The Support Ate it All

Chapter 95: 6th Week Mentoring and Strategy Battle (2)

The monsters on the upper floors of the dungeon were mostly F-rank and E-rank, and as their level was low, their intelligence was also quite low.

Without a named individual to lead them, their unity was weak, and even in large numbers, they amounted to nothing more than a disorganized rabble.

However, the situation changed drastically when Dang Gyu-young took command.

What they lacked in intelligence was compensated for with strategic leadership, and the once disorganized monsters would be able to move as one.

The greater their numbers, the more formidable they became.

And add to that how this senior doesnt know how to hold back.

Considering the ruthlessness Dang Gyu-young had displayed the previous week, there would be no mercy this time either.

Should any opening in our defense be spotted, she would strike swiftly and relentlessly exploit it.

This will be quite difficult too.

Leaving me aside, the fledglings before me were surely in for a tough time.

But that wasnt the end of it.

Ah, one last thing. Pair up with someone different this week. You two, and you two.

Dang Gyu-young said you two while pointing at Hong Yeon-hwa and Kwak Ji-cheol, and then for the next you two she pointed at me and Song Cheon-hye.

Song Cheon-hye raised her hand.

I have a question.

Yes, what is it?

Can I ask why were changing partners? We got used to each other last week, so I thought it might be better to keep the same pairs.

Dang Gyu-young seemed to ponder for a few seconds before nodding slightly.

Well, youre not wrong.

Then why

I do whatever I want.

.

Song Cheon-hye was at a loss for words and could only blink her eyes in response.

Regardless of the reason, it was clear that everything was up to the mentors decision.

As mentees, we had no choice but to follow her instructions.

Furthermore, since changing partners wasnt exactly an unreasonable request, Song Cheon-hye seemed to reluctantly accept it even though she wasnt fully convinced.

On the other hand, Hong Yeon-hwa looked to be somewhat disappointed.

Given that she shuddered at the mere sight of me, one would expect her to welcome the change in partners, right?

Maybe it was because she hated pairing up with Kwak Ji-cheol more than me.

Even now, you could see them openly looking at each other with disdain.

The rift between the Ruby and Emerald Magic Tower, between the fire mages and the earth mages, was evidently deep-rooted.

Amidst this brewing conflict, Dang Gyu-young nonchalantly announced,

Come up in pairs. Lets start with Kim Ho-rang and Song Cheon-hye.

She then stepped into the teleportation portal first.

We followed her in and our surroundings transformed instantly.

***

A temple that had lost all its former glory and lay in ruins.

The setting sun streamed through the partially collapsed ceiling.

The red sunset illuminated the ruins of the temple even more starkly. Only the statue of the goddess stood alone in its place.

The goddess of war holding a sword in one hand and a scale in the other.

Despite the wear and tear of time, marked by cracks and fractures here and there, she retained her beauty and strength.

Song Cheon-hye seemed to be struck by a peculiar sentiment as she gazed up at the statue of the goddess for a long while.

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Speak up when youre ready,

Until Dang Gyu-youngs voice snapped her out of it.

Dang Gyu-young who gave us instructions leaped up on the spot and vanished like smoke.

My guess was that she hid her presence and settled down in a position with a clear view of this area.

This was because it would make it easier for her to command the monsters.

It might be possible to find her if we really tried, but since Dang Gyu-young was considered an external entity in this strategy session, it would be a waste of effort.

It was better to disregard her and focus entirely on defense.

Together, Song Cheon-hye and I slowly surveyed our surroundings.

Isnt it a bit early to be making a strategy?

Yes, it does seem so.

Apart from the statue of the goddess, there was nothing particularly noteworthy here.

The temple itself wasnt very large and there were few obstacles.

The main gate seemed to be the only likely route for monster attacks.

If you could properly block this point, your defense would be successful.

Song Cheon-hyes expression became much more relaxed as if she was thinking that.

Shall we give it a try?

Lets do that.

Since we could attempt it multiple times in practice mode, I decided to dive right in at first to get an overall grasp of the situation.

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

[Statue of the Goddess: 100%]

[Remaining Time: 9:59]

As soon as the strategy battle started, numerous presences were felt.

When we turned our eyes to the main gate, we saw that it had been blown off its hinges, revealing the scene beyond.

A goblin horde was approaching from a distance.

Kekek, kek.

Keke!

By nature, goblins were known for their sheer lack of intelligence. They often charged in a chaotic mess, tripping over one another, stepping on each other, and causing utter disarray. But these creatures advanced in an orderly fashion and in rows and columns as they moved forward.

This was because they were under the command of Dang Gyu-young.

If we check the composition of the guys approaching at a fast pace,

It was clear that most of them wielded short-range weapons like daggers and hand axes, while a few carried crudely sharpened wooden spears or stones suitable for throwing.

Their formation was a balanced mix of close and long-range fighters.

Song Cheon-hye also seemed to be gathering such small information while staring at the goblins.

As the battle drew near, she pulled out a pair of gloves that shimmered with a dark color from her belongings and slipped them on.

Tiny topazes embedded in them emitted a faint electric current.

Whats the plan?

Ill take on the role of the main attacker. You provide support.

Lets do that.

There was no reason for me to refuse, especially since she was willingly taking on the more difficult role.

Fzzzt, Fzzzt,

The Topaz began to emit increasingly more intense electric currents.

Song Cheon-hye swiftly created her spell.

Judging by the complexity of the spell, it seemed to be a powerful area-of-effect magic, but given the considerable distance, its effect might be halved due to the [Close Combat] restriction.

Still, its better to do something than nothing.

The logic here must have been that inflicting even a quarter of the damage was better than standing by idly until the enemies were upon us.

Having completed her spell, Song Cheon-hye pointed at the leading goblin and a thin streak of lightning shot out.

[Chain of Lightning]

Fzzzzt!

The lightning wrapped around its target like a chain and didnt stop there; it jumped to the next goblin and then to another before quickly spreading through the entire group.

Fizzzzzzzzz!

Had the Chain of Lightning been cast without the [Close Combat] restriction, about half of the goblins in sight might have been obliterated on the spot.

The rest would likely have lost their will to fight and fled.

However, with the reduced power, only a few in the front ranks collapsed, while the rest were merely slowed down by a mild paralysis effect.

Kerk,

Kek.

Even in their slowed state, the goblins continued advancing steadily.

At a certain point, when they deemed the distance sufficiently close, a few goblins hurled wooden spears and stones.

When Song Cheon-hye quietly extended one hand forward, the flying projectiles stopped with sparks flying right in front of her.

It was the magical barrier she had demonstrated during her duel battle with Seo Ye-in in the placement test.

In her other hand, a bolt of lightning grew in size.

As the vanguard reached the main gate, she released the barrier and charged forward, driving the fully formed bolt of lightning into the ground.

Fizzzzzz!

The goblins showed no signs of slowing down even though their own kin in front of them were instantly reduced to ashes.

They immediately filled the gaps in their formation and pressed forward.

Song Cheon-hye was slightly surprised by their resilience but she quickly regained her composure and began casting the next spell.

Lightning surged again and engulfed the area in front of her.

Fzzzzzt!

Meanwhile, I stood leisurely behind and watched Song Cheon-hye unleash her magic without restraint.

Shes a natural.

I had already perceived her as a magical power monster during the placement test, but now it seemed even more evident.

Her [Core] was at B-rank.

Her core was likely unparalleled among the first years, and her magical power was on par with that of second and third-years.

She must have at least three traits.

She had at least three support traits similar to the [Blessing of the West Wind] that I had learned.

These were just the ones I noticed in this short period of time, and if I were to include the less obvious ones, the number could well be five or six.

Calling her a walking cannon wouldnt be an exaggeration.

However, this cannon had a notable flaw.

Her control leaves something to be desired.

Despite unleashing a barrage of diverse spells, she couldnt cleanly take down every target and would often let one or two slip through.

Even when I saw her handling the Hummingbird during the train and placement test, I felt her control was lacking, and it seemed she still had a long way to go.

I understood that having abundant magical power and numerous traits could make delicate control more difficult, but

That senior doesnt have such problems.

Dang Gyu-young wouldnt be so understanding.

Instead, it seemed she had seized the opportunity and changed her strategy.

Krrr,

The goblins eyes shifted maliciously as some continued to target Song Cheon-hye while others surged toward the statue of the goddess.

Sensing the change, Song Cheon-hye frantically unleashed her lightning magic.

Fzzzzzzzt!

Once again, a heap of goblins turned to ash, but this time, a couple managed to dart past Song Cheon-hye.

She cried out in desperation,

Block them!

Sure, Ill block them~

After I trudged forward and blocked their path, the goblins lunged at me with their daggers as if annoyed by the interruption.

I dodged them with ease and, after grabbing hold of them, I casually tossed them towards the main gate.

One goblin flew through the air and landed near Song Cheon-hyes feet which caused her to jump in surprise.

Eeek. What are you doing!

You said to block them.

Thats how I block.

It wasnt intentional to throw it right there.

A look of frustration crossed Song Cheon-hyes face, but the goblins kept coming relentlessly.

She then refocused and defended the main gate.

[Statue of the Goddess: 100%]

[Remaining Time: 6:40]

The battle unfolded in a pattern where Song Cheon-hye unleashed a barrage of lightning magic, and as one or two creatures slipped past, I would scoop them up and toss them back to Song Cheon-hye. This cycle continued until about a third of the remaining time had elapsed.

So far, not a single creature had reached the statue of the goddess.

All we needed to do was hold out until the remaining time expired.

This is easier than I thought.

Is what Song Cheon-hye was probably thinking.

But the world isnt so easily conquered.

If it were this simple, the academy wouldnt have chosen it as a subject for the strategy battle.

And certainly, Dang Gyu-young wouldnt let it end like this.

.!

.!

Sure enough, apart from the gate we were guarding, the presence of numerous monsters could be felt emanating from a different location.

From just beyond the wall on the side of the temple,

Bang, bang,

the continuous sound of impacts was heavy.

It seemed they were ramming their bodies against it.

With every bang, bricks slightly shifted out of place and a dusting of stone powder and debris fluttered down.

Song Cheon-hyes face hardened as she grasped the monsters intention, or more precisely, Dang Gyu-youngs intention.

No way.

Rumble,

And then the walls of the old temple crumbled just like she feared.

Through the new breach, a group of goblins made their entrance.

Kerluk.

. Why go to such an extent

Song Cheon-hye muttered to herself in disbelief.

It was as if I could hear Dang Gyu-youngs response in my ear.

I do whatever I want.