Chapter 51
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: The Ideal Supporter
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"P-Professor…?"
"Hm?"
At the sound of her student calling her, Sihyun turned to Areum with a gentle smile.
She patted Areum's shoulder lightly, as if to say not to worry, then looked ahead again.
She gave orders to one of the thieves with a different build.
"Hey. I'll take that guy. You handle the plain-looking one over there."
"Got it, boss!"
"Heh heh, let's have some fun."
At the thieves' exchange, the men of Wings Guild readied themselves for battle as well.
In the end, the clash between hunters began.
First up, Jihan's opponent was Kang Dojun.
No matter how much of a promising talent he was in the guild, Jihan was still a C-Rank hunter.
On top of that, he was exhausted from conquering the large dungeon, and he'd just pushed himself too hard in battle moments ago.
As a result, Dojun toyed with Jihan openly.
The gap in skill was like an adult bullying a boy.
"Haha! It's so boring I'm yawning!"
"Kuh, damn it!"
"How about this?!"
Shiiik—!
A tense close-quarters speed battle unfolded.
Jihan failed to dodge Dojun's dagger perfectly, earning a scrape on his shoulder.
From stamina to skill, Jihan had no advantages over Dojun whatsoever.
Jihan bit his lower lip hard in frustration.
Meanwhile, Hankyeol faced off one-on-one against the C-Rank hunter from the thieves' party.
Hankyeol's situation wasn't much different from Jihan's.
The C-Rank thief's skill wasn't quite on par with Kang Dojun's.
But this man was a hunter with countless PvP experiences under his belt.
And thanks to Dojun keeping things under control, his condition was far better.
"Hya! Hyaa!"
Flick, flick, whiiik!
This side pressed into close quarters too, cornering Hankyeol.
Hankyeol calmly blocked the attacks in a defensive stance.
But he was gradually being pushed back.
If the fight dragged on like this, defeat was certain.
"Hup!"
Hankyeol took the hit and swiftly counterattacked.
But the thief twisted away easily, dodging and creating distance with ease.
"You think I'd take a hit like that? Haha!"
He even threw in a mocking laugh.
Hankyeol caught a brief moment to breathe, but a long gash appeared on his forearm.
It wasn't a profitable exchange.
"Come on, boys! Put some effort into it!"
"Hah, huff…!"
Even the D-Rank hunters on Wings Guild's side weren't in a favorable position.
They'd been mentally and physically drained from half a day of conquest.
All they wanted was to clear the boss room quickly and rest.
But hunter-on-hunter combat had broken out suddenly.
They weren't in any shape to fight at full capacity.
In contrast, the two D-Rank thieves, with plenty of stamina left, used sly tactics.
They didn't charge first.
When the impatient Wings Guild side lunged, they'd dodge nimbly and hide.
As the exhausted men panted, they'd block the path again with sneers.
"Hahaha! With stamina like that, can you even handle a night with the ladies?"
"You four can't even handle two?"
Giggling mockery filled the air.
Wings Guild's archer gripped another arrow, seething.
Shuuuk—!
The arrow shot out at high speed!
However.
"Whoa, you think I'd get hit by something telegraphed like that—!"
"Look at that sorry excuse for ranged fire! Haha!"
The thieves, who had been watching the archer closely, dodged effortlessly.
It showed just how experienced they were in PvP.
The archer felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
If this hadn't started as a standoff?
He definitely would've been ambushed first.
Goosebumps prickled his skin.
"W-What do we do…."
Areum, watching from afar, trembled unconsciously and let out an anxious whimper.
Anyone could see their side was getting overwhelmed.
Plus, those vile thieves would probably stealth away if things got tough.
What if they dragged monsters over and hid again?
'W-We'd be dead without moving a muscle…!'
The mere thought was horrifying.
Areum shuddered again.
At that moment.
Sihyun, who had been quietly observing, took one step forward.
Areum looked at her in surprise.
"P-Pro-Pro-Professor?!"
Before entering the dungeon, back at the cafe.
The professor had said she hadn't applied for promotion yet, so she was D-Rank.
Meaning her actual skill level was C-Rank hunter.
But the opponents?
There was a fully conditioned B-Rank among them.
"Hahaha! Where'd that cocky guy from earlier go?!"
"Guh…!"
Even now, that guy was toying with C-Rank Jihan.
Literally treating him like a plaything.
She could see he was holding back, able to end it anytime—even to her novice eyes.
Would the tide really turn with Professor Jeong Sihyun joining in?
Areum thought it impossible.
Separate from her respect for the professor.
The situation was just too dire.
"P-Professor! N-No matter how much of a professor—"
Areum tried to stop her, trembling.
Sihyun turned at her student's frantic cry.
Sihyun placed a single extended index finger lightly over her lips.
As Areum's eyes widened and she fell silent, Sihyun nodded with a serene expression.
Seeing Areum shaking in fear, Sihyun thought.
It'd be easy to step in and sweep the thieves away right now.
Honestly, watching that punk Kang Do strut around made her want to.
But handling it that simply would be a waste.
She wanted to be the 'shining figure' Areum idealized, right in front of her.
She wanted to show her student exactly what an ideal supporter was.
What it truly meant for a supporter to pull their weight.
Sihyun gave Areum a lovely smile and said.
"Areum, what do you think is the greatest strength of a support hunter?"
"Y-Yes?!"
A calm tone utterly mismatched to the tension.
Areum couldn't answer right away.
She glanced between the men and Sihyun.
"Even if one more average C-Rank hunter from around here joined in a situation like this, it wouldn't change the tide."
"Uh, uh…. Y-Yeah?"
"But what if that one was someone who could use support skills?"
Her explanation continued in a steady voice.
'What is she getting at?'
Areum swallowed hard, staring at the professor's lips.
Those cherry-pretty lips parted again.
"It's not just adding one more person. What if it's someone who makes all our existing allies stronger?"
A soft voice, like reciting poetry.
Areum perked up her ears, listening intently.
"Our team wouldn't just go from six to seven. There'd be a far greater change, right?"
"Ah, aaa—!"
Finally understanding, Areum covered her mouth in awe.
Even a simple calculation showed the impact would be leagues beyond one person's worth.
She, barely E-Rank, didn't have such amazing skills.
But her professor couldn't possibly be like her!
She'd been thinking wrong until now.
The professor wasn't some dime-a-dozen C-Rank. She was special—able to use support skills.
Areum had never seen Professor Jeong Sihyun's skills even once.
So she had no idea what kind of change it would bring.
But she didn't doubt it.
Unlike her, the professor hadn't shown even a hint of fear all day.
No trembling, no panic.
Just calmly observing the situation.
'I believe in her…!'
Seeing Areum's expression change, Sihyun smiled faintly.
How often in life did she get a chance to look this cool?
Time to strike a perfect pose and show her something awesome.
"Watch closely from now on. This is the ideal supporter you should aspire to be."
Finishing her explanation, Sihyun snapped her fingers.
Snap!
In the midst of the chaotic battle noises, it was a small sound no one noticed.
But from this moment.
The balance of the hunter fight.
Began to shift dramatically.
The reversal had begun.
"I knew it! Hahaha!"
"Wha-what?! What's with this guy?!"
Hankyeol, who had maintained a defensive posture, switched to offense in an instant.
His purely defensive demeanor vanished completely.
He charged forward ferociously, pressuring his opponent.
"Time to pay back what you owe with interest!"
"Uwaaak—!"
The thief who'd been dominating unilaterally started backing away.
Hankyeol's buff-enhanced movements kept pace with the thief's speed.
He'd normally overwhelmed Hankyeol with ease.
But suddenly, everything changed.
Losing his edge, he began yielding to Hankyeol's attacks.
Each time Hankyeol stepped forward lightly with his longsword.
The dagger-wielding thief was overwhelmed by power and momentum, scrambling to defend.
The balance tipped further.
And this wasn't just happening to Hankyeol.
"Hahaha! Where'd all that earlier swagger go?!"
"Fuck! What the hell?! Why's he suddenly a different person!"
"Euhaha! Jealous? Make some good connections yourselves!"
Jihan, receiving Sihyun's buff for the first time in his life, went wild with excitement.
Having experienced a mysterious power before.
He realized immediately whose doing it was when he felt the change in his body.
Only one person here could pull this off.
'Euhaha! Unnie Sihyun is the absolute best!'
His fatigued, worn-out body recovered rapidly.
Not just simple recovery.
Jihan instinctively sensed he was surpassing his own limits.
Dopamine surged wildly.
The flooding pleasure wrapped around his peripheral nerves.
In the rising euphoria, he stared straight at his foe.
'I can do it now!'
Confidence that he could beat the B-Rank thief bastard in front of him!
"Euhaha! Weren't you yawning and flapping your mouth? Now I'm the one yawning!"
"You cocky little shit!"
"Yaaawn—!"
"Fuckin' brat!"
Jihan openly mocked his opponent.
Thoroughly pissed, Kang Dojun spat curses, but the shifted situation didn't revert.
Just moments ago, he'd been bullying him one-sidedly.
Now they were fighting on even terms.
It was absurd.
This guy had been on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion!
No, even if he wasn't tired, a C-Rank couldn't possibly match him!
'What the fuck is going on?!'
Jihan and Dojun exchanged fierce blows, mixing in combat skills.
Sharp clashes rang out each time their cold weapons met.
Shk, shk, shiiik!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Neither side broke easily.
But Jihan gradually ramped up his momentum, pushing his opponent back.
Dojun attempted a sharp counter, but Jihan twisted aside, deflecting it.
He didn't miss the opening and swung his sword.
Whoosh—!
Dojun barely ducked his head to evade.
His eyes bloodshot, he glared at Jihan.
'This is dangerous!'
Dojun felt a chill run through him.
From fear of the situation? No, that wasn't it.
From earlier, some inexplicable force seemed to claw viciously at his body.
Along with the unpleasant sensation, his body was growing sluggish, strength draining away.
If this state persisted.
He had a bad premonition of losing to the damn rookie in front of him.
It felt incredibly unfair, but he trusted his instincts.
He needed to turn things around.
'How, how do I…!'
Dojun racked his brain furiously for a solution.
Thinking endlessly.
At that moment, by chance.
At the edge of his vision, he caught sight of the beautiful woman standing tall and proud.
He dodged Jihan's attack again.
And yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Guys! Target the women—!!"
He shouted once more.
"Bring monsters too—!"
Hearing his cry, the thieves began moving differently than before.