The Support Ate it All-Chapter 323: End of Final Exams

Cheese Boxes (Basic) * 3 = 1,500 points

+ Cheese Boxes (Additional) * 13 = 2,600 points

+ Control Room Neutralization = 1,500 points

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[Total Score: 5,600 points] * Final Exam Multiplier (x4)

= 22,400 points

It was an enormous score, equivalent to about four to five weeks’ worth of strategy battle points.

Thanks to this, the accumulated score was rapidly approaching 20,000.

By the second semester, the E-floor will be accessible.

And with just a little more effort, the day I could freely move in and out of the D-floor wouldn’t be far off.

Not that it mattered much. My true goal was the high-difficulty dungeons, so I’d still be sneaking further down regardless.

I’ve also saved up quite a few points.

Throughout the first semester, the only things I had spent points on were replay recordings and exchanging a few coins at the arcade in the commercial district.

Everything else had been saved without a single bit of waste.

At this rate, I could probably afford some decent items from the student shop, but my eyes were set on the second semester.

“I’ll blow everything on the event.”

The underground casino, the auction house, and other point-draining monsters awaited in the commercial district.

Of course, in exchange, I’d be acquiring some rare and powerful items.

The final exam rewards didn’t end there.

As soon as the calculations were completed, another notification popped up.

[Side Quest: 18th Week Final Exam]

▷ Objective 1: Move the cheese boxes (16/3)

▷ Objective 2: Neutralize the control room (1/1)

▷ Rewards: Fixed Pin, Blank Skill Book

As expected, they gave me a Fixed Pin.

Once again, I could permanently make a copied skill or trait my own.

The current top candidate was the S-rank trait [Retrorecovery].

However, since I had recently acquired a new copy-trait slot, I had an open space, so there was no rush to fix anything just yet.

There was always a chance I’d get an opportunity to copy something else.

But what really excited me was the other reward.

This makes it my second Blank Skill Book.

It was a skill book that allowed me to create and acquire skills tailored to my preferences.

Because it is so rare, there were hardly any opportunities to trade for one. The only time I had managed to obtain one was at the beginning of the semester when I exchanged the [Cube of Life] prototype with the Mother Nature Club.

Of course, that trade had been well worth it, as the result was [Wind Force], my main skill.

And this time, just as I had planned, I intended to acquire something that would infuriate my opponents.

Once the calculations were completed, everyone exited through the escape route.

For a moment, my vision went dark, but then a bright light flooded in, revealing a vast hall before me.

In stark contrast to when we had first entered, the hall was now nearly empty. That was because the final exam was still in progress.

More than half of the first-year students were still inside the dungeon, and there was still a full day left before the exam would officially end.

The teams that finished must have gone to rest.

After all, once the cheese box calculations were done, there was no reason to remain here.

Most would have either gone back to the dorms for some well-deserved rest or headed out for a good meal.

Because of this, the only ones left in the hall were those who had just been rendered incapacitated and forcibly ejected or those waiting to enter again.

Sure enough, when I glanced to one side, I spotted the hyenas I had just taken down.

Among them, the sideburns male student was sprawled out as well.

He would probably regain consciousness soon.

On the other side of the hall, the vice principal and other faculty members were closely monitoring the situation inside the dungeon.

They were likely on high alert to prevent any external interference until the very last moment.

Dozens of split screens displayed the various corridors, the control room, students engaged in battle, and the escape route. The faculty members meticulously observed each one.

They’ve got a tough job.

Just as that thought crossed my mind and I was about to walk away, the vice principal suddenly turned to look in my direction.

“Kim Ho.”

“Yes.”

“I’d like to have a word with you.”

At that, my companions exchanged uneasy glances.

The vice principal’s strictness was about 2.5 Song Cheon-hyes worth.

From my own experience, she didn’t seem that intimidating, but that was the general perception.

Because of that, most people found the vice principal difficult to approach. So when she suddenly called my name, it was only natural for my companions to feel uneasy.

Even the disciplinary committee students didn’t seem to be much different. Their eyes practically screamed, “What the hell did you do?”

Of course, I had done nothing wrong, nor did I have any reason to feel guilty. So, in a calm tone, I spoke to my group.

“Let’s wrap things up here. Good work, everyone. Get some rest.”

“You worked hard too, Kim-hyung.”

“M-Mhmm… good job.”

Starting with Go Hyeon-woo and Hong Yeon-hwa, everyone chimed in one by one before leaving the dungeon building.

Before she left, Song Cheon-hye mouthed something at me.

– Check. Your. Messages.

– Okay.

I gave her a slight nod to show I understood, and with that, she quickly walked away.

Now alone, I followed the vice principal as she led me to a corner of the hall.

“You did well on your finals. I was watching for a bit, and I must say, you were impressive.”

“Thank you.”

After a brief round of praise, she finally got to the main point.

“The principal would like to see you. Would you be available?”

I knew it.

If someone had business with me, it was more likely to be the principal than the vice principal.

Considering everything that had happened before, I doubted he was calling me in just for small talk.

My finals had just ended, and with nothing left to do for the rest of the semester, my schedule was pretty open.

So I answered without hesitation.

“I’m available anytime.”

“He should be in his office right now. You should head over.”

“Are you sure he’s not busy with something else?”

“No.”

The vice principal’s firm response made it clear. There was no way “that guy” was busy.

It was a little odd how casually she treated the principal like some jobless bum, but at least I wouldn’t be making a trip for nothing.

“Then I’ll head over now.”

“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”

“Yes,. Please go ahead.”

With a slight frown, she said,

“When you see him… tell him to clean up.”

“……”

Just what was the relationship between those two?

***

The Ruby Magic Tower clubroom was empty.

The first- and second-year club members were still in the middle of their finals, as were the third-years.

So when Hong Yeon-hwa stepped into the clubroom, the only one there to greet her was her sister Hong Ye-hwa.

“You’re done early?”

“Mhmm.”

“Did it go well?”

“Well, more or less.”

Hong Yeon-hwa answered absentmindedly.

In reality, it was more than just more or less. She had scored incredibly high. But for some reason, she wasn’t in the mood to make a big deal out of it.

She flopped onto the guest sofa and stretched out her entire body.

Hong Ye-hwa who was displeased by the sight immediately raised her voice.

“Hey, Hong Yeon-hwa! How many times do I have to tell you not to lie down there? Do you think this is your bedroom?”

“Oh, come on! Why do you care so much? There’s no one here to see anyway!”

“That kind of careless behavior turns into a habit, and habits are what people notice. If you want to lie down, go to your room!”

“Ugh, whatever.”

Hong Yeon-hwa grabbed two cushions and stuffed them against her ears.

Hong Ye-hwa glared at her for a moment before shaking her head with a sigh.

“Ugh, I should just get rid of that thing already.”

The two sisters arguing over the sofa was nothing new.

Sometimes, she would even march over and deliver a Fiery Back Smash, but today, she wasn’t mad enough for that.

Besides, considering her sister had just gone through finals, she figured she could let it slide for today.

Whether she understood her sister’s silent consideration or not, Hong Yeon-hwa simply rolled around on the sofa, lost in thought.

That was fun… the finals.

The first day had been rough.

Baek Jun-seok had carelessly set off a bunch of traps, forcing them to deal with ghost monsters popping out all over the place.

But once she teamed up with Kim Ho, everything fell into place.

As long as she followed his lead, everything went smoothly.

The control room had been a bit tricky, but considering their opponent hadn’t been just any regular teacher, it hadn’t been that bad. It had been the Human Butcher after all.

And in the hidden room, thanks to the Kim Ho Pillow, she had even managed to get a good nap.

If all finals were like this, she wouldn’t mind taking them over and over again.

A satisfied smile crept onto Hong Yeon-hwa’s lips.

“…Heh.”

“……?”

Hong Ye-hwa looked at Hong Yeon-hwa with a puzzled expression.

What on earth was she thinking about to be grinning like that, as if she were the happiest person alive?

However, Hong Yeon-hwa’s strange behavior didn’t last long.

A different thought suddenly crossed her mind.

…It’s already vacation next week.

That meant she wouldn’t be able to see Kim Ho for a while.

Almost two whole months.

Feeling her mood sink in an instant, Hong Yeon-hwa buried her face into a cushion.

Hong Ye-hwa watched her in disbelief.

“Seriously, are you crazy? Laughing one second and sulking the next.”

“Ah!! This is serious! Just leave me alone!!”

Hong Yeon-hwa yelled.

Then, as if to block out any more conversation, she pressed a cushion against each ear.

But knowing full well that she could still hear everything, Hong Ye-hwa continued speaking.

“Hey, Hong Yeon-hwa. You’re signing up for mentoring, right?”

“What are you even talking about? What mentoring?”

“The second mentoring session over the break. Are you joining?”

“…..…?”

Hong Yeon-hwa slowly lowered her cushions.

Then, she cautiously asked,

“Who… exactly is going?”

“It’ll probably be the same members from the first session. Not sure if everyone’s joining, though.”

In the first mentoring session, Dang Gu-yeong had been the mentor, while Song Cheon-hye, Hong Yeon-hwa, Kwak Ji-cheol, and Kim Ho were the mentees.

If it was going to be the same group…

The moment that thought clicked, Hong Yeon-hwa shot up from the sofa.

“I’m in!”

***

Seo Ye-in returned to her dorm room.

A giant tiger plush greeted her.

On the tiger’s head sat a slightly dented pot worn like a helmet. It was one of Seo Ye-in’s cherished items. The “Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot”.

Beside it, a stack of frying pans lay untouched. These were never once used for cooking.

“…….”

Seo Ye-in lay on her bed, hugging the tiger plush and the Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot tightly.

As she blankly stared at the ceiling, memories from the final exams began resurfacing one by one.

Overall, she considered them a good experience. But there was one incident she could never forget.

Unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons.

The swordsmen from the swordsmanship club.

During a close-quarters fight with them, one of her frying pans had met an untimely end at the hands of sword energy.

……A shame.

She had avenged it immediately, but that didn’t bring the frying pan back.

What shook her even more was what Kim Ho had said after the battle.

– You should be careful with the Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot. What if the same happens to it?

“…….”

Seo Ye-in silently lowered her gaze to the pot.

In her mind, a scene began playing.

The image of a swordsman’s blade slicing through the Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot, splitting it cleanly into “Kim Ho A” & “Kim Ho B”.

Or worse, the pot shattering into pieces, leaving her holding nothing but the lonely handle.

“……Not the handle.”

Her gray pupils widened in shock.

The thought alone was enough to jolt her awake, shaking off some of her drowsiness.

A frying pan could always be replaced.

But the Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot was one of a kind. It held deep meaning for her. It was a trophy of victory, in a way.

It could never be destroyed.

“……Countermeasures.”

Seo Ye-in hugged the pot tightly and fell deep into thought.