The Support Ate it All
Chapter 373: No. 336 Rabbit Room (2)

“Wh-What is going on here?!”

The Clock Rabbit was aghast, glancing between us and its pocket watch while darting its eyes around.

It must’ve thought the watch was broken.

Tick— tock— tick— tock—

Of course, the surroundings were still locked in that black-and-white film-like state.

It meant [Time Freeze] was still in effect.

“Kyuit, time is definitely frozen!”

“Yeah, time is frozen alright. It just couldn’t freeze us.”

Because we had S-rank [Time Resistance].

I even granted it to Seo Ye-in and Shin Byeong-cheol for the experience.

[Activated ‘Octopus Limbs’.]

[‘Time Resistance’ has been granted to the target.]

[Granted ‘Time Resistance’ Rank: A]

[Duration: 00:19:52]

[Cooldown: 01:39:52]

Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve used [Enchantment] since upgrading it to B-rank.

Not only had the duration and cooldown improved, but the resistance rank now only dropped by one tier instead of two.

Meaning, even without pairing it with [Amplification], the skill could perform on its own.

An A-rank Time Resistance should be more than enough to move freely inside frozen time.

Only then did the Clock Rabbit realize things had gone wrong and tried to flee, but Seo Ye-in and Shin Byeong-cheol each grabbed one of its ears and lifted it up.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“In a hurry, are we?”

“K-Kkiiik! Let go of me! You filthy humans!”

The Clock Rabbit flailed in midair, suspended a few inches off the ground.

Pretty pitiful for a hidden boss.

Well, time magic is all it’s got.

Time-type skills and traits were notoriously difficult to acquire. So much so that even experts like Lee Soo-dok or Ahn Jeong-mi were practically helpless against them.

But once you’ve secured a means of resistance, their power drops dramatically, just like now.

Not to mention, it’s not even his skill.

He was just borrowing the power of the pocket watch; the rabbit itself was no more than a talking critter.

In fact, you could say the pocket watch was the real core.

And even that didn’t work on us.

Still, maybe because he hadn’t fully grasped the situation or maybe it was just his nasty personality, the Clock Rabbit kept thrashing around.

“Kyiiik! I said let me go!”

In times like this, you had to respond firmly.

I crouched down to meet his eyes and pointed my ice-cold index finger at him.

“Not quite ready to talk yet, huh…? Should we punch a few holes in you to get started?”

The moment he felt the chill radiating from the Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger, the Clock Rabbit shuddered slightly and immediately calmed down.

“W-Wait! Alright! I’m ready to talk!”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure! What do you want from me?”

The reason I didn’t go straight into attacking him, of course, was that there was nothing to gain from it.

According to both my own experience and big data gathered from community users, the Clock Rabbit doesn’t drop any items.

But hey, this was a game world; we couldn’t be completely sure.

I fiddled with the pocket watch.

“Hey, this thing looks nice. All shiny and flashy. Lend it to me for a week.”

“Kyik! Absolutely not! That item is bound to my soul!”

“What happens if I take it?”

“The watch breaks, and I die.”

“Not lying, are you? Nothing to lose—I might as well try it.”

“Kyuuit! I’m not lying! Ask for something else!”

The Clock Rabbit desperately snatched the watch back and stuffed it deep into his suit pocket.

Judging by his reaction, he seemed to be telling the truth.

Not that I had expected much. I only poked around just in case.

A time-stop item would be at least S-rank. No way something like that could be obtained so easily.

Though I might be able to craft “something similar” later on.

Still, he’s got plenty of other uses.

Even if it didn’t drop any items, it was a hidden boss, after all.

The mood felt just right, so I laid out my terms.

“I’m not asking for anything huge. You just need to come with us.”

“…Is that really all?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Kyuit, and for how long?”

“Obviously, until we reach the boss room.”

After we beat the boss, like it or not, we’d be kicked out of the dungeon anyway.

At that, Shin Byeong-cheol, who had been listening nearby, clapped his hands.

“That’s a clever trick! He’d be perfect for guiding us!”

“Kyuk, ugly human. I can’t guide you.”

“Why not? Don’t you live here?”

“That’s true, but…”

The Clock Rabbit trailed off, clearly reluctant to explain. But when everyone turned to look at him, he finally spoke up.

“…I don’t have a good memory.”

“So you forgot the room layout?”

“That’s right.”

“Seriously? Of all things to forget. You really do have rabbit brains.”

Shin Byeong-cheol let out a dry laugh.

The Clock Rabbit flared up and pointed at the doors.

“Kyuik! Look at those! Honestly, wouldn’t you get confused?”

“Still, you live here. You should remember. Useless.”

“The only useless thing here is that bald spot on your head, you future baldhead!”

“What’d you say, punk?”

The two of them started bickering.

They seemed to be on the same level, more or less.

Not wanting to waste time, I stepped in to break it up.

“That’s enough. He’s got other uses besides finding the way.”

“Well, if you say so.”

“Now let him go.”

At my signal, Seo Ye-in and Shin Byeong-cheol set him down on the floor.

The Clock Rabbit immediately activated his pocket watch.

— tick— tock— tick— tock—

His movements suddenly became much faster.

Since he could shrug off time magic cast on us without a care, he must have used it on himself as a self-buff.

Using that speed, the Clock Rabbit bounced away toward one of the doors.

A smug grin plastered across his face.

“Kyuik! You let your guard down! Just as I thought; humans are hopelessly stupid. I’m off, farewell!”

But the next moment, a gray shadow blocked his path.

Seo Ye-in had caught up to him by casting [Ghost Dance].

A startled yelp escaped him as the Immortal Kim Ho-Kim Ho Pot came crashing down on his head.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Clang!—

He seemed fairly sturdy, but the Clock Rabbit staggered, unable to keep his balance.

At that moment, we closed in and surrounded him again.

“Hopelessly stupid, huh…”

I looked down at him and twitched my index finger.

As if I might drive Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger straight through him at any moment.

The Clock Rabbit who was dizzy and desperate blurted out,

“Kyuik. I-I take it back! I was the stupid one! I won’t run anymore…”

“Not very convincing.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“You don’t have to do anything. But we do need a safety measure.”

Just then, I remembered that Seo Ye-in happened to have the perfect item.

“Lend me that rope.”

“Sure.”

It was a rope meant for kidnapping me.

I looped it around the Clock Rabbit’s neck and tied it into a tight knot.

Tight enough that he’d never get it off on his own, no matter what.

Seo Ye-in watched with sparkling eyes, then glanced back and forth between me and the rabbit before nodding to herself.

“A leash.”

“What kind of thoughts are you having?”

– Shake, shake,

Seo Ye-in averted her gaze and started shaking her head innocently.

Then she pointed to the door.

“…Shall we go?”

“Yeah, let’s move on.”

Still a bit wary, I opened the door.

The next room was… extreme.

To the left, a staircase led upward; to the right, one descended.

Directly ahead was a single door.

The problem was that the room was filled with traps and mechanical devices.

Fine lines crisscrossed the ceiling, walls, and floor. Signs that something heavy might drop from above, or arrows and spears could fire out, or the ground might suddenly collapse.

The stairs were simple enough. You just had to go up or down. But to open that door, you’d have to get through all those mechanisms.

Just then, Shin Byeong-cheol let out a confident chuckle and pulled out his chopsticks.

“This is definitely a trap. Watch closely; witness the greatness of Trap Master Shin Byeong-cheol in action.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Shin Byeong-cheol.”

“Yes?”

“You remember what we talked about earlier, right?”

“…Ahem. Of course I do.”

Seemingly reminded of their promise to keep quiet, Shin Byeong-cheol looked sheepish and took a step back.

Still, with a one-in-three chance, he looked to Seo Ye-in with hope in his eyes.

“……”

That hope didn’t last long. The lucky charm radar pointed decisively to the staircase on the right, the one going down.

Shin Byeong-cheol’s face twisted in disbelief.

“What? After all that suspicious setup, the stairs were the answer?”

“It’s all just luck.”

I replied indifferently, while the Clock Rabbit let out a mocking snort and chimed in.

“Kyukkyut, the sharp-eyed human knows what’s up! In this place, choosing the harder path doesn’t guarantee a better outcome. If you’re unlucky, all you’ll get is double the trouble.”

Shin Byeong-cheol snapped.

“Hey, you said you didn’t know the way either. We’re in the same boat.”

“Kkyuik, I know more than you do, you future baldhead!”

“This rabbit keeps bringing up baldness every time it opens its mouth.”

“Enough already. Stop fighting.”

I stepped in to break up their bickering once again, then took the lead down the stairs.

The room we arrived in was almost identical to the last.

Stairs on either side, a door ahead, and packed with traps.

“……”

“……”

Everyone immediately turned to look at Seo Ye-in.

Which way would the lucky charm radar point this time?

Would it be the easy path again?

Seo Ye-in glanced around the room before slowly raising her hand and pointing straight ahead.

“That way.”

“Oooh, finally, it’s my turn to shine!”

Shin Byeong-cheol lit up with excitement.

He pulled out a pair of chopsticks and blew a puff of air dramatically over the tips.

But before he could take action, I grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Hold on.”

“What now? Let me pull my weight too. My manly pride can’t just sit back and do nothing.”

“I’ll take the sentiment.”

I could give him some credit. Shin Byeong-cheol’s trap-disarming skills were solid.

Toss a few chopsticks, and he’d probably clear a path.

But right now, we had a method that was faster and far more reliable.

First, I handed Seo Ye-in a rope.

“Hold on tight.”

“Okay.”

Then, without warning, I grabbed the scruff of the clock rabbit’s neck and hurled him forward with all my strength.

“Kkyuueeek—!”

The rabbit flew in an arc, bounced across the floor a few times, then sprang up while fuming.

“Human! What in the world do you think you’re doing?!”

I acted as if I hadn’t heard a thing and started speaking to myself in the tone of a textbook narration.

“Oh no, that poor rabbit’s gotten himself into danger.”

“Kiik! You’re the one who threw me!”

“Looks like he triggered some traps… This could end very badly.”

Sure enough, we began to hear clunks and clanks echoing from all around the room.

The rabbit, rolling across the floor, had activated several mechanisms.

Then, just as something began to drop from the ceiling above—

The clock rabbit hurriedly fiddled with his pocket watch.

In an instant, the entire room turned black and white.

Tick—Tock—Tick—Tock—

He’d used [Time Freeze].

Naturally, with time stopped, none of the traps could function.

Seeing this, Shin Byeong-cheol let out a string of awed gasps.

“My deepest apologies, sir. I never imagined you’d planned this far ahead…”

“Right? Now let’s move.”

Before the effect wore off.

We strolled casually across the room toward the door on the other side.

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