The Support Ate it All
Chapter 739: Week 9–10 Midterms (18)
Before long, we swept through the B-rank zone like we were cleaning it out, beating down the few monsters that were still left.
Then we took some time for one last check of the items we had scraped together.
[Rank]
▷Seo Ye-in: B→A
▷Hong Yeonhwa: B+→A
▷Go Hyeonwoo: B→B+
▷Han Somi: B→B
▷Kim Ho: C+→B
▷Objective 1: Party members reach A-rank (2/2)
With this, we had completed every sub quest objective.
On top of that, we had long since exceeded the requirements for defeating competitors and field bosses.
At this point, we could relax comfortably until midterms ended, and it would still be fine.
But we should go as far as we can.
The best move was to pull rewards as close to the limit as possible.
It’s all for world peace, you know.
I had no idea when the Blood Demon guy would become EX-rank and come back, or when the dragons might show up above Dungeon Island and start pouring down breath attacks.
Rather than regret it then, it was better to suffer in advance and get even a little stronger.
The most efficient route is focusing on Objective 1.
Since reaching A-rank was difficult in itself, the additional reward margin for exceeding it was also fairly large.
In other words, raising one more party member to A-rank would bring far more extra reward than beating up another ten or twenty competitors and stealing bundles of cards.
Regarding that, there was one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
The good news is that there are fewer mouths to feed now.
Thanks to [Boost], Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeonhwa had quickly reached A-rank.
They no longer needed a share of crystal experience.
It was not as if an S-rank zone existed, and raising them that far was impossible anyway.
From here on, the other three of us could receive it in concentrated amounts.
The bad news is that even then, we’re nowhere near enough.
Right now, Go Hyeonwoo, Han Somi, and I were B+, B, and B respectively.
And on the Discipline Committee side, since they never had [Boost] to begin with, even Song Cheonhye, the one furthest ahead, was only B+, while the rest were all B.
Even after we scraped the B-rank zone clean, this was all we had. If we waited for monster respawns and gathered crystals one by one, there would be no answer.
Which meant our remaining choice was—
“Let’s move into A and finish raising everyone there.”
Our specs felt somewhat lacking, but we had no choice except to slam into it and see.
Soon, we spread out the map.
While the B-rank and lower zones were distributed evenly throughout the Great Forest, there was only one A zone.
It occupied a huge section of the eastern end.
They’re saying only people who can go should go.
If you were not up to it, do not even come near.
For once, the academy had been considerate toward the participants.
Of course, we were “people who could go,” so we set our direction east and started moving.
As we walked, Seo Ye-in tilted her head with a puzzled look.
“......?”
“What is it?”
“......It’s over.”
“What is?”
“Unlucky-sloth.”
She had used Finichip when she one-punched the B-zone field boss, and the backlash penalty had applied afterward.
It seemed she had finally returned to normal.
I counted on my fingers, calculating how long it had taken.
“About three and a half to four days.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s definitely better than a super finisher.”
That one lasted a week by default, and if it was bad, a few more days got added.
It meant she could now control the power and penalty to some extent.
Since her luck had returned anyway, I handed Seo Ye-in two [Payback] cards.
[Payback(A)]*2
▷Every time a certain number of cards is used, obtain 1 random card.
▷There is a low chance to obtain 2 cards.
▷The appearance rate of rare cards increases.
To trigger it, cards had to be consumed one way or another, but there was a probability factor on the acquisition side.
“From now [N O V E L I G H T] on, Lucky Charm, please manage these.”
“So be it.”
“And pull lots of good stuff.”
“Lots.”
We hurried on our way.
After walking for quite a while longer, we reached roughly the boundary between the B-rank zone and the next zone on the map.
Go Hyeonwoo looked ahead and spoke.
“Someone is coming.”
“Yeah?”
Sure enough, a group of slightly fewer than ten people was approaching.
Rather than coming to find us, they were probably trying to enter the B zone.
Meanwhile, for some reason, Hong Yeonhwa was studying them closely.
Then she frowned slightly, strode forward, and spoke to the group opposite us.
“We meet again here?”
“......Looks that way.”
The male student who seemed to be the party leader answered with an awkward expression.
Apparently, they had met near the beginning of midterms.
Considering how badly our side had been pressured, it probably had not been a good connection.
Maybe that was why Hong Yeonhwa kept frowning.
“Now our positions are reversed, aren’t they?”
“......I’m sorry about back then. I got greedy because of my grades for no good reason.”
It seemed like a good time to step in, so I stood beside Hong Yeonhwa and asked.
“What, did they do something?”
“Yeah. When we were fighting Sagong Uk and Cha Hyeonju...... they got in the middle and told us to hand over cards......”
Apparently, they had said some nonsense along the lines of, if you do that, we’ll back off.
As soon as Hong Yeonhwa answered my question, her formerly gentle face scrunched up again.
Then she said to the party leader,
“I don’t think an apology means much now, so do the same thing you did back then.”
“......?”
“Cards. Hand them over and I’ll let you go.”
“......!”
A stir ran through the group opposite us.
The party leader’s face also stiffened.
They were about to enter the B-rank zone and hunt hard, so handing over all their cards would feel like a waste.
I understood their feelings perfectly, so I decided to help them make the decision faster.
I twisted my face into a fierce scowl.
“And these things are actually thinking about it? We’re already going easy on you by only taking the cards.”
“......!”
“Why make this complicated? Let’s just wipe them all out and take everything.”
There was not much difference in numbers, but the difference in skill was enormous. If we fought, we would win for sure.
Go Hyeonwoo and Han Somi actively agreed.
“Looking back, they have a debt and grudge with us as well. Settling it here would not be a bad idea.”
“WIPE! THEM! OUT! YES!”
The Discipline Committee side also took our side.
Geum Johan placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, looking extremely annoyed.
“I hate people who don’t know their place most of all.”
With the atmosphere looking as if a fight might break out at any moment, the opposing party leader’s face turned deathly pale.
He backed away in small steps and waved his hands.
“Wait. I’ll give them to you, the cards. I said I’ll give them.”
“You should’ve come out like that from the start.”
Soon afterward, I received a bundle of cards from them.
▷Objective 3: Seize competitors’ items (41/10)
▷Objective 3: Seize competitors’ items (67/10)
But ending it here would be amateur hour.
Since this was convenient timing, I picked out [Protection] from the card bundle.
Then I handed the rest back to the party leader.
“Hold these for a second.”
“......?”
Next, I handed all the [Plunder] cards to Seo Ye-in.
“Use them all.”
“Perpetual motion.”
In any case, [Plunder] and [Exit] are useless now.
So we had sacrificed most of them to raise the rank of rare cards, but it was also possible to fill [Payback]’s activation condition like this.
I had set [Protection] aside because we might need it later.
It placed two, then three cards in Seo Ye-in’s hands.
As expected, [Payback] had activated.
Among them were some fairly rare and welcome cards.
[Sanctuary]*2
▷Protects allies within range.
It was a defensive skill the principal used quite often.
It had been reliable when fighting the Witch of Death and during the <Craft Haven> midterm too.
To think they’d give us something this good.
Strictly speaking, we obtained it thanks to Lucky Charm, but the opposing party leader did have some share in it too.
So I made my expression even more generous.
I held out one hand.
“Now give me what’s left.”
“......All right.”
It seemed he had inwardly hoped I might leave him a little, but that was ridiculous.
He should be grateful I did not turn them into sacrifices for the sub quest.
“Then good luck. Let’s see each other with smiles outside.”
“......Good luck to you too.”
The party leader answered awkwardly.
Judging by his expression, he seemed to regret having gotten greedy.
Next time he tried to pick a fight with me or my group, he would think one more time.
In any case, perhaps deciding he should focus on hunting, he led his party and started moving.
Then, as he looked slowly around the area, he muttered as if to himself,
“......Why does this place feel so empty?”
He seemed confused that there was not even a hint of a monster.
Why was it empty? Because we had cleared everything out.
*****
As a result of supplementing the stolen card bundle with the Payback-plus-Lucky-Charm perpetual motion, we stockpiled plenty of ordinary cards like [Ejection] and [Protection], several dozen of each.
And if I organized only the relatively rare ones—
[Payback(A)]*2
[Sacrifice]
[Sanctuary]*2
[Overreach]
[Shackles(B+→A)]*2
▷Lowers the target’s rank by 1 stage→2 stages.
▷Duration: 1 minute 30 seconds
I also offered sacrifices to finish raising the rank of both [Shackles] cards.
With this, we would hardly need to manage cards until midterms ended.
After storing the cards properly and continuing forward, a message I had seen many times appeared.
[Entering Fixed Zone.]
The fact that there was no additional message saying, “Rank will be adjusted,” meant the current zone’s rank was higher than mine.
Go Hyeonwoo let out a short hum.
“So this is finally the A zone.”
“Stay sharp from now on. Think of it like we’ve entered an A-rank dungeon.”
“What level would you say the monsters are?”
“Probably similar to seniors.”
Even ordinary monsters would be at the level of upper-middle second-years or third-years.
To make matters worse, most of our group was still only B or B+ rank, so our specs were lacking too.
At this point, the Discipline Committee members’ expressions turned even more serious.
It seemed they were realizing we had truly entered a dangerous place.
I gave them another instruction.
“First, slow down as much as possible.”
Soon, we formed up and began advancing while checking our surroundings thoroughly.
We had not gone far when—
The ones that walked out a moment later were two monkeys, with appearances that seemed to mix chimpanzee and gorilla features.
Each one held a large animal bone and a fist-sized stone in its hands, and blue energy had clearly gathered around them, wavering.
As expected of A-rank, even ordinary monsters were highly skilled at handling mana.
“Kiiik?”
The monkeys froze for a moment when they encountered us.
Apparently, they were startled by something unfamiliar rolling into their territory.
But only for a moment. Soon, they revealed open hostility and let out sharp cries.
“Kiiiiik!”
Then the two monkeys kicked off the ground and charged at once.
One swung the animal bone, and the other swung the stone.
Go Hyeonwoo and Han Somi took one, while Geum Johan and Jo Byeok took the other, clashing with them.
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