The Support Ate it All

Chapter 149: Kwak Ji-cheol in Crisis

There were already too many sources to guess who might have said that.

It could have been hinted at by Song Cheon-hye who was also on the same disciplinary committee.

Or it might have been mentioned in passing by his brother Kwak Ji-cheol during conversation.

Or perhaps, it could have been someone else, like Son Hyeong-taek or Bukgong Han-seol who participated in the 4-on-4 mentoring battle.

Still, the most likely candidate was of course,

“Senior Kim Gap-doo must have mentioned it.”

“That’s right.”

Kwak Seung-jae did not deny it.

During the 4-on-4 match, Kwak Ji-cheol said something like this,

– Unlike a typical martial artist, Kim Gap-doo is excessively cautious.

At first glance, it seemed like a simple evaluation but it also hinted that Kim Gap-doo and Kwak Seung-jae knew each other to some degree.

And if they talked about personal matters like romance, they must be even closer.

“He kept rambling on for quite a while.”

Of course, in this case, it was more like a one-sided lament about his situation rather than a conversation.

Kim Gap-doo called out Kwak Seung-jae and started his alcohol-free drunken ramblings.

– They seemed really close…

– Even doing skinship…

– They were so sweet, I was envious to death…

– But I got rejected again…

– I didn’t even plan to be a nuisance…

And Kwak Seung-jae had listened to it all with a blank mind.

It seems the aftershock has hit him.

When Kim Gap-doo was rejected by Dang Gyu-young for the last time, he turned away without any regrets. He even gave me a basic elixir and asked me to take good care of her.

I had thought his departing figure was quite admirable, but it seems he hadn’t fully overcome the pain of his broken heart.

After all, if feelings could be controlled at will, who would ever suffer?

It was perfectly understandable.

Of course, that was that, and I had to correct any misunderstandings.

“We are close, but I’m not dating senior Dang Gyu-young.”

“I heard ‘not yet’. Isn’t it true that you both have mutual feelings for each other?”

“I respect her like a junior does for his senior.”

“I heard you’re spending quite a bit of time together.”

“Well, she’s my mentor, and I’m her mentee.”

“…I see.”

When I answered as naturally as flowing water, Kwak Seung-jae looked at me for a moment with calm eyes and then nodded his head.

However, perhaps because he had heard a lot from Kim Gap-doo, he didn’t seem to fully believe me.

He probably thought I was hiding it out of embarrassment or that it was only a matter of time before our relationship progressed.

I didn’t feel the need to correct him that far, and since the future is unpredictable, I didn’t bother adding any unnecessary explanations.

Kwak Seung-jae continued speaking.

“It would be rude to interfere further in your personal matters. However, whatever you do, make sure it’s within the rules. I don’t want to have to come after you like in the underground of the dungeon building.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Isn’t it fine as long as I don’t get caught?

As if he could see right through my thoughts, Kwak Seung-jae stared at me for a moment, then moved on to the next topic.

“How is Ji-cheol doing?”

He’s just a burden.

In terms of fighting power, he’s about 0.3 of a person.

—of course, I couldn’t say that in front of his older brother, so I gave a vague answer.

“He’s managing about as well as everyone else.”

“It seemed to me he was struggling just to keep up, wasn’t he?”

“Well, there’s nothing he can do about that; his teammates are not ordinary people.”

Objectively speaking, it’s not that Kwak Ji-cheol is lacking, but that his teammates are too exceptional.

Even excluding me, Song Cheon-hye was in the disciplinary committee, and Hong Yeon-hwa was a promising student.

Trying to keep up with them would naturally tear anyone apart.

Of course, neither I, Dang Gyu-young, nor Kwak Seung-jae were inclined to be lenient in our evaluations. Even when considering these points.

“He’s a pathetic brother. When will he ever stop being a frog in a well…?”

“He will improve gradually. Just keep watching.”

“I suppose so.”

As always, Kwak Seung-jae’s attitude was as gruff as ever, but now a hint of concern for his brother showed through.

“Have you heard about his expulsion?”

“I thought it had been overturned.”

My duel with the Emerald club.

At that time, President Mok Jong-hwa had declared to Kwak Ji-cheol, “If you lose, you’re out.” But even after I perfectly thrashed him, nothing seemed to change.

So I thought the expulsion was just a bluff, but hearing Kwak Seung-jae mention it now, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“It was only postponed. For two months.”

“Two months after the duel… that’s around one or two weeks after midterms.”

“Yes, we decided to make the final decision based on the rankings then.”

So that’s why he’s been so eager.

Kwak Ji-cheol had often shown an unusual obsession with performance.

For example, looking back at last week’s 4-on-4 match, he had persuaded Dang Gyu-young with various reasons to make sure he faced Ilgong.

It was mainly for the team’s victory, but there was also a strong desire on his part to defeat Ilgong no matter what.

At the time, I wondered if he had always been this type of character, but if his expulsion was involved, it explained a lot.

Every single victory or loss would be crucial for his ranking.

However, Kwak Ji-cheol had yet to achieve any significant results.

In the match against Ilgong that I mentioned as an example, he was utterly defeated, and his ranking barely maintained the status quo.

That meant,

“If this continues, he’ll be expelled.”

“Haaah… yes, that’s likely.”

Kwak Seung-jae responded with a rare sigh.

No brother would be fine with the prospect of his younger sibling being expelled from a club.

And since Kwak Seung-jae had brought this up,

“Do you have a favor to ask of me?”

“Yes, but I can’t promise much.”

The disciplinary committee always had to maintain a neutral stance, so personal dealings with members were to be avoided as much as possible.

So, even if I agreed to Kwak Seung-jae’s request, the compensation he could offer me was very limited.

However, I wasn’t as picky as usual.

Material compensation isn’t everything.

Especially when considering who I was dealing with here.

“Tell me what you have in mind.”

“We talked about the expulsion, but that’s actually a secondary issue. What’s more important is that Ji-cheol improves his own skills.”

“I agree.”

“I want you to guide him so he can overcome his current struggles on his own.”

In other words, he was asking me to make sure Kwak Ji-cheol could overcome the current situation of getting beaten up by the Ogre on his own.

“That won’t be easy.”

“If it’s an impossible request, just do what you can.”

“No, I’ll find a way.”

I accepted Kwak Seung-jae’s request without much concern.

This is because the word impossible does not exist in the dictionary of a stagnant water.

Kwak Ji-cheol was waiting for me with a nervous expression on his face.

And he asked right away.,

“What did you talk about with my brother?”

“We talked about you. Stop worrying him; you frog in a well.”

“…”

Normally, Kwak Ji-cheol would have snapped back, but since I mentioned his brother he kept his mouth shut.

Then he spoke to me in a somewhat subdued tone.

“…I have a favor to ask.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Listen to it first before you refuse.”

“Oh, I don’t want to.”

It was obvious what favor he wanted to ask, so I quickly preempted him.

This was one of the various methods to increase one’s worth.

As expected, the flustered Kwak Ji-cheol pulled an emerald from his inventory.

“Help me with the strategy battle. I’ll pay you.”

“…”

I looked down at it with disinterest, then took out a ruby from my inventory and placed it next to the emerald.

It was a ruby I had received for helping Hong Yeon-hwa and the Ruby Magic Tower during the sticker duel.

Compared to Kwak Ji-cheol’s emerald, the ruby was exactly twice its size.

This was the difference between D-rank and B-rank.

“See this? This is the difference in sincerity between you and Hong Yeon-hwa.”

“…!”

Moreover, Hong Yeon-hwa had also helped me melt the Millennium Iron.

Kwak Ji-cheol clearly hadn’t expected such a deal between me and the Ruby Magic Tower, and the bewilderment on his face showed it.

“If you’re going to pay, at least match it somewhat.”

“T-This is the biggest one I have right now.”

At the moment, not only was additional support from the Emerald Magic Tower out of the question but there was also the risk of him getting expelled. Contacting his family was out of the question as well.

It would make even less sense to ask Kwak Seung-jae for help here.

Nevertheless, Kwak Ji-cheol seemed desperate to get my help somehow.

“I-I’ll definitely repay you later.”

“With something bigger than this?”

“Absolutely.”

When I pointed at the ruby and asked, Kwak Ji-cheol nodded his head.

I knew it would come to this.

This was why I hadn’t demanded specific compensation from Kwak Seung-jae.

I knew I would get something from Kwak Ji-cheol himself.

If the emerald he paid later was as valuable as the ruby I received from Hong Yeon-hwa, it would be worth taking on the task.

I could accept the emerald later, or demand an item of similar value.

Of course, if Kwak Ji-cheol really ended up being expelled, the support from the Emerald Magic Tower would completely stop, so there was a slight risk that I would receive less compensation or none at all.

So for now, I’ll just teach him as much as I get paid for.

I’ll see how well he follows along, and if he shows no promise, I can just withdraw.

When I silently extended my hand, Kwak Ji-cheol placed the emerald in it.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

“Alright.”

We entered the dungeon first.

The beginning wouldn’t be difficult, so we could talk while progressing.

We each retrieved a crystal and stepped into the cave.

As we dealt with the approaching goblins and advanced, I began to speak.

“Until now, what were your defensive strategies? You’ve either defended or dodged, but your defense gets pierced by the ogre, and you’re not particularly skilled at dodging.”

“…That’s right.”

“I was originally going to wait until you figured it out on your own, but since things have come to this, I’ll just give you the answer. Deflect the attack.”

“Isn’t that harder?”

“Generally, yes. But you’re an earth mage.”

Among all mages, earth mages have the most defensive measures.

Naturally, they have countless ways to deflect an opponent’s attack.

And among the dozens of spells Kwak Ji-cheol learned at the Emerald Magic Tower, there’s bound to be at least one or two suitable for this situation.

“.……”

Kwak Ji-cheol fell into deep thought.

It’s up to him to come up with a concrete method.

It’s not like I can see other people’s status windows, nor can I know what he learned at the Magic Tower.

I took care of the goblins to let him think in peace for a while.

As we continued moving forward, our vision became brighter and a sanctuary appeared.

A pillar of light shot out from a large stalactite and pointed at Kwak Ji-cheol.

This time, he gets to charge first.

[Crystal: 1%]

“Grrr?”

An ogre sitting with its back turned rose and looked at Kwak Ji-cheol.

Still lost in thought, Kwak Ji-cheol suddenly had a flash of insight.

“Something popped up?”

“I’m not sure if it’ll work, but… I’ll give it a try.”

The emerald on his staff emitted a strong green light.

Kwak Ji-cheol then planted his staff firmly into the ground, and the area around him turned into fine sand.

[Quicksand]

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