The Support Ate it All
Chapter 103: No.353 Feathered Serpent Temple (1)

Humid heat was carried by the wind.

The first thing that came into view was a long, eerie road stretching through a dense tropical rainforest.

Just like at the [Feathered Serpent Altar], the path seemed blatantly obvious as if to say, follow this way.

Following the road with one’s gaze led to a gigantic pyramid-shaped structure at its end, topped unmistakably by a building that could only be a temple.

A dome-shaped translucent golden barrier surrounded the temple and although it was shining in a brilliant golden color, it made those who saw it feel an unexpected sense of discomfort.

Throngs of barbarians swarmed in front of the structure.

There were easily more than twice the number here than at the Feathered Serpent Altar.

“Let’s go. We don’t have time.”

Despite the overwhelming crowd that might have intimidated others, Kim Ho briefly glanced at the temple and then started sprinting along the path.

Go Hyeon-woo kept pace with Kim Ho and run by his side.

“I didn’t show you the strategy guide this time. Do you know why?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. But I trust that Kim-hyung must have something planned.”

It was a one-day dungeon raid that still put their lives at risk yet he had made no prior preparations.

In comparison to the meticulous demeanor Kim Ho had always displayed, his current casual approach felt strangely reckless.

However, this wasn’t a sign of carelessness; it was an indication that he was entering the fray with absolute confidence and that he was certain of success even without any preparation.

This was the conclusion Go Hyeon-woo had reached.

Still, curiosity got the better of him and he waited for what would come next.

Kim Ho responded with a sly grin.

“We just need to smash everything up. No strategy necessary.”

“I like the simplicity of that.”

Go Hyeon-woo grinned back.

Kim Ho pointed upward to the temple with his Root weapon.

“First, we break through straight to the top.”

With that, he picked up the pace a little more and took the lead.

As the road ended and the two approached the temple, the gaze of the swarming barbarians turned uniformly towards them.

The concentration of hostility from hundreds of people was so intense that it stung the skin.

“What are these guys?”

“Living sacrifices?”

“Just kill them!”

Barbarians surged from all sides.

The foremost barbarian thrust forward with a wooden spear, aiming to impale Kim Ho.

Kim Ho’s form slid smoothly to the side, dodged the spear blade, and plunged forward.

His fist blazing with dark red flames struck deep into the barbarian’s chest.

Boooooooom—!

A fiery storm swept forward, engulfing the area.

Kim Ho dashed into the path still shimmering with embers and kept running.

As he lightly stirred the Root,

Whee—!

Winds swirled around Kim Ho and spread the flames in all directions.

He seemed to be wielding a whirlwind made of fire.

Go Hyeon-woo followed closely behind him while slashing at the approaching enemies with his magic sword as if they were mere straws.

All the while, his gaze remained mostly fixed on Kim Ho. He was closely observing every move he made.

The more I see of Kim-hyung’s skills, the more amazing they seem.

The fact that he had defeated the barbarians was not in itself remarkable, but the method was crucial.

The smooth sequence of dodging the incoming spear and driving his fist into the opponent’s chest was impressively fluid.

He knew that Kim Ho was a mage and specifically a support type but his performance in the recent 2-on-2 duel battle and the way he used his body would make one believe he was a skilled martial artist.

Additionally, the move Kim Ho had just displayed.

With a single punch, he had created a storm of flames in front of him.

The power was so immense that it was doubtful even Go Hyeon-woo with all his might could have withstood it.

Although Go Hyeon-woo thought it couldn’t be so, he remembered the nickname of the former master Flame Emperor in his head.

Whooooosh—!

Again, a storm of flames surged forward.

As Kim Ho stirred the ground, the barbarians were lifted off the ground and swept aside by the gust of wind.

This created another large gap in the tightening encirclement, after which he continued running without slowing down.

Eventually, the two reached a massive building and swiftly ascended the stairs.

The barbarians relentlessly pursued them but just as they seemed to catch up, Go Hyeon-woo would cut them down with his sword or they would be overwhelmed by the physically charged wind and tumble down.

At the translucent golden barrier, Kim Ho abruptly stopped, turned around, and descended a few steps.

“Die!”

Once again, he effortlessly dodged an incoming spear from the barbarians, grabbed the attacker by the neck, and threw him into the barrier.

Thump!

A strong repulsion occurred and the barbarian’s body was flung far away.

Go Hyeon-woo also tried sending a light sword energy as a test, but

Kagagagak!

Only a faint scratch appeared on the barrier.

Even that was soon restored and became clean.

High defensive power with regenerative abilities… This won’t be easy to penetrate.

Barbarians were continuously climbing up from below.

However, Kim Ho casually pointed at the barrier with an air of nonchalance.

“This will be unsealed soon; block anyone from coming inside.”

“I will.”

Go Hyeon-woo nodded his head without any hesitation.

He didn’t know what “will be unsealed soon” meant but he planned to follow the instructions.

Just then, the two suddenly kicked the ground and retreated,

Kukung!

A heavy stone pillar slammed down where they had just been moments ago.

“We won’t let them in.”

A giant figure who was embracing the pillar looked very familiar to Go Hyeon-woo.

Fatty.

He was one of the two altar servers he had defeated during the raid on the Feathered Serpent Altar dungeon.

The difference now was that the tattoos on his body glowed golden which seemed to give him an overflow of power.

Swiiiishh!

Kim Ho dodged an incoming dart by moving half a step to the side.

If you looked in the direction where the dart came from, you would see only ordinary barbarians.

However, if you sharpen your eyes and look closely, you will be able to spot a skinny shadow stealthily weaving between them.

“Hehehe…”

It was “Skinny” who was lying in wait among the barbarians and biding his time.

Fatty and Skinny.

They were the mid-bosses of this dungeon.

In the previous dungeon, they had been swiftly and separately defeated to save time but now they had gathered together before such tactics could be employed.

They were fully prepared for battle and were further strengthened by an unidentified power flowing from within.

Moreover, following Kim Ho’s order to “ensure that no one enters from the inside”, Go Hyeon-woo would have to face both of them alone.

“Can you handle it?”

“Just leave it to me.”

Go Hyeon-woo actually quite liked this situation.

The reason why Fatty and Skinny had been defeated so quickly before was only because he had stuck to the strategy, and there was a lingering regret that he had not been able to really engage with the two mid-bosses.

Now that the opportunity had arisen once more, how could he not be pleased?

So after leaving this task to Go Hyeon-woo, Kim Ho approached the barrier and bid everyone farewell.

“See you later, everyone. I’ll be off now.”

His tone was as casual as if he were simply telling a friend, “See you tomorrow.”.

Skinny’s derisive laughter floated out from within the crowd.

“Hehehe…”

His mocking laugh seemed to say, “A place we can’t enter, and you think you can?”

However, the mockery didn’t last long.

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Kim Ho’s body effortlessly passed through the barrier with a whoosh.

From beyond the barrier, Kim Ho winked and then disappeared into the temple.

“What’s happening here?”

“The sacrifice has passed through the barrier!”

The barbarians were thrown into chaos by the unexpected event and stumbled over each other in confusion.

Go Hyeon-woo was just as bewildered.

He wondered if getting through was just a matter of knowing how. So he tried to slash at the barrier with his sword.

Clang!

The barrier forcefully repelled the blade with a strong reactive force.

It won’t work.

It seemed that neither the barbarians nor the servers could pass, but Kim Ho alone could. It must have been some prior arrangement he had made.

Thud!

Fatty slammed the stone pillar he was holding down onto the ground and drew everyone’s attention.

Then he pointed at Go Hyeon-woo and declared,

“First…. deal with him.”

In an instant, everyone in the hall quickly assumed a battle-ready stance.

Go Hyeon-woo too set aside the myriad questions swirling in his mind for the moment.

The barrier was said to be lifting soon.

Though he did not know how it would be done, his role was clearly defined.

Prevent anyone from passing through.

No one was to interfere with whatever Kim Ho was doing inside.

Go Hyeon-woo turned to face Fatty and Skinny.

The wind wrapped around his blade as it blew.

***

Dungeon No. 353, the Feathered Serpent Temple.

As can be inferred from the similar name, it was a dungeon connected to the storyline from the Feather Serpent Altar No. 388.

The main objective here was also a [Raid].

The raid was considered cleared once the Feathered Serpent Priest was defeated.

The difficulty level is also D-rank, just as before, but this time, the party size has increased to six members.

Why a six-person dungeon?

Because the ritual had already started by the time one entered the dungeon.

The priest was already endowed with several powerful buffs.

As the ritual progressed, the number of buffs would only increase.

Naturally, this made defeating him all the more difficult.

Then, the logical step would have been to stop the ritual before defeating the priest.

The path there is anything but smooth.

Compared to the [Feathered Serpent Altar], the number of the barbarians was multiplied several times over.

After breaking through their mass attack, next in line would be the buffed-up Fatty and Skinny blocking the way.

After defeating these mid-bosses and trying to enter the temple, challengers would find it encircled by a protective barrier.

And then after breaking through the barrier and entering the temple, they would find the barbarians encamped inside. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NƟvelFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

By the time they had dealt with them and entered the boss room, much time would have already been wasted.

In the end, they would face the priest who would be heavily laden with various buffs by then after much time had passed.

That’s the standard procedure, anyway.

Now, I had dealt roughly with the barbarians and handed the mid-bosses over to Go Hyeon-woo, thus shortening the time it took to reach the temple.

Next was the barrier.

To break it, one had to concentrate their firepower in an instant, and getting around it required a fair amount of effort.

The only one who could freely pass through the barrier in this dungeon was the priest.

And I too am a priest.

▷Copy-Traits [2/2]

1. Elemental Resistance (S)

2. Priest (D)

I already had this trait copied.

I casually stepped inside the temple.

“Intruder!”

The barbarians roaming inside reacted as if they had discovered a giant cockroach in the corner.

They had likely never imagined someone could cross the barrier, so their surprise was understandable.

Especially since they usually regarded the “living sacrifices” as no more than livestock.

Their next reaction like the others before them was to thrust their spears at me.

Bang! Bang!

Like the others, they ended up smashed against the temple walls by blasts of compressed air.

“Please move aside.”

“Capture him!”

Barbarians flocked from other places as well, but I kept walking and pushing my way through.

I knew the layout of the interior by heart, so I headed straight for the central chamber without any hesitation.

As I drew closer, the flowing golden light intensified and the magical power grew stronger.

Upon entering the central room…

People dressed neatly were lying on stone beds lined up in a circle.

They looked almost lifeless. Their eyes were hollow as if their souls had left them, though a faint life force could still be felt.

These were the living sacrifices to be used in the ritual.

And in the very center stood a priest with a golden dagger, about to extract the heart from one sacrifice’s chest when he sensed my presence and slowly turned towards me.

“Ah, you’ve come. I’ve been waiting for you.”

And when he looked at me, he smiled kindly like a grandfather welcoming his grandchild for the first time in a while.

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