The Support Ate it All-Chapter 306: Hong Yeon-hwa Is Troubled

[Chaotic Old Sapphire Temple Random Box (D+)] *2

[Even More Chaotic Old Sapphire Temple Random Box (B)] *1

The default clear reward was three D-rank random boxes.

But after being enhanced once with the Book of Chaos, they gained a + rank, and when I tore out another page, they were enhanced again.

I distributed the rewards on the spot.

“I’ll take the B-rank. That okay?”

“Mhmm, th-that’s fine.”

Hong Yeon-hwa nodded her head, though she still seemed a bit shaken as if the lingering impact of witnessing Inferno Fist hadn’t worn off yet.

That might have been why she didn’t voice any complaints, but my method of distribution had its own fair reasoning.

I was the one who brought the Book of Chaos.

I was the one who borrowed it, used two pages from it, and dealt with the aftermath.

So, if anything, splitting the rewards evenly would have been unfair.

Hong Yeon-hwa would acknowledge that too.

In the end, I kept the B-rank box, one D+ rank went to Hong Yeon-hwa, and the last one went to our guide Shin Byeong-cheol.

Of course, since a D+ rank box was quite the reward, this didn’t mean his job as our guide for this dungeon run was fully paid off. He still owed me a couple more trips for free.

As soon as we stepped through the teleportation portal and emerged outside, Shin Byeong-cheol who had been waiting for us bowed at a sharp 90-degree angle.

“You’ve returned~”

“Yeah~”

Of course, the one he was bowing to wasn’t me or Hong Yeon-hwa. It was the random box in my hand.

Since we had already agreed on the terms before entering, I handed over the D+ rank box to him.

Then I casually asked,

“Opening it right away today too?”

“Well… yeah, I guess.”

His response was noticeably less enthusiastic than usual.

Until now, he had never once hit the jackpot, so his expectations had dropped to rock bottom.

“If that’s the case, why not just sell the box as is?”

“That won’t do.”

Shin Byeong-cheol shook his index finger from side to side.

Even though selling it unopened would guarantee a certain value, he insisted on opening it himself.

Then he added,

“I read a book recently.”

“What book?”

“<The Art of Never Failing at Gacha>.”

“That title already sounds like a scam. Anyway, what did it say?”

“If you want to hit the jackpot, never stop trying! How inspiring, right?”

In other words, just keep opening until you win.

When I thought about it, it wasn’t exactly wrong, so I let it slide.

If he really did hit the jackpot, it would be something to celebrate. And if not, it’s good because I’ll be collecting stamp coupons.

“So are you opening it now?”

“Of course.”

Keeping his expectations low, Shin Byeong-cheol pried open the random box—

Flash!

A dazzling light burst forth.

It was far too extravagant to be a mere D+ rank random box effect.

Noticing this, Shin Byeong-cheol’s previously indifferent expression immediately shifted into one of triumphant satisfaction.

“See that? I kept trying, and now I’ve finally hit the jackpot!”

“Looks like your Indian rain dance finally worked.”

A win was a win, so I congratulated him.

I was curious to see what he had pulled so I took a look—

[Recipe: Renaissance-Style Tea Party Set (C)]

▷ Make a tea party set using the following items as materials.

▷ Teacups (0/2)

▷ Teapot (0/1)

▷ Tablecloth (0/1)

▷ Table (0/1)

▷ Chair (0/1)

I let out an exaggerated exclamation.

“Wow, a jackpot is a jackpot. You got a C-rank.”

“What is it with me and these things?”

Shin Byeong-cheol, on the other hand, looked dumbfounded.

Of all things, even his rare jackpot turned out to be a tea party set.

Still, compared to everything he’d gotten so far, this was the best one yet.

“You might as well complete the set now.”

“Ugh, yeah, I guess…”

The effect of a [Recipe]:

If you place the listed items into it, they all transform into their corresponding themed versions.

In this case, everything would get the “Renaissance-Style” prefix. Like a Renaissance-style table for example.

Even if you put in F-rank or E-rank items, the final product would still be C-rank.

Another advantage was that it could bundle random items into a single set.

Luckily, Shin Byeong-cheol had already gathered most of the materials.

For teacups, he had plenty. Like the Feathered Serpent Tribe wooden cup, the Golden Elephant Guild teacup, and even the Winterhalt mug. He also had a solid wood table and chair ready. ṜàꞐ𝐎₿Ês

The only things missing were—

“A teapot and a tablecloth.”

“I’ll just pull them one at a time.”

He could always buy some F-rank items from somewhere, but he clearly wasn’t willing to go that far.

Money was money, after all.

At that moment, Hong Yeon-hwa who had been silently watching casually joined the conversation.

“You can use mine if you want.”

“Seriously?”

Shin Byeong-cheol’s eyes widened at the unexpected offer.

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

Hong Yeon-hwa shrugged nonchalantly.

“If something from the list comes out, I’ll count it as a dud and let you have it. If it’s something else, I’ll keep it.”

Of course, from Hong Yeon-hwa’s perspective, a tablecloth was completely useless.

If she ended up pulling a dud, she was simply offering to help complete Shin Byeong-cheol’s collection.

When she said this, Hong Yeon-hwa glanced at me as if seeking my approval.

I gave a slight nod of my chin in response.

Not that she needed my permission in the first place. Whoever opened the box was entirely up to its owner.

Just like how I was planning to take the B-rank Chaos Box to Lucky Charm.

I turned back to Shin Byeong-cheol and spoke.

“Are you going to pull it? The tablecloth?”

“You must have forgotten who I am. I am Shin Byeong-cheol, the master of pulling teacups. Watch closely.”

With exaggerated confidence, Shin Byeong-cheol firmly grasped the random box.

Then, in one swift motion, he tore open the lid.

“A tea party set!”

Flash—!

A brilliant light burst forth.

And when the glow faded, the revealed item left us all stunned.

For me and Hong Yeon-hwa, it was a pleasant surprise. For Shin Byeong-cheol, not so much.

[Rank Boost] ×2

“Uh… why is this here?”

“Jackpot. What was the name of that book again?”

As always, things never went exactly as planned.

***

Ruby Magic Tower Clubroom.

The moment she returned, Hong Yeon-hwa immediately returned the Book of Chaos.

Rather than making Kim Ho come all the way to bring it, she had taken it upon herself to hand it over.

As she accepted the book, Hong Yeo-hwa asked,

“You used it?”

“Mhmm.”

“How was it?”

“Nothing special. It just applied a recovery speed boost.”

“I see.”

Hong Yeo-hwa gave a satisfied nod.

She had worried about the possibility of an accident, but it seemed the instability hadn’t strayed too far from expectations.

Of course, Kim Ho had torn one more page afterward, but Hong Yeon-hwa had no intention of mentioning that.

Not only because Kim Ho had specifically asked her to keep it a secret, but also because she couldn’t forget the sight of him in that final moment.

Inferno Fist…

A devastating power that had blown away the giant goddess statue with a single punch.

She had thought she had a good grasp of his abilities after spending so much time with him, but it turned out he still had plenty more hidden up his sleeve.

In her memory, Kim Ho raised his index finger to his lips.

– Secret.

“……!”

Hong Yeon-hwa shuddered slightly.

Hong Ye-hwa noticed this and gave her a curious look.

“What’s wrong? You look like you just committed a crime.”

“What? Me?”

Hong Yeon-hwa feigned ignorance immediately.

Her poor acting skills made it blatantly obvious, but Hong Ye-hwa chose not to press the issue.

Instead, she changed the subject.

“So did you ask?”

“Ask what?”

“If he’s dating someone.”

“He said he’s not.”

Hong Yeon-hwa replied in the most nonchalant tone possible.

Of course, she kept the rest to herself.

But he’s greedy. He wants to date everyone.

If she said that out loud, she had no idea how Hong Ye-hwa would react.

It would be even more chaotic than tearing two pages from the Book of Chaos, and the outcome would almost certainly be bad.

So keeping quiet was the best option.

Unaware of these thoughts, Hong Ye-hwa simply felt disappointed.

If Kim Ho and Seo Ye-in were in a relationship, her younger sister might have given up to some extent. But since they weren’t…

Even so, just because there was a possibility didn’t mean she intended to let her sister get distracted by romance.

Right now, Hong Yeon-hwa was fiercely competing with other promising students.

Hesitation would only mean falling behind.

Because of that, Hong Ye-hwa fixed her gaze on her younger sister and emphasized once again.

“Don’t let your mind wander. Focus. Finals are next week.”

“Ah! I know, okay?”

Hong Yeon-hwa grumbled in response.

***

She said that, but she couldn’t shake off her restless feelings.

After barely listening to her sister’s nagging, she eventually left the clubroom.

Come to think of it, this has nothing to do with me.

She had thought the same thing in the dungeon. From the start, Kim Ho’s comment about being greedy wasn’t directed at her.

He had simply shared his views on relationships.

So there was no reason for her attitude to change.

Just like before, she would occasionally team up with him for duel battles or strategy battles, and that would be it when they entered a dungeon.

…Then why does it bother me so much?

Why did she feel so unsettled?

Why couldn’t she just brush it off and move on?

More importantly, what exactly did she want to do about it?

She had no clear answers.

She wandered aimlessly, lost in thought, but no matter how much she mulled over it, she couldn’t find a solution.

This is frustrating. I have no one to talk to.

Until now, she had gone to her sister for most of her worries.

But this time, that wasn’t an option.

Every time she brought up Kim Ho, things took a turn for the worse.

And she was always the one who suffered the consequences. Usually in the form of a fiery smack to the back.

So she had to find someone else.

But who could I even talk to about this?

There wasn’t a good option.

She knew a lot of people, but none she was close enough with to confide in.

The closest person she had was her childhood friend, Baek Jun-seok.

But that big oaf is useless.

When it came to things like this, talking to him was like talking to a brick wall.

She might as well just talk to an actual wall.

Moreover, he was surprisingly loose-lipped, so there was a good chance that if she talked to him, word would eventually make its way to her sister’s ears.

With yet another concern added to her list, she kept walking, but she still couldn’t come to a conclusion.

Hong Yeon-hwa let out a deep sigh.

…I should just drink something first.

Maybe a cup of coffee would help calm her down.

Just as she reached the campus store, she spotted a familiar face.

Go Hyeon-woo.

He seemed to have recognized her as well, greeting her with a nod.

“Greetings, Miss Hong.”

“Mhmm, hello.”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s impression of Go Hyeon-woo wasn’t particularly bad.

Since he was close to Kim Ho, they had naturally crossed paths from time to time. He always had a friendly smile and good manners, so at the very least, she never felt uncomfortable around him.

Maybe I should just talk to him instead?

They weren’t exactly close, but maybe that was for the best.

Besides, from what she had gathered, Go Hyeon-woo was the textbook definition of a model student.

People like that often had an unexpectedly naive side.

If that was the case, even if she confided in him, he probably wouldn’t realize that she was talking about Kim Ho.

Hong Yeon-hwa spoke with her mind made up.

“Do you want some coffee? My treat.”

“What’s the occasion, Miss Hong?”

“Nothing much, just felt like chatting.”

Using the need for conversation as an excuse, Hong Yeon-hwa planned to ease into discussing her concerns over coffee.

But she failed to notice it.

The brief glint in Go Hyeon-woo’s eyes.

Miss Hong suddenly offering coffee…

They had always maintained a certain distance, yet now she was closing that gap. There had to be a reason.

Something more than just idle conversation.

And soon enough, he could see it in her expression.

She looks troubled.

He guessed that she had been struggling with something on her own, unable to confide in anyone, and had approached him thinking he might be a safe option.

And he had a pretty good idea of what it was about.

This is about Kim-hyung.

Go Hyeon-woo was much sharper than Hong Yeon-hwa had expected.

Far more than she expected.