The Support Ate it All Chapter 345: 2nd Mentoring Session (2)

Since there was still quite a bit of ti left before sunset, we all began climbing the stairs together.

Since it was the first day, the plan was to check out how the ntoring would proceed and to loosen up our bodies with so light exercise.

It didn’t take long before a wide open clearing ca into view.

It looked like countless people like us had co and gone here in the past, as there were noticeable traces everywhere. Like marks where sharp energy had scraped past, dents left behind, and remnants of magic that had rained down.

Even so, the area had been maintained relatively flat overall, making it an excellent environnt for training.

Off to one side of the clearing stood a large door fra stripped down to its skeleton. It gave off a sowhat barren impression.

Dang Gyu-young approached it and began explaining.

“It’s a summoning gate. We’re going to use this for the ntoring.”

Naturally, I could tell at a glance how things were probably going to proceed.

anwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa was looking at the summoning gate with curious eyes, though there was a hint of doubt in her expression.

She was probably thinking, “It’s been out of commission for ages. How is she planning to use it?”

Of course, that doubt didn’t last long.

Dang Gyu-young pulled out a crystal the size of a fist from her inventory.

It was nearly identical to the ones we had used in duels or raids, and judging by the fierce energy swirling inside, it seed to have finished charging.

With that crystal, it would certainly be possible to reactivate the summoning gate.

I looked at the crystal and remarked.

“Looks like you managed to get permission sohow.”

“Mhmm, they let use it since it’s for ntoring.”

She answered casually, but in truth, it probably hadn’t been as simple as she made it sound.

Crystals like that were capable of holding enormous power, so they were often used as energy sources, but their usage was heavily restricted so that just anyone couldn’t handle them.

From what I could guess, getting permission to use both this training ground and that crystal must have involved a rather complicated approval process.

And undoubtedly, the responsibility currently resting on Dang Gyu-young’s shoulders must have been just as heavy.

However, since she clearly didn’t want to show it, I decided to play along and pretend not to notice for now.

Dang Gyu-young continued her explanation as she pulled out a few more crystals to show us.

Their sizes, the glow they gave off, and the power contained within them were all different. That was because their ranks varied.

“Summoned monsters appear at random, but their rank follows the rank of the crystal. As you can see, I’ve prepared a variety ranging from D to B rank. Naturally, I’ll be participating when it cos to the B-rank ones.”

It would’ve been too dangerous to leave them entirely to first-years.

Monsters ranked A or higher could have been difficult to handle, even with Dang Gyu-young stepping in.

That was why she hadn’t even requested permission for them. Or rather, even if she had, it probably wouldn’t have been granted.

It wasn’t like she could go around saying, “One of my ntees hits things with Inferno Fist!”

“And this part is the most important. When you defeat a summoned monster, you can receive a random buff.”

Things like increased mana circulation efficiency, a rank boost, health recovery, cooldown reduction, and so on.

She explained that depending on what buffs we received, she intended to adjust the direction of our training accordingly.

Soon, Dang Gyu-young stepped even closer to the summoning gate.

“Seeing it once is better than hearing it a hundred tis. I’ll summon one right away. Do you need any ti to prepare?”

“I’m ready.”

“M- too.”

As soon as the two of us responded, Dang Gyu-young gave a small nod and grabbed a relatively small crystal in her hand.

It seed like she intended to start with a D-rank monster since it was our first attempt.

Then, as she crushed the crystal without hesitation, the energy stored within it burst out and filled the summoning gate, which had previously been left with nothing but its bare fra.

Wooooong—!

An irregular, pulsating flow of energy.

When I kept my eyes on it, a large figure began stepping through the summoning gate, one heavy step at a ti.

“Grruuuhh…”

It was an ogre.

I’d seen them so often by now that I was probably more familiar with ogres than goblins.

That was exactly why they were considered the perfect monsters for punching bags or damage gauges.

Dang Gyu-young stepped back to watch from a distance, and I gave instructions to Hong Yeon-hwa.

Since we’d worked together smoothly up to this point, there was no need to give detailed orders.

“You be the battery.”

“M-Mhmm…”

After Hong Yeon-hwa stepped back and took her position, she quickly began chanting her spell.

All around us, circular magic circles began to float into the air, gradually filling with magical formulas.

The ogre imdiately responded with hostility.

“Grruuuhh…”

“Hey, over here. Not there. Look over here.”

I slowly waved my hand above my head to catch its attention, and the mont our eyes t, I activated Mutual Destruction Eye.

[The target has been afflicted with ‘Weathering (D)’ status effect.]

Whoooosh—

Winds whipped around the ogre’s entire body, scraping and clawing at its flesh.

The Weathering effect dealt continuous damage while also making the target even more vulnerable to wind magic.

Perhaps realizing I was the cause of this, the ogre’s hostility locked squarely onto .

“Gruuuuuuh!”

And then it charged at with terrifying speed.

But I didn’t even try to dodge. I just stood there, waiting. And the mont it threw its fist at , I swung the Sapling to et it head-on.

At the mont of impact, compressed wind exploded outward.

Boom!

The result? It was the ogre, not , that got blown backward.

Its weakness had been amplified not only because my Wind Force was ranked B , but also due to the Weathering effect.

Even so, the ogre kept swinging its fists at . But every ti I countered with Wind Force, it was the ogre that ca out worse for wear.

Its huge body kept staggering and getting pushed back over and over again.

Then, when I added [Twister] to the mix, the ogre beca completely immobilized and unable to move an inch.

anwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa had finished her chanting.

The ruby embedded in her wand shone with a brilliant red light, and at the sa mont, pillars of fla erupted from every magic circle around us.

Whoooooooosh!

The pillars of fire weren’t rising beneath the ogre’s feet but instead had ford a ring around it as if to trap it.

She’s trying to use a derivative spell.

Having figured out her intention as well, I didn’t lure the ogre onto the magic circles but kept it restrained right in the center.

Sure enough, the fiercely rising fire pillars gradually began to take on a distinct shape, and before long, each one started launching huge fireballs.

Boom! Boom-boom-boom!

At first, the ogre seed to endure a few hits, but in the face of the relentless barrage of fireballs, it eventually turned into pitch-black ashes.

Watching from the side, Dang Gyu-young smiled with satisfaction.

“You guys have gotten impressive. Now you’re just straight-up beating ogres down.”

“We’ve improved a lot, haven’t we?”

Back during the ntoring session, all we could manage was running around, desperately charging crystals.

And during the midterms, it took a six-person party to take down just one ogre.

But now, it was just Hong Yeon-hwa and , playing around with an ogre like it was nothing. It definitely made feel how much we had grown.

Of course, if I used prohibited skills, I could probably handle one-on-one fights too, but being able to push around a giant monster with Wind Force alone was pretty encouraging.

Then I turned to look at Hong Yeon-hwa.

“Good work. That just now… was that a derivative skill?”

“Mhmm, it’s still not quite perfect… but…”

Just like she’d ntioned on the way here, it was about halfway there.

If I had to guess, it was likely a turret-type skill.

If she could fully complete it, it would probably compensate for the biggest weakness of Fire Pillar.

The attack range, which had been limited to the magic circle, would expand significantly.

Since we had defeated the summoned monster, our party received a buff.

The entire training ground beca shrouded in thick mana.

In terms of density, it was probably similar to the special training room at the training center.

Dang Gyu-young crossed her arms where she stood.

“Go on, you two. I’ll be watching.”

“Thank you.”

Since one beca completely defenseless while cultivating mana, it was better for at least one person to stand guard.

Of course, it wasn’t like anyone would really show up in the middle of such a remote mountain, but you never knew what might happen.

After all, this was a dangerous ga world, so there was always a slight chance so shady guy or a wandering monster might suddenly appear out of nowhere.

And so, Hong Yeon-hwa and I began our mana cultivation under Dang Gyu-young’s protection.

When I eventually opened my eyes after quite so ti, the concentration of mana had noticeably thinned.

It seed like the buff’s effect was about to wear off.

“……”

Dang Gyu-young was looking straight at . She was still standing there with her arms crossed.

But when she noticed opening my eyes, she very naturally shifted her gaze to the distant sky.

“It’ll get dark soon. Let’s just go a couple more rounds and call it a day.”

Just as she said, the sky was slowly starting to take on a reddish hue.

Since we were deep in the mountains, it would probably get dark in the blink of an eye.

But before Dang Gyu-young summoned the next monster, there was sothing I needed to do.

“My Hardship cooldown’s done. Let’s use it here before we go.”

“……”

“……”

At that, Dang Gyu-young and Hong Yeon-hwa subtly exchanged glances, then turned to look at at the sa ti.

It seed like they were both quietly wondering who I would use it on first.

Of course, there was only ever one right answer to that.

“Hardship always goes to you first, senior.”

“Really? I’m the first priority?”

A bright smile spread across Dang Gyu-young’s face.

It seed like what really caught her attention wasn’t the fact that she could power up through Hardship, but the word “priority”.

I could have played along a little more, but explanation ca first, so I spoke with a serious expression.

“Hong Yeon-hwa is still in the process of building her foundation, but you, senior, are practically complete. Since we need to overhaul that whole build, there’s no way you wouldn’t be the top priority.”

“I know that, okay?”

Dang Gyu-young pouted while looking off to the side.

I casually added one more thing.

“You know you’re also top priority in other ways too, right?”

“You should’ve just said that from the start. Hey, hit with Hardship.”

Dang Gyu-young broke into a bright smile, as if she hadn’t been sulking at all.

I wasn’t lying. She was tied for first place.

Hong Yeon-hwa sent a confused look, but I pretended not to notice and activated the skill.

[Activated ‘Hardship’.]

[The target has been granted ‘Stage 4 Hardship’.]

[Cooldown: 5 days 23:59:57]

And right away, I linked it with Ti Share.

[Cooldown: 4 days 11:59:56]

If I kept using it in between, I’d probably be able to use it on Hong Yeon-hwa within a few days too.

“……”

Dang Gyu-young quietly checked the quest details for a while without saying a word.

Then, as her expression gradually twisted in frustration, she waved her hand through the air as if trying to check sothing.

Soon, a butterfly fluttered up from the shadow beneath her feet.

It was [Butterfly Flight], one of her absolute signature techniques.

However, the butterfly barely managed to take off before its form crumbled and scattered into nothing.

Dang Gyu-young parted her lips slightly and looked like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Hey, no way. My butterfly.”

And then she cast her shadow magic again.

This ti, a shadow suddenly rose up, and she reached her hand into it to pull out a longsword.

But again, just like before, the shadow sword went limp, drooping like a lted rice cake.

Dang Gyu-young threw the limp shadow blade away and grabbed the back of her neck.

“Ugh, my blood pressure’s already going up.”

First it had been the glowing light orbs, and now she was stuck dealing with floppy, useless shadows.

Was being the top priority for Hardship really a good thing?

There was definitely room for debate on that point.