The Support Ate it All

Chapter 39: Duel Battle (1)

After class ended, there were visitors outside the classroom looking for me.

Firstly, there was Kwak Ji-cheol.

Jeong Soo-ji who used to hang around with him wasnt here today.

He glared at me with eyes full of hostility as if he was plotting something.

I took a moment to reflect.

I regretted not smashing his head against the alley wall.

I should have beaten him more and knocked him out.

It seemed like there would be another opportunity soon.

A little distance away, Park Na-ri was gently stroking her cat while holding it in one arm.

Every time someone passed by, she flinched with a nervous expression on her face.

Both of them had one guardian each.

Beside Kwak Ji-cheol was a male student with an irritable expression who seemed to be irritated by everything.

And next to Park Na-ri was a female student with a gentle smile.

Both wore third year pins on their ties.

They must be from the Emerald Magic Tower and the Mother Nature clubs.

Four people approached me.

The first to speak was the male senior from the Emerald Magic Tower.

Are you Kim Ho?

Hello, senior.

Im Mok Jong-hwa, president of the Emerald club.

And Im Ha Soo-yeon, president of the Mother Nature club.

Unlike Mok Jong-hwa, who openly looked down on people, Ha Soo-yeon maintained a polite attitude and respectful language.

Of course, whether she was just polite remained to be seen.

Mok Jong-hwa continued the conversation.

We came in person because theres something we need to discuss.

Appreciate it. Sending a messenger doesnt quite cut it.

The faces of Kwak Ji-cheol and Mok Jong-hwa stiffened at the same time.

Kwak Ji-cheol at being treated like an unworthy messenger, and Mok Jong-hwa at the implication that a first-year was his equal.

Just as Kwak Ji-cheol was about to retort heatedly, Mok Jong-hwa raised his hand to silence him.

You must be blind to everything as a freshman. Let me give you some advice as your senior. Always be humble. The world outside the well is wider than you think.

Thank you for the advice. But it doesnt seem like youre outside the well either.

If you think that, then its your lack of insight. Being able to accurately assess an opponents strength is also a skill.

Is that why you sent two weaklings then?

.!

For a moment, Mok Jong-hwa was at a loss for words.

If his insight was as exceptional as he claimed, Kwak Ji-cheol and Jeong Soo-ji should have overpowered me.

Yet, here I was, standing unscathed and boldly talking back.

It was as if I had spat in his face.

Unable to bear it anymore, Ha Soo-yeon stepped in to mediate.

Both of you should probably stop now. We didnt come here to argue, did we?

Mok Jong-hwa who was about to retort stopped and looked around.

Due to the sudden appearance of two club presidents, the first-year students passing by were all focused on us.

They were all peeking around as if something interesting had happened. Mok Jong-hwa must have realized that showing more anger here would do no good.

This isnt a good place for a discussion. Lets move.

***

We bought drinks from the snack bar and settled on the second-floor terrace.

The spot was more secluded than I had expected with fewer students around.

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Kwak Ji-cheol and Park Na-ri discreetly hung back, leaving the conversation to Mok Jong-hwa, Ha Soo-yeon, and me.

Ha Soo-yeon started the conversation.

Ive heard that you possess a special item.

I guessed thats why you came.

In fact, it wasnt a guess; I made them come to me.

I took out the [Cube of Life] and placed it on the table.

Though the lid remained closed, the box emitted a faint life force pulse, capturing everyones attention with its glow.

Park Na-ris cat which was previously nestled in her arms suddenly leaped onto the table and squeezed into the Cube.

Bum no! Come out quickly!

Its okay. Just leave it.

Sorry.

I gestured to Park Na-ri, signaling her not to worry about hastily retrieving the cat.

After all, the cat was destined to be the cubes owner; there was no need to be harsh.

The cat playfully flicked open the lid of the Cube of Life.

It sat in the center and uttered a sound.

Meow.

So, it was true

Bum really likes it

Mok Jong-hwa and Ha Soo-yeon looked in disbelief.

Then, Ha Soo-yeon regained her composure and continued the conversation.

At first glance, it seems like a very powerful life-type artifact. May I look at the items description?

Hmm

I pretended to contemplate for a moment.

The power of an item directly reflects the strength of its owner.

If I were to show it carelessly, it would be akin to revealing my trump card.

Although I planned to sell it eventually, showing it too eagerly when asked like this might raise suspicions, so I deliberately played hard to get.

Ha Soo-yeon and Mok Jong-hwa offered reassurances as if to ease my concerns.

We assure you that this information will remain strictly confidential. We promise, in the honor of the Mother Nature Club.

I too promise on the name of Emerald club.

Then, thats acceptable.

I pretended to reluctantly concede and disclosed the items information.

The four people crowded close to the cube.

Their eyes widened in astonishment as they read the description.

The effect of life-type items stored inside is increased by 1.3 times?

Theres no limit to the number of items. With this capacity, at least ten can be stored at the same time.

Such an unbelievable artifact

This cant be just a B-rank item. Where did you find this?

Overwhelmed by the unexpected power of the item, all four of them burst into excited chatter.

Even the shy and quiet Park Na-ri actively participated in the conversation.

I sipped my iced coffee and waited leisurely.

After the excitement had somewhat subsided, Ha Soo-yeon returned to her gentle voice.

However, the burning passion in her eyes couldnt be concealed.

Ill be straightforward with you. Are you willing to hand over this cube?

Well, its a good enough item just to have.

Mok Jong-hwa spoke with a haughty tone.

An item shines in the hands of those who know how to use it. In your hands, itll just be a couple of life items. A pearl necklace around a pigs neck. Dont let it go to waste; hand it over to us. Well offer a price thats more than generous.

Though President Mok Jong-hwas words are a bit much, I somewhat agree.

Ha Soo-yeon eagerly added further explanation.

The Emerald and Mother Nature clubs possess an ample supply of life-type items. This cubes effects could be maximized, you see.

On the other hand, even if I diligently collected life-type items in the future, I would still fall short in quality and quantity compared to them.

In that case, wouldnt it be better to exchange it for equipment of similar value that I could utilize? That was the argument of the two presidents.

And Id be very grateful for this.

This was very similar to the reason I had decided to sell the cube.

Life-type items didnt really suit me.

Of course, although the reason was similar, theres a huge difference between the perspective of the seller and that of the buyer.

If it appeared that I was selling it because I didnt need it, its value would decrease. But in a situation like this, where they wanted to buy it, I could maintain the upper hand.

I understand what youre saying. But I cant help feeling hesitant.

Just tell us what you want. We will try to accommodate you as much as possible.

Umm

I played the role of a freshman who was full of anxiety, wondering whether to sell it or not and how much to sell it for.

Everyone looked at me in silence and waited for my next words.

But my response had been decided long ago, ever since I brought up the season pass to Go Hyeon-woo.

I pretended to be thinking and then extended four fingers.

Four special cultivation room season passes. I think thats what it would take for me to let it go.

Thats ridiculous.

Mok Jong-hwa retorted immediately.

Dont you think thats a bit too greedy? I would agree to a deal for two passes right away.

Theres no bargaining.

.

Mok Jong-hwa frowned and Ha Soo-yeon picked up the conversation.

Theres no need for as many as four season passes. Youre probably thinking of exchanging it for items of equal value?

Precisely. Id like one season pass and the other three in items.

I could consider trading up to three items, even at a loss. But four seems excessive to me.

Then Im sorry, but it seems well have to pretend this deal never happened.

Ha Soo-yeons eyebrows also furrowed slightly.

I made it abundantly clear that I had no regrets.

As I initially mentioned, Im content just possessing this cube. If I really wanted to sell it, I could approach the Swordsmanship Club or the White Magic Club or even put it up for auction.

.!

.!

In terms of ranking, the levels of Emerald and Mother Nature were in the upper-mid range.

Compared to the prestige of traditional strongholds like the Swordsmanship Club or the White Magic Club, they fall slightly short.

Theres no guarantee that taking the [Cube of Life] to them would fetch more than three season passes, but given the difference in influence, Ha Soo-yeon might entertain the possibility.

The same logic applies to an auction.

If the cube ends up in someone elses hands, it might end up costing more than four season passes.

Ha Soo-yeon let out a sigh, seemingly perplexed.

Ah But first, Id like to hear what items you would accept for the three season passes.

This implied that if the items were relatively easy for them to obtain, they might be willing to accept a greater loss in the trade.

However, things in the world are not always so straightforward.

I want a [Blank Skill Book].

.!!

Blank Skill Books.

Theyre akin to a skill book version of a blank check.

Once filled with content, they become skill books, and using them allows one to learn skills.

Even if they contain existing skills, the key advantage is that they can be customized to the users preferences.

Naturally, they are extremely rare.

There might be five or six in Dragon Slayer Academy at the moment or even less.

Considering the effort to obtain it, such an item would equate to about 3.5 season passes.

Knowing this, the two leaders shook their heads in disapproval.

This is getting us nowhere. We cant agree to those terms.

We might need to think this over a bit more.

Yes, please let me know if you change your mind.

I responded calmly.

I suspected that their minds might change over the weekend.

The prospect of a 1.3 times return would continue to flash before their eyes.

But then,

Um, excuse me!

Park Na-ri suddenly interrupted the conversation.

As everyones attention focused on her, her voice quickly shrank to a mere whisper.

I have one of those books

Na-ri, think about it carefully. The chance to create a skill is rare. Isnt it too precious to use like this?

Ha Soo-yeon tried to dissuade her, but Park Na-ri took a deep breath and seemed to firm up her decision.

Ive had that blank skill book for a very long time

Thats true.

But I still cant think of a good skill to fill it with. If this continues, itll just sit in my inventory forever.

Blank skill books held boundless potential but they demanded immense creativity from the user.

If you handle it poorly, you may not be able to use it to its full potential, and you may end up creating a low-level skill at best.

There was no greater waste than this, requiring immense deliberation from the creators perspective.

Park Na-ri had been in a dilemma as she was unable to craft any noteworthy skills thus far.

She argued that it would be better to trade it for the Cube of Life rather than just keep it unused in her inventory.

And then you know how much Bum likes it.

Meow.

Bum responded with a short meow.

It rubbed its chin against the corner of the cube.

As someone obsessed with efficiency, I couldnt help but wonder, all this for just that reason? But perhaps thats what being a pet owner is all about?

The desire to give anything to your beloved pet a tiger, in this case.

It wasnt something I couldnt understand at all.

Moreover, Park Na-ris expression seemed quite serious so she must have thought about it quite well.

Ha Soo-yeon also seemed to understand this from Park Na-ris eyes. And after looking at her for a moment, she sighed.

Haah Alright. If thats really what you want.

Thank you, Unnie (big sister).

Ha Soo-yeon turned to me and asked me.

Are you going to make the trade right now?

If were going to do it, theres no need to delay.

Alright then.

Park Na-ri handed me a blank skill book that had nothing written on it and was all white, while Ha Soo-yeon gave me a card stylishly inscribed with Season Pass in an elegant italic font.

With this exchange, the [Cube of Life] became the property of Park Na-ri and the Mother Nature Club.

Park Na-ri hugged the cube joyfully, and the cat inside it made a contented purring sound.

It began to vigorously scratch as if to mark its new owners possession.

No, dont scratch! Stop scratching!

The expressions on the faces of the onlookers were all the same, suggesting they probably shared the same thought.

Thats one crazy cat

Tch.

Mok Jong-hwa clicked his tongue.

He might have changed his mind later and paid four season passes for the cube, but once the ownership was transferred, it was a done deal.

However, it seemed there was still something left for me to say.

We came to find you not just for the cube but also for another matter.

Yes, please go ahead.

Just as I was wondering what else they had come for,

Kwak Jicheol spoke next.

I challenge you to a duel battle.