The Support Ate it All

Chapter 147: No.640 Great Eagle Escort Agency (3)

“…….”

“…….”

Even though the drums were pounding, silence lingered in the training hall for a while.

Everyone was busy darting their eyes left and right. They were wary of each other.

However, the standoff didn’t last long.

“Yiaaah—!”

One Ronin who was unable to hold back swung his wooden sword at the person next to him.

The Ronin beside him blocked the attack with his own wooden sword and counterattacked.

The sound of wood clashing echoed in the hall.

The one who initiated the attack must have picked someone who seemed easy enough, but once they clashed, the difference in skill was clear.

So he ended up flat on the ground after only a few exchanges.

And that became the spark for the battle.

Whooooosh—!

The Ronin began swinging their wooden swords wildly without any particular order.

The quiet training hall was quickly filled with shouts, screams, and the sound of wooden swords clashing.

Meanwhile, our trio took positions near the edge of the large circle.

Though there was the risk of being easily pushed out, there was the advantage of not being surrounded on all sides.

Especially since Ratty and Woeful were guarding my sides,

I feel reassured.

“Hiyah!”

Several Ronin, thinking they had many places to strike due to Woeful’s large frame, charged at him.

In response, the veins on Woeful’s thick arms bulged as he tightened his grip and swung his wooden sword at a terrifying speed.

Though the opponents swung their wooden swords first, Woeful’s strikes landed faster.

This meant he had incredible speed and destructive power.

Crack! Crack!

The Ronin fell one by one with each strike.

With the chilling sound of something breaking.

Ratty also skillfully handled the approaching enemies.

He deflected their attacks with one wooden sword, and he jabbed them in the solar plexus with the other.

As the attackers were quickly dealt with, the Ronin hesitated for a moment, then one of them thought I looked easy and swung his wooden sword at me.

“Oh.”

I pretended to be surprised and deflected his strike, then I lightly pushed the back of the Ronin who was passing by.

Compressed air exploded,

Bang,

And he was propelled forward a few steps by the force.

He spun around to attack me again but,

– Out of bounds!

The judge’s shout made the guy look down and he found out that he had stepped outside the circle.

The judge restrained him and dragged him away as his face contorted with frustration.

The other Ronin began to target me more intensely, probably because I appeared to be the weakest.

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Ratty and Woeful blocked them and said a few words.

“Younger brother Kim, be careful. We might not be able to help you all the way.”

“Stay close.”

“Yes, brothers. I will stay close.”

I looked at the two Ronin with a very tense face.

To be honest, I was looking at Go Hyeon-woo over their shoulders.

Swish!

Go Hyeon-woo swung his wooden sword diagonally.

The Ronin he was fighting tried to block it with his own wooden sword, but in the next instant, it was cleanly cut in half.

Seeing the sharp cut, the Ronin’s eyes widened.

“But it was definitely a wooden sword against a wooden sword…”

“Do you want more?”

“No, young hero, I mean great hero.”

And then after lowering his gaze, he left the circle as if fleeing.

– Out of bounds!

Go Hyeon-woo swung his wooden sword at the next victim, and once again, it sliced the wooden sword in half.

He’s doing well.

There were three instructions I gave to Go Hyeon-woo through the strategy guide.

The first was to showcase overwhelming skill.

This was to imprint his strength on the Ronin and draw the attention of the security escort agency members.

This instruction was already starting to take effect, as the Ronin didn’t dare to approach Go Hyeon-woo.

They instinctively realized that this was the way to survive longer.

Also, judging from the fact that the head of the agency and the other higher-ups were keeping a close eye on Go Hyeon-woo, the latter seems to have been successful in following that instruction as well.

The second instruction was to “leave only the skilled ones.”

This temporary escort recruitment and the chaotic melee competition were part of the first half of the linked dungeon.

After selecting temporary guards here, the next linked dungeon would involve,

Setting off on a security escort mission.

In other words, I could choose the team to my liking from this spot.

Naturally, the more skilled people we retain, the easier the linked dungeon and escort mission would become.

Recruiting Ratty and Woeful from the beginning was part of this strategy.

I also mentioned the distinguishing features of the skilled Ronin in advance.

Therefore, what Go Hyeon-woo needed to do was,

Just avoid them.

The skilled ones would manage well on their own, so as long as there were no collisions between us, it would be fine.

Of course, he would have to respond if they attacked, like right now.

A man with a mantis-like appearance repeatedly thrust his wooden sword at Go Hyeon-woo.

He was one of the skilled individuals I mentioned, so it was best not to take him down.

So Go Hyeon-woo dodged subtly and raised his momentum at the decisive moment.

[Pure Flow]

Whoosh—

Following a gentle breeze, the mantis-looking man’s wooden sword missed and Go Hyeon-woo who was following the flow passed right by him.

“……!”

The mantis-looking man was startled as he turned around but he was a moment too late.

If it had been a real battle, his head would have fallen the moment he turned his back on the enemy.

Realizing the difference in skill between them, he immediately shifted his attention to someone else.

And since this was intentional, Go Hyeon-woo also let him go.

Meanwhile, our side maintained a defensive stance like a turtle.

The Ronin who had assessed the skills of Ratty and Woeful through several earlier clashes refrained from attacking.

Ratty who was protecting me spoke.

“Let’s keep it this way.”

“Yes, brothers.”

Just like the head mentioned, the chaotic melee would continue until a reasonable number of people remained.

Therefore, it was more stable to endure and survive rather than wander around trying to take someone down.

We could also conserve our strength while waiting.

However, many of the Ronin seemed to have a similar idea and were spending time on the outskirts of the circle.

Let’s have the riffraff exit now.

Whoosh—!

Suddenly, a strong wind swept through the area.

“Huh, huh?”

“What kind of wind…!”

Those with some skill tried to hold their ground, but the riffraff Ronin were helplessly pushed out of the circle.

The watching judge eliminated them en masse.

– Out of bounds! Out of bounds!

“The wind is strong today.”

“Be careful, brother Kim.”

I chatted casually with Woeful while glancing back at Go Hyeon-woo.

If the second order was to leave the skilled ones,

The last and third order was the exact opposite.

Choose and take them down.

The targets were the attackers, or the instigators behind this temporary escort recruitment.

They had reduced the number of guards through successive attacks. This forced the security agency to recruit Ronin.

Even at this moment, some were hiding among the Ronin in disguise.

If they caused chaos during the upcoming escort, the success rate of the mission would plummet, so it was better to deal with them now.

Swoosh!

Go Hyeon-woo’s wooden sword emitted a sharp piercing sound as it struck the shoulder of a bearded Ronin.

“Argh!”

Glancing at the bearded man who screamed and clutched his shoulder, Go Hyeon-woo immediately moved to his next target.

This time, the wooden sword broke the arm of a sideburned Ronin.

“Ugh!”

Since he had already fully grasped the entire situation, there was not an ounce of mercy in his actions.

He relentlessly broke the arms and legs of the fake Ronin, knowing fully well that leaving them would put us in danger.

“You!”

As Go Hyeon-woo blatantly targeted the fake Ronin, some seemed to realize their cover was blown.

They revealed their hidden skills and tried to fight back, but even then, Go Hyeon-woo was a step ahead.

He deflected their counterattacks and also broke the arm of one of them.

However, since the circle was too large for him to handle alone, it made sense for me to lend a hand.

Fortunately, I had just learned a skill that was perfect for this situation.

[Activate ‘Amplification’]

[The rank of the ‘One Point Explosion’ increased. (E->C)]

When I glanced around, I saw a Ronin with caterpillar-like eyebrows pushing his opponent back.

Just as he was about to deliver the final blow, mana gathered around his abdomen and then,

Boom,

It exploded right there.

The Ronin with caterpillar eyebrows clutched his stomach and fell forward.

Suddenly, Ratty noticed his figure and asked,

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Maybe he ate something bad.”

Boom,

The next target also got hit directly in the stomach by the One Point Explosion skill.

The man who fell on his knees asked his opponent with whom he had just been fighting,

“Ugh… What kind of sorcery is this?”

“I… I don’t know either.”

Confusion filled the faces of the two Ronin.

But I who was hidden between Ratty and Woeful continued casting One Point Explosion.

I knew it was cowardly, but

This too is for world peace.

As Go Hyeon-woo and I dealt with the fake Ronin, the skilled fighters who originally clashed with them moved more freely within the circle.

As a result, the number of riffraff dwindled more quickly.

After a little more time passed, the once crowded circle became increasingly sparse, leaving only about a dozen people.

Those remaining had confirmed each other’s abilities to some extent, so no one moved recklessly.

Bang—!

At that moment, a drum sounded, signaling the end of the fight.

It was safe to say that those still in the circle had all been accepted as temporary guards.

“…….”

The head of the Great Eagle Security Agency stepped down from the platform and slowly walked toward us.

Eventually, he stopped in front of Go Hyeon-woo and let out a low exclamation of admiration.

“You don’t look more than twenty years old, but your skills are impressive, young man.”

“You flatter me.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask which sect you belong to?”

“The Heavenly Wind Gate.”

“Hmm… I haven’t heard of it; my knowledge must be limited.”

As expected, skill was all that mattered in the martial world.

If a person with limited skills mentioned an unfamiliar sect name, they would have asked, “Heavenly Wind Gate? Does such a sect even exist?”

However, since the opponent was Go Hyeon-woo, the head of the agency blamed his limited knowledge.

“I have a proposal for you.”

“Please, go ahead.”

Then, an expert who appeared to be at the level of a head guard silently took his place next to the head of the agency.

The head gestured towards this expert with his eyes and continued speaking.

“Would you like to demonstrate a bit more of your skills? I promise you the authority and treatment of a head guard in this escort mission.”

If he overpowered the head guard, he would be treated as one.

Go Hyeon-woo revealed his skills and drew attention precisely to achieve this.

It will be much easier to manage a linked dungeon if you have the authority of a head guard rather than just a temporary guard.

From Go Hyeon-woo’s perspective, there was no reason to refuse.

“I accept your proposal.”