The Support Ate it All

Chapter 47: 3rd Week Duel Battles (2)

Hong Yeon-hwas first thought when she laid eyes on Seo Ye-in who stood across from her was,

She is really pretty like a doll.

Although they were in different classes, she had often heard the boys in her class mention the gray-haired girl from class 3.

Seeing her in person, even from a female perspective, her beauty was indeed breathtaking.

Then there was Kim Ho.

Hong Yeon-hwa was momentarily distracted by Seo Ye-ins appearance and found her ranking had slipped, but in terms of leaving an impression, Kim Ho surpassed that.

He was the man who first defeated Hong Yeon-hwa who had nothing to fear in the world and made her feel despair.

As Hong Yeon-hwa drifted into these recollections, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and a throbbing in the back of her head.

After being so thoroughly defeated by him to the point of surrender, she couldnt fathom why he had forfeited the remaining two matches.

Why?

Why would you win against me and then forfeit to Song Cheon-hye?

I wouldnt lose to Song Cheon-hye in a duel battle, would I?

The apparent hierarchy of Hong Yeon-hwa < Kim Ho < Song Cheon-hye seemed utterly unfair to her.

She wished to grab Kim Ho by the collar, shake him, and demand why he had forfeited. though that was just in her head.

The cold eyes of that man looking down at her flashed before her eyes.

Despite her usually fiery temper, Hong Yeon-hwa found herself inexplicably able to control her anger in Kim Hos presence.

Even now, she hid her feelings well but the mere sight of him gave her a slight chill.

Unfortunately for her, she was scheduled to fight against Kim Ho which left her with only two options.

To fight or to forfeit.

Can I win?

She honestly doubted it

She had certainly grown stronger than she was two weeks ago.

But if asked whether she had become strong enough to breach his ironclad defense, she wouldnt know how to answer.

Still, I must try.

The word forfeit did not exist in her vocabulary.

She viewed him as a wall that she must eventually overcome, so she was determined to give her best even in the face of likely defeat.

After all, there was not a complete absence of possibility.

It might be uncertain in a one-on-one battle, but now it was a two-on-two situation.

If the two of them coordinated their attack well, there might be a chance.

[Kim Ho 100%, Seo Ye-in 100%]

vs

[Baek Jun-seok 100%, Hong Yeon-hwa 100%]

Baek Jun-seoks body was being enveloped in splendid heavy armor.

And he clenched a large, thick greatsword in his hands.

Hong Yeon-hwa gave instructions to Baek Jun-seok.

Charge as soon as we start. We take down Seo Ye-in first.

The pinpoint destructive power of a rifle gun posed a huge threat to anyone.

Once the battle started, they needed to prioritize taking down Seo Ye-in above all else.

Understood.

Baek Jun-seok nodded his head without any objections.

His compliance wasnt just due to their personal relationship; the score difference between them and the prestige of a promising student made him particularly receptive to Hong Yeon-hwas words.

Just before the match began, Hong Yeon-hwa calmed her mind.

End it in one go.

No matter who her opponent was, her strategy was almost always the same.

Attack, attack, and attack again.

She aimed to overwhelm them with a relentless offensive and decide the match.

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

Flash!

The ruby glowed with a red light, and two separate spells began to form on either side of Hong Yeon-hwa.

The first was quickly completed.

The staff was covered in flames and took the shape of a bow.

As soon as the bowstring was pulled, the second spell was also completed.

The fire arrow blazed even more brightly and fiercely.

[Flame Arrow]

[Outburst]

Fwoosh!

The fire arrow soared through the air, outpacing Baek Jun-seok, and headed straight for Seo Ye-in.

.

Kim Ho briefly observed the fire arrow before swiftly grabbing Seo Ye-ins arm and tossing her gently to the side.

It was a movement so effortless that it seemed as if no force had been applied at all.

Yet Seo Ye-ins body floated up and landed gently some distance away as if a transparent giant had carefully set her down beside him.

Or as if Seo Ye-ins body was made of feathers.

Kim Ho darted to the opposite side and the fire arrow struck the ground where he had been standing.

Boom!

A huge fire explosion erupted, transforming the grassland into a sea of flames in an instant.

This was the result of combining the long-range spell of [Flame Arrow] with the explosive spell of [Outburst].

The fiercely blowing wind spread the fire even faster.

Humph!

Whoosh!

Baek Jun-seok arrived shortly after and swung his greatsword.

Since his original target, Seo Ye-in, had been flung far away and had disappeared from sight, he turned his attention to Kim Ho as the next best option.

His large, thick blade relentlessly pursued Kim Ho who narrowly avoided each attack and retreated.

While continuing to keep him at bay, Hong Yeon-hwa quickly scanned the area.

I must find her.

There was no telling when or from where a sniper shot might come.

If she had vanished completely, it was likely she used some sort of stealth item or skill.

The most orthodox approach to finding her then would be to use a tracking spell like [Scan] but that was a weak point for Hong Yeon-hwa.

The next best option was to use area-wide magic to cover a broad range.

That seemed like the best course of action.

Hong Yeon-hwa swiftly began to complete a large magic circle.

But as the circle was about halfway completed,

Whoosh!

The already strong wind blew directly towards her.

The force was so strong that Hong Yeon-hwa found herself stepping back several paces without realizing it.

The magic she had been casting was abruptly canceled and dissipated.

Of all times!

Why did the wind have to blow like this at such a crucial moment?

In desperation, she gathered her mana again to cast the same spell.

Whoosh!

This time, a gust of wind from the left blew, spinning Hong Yeon-hwas body to the side.

She lost her balance for a moment and stumbled.

And naturally, the spell was canceled.

No!

Giving the sniper any more time would lead to this!

Bang!!

And just like that, it happened.

Hong Yeon-hwas consciousness slowly drifted toward darkness

***

Ugh!

Cough!

Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Jun-seok stood up at the same time.

When they regained their senses, they found themselves sprawled side by side in a corner of the arena.

A quick glance at the scoreboard made it clear what just happened.

[Kim Ho and Seo Ye-in Win]

vs

[Baek Jun-seok and Hong Yeon-hwa Lose]

We lost

Seo Ye-ins precise shot hit its mark, and Hong Yeon-hwa was knocked out cold.

It felt like being struck by a cargo truck speeding at full throttle.

Baek Jun-seok who was left on his own likely met a similar fate.

[Duel Battle Score: 690 -35 points]

Aaaah

Viewing the significant drop in points, Hong Yeon-hwa sighed miserably.

If they had fought their best and lost, she could have accepted it, but this felt utterly deflating.

She had known early on that the terrain was prone to strong winds, which could interfere with casting magic.

She had approached the match with caution while considering this.

But how could the wind, at the most critical moment, blow just right to push her aside?

And not just once, but twice?

How could she be so unlucky?

As Hong Yeon-hwa remained in a dazed state for a while, Baek Jun-seok, whose spirits were less shattered, offered some encouragement.

Hong Yeon-hwa, pull yourself together and lets head to the next match. We just had bad luck this time.

Yes, it was just bad luck.

[Baek Jun-seok 363 points]

[Hong Yeon-hwa 655 points]

Hong Yeon-hwa scanned her student ID on the terminal and repeated the words she had just said to herself in her mind.

Yes, it was just bad luck.

The recent match had been like a rare natural disaster that occasionally happens.

Sometimes, coincidences stack up, and it seemed today was one of those days.

The lost points could be recovered by winning future matches.

However, when the next match was set up,

Hong Yeon-hwa let out a silent scream.

Aaah!!

[Kim Ho 422 points Seo Ye-in 715 points]

vs

[Baek Jun-seok 363 points Hong Yeon-hwa 655 points]

They encountered Kim Ho and Seo Ye-ins team again.

Given the similar average scores, it was entirely possible to meet them consecutively.

Even knowing this, Hong Yeon-hwa felt particularly unlucky today.

Her steps toward the teleportation circle felt incredibly heavy.

The terrain for this match was also a grassland.

At least the wind was calm which she found somewhat comforting.

Baek Jun-seok looked toward the opponents and asked,

Are we targeting Seo Ye-in first again?

No. Protect me.

What?

Baek Jun-seok turned around in surprise.

He had never imagined that a word related to defense would come from Hong Yeon-hwas mouth.

He examined Hong Yeon-hwas face with a worried expression on his face.

Did you hurt your head? Are you sure about this defense plan?

Stop talking nonsense. And get your shield out, too.

Alright.

Baek Jun-seok nodded his head with a cool voice. She seemed just like her usual self to him.

He swapped his greatsword for a one-handed sword and a large triangular shield.

His skills with the sword and shield were no less formidable than with the greatsword.

Hong Yeon-hwa didnt change the strategy out of fear.

On the contrary, her mind was working furiously.

Reviewing the last match, she noted that Kim Ho had been consistently chased by Baek Jun-seok.

During the placement test, he had only defended and ended the fight by launching a hummingbird. He hadnt shown any significant offensive magic.

What if his strength lies only in defense?

What if his offense wasnt noteworthy at all?

What if he couldnt break through Baek Jun-seok, the heavy warrior?

If thats the case, could she not find a breakthrough by having Baek Jun-seok protect her while she took on the role of an artillery?

Silently, Baek Jun-seok finished changing his equipment, and across from them, Kim Ho muttered something briefly to Seo Ye-in after noticing the change.

Seo Ye-in nodded ever so slightly.

It seemed the other side had also adjusted their strategy.

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

Hong Yeon-hwas staff Instantly glowed red,

[Combustion]

Boom!

Seo Ye-ins upper body was engulfed in a small explosion.

The spell was cast and launched in the blink of an eye.

[Kim Ho 100% Seo Ye-in 98%]

It hit.

The damage was minimal, likely due to Seo Ye-ins high-quality armor, causing only a slight graze.

But it was a hit nonetheless.

Pufff!

A small smoke bomb exploded and Seo Ye-in vanished from sight.

It was clear she must have turned invisible again.

Hong Yeon-hwa made a brief comment.

Shield.

Understood.

Baek Jun-seoks triangular shield began to glow with a deep blue mana, and a shield made of mana appeared next to Hong Yeon-hwa.

It circled around her and protected her.

That takes care of the immediate threat.

Even if a sniper attack came, the shield would protect her a few times over.

Meanwhile, Kim Ho maintained a steady distance, walking as if he were on a leisurely stroll.

Suddenly, with a slight raise of his hand, a hummingbird made of electricity took flight.

Baek Jun-seok tried to slash the hummingbird with his one-handed sword and crush it with his shield, but the bird with its graceful flight, dodged every attempt and landed squarely on Baek Jun-seoks chest.

Fzzzt!

Almost at the same time, a heavy impact was felt on the mana shield protecting Hong Yeon-hwa.

Bang!

Seo Ye-in had timed her snipe perfectly to coincide with the distraction caused by the hummingbird.

However, the mana shield remained intact and Baek Jun-seok quickly recovered from the paralysis.

Moreover, the successful defense allowed them to pinpoint the direction of the sniper shot.

There!

As Hong Yeon-hwa released the spells she had prepared in advance, flames of fire magic poured out, setting the meadow ablaze.

The air shimmered for a moment, revealing Seo Ye-ins form.

Seizing the opportunity, Hong Yeon-hwa concentrated her attack skills on her.

Seo Ye-ins health began to drop rapidly.

[Kim Ho 100%, Seo Ye-in 84%]

[Kim Ho 100%, Seo Ye-in 79%]

[Kim Ho 100%, Seo Ye-in 76%]

Meanwhile, Kim Ho was just watching everything unfold from a distance.

Hong Yeon-hwa smiled triumphantly.

Just as I thought!

Her prediction had been accurate.

The opponents strength lay only in defense.

If things continued this way, victory seemed within reach.

By defending with a mana shield and counterattacking, she planned to incapacitate Seo Ye-in for combat and then focus the attack on Kim Ho, who would be left alone.

But then

Silently, as if to contradict her expectations, Kim Ho who was standing leisurely began to approach.

The pace of his walk gradually quickened into a run.

Whoosh

Just then, a wind blew in the same direction as Kim Ho, as if he were riding or even conjuring it.

Hong Yeon-hwa felt an inexplicable chill run down her spine.

While Baek Jun-seok smirked dismissively.

Hes lost his mind.

Youve won the last fight quickly so youre approaching for hand-to-hand combat with the belief that we are easy opponents?

He confidently positioned his shield in front and gripped his one-handed sword.

Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa internally screamed,

Dont come any closer!!