The Support Ate it All

Chapter 24: 1st Week Duel Battles (2)

TN: One part that has never been explained by author is mana. From what Ive read, mana seems to be a source of energy that anyone can use regardless of their chose class. It is stored in the [Core] and depending on ones class, it will be then changed to magical power or to Internal energy.

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[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

.

Yang Ji-hong no longer charged forward recklessly.

Maintaining a defensive stance, he began to slowly close the distance between us, one step at a time.

I nodded in approval as this approach was pretty close to the correct answer.

Yes, after being beaten three times, he should have learned something.

I cast [Hummingbird] and sent it flying.

As the approaching hummingbird moved towards him, Yang Ji-hongs eyes shone brightly.

His spear was pulled back and then launched forward like an arrow.

The hummingbird was pierced and dispersed in mid-air.

The second one I threw was also sliced through by his whirling spear.

Was this too easy?

I had deliberately sent it in a simple trajectory to go easy on him, but seeing how effortlessly he brushed it aside, I might have underestimated him too much.

I cast Hummingbird again.

This time, the hummingbird fluttered irregularly as it flew.

Yang Ji-hong tried to stab it, but just before it could be pierced, the hummingbird evaded gracefully and climbed along the shaft of his spear.

As Yang Ji-hong leaped to the side, the hummingbird, as if anticipating his move, sharply altered its course and followed him.

Fzzzt!

Guhhh

Yang Ji-hong grimaced in pain.

He seemed somewhat shocked.

It was a match he asked for and he even offered a family-made spiritual pill for it, only for the match to end in just three moves.

I asked him then,

Are you convinced now?

This cant be. If I had another chance!

I guess not yet.

.

.

?

Yang Ji-hongs expression, which was initially full of resentment, gradually turned to bewilderment.

I had successfully hit him with the hummingbird but I didnt move in to finish him off with my staff like I always did; I just stood there and didnt move.

Youre not going to finish it?

I told you, Id stick around until youre convinced.

!

Let me know when the paralysis wears off.

Now that I had received a spiritual pill, I felt obligated to ensure he got an appropriate lesson.

Complex, indescribable emotions flickered across Yang Ji-hongs face.

Eventually, he seemed to resolve himself to do as much as he could and his eyes hardened with determination.

He soon gripped his spear again and took up his stance.

This was his way of signaling that he was ready.

Sparks danced above my hand.

Here we go again.

***

The thunderous hummingbird continuously struck.

Since I had roughly gauged Yang Ji-hongs skill level, I adjusted the difficulty appropriately.

Tricky enough to ward off but not so overwhelming that he stood no chance.

Fzzzt!

Whenever he fell into paralysis, I would wait for him to recover before casting the spell again.

Yang Ji-hong now seemed more focused on learning than on his pride.

His original goal might have been to defeat me, but now he was wholly concentrated on the hummingbird.

He lunged and swung his spear wildly, trying to counter the diverse movements of the bird targeting him.

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It was all clear to see how his skills were rapidly improving.

Fzzzt!

Ugh.

Yang Ji-hong was hit by the hummingbird for the eighth time.

I took the opportunity during the break to glance at the scoreboard.

[Kim Ho 100% vs Yang Ji-hong 93%]

[Time Remaining 00:43]

The 10-minute limit for the duel match was almost up.

I posed a question to Yang Ji-hong as he gathered himself.

Are you convinced now?

I am.

By now, he must have realized.

The defeats in the previous two matches werent due to his complacency or bad luck, but purely because of the difference in our skills.

Ill show you one last time. Try to catch this.

[Activate Amplify.]

[Hummingbirds rank increased. (E->C)]

A hummingbird made of electric currents materialized.

It was larger and the light it emitted was more vivid.

Yang Ji-hong seemed to have noticed the difference as well, and he tensed up while gripping his spear tightly.

Zap!

!!

The hummingbird rapidly closed the distance.

To Yang Ji-hong, it must have seemed as if it had leaped through space in a blink.

A C-rank hummingbird whose rank had risen by two levels.

Even with concentrated effort, its movements were hard to catch.

Zap, Zap, Zap!

With just a few leaps, the hummingbird was almost upon him.

Yang Ji-hongs spear tip trembled slightly and his eyes wavered.

Despite witnessing it up close, he ultimately failed to decipher its movement.

Yet, as if determined not to end it there, he gritted his teeth, rallying all his might and channeling it into his spear.

Then, with all his strength, he thrust it forward.

Kwaaaaa!

A tremendous force swept past, seemingly wiping everything away.

At least, thats how it must have appeared to Yang Ji-hong.

But before he could even exhale in relief,

The hummingbird landed squarely on his chest.

Crackle Crackle Crackle

A burst of electrical energy engulfed Yang Ji-hong.

When the flash subsided, he was barely holding himself upright while propped up on the shaft of his spear.

Eventually, one knee gave way and he knelt on the ground.

And then as if he was speaking to himself, he said while facing the ground,

I had no idea you were concealing such skill It was a battle I couldnt win from the start.

Keep improving; you have potential.

I admit defeat.

[Kim Ho Win vs Yang Ji-hong Lose]

[Duel Battle Score: 359+27 points]

As we moved off the stage, it seemed like Go Hyeon-woo and the other male student had also finished their duel.

Seeing the subtle smiles on their faces, it seemed they had concluded their duel in a friendly way.

That was a good match.

Likewise. I learned much from observing your swordsmanship.

Lets compete again another time.

He said it as if he was saying lets meet again and play Go.

I approached Go Hyeon-woo and asked.

Did you win?

I got two victories. How about you, Kim-hyung?

Ive completed all three of my victories. Are you going to stay here?

I think Ill wrap up the third to keep things neat. You go ahead, Kim-hyung.

He was already scanning his student ID on the device, waiting for his next opponent.

Since I couldnt watch the matches and planned to spend time in the training center afterward, there was no reason for me to linger around.

Alright, Ill head out first.

See you tomorrow.

Hold on a moment.

Yang Ji-hong stopped me as I was about to leave.

The condescending attitude he had when we first met was nowhere to be seen.

He respectfully bowed before speaking.

Id like to apologize for my earlier rudeness. I judged you based on a superficial understanding. You are no coward.

No. Lets just say Ill continue to be a coward for a while.

A coward for a while

Yang Ji-hong pondered over my words, then chuckled as if realizing something.

Right. It might be better that you remain a coward for now. I cant be the only one at a disadvantage.

If the students continued to look down on them, the number of victims would increase.

With that, he handed me another chest.

One token doesnt quite settle the score. I learned a lot thanks to you.

Ooh, thank you

I quickly accepted and stored the token.

It was an unexpected gain.

I had also completed the most important duel battle quest.

[Side Quest: 1st Week Duel Battles]

Objective: Complete 3 duel matches. (0/3)

3 Wins Reward: Rank Up (F)

The quest reward was a large piece of parchment with UP written boldly on it.

It was an item named [Rank Up].

Once used, it could upgrade the rank of any skill or trait by one level.

The F-rank [Rank Up] I had just received could immediately elevate any F-rank skill to an E-rank.

Naturally, How I would use such item was all clear to me.

[Activate Rank Up (F).]

[The Amplification rank increased. F->E)]

[Duration 1:00 -> 2:00]

[Cooldown 1 hour -> 50 minutes]

This skill boasted exceptional utility, making it a top priority for upgrading.

The amplification time of the skill doubled, and its cooldown period was reduced by 10 minutes.

In other words, this would greatly shorten the time needed to complete the [Cube of Life].

If I barely managed to finish by Friday at first, now I could easily complete it by Wednesday.

And having more time meant,

I can spare some time to look at magic bullets.

This meant that I had more time to dedicate to Seo Ye-ins training.

***

After having a simple dinner with Seo Ye-in, we headed to the training center and secured a mana cultivation room.

Lets begin the first special lesson on magic bullets.

Clap

Seo Ye-in clapped silently.

She was about to take out her magic pistol, but I raised my hand to stop her.

Put the pistol away. We wont be using it for a while.

Mhm.

Want to try making a magic bullet first?

I needed to see her attempt so I could understand where she was lacking.

Following my instructions, Seo Ye-in gathered mana in her hand.

The mana gathered above her palm compressed into a fluffy cluster of magical power.

I watched the process, unable to hide my admiration.

Shes really amazing

How did Seo Ye-in then lose to Song Cheon-hye with that hastily made clump of magical power rather than this proper magic bullet?

Moreover, Seo Ye-ins score in duel battles was 600 points.

This meant that apart from the match she lost to Song Cheon-hye, she had won two others.

She did use equipment that was excessively advanced for a freshman, like the high-grade rifle and the invisible ghillie suit, but that alone couldnt explain everything.

I should see how she manipulates mana.

Now, try to follow what I do.

I manipulated mana to draw a circle.

Seo Ye-in replicated the action, creating a circle with her mana as well.

When I changed the circle into a triangle, her circle also transformed into a triangle.

Circle, triangle, square, star

I had her follow and draw various shapes.

Shes quite good at manipulating mana.

I say quite good, but objectively speaking, she belonged to the exceptionally talented category.

According to her, she had never practiced mana training before, but to be this skilled without any training meant she was a natural talent.

I guess that with just the right direction from me, she would grow rapidly.

Today, lets start learning distribution.

I took out a glass box.

It was an item provided for training at the training center.

It was small enough to be easily held with two hands and had a hole the size of a fist on one side.

Take a look.

I blew mana into the hole and the glass box was quickly filled with mana.

When I intentionally blew more mana in, it began to leak out from the hole slightly.

This box is exactly the amount that goes into an F-rank [Magic Bullet]. Using the appropriate amount for each bullet is the first step. The second is

I shook the glass box once.

The mana inside the box displayed a gradient of colors, ranging from a deep navy blue to a light sky blue that was almost white.

You cant have parts of the mana denser or lighter like this. Distributing the mana evenly to achieve a solid, uniform color is the essence of distribution.

Seo Ye-in raised her hand over her shoulder.

This probably meant she had a question.

Yes, go ahead.

Why does the mana need to be evenly distributed?

Watch and Ill explain.

The gradient mana in the box quickly converged into a single point and compressed.

I showed the finished magic bullet to Seo Ye-in.

Even upon close inspection, it was difficult to notice the very fine flaws in it.

Mana that isnt evenly distributed gets distorted during compression. Right now, its okay to use it as is, but beyond a certain level, these flaws become a problem.

For example, high-grade magic bullets compress much more mana than what fits in this box. If theres a flaw, mana could leak from that spot or the bullet could lose its shape altogether.

Its better to learn correctly from the start than to try to fix bad habits later on.

To summarize, fill the box with the right amount of mana and ensure the color is uniform without any variation. Lastly,

Snap!

A magic bullet formed instantly with a flick of my fingers.

If you can do these two steps in one breath, youve mastered distribution. Now, try it yourself.

I handed the glass box to Seo Ye-in.

When Seo Ye-in blew mana into the hole, excess mana began to trickle out.

The inside of the box was speckled with various shades of blue.

Mastering this in one breath was still far from her reach.

.

With each attempt leading to failure, Seo Ye-ins eyebrows slightly furrowed.

She looked at me with eyes seeking advice but I shook my head.

This was largely a matter of instinct, and there was little advice I could offer.

The best thing to do is to keep practicing until you achieve it.

Ill be in the next room; send me a message when youre done.

Got it.

Though she agreed, this wasnt something that would be over in a day or two.

It was essentially a homework assignment I had given her.

I had my own tasks to attend to.

Finding an empty mana training room, I settled in and took out the cube blueprint.

Chalalalalak!

While I was effortlessly assembling the cube with my hands, my mind wandered elsewhere.

How long will it take her?

An S-rank gunslinger I had trained in the past took a truckload of time.

There were over a dozen gunslingers like Seo Ye-in, who built their foundation from scratch.

The fastest among them took two days to grasp distribution, and even I had spent a whole day on it the first time.

I didnt expect her to reach that level, but given Seo Ye-ins talent, perhaps she would manage it in three days.

However

My expectations were completely off the mark.

[Seo Ye-in: Done]