The Support Ate it All

Traditionally, the position of principal at the Dragon Slayer Academy was filled by a retired S-rank hero.

Of course, stepping back from the frontlines didn’t mean the strength of an S-rank hero simply vanished, and each principal in the academy’s history had dedicated their formidable strength entirely to a single goal.

To make the Dragon Slayer Academy a better school.

Because the principals’ personalities were so varied, the directions they pursued were equally diverse.

Some principals focused on improving the facilities.

Some established regulations and even developed the Ban Wave.

Others dealt with external threats.

And some ventured into the deepest levels of the dungeon building.

Among the thousands of dungeons, only ten were considered the most dangerous of all.

These principals had challenged the S-rank dungeons.

The wall standing before them now was one such relic from those raids and was referred to by insiders as the “Wall of Wisdom”.

The Wall of Wisdom had consistently offered solutions whenever danger loomed over the Dragon Slayer Academy, and this time was no exception.

As the principal stepped closer, the chaotic characters scattered across the wall converged and formed the shape of a large eye.

It seemed as though it were examining the samples.

At the same time, a single word appeared.

[Observation]

Soon, the eye disassembled back into scattered characters, leaving behind two words in its place.

[Confirmation]

[Offering]

There was a corresponding price to pay for borrowing such transcendent power.

Naturally, this wasn’t the first time it had happened, and the necessary offerings had already been prepared.

Two items emerged from the principal’s inventory.

A pair of gleaming golden boots and a bracelet encrusted with jewels.

Both were A-rank items.

“Here you go.”

When it was held forward, the chaotic characters on the Wall of Wisdom busily gathered again and formed the shape of two hands.

The hands then mimicked a grasping motion.

– Purseok—

The A-rank equipment turned to dust and scattered into the air.

They had been destroyed as sacrifices.

Once more, two words appeared on the wall.

[Nom nom] (TN: sound of eating.)

“Ugh, do you have any idea how much just one of those costs?”

The principal felt a pang of pain in his chest.

Even for a legendary hero, each piece of A-rank equipment held immense value.

And now, two of them had been destroyed in an instant. It was only natural for him to feel the sting.

But no matter how precious the items were, could they really outweigh the value of a human life?

Their priority was to stabilize the Dragon Slayer Academy as quickly as possible and minimize harm to the students.

So, putting aside his regrets and heartburn, the principal turned to the wall.

“Tell me where the Witch of Corruption is.”

The Wall of Wisdom functioned this way. It answered questions if presented with suitable offerings.

Moreover, if the offering was an item related to the subject of the question, it provided even more detailed answers.

For example, after the midterm exams, they had used a Blood Fury Syringe as a medium to pinpoint the locations of the Witch of Corruption and the Blood Cult Elder.

Although they had failed to capture them back then,

I won’t let it happen twice.

That was why he had gathered the Dark Oobleck samples. It was to use them as a medium to demand the same information.

But something seemed off.

Instead of an answer, only a single word appeared on the wall.

[Insufficient]

At the same time, the characters reformed into the shape of a hand and the hand wiggled its fingers.

The principal furrowed his brow.

You’ve got quite the appetite today, huh?

It was asking for three A-rank items.

However, the Wall of Wisdom always demanded only a fair price.

In other words, asking for more sacrifices meant it was offering equally valuable information in return.

Enduring the ache in his chest, the principal opened his inventory and retrieved a blood-red dagger.

When he extended it forward,

– Purseok—

The dagger too disintegrated into dust and scattered away.

[Belch]

The principal sighed deeply as he ran a hand over his face.

“Whew… now, finally, speak.”

If it dared ask for more offerings or spout nonsense, he was ready to abandon the whole thing.

Perhaps sensing his determination, the Wall of Wisdom began to form words and the characters gathered in order.

[Teleportation]

[Trap]

[Labyrinth]

“…….!”

“…….!”

Everyone present brightened with understanding.

Though it was only three words, it was sufficient to pinpoint the Witch of Corruption’s location.

A dungeon filled with teleportation traps from start to finish.

50th Floor. An A-rank dungeon.

The Teleportation Labyrinth.

Seo Cheong-yong spoke up.

“As expected, she went into an A-rank dungeon. There’s no better place to hide.”

“She’s likely fortified the entire dungeon.”

It had been nearly a month since Seo Cheong-yong and Lee Soo-dok last clashed with the Witch of Corruption after the midterms.

The Witch of Corruption had had plenty of time to recover her strength and fortify the dungeon.

By scattering Dark Oobleck across various dungeon zones, she had likely secured even more time for herself.

Despite this, there was no sign of anxiety among the four people present.

Still, the principal made a suggestion just in case,

“Should I join the team?”

Seo Cheong-yong and Lee Soo-dok responded in unison.

“We’ll take care of it.”

“There’s no need to bring a slaughter knife to hunt a chicken.”

Although they had failed once before, they were confident they could resolve this matter themselves.

Of course, if the legendary hero joined the raid party, clearing the dungeon and defeating the enemies would definitely become far easier.

But the King never moves recklessly.

The biggest reason was that they still hadn’t fully grasped the enemies’ intentions.

What if their goal was to tie down the academy’s strongest asset, the principal, in the Teleportation Labyrinth while launching an invasion on the Dungeon Island in the meantime?

The potential damage could become far greater.

There were also political reasons to consider.

If the principal personally intervened every time something happened, how would that appear to outsiders?

They’ll think it’s because the faculty are incompetent.

If word spread that the academy’s faculty were incompetent, it could lead to a loss of trust in Dragon Slayer Academy itself.

That too might very well be part of the enemies’ plan.

That’s why this was something they had to resolve themselves.

Finally, there was one more reason. A personal reason for Lee Soo-dok.

If it’s going to end, it’ll be by my hand.

The Witch of Corruption was his prey.

Having let her escape once before, his pride had already suffered a blow, and he had no intention of handing her over to anyone else.

Not to the principal, not to another teacher, and certainly not to anyone else.

The vice principal gave a slight nod and spoke.

“If that’s what you both have decided, I understand. Still, considering it’s an A-rank dungeon, it would be wise to organize a subjugation team.”

“Of course.”

Seo Cheong-yong replied with a gentle smile.

They didn’t think they would lose once they faced the enemies, but reaching that point was a different matter entirely.

Especially when the location in question was none other than an A-rank dungeon.

Even for Seo Cheong-yong, a teacher specializing in dungeon strategy, it was not a place to be taken lightly.

“I plan to enlist the help of a few other teachers and some third-year students.”

“Very well.”

The details would need to be worked out over the next few days of meetings.

With the major points settled, they began tidying up and preparing to leave the room.

Just as they were about to step out, another word appeared on the Wall of Wisdom.

[Enchantment]

“……!”

“……!”

Everyone stood frozen with their eyes fixed on the wall.

Even Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong, as well as the principal and vice principal, were experiencing something like this for the first time.

Soon, the letters rearranged themselves and formed two characters.

[Kim Ho]

The principal tilted his head slightly toward the vice principal and whispered.

“What does that mean?”

“…I’m not sure either.”

“Is it someone’s name?”

“Probably.”

They couldn’t figure it out immediately.

Seo Cheong-yong, however, seemed to recall something and spoke.

“Teacher Lee, I think there’s a student named Kim Ho in your class.”

“…That’s correct.”

Lee Soo-dok was uncharacteristically caught off guard but he confirmed it.

Kim Ho was indeed in his Class 3, and it was true that the student had been on his mind for various reasons.

But why had that name appeared here?

Just when I’m about to forget, it comes up again.

The principal who was listening to their conversation asked,

“Since this student is in your class, does that mean he’s a first-year?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

The principal hummed thoughtfully.

A name appearing on the Wall of Wisdom meant that the individual would play a key role in subjugating the Witch of Corruption.

Bringing him along would be a significant advantage in some way.

But why?

For what reason, out of all the many faculty members and senior students, was a first-year student singled out?

His curiosity grew and the principal subtly gestured with his eyes.

The vice principal understood the unspoken request and she immediately pulled up Kim Ho’s information.

First, the academic record.

“In terms of combat performance, except for the placement test and the mentoring program, he has won every match. His dungeon strategy grades are among the highest.”

“And his background or affiliation?”

“Both are unknown.”

The principal was puzzled and asked,

“…Then how did he even get admitted into the academy?”

“I’ll look into it further.”

The principal turned his head and this time directed his question to Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong.

“What do you both think?”

“He doesn’t stand out much. Though his written test scores are quite good.”

For Seo Cheong-yong, ninety-nine out of a hundred encounters with Kim Ho took place in the classroom. Kim Ho was the kind of student who kept quiet and concentrated on his lessons. He never drew attention to himself.

Naturally, his observations of the boy were limited.

On the other hand, Lee Soo-dok took a moment longer to answer.

It was because his thoughts had wandered to the night the Black Market had opened.

He remembered the time they had dealt with the sudden appearance of the Blood Cult elder and then interrogated Kim Ho.

That night, Lee Soo-dok had used his information-type skill, [Truth or Lie], and to his surprise, he received an unexpected system message.

[??? detected.]

…There’s no need to mention this now.

Lee Soo-dok decided to keep that detail to himself for the time being.

This decision was heavily influenced by his own curiosity and desire to investigate Kim Ho more thoroughly, much like the Witch of Corruption.

Instead, he provided different information.

“He often hangs out with two unaffiliated classmates. One of them happens to be the young lady of the Hye-seong Group.”

“Hye-seong Group, you say…”

“He also seems to have great connections with the president of the Thieves’ Club. It appears he frequently receives their help for unauthorized raids in the underground floors.”

“A first-year conducting unauthorized explorations?”

“Recently, he has been receiving disciplinary action for breaking into the temporary storage room and violating several school rules.”

“…Interesting.”

The principal stroked his chin with a look of interest on his face.

The two teachers had presented opposing views, but it was likely that both were true.

That’s what makes it even more interesting.

On the surface, the boy played the role of an unremarkable Student A, yet behind the scenes, he was busily working toward some goal.

The school rules violations were probably just the tip of the iceberg. Undoubtedly, there were far more incidents that had gone unnoticed.

After mulling it over briefly, the principal reached a conclusion.

In reality, the decision had already been made the moment Kim Ho’s name appeared on the Wall of Wisdom.

“I think it’s time I met this student, Kim Ho.”

Before placing him in the subjugation team, he decided to see for himself face-to-face.