The Support Ate it All - Chapter 593: Gyu’s Dad
Walking across the space between the pavilions, the Clan Head Hall soon came into view.
But several people—some middle-aged, some elderly—were standing in front of it.
As if they’d been waiting for us.
I’d seen each of them once at the first formal dinner, and among them, an old man with a calm, placid face felt especially familiar.
The Elder Council Head.
A beat later, he, too, fixed his gaze on me.
Despite his outward appearance, a razor-sharp presence seeped out—like a viper—and even his voice carried a ringing, metallic edge.
“I’ve wanted to speak with you at least once.”
“So have I.”
“First, you have my respect. Skill like that at your age. And as for poison resistance—you’ve reached a level the warriors of the main family can only dream of.”
“You flatter me.”
“As a guest, you would have been treated with utmost courtesy. If you hadn’t come with that child.”
“I don’t feel lacking in treatment even now. And I think you’ve set your premise wrong.”
I smiled faintly and continued.
“I may be a guest, but I didn’t come with my lady. If anything, I came because of my lady.”
My original plan for winter break had been to head back to Hyeseong Group’s new city again.
Or stop by the Ruby Magic Tower or the Topaz Magic Tower.
Dragons and Magic Tower Masters were handing out Hidden Pieces, for heaven’s sake.
Even so, the main reason I chose the Dang family was to improve Dang Gyu-young’s family situation, even if only a little.
Dang Munhyeong said it himself—they’d called them back for the first time in a long while.
The elders didn’t know that, though. So to {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} them, it likely sounded like I was looking down on them outright.
As the air turned grim, the Elder Council Head spoke again.
“Truly arrogant. But you have the qualifications to be.”
“Because I proved it.”
Not just against poison—against experts as well. I’d even taken down Dang Junyeop and Dang Huiyeon.
Now, if someone wanted to discipline an “arrogant bastard” like me, the Dang family would need to pull out one of their most vicious poisons, or send someone on the level of the Twin Heroes of the Dang Family.
Fortunately, the Elder Council Head didn’t seem like the type to take it that far.
“With matters already in disarray, there’s no need to create more enemies within. We’ll pull back here.”
“Thank you.”
“However, if we stop being hostile, does that mean goodwill suddenly appears where none existed? The main family’s stance will remain unchanged.”
Meaning: they weren’t going to stop seeing Dang Gyu-young as a thorn in their side.
I answered without much concern.
“That’s fine. I didn’t come here expecting that in the first place.”
“Then was there any reason to return to the main family at all?”
“I’d say there were plenty of reasons. Didn’t they meet their uncle, meet their father, and meet their cousins?”
“…….”
The Elder Council Head frowned as he stared at me, then spoke again.
“Family is trivial compared to a clan. For the sake of survival, there are times you must endure and abandon things. But you… you don’t seem capable of understanding or accepting that.”
“Sorry, but I can’t. I think even the small things matter.”
“I won’t insist on persuading you. Stay comfortably, and go in peace.”
With that, the elders turned and left.
After watching them go, Dang Munhyeong sent me a warm look and patted my shoulder.
“Let’s go in.”
We entered the Clan Head Hall, and just like the first day, Dang Munhyeong stopped at the office door and announced us.
“Brother. It’s me. I’ve brought the guest.”
As if he’d been waiting, the answer came immediately.
Since this was meant to be a private meeting, Dang Munhyeong only let me inside, then closed the door again.
“Sit.”
Dang Gunak spoke bluntly. I sat across from him, and he personally brewed tea and poured it into my cup.
Silence held for a while. Then the Clan Head set down his teacup and began.
“I’ve received reports on everything that’s happened. I can only apologize that I couldn’t stop it.”
“I understand the bigger picture. You must have had your position as Clan Head.”
“Even so, what is it but an excuse? Worse—though you’re outsiders and guests, I ended up putting my daughter through hardship along with you.”
“Strictly speaking, we’re the ones who stepped in. It wasn’t someone else’s problem.”
At that, Dang Gunak’s eyes seemed to shift slightly.
He studied me for a moment, then spoke again.
“I felt it from the moment I heard news from my younger brother, but… it doesn’t seem like a simple senior–junior relationship. Ilbi and Hanbi said something similar.”
“…….”
“It’s true that it’s late for me to suddenly try to act like a father. Still—can you tell me?”
After being half-estranged and only returning after a long time, it made sense he’d feel he had little right to ask.
But I had no reason to hide it, either.
So I met his gaze and answered.
“It’s not hard to tell you. I just want you to keep it secret.”
“……Go on.”
“We formed a sovereign [Bond].”
“……!”
Ripples crossed Dang Gunak’s impassive face.
He stared at me with eyes full of astonishment.
“I thought you were extraordinary, but… a sovereign? And at your age, no less.”
“I don’t know if that answers you.”
“It does.”
A [Bond] was all but impossible to undo, so it was fair to treat it as something permanent.
That was why you didn’t establish one unless you shared intent—and unless you were close enough that it warranted it.
There’s nothing to gain from advertising it, but…
I’d already made it public to the Seo family and the Hong family, so it made sense to do the same with the Dang family.
The difference was that this wasn’t asking permission—it was notifying them after the fact.
The next moment, Dang Gunak’s eyes flashed.
“……Then did you form a [Bond] as well? With the young lady of Hyeseong Group?”
“Yes.”
I answered as naturally and confidently as I could.
Given the flow of this conversation, there was a very real chance it would sound like I was two-timing their daughter and that family’s daughter.
In reality, it was more than that.
In moments like this, acting guilty only made things worse. Bold was better.
“…….”
As expected, an unpleasant look surfaced on Dang Gunak’s face—yet there was no unspilling spilled water.
He seemed to decide to move past it and continued.
“Then I can understand why you involved yourself so actively in my daughter’s matter.”
“Because she’s mine.”
“I hope that feeling doesn’t change.”
“It won’t.”
After hearing my firm answer, the displeasure in his expression eased—if only slightly.
We’d nearly finished the tea, so Dang Gunak poured more.
And for a while longer, we simply drank in silence.
Then he opened his mouth again.
“You still haven’t said what you want.”
He’d told me to think about what I wanted in return for helping Dang Gyu-young’s growth.
So I brought up something that might have sounded unrelated.
“I heard your conflict with the Blood Cult is escalating.”
“It’s true.”
At first, the businesses and sects that had been attacked had concealed the perpetrator in subtle ways. But now, there were many cases where they moved brazenly, without even trying to hide it.
Then, as if realizing something, a strange light rose in Dang Gunak’s eyes.
“Then the request you mean is…”
“Just as you suspect. Please let me help.”
“I can’t allow it.”
As expected, he shook his head immediately.
And in a firm tone, he continued.
“It’s true the main family is in a situation where we could use every expert we can get, but it’s not to the point where we must endanger children—students.”
“I wasn’t saying I’d join an all-out war.”
“Anything else is dangerous all the same.”
“I’ve already proven my ability, haven’t I?”
By taking down Dang Junyeop and Dang Huiyeon.
Part of the reason I’d accepted that spar—one I didn’t even need to—while pretending to fall for provocation, was precisely for this.
I kept pressing.
“Next year we’ll be second-years, and we’ll start receiving dispatch missions. Would it really be a problem to receive one a little early?”
“I’ll admit there’s some logic to that. But I don’t know whether there’s a task suitable to entrust to you.”
“I’ve thought about that, too.”
“…….”
Dang Gunak’s expression turned into the same look Dang Gyu-young sometimes wore—So you had a plan all along? So I walked right into it?
He gestured for me to speak, and I explained.
“I want to check a few locations.”
Because of the EX-grade Reincarnation quest’s aftermath, both the cast of characters and the flow of events were tangled beyond recognition.
Still, there were a few places that made me think, If it’s the Blood Cult, wouldn’t they be hiding here?
Even if I came up empty, it would cost nothing to take a look.
Dang Gunak had no way of knowing my veteran “big data,” but he seemed to grasp my intent.
Even so, he didn’t look pleased as he asked,
“If your guess is right and that place is a Blood Cult base, wouldn’t that create an even more dangerous situation than an all-out war?”
It would be like kicking a beehive without knowing the enemy’s strength.
For instance, what if three elder-class figures were gathered in one place?
Of course, in my experience, the odds of that were extremely low.
Until the decisive moment, they would need to maintain secrecy—meaning they’d be split up in small groups.
Even if my prediction was wrong, withdrawing would still be more than possible.
And I had other reasons for confidence too, but they weren’t things I could reveal to Dang Gunak.
So I gave an answer he could reasonably accept.
“I plan to stop at confirming the location.”
“It looks like an operation where the losses outweigh the gains. The risk is too high.”
“That’s the part I want to ask you about.”
As if he could predict what was coming next, Dang Gunak frowned.
If the risk was too high, you lowered it—and to do that…
“You want me to attach an expert?”
“If possible, an A-rank.”
“Among them, the only ones who are friendly toward you would be Ilbi and Hanbi.”
“That’s right.”
The Clan Head couldn’t move freely, and any experts connected to the Elder Council would reject it outright.
And it wasn’t like mobilizing the Twin Heroes of the Dang Family was easy, either.
His reaction being negative made that clearer still.
“To assign not only you, but even the main family’s core experts, to something this reckless? I trust you’ll understand even if I refuse.”
“But you haven’t refused yet.”
He hadn’t issued an order to expel me.
It was less that he disliked my proposal, and more that he needed more certainty.
Sure enough, Dang Gunak stared into my eyes and said,
“……I’ve heard something about you.”
“I’m sure you have.”
He must’ve heard directly from Dang Munhyeong—and with the Dang family’s intelligence network, he would’ve investigated in the background too.
Publicly known facts were that I’d faced the Witch of Death—and Hallucination Demon, a Blood Cult elder—and still survived.
And that I’d played a decisive role in the Witch of Depletion suppression operation.
Naturally, there was far more that wasn’t known.
Dang Gunak seemed to suspect that, too.
“If you lived through things like that, it’s hard to call it mere luck.”
“It’s embarrassing to say it myself, but it’s skill. I’ll survive this time, too.”
“Are you certain? How much?”
“One hundred percent. Full certainty. Trust me and assign it.”
Dang Gunak seemed to think a little longer, then nodded.
“……Fine. I’ll leave word with Ilbi and Hanbi.”
At the same time, a notification message appeared in the corner of my vision.
[Main Quest 4]
▷Objective: Dispel the dark clouds hanging over Sichuan
▷Reward: Granted on a sliding scale based on completion level
