The Support Ate it All

I quickly wrapped things up by the third match.

All second-years, huh.

A 66% chance three times in a row wasn't that rare.

The skills of the other second-year seniors were about the same or just slightly below Mak Dae-wong's level.

So the result, naturally, was three wins. I went undefeated.

[Side Quest: 7th Week Duel Battles] (In Progress…)

▷ Objective: Complete 3 Duel Matches (3/3)

▷ First-Year Win Rate: -%

I cleared it with the highest achievement, but the rewards hadn't been given yet.

The key is whether we break last year's record.

We'll have to wait and see whether the second-years' overall level was about the same as the ones I faced.

Thinking that, I exited the arena and as always, Seo Ye-in was waiting for me.

Our eyes met, and I casually asked,

"You win?"

"Mhmm."

"All three?"

"Won them all."

She made a V-sign with her fingers.

"Surprising. I thought you'd lose at least one or two."

"It was easy."

"Easy, huh? Who'd you go up against?"

"Second-years."

Looks like she also pulled a 66% streak three times.

Though for her, odds don't seem to mean much.

Still, it was unexpected that she didn't struggle even against second-years.

Maybe she got lucky with the matchups or had favorable counters, or maybe her skills improved more than I expected.

It wasn't something I could conclude right away, so I decided to hold off judgment for now.

Next week's tournament should make things clearer.

Not far away, I saw Go Hyeon-woo and Jegal So-so chatting.

As I approached, they waved at me with a smile.

"Hi, Kim Ho."

"Hello, noona. First time seeing you with Go Hyeon-woo."

"We faced each other in the duel round."

Jegal So-so answered with a gentle smile.

Curious about the result, I looked over at Go Hyeon-woo. He gave a wry smile.

"Unfortunately, I lost."

"It happens."

Even someone like Go Hyeon-woo who was strong in the fixed zone would've had a tough time against the vice president of the swordsmanship club.

Not just in terms of specs, but technique as well.

Still, it didn't seem like Jegal So-so had stayed behind just because of the duel.

She clearly had another reason.

Sensing my knowing look, Jegal So-so said,

"I tried recruiting him, but he rejected me without hesitation."

"He's a loyal guy."

"Mhmm, so since it was a shame, I asked if he could at least stop by from time to time for some sparring… That's okay, right?"

Despite her position as the vice president of the swordsmanship club, Jegal So-so remained polite and cautious.

It was partly because she was making a request, but more than that, it seemed she genuinely wanted to be considerate toward us.

I nodded casually.

"You don't need my permission for that. It's something that'll benefit him too."

"Thanks. Since it came up, I'll borrow him for a bit."

"Sure, noona."

Just as Go Hyeon-woo and Jegal So-so were about to leave, a bright voice called out from behind us.

"Hiiiii! You guys done with your duels?"

It was Han So-mi.

Go Hyeon-woo smiled gently as he replied,

"Just finished. I'm planning to visit the swordsmanship club with Senior Jegal here today."

At that, Han So-mi unusually paused for a moment and asked,

"Swordsmanship club? Are you joining?"

"Not quite. Just a simple visit."

"I see… What about our sparring?"

"Let's postpone it. I've always felt bad asking you all the time."

"No need to feel bad though…"

Meanwhile, Jegal So-so who had been quietly observing the conversation suddenly had a sharp glint in her eyes.

A mischievous smile crept onto her lips.

She's triggered again.

From experience, I knew that was the face she made when teasing Dang Gyu-young.

Like when she goes, "Just one bite, Kim Ho~!"

It probably wasn't that she had romantic feelings. It just amused her to get reactions out of people.

Soon, Jegal So-so composed herself and spoke gently to Han So-mi.

"I've heard the two of you spar often. You must be busy with disciplinary duties and yet still find time to train…it must be tough managing it all, right?"

"Ah, no! It's fine!"

"No need to overwork yourself. We have plenty of skilled swordsmen in our club. I'm sure we could help take some of that burden off your shoulders."

"Th-That's not it…"

Han So-mi stammered, unable to finish her sentence.

From what I've seen so far, the sparring was just an excuse. They were spending time together because they liked each other.

Of course, it's not something they could openly admit in front of everyone.

Even the most straightforward person has their limits.

Maybe that's why Han So-mi opened her mouth a few times only to close it again.

A faint hint of disappointment crossed her face.

Noticing this, Go Hyeon-woo turned to Jegal So-so and asked,

"Senior, if it's alright with you, could Miss Han accompany us as well?"

"Of course. For skilled people like the two of you, you're welcome anytime."

"Miss Han, would you like to join us?"

Han So-mi's face lit up as she accepted the offer.

"Gladly!"

"That's good, then."

The atmosphere, which had started to tense up a little, instantly returned to being warm and cheerful.

But the moment I saw the mischievous glint in Jegal So-so's eyes, I understood.

It had all been according to plan.

Knowing Go Hyeon-woo's personality, he would try his best to stand by Han So-mi, so she intended to just bring them along as a pair from the start.

Two swordsmen had fallen right into Miss Jegal's cunning scheme.

Still, since everyone ended up happy, wasn't it a win-win?

Before long, the three of them set off to visit the swordsmanship club.

Watching their backs as they walked away, I turned to Seo Ye-in beside me and asked,

"Shall we go train as usual?"

"No ice."

"I won't use the ice fingers."

"Okay."

Only after getting my promise not to use Frozen Spirit Shot did Seo Ye-in nod.

She seemed more eager to train than usual, likely because her newly learned [Fickle Trap] had reached D-rank.

If she trained hard for just a week, she could probably push it to C-rank, and then she could even use it in the tournament.

That was, of course, something I was more than happy about.

But just as we were about to start walking—

"……?"

Seo Ye-in tilted her head and stared quietly at a certain spot in the stands.

Following her gaze, I spotted Hong Yeon-hwa sitting there.

Her red hair certainly made her easy to find.

But she didn't look to be in good shape. She was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, staring blankly down at the floor.

It was the look of someone completely shattered mentally.

The reason was obvious. It must have been the duel matches.

We walked over to her and spoke.

"Hong Yeon-hwa."

"…Wo… rm…"

Instead of answering, Hong Yeon-hwa muttered something under her breath that was barely audible.

Curious what she was saying, I leaned in and listened carefully.

"Hydra… is a worm… and I'm… a pill bug…"

"She's completely gone."

Judging by how she was dismissing her signature move Hydra as just a worm, it seemed her self-esteem had not only hit rock bottom but tunneled straight underground.

Seo Ye-in silently watched her for a moment, then pulled out the Immortal Pot and held it in her hand.

She slowly lifted it and began approaching her target.

I asked her casually,

"What are you planning to do?"

"Physical therapy."

I was about to respond in a mock-serious tone, "Miss, you can't just call that physical therapy," but I changed my mind.

Sometimes… maybe this wasn't such a bad approach.

Still, I gave her one piece of advice.

"Go easy. Really easy."

If she hit her too hard, she wouldn't snap out of it. She'd just pass out.

But since "easy" meant different things to different people, I couldn't help feeling a little worried.

Thankfully, Seo Ye-in merely tapped the redhead's head with the pot, barely even touching her.

"……?"

Only then did Hong Yeon-hwa snap out of her own little world and look at us.

Her expression quickly shifted into one that was on the verge of tears.

At times like this, the most effective solution was, of course—

"Wanna hit the cafeteria?"

Eating or drinking something.

Hong Yeon-hwa slowly nodded her head.

***

We bought drinks and snacks, then took seats on the second-floor terrace of the cafeteria.

Once the caffeine kicked in and her stomach wasn't quite as empty, Hong Yeon-hwa's mood seemed to lighten a little.

It felt like the right time to start asking what happened, so I posed the question.

"Who did you fight?"

"Senior Dang Gyu-young…"

"I saw that part. And then?"

"Unnie…"

"The club president?"

– Nod.

With a gloomy face, Hong Yeon-hwa nodded.

Considering Hong Ye-hwa was essentially a strictly superior version of Hong Yeon-hwa, it was only natural that she lost.

Maybe things would be different someday, but for now, that was the reality.

First-years get ten slots, while second- and third-years have slightly fewer. They had about nine and eight slots respectively, but upperclassmen would still have the advantage.

They probably have all sorts of complex skill and trait combinations, and some high-tier equipment even comes with ultimate abilities.

I asked again.

"What about the third match? Another third-year?"

"Mhmm…"

I exchanged a quick glance with Seo Ye-in.

No wonder the two of us kept running into second-years. It turned out that someone had taken on all the third-years by themselves.

Of course, there was nothing to be gained by pointing that out, so I kept the conversation going casually.

"Which third-year?"

"Senior Dang Gyu-young… again…"

"Oof."

Talk about bad luck.

She'd lost three times in a row, sure, but I wondered if that alone was enough to crush her spirits this much.

Then again, if she'd taken three straight hits from the Dang-Hong-Dang, it made perfect sense.

At times like this, there's no magic fix.

All you can do is endure it and pick yourself back up.

Still, I could at least try to cheer her on from the sidelines, so I offered a few encouraging words.

"The gap between you and the third-year club presidents is only natural. Don't blame yourself for not being strong enough."

"……"

"Here, have some snacks."

"Mmh…"

She accepted the snacks without hesitation, munching away.

Seo Ye-in who had been quietly watching also handed her some with a short word.

"Fighting."

Although, it kind of felt like she was just giving away the ones she didn't want to eat.

Either way, by the time we'd nearly polished off the snacks, Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to have cheered up a bit and a small smile returned to her face.

That's when I made a suggestion.

"Wanna train with us today?"

She blinked wide-eyed at the unexpected offer, then slowly nodded her head.

"…Mhmm."

Good. Training should be a bit easier today.

We tidied up our seats and stood to leave.

But someone was standing by the exit, waiting for us.

When our eyes met, he spoke.

"So this is where you were."

He was a handsome man with light brown hair slicked straight back.

On his tie was the gold badge of a third-year, and on his chest, the insignia of the student council president.

It was Song Cheon-hye's older brother, Song Cheon-gi.

"Kim Ho."

From the way he was looking straight at me, it was clear he hadn't just run into us by chance. He was here for a reason.

I'd seen him in passing before and recognized him, but this was the first time we'd spoken face-to-face.

I lowered my head politely, as I would with any senior.

"Senior. What brings you here?"

"There's something I'd like to discuss with you. Could you spare me a moment?"

"Of course."

I gestured for Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeon-hwa to go on ahead.

Then I followed after Song Cheon-gi.