The Support Ate it All

For Shin Byeong-cheol's gang, the more customers who placed bets, the better.

After all, they'd earn at least a small commission.

So when we accepted the wager, he gave a smug little laugh.

"As expected, you don't shy away. Just like the man who took me down."

"Byeong-cheol, how about explaining the details now?"

"Alright, alright."

Raising both hands, Shin Byeong-cheol pointed toward the stage as he continued.

"Eight people from each group advance to the main rounds, right?"

"That's correct."

"Do both have to be right, or is one enough?"

"Of course, just one is enough. Depending on the odds, you'll at least break even."

You select two candidates and place points on them, and if they make it to the main rounds, you get a payout based on the odds.

Naturally, if they fail, your stake is gone.

I kept throwing questions.

"What's the betting limit?"

"Up to five thousand points per person. Ten thousand max per group."

"Reasonable."

"Hey, it's all for fun anyway. If you go overboard, it kills the mood. And if you bet the max on every group, that's forty thousand in total."

That was definitely not a small sum.

If you managed to hit a long shot, you could aim for over a hundred thousand.

Of course, it wouldn't be easy.

Soon after, Shin Byeong-cheol rubbed his hands together eagerly.

"So, who do you want to bet on?"

"How about Dang noonim?"

At that, we both turned our eyes toward Dang Gyu-young.

Her shadow bat was already hammering away at her second victim.

Clicking his tongue, Shin Byeong-cheol replied,

"She's got good odds, but it won't be much fun."

"Guess a lot of people bet on her already."

"Yeah. This year especially, a ton of them."

"I see."

After hearing the odds, it turned out betting on her wasn't worth it, so we decided to look elsewhere.

As my gaze wandered across the stage, I spotted Go Hyeon-woo who was just about to begin his match.

"What about Go Hyeon-woo?"

"Surprisingly, not that many people are betting on him. The other candidates are just too strong."

Go Hyeon-woo had been maintaining a fairly good record, but compared to the promising students or the club presidents, he inevitably came up a little short.

I agreed with that assessment to some extent.

And since this tournament included second- and third-years as well, his ranking was bound to slip even further.

Of course, things were a little different inside a Fixed Zone.

If anything, he could defeat a prodigy in that environment rather than be outclassed.

Just last week in the upperclassmen match, apart from a single loss to Jegal So-so, he had been undefeated.

Plenty worth betting on.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to get a bit more certainty, so I asked Seo Ye-in in a roundabout way,

"Lucky Sloth-nim, do you think Go Hyeon-woo can make it to the main rounds?"

"…I don't know."

She tilted her head as she answered.

Well, even if she was a lucky charm, asking her to foresee the future was a bit much.

Then I thought maybe I could phrase the question differently to get another kind of answer.

"If we bet on Go Hyeon-woo, will poor Kim Ho go broke?"

"……"

Seo Ye-in tilted her head the other way, then slowly shook it.

That was enough for us. We both told Shin Byeong-cheol,

"Five thousand on Go Hyeon-woo."

"Five thousand."

"Okay, noted. And the second pick?"

We decided to leave the choice of the second candidate to our lucky charm.

I gestured politely toward the stage.

"Please, the honor is yours."

"……."

Her gray eyes slowly scanned across the arena.

And at last, they fixed on one spot. I followed her gaze.

It landed on Cha Hyeon-joo, who was unleashing a wild barrage of arrows.

"You think Cha Hyeon-joo will make it to the main rounds?"

"…Probably."

"Is that your personal wish talking?"

"…A little."

She had lost to her before in a very close decision, so of course she'd want a rematch.

Honestly, I was looking forward to that matchup too.

"But in any case, you're saying there's a good chance?"

"That's what I'm saying."

"Very well."

I nodded and turned to Shin Byeong-cheol.

"What are the odds on Cha Hyeon-joo?"

"About the same as Go Hyeon-woo."

"Even though she's considered a promising student?"

"Yeah, but you know how it is…her reputation's not the best. You know… the famous nickname… 'that crazy bitch'?"

"Can't really deny that one."

She was like a rabid Chihuahua, unable to control her temper.

When emotions run high, performance tends to be unstable too, so from a betting standpoint, she wasn't exactly a safe choice.

On top of that, up until the midterms of the first semester, Cha Hyeon-joo had been using daggers instead of her main weapon, the bow.

That meant she lacked the reputation of other promising students who had shown their full abilities from the start.

Of course, for us, higher odds worked in our favor.

"I'll put five thousand on Cha Hyeon-joo too."

"Five thousand."

At that, Shin Byeong-cheol broke into a wide grin.

After all, he had just earned a commission worth twenty thousand points on the spot.

"You two sure are bold. And in perfect sync, at that. Much appreciated."

"And what about you? Where did you place your bet?"

He wouldn't be satisfied with just the commission. He must have wagered somewhere himself.

Shin Byeong-cheol's expression turned meaningful.

"Huhu… there's a hidden dark horse. If you'd asked earlier, I might've told you, but now it's too late."

"And who would that be?"

"Over there."

I looked where he pointed. It was at one of the circular arenas….just as a male student stepped out of a teleportation portal.

He looked like a second-year, each hand gripping a battle axe.

Shin Byeong-cheol continued his explanation.

"He's an older acquaintance of mine. Usually keeps to himself, but this time he said he'd be showing what he can really do."

"The odds must be sky-high then."

"Of course. Practically a monopoly-level payout."

And just then, Go Hyeon-woo appeared from the opposite portal.

Shin Byeong-cheol flinched and widened his eyes.

"Oh no, how did this matchup happen?"

"Mr. Shin Byeong-cheol, care to explain? Did you use us?"

"No, I had no idea either."

Who would've thought his pick would be matched against ours?

Scratching his head, Shin Byeong-cheol added,

"Anyway, my bad. But hey, one loss won't ruin everything."

If he won all his remaining matches, he'd still have a chance at the main rounds.

But just a few minutes later, Shin Byeong-cheol no longer felt apologetic.

Go Hyeon-woo had defeated the upperclassman with the twin axes.

And not just defeated…he crushed him.

"No way! My dark horse!"

"One loss doesn't matter."

I quietly patted him on the shoulder.

But Shin Byeong-cheol's misfortune and that of the twin-axe senior didn't end there.

Cha Hyeon-joo was chosen as his next opponent.

Shin Byeong-cheol was struck with horror and started muttering to himself.

"…This can't be real. No way."

"Who knows, maybe your friend will win."

"Y-Yeah, that's true. Brother, show them what you've got!"

Taking a deep breath, Shin Byeong-cheol clasped his hands in prayer.

He clenched his fists so tightly that the blood nearly stopped flowing in his hands.

Maybe his prayer was answered.

As soon as the fight began, his older acquaintance charged forward at incredible speed, swinging his twin axes in turn and driving Cha Hyeon-joo back.

Shin Byeong-cheol's face lit up.

"Yeah! That's it! Finish her off!"

But unfortunately, the upperclassman's advantage didn't last long.

Cha Hyeon-joo, who had been retreating the whole time, suddenly scowled and activated a skill.

In an instant, she blinked to the opposite side of the arena and unleashed a relentless storm of arrows.

Shin Byeong-cheol cried out in despair.

"Brotheeer!! Nooo!!"

And just like that, five thousand points evaporated.

***

The first group's preliminary rounds didn't wrap up until around noon.

Dang Gyu-yeong advanced to the main rounds with an undefeated record.

Go Hyeon-woo and Cha Hyeon-joo both suffered a single loss against tough opponents but ultimately secured their spots in the main rounds as well.

Other qualifiers included Jo Byeok of the Disciplinary Committee and several second- and third-year committee members or club presidents.

On the other hand, the twin-axe senior and another supposed dark horse were knocked out completely.

Having lost ten thousand points, Shin Byeong-cheol's mood had sunk like a stone.

With a sigh, he asked,

"You guys are in Group 2, right?"

"Yeah. We're heading down now."

"Who are you betting on?"

I hadn't bothered to check which strong players were in Group 2.

Not that it mattered. I wasn't planning to bet on anyone else anyway.

Pointing back and forth between Seo Ye-in and me, I replied,

"Five thousand each on her and me."

"Same here."

Seo Ye-in echoed my words without hesitation.

Shin Byeong-cheol let out a sound of admiration.

"Oooh~ feeling confident, huh?"

"The main rounds are nothing. You should bet on us too."

"Should I?"

By now, word of my skills was only just starting to spread in the second semester.

That meant not many people would be placing their hopes on me.

Which only made the odds that much higher.

Seo Ye-in's standing was about the same as Go Hyeon-woo's. She was just a notch below the level of a promising student.

Whichever one of us we chose, the odds were excellent, and our skills went without saying.

It was a perfect chance to rack up points.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Shin Byeong-cheol made his decision.

"Alright, I'll put five thousand on each of you too. I'll be counting on you."

"Then wait for the good news."

I gave him a casual wave, then headed toward the stage with Seo Ye-in.

As time passed, the waiting line gradually thinned, and finally, it was my turn.

I stepped onto the teleportation circle and entered the circular arena.

Almost at the same time, an opponent appeared on the opposite side.

He was tall and lanky, with a silver pin on his tie marking him as a second-year and a longsword strapped to his waist.

[Kim Ho vs. Namgong Chang-cheon]

…This won't be easy.

I realized it the moment I faced him.

Among all the swordsmen I'd encountered so far, he was one of the best.

And since he was a Namgong, whether of the main line or a branch, he was sure to have trained in a systematic style of swordsmanship.

His overall skill and trait build would no doubt be solid as well.

In some ways, even stronger than Senior Song Cheon-gi.

It was the kind of opponent I should have met in the finals, not in the first match of the preliminary rounds.

Should I just forfeit?

My plan had been to hide my strength and then surrender right after making it into the main rounds. Showing off here would be pointless.

In that case, forfeiting now and moving on quickly to the next match might be the better option.

Even with one loss, it wouldn't affect my qualification for the main tournament.

But just then, Namgong Chang-cheon looked at me and spoke.

"You look like you're hesitating. To fight, or not to fight."

"……"

"But it doesn't seem like you're lacking confidence. If anything, it's as if you think you could take me down anytime… and that you're weighing other considerations instead."

It was a rather sharp guess.

Namgong Chang-cheon continued.

"The truth is, it's been quite a long time since I last faced anyone. Even I can't properly gauge my own strength anymore. That's why I've come here to test it. I was hoping you could help me with that. Will you grant me this request?"

If the word request had entered the conversation, then this was no longer just a simple preliminary match.

Whether I accepted or refused would likely affect my relationship with him going forward.

And with someone of his caliber, it was better to make a good first impression.

So after a moment's thought, I replied.

"I'll accept. With a few conditions."