Ex Rank Supporting Role's Replay in a Prestigious School
Chapter 859: Border (12)

Maeng Hyo-don had always known that players who never obtain a derived skill were numerous, and it was a rare occasion for someone to receive two consecutively.

Of course, Maeng Hyo-don was unaware of this fact.

With two powerful enemies right in front of him, he didn't have the luxury to be amazed or satisfied with his own achievements.

Sssuuuu...

Without a sound or trace of movement, an enemy that had been hiding shifted.

‘If I hadn't been using the Fighter's Eyes, I wouldn’t have noticed at all.’

It seemed that Ham Geun-hyeong hadn't caught onto the enemy's subtle movement.

No matter how cautious Ham Geun-hyeong was, it was difficult to perfectly identify such a hidden presence during a battle.

‘That bastard is going to attack Teacher first!’

The enemy chose to take out Ham Geun-hyeong before Maeng Hyo-don.

Maeng Hyo-don felt an impulse to activate his Gwanglim and skills to engage in the fight, but he restrained himself.

This wasn’t the optimal time to attack.

‘Teacher isn’t someone who would attack recklessly just because he can fight.’

Ham Geun-hyeong's range of attack was vast, but he wouldn’t shoot an arrow recklessly.

He would only shoot when he was certain his target wouldn’t be able to dodge or when there was no other option but to release the arrow.

Tak Geosan, on the other hand, would act swiftly and flexibly, showing impressive mobility and attacking when the time was right. But if the time wasn’t right, he would remain as still as a mountain.

Though Maeng Hyo-don had awakened immense strength, he didn’t act impulsively.

He thought calmly and looked for a way to buy just a bit more time.

The reason he could remain calm and patient was because he trusted his friends.

‘Vice-president and Joo Su-hyeok are nearby. They’ll come to help, no doubt.’

Maeng Hyo-don waited for the enemy’s moment of greatest carelessness.

Though only a few tens of seconds passed, it felt like an eternity.

“That one’s frozen in place. Why not just leave and fight?”

Do-ul spoke in a provoking manner, likely thinking that Maeng Hyo-don standing still was amusing.

Neither Maeng Hyo-don nor Ham Geun-hyeong was shaken by his words.

Maeng Hyo-don, having been jeered at every day in the Fight Club, ignored such taunts.

In fact, he was almost grateful for it—at least it made the enemy think he was frightened.

Moreover, Maeng Hyo-don had come to a realization.

‘That bastard is trying to distract me with nonsense. He knows his ally is about to ambush us.’

They might be planning a pincer attack.

Once this thought crossed his mind, the Fighter’s Eyes gave him a new insight.

It showed him the path they would take for their ambush.

It wasn’t so much that he “saw” it as it was more of an intuition—an insight.

Maeng Hyo-don didn’t focus too much on the difference between seeing and knowing.

Instead, he thought about how to use his second derived skill.

‘The strongest attack I can do with my bare hands. Something that would surprise those bastards and make them hesitate, even for a moment.’

When a player receives a skill, they instinctively recognize its name and usage.

The same was true for derived skills.

There was a big difference between recognizing the skill and mastering it, so practice was needed, but Maeng Hyo-don didn’t have the luxury of time.

Though he hadn’t practiced much, Maeng Hyo-don was ready to use the derived skill to exert more power than his current abilities.

Ssssuuuu...

Finally, the formless enemy—Chaos—prepared to attack Ham Geun-hyeong.

Ham Geun-hyeong was locked in a fierce battle with Do-ul.

Though it seemed like a fierce battle, neither was using their full power.

Do-ul had been gradually increasing the number of strands of hair he controlled, as if testing Ham Geun-hyeong’s strength.

Ham Geun-hyeong was unable to give his full attention to this because he was also keeping an eye out for the hidden enemy.

Just as Ham Geun-hyeong summoned a light arrow to cut Do-ul’s hair, Maeng Hyo-don used his derived skill first.

It was the moment Maeng Hyo-don was going to use his second derived skill for the first time, but since he was in the midst of launching an ambush, no one was paying attention to him.

Chaos didn’t notice Maeng Hyo-don’s attack until it was almost too late, right before Maeng Hyo-don’s punch landed.

‘So, you’re not going to just let it hit, huh?’

Unable to hide any more power, Maeng Hyo-don decided to make sure everyone knew exactly what he was doing.

He released the energy he had been holding back with explosive force.

Kooooo...!

Despite being the smallest in stature among those present, Maeng Hyo-don unleashed a heavy wave of energy that threatened to crush everything around him.

It felt as though a mountain had moved right in front of them.

Ham Geun-hyeong almost mistook it for the arrival of reinforcements.

It made sense since Maeng Hyo-don was about to use Tak Geosan’s finishing move, the “One Strike to Move Mountains.”

The momentum behind it was enough to match the name of the technique.

“Maeng Hyo-don...!”

Ham Geun-hyeong was stunned, wondering if Tak Geosan had already taught Maeng Hyo-don this technique. But of course, that wasn’t the case.

The skill Maeng Hyo-don used was named ‘Fighter’s Mentor.’

Maeng Hyo-don had never had an official mentor before entering Eun-gwang High, but he had had many influences.

Before entering the tournaments, he had seen action scenes from dramas or martial arts demonstrations on TV or school computers.

Maeng Hyo-don could vaguely replicate any technique he had seen, even if it was imperfect.

However, there were limits to mimicking techniques, and it was impossible to imitate a master’s finishing move like Tak Geosan’s.

That is, until he unlocked ‘Fighter’s Mentor.’

‘The technique I saw from the Master was the strongest!’

Once Maeng Hyo-don activated ‘Fighter’s Mentor,’ he surpassed his current skills, martial arts experience, and physical strength to begin the fight.

In that moment, he was able to momentarily replicate the master’s strength.

When Maeng Hyo-don unleashed a strike at the level of Tak Geosan’s finishing move, Chaos had no choice but to defend.

Chaos immediately stopped and enhanced the strength of his skin.

Instead of dodging, he raised his defense and, as an extra measure, planned to retaliate with his own energy once Maeng Hyo-don made contact.

However, Maeng Hyo-don’s strike never reached him.

Swooooosh...

Maeng Hyo-don perfectly suppressed the mountain-like force he had unleashed.

The surging energy was completely absent.

Maeng Hyo-don had mimicked Tak Geosan’s technique perfectly, even going so far as to suppress the momentum before impact, just like Tak Geosan did before he struck.

‘If I really use this ability, I’ll be drained and unable to move. Then I’ll become a liability.’

Maeng Hyo-don knew that although he could use Tak Geosan’s technique, doing so would leave him unable to move and vulnerable.

In combat, if a player couldn’t move, not only did their chances of survival decrease, but so did the chances of anyone trying to help them.

In survival training, players were taught that if they were ever in a situation where they had to sacrifice a limb, they should choose to lose an arm over a leg.

“Did you show off for your master? Trying to use strength you can’t even handle, impressive.”

As Maeng Hyo-don retreated, Do-ul mocked him.

But Do-ul was also secretly surprised.

The boy who had seemed like just another burden—an expendable target or even a hostage—had surprised him by sensing Chaos’s position.

Do-ul relaxed his defensive stance but remained alert.

He was still considering whether to strike again.

However, Maeng Hyo-don wouldn’t be able to use such a powerful force again.

‘Ah, my hands are starting to shake. Just preparing for it drained this much energy?’

Even though Maeng Hyo-don hadn’t struck anyone, both his stamina and energy had been greatly depleted.

Despite this, Maeng Hyo-don continued to act as if he could unleash that power again at any moment.

Only Ham Geun-hyeong, who knew Maeng Hyo-don’s energy levels and his true potential, could immediately recognize his bluff.

But keeping that bluff hidden from Chaos wasn’t going to be easy.

“......”

Chaos hesitated for a moment, sending a signal to Do-ul.

Do-ul interpreted the signal and grinned.

“Impressive, showing off for your master.”

Do-ul’s smile mixed disdain and anger.

It was a mix of disdain for Maeng Hyo-don’s noble intent and the anger at being fooled, even momentarily.

Do-ul decided to play another one of his tricks.

One of his favorite tricks when bored during battles, and one that had a surprisingly high success rate.

Laughing, Do-ul spoke to Maeng Hyo-don.

“If we don’t go easy, you can’t win. This garden is under our control, and with the Heavenly Palace, we’ll have the advantage in close combat. As for the younger one, they’re not skilled enough.”

Ham Geun-hyeong and Maeng Hyo-don didn’t respond to his words, though they couldn’t deny them in their hearts.

The power of the two Beast Tribe members was indeed formidable.

Even without a full battle, it was clear.

Do-ul pointed at Maeng Hyo-don.

“I’ll spare you for now, seeing that you’ve shown enough strength to deceive us. Leave your master behind.”

In situations like this, most good-hearted humans would resist, saying they couldn’t abandon their comrades.

However, when one side begged them to run for their lives, it often broke their resolve.

Do-ul had made this offer countless times, but never once had he actually spared anyone.

Depending on his mood, he would pick one to kill first and savor the reactions of the one left behind.

Once both were dead, the fact that Do-ul had played this trick would remain a secret, and more people would fall for it.

Ham Geun-hyeong spoke first.

“I don’t know if he’s serious, but if there’s an opening, escape.”

Ham Geun-hyeong, not fooled, said this for Maeng Hyo-don’s safety.

But Maeng Hyo-don firmly replied.

“I’m not going.”

Maeng Hyo-don wasn’t stubbornly insisting on dying with Ham Geun-hyeong.

His life experience, though shorter than Ham Geun-hyeong’s, had exposed him to a lot of malice.

In the Fight Club, there were people who had encouraged Maeng Hyo-don with false promises of escape and repayment of debts, only to drop him to the bottom once he had hope.

Do-ul’s face was the same as the ones Maeng Hyo-don had seen before.

Maeng Hyo-don spoke with certainty.

“That bastard’s lying right now.”

His words were harsh, but there was a strong will and insight behind them.

Do-ul, displeased, scowled.

“If you’re going to run, I’ll show mercy, but I guess that’s not happening.”

Do-ul’s mercy meant he would delay the killing by a few minutes, but it was unnecessary for both Maeng Hyo-don and Ham Geun-hyeong.

Chaos, who had been eagerly anticipating the outcome of Do-ul’s trick, now trembled in disappointment.

The two of them raised their powers to kill the two teachers.

Do-ul’s hair, infused with energy, multiplied several times, and Chaos’s skin color changed.

Then, a voice was heard from someone who shouldn’t have been there.

“I have no intention of showing mercy to fleeing enemies, but your heart is wide.”

The voice was familiar to Maeng Hyo-don and Ham Geun-hyeong.

Though a little thicker than they had expected, it was unmistakably the voice of the infamous 0-class maniac.

Soon, the once dark garden was bathed in golden light.