The Support Ate it All

I rested for a while before opening my eyes.

Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeon-hwa had their sleeping bags pressed on either side of me.

It was still a bit too early to wake them, so I passed the time while sitting in place.

Go Hyeon-woo was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he had gone out to look around after completing a round of energy circulation.

Sure enough, not long after, Go Hyeon-woo entered the hidden room along with Baek Jun-seok and Shin Byeong-cheol.

Baek Jun-seok immediately apologized.

“Sorry. I should’ve held out a little longer.”

“There’s no need to apologize. The teacher was the one we were against.”

“Even so, as a tanker, failing to block even a single attack is disgraceful.”

I adjusted my evaluation of him from 50 Jun-seoks to around 70 Jun-seoks.

Then, I turned my head to the side and started questioning Shin Byeong-cheol.

“Hey, Shin Byeong-cheol.”

“…Ahem.”

“You have that skill you worked so hard to learn, right? The one with great performance.”

“…Yeah, I do.”

“Then why didn’t you use it?”

If he had responded with Ghost Dance as soon as he felt something strange, Shin Byeong-cheol would have survived a little longer, and he would have thrown more chopsticks from the side as support.

That would have eased the burden on the rest of the party.

Yet, in the end, Shin Byeong-cheol had been taken down in a single strike, while Park Na-ri who didn’t even have a dodging skill managed to survive.

This was something that needed to be addressed.

Especially since our scores were determined as a team.

Shin Byeong-cheol seemed to be aware of it as well as cold sweat trickled down his face.

“Well, you see… I could picture it in my head, but my body just wouldn’t follow. Haha.”

“……”

“……”

I stared at him in silence for a long moment.

The more I did, the more intensely he broke out in a cold sweat.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Practice more. What’s the point of learning a skill if you don’t train with it? You need to make it instinctive.”

“Ugh, I know, I know. I’ll practice.”

There would be times in the future when we would have to form a party again and times when we would have to fight for our lives in the underground floors. At the very least, he needed to use his trump card at the right moment.

Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa who had been fast asleep slowly lifted her heavy eyelids.

She must have woken up because of the murmuring voices.

“……?”

Glancing around, she seemed to realize the atmosphere was serious and promptly shut her eyes again, pretending to be asleep.

But it was about time for her to wake up anyway.

“Hong Yeon-hwa.”

“Huh? Oh!”

She sprang up as if startled. Her movements were abrupt.

Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, she kept sneaking glances at me and gauging my reaction.

Maybe she was feeling guilty about using the Kim Ho Pillow last night.

My question was the same as yesterday morning.

“Did you rest well?”

“Uh, yeah……”

“Good enough.”

The last one to wake up was our human sloth.

When I stepped back to give her some space, Seo Ye-in’s hand slowly slipped out from her sleeping bag and started groping blindly at the air.

“Where… are you…?”

“I’m right here.”

“Come back……”

“No can do. It’s time to wake up.”

***

We quickly filled our stomachs with some calories.

Then, together, we headed toward the meeting spot.

The disciplinary committee’s four-member team was already there, though it seemed the other two still hadn’t managed to join today.

When she spotted us, Han So-mi enthusiastically waved her hands.

“Hey, hey!”

“Yeah, did you rest well?”

“Mhmm!”

She was full of energy.

Meanwhile, our sloth was still half-asleep.

Then, Jo Byeok fixed me with an intense gaze.

“Still no luck today?”

“It’s not impossible.”

Now that the control room raid was over, there was no rule saying we had to keep working together.

We could fight right here, just as Jo Byeok had wished.

“Still, it’d be better if we stuck together until the end.”

If we ended up fighting among ourselves, no matter who won, both sides would suffer significant losses.

Would we really be able to reach the exit in that state and successfully finish the final exam?

With hyenas lurking everywhere, there was a good chance we’d be overwhelmed by sheer numbers and have our cheese box stolen.

Jo Byeok must have considered this as well because, once again, he seemed to set aside his competitive spirit.

“Opportunities are hard to come by.”

“What’s the rush? We’ve got three years.”

“I expect to see it happen within this year.”

Of course, Jo Byeok’s wish would soon be granted.

After all, my duel battle score was steadily rising.

The road to the exit was fairly smooth.

The control room lever would stay down for the next few hours.

There were no traps, no ghost monsters.

The only real threat was the other participants.

Still, we should be safe for now.

With our group being practically an all-star team, no one dared to pick a fight with us.

Most people turned and fled the moment they saw us, while a few kept their distance, trailing behind.

Go Hyeon-woo glanced over his shoulder before speaking.

“They’re waiting for an opening, hoping to swoop in and snatch the reward. Truly despicable.”

“Let them be.”

I responded indifferently.

There was no way they’d ever get their chance.

In the end, they were just wasting their time chasing the wrong people.

That said, there were also those who didn’t quite fit into either category.

As we neared the exit, we came across a six-person team.

Another swordsmanship club team.

Each of them had a sword strapped to their waist.

With how large their club was, it wasn’t unusual to run into them.

But this particular team was different from the rest.

Strictly speaking, it was the young man leading the group who made them stand out.

His energy flow was remarkably refined.

It was clear that he had undergone systematic training for many years in a prestigious family.

And if I were to sum up his appearance in a single sentence—

He looks annoyingly handsome.

To put it a little more politely, he had a refined, aristocratic look.

Though I had never met him in person, he was famous enough that I recognized his face.

A promising student from the White Faction of the swordsmanship club.

Mo Yong-jun.

“……!”

“……!”

My companions recognized him as well and immediately grew wary.

If he was a promising student, then his party members were likely skilled in their own right, meaning this wouldn’t be an easy fight.

But Mo Yong-jun simply smiled and spoke in a gentle tone.

“There’s no need to be so on guard. We’re not here to fight.”

“Oh? Then why are you here?”

Despite his reassurance, Hong Yeon-hwa frowned slightly as she asked.

Mo Yong-jun continued.

“Would it be possible to have a brief conversation with each team’s party leader?”

“…….”

Our gazes quickly darted between each other, and most of us nodded.

There was no harm in at least hearing him out.

Soon enough, Song Cheon-hye stepped forward on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, while Hong Yeon-hwa, the official leader of our party, did the same.

But then, Mo Yong-jun looked directly at Hong Yeon-hwa and said something unexpected.

“Aren’t you not the party leader?”

“……I am the party leader…”

She tried to insist, but lying was clearly not her strong suit.

Mo Yong-jun simply shifted his gaze away from her and turned to me before flashing a knowing smile—

As if to say, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and come over.”

So, he already knew.

Since he had called me out so directly, there was no point in denying it. I stepped forward, moving a little away from the group to stand with Song Cheon-hye and Mo Yong-jun.

And then, I asked the most pressing question on my mind.

“You know who I am?”

“Not in detail. But I do know you’re hiding something. Just like you are right now.”

“This is the first time we’ve met in person, though.”

“Not quite. I’ve unintentionally seen you coming and going from the vice president’s office a few times.”

I had visited Jegal So-so’s office a few times regarding the Black Death dungeon, the Treasure Map, and the Gathering of Villains.

Even members of the swordsmanship club couldn’t freely step into the vice president’s office, yet an outsider, who was also a first-year, had been going in and out multiple times. It was only natural for people to wonder who I was.

Mo Yong-jun continued speaking.

“I asked the vice president about you, but she wouldn’t give me an answer. My curiosity got the better of me, so I did some digging here and there. To put it simply, I found the results quite interesting.”

“I see.”

If he had investigated that far, it was no surprise that he was convinced I was hiding something.

With that mystery resolved, it was time to get to the main point.

“So, what kind of proposal do you have?”

“If it’s not too much to ask, do you happen to have any spare cheese boxes?”

“Well, I have a few.”

I currently had a total of twelve cheese boxes.

Three from the cheese room,

One from Sa Gong-wook’s group,

Two obtained while taking down the pursuers after meeting up with Go Hyeon-woo and Shin Byeong-cheol,

And six from the thirteen we acquired in the control room.

Of course, there was no need to report the exact numbers, so I simply said that we had some to spare.

Song Cheon-hye gave a similar answer.

At that, Mo Yong-jun asked,

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to buy some of your extra boxes. I’ll make sure the price is fair.”

“I refuse.”

Song Cheon-hye responded without a moment’s hesitation.

For her, nothing was more important than her final exam scores. No matter what he offered, a deal was out of the question.

Mo Yong-jun nodded his head as if he had expected this outcome.

“That’s unfortunate, but I understand.”

With that, Song Cheon-hye immediately returned to her group, while Mo Yong-jun turned his gaze to me.

“Can I take that to mean you’re open to negotiation?”

“I’ll hear you out. But first. What do you even need them for?”

“This isn’t just about boosting my exam scores a little.”

According to Mo Yong-jun, some teams near the exit route had no cheese boxes at all.

They had lost their cheese boxes for various reasons. Whether it was continuous battles with other teams or ghost monsters, failed attempts to break through the control room, and more.

“At this rate, they’ll end up with zero points. Wouldn’t that be a bit too tragic?”

“They brought it on themselves.”

“Still, it’s the final exam. Even if they can’t get a perfect score, I’d at least like to see our people walk away with 500 points.”

“That’s a nice sentiment.”

Hoarding the extra boxes would only add 200 points to our score.

But if we gave one to each of the struggling teams, they could each secure 500 points.

Of course, it’s not just pure goodwill from him.

By indebting them like this, Mo Yong-jun would earn more support within the club.

That would make it easier for him to aim for an executive position in his second or third year.

He was thinking long-term, rather than focusing on short-term gains.

From my perspective, it didn’t really matter whether he kept the boxes for himself or handed them out.

What mattered was something else entirely.

“So what do you have to offer in return?”

“That depends on how many boxes you’re willing to part with. But no matter the number, I’ll make sure you’re satisfied with the deal.”

“For example, what if I gave you ten?”

Mo Yong-jun’s eyes flashed.

“…You have ten extra boxes?”

“Just a hypothetical. The exact number can be adjusted later.”

“I’ll grant you anything within my power. Name your price.”

By the time the negotiation began, I had already done my calculations.

Without hesitation, I stated my terms.

“A second-semester Special Training Room season pass.”

“…….!”

Mo Yong-jun’s gaze deepened.

He was weighing the value of a season pass against the club support he could gain.

Helping ten teams, which made for sixty people in total, meant they would each earn 500 points. This could be converted into a significant number of club points as well.

I had factored all of that into my offer, so his deliberation didn’t last long.

“If you can really secure ten boxes, then it’s a deal. But… are you sure about this?”

“Sure about what?”

Mo Yong-jun gestured toward my teammates with a glance.

“You might agree, but will they?”

If we cashed in ten extra boxes, the six of us would earn a staggering 2,000 points and 8,000 club points.

It was hard to imagine my teammates giving up such a huge reward so easily.

I answered casually.

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“You must have a great deal of trust in them.”

“I do, but that’s not what I mean.”

Of course, they would agree if I asked. But I had no intention of sealing a deal at the cost of my party’s losses.

The boxes we currently had would be used entirely for our team’s score.

Then where would I get the ten boxes?

I’ll just have to take them.

The final Burning Time was still ahead.