The Support Ate it All

It seemed as if Dang Gyu-young was about to bring up a heavy topic, because her expression grew increasingly serious.

However, she appeared to struggle to get the words out and kept hesitating.

This isn’t something that can be rushed.

So I decided to wait patiently until she was ready to speak.

“……”

“……”

We continued walking in silence, and before I knew it, the men’s dormitory was right in front of us.

Thinking that she might not bring it up after all, I was about to say my goodbye when Dang Gyu-young slowed her steps and looked at me.

“Kim Ho.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

I nodded my head readily, but Dang Gyu-young hesitated again for quite some time before finally managing to ask her question.

“In the eyes of a senior who’s graduated over 200 times… what do you think of my skills?”

“Before I answer, I’d like to know why you’re asking that.”

Dang Gyu-young let out a deep sigh.

“…It’s just that, lately, things have been complicated for me. My skills don’t seem to be improving, yet strong opponents keep appearing. Meanwhile, you’re getting ridiculously stronger at such a quick pace. Even this time, you ended up contributing more than I did.”

“In simpler terms, you’re worried about falling behind, right?”

“…Honestly, yes.”

The truth was that while Dang Gyu-young excelled in utility skills such as stealth and teleportation, her combat contributions had been relatively limited. ṝА𐌽ỘBĘʂ

In a direct confrontation, she wouldn’t stand a chance against disciplinary committee president Oh Se-hoon, nor even against other third-year disciplinary committee members.

Even during the battle at the Gathering of Villains where we defeated the Twin Demons, my contributions had been significant. I granted poison resistance and used techniques like Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger and Ghost Dance.

Having gone through such experiences, it was only natural that anxiety had begun to take root in her heart.

Someday, won’t Kim Ho catch up to me and surpass me?

When that day comes, will I still be needed?

Will someone else end up taking my place?

The recent subjugation mission must have been the breaking point.

Even though I had exchanged only two moves with the Witch of Corruption, I had done so on equal terms and even gained the upper hand.

It was something Dang Gyu-young wouldn’t have dared attempt, and my success meant that, in some ways, I had already surpassed her.

This had shaken her confidence even further, and she likely felt the need to hear my honest opinion at this point.

Well, this day was bound to come.

It was an inevitable conversation that we would have to face eventually.

As such, I looked at Dang Gyu-young seriously and began to speak.

“I’ll give you my thoughts honestly, without holding back.”

“…Mhmm.”

“If you continue training diligently even after graduation, I believe you will be able to reach A-rank.”

“A-rank… What about beyond that?”

“That’s the ceiling for you.”

A shadow fell across Dang Gyu-young’s face.

She cautiously asked again.

“What if I train like that and face the Witch of Corruption?”

“If it’s one-on-one, you’ll lose. No exceptions.”

“……”

Dang Gyu-young’s expression darkened further.

Even if she were to train relentlessly from now until after graduation, A-rank would still be her ceiling.

And to make matters worse, she wouldn’t even be able to defeat the Witch of Corruption. Her abilities were nowhere near sufficient to keep up with me.

The vague sense of anxiety she had been feeling now took a definite shape. Still, Dang Gyu-young forced a smile, as if trying to pretend it didn’t bother her.

But it didn’t seem to work. Her smile appeared heartbreakingly fragile.

“Well, I still have to try my hardest if I want to at least make it to A-rank. Thanks. I’ll be going now.”

“We’re not done yet.”

At my words, Dang Gyu-young paused mid-turn. She stopped in her tracks and asked in a defeated tone,

“…What is it now?”

“I didn’t say there’s no way to surpass your limit.”

“….…!”

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

As the saying goes, you should always hear someone out until the end.

While sheer effort alone might not be enough to break through her limits, there were other ways to do it.

Like I had told the Witch of Corruption, if something is lacking, you just have to find a way to make up for it.

“And I happen to have one such method. To be precise, I recently acquired it.”

“…What is it?”

“Before I tell you, let me ask you one last thing.”

I looked straight into Dang Gyu-young’s eyes and asked in a serious tone.

“This won’t be an easy path. Are you sure you won’t give up?”

Her deliberation didn’t last long.

She looked me straight in the eye. Her eyes were full of resolve, and she answered with determination.

“I’ll do it. Whatever it takes. I won’t give up.”

“Good.”

I activated a skill toward Dang Gyu-young.

[Activated ‘Hardship’.]

[Cooldown: 6 days, 23:59:58.]

[‘Stage 1 Hardship’ has been granted to the target.]

Hardship was a quest-type skill.

It assigned a custom-tailored quest to the target that was perfectly suited to their needs.

For a swordsman, it would give a task relevant to a swordsman. For a mage, it would assign a task fitting for a mage.

The types of quests ranged from repeated training and material collection to defeating specific monsters.

The important thing, however, was the difficulty.

Just like the word “Hardship”, it required an effort so grueling it felt like shaving down one’s own bones, and only by pushing oneself to the absolute limit could the quest barely be cleared.

And there are even more stages.

When Dang Gyu-young cleared the Stage 1 quest, I would simply use Hardship again to assign Stage 2. The stages could go on endlessly.

Naturally, the difficulty would increase exponentially.

That’s why I had asked one last time before using the skill.

If she was truly confident she wouldn’t give up.

Of course, the rewards are well worth it.

The rank of a stagnant skill or trait could leap dramatically, or one could acquire something entirely new and powerful.

As long as one endured the trials and cleared the quest, growth was guaranteed.

And not just gradual incremental growth. This was growth that would make her visibly and significantly stronger in a short period of time.

The reason I earned the nickname “S-Rank Factory” was largely thanks to this skill.

For heroes with less natural talent, Hardship could push their growth to the next level.

Even for those with exceptional talent, it significantly shortened the time required for their development.

I had already raised several heroes with talents on the level of Shin Byeong-cheol to S-rank,

So turning an A-rank like Dang Gyu-young into EX-rank was entirely possible.

Of course, whether it succeeded depended entirely on her.

“What kind of cheat skill is this…?”

Dang Gyu-young muttered half to herself, and her gaze was fixed on something in the air.

She was probably reviewing the contents of the quest.

After a moment, she looked at me and said,

“The quest’s no joke. But I’ll give it a shot.”

“You can definitely do it.”

We smiled at each other.

But then, as if a thought suddenly struck her, Dang Gyu-young narrowed her eyes and stared at me suspiciously.

“…Wait a second. Did you purposely wait until the end to tell me this?”

“No way. There’s an order to how things should be said.”

“That’s not true. You totally paused halfway through.”

“Well, that makes it more impactful.”

“I knew it! You did it on purpose! I’m mad now.”

Dang Gyu-young crossed her arms and turned her head sharply to the side.

It was obvious she was pretending to sulk.

Should I even bother trying to make it up to her?

So I deliberately looked off into the distance, pretending not to notice. For a while, an unspoken battle of wills ensued between us.

“……”

Eventually, Dang Gyu-young glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. When I turned to meet her gaze, she quickly snapped her head away again.

Instead, a shadow rose up from the ground near her feet and lightly tapped me.

Then, she scribbled a few words in the air.

[Sulking]

[Must be appeased]

[Hurry]

Wasn’t this just fishing for attention?

Even as I thought that, I walked over to her side.

And then, in a low voice, I said just one word.

“Qyu.”

“…Pffft.”

Dang Gyu-young’s shoulders quivered slightly, as if she was trying to stifle her laughter.

But her head still remained turned in the opposite direction.

It seemed like she was silently urging me to keep going, so I obliged and added another line.

“Qyu, don’t be mad.”

“Pffft! Hahaha!”

Dang Gyu-young smacked my shoulder repeatedly. She couldn’t hold back her laughter in the end.

***

For the time being, Dang Gyu-young would be busy with that Hardship quest.

And I had quite a few matters of my own to handle as well.

Among them, the most important was managing the aftermath of the latest subjugation mission.

The next day, as soon as I received a message from the academy administration, I headed straight for the principal’s office.

Just as I was about to raise my hand to knock, the door swung open on its own, as if it were automated.

Beyond the door, I could see the principal waving me in.

“Come on in.”

As usual, he sat slouched in his chair, dressed in his typically sloppy clothing.

The only difference this time was that he had both legs propped up on the desk.

The vice principal was glaring at him with a look of utter disapproval, but the principal seemed completely unfazed as he spoke in a calm tone.

“I heard from Teacher Lee and Teacher Seo. They mentioned the witch shook them off and targeted you once during the battle, but you still managed to recover. How did you do that?”

“Yes, I figured she’d target me at least once, so I prepared for it.”

“Well done. Still, what’s a mistake is a mistake.”

He then mentioned that both Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong had admitted their own mistakes, and he offered an apology on their behalf.

Though to be fair, it really wasn’t their fault.

After all, the witch had used Blink to break in. Even if they’d anticipated it, it’s questionable whether they could have stopped her.

In fact, I had deliberately left an opening to lure her in.

Of course, there was no need to bring that up and devalue my contribution, so I decided to follow the age-old saying:

Silence is golden.

The principal continued speaking.

“So, let’s hear what your “small favor” is. Considering the teachers’ mistake, I’m willing to grant something a little more extravagant. Go ahead, tell me.”

With that, it was practically guaranteed that he’d agree to my request.

If I wanted, I could ask for new equipment, skills, or traits, possibly even something up to the A-rank level.

I could even request access to the Prohibited Item Storage.

Of course, there would be several limitations on what I could take out of there.

Though those options were tempting, I had already decided what to ask for.

I raised a fist in front of the principal.

“This is what I want.”

“A spar? Quite combative, aren’t you?”

The principal chuckled and rose from his seat.

But I shook my head.

“Not a spar.”

“…Then what is it?”

He looked puzzled, so I flashed him an innocent smile.

“Please let me hit you.”

“How many times?”

“Just ten.”

The principal’s face twisted into an odd expression.

“I naturally assumed it would be a spar.”

“Well, I’d lose if it were.”

Challenging a former hero to a spar?

It would be no different than signing the blank check to get beaten up.

I only fight battles I can win. Battles where I stand to gain something.

At that moment, the vice principal who had been silently observing quietly chimed in.

“I think that’s an excellent idea. Go ahead.”

She was normally a strict woman. Strict to the point of being described as 2.5 times as strict as others. But now she seemed particularly pleased with my suggestion this time.

Did she secretly want to hit him, perhaps?

The principal glanced at the vice principal with a betrayed look, then turned back to me and made a counterproposal.

“Sorry to go back on my word about granting unreasonable requests, but I can’t just let you hit me for nothing. How about this? One question per hit. You answer them honestly, no lies.”

I had a feeling he’d say something like that.

He clearly had a lot of questions about me. No matter what I asked for, he’d probably have found some excuse to attach conditions.

I nodded my head and made a counterproposal of my own.

“Then I’d like to add one condition too. No items or skills.”

“…You really want to hit me that badly? Did I do something to upset you?”

“No, there’s no personal grudge.”

I simply want to hit you, that’s all.

The principal’s face contorted even more strangely.

He stared at me as if trying to gauge my true intentions, but he didn’t seem to find anything.

In the end, he gave up and confirmed the terms one last time.

“Fine then. No items, no skills; only traits. Ten hits, and for each hit, you answer one question honestly. Deal?”

“Deal.”

I followed the principal and vice principal to another location.

***

TN: Lmao….Also, Qyu is the best

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!