Ex Rank Supporting Role's Replay in a Prestigious School
Chapter 844: Side (9)

After defeating the Floor Master, inside the garden:

Kim Cheol stepped forward and confirmed that all traces of the ability waves left by the Floor Master and the enemies under its command had dissipated.

As Kim Cheol nodded, Maeng Hyo-don recalled something he had learned during class.

‘If you defeat someone strong but not the boss, and if the remaining ability waves vanish before they die, the area should be safe for a while. You rest, then go back to attacking.’

However, none of the group, including Maeng Hyo-don, seemed interested in resting.

In fact, since Jo Su-hyeok had been so effective, there was almost no need to conserve energy or rest.

‘Watching Jo Su-hyeok fight, I feel like something will come to mind...’

When Maeng Hyo-don witnessed Jo Su-hyeok’s perfect control over the core of combat, he couldn’t help but think of the finishing move he wanted to perfect.

Of course, mimicking Jo Su-hyeok exactly was impossible, and there was much to consider.

‘Jo Su-hyeok said he draws from a lot of martial arts. On the other hand, I might learn something from his swordsmanship too.’

While Maeng Hyo-don continued to picture his ideal finishing move, he was suddenly interrupted by Jo Su-hyeok’s voice.

“Still, the clouds are thick. The fog in the lower areas is heavy. It seems the energy output used by the Jin Tribe’s master is quite significant. Also...”

Jo Su-hyeok, who had been using his Clairvoyance skill, suddenly spoke to Maeng Hyo-don.

Startled by the sudden address, Maeng Hyo-don lifted his gaze, still lost in thoughts about the swordplay.

"I checked the areas where the energy density is high, and there’s something odd about the energy waves. Hyo-don, what do you think?"

Maeng Hyo-don had already been thinking something was off and blinked as Jo Su-hyeok called his name.

Tak Geo-san, Kim Cheol, and Maeng Hyo-don’s middle school teacher were also looking at him.

Jo Su-hyeok specifically addressed Maeng Hyo-don, and there was a reason for that.

“Uh... it does seem strange.”

“Can you be more specific?”

Maeng Hyo-don thought deeply.

While he wasn’t good at academics, when it came to fighting, he could rely on his instincts and wisdom, so he managed to clarify his thoughts.

It reminded him of his time in the Fight Club, when he had fought enemies.

Maeng Hyo-don had never received professional training or worn protective gear, but as a natural fighter, he had taken on enemies bare-handed.

In the beginning, the audience had been thrilled by his victories, but soon grew bored.

He couldn’t bring in overly rare enemies, though, as they might be detected by the association’s satellites.

So, Maeng Hyo-don ended up facing enemies that were specially modified.

"I’ve fought enemies that used this kind of energy before."

"Enemies? What was different about them?"

Maeng Hyo-don recalled the situation.

Choi Byeon-deuk had boasted about bringing in enemies through some influential person.

Despite the boasting, the rarity of the enemies wasn’t much different from usual.

However, the amount of energy they used was excessive.

Though he barely managed to defeat them, Maeng Hyo-don had been severely injured.

From that day on, he had to use a large quantity of recovery items, and since the items supplied by the Fight Club were priced absurdly high, his debt had grown.

‘Now that I think about it, it was strange, but the Fight Club had so many bizarre things that I didn’t pay attention at the time.’

There were so many abnormal things about the people who visited the Fight Club—their strange clothing, their abnormal behavior, all of which went beyond Maeng Hyo-don’s usual understanding.

So, even though the enemies seemed strange, it was hard to take it seriously.

“They were using an energy that felt old and decayed, but there was a lot of it for its rarity. Just before I defeated them, though, they started using energy that seemed a bit newer.”

“Does the energy you’re sensing in this garden feel more like the old, decayed one?”

“Yeah.”

Jo Su-hyeok didn’t ask where Maeng Hyo-don had fought those enemies or how it had happened.

But Maeng Hyo-don instinctively knew why.

‘Jo Su-hyeok knows about the Fight Club too.’

Given that Jo Su-hyeok could figure this out just by doing a bit of investigation, Maeng Hyo-don wasn’t surprised.

Even though Jo Su-hyeok had learned about his past, he didn’t treat him any differently, just as an old friend would.

Jo Su-hyeok continued with his analysis.

“We’re facing someone using a new kind of energy. Based on what you felt, Hyo-don, it’s likely that the master of this garden has stored up the energy in advance and is using it now.”

Maeng Hyo-don didn’t fully understand what Jo Su-hyeok was saying, but Tak Geo-san, Kim Cheol, and the middle school teacher understood.

It was possible to convert natural skills into cards for use as needed, but it was impossible to convert the energy itself into cards.

While Hwang Ho had given a barrier technique card to Kwon Le-na as a gift, he hadn’t been able to convert his energy into a card.

To activate the card, the player had to provide their own energy, meaning it was impossible to store the energy itself.

This situation seemed to break that common understanding.

“If my guess is correct, the master of the garden must have stored energy in advance and is using it now. If that’s the case, they can use an amount of energy far beyond normal.”

A shadow passed over Jo Su-hyeok’s face.

If a human had used such a technique, they would have gathered energy for decades at most, but for the Jin Tribe, it could be different.

They could have gathered energy for centuries or even millennia.

But there was something optimistic about the situation.

“The enemy you fought was likely an experiment in storing energy. If that’s true, this level of technique must be recent. Before that, they probably didn’t have access to this much energy.”

As Maeng Hyo-don struggled to understand Jo Su-hyeok’s words, everyone’s gaze turned toward him.

The people around him weren’t worried about his understanding—they were worried about his safety.

“The one who caused this incident is probably targeting you, Hyo-don.”

Jo Su-hyeok came to a conclusion based on all the information he had gathered.

The enemy Maeng Hyo-don had fought and the master of this garden were both using the same technique, likely involving an unknown, rare power. It wasn’t a coincidence.

The Fight Club might have been a processing ground for experiments.

‘Is the enemy trying to silence Hyo-don now? It seems like it’s more than just that, though...’

While Jo Su-hyeok was thinking, he proposed a strategy and positioning for the group.

Assuming the enemy would target Maeng Hyo-don first, they decided on positions.

Though Maeng Hyo-don wasn’t thrilled about being protected, he nodded, understanding the enemy was indeed targeting him.

Only after Maeng Hyo-don agreed did Tak Geo-san speak.

“Su-hyeok, how exactly did you end up here?”

“I visited last year’s Teacher’s Day with Hyo-don to greet our teacher. Even if it’s a bit late, I wanted to greet him again this year.”

Jo Su-hyeok smiled at Maeng Hyo-don’s middle school teacher.

Maeng Hyo-don, though, suspected that while Jo Su-hyeok hadn’t lied, he hadn’t told the full truth either.

“It seemed like they were eating, so I thought we could have tea together when they’re done. I was waiting nearby when this unexpected event happened.”

“Are you talking about the teleportation phenomenon?”

“That too was one of the strange events.”

Jo Su-hyeok spoke as if something else had happened.

“An energy release phenomenon occurred in the area around Tanrae Middle. It was detected by the player satellite, and an alert was sent to nearby devices. The devices with Tak Geo-san’s group likely didn’t receive the alert due to the teleportation.”

“That doesn’t seem like a coincidence.”

“Exactly. The energy release happened right where the guards from the Hwangmyeong Foundation were stationed.”

Tak Geo-san and Maeng Hyo-don’s teacher already knew about the guards’ presence.

Even though they had been forcibly assigned as bodyguards by the Hwangmyeong Foundation, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling to be watched like that.

But hearing that they had gotten caught up in the incident made Maeng Hyo-don feel bad.

“That wasn’t just a natural energy release phenomenon. When the guards moved to prevent any damage, something strange happened again.”

“Again?”

“Yes, their energy output suddenly dropped. Through Clairvoyance, it looked like their energy was being sucked somewhere.”

Jo Su-hyeok said he hadn’t had much time to observe the phenomenon closely, as the teleportation event had engulfed Tak Geo-san’s group’s restaurant.

“Did you jump in when you saw the teleportation happen?”

“That’s right. I saw the garden on the other side of the teleportation, and since I’d experienced gardens before, I thought it might help.”

As Jo Su-hyeok finished his explanation, Maeng Hyo-don’s middle school teacher, who had been listening quietly, asked Jo Su-hyeok a question.

“Can I ask Hyo-don’s school friend something? Would that be alright?”

“Of course. Go ahead.”

“You said the energy seemed to be sucked somewhere? Can you tell me the exact location?”

Jo Su-hyeok precisely explained the location and coordinates.

Jo Su-hyeok was better at explaining the surroundings than Maeng Hyo-don, who was from Tanrae Middle.

Even Tak Geo-san, unfamiliar with the area, was able to understand the location after hearing the explanation.

After Maeng Hyo-don’s teacher thanked Jo Su-hyeok, he spoke with a serious expression.

“I think this has something to do with what I was going to discuss with Tak Geo-san earlier.”

Now that I think about it, before the teleportation to the garden, Maeng Hyo-don’s middle school teacher had been planning to discuss something.

There was a student in third grade who had developed abilities, and there was a possibility they would come to Eungwang High.

Also, when they used an energy measurement kit on the student, something strange had happened.

“The energy levels of that kid were really unstable. It’s something common among teenagers, but when I tried to seek advice from the association or the government, no one took it seriously. The consultant even said it’s quite common for a player’s energy to disappear if they come from an ordinary family...”

The middle school teacher had been trying to find the cause for the student’s issues by consulting other students who were connected to the player world.

Though limited in what a math teacher could do, Maeng Hyo-don’s teacher had always done his best, especially during Maeng Hyo-don’s entrance exam preparations.

“I tried measuring the energy levels at different times and places, and then I found the cause.”

By spending his own money on an energy measuring kit, the teacher had come up with a hypothesis that seemed close to the answer.

However, proving it had been incredibly difficult.

If he raised the issue and it turned out to be wrong, it could affect Maeng Hyo-don’s exam results and even bring retaliation.

So, the teacher had been trying to find someone in the player community to consult about it.

“After visiting the Youth Player Support Center near Tanrae Middle, the energy levels of the student dropped drastically every time.”