The Support Ate it All
Chapter 57: Replay Analysis (2)

Normally, Tiger Bum was kept small through a shrinking spell so that it would fit in the palm of a hand, but it towered over humans in its true form.

The phrase “as large as a house” could not have been more fitting.

When Park Na-ri gently stroked its back, Bum growled softly and moved forward to take its position.

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

Bum crouched low then sprang forward like a coiled spring.

In the blink of an eye, it charged towards Go Hyeon-woo before swinging its paws with a speed that belied its huge size.

Not only was its movement fast but the full weight of its body was behind each blow, making it heavy and powerful. Its claws even glowed with mana.

As expected of a spirit beast.

That single tiger seemed capable of utterly demolishing any opponent with a score in the 600s.

One might wonder if a blow from its paw could spin someone’s jaw clean to the back of their head.

And when Go Hyeon-woo managed to block such a brutally powerful swipe,

Crack,

The E-rank [Guard’s Longsword] broke after just one exchange.

The durability of the blade was on edge, so it wasn’t necessarily due to Bum’s attack alone.

It was inevitable as it had been significantly worn down in the previous match.

Go Hyeon-woo swiftly drew the D-rank [Escort’s Longsword]

Swish, swish, swish!

That momentary gap was filled by his partner, Bukgong Han-seol.

As she unleashed a barrage of forceful energy, Tiger Bum hesitated for a moment.

“At least this time it’s a sane one.”

“The lady seems quite in sync with the team battle.”

Unlike the previous match’s mage, this one had at least a basic understanding of teamwork.

And just like I had already guessed, Bukgong Han-seol was an expert in martial arts.

The cold aura enveloping her hands as if frosted over was a clear sign she had mastered the techniques of the “Cold Ice” martial arts.

Go Hyeon-woo and Bukgong Han-seol launched into a full-fledged joint attack.

Sword energy and palms poured down on Tiger Bum but,

[Park Na-ri 94%]

[Park Na-ri 95%]

[Park Na-ri 97%]

They didn’t manage to inflict that much damage.

The tiger’s hide was like armor, repelling the sword energy, and even the minor wounds it sustained healed at an incredible rate.

To find the cause, they turned their gaze toward the main base where Park Na-ri and Jeong Soo-ji were positioned

A fresh green energy was radiating from Park Na-ri.

She’s a support type.

A support druid who uses a variety of auxiliary skills, including protection, healing, and enchantment.

If the skill level is low, it results in a jack of all trades but master of none. However, at a high level, it’s almost like having a swiss army knife.

And Park Na-ri was a promising talent among the four major powers.

Jeong Soo-ji didn’t have much of a presence in the battle compared to the other three, but she kept the two warriors in check by occasionally sending out earthen bullets or wrapping tree vines around their feet.

Even when she was fighting me with Kwak Ji-cheol her slight interference was annoying.

In other words, it means she’s good at crowd control. So this was a compliment.

To summarize Park Na-ri’s strategy in a single line, it involved placing Tiger Bum at the forefront and providing it with full support.

If the battle was to extend for a long time, Park Na-ri’s side would end up winning since they have good sustainability. Go Hyeon-woo had to find a way to break this formation or else face an inevitable defeat.

I spoke to Seo Ye-in who was silently watching the replay.

“This part is important. Watch carefully.”

“Mhmm.”

How they navigated this obstacle would be a testament to the judgment of Go Hyeon-woo and Bukgong Han-seol.

The pair seemed to opt for the most straightforward and brute-force approach first.

A head-on confrontation.

The plan was to inflict damage that exceeded Park Na-ri’s protective magic and healing capabilities to bring the battle to a swift conclusion.

They rallied their momentum and unleashed their respective ultimate techniques in a burst.

[Clear Stream]

[Ice Snow Soul Palm]

Blades of wind and a wave of cold surged forward.

Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom—!

However…

[Park Na-ri 79%]

Tiger Bum managed to withstand even that onslaught.

Although its health had significantly decreased, Tiger Bum didn’t suffer any critical damage and was rapidly regaining health just as before.

[Park Na-ri 79%]

[Park Na-ri 80%]

[Park Na-ri 82%]

– Growl,

Tiger Bum cleverly focused on defense and evasion while recovering.

“Head-on confrontation is the most difficult choice.”

“That’s true.”

Go Hyeon-woo agreed with my observation.

While straightforward, a head-on confrontation requires exceptional skill. You need to be several levels above your opponent to easily overpower Tiger Bum, but their abilities were not significantly different from Park Na-ri’s.

To put it bluntly, they were even slightly inferior.

[Park Na-ri 100%]

Despite their best efforts to inflict damage, Tiger Bum’s health was fully restored in no time.

Even the spectators watching the replay felt their energy drain; imagine how the participants must have felt.

Yet fighting spirit was still burning in the eyes of Go Hyeon-woo and Bukgung Han-seol.

After a brief tactical discussion that lasted only a few seconds, they split to either side and executed the same technique.

This time, their target was not Tiger Bu but the main base where Park Na-ri and Jeong Soo-ji were positioned.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

I nodded my head in approval.

“That was a good move.”

It was similar to the tactic Go Hyeon-woo had used in the first match.

Targeting the relatively weaker rear lines with long-range attacks.

However, if there was one thing to critique,

When I looked to the side as if waiting for an answer, Seo Ye-in briefly met my gaze before removing her mouth from the straw.

“…They gave too much time.”

“That’s right.”

There was more than enough time for Park Na-ri and Jeong Soo-ji’s side to prepare.

By the time the long-range attacks reached the enemy’s main base, layers of defensive magic, including earthen walls and wooden vines, had been fortified around it.

– Grrrr!

To make matters worse, Tiger Bum charged in and broke their momentum.

When Bukgung Han-seol was hit with a body slam, she was sent flying as if she had been struck by a truck.

Go Hyeon-woo had no choice but to chase after Tiger Bum.

“This is where things started to go awry.”

“Indeed, it’s a shame.”

Park Na-ri and Jeong Soo-ji’s side could not just stand by and allow their opponents to try one strategy after another, so they kept them off balance and in disarray.

Eventually, the subsequent strategies mirrored the initial ones and were repeatedly thwarted by impenetrable defenses.

Thud,

After using [Clear Stream] about four times in succession, the D-rank [Escort’s Longsword] also reached the end of its durability.

Go Hyeon-woo continued to fight valiantly and broke several more iron swords, but in the end, he could not turn the tide of the increasingly unfavorable match.

[Remaining Time 0:00]

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vs

[Jeong Soo-ji and Park Na-ri Win]

The result was a loss by decision after the full ten minutes of the allotted time were exhausted.

“I am ashamed of the performance we showed you both.”

“Not at all. You fought well against a promising student.”

It was still a difficult opponent for Go Hyeon-woo to defeat.

There was no disappointment since it was a match where he was expected to lose.

Go Hyeon-woo posed a question to me.

“What would Kim-hyung have done?”

Seo Ye-in also looked at me intently as if curious about my response.

I answered while looking at the people in the replay crystal ball.

“In such a situation, I would have considered dividing the roles.”

“Dividing roles…”

One would hold the tiger at bay while the other struck at the enemy’s base.

Making use of the Ice Cold technique’s control trait, it would be ideal for Bukgung Han-seol to undertake the former, with Go Hyeon-woo who had a relatively higher destructive power taking on the latter role.

The path to infiltrating the enemy lines wouldn’t be smooth, but if successful, penetrating the defense of the two casters in close combat and cutting through would be much simpler.

Go Hyeon-woo closed his eyes for a moment and seemed to picture my strategy in his mind.

“That certainly seems possible. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“The circumstances being what they were, it couldn’t be helped.”

The chaos of the tiger darting back and forth and attacking, along with the pressure of the 10-minute time limit steadily decreasing, would have likely hindered clear thinking.

In such circumstances, coming up with new strategies continuously and aligning opinions with team members was an exceedingly difficult task.

“You just have to do better next time. I think this much should suffice for the report. Do you have any more questions?”

“……”

Perhaps having his curiosity somewhat satisfied, Go Hyeon-woo did not speak.

When I glanced toward Seo Ye-in, she too shook her head.

Given both of their sharp intellects, they have likely grasped the gist of it by now.

“Now let’s talk about something that can’t be included in the report. Honestly, even if you had used the method I just mentioned, the outcome wouldn’t have been much different.”

“Why is that?”

“The difference in specs, especially in equipment, was just too great.”

Writing in the report that “we lost due to a difference in specs” might just earn a smack on the back of the head from Lee Soo-dok.

Although it should be omitted from the report, the reality was that the difference in specs played a huge role.

Park Na-ri was a promising student who received full support from the Guild Union and the Mother Nature Club.

The range of skills and traits she has mastered was very wide and her own capabilities were also good. She was decked out in various items from head to toe.

Including the [Cube of Life] I had recently traded with her.

In contrast, all Go Hyeon-woo possessed was a single sword.

And even that was far from a famed blade; its only merit was that it didn’t break quickly.

After pondering my words for a moment, Go Hyeon-woo let out a heavy sigh.

“…It makes sense that I lost. Not only was my opponent not less skilled than me, but she was also thoroughly prepared… I must reflect on this.”

“You don’t need to match Park Na-ri’s specs. That’s impossible anyway. She’s practically being showered with the resources of an entire club. Having just a few key countermeasures can make a huge difference in facing such opponents.”

“Is there such a thing?”

Go Hyeon-woo had a curious expression on his face.

And perhaps considering that she might soon face an opponent like Park Na-ri, Seo Ye-in listened intently to my words.

I slowly looked from one to the other before speaking.

“A magic sword.”

To be precise, I suggested switching to a magic sword imbued with a “healing reduction” curse.

For example, if one were to scratch an opponent with a [Hungry Sawtooth Sword], for a certain duration, the healing that the opponent receives would be absorbed by the sawtooth sword.

Those afflicted by the [Gut Prick] would find that healing spells cause them additional damage instead. The terrible pain was just a bonus.

Beyond the reduction of healing, the range of situations that can be dealt with increases as the type of sword you have increases. For example, there were weapons that could inflict paralysis or poisoning or even some weapons that specialized in shattering the barriers of mages.

If you were to look at the inventory of top-ranking swordsmen, you might think you were attending an exhibition of legendary blades.

Though they did not use swords, marksmen were similar in that they used a variety of [Special Bullets]

After hearing the entire explanation, Go Hyeon-woo let out a soft exclamation of admiration.

“Indeed… I confess my knowledge of items is still quite shallow. I find myself learning yet another thing from Kim-hyung. It truly brings home how far I have yet to go.”

“You’re right about the long road ahead. But we’re only in our third week of the first semester, so let’s not get too impatient.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“With the topic of items on the table, perhaps it’s time to move on to the main point.”

There was something else Go Hyeon-woo needed to prioritize over amassing a collection of legendary swords.

It was the management of their durability.

It was also the fundamental reason why we watched the replay together.

Goh Hyeon-woo had most frequently employed the technique [Clear Stream], and based on that, an E-rank longsword could barely withstand one use, while a D-rank would not break until after four uses.

A rough calculation could be made from this.

“With a few more durability-type artifacts and a B-rank or higher weapon, the worry of breaking should almost vanish.”

“B-rank, huh… That won’t be easy to come by.”

“It’s a bit of a distant goal for now. Using a C-rank as a stepping stone should pose no immediate issues.”

However, C-rank was by no means common.

Some of the decent ones were even used by second-year students.

Goh Hyeon-woo pulled out the catalog to check the “longsword” section.

He was gradually getting used to navigating the student store.

But to buy a C-rank weapon with points…

“It’s not going to be easy.”

“It’s expensive. Save your points. It’d be a waste to spend them on disposable weapons.”

The [Guardian Series] had been bought partially as an experiment and also because their lower rank meant a lesser burden on points.

However, the prices were quite high from C-rank onwards.

It seemed unnecessary to invest points in disposable weapons that were bound to be destroyed eventually.

There had to be another way to acquire them without spending money or points.

Go Hyeon-woo’s gaze followed mine and shifted in a specific direction.

A hill that was neither too high nor too low occupied one side of our view.

The Dungeon building.

“We’ll get them through drops.”

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