The Support Ate it All

Chapter 158: The Swordsmanship Club (1)

Chapter 158: The Swordsmanship Club (1)

Jegal So-so and Dang Gyu-young briefly looked at each other.

Then their expressions gradually brightened.

Soon, they approached each other and grasped hands tightly.

“Sho!”

“Qyu!”

“Sho Sho!”

“Qyu Qyu!”

They started jumping up and down like children.

Jegal So-so and Dang Gyu-young.

The two had been childhood friends since they were only five years old.

Their friendship was widely known, but very few knew that they were close enough to jump with joy upon seeing each other.

Moreover, both were in their third year and held positions where they had to display a certain level of leadership.

That’s why they cleared the area and remained alone to maintain their image.

They also intended to have a private conversation.

Dang Gyu-young was the first to stop jumping.

She was still holding her hands and she pouted.

“Sho, why haven’t you been in touch with me lately?”

“Sorry, I’ve been too busy. I’ll message you more often.”

Jegal So-so replied with a wry smile.

This was something that Dang Gyu-young could fully understand as the president of her club.

Running a mid-sized club like the thieves club was exhausting enough, so how busy would a vice president of a huge group like the swordsmanship club be?

So, she quickly changed the subject.

There was too much that she wanted to say to keep pouting like this.

For a while, they exchanged updates about their lives.

Then with a serious look on her face, Jegal So-so brought up the main topic.

“I came because I have something to ask.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“A few weeks ago, we prioritized a bid for a dungeon….”

The dungeon the swordsmanship club had secured with their priority bidding rights.

It was the Black Death dungeon.

Jegal So-so showed a photo.

A picture of the area around the Black Death dungeon

The pavilions were completely collapsed and burned; it was a scene of utter chaos.

Dang Gyu-young broke into a cold sweat internally.

He really left a mess behind.

Just like Kim Ho had informed her beforehand, there was undeniable evidence left behind in the dungeon.

“Someone must have gone in first. Do you know anything about it?”

The Black Death dungeon was a B-rank dungeon, meaning it was a depth-level dungeon.

To get past the heavy security of the depth levels, a very high level of stealth was required, so it was almost certain that the thieves club was involved here.

The swordsmanship club was acting on such a confident assumption.

Dang Gyu-young sighed softly and admitted.

“Yes, we were involved in this one.”

“Even though there was a priority bid on it?”

“Yeah, we were opposed to it too, but the client was very stubborn.”

“I figured as much. But who is the client?”

The tone of the question was casual, but Jegal So-so’s eyes were shining sharply.

Trouble usually arose at this point when the identity of the client was probed.

The thieves club preferred to keep their client’s information confidential, while the swordsmanship club was in a position where they had to catch the rats infringing on their interests.

And if the thieves club continued to keep it hidden, they would have no choice but to take action.

Jegal So-so who had a close relationship with Dang Gyu-young hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

That’s why she had come personally to mediate and make things easier.

But contrary to her expectations, Dang Gyu-young immediately revealed the client’s identity.

“It’s a first-year. Kim Ho from class 3.”

“Are you sure you should say it so easily?”

“He insists on taking all the blame himself. Says he doesn’t want to cause me any trouble. What’s the harm in asking for a little help?”

Dang Gyu-young pouted her lips again.

But when she saw this, Jegal So-so’s eyes sparkled.

This… there’s something here.

She had a feeling.

Her childhood friend’s tone was emotional, unlike her usual attitude towards clients.

The remark about not wanting to cause her trouble suggested they had a closer relationship than usual.

And at the end, there was a hint of longing in her face, as if she wished that person would rely on her a bit more.

Something came to her mind, so Jegal So-so asked a probing question.

“If he’s a first-year, is he the one you’ve been hanging out with lately?”

“Who says I’ve been hanging out with him?”

“You know it too. The rumors are everywhere.”

Jegal So-so was still probing, but her words weren’t entirely off the mark.

As the vice president of the swordsmanship club, the rumors had reached her ears early, but it was only a matter of time before they spread to all the third years.

And the likely source of these rumors was none other than,

“That damn toad…”

It must be Kim Gap-dop, who has been living in despair recently.

Just thinking about it gave her a headache, so Dang Gyu-young rubbed her forehead.

However, in Jegal So-so’s judgment, Dang Gyu-young didn’t seem all that angry.

It could be interpreted as her having some sort of fondness for that first-year student, Kim Ho, no matter how big or small.

This is getting too interesting.

She had come for club-related matters, only to stumble upon this romantic comedy.

Her lips began to curl up, so Jegal So-so naturally unfolded her fan to cover her mouth.

Then she smoothly brought the conversation back on track.

“If he confidently told you to pass it to him, he must have some sort of plan in place?”.

The fact that he chose the swordsmanship club’s preferred dungeon out of all the many dungeons meant he had something to gain, even at the risk of causing conflict with the club.

Additionally, it meant that he had already considered something to resolve that conflict.

Dang Gyu-young nodded her head as if to agree with that assumption.

“Probably. I guess.”

“Probably? He didn’t tell you what it is?”

“Our junior-nim is quite the enigma. He has many secrets.”

However, it seemed Dang Gyu-young didn’t know exactly what Kim Ho had prepared either.

Even so, she doesn’t seem worried.

No matter how skilled that first-year Kim Ho might be, he was still just a first-year.

There were definite limits to what kind of deals he could prepare.

There was a high possibility that what he confidently prepared might turn out to be insignificant.

It was a situation that could make Dang Gyu-young curious or worried, yet she stepped back as if it was nothing.

This meant two things.

Either Kim Ho had proven his skills to the point that she didn’t worry,

Or enough trust had already been built between Dang Gyu-young and Kim Ho.

One of the two, or maybe both.

Her interest grew more and more.

Jegal So-so snapped her fan shut.

She had asked various questions, but in reality, her course of action was decided the moment Kim Ho’s name was mentioned.

“I’ll meet and talk with him.”

Jegal So-so became curious.

Did Kim Ho really prepare a solution to overcome this situation?

“What do you like so much about him?”

“Sho, even you?”

---

The Swordsmanship Club.

Jegal So-so was approving and handling various documents in the clubroom along with her cousin and close aide Jegal Yeong-yeong.

While the two were deeply focused on the paperwork,

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the clubroom door.

Though it was a knock, the sound was heavy.

Jegal So-so spoke softly without taking her eyes off the documents.

“Come in.”

Then the door swung open and a second-year male student entered the clubroom.

He had a sturdy build, his entire body was made up of muscles, and he even had a roughly shaven beard and a grim look.

It was as if a mountain bandit had been put in a school uniform.

And this second-year “mountain bandit” called Mak Dae-wong asked.

“Did you call for me, senior-nim?”

“Yes, I called you because I need a favor.”

Of course, a favor was essentially a command.

How could someone in the swordsmanship club refuse a request from the vice president?

Mak Dae-wong shrugged his shoulders.

“Tell me what you need.”

“First-year, Class 3, Kim Ho. I’d like to meet and talk with him.”

“Should I bring him here?”

“Yes, but don’t use force.”

“Well, understood.”

Mak Dae-wong nodded and left the clubroom before closing the door behind him.

Jegal Yeong-yeong watched his back with disapproval.

“He’s going to run over there and mess up everything again.”

“Probably.”

“That’s why the Black Faction can’t be trusted.”

The swordsmanship club was the largest club at Dragon Slayer Academy, so naturally, there were various factions within it.

The most notable factions were the “Black Faction” and the “White Faction” which were divided by origin, and as the second-year mentioned, these two factions didn’t get along well.

Mak Dae-wong was a member of the Black Faction.

So, was it really necessary for her to call in a member of the opposing faction and entrust him with the task?

Jegal Yeong-yeong’s eyes held that question.

Jegal So-so asked with a gentle smile.

“What do you think he would do?”

“It’s obvious he will use ‘forceful means’, won’t he?”

“Probably.”

Mak Dae-wong would certainly bring Kim Ho as Jegal So-so had requested, but the reminder not to use force would go in one ear and out the other.

As a member of the Black Faction, his temperament was rough and he would try to handle things the way his faction instructed.

For example, he might use force and then claim it wasn’t “forceful”.

But as the vice president of the club, how could Jegal So-so not anticipate that?

Jegal Yeong-yeong who was deep in thought asked.

“Unnie, do you think Mak Dae-wong will fail?”

“I’m sure of it.”

Jegal So-so actually hoped Mak Dae-wong would disobey the order.

And she was confident he would use “forceful means” and fail.

Then, as a result, the White Faction would have a reason to bite the Black Faction.

Mak Dae-wong had disobeyed her orders, acted on his own, and failed. And the Black Faction was the one who instigated him to act like this.

Jegal Yeong-yeong understood all of this, but she still seemed a bit skeptical.

“But… can that first-year really endure it?”

What if Kim Ho’s skills were below expectations and the forceful method succeeded?

Then the Black Faction could boast, “See, our way works better.”

Jegal So-so smiled gently again.

“Don’t worry.”

Her confidence was based on very clear evidence.

She recalled an incident that had occurred at the beginning of the semester after seeing the burnt remains inside the Black Death dungeon.

It was the incident of the thieves club’s temporary storage break-in.

The identity of the masked person who helped with that incident was still unknown.

This masked person had mastered the Inferno Fist, defeated the second-year disciplinary committee member Kwak Seung-jae in a direct confrontation, and then escaped the perimeter with ease.

And coincidentally, the Black Death dungeon which Kim Ho had joined was entirely burned down.

His relationship with the thieves club seemed quite close too.

When she connected all these dots together in her head, the conclusion was clear.

This kid has the Inferno Fist.

Then even a truckload of Mak Dae-wong wouldn’t be a match for him.