The Support Ate it All

Fire Pillar.

This spell transformed a designated area into a towering pillar of burning flames.

In general, it was used not to inflict damage on enemies but to restrict their movement or to enhance the effects of following fire spells.

However, there was an exception for cases when the opponent foolishly stood right on top of the magic circle.

Just like what was happening now.

Kwaah!

The enhanced Fire Pillars power exceeded Hong Yeon-hwas expectations.

The intensity of the flames bursting forth was so great that even she, the caster, was unable to withstand the blistering heat wave and had to take a few steps back.

The heat wave also kicked up a dense cloud of dust, obscuring visibility within the arena.

As a result, nothing was visible for a while.

After a short period, as the Fire Pillars duration came to an end and gradually died down, the thick dust began to clear.

Once her vision was restored, Hong Yeon-hwa immediately checked the scoreboard.

[Kim Ho 100% vs Hong Yeon-hwa 99%]

[Remaining Time 1:01]

No!

Could he really remain unharmed like this?

Did he actually manage to defend flawlessly against the enhanced Fire Pillar?

Anyone else in such a situation would have lost their will to fight.

But Hong Yeon-hwa was not just anyone.

I am I will be the next master of the Ruby Magic Tower.

She gritted her teeth as she repeated this to herself.

At this point, there was no turning back.

The secret cards she had kept hidden, reserved for facing stronger opponents around mid-semester.

She would use them now.

Do whatever it takes to win.

Just as Hong Yeon-hwa was gathering mana to cast another spell, something small and bright flickered amidst the slowly clearing dust.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a hummingbird made of lightning.

Tzzzzt

Hummingbird!?

She hastily began to recite a counter-spell to strike down the hummingbird, but the spell darted erratically and soon it vanished from her sight.

As Hong Yeon-hwa frantically searched for the hummingbird, a sharp, electrifying pain shot through her shoulder.

Fzzzt!

Ugh!

[Paralysis status ailment applied.]

Gritting her teeth, she managed to steady her stiffening body and prevent herself from collapsing.

But she knew, deep down.

She was aware of the fact that her chances of winning had drastically diminished due to the paralysis.

Kim Ho emerged slowly from the cloud of dust and stood before her and he was casually resting his long staff on his shoulder.

Lets end it here.

!

His gaze which was devoid of any emotion met hers.

And with a voice as cold as his impassive stare, he spoke.

Its better to hold back and save your cards rather than reveal everything here. Especially if youre thinking about the remaining matches.

!

Thats when Hong Yeon-hwa realized.

Throughout the match, her moves had been completely seen through, from start to finish.

She had been entirely played by this man.

And when she thought about it calmly, his advice made sense.

Pouring out all her remaining magic here offered no guarantee of success.

On the other hand, revealing her hidden cards would negatively impact her in subsequent matches and throughout the semester.

Withdrawing seemed to be the wiser choice now.

Moreover, Hong Yeon-hwa didnt really have much of a choice.

Her opponents weapon was already nonchalantly placed over his shoulder.

Rejecting his proposal would mean facing an unknown spell, and being hit at such close range would certainly be fatal.

She could envision herself pathetically sprawled out before even the spell was cast.

The man was offering her a way to concede with some dignity intact before such an event could unfold.

I get it, I understand!

She understood all of this in her mind, but for Hong Yeon-hwa who had been burning with fighting spirit until just moments before admitting defeat was extremely difficult.

After clenching her fists tightly and trembling for a long while, she finally lowered her head.

I lost; I admit defeat

***

[Kim Ho Win vs Hong Yeon-hwa Lose]

Before the start of the match, no one would have doubted the victory of the Ruby Magic Tower student.

This was especially true since her opponent seemed like an insignificant nobody.

Therefore, when Hong Yeon-hwa, looking half out of her soul, trudged off the stage, the audience started buzzing with chatter.

Wow, did the Ruby Magic Tower student lose? Who is that guy? Did you see what magic he used?

No, when I saw it, it wasnt magic. I didnt see any casting at all.

What are you talking about? He must have used magic spells since he didnt receive any health loss.

Oh, so youre saying it wasnt magic?

But how can his health not drop at all from 100%?

Is that even possible?

Most were focused on how I perfectly defended against the onslaught of her flame magic.

And this would remain a long-standing mystery even for Hong Yeon-hwa who had faced me directly.

I wonder if she will feel incredibly disappointed when she finds out the truth?

I didnt expect her to fall for all of that.

Pretending to use a defensive artifact.

Pretending to dispel.

Pretending to cast a defensive spell.

It was merely a convincing act, but Hong Yeon-hwa fell for the provocation and responded with a head-on confrontation each time.

She must have calculated that a direct confrontation would be a sure win, considering the Ruby Magic Towers firepower.

However,

Elemental resistance was outside of her calculations.

To inflict even the slightest scratch with elemental magic on an opponent with S-rank [Elemental Resistance], you must use at least B-rank spells.

Alternatively, you could apply debuffs to lower the enemys resistance.

Without either of these, no matter how much magic my opponent poured in, my health wouldnt drop from 100%.

If Hong Yeon-hwa had been a bit more relaxed and observant, she might have recognized the presence of [Elemental Resistance] and devised a strategy.

However, her lack of practical experience and the mere five-minute time limit made her anxious.

And that anxiety ultimately led to her defeat.

Magic circles were created spontaneously here and there in the arena, and the burned and broken parts were completely repaired.

At the same time, a cluster of lights gathered and transported me off the stage.

As I was about to return to the spectator seats, the voice of Lee Soo-dok caught my attention.

Kim Ho. Song Cheon-hye.

The next placement test was scheduled right away.

The audience stirred once again.

Song Cheon-hye?

The real Song Cheon-hye?

I heard she enrolled this year; she must be in class 3.

I heard she joined the disciplinary committee too.

As expected, living up to her reputation.

A celebrity whose mere name captivated the attention of the students.

However, the person in question herself was indifferent to the pouring attention.

Song Cheon-hye walked straight toward me and locked into my eyes.

Youre in luck; I just had something I wanted to check out.

Since she said she wanted to check something, it seems like she watched the match between me and Hong Yeon-hwa.

As a lightning-attribute mage, she should have some interest in the hummingbird I cast at the end.

Song Cheon-hye, who was burning with fighting spirit and ready to give her best, was wrong to think she was lucky.

Im sorry, but that will have to wait.

What do you mean?

This match was never meant to happen in the first place.

I looked at Lee Soo-dok and raised my hand.

I forfeit.

What?

Song Cheon-hye looked utterly bewildered.

Lee Soo-dok also frowned slightly as if this was his first time experiencing a situation like this.

Why is that?

Im in really bad shape. Its difficult for me to continue with the duel battles. Please treat the third match as a forfeit as well.

Even if youre not in the best condition, it will be much easier to get one more win than to raise 300 points separately. Are you still going to forfeit?

Yes. It cant be helped.

Alright. Ill mark it as a defeat.

Lee Soo-dok, though skeptical of my indifferent attitude towards winning or losing, didnt argue further and respected my decision.

As a result, I would have to start from a much lower ranking and fight more duel battles to achieve the rank I desired. But, after all, any loss would be mine alone to bear.

As I turned to leave,

Wait a minute.

Song Cheon-hye called out to stop me.

Why?

Are you really giving up for that reason? Because your condition is bad?

Yeah. Is that not allowed?

Song Cheon-hye briefly closed her eyes as if swallowing her rising anger.

Then, she said in a lecturing tone.

Always prepare thoroughly for a match. Even if you are not in optimal condition, do your best. It is said that only those who can snatch victory even in unfavorable circumstances can reach the top.

That doesnt sound like something you just made up. Did some wise person say that?

My grandfather.

I remembered then that her grandfather was known as the Thunder Lord.

As a hero who had reached the pinnacle in his field, the Thunder Lords words were worth heeding for any aspiring hero.

But acting on that advice was a different matter.

I had no intention of changing the plans I already made.

So, I employed the ultimate technique in avoiding arguments: Youre right.

Right, maybe Im just not cut out for it. Lets say you won.

Im disappointed. I feel foolish for having even a bit of expectation for you.

Song Cheon-hyes eyes were now showing not only disappointment but also slight contempt.

If a favorability score were displayed above her head, wouldnt it be infinitely close to 0?

I called out to Song Cheon-hye as she was about to leave, having deemed her time spent with me wasteful.

Ah, right.

What is it?

The dessert coupon. You said youd send it to me.

Youre thinking about dessert in this situation?

To be honest, I do have a craving for something sweet.

Ha, this is just unbelievable.

Are you going to forget about it? The dessert coupon.

Song Cheon-hye completely ignored me and began to walk away with her long strides.

In truth, I did want to stick around, but the situation wasnt great.

Ive already attracted too much attention.

In the first match, I forced a surrender from Hong Yeon-hwa, which led to me being labeled as the Mysterious Talent who Defeated a student from the Ruby Magic Tower.

That alone was enough to make things quite troublesome in the future, and to top it off, defeating the granddaughter of the Thunder Lord?

That would make me an instant superstar from the start of the semester.

Fame is a double-edged sword.

And more often than not, the negative side is sharper and more cutting.

The more my name gets known, the more the analyzing and scrutinizing eyes increase.

The S-grade [Elemental Resistance] is an incredible trait that not only the students of Dragon Slayer Academy but even the teachers find difficult to overcome.

At the moment, only my Elemental Resistance is ranked S, and my other abilities are still unremarkable.

If this information leaks out, future duel battles will become exceedingly troublesome.

For this reason, engaging Song Cheon-hye now would be the worst of strategies.

Those who had observed my previous match with Hong Yeon-hwa were likely already harboring suspicions, and using the same tactics a few times would solidify these doubts into convictions.

A war of information was in full swing.

Until I acquired other means, I had to conceal the cards I held as much as possible.

Hey, why did they stop all of a sudden?

Theyre saying he forfeit?

Forfeit? Who forfeits in a placement test?

Maybe he chickened out because its Song Cheon-hye.

Even so, to just run away without even trying? Thats so disappointing.

What a coward, a super coward.

Naturally, the audience couldnt understand the real reason behind it.

The gaze of curiosity that initially held the question, Who is that person? quickly transformed into a mix of mocking and derisive looks, as if to say, Just as expected.

The nobody who luckily defeated the Ruby Magic Tower student.

But then, upon facing the Topaz Magic Tower student, he immediately tucked his tail and ran like a coward.

Perfect. Just perfect.

It was precisely the evaluation I had intended.

Ignoring the jeers coming from somewhere, I returned to the spectator seats.

Since it was about midway through the placement tests, there were surprisingly few students waiting in the stands.

Most were probably waiting near the stage for their next match to be called.

Shin Byeong-cheol was one of the few students seated in the spectator area.

He was intently scribbling something in his notebook while keeping his gaze fixed on the stage.

Since he was someone who traded in information, he was particularly diligent in such moments.

As I took my seat, Shin Byeong-cheol asked me,

Finished already? How many wins?

One win, two losses. How about you?

The same.

An unspoken understanding formed between Shin Byeong-cheol and me.

We clasped hands firmly.

For Song Cheon-hyes next opponent, a male student wielding a spear stepped up.

He seemed to be making a bold declaration before the start, but Song Cheon-hye merely returned a cold gaze.

Watching the standoff between the two, Shin Byeong-cheol asked,

I was kind of looking forward to you going up against her. Why did you forfeit?

Just felt like I couldnt win.

Yeah, with Song Cheon-hye, it cant be helped.

As a victim of lightning magic, Shin Byeong-cheol seemed to deeply sympathize with my decision.

It appeared that he thought it was better to concede early than to embarrassingly squirm on the floor, paralyzed, in a battle that was bound to be lost.

While this interpretation was quite different from my original intent, I was rather grateful for his perspective.

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

As soon as the match began, the spear-wielding male student who had charged forward suddenly lost speed and staggered.

He had carelessly been struck squarely by the hummingbird.

Struggling to maintain his stance, the spearman desperately clung to his knees, trying to avoid falling to the ground.

However, the next thing he saw was Song Cheon-hye hurling a lightning bolt as large as a human body towards him.

Rumble!! Boom!!

A deafening thunderclap shook the arena.

Do you think shes angry?

Seems so.

Song Cheon-hye, who was looking agitated, scanned the audience and eventually located me.

She sent a sharp, piercing look my way before vanishing from the arena due to the teleportation magic circle.

Meanwhile, the spear-wielding male student ended up being carried out on a stretcher.

Shin Byeong-cheol clicked his tongue in sympathy.

Ah, thats tough. He hadnt even fought three matches yet and now hes out without even a chance to compete. Such an unfortunate situation.

Its not just him whos unfortunate. Song Cheon-hye hasnt completed three matches either.

Oh, youre right. Who do you think is next?

Who would be the next sacrifice in Song Cheon-hyes placement test?

As if to answer Shin Byeong-cheols question, Lee Soo-dok mentioned two names.

Song Cheon-hye.

And then,

Seo Ye-in.

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