The Support Ate it All
Chapter 56: Replay Analysis (1)

I delivered the requested items right on schedule at midnight.

To my surprise, Bong Jae-seok and the seniors seemed quite astonished that I had actually finished everything by midnight.

Their expressions quickly turned into ones that seemed almost predatory as they began to whisper among themselves.

– Hey, is that guy not going to join our club?

– He says he’s not interested.

– Isn’t it because you haven’t been persuasive enough?

– Just leave him be. Don’t stir up unnecessary trouble.

– Still, if only…slurp.

They kept licking their lips as they looked at me.

Feeling like they might “kidnap” me if I lingered around them any longer, I pretended to be busy and started working on crafting an item with the materials I had prepared.

After spending the entire night on the task,

I’ve got the framework down.

On the workbench lay a small heart-shaped part.

When I infused it with mana as a test, the various small objects scattered around the workbench began to move slightly and made a rattling noise.

Although it was still a half-finished prototype and not fully functional yet, it seemed that with a few more days of diligent work it could be completed.

***

The duel battle class led by Instructor Lee Soo-Dok was always conducted in a somber atmosphere.

Today, the air felt even heavier.

This was because Lee Soo-Dok mentioned “that word”.

A word that felt like a quagmire from which no student at Dragon Slayer Academy could escape.

“Homework.”

The students sent desperate glances with the hope that Lee Soo-Dok would say he was joking.

He was a human too, so wouldn’t he sometimes play a naughty prank on his students?

Regrettably, Lee Soo-Dok was a man far removed from jokes or pranks.

He continued his explanation in the same steady tone he maintained throughout the class.

“It is as important to review past battles as it is to continue training and practice. I believe this week’s duel battles had many aspects worth reviewing.”

Until now, they had only focused on honing their individual skills and were not accustomed to team-based activities like two-on-two battles.

Therefore, this week’s duel battle matches must have been a new experience for them in many respects.

There were many unintended mistakes while trying to synchronize with their teammates.

And there were times when they embarrassingly lost to opponents they thought were well within their capabilities due to a lack of coordination.

Conversely, there were instances where they managed to defeat opponents who would normally be difficult by collaborating with their teammates.

In either case, there was ample value in reflecting on these experiences.

“Take some time to review the replays. Consider what the strengths and weaknesses of both allies and enemies were, what strategies were employed, and if there could have been more effective tactics. Choose one out of the four matches, write a report, and submit it by next Friday.”

Given that it was still Thursday and many students likely hadn’t completed their quota of four matches for the week, the deadline seemed generous.

However, the apparent leniency could be deceiving as there was no telling what assignments the next week might bring.

It was best to finish it and get it out of the way as soon as possible.

“Kim-hyung.”

Perhaps he had similar thoughts as me as Go Hyeon-woo approached me right after the class ended.

Seo Ye-in also looked at me with an expressionless face.

Though she didn’t say anything, she was silently conveying a desire to collaborate with me on the assignment.

This works out well.

I had already promised Go Hyeon-woo that we would review the replay of his duel battle together.

Though Seo Ye-in wasn’t directly involved in this matter, I expect that discussing and analyzing it together would be quite helpful in writing the report.

I slowly got up from my seat.

“Let’s go then, to a quiet place.”

***

We bought drinks from the cafeteria and settled on the second-floor terrace.

This was the very spot where negotiations with the Emerald Magic Tower and the Mother Nature Club had taken place before.

While the lower floor buzzed with students, the upper floor remained notably quiet.

The three of us huddled around a large round table.

I sat in the middle, with Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in on either side.

“Here they are.”

Go Hyeon-woo placed two crystal balls in front of me.

Seo Ye-in rested her chin on the table and stared into the crystal balls without moving.

The iced tea she just bought rose and fell through the straw in her mouth.

She was fully immersed in viewing mode.

I took a sip of the iced tea I had brought along and picked up the first crystal ball.

“Let’s view them in order.”

Soon, the replay began.

The participants in the first match all had scores similar to Go Hyeon-woo’s ranging between 600 and 700.

On Go Hyeon-woo’s team was a mage while the opposing side had an archer and a warrior.

Their characteristics were so typical that they hardly needed any description.

For example, the warrior wielded a sword and shield similar to those of Baek Jun-seok whom we had encountered a few days prior. If there was any difference to note, it was that his armor was made of leather instead of plate.

This likely made him slightly lighter on his feet than Baek Jun-seok.

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

Bang!

As soon as the match started, Go Hyeon-woo and the opposing warrior clashed with each other.

It wasn’t long before Go Hyeon-woo began to overwhelmingly dominate the opponent.

This outcome was so predictable that I didn’t even need to watch it.

The problem occurred in the very next moment.

The mage on Go Hyeon-woo’s team made a big blunder.

If melee classes were fighting in front of you, you should of course maintain a certain distance. However, the mage recklessly surged forward with some unknown confidence.

Then he summoned white orbs in his two hands and began throwing them one after another.

It’s quite reckless.

Since these white orbs were akin to close-range magic, he needed to be close to cast them effectively, so the approach wasn’t entirely wrong.

However, considering a mage’s typical weakness in close combat, it’s usual to take precautionary measures before closing in on an opponent.

For example, casting buff spells to enhance physical abilities, surrounding oneself with protective magic, or even bringing summoned creatures for support.

Yet this mage brazenly darted forward without any such preparations.

It seemed as though he either trusted Go Hyeon-woo to compensate for his recklessness or seriously underestimated his opponents.

The opponents wouldn’t let such a golden opportunity slip by.

As soon as the warrior deflected the incoming orbs with his shield, he ignored Go Hyeon-woo and charged at the mage.

In doing so, he exposed himself to serious attacks and lost a considerable amount of health but it appeared he was determined to sacrifice flesh to strike the bone or so to speak.

The mage was lingering too close, so with just a couple of strides, the warrior was upon him in no time.

Slash!

A single strike slashed through, halving the mage’s health and plunging him into a half-dead state.

Thud,

A moment later, an arrow buried itself in the middle of the mage’s chest.

It was a precise shot from the archer who had been closely monitoring the situation.

And with that, the mage lost all of his health and disappeared from the arena.

“Seriously?”

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I sent Go Hyeon-woo a look filled with a mix of admiration and sympathy.

It was impressive how he managed to refrain from uttering curses in such a situation.

Go Hyeon-woo caught the meaning in my gaze and responded with a wry smile.

Thanks to his teammate’s terrible blunder, the match quickly turned into a two-versus-one situation not even minutes into the game.

It was fair to say the scales were heavily tipped at this point.

Yet Go Hyeon-woo kept his composure and continued to wield his sword with unwavering focus.

In the exchange with the warrior, he had the upper hand since he had already inflicted some damage, and so there was a glimmer of hope.

The two close-combat classes continued their battle.

Go Hyeon-woo soon regained dominance but every time he had to deflect or dodge an arrow from the archer he was forced on the defensive.

During the intense back-and-forth,

Go Hyeon-woo suddenly launched a fierce attack creating an opening.

He had decided to use a special technique.

As he gathered momentum and used [Clear Stream], his sword movements slowed and a gentle breeze began to swirl around him.

When he focused this breeze on the archer opponent, the latter’s health dropped in an instant and he couldn’t hold out for long before he became unable to fight.

If the arena’s safety mechanisms weren’t in place it would have been a horrific sight of the archer being severely battered.

As expected.

Just like I observed in other battles, the wind summoned by [Clear Stream] acted as an extension of his sword’s strike.

That is why I evaluated him as having stepped into the realm of magic.

“…..!”

The warrior couldn’t hide his shock when his teammate was swiftly defeated.

Then, a strike imbued with clear stream descended upon him.

Whooosh!

“You’ve won.”

“The opponent wasn’t difficult. Their teamwork was well-coordinated, but it followed a predictable pattern.”

Indeed, the opposing team’s teamwork was good.

However, they were overly cautious not to hinder each other’s movements which ironically limited their actions.

This predictability was what Go Hyeon-woo had noticed.

Of course, the flaw was more pronounced because they hadn’t fully mastered their coordination, but it would become more difficult to exploit as they improved.

The first match was a calm and controlled victory for Go Hyeon-woo from start to finish.

There was something that needed to be checked before moving on.

“Let’s take a look at the weapon.”

I turned back the replay to just before the match ended and zoomed in on Go Hyeon-woo’s weapon for a closer examination.

The E-rank weapon purchased with points, the [Guard’s Longsword].

Judging by the cracks on the blade, its durability was almost at an all-time low but it had narrowly avoided breaking.

The [Durable Clip] I created just the day before seemed to have provided some support.

“Is this the first time a sword of yours held up after using clear stream?”

“That’s right.”

Go Hyeon-woo’s complexion brightened up as he responded.

He couldn’t help but feel excited because something that had always bothered him was about to be resolved.

Yet it was too soon to draw any conclusions.

The decision would have to wait until after the final match.

“Good. Let’s move on to the next one.”

Go Hyeon-woo played the next replay.

As I reviewed the participants, my eyes lit up with recognition.

The moment I’ve been anticipating has arrived.

[Go Hyeon-woo 785 points, Bukgong Han-seol 932 points]

vs

[Jeong Soo-ji 693 points, Park Na-ri 998 points]

Until now, Go Hyeon-woo’s win rate had been impressively high.

In the placement test, he won every game except for one loss to Jo Byeok.

In the first week’s duel battles, he secured three wins out of three.

This time, in the third week’s duel battles, the replay we just watched marked his third victory out of four games.

As a result, his score had surged dramatically, approaching the 800-point range, and it seemed only a matter of time before he would start encountering scores in the 900s. Sure enough, one appeared on each side.

Bukgong Han-seol was a warrior like Go Hyeon-woo.

The surname Bukgong and the fact that he carried no weapon suggested that he was a master of unarmed combat.

On the other hand, the opponents were the quite familiar duo of Park Na-ri and Jeong Soo-ji.

Park Na-ri was a druid, and Jeong Soo-ji was a shaman. They were both of ranged classes.

It was a battle between two close-range and two long-range combatants.

However, it wasn’t accurate to consider the other side as purely long-range because

– Grrr,

Next to Park Na-ri was the tiger called “Bum” baring its fierce teeth at the opponents.

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