The Support Ate it All
Chapter 376: No.207 Rabbit Tower (1)

The auction for the strategy guides was to be postponed until the academy’s official certification was complete.

Time to head back down.

Now was the time to finish clearing the random-type dungeon.

I put in a guide request with the Thieves Club and made my way to the dungeon building late at night.

At the designated meeting spot, Go Hyeon-woo was already waiting.

He noticed my presence and looked over.

“Hey, Kim-hyung.”

“When did you get here?”

“I arrived a bit early. It’s my first time trying out one of these random-type dungeons, so I was actually looking forward to it.”

Just as he said, his face looked a bit more animated than usual.

This time, the party consisted of just the two of us and Seo Ye-in.

We probably could’ve cleared it with just the two of us, but to be safe, we decided to go in at full strength.

Next to arrive unexpectedly was Seo Ye-in.

It seemed she’d somehow managed to wake up again tonight, but judging from the way she sluggishly trudged over, she wasn’t quite fully awake yet.

Watching her, I said:

“What are you, a jellyfish or a sloth?”

“Neither…”

“Then what are you?”

“Carry me…”

She slowly reached out her hand.

She looked exactly like a jellyfish, so I took her hand and gave it a wobbly shake.

While we were doing that, Shin Byeong-cheol came rushing in while panting. Go Hyeon-woo greeted him with a friendly smile.

“Welcome, Shin-hyung.”

“Ah man, I’m the last one. Sorry~”

“Haha, looks like you were busy.”

“Yeah, something like that. Actually, I’m still busy. Shall we head in?”

“Let’s do that.”

We descended the spiral staircase into the basement.

Our destination this time was a C-rank dungeon. One step above where we usually went.

At the front of the group, Shin Byeong-cheol lowered his voice and spoke.

“Man, I’m kind of nervous. Honestly, this is my first time guiding someone on the C level.”

Shin Byeong-cheol’s stealth skills were average for a first-year.

That’s why almost all his clients were also first-years. They typically aimed for F- or E-rank dungeons…occasionally a D-rank.

Up to D-rank, Shin Byeong-cheol could manage decently enough.

But we had grown faster than most first-years, and by now, clearing a D-rank dungeon was barely a warm-up for us.

We’ll probably be focusing on C-levels for a while.

The real issue was that just one level below the C floor was the deep zone of the B floor where security tightened drastically.

Which meant the pressure on the guide was that much heavier.

I spoke casually.

“Just give it a shot. Think of it as experience.”

“What if I get caught?”

“Then it is what it is. We’ll just plan for next time.”

Of course, next time we’d bring a second-year guide instead.

Shin Byeong-cheol clicked his tongue.

“I can’t afford to lose my clients. I still owe you guys.”

“Good to know you’ve got a conscience.”

“Of course. When it comes to trust, you’re looking at Shin Byeong-cheol. Alright, follow me.”

Doing his best, Shin Byeong-cheol guided us using every detection and stealth skill at his disposal.

Unfortunately, his skill had its limits, and our descent through the C floor was painfully slow.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa—back, back, back! Retreat!”

More than once, he panicked and rushed us backward or ducked into secluded spots to wait for the right moment.

Still, despite all the hiccups, Shin Byeong-cheol managed to get us safely to our destination.

[No.207] [Rabbit Tower]

Shin Byeong-cheol marveled at himself.

“Wow, I actually pulled it off. This is a real human victory.”

“Nice work.”

“Can I tag along again?”

“No chance.”

I shook my head firmly.

D-rank dungeons were easy enough for us that we could afford to drag Shin Byeong-cheol around.

But in a C-rank dungeon, there was no guarantee of 100% safety.

Shin Byeong-cheol asked,

“What’s the cutoff point?”

“If you can solo-kill an ogre, you’re in.”

“…Take care, everyone.”

“See you later.”

We gave Shin Byeong-cheol a wave and all stepped through the teleport portal together.

But just then, a familiar sound rang in my ears.

Rumble-rumble…

Go Hyeon-woo must’ve heard it too, because he turned to me with a puzzled expression.

“What’s going on?”

“Pretty sure we’ve been found.”

The source of the sound was probably Kwak Seung-jae’s unique magic.

He could connect spaces through wooden doors and move freely between them.

On top of that, Kwak Seung-jae’s detection and tracking skills were so sharp, even Dang Gyu-young occasionally got caught. The fact that Shin Byeong-cheol managed to guide us this far was basically a miracle.

Of course, in the end, we still got caught.

Most likely, once we leave, the disciplinary committee will be waiting outside.

Maybe even a few faculty members.

Either way, we’re probably getting dragged off to the Disciplinary Office.

With a grave expression, Go Hyeon-woo asked,

“Should we leave right away?”

“No need. We’re already here. We might as well finish what we started.”

To leave now, we’d have to use an escape scroll, and those cost a fair number of points.

Better to clear the dungeon and get what we came for.

Go Hyeon-woo nodded.

“Reasonable. For now, we should focus on the mission.”

“If we get distracted and someone gets hurt, it’s our loss. We’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

With that, we turned our attention forward.

Before us stood a massive clock tower. It was tall and wide like a skyscraper.

At the very top, a giant rabbit-shaped clock ticked away, perfectly fitting for the scale.

Just then, the hands of the clock struck the hour, and the sound of bells rang out.

Dong— Dong— Dong—

Listening to the chimes, I said to Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in,

“Let’s go.”

“…Let’s move.”

As expected from its skyscraper-like size, the inside of the clock tower was vast.

However, the first floor was almost entirely empty, with nothing but a single elevator installed at the center.

That’s clearly the key here.

Up close, the elevator was made up of two components:

A large pullable lever and a roulette wheel the size of a door.

The roulette was divided into several categories like <Battle>, <Boss>, <Recovery>, and <Bonus>, each further split into (Small), (Medium), and (Large) tiers.

Go Hyeon-woo examined the roulette and guessed,

“Pulling the lever must activate the roulette.”

“Right. And whatever shows up determines what’s on the next floor.”

With something like this, it’s faster to try it than explain it a hundred times.

So I gestured toward the lever with a nod.

“Give it a pull.”

“From the looks of it, luck plays a big role here. Is it okay if I go first instead of Miss Seo?”

“For a test run, just once.”

“Hmm… if you say so.”

Go Hyeon-woo, looking slightly tense, slowly pulled the lever.

Clunk—

We heard the sound of mechanisms activating all around us as the roulette began to spin faster and faster.

The three of us watched in silence.

Shrrrrk—!

Soon, the roulette began to slow, and finally stopped, pointing to one of the segments.

[Battle (Medium)]

Go Hyeon-woo gave a wry smile.

“Seems my luck isn’t all that great, after all.”

“Still better than Byeong-cheol.”

He probably would’ve landed [Boss (Large)] on his first try.

With another clunking sound, the elevator slowly began to rise.

I looked between the two and gave instructions.

“Get ready.”

“Understood.”

“Okay.”

Go Hyeon-woo drew his magic sword, while Seo Ye-in loaded her assault rifle.

Soon, the elevator reached the next floor where dozens of human-sized rabbit dolls were waiting.

Each one armed with a variety of bladed and ranged weapons.

They moved in perfect unison, quickly surrounding us.

Clack!

I stepped forward and clenched my fist.

A dark crimson flame flared up from within.

“Let’s clean this up.”

Then I hurled an Inferno Fist with all my strength.

Boom-boom-boom—!

The blast blew a hole through their encirclement, but the remaining rabbit dolls charged in without hesitation.

***

Go Hyeon-woo sheathed his magic sword.

“As expected, not so easy.”

“It is C-rank, after all.”

These rabbit dolls were noticeably stronger than the ones back in the Rabbit Room.

When grouped in twos or threes, they could even take down an ogre.

Because we were forced into a chaotic battle against dozens of such enemies, both Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in had a few close calls.

Still, in the end, we managed to take care of all the rabbit dolls without any major injuries.

We returned to the elevator to move on to the next floor.

Of course, Go Hyeon-woo didn’t go anywhere near the lever.

“From here on, it would be best to leave it to Miss Seo.”

“That was the plan.”

As Go Hyeon-woo had just demonstrated, the way [Rabbit Tower] works is simple: take the elevator and move up floor by floor.

What awaits on the next floor depends entirely on the roulette.

So this place is all about luck, too.

With bad luck, it could be battle, battle, maybe a boss, then battle again. And more battle after that.

If your luck is really terrible, you might even have to face bosses back-to-back.

Even someone like Go Hyeon-woo, who thrives on combat, would find that overwhelming.

So from this point on, it only made sense to leave things to our lucky sloth.

“Go ahead and pull it.”

“Mhmm.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Seo Ye-in pulled the lever.

The roulette spun rapidly, then stopped on a spot.

[Rest]

“Knew it. Our lucky charm strikes again. Nailed the rest floor.”

“Very lucky…”

Seo Ye-in wore her usual expressionless face, but a hint of anticipation flickered in her eyes.

Probably because of the word “rest”.

Go Hyeon-woo who sounded genuinely curious asked,

“What’s on the rest floor?”

“You’ll see. You’ll like it.”

Honestly, this was part of the reason I brought him along.

The elevator slowly ascended again and came to a stop on the next floor.

Go Hyeon-woo’s eyes widened the moment the doors opened.

“This is…!”

The mana in the air was incredibly dense.

Dense enough to almost feel tangible.

I added an explanation.

“In terms of efficiency, it’s probably better than a special mana cultivation room.”

“Impressive…! Are there any specific rules?”

“None. Just do whatever suits you.”

“Then I’ll begin right away.”

Go Hyeon-woo immediately picked a spot and started training with mana.

Right after, Seo Ye-in tugged lightly on my sleeve and looked up at me.

“The hoodie.”

“I’m using it.”

[Hoodie of the Hidden Master], which greatly boosts mana training efficiency.

I had lent it to Seo Ye-in now and then, but right now, I needed it myself.

I had to reach Core A-rank and learn Blink as soon as possible.

At my firm refusal, Seo Ye-in stared at me again, then offered a second-best option.

“…Pillow?”

“It’s fine, but don’t move around too much.”

Mana cultivation could be dangerous if interrupted midway.

Seo Ye-in gave a small nod, then curled up and leaned her body against my knee.

***

After cultivating mana for a while, the mana density in the area had noticeably thinned.

Since continuing wouldn’t be more efficient than using a special cultivation room, we decided to move on to the next floor.

As soon as we got into the lift, Seo Ye-in pulled the lever.

Clunk.

The roulette spun with a sharp shrrrk sound and then came to a stop.

[Rest]

Go Hyeon-woo and I each made a comment.

“Rest again, huh.”

“Miss Seo’s luck never ceases to amaze me.”

And the next floor.

[Rest]

“It landed on that again?”

“Huh…”

And the floor after that.

[Rest]

Before Seo Ye-in could pull the lever again, I stopped her.

“Let’s stop resting already.”