanor.

Since Kim-hyung has kept his promise, I too will honor mine. If you need my sword, I will join you anytime, anywhere.

Im counting on it. Ill make sure to put you to good use until Ive gotten my moneys worth.

Haha, Im looking forward to it.

We looked at each other and shared a light laugh.

Then I asked him.

Whats your [Core] rank now?

I broke through a barrier last week. Its D-rank now.

Thats fast progress.

Back on the train, Go Hyeon-woos core was E-rank.

His level had been quite low among the first years.

Now, in terms of mana amount, he had barely moved out of the lower ranks.

His progress was fairly quick but that alone wasnt enough.

Can you reach C-rank by next week?

Hmm

After thinking for a moment, Go Hyeon-woo replied.

If I put in more effort, I might just manage it. But why aim for C?

[Core] hits a stagnation phase at C.

Unless one is a mana monster like Song Cheon-hye, most promising students would find themselves lingering around the upper C-rank range.

In other words, once he achieved C-rank, he wouldnt fall far behind in a mana fight.

From then on, Go Hyeon-woos abilities could be more accurately assessed.

Identifying which areas were strong and where improvement was needed.

Next week is also a week of duel battles.

If things go as planned, it would be the perfect time to evaluate his skills according to the rules that were likely to come up.

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