The Support Ate it All - Chapter 598: Strike the Grass, Startle the Snake (3)

Kim Ho’s monk kept the off-beat wind-blast and trip combo going after that, too.

“HYAH-HYAH, HYAH-HYAH-HYAH! HYAH, HYAH-HYAH!”

[K.O!!]

Until the fighter’s health gauge was completely shaved away.

When I looked across, thick veins were bulging on the Blood Sword Squad Leader’s forehead.

But they vanished in an instant, and he took a few deep breaths, reining in his mind.

“Hhh— Hoo— Hhh— Hoo…….”

Then, putting on an air of leisure, he spoke.

“So your hobby is making people mad. You have the skill to boast like that. It was a rather novel stimulus.”

“You don’t think that’s the end, do you? We’re just getting started.”

“…!?”

For a moment the Blood Sword Squad Leader’s face hardened—then he flashed a bold smile.

“…Indeed. You do not disappoint. Continue.”

“Good. Next round.”

We each fed a fresh coin into our cabinets, and the character select screen came up.

Even I, the winner, was doing it again because—

He can’t build up an immunity.

If you keep receiving the same stimulus, you gradually go numb.

You need to serve up a different kind of rage.

Fortunately, this fighting game had a huge roster.

While the Blood Sword Squad Leader picked his orthodox fighter again—

My screen showed a massively built wrestler.

Every time it moved, its belly fat wobbled unpleasantly.

My favorite character.

Soon the screen shifted to the arena.

The two characters glared from opposite ends, and the message appeared.

[Ready?]

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

The wrestler stomped forward, hauling its heavy body step by step.

Unlike the monk, it didn’t have any long-range pokes.

But its true value showed when it got close.

It thrust out thick arms, grabbed the Blood Sword Squad Leader’s fighter—

“HUH-RAH-CHA-CHA-CHA!”

—and hurled him clean over its back.

The fighter sprawled on the floor in an ugly heap, then stood back up.

But by then, the wrestler was already reaching out again.

“HRRRAAAAH! HYA!”

A booming shout and a clean throw.

Just as it tried to go for another technique, the Blood Sword Squad Leader backed off to make space.

Then he launched a flashy string of attacks, but something that didn’t work in the first match wasn’t about to magically work now.

“I can seeee it allll~~”

Not a single hit allowed through—perfect defense, and a counter that flowed like water.

After locking the fighter down with a joint hold, the wrestler grabbed his collar and flung him with everything it had.

“DOWARIYAAA—!”

Throw, throw, joint hold, spike slam, throw, joint hold, grab-and-trip……

Every time the Blood Sword Squad Leader tried to do anything, he got caught by a technique, to the point where he spent more time letting go of the controls and watching than actually playing.

The helplessness and fury he must’ve been feeling would be hard to put into words.

“……”

“……”

Our group’s stares at me had gone past cold.

They looked at me like I was trash.

This was all for world peace.

Shouldn’t they at least cut me some slack?

“HRRAT-CHA-CHA-CHAT!”

Even while that was happening, the wrestler kept demonstrating every technique under the sun.

But just like with the monk, the fun part didn’t last long.

[K.O!!]

The fighter’s health had been chipped away bit by bit until he finally collapsed.

And the Blood Sword Squad Leader at the opposite cabinet—

“Khhhhhmm……. Huhhhhhh……. Khhhhhhmm……!”

—was inhaling and exhaling in a very rough rhythm.

Veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot red.

“……”

A naturally violent atmosphere formed.

Blood Sword Squad members surrounded us, sending bleak stares our way.

They looked ready to attack at the slightest thing.

Our side responded in kind.

Steel pellets clacked in Dang Ilbi’s hand, and Ahn Jeongmi and Seo Ye-in looked ready to pull out mana guns at any moment.

Even the Gyu-Shadow under my feet was rippling violently.

Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, the Blood Sword Squad Leader seemed to recover his calm right before he exploded.

“Khhhhhmm…….”

One last deep breath, and he returned to that “church boyfriend” look.

He was about to speak—

—and I cut in first.

“I don’t believe you were about to say, ‘Let’s stop here.’ A person who’s the Asura Blood Sword Squad Leader, no less…”

“Wait. What I was going to say was—”

“Isn’t this Blood Cult, ruled by the law of the strong? In front of your subordinates, you should show them a powerful, impressive side!.”

If he refused, he’d be properly humiliated.

Before he could say anything else, I rattled off provocations like a machine gun.

“Of course, if this is your first time, it’s understandable you’d be afraid. Anyone would be, facing an invincible foe.”

“…!”

“But I’m surprised—how is it that you’ve never seen someone like me, when you’ve been in the Blood Cult all this time?”

“You—”

“Maybe it’s a better place to live than I thought. It might actually be warm and full of human kindness.”

“…Don’t make assumptions.”

“Did I go too far? Either way, isn’t it true—you’re hesitating.”

Across all ages and all places, “scared?” was always effective.

The Blood Sword Squad Leader’s face hardened as he shot back.

“When did I ever hesitate? You kept cutting me off so I couldn’t finish my sentence.”

“Then I must have misunderstood. In that case, we can go straight to the next match, right?”

“…Yes.”

In times like this, you’re supposed to smooth it over.

If he truly wanted to cultivate his mind and temper his calm, the correct move would be to laugh it off and promise another day, even with my provocation.

That would be the road closer to enlightenment.

But it seemed the Blood Sword Squad Leader still had a long way to go.

If he used this failure as a foundation and worked at it, maybe he’d reach that realm someday, but—

Will he even get another chance?

I pushed that thought aside and stared at the character select screen.

The Blood Sword Squad Leader picked something different, as if trying a new strategy.

Instead of an “orthodox fighter,” he chose a “decent fighter.”

Meanwhile, what appeared on my screen was an elderly master boxer with hair gone white and wrinkles stacked on wrinkles.

He was as small and scrawny as a little kid, hunched so far that he only came up to the other characters’ chests.

He had a proper name, but I gave him my own nickname.

Up-Down Grandpa.

You’d see why soon enough.

Naturally, he was my favorite character.

The screen transitioned, and the countdown started.

[Ready?]

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

The two characters rushed toward each other.

The first to attack was my Up-Down Grandpa.

He thrust out a hand like a praying mantis and jabbed the opponent’s Adam’s apple.

“Your top is sloppy!”

Next, he kicked the opponent’s knee and shouted again.

“Your bottom is open!”

Then he smacked the opponent’s chin and added one more.

“Found a weakness up top!”

“BOTTOM! TOP! TOP! BOTTOM! BOTTOM! TOP! TOP!”

Because he never stopped targeting the opponent’s top and bottom—he was Up-Down Grandpa.

The Blood Sword Squad Leader defended desperately, but confusion was inevitable, and he started letting hits through one after another.

Once again, our group stared at me.

“…!”

“…!”

They looked like they were beyond amazed—like they couldn’t believe I could torment someone this creatively.

Dang Ilbi muttered with a low, heavy sound.

“He is truly terrifying. We must never make him our enemy……”

Meanwhile, the forced up-down matching game kept going, and after one last jab to the Adam’s apple, the “decent fighter” sprawled out on the floor.

[K.O!!]

“KWANG—!”

With a thunderous impact sound, the cabinet on the opposite side shattered into pieces.

The Blood Sword Squad Leader—now unable to play any more fighting games—slowly rose from his seat.

“……”

He trembled while glaring at me—

Then his face went blue in an instant, and he vomited up what looked like an entire bowl of blood.

“KUWHEK!”

It wasn’t just the backlash from [Geas – Clear Mirror, Still Water] breaking.

His qi and blood had twisted, and he looked like he’d even fallen into qi deviation.

The Blood Sword Squad members watching shouted in shock.

“Squad Leader!”

“What are you doing! Get them!”

At the order of a man who looked like a deputy-squad-leader level, they drew their swords all at once and rushed us from every direction.

Dang Ilbi immediately swept a hand wide.

Steel pellets scattered, packed with massive internal power.

“JJEO-JEO-JEO-JEONG—!”

“PUH-BUH-BUH-BUK!”

Most of them slashed or blocked the pellets with their blades, but some were pierced clean through and went down.

Even those who defended successfully had to falter for a moment—and Ahn Jeongmi and Seo Ye-in sprayed mana BB pellets into those openings.

“TUDUDUDUDU!”

Several Blood Sword Squad members took hits from mana BB pellets—some were struck, some knocked them away—yet they still pushed in.

And the moment they swung their swords, a lump of shadow surged up from beneath Seo Ye-in’s feet and blocked the slash with its body.

It was Lab Director.

“SPAT!”

Right after that, a pitch-black figure swept past a Blood Sword Squad member at a speed too fast to see, and he collapsed with a thud, clutching his throat.

With Dark-Shadow Commander summoned as well, Dang Gyu-young finally emerged from my shadow.

They waved a hand at the Blood Sword Squad members lying on the floor, and their shadows abandoned their owners and got sucked in.

“SSSSS…….”

“The empty slot that was unbearable… is finally over…….”

▷[Shadow Extraction] [4/4]