The Support Ate it All - Chapter 658: Goodbye, Inferno
The skillbook fairy started acting familiar the moment she appeared.
“It’s an honor to see my esteemed guest again!”
Not only would she remember our last transaction, she had probably also guessed that I was a sovereign.
So I answered in an arrogant sovereign tone too.
“If you do your job well, you’ll be seeing me for a long time to come.”
“I’ll work hard! What kind of skillbook are you looking for today?”
Most of the skillbooks that currently existed could be obtained through her, but inconveniently, they could not be searched by name. You had to narrow the range down by describing their traits, performance, and so on.
Of course, that was not difficult for me.
I spoke the first keyword.
“Forced movement.”
What I was after this time was one of the core skills in the build I was designing.
In general, the word forced became more meaningful the less the other person wanted it.
But right now, all I could do with Wind Force was shove people around or pin them in place.
For some people, that alone would be infuriating enough.
But for others, it would just be, Haha, so I moved a little~, and they would shrug it off.
And the higher the rank, the more of the latter there are.
Just like in the battle between the Witch of Death and Nether King Dragon, and in the subjugation of the Witch of Starvation, where the Sword Empress and the principal had done exactly that—they used space on a massive scale, even fought in the air.
From their perspective, even if forced movement inconvenienced them a little, they could just move even more.
I need to make them lose more when they get shoved around.
That way, they would grit their teeth and try to resist it, and if they did get pushed, the frustration would hit even harder.
And that much more job satisfaction for me as a support.
So I spoke the remaining keywords.
The skill that would bring tension to the previously lax forced-movement industry.
“Debuffs, and marks.”
If it had been my party, by now they would already have started looking uneasy, giving me the kind of look that said, What filthy stunt is this bastard trying to pull now?
But this was only the second time the skillbook fairy had met me, so she seemed to sense nothing unusual.
“Got it! Please wait a moment!”
The fairy buzzed around in a tiny sideways figure eight.
Watching her, I found myself wondering whether she really had to be that distracting, but at the same time, it felt like it might be some sort of ritual unique to their kind.
So I simply waited quietly, and soon skillbooks rose one after another into the air.
[Skillbook – Paralysis Mark]
[Skillbook – Fugitive Mark]
[Skillbook – Freeze Tag Mark]
…….
I like all of them.
Since I had attached the keyword debuff, most of them were optimized for pissing people off.
But I could only choose one.
I swallowed my deep regret and pointed at a single skillbook.
“That one.”
[Skillbook – Concussion Mark]
“Excellent choice! As expected of my esteemed guest, you really do have a good eye!”
“That’s enough flattery. Let’s settle the price.”
“Ah, yes! How would you like to do it?”
The fairy’s payment was always systemic things.
Skills, traits, slots, ranks—the summoner’s own resources.
And I had already prepared thoroughly.
[Inferno Fist(B)]
[Skillbook – Skull Demon Poison Claw(A)]
[Heaven-Cleaving Single Breath Art(B)]
“This should be more than enough.”
“Of course it’s enough! There’ll even be a little change left over!”
“I’ll take the change in rank.”
“Understood! Then I’ll begin.”
The skillbook fairy began buzzing around me again.
Its wings fluttered at high speed, scattering glittering powder, and the moment that powder touched the two martial manuals, they vanished on the spot.
Then a notification message rose.
[‘Inferno Fist(B)’ has been deleted.]
In my heart, I bid farewell to Inferno Fist.
Goodbye. You’ve worked hard.
Thanks to you, I got to burn a lot of enemies to death.
I’ll fill your empty seat with a skill that makes people even angrier.
Soon the skillbook shone brightly and was absorbed into my body.
WHOOM—!
[You acquire ‘Concussion Mark(F)’.]
Even though I already knew exactly what the skill did, I leisurely read through the effect.
The joy of unboxing, so to speak.
[Concussion Mark(F)]
▷Inscribe a mark on the target for 3 seconds.
▷Cooldown: 60 minutes
▷[Concussion Mark] cannot be resisted or dispelled.
▷While the mark remains, the following effects are applied in proportion to the target’s movement distance.
(1) X% chance to cancel a currently active skill/trait.
(2) X% chance for the next skill/trait cast to fail.
(3) Skills/traits affected by (1) or (2) have their cooldown multiplied by X.
A mark was classified as a debuff, which meant it could normally be blocked by the opponent’s defensive measures or nullified by removers like [Purification].
But [Concussion Mark] was an exception.
It could neither be resisted nor dispelled.
The condition of having to move the target was so harsh that the difficulty of the mark itself had been eased.
And the performance was excellent too.
Its effect changed according to how {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} much the target moved—or how much I made the target move.
For example, if it was only a few steps, the proc chance stayed in the single digits, and even if it succeeded, the cooldown multiplier stayed close to x1.
But what if I sent them flying past the horizon?
Then you would get the spectacular sight of every skill and trait being canceled and their cooldowns multiplied several times over.
Naturally, that was the outcome I had learned it for.
Then from the opponent’s perspective, what was the counter?
The easiest answer is to hold your ground with a resistance skill.
For example, by planting both feet into the ground with [Thousand-Pound Weight].
Of course, I had already prepared [Movement Command], which pierced movement resistance, for exactly that reason.
They could try [Thousand-Pound Weight] all they wanted.
Their feet would still just rip free and go flying along with them.
Or they could try to pressure me instead.
The duration was only 3 seconds, so they could just bombard me with attacks and stop me from using Wind Force.
Then, for the next hour of cooldown, they would not have to worry about the mark.
That said, whether I would let myself be pressured that easily—or whether I would even apply the mark in a situation where pressure could reach me—was another matter.
And this is still a growth-type skill, after all.
The only reason it lasted 3 seconds and had a 1-hour cooldown was because it was F-rank.
If I raised the rank, a large part of that problem would disappear.
And I still have some “change” left over.
Even while I was thinking that, the skillbook fairy kept buzzing around me in circles.
Another notification message appeared at the edge of my vision.
[‘Concussion Mark’ rank increases. (F→B)]
▷Mark duration: 3 seconds → 10 seconds
▷Cooldown: 60 minutes → 15 minutes
Thanks to how generously I had prepared the change, it had jumped straight to B-rank the moment I learned it.
If it lasted a full 10 seconds, then it would be threatening even to someone at the principal’s or the Sword Empress’s level.
Then the skillbook fairy asked me for confirmation.
“Do you like it?”
“It’ll do. Good work.”
“Thank you for another wonderful trade today! Please summon me again next time!”
The thing floated in midair and politely bowed at the waist.
Then, just like when it had appeared—
POP!
—it vanished.
As I watched that happen, I thought to myself,
Now that I’ve learned it, I kind of want to test it once.
Who would become the glorious Test Subject No. 1?
After thinking for a moment, I tried sending a message.
[Kim Ho: Where are you]
[Han Somi: ?]
[Han Somi: It’s a secret!]
[Kim Ho: Training center, then]
After a few seconds of silence, a reply came back.
[Han Somi: ……No?]
[Kim Ho: Go Hyeonwoo’s with you too?]
[Han Somi: Gasp]
[Han Somi: How did you know!]
Well, because the two of you were attached to each other six days and half a day out of every week.
And for six of those days, all you did was train.
Of course, I did not bother explaining that. I simply kept messaging.
[Kim Ho: Lies do not work on me]
[Kim Ho: Be honest]
[Han Somi: Training center]
[Han Somi: With Go Hyeonwoo!]
[Kim Ho: Let’s stay honest from now on too]
[Kim Ho: Step out for a moment]
[Han Somi: Huh?? Why???]
[Kim Ho: I’ve got something to give you]
[Kim Ho: Want me to come in?]
After another few seconds of hesitation, her reply came back.
[Han Somi: No!]
Naturally, she wanted to avoid me running into the Kim fanboy as much as possible.
And given the circumstances, whatever I was giving her would probably be better handled quietly for everyone involved.
[Kim Ho: Then come out]
[Kim Ho: You have 5 minutes]
[Han Somi: Coming right now!]
As expected, Han Somi came shooting out to the meeting spot like a bullet.
The moment our eyes met, I pulled the special cultivation room season pass from my chest.
“This is why.”
“Ooh! You got it fast!”
“As promised, your share of the reward is considered settled.”
“Of course it is!”
Han Somi grinned.
And then I threw a sudden question at her.
“Did you tell Go Hyeonwoo?”
“……Not yet?”
Han Somi froze for an instant, then answered while trying to look away.
That pretty much confirmed the Go Hyeonwoo: accidental kept-man hypothesis.
I deliberately put on a troubled look.
“I don’t think it’s good to keep too many secrets.”
“……Later? I’ll tell him later!”
“For some reason, I don’t trust that. I feel like this is going to get buried.”
“No! I’ll tell him!”
“If it’s hard, should I do it for you?”
“Keep it secret!”
Han Somi fidgeted anxiously and blocked my path.
At that point, the mood seemed ripe enough, so I got to the main point.
“Then in exchange for keeping it secret, do me one favor too.”
“A favor? What is it?”
“I learned a new skill.”
In other words, I wanted her to become test subject, or dummy, No. 1.
Han Somi looked like she was weighing it for a moment, then nodded readily.
“Very well! Go ahead and use it once!”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
[You inscribe ‘Concussion Mark’ on the target.]
[Duration 00:00:09]
[Cooldown 00:14:59]
“……Huh?”
At the same time, Han Somi also stared into empty air with her eyes wide. She had probably gotten notification messages like these.
[‘Concussion Mark’ has been inscribed.]
[Duration 00:00:09]
[Additional effects occur in proportion to movement distance.]
It only said additional effects without explaining further, but even an idiot could tell they would not be helpful.
Han Somi spoke in a tense voice.
“If I move……. I’m screwed!”
Then she froze stiff, as if she had literally turned to ice.
I reminded her of one thing.
“Shouldn’t moving be fine? It’s changing position that’s the problem.”
“……That’s true?”
No matter what she did while staying in place, her movement distance would be zero.
And if it was only a few steps, the penalty was not that great.
So for a martial class like Han Somi, the standard response was to minimize movement and just keep hurling sword energy.
Then I gathered wind over my hand and walked closer.
And with the brightest smile on my face, I said,
“Then shall we try flying now?”
“Huh? Why do I have to!”
“This is part of the experiment too.”
“Can’t we not do that part!”
“We have to.”
With that firm answer, I activated Wind Force.
BOOM!
Compressed air exploded, and Han Somi went flying.
Then, somehow, she managed to recover her posture midair and land.
But the very next moment—
“Oh? Ooooh~?”
She swayed as if dizzy, then dropped onto her butt with a plop.
Looks like the mark effect had triggered.
As I walked over, I said,
“Try drawing some sword energy.”
“Sword energy?”
Still seated, Han Somi drew up her inner energy.
A blue aura began to gather along the blade, then scattered apart.
“……What? Why?!”
“Does it make you angry?”
“A little? I think it does!”
“Successful, then.”
I nodded, feeling deeply satisfied.
As expected, I had learned exactly the right skill.
