The Support Ate it All

Chapter 269: Disciplinary Action (6)

Not long after, the second island came into view.

Its size was as narrow as the previous one.

Beyond it, dozens of large and small whirlpools were churning violently. If the boat got too close, it would be sucked in immediately, leaving us as drowned corpses.

So we docked the boat at the island and started up the detector first.

Beep—

“There’s nothing here either.”

“Looks like it!”

Next, I connected with Shin Byeong-cheol to communicate. He needed to solve a puzzle on his end for the path on our side to open.

“How far along are you?”

– Almost done, just wait a little longer.

“It’s really almost done, right? If you’re stuck, just say so.”

– No, I’m serious. Have you always been this distrustful?

“Coming from someone who lies the moment he opens his mouth.”

– That’s slander. This time, it’s really the truth.

For once, Shin Byeong-cheol’s voice was brimming with confidence.

Well, it wasn’t surprising. We had sent him a guidebook to help with the puzzle, so solving it shouldn’t have been difficult.

Sure enough, after waiting a little longer, there was a change.

The whirlpools that had been covering the area ahead gradually began to diminish, and eventually, they disappeared completely.

We stared at the now-calm lake and contacted Song Cheon-hye.

“Is your side open?”

– It just opened now.

Normally, we would have had to clear the boss battle on our side, and only after Gap-doo No. 2 was defeated would the path on Song Cheon-hye’s side open.

The fact that the process had been skipped probably meant the creature had already been dealt with.

Han So-mi seemed to have the same thought as she asked,

“Do we leave right away?”

“Let’s go.”

We boarded the wooden boat again and began to move forward.

As we drifted along with the flow of the lake, Han So-mi suddenly raised her hand high.

“Question! I have a question!”

“Alright, what’s on your mind?”

“Aren’t all the bosses gone now?”

“That’s probably not the case.”

The bosses in Trident Lake numbered three in total. There were two mid-level bosses and one final boss.

The two mid-level bosses could sometimes be eliminated for various reasons, most commonly when a previous party had entered the dungeon but left halfway through.

In such cases, their absence could be overlooked, but the final boss was practically the core of this dungeon.

The moment the final boss was completely defeated, the dungeon would be cleared and reset.

“So, it has to still be alive.”

“I see!”

In other words, the next encounter would inevitably involve a boss fight.

Whether it turned out to be Gap-doo No. 3 or the Dark Oobleck, we’d face it soon enough.

Amidst the quiet, the wooden boat drifted gently downstream.

Then, Han So-mi turned her head this way and that as if she was trying to confirm something. She then raised her hand again.

“Another! I have another question!”

“Alright, what else are you curious about?”

“Can’t we go over there?”

The spot Han So-mi pointed to was a steep cliff.

It was a cliff that divided the lake into three parts, so high that it seemed steep and unscalable. Its surface was slick with moisture so that even a single step would cause one to slip.

“Well, if you’re determined, it might be possible to scale it.”

“Really?”

“There’s no such thing as impossible for humans, after all.”

If we managed to climb it, we could cross over to the lake where the other party members were, and conversely, they could come to our side as well.

But I shook my head slowly.

“Even so, there’s a good reason why no one does it.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a trap.”

Atop that cliff was an incredibly powerful spatial magic that didn’t match the level of an F-rank dungeon.

Even if one somehow succeeded in scaling it after tremendous effort, they would be instantly swept away by a teleportation spell and sent flying far away.

Han So-mi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Where would they get sent?”

“To the starting point. And here’s what’s really important.”

I lightly tapped the wooden boat we were riding in.

“You’d be sent there without this.”

“What?”

In other words, to return to the original position, you’d have to swim back without a boat.

It was clear that attempting it would be a foolish endeavor.

Unless you could resist it, of course.

If someone had the extraordinary skills to ignore the spatial magic and do what was forbidden inside the dungeon, they could freely roam atop that cliff.

Moreover, they might even claim a very special hidden piece.

But naturally, that kind of talk was far beyond our current capabilities.

I asked Han So-mi,

“Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

“Totally!”

“Then let’s start preparing.”

While we chatted, the third and final island was drawing closer.

Before reaching it, I pulled out the detector and pressed the button.

Beep—

The radar began spinning in circles across the screen.

Han So-mi leaped toward the ice wall.

As soon as I conjured the next one, she deftly landed on it.

“—!”

Noticing her intent, the Dark Oobleck concentrated its water magic on her.

Jets of lake water surged upward, forming into spheres that shot toward her.

Han So-mi nimbly hopped between the ice walls and dodged the incoming attacks.

At one point, she slipped slightly and lost her balance.

“Oh, ohhh~?”

She wobbled unsteadily with her arms spread wide but managed to steady herself again.

Even in the middle of battle, there wasn’t the slightest hint of tension on her face.

She really does have the mindset of someone who enjoys the fight.

Still, that was far better than being intimidated.

I continued conjuring ice walls in succession, and Han So-mi used them to gradually close the distance toward the Dark Oobleck.

“—!”

Perhaps sensing the growing threat, the Dark Oobleck seemed to react.

Its three tridents merged into a single, much larger weapon, which it aimed squarely at Han So-mi.

The surface of the lake churned violently before—

Swooshhh—!

A wave taller than a person surged toward Han So-mi, threatening to engulf her.

Having anticipated this attack pattern, I immediately shouted instructions as soon as I saw the wave.

“Jump high. Now, jump!”

“Jump!”

Han So-mi kicked off the ice wall with ease and leaped into the air. At the same moment, compressed air exploded beneath her feet.

Boom!

“Ooooh~”

Han So-mi floated in midair with a bright smile on her face.

As soon as the wave subsided, she landed gracefully on the ice wall and moved to another one that I had just summoned.

In doing so, the distance between her and the Dark Oobleck narrowed significantly.

Judging that she was now close enough, Han So-mi finally spoke.

“Got it~!”

With that, she began to unleash her full energy.

An icy, bone-chilling aura gathered around her blade.

I, in turn, supported Han So-mi’s ultimate move.

[Activated ‘Octopus Limbs’.]

[Activated ‘Amplification’.]

[The rank of ‘Wind Barrier’ has increased. (C+ → A+)]

[The rank of ‘Spiral Explosion’ has increased. (C+ → A+)]

Whooooosh—!

Just in case Han So-mi got hit by any water magic, I cast a barrier around her and simultaneously launched the upgraded Spiral Explosion at A+ rank.

A fierce whirlwind, like a raging typhoon, trapped the Dark Oobleck tightly.

“—!”

The Dark Oobleck seemed to instinctively realize that this was the end.

Its trident absorbed huge amounts of lake water before transforming into the shape of a thick whip.

At last, the watery whip lashed out with great force, just as Han So-mi’s blade slashed downward.

Flaaash—!

Rather than cutting through, it appeared as though the immense pressure crushed it entirely.

Right after, the Spiral Explosion detonated, unleashing winds compressed to their absolute limit.

Boom—!

When the explosion subsided, the Dark Oobleck had completely evaporated without a trace.

Only patches of the lake were left stained black.

The only problem now was that Han So-mi’s figure was nowhere to be found.

She must’ve fallen.

It seemed the impact of the explosion had knocked her off the ice wall.

Sure enough, a section of the lake suddenly bulged upward, and then—

“Puh—!”

Han So-mi’s head popped out of the water.

Her hair was a tangled mess of algae as she looked around to confirm what had happened to the Dark Oobleck.

“Did we defeat it?”

“We did. Stay right there.”

I slowly steered the wooden boat toward her.

After helping her climb aboard, I took a glass bottle from my inventory and collected some of the darkened lake water.

A notification appeared immediately.

[Main Quest 2-5] (Completed)

▷ Objective: Collect an additional sample.

▷ Would you like to claim your reward?

[Yes/No]

As expected, I chose “No” this time as well.

Then, I handed the collected sample to Han So-mi.

“Here, you need this, right?”

“Mhmm, mhmm! Thanks!”

Han So-mi stored the glass bottle in her inventory.

As soon as she did, the next quest in the chain appeared and was instantly completed.

However, instead of asking whether to claim the reward, the system calculated everything that had been postponed all at once.

[Main Quest 2-6] (Completed)

▷ Objective: Deliver the sample to the Disciplinary Committee.

▷ Reward: Fixed pin

Finally, it’s here.