The Support Ate it All

True to the name Spicy Duck Stew, the bowls were filled with a violently red liquid at a furious boil.

The moment «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» they saw it, tension filled the group’s faces.

“......”

“......”

They had heard people say it was spicy, but apparently none of them had expected it to be this bad.

Even Go Hyeonwoo, who had actually been here once before, had a grim look on his face, probably because the memory from back then was coming flooding back.

The time Shin Byeongcheol had puffed himself up and insisted it was not spicy at all, which had led everyone to competitively polish off an entire bowl each.

Honestly, it had been pretty rough.

Still, maybe this time they could enjoy it in moderation.

While Seo Ye-in sat off to one side tearing off little pieces of dumpling and eating them, the rest cautiously picked up their spoons and began challenging the Spicy Duck Stew.

Dang Gyu-ri narrowed their eyes and let out an impressed comment.

“It’s really spicy.”

Go Hyeonwoo and Han Somi each added a word too.

“Mm.”

“It’s spicy, it’s spicy!”

Even so, they seemed to get hooked on the sharp heat, because they kept moving their spoons.

Whenever it got too intense, they would pick up a dumpling and eat that too.

But compared to what was about to happen next, all of this was child’s play.

The waiter went back into the kitchen, then came back out.

This time, he was carrying something ominous.

It was definitely a bowl, yes, but it looked less like something from an inn and more like something meant to be used in a forge somewhere.

Not only was it boiling loudly, the heat and spicy aroma pouring off it were overwhelming.

“I made this one extra spicy for you.”

It was the duck stew made especially for Hong Yeonhwa, the one meant to “test the limits of human endurance.”

It was a masterpiece containing the pride and self-respect of the cook, a man who had handled spicy food his entire life.

When the waiter set that thing down in front of Hong Yeonhwa, everyone shifted a little farther away.

Seo Ye-in, who had already been sitting in a corner, retreated even farther.

“......”

“......”

While the others watched with a mix of interest, curiosity, and concern, Hong Yeonhwa picked up their spoon with perfect natural ease.

Then they scooped up that thing, put it into their mouth, and raised their eyes.

“It’s a little spicy.”

At that, the group quickly exchanged looks.

Everyone was obviously thinking the same thing.

Still, judging by how cheerfully they kept moving their spoon, they were clearly at a level where they were enjoying it.

“......”

Seo Ye-in and hologram Fast-Luckless watched the sight.

Then their gazes shifted at the same time toward my duck stew.

“......”

“What, does it look edible?”

“......Relatively.”

Well, compared to what Hong Yeonhwa was eating, this one was basically plain water.

That did not mean I could call it not spicy, though.

I casually asked,

“Only eating dumplings is a little boring, isn’t it?”

“Boring.”

“This place is famous for duck stew. Can you really leave without trying it?”

“If you miss it, you lose.”

“Want a bite?”

Seo Ye-in and Fast-Luckless clenched their fists at the same time.

“......Challenge.”

Of course, I had expected this from the beginning and had already set a few pieces of duck aside on a small plate in advance.

The spicy broth was not the kind of heat anyone should be challenging.

“......”

When I handed over the small plate, Seo Ye-in stared down at it.

Then she slowly started leaning her body back, apparently sensing danger from just the faint spicy aroma rising off it.

But then, Fast-Luckless, who had been watching, casually tossed out a comment.

It did not sound like she was sincerely trying to stop her. If anything, it sounded like subtle prodding.

How did I know?

Because I would have said the exact same thing.

And Seo Ye-in’s reaction did not deviate from expectations by even an inch.

“......I can do it.”

Very cautiously, she moved her spoon, brought it over to the small plate, picked up one piece of duck, and put it into her mouth.

And before even a full second had passed, a whole storm of exclamation marks seemed to pop up over her head.

“......!”

“So naturally the challenge failed, right?”

“......!”

“Hurry up and eat a dumpling. And drink some water too.”

“......!!”

*****

There had been a little incident where Seo Ye-in got severely punished by a single bite of duck rather than the duck stew itself, but aside from that, the time passed in relative peace.

Now that everyone had replenished their stamina, it was time to begin the real Black Serpent Fang raid.

To sum it up, it was a pincer operation.

The main force would be Dang Gyu-ri, Seo Ye-in, and Hong Yeonhwa, who would confront the Black Serpent Fang Lord and the Black Serpent Fang members while drawing all attention to themselves.

Meanwhile, Kim Ho, Go Hyeonwoo, and Han Somi would secretly infiltrate and target the lord’s hidden vault.

A clash with the hidden boss, White Serpent, would be a bonus.

Soon, the three members of the infiltration squad changed into the martial uniforms they had stripped from the low-ranking martial artists.

A minor problem arose here.

Han Somi’s outfit looked somewhat loose on her.

That was only natural, since her build was much smaller than the two men’s.

As things stood, it would make her easy to suspect, but she herself did not seem concerned in the least.

She offered a simple solution.

“We can just get rid of every witness!”

“That’s an excellent mindset.”

Kim Ho nodded with satisfaction.

It seemed the repeated brainwashing was starting to show results.

Kim Ho spoke to Dang Gyu-ri, who let out a hollow laugh.

“Then we’ll be off.”

“It’ll be over before you get back.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Don’t start making excuses later.”

“You too, Big Sis.”

The two smiled at each other.

They had already made a small bet during the strategy meeting.

Still, there would be time to think about that later.

Dang Gyu-ri glanced once at the infiltration squad moving away, then said to Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeonhwa,

“Let’s go too.”

“Yes.”

Then they started walking toward Black Serpent Fang.

The pavilion that had once felt far away quickly filled their vision, and the main gate drew steadily closer too.

In front of it, two gatekeepers were passing the time in boredom. When they saw this side approaching, they frowned.

“......You don’t look like you came with good intentions. Who are you bastards?”

The only answer they got was a merciless shadow club and the Immortal Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot.

The gatekeepers were neutralized in an instant, and Dang Gyu-ri gave a slight sidelong signal.

At that, Hong Yeonhwa drew up their mana and began chanting a spell.

A huge red circle was drawn out, then filled with intricate formulae.

I told them to use the biggest one possible.

This was a chance to launch a preemptive strike on Black Serpent Fang without any interference at all.

And the bigger the commotion they made, the more attention would be drawn to this side—which meant the infiltration squad would have that much easier a time moving.

Soon, the flames rising from the magic circle gathered into a single point, and one phoenix was born.

It rapidly swelled in size in a short span of time, then spread its wings and soared into the air before flying right over the main gate.

Then it began turning place after place into a sea of flames and utter wreckage.

The sudden disaster threw Black Serpent Fang into chaos.

By the time the phoenix had exhausted its effect and naturally dissipated, a great many of the pavilions were already engulfed in flames.

Inside, there was frantic movement, as though they were trying to put out the fire.

And, wanting to determine the cause and eliminate it, a group of black-clothed men came rushing out in droves.

Among them, an expert who seemed to be around squad-leader level stepped forward and asked Hong Yeonhwa,

“Could you perhaps be a descendant of the Flame Tyrant?”

A powerhouse of the previous generation who had wielded martial arts of extreme yang.

In their common sense, he was the only possible source for flames on this scale, which was why they were asking a question like that.

Kim Ho had said he had received a similar question when he used Inferno Fist too.

In that case, all they had to do was repeat the same answer he had given.

Hong Yeonhwa spoke in a haughty tone.

“I have no answer to give trash from the evil sects.”

“......”

The atmosphere grew taut with tension.

In their minds, Hong Yeonhwa had already been confirmed as a descendant of the Flame Tyrant.

“......Bring the lord.”

One of the black-clothed men shot inward like a dart.

The squad-leader-class expert glared at this side while building up his aura, then suddenly kicked off the ground and came flying in.

At the same time, the black-clothed men rushed from all directions, and the battle began.

“......”

Dang Gyu-young wore a calm expression completely at odds with the murderous atmosphere.

With the club resting lightly on their shoulder, they waved their other hand.

At once, the shadows at their feet stretched long, and humanoid shapes began rising up one after another.

Gyu shadow undead, Blood Cult edition.

Ghost Demon—but now reduced to Gyu Demon—shook the bell as Undead No. 4.

At that, the rest of the undead seemed to turn a little darker.

In contrast, the black-clothed men flinched and trembled.

It’s similar to the soul-summoning bell.

A simple but powerful effect that strengthened allies while weakening enemies.

Most of its original abilities had vanished, but it still at least felt worthy of its A-rank.

Perhaps thanks to the buff effect, Dark-Shadow Commander and Blood Sword Commander cut through the black-clothed men like wolves leaping into a flock of sheep.

Lab Director also swelled both arms to the size of human torsos and swung them around wildly.

Even so, the commander-class and squad-leader-class experts still managed to break through the defensive line and reach Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeonhwa.

And just as they were about to land a strike—

Dang Gyu-ri smashed them with the club.

Securing the safety of the rear line was the top priority, so they had stayed nearby after only sending the undead forward.

Thanks to that, Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeonhwa were able to pour out their firepower to their hearts’ content.

Wooden-Luckless and Fast-Luckless sprayed mana rounds in every direction, while flames surged up all over the place each time Hong Yeonhwa swept their staff.

The identities of the black-clothed men were not merely ordinary Black Serpent Fang members, but remnants of the Demonic Cult. Yet despite that fearsome reputation, their numbers were dropping rapidly. frёeωebɳovel.com

Best to clean out as many as possible right now.

The more they thinned them out here, the easier the boss fight would be to manage later.

Thinking that, Dang Gyu-ri swung the club with all their strength.

Some time passed in the midst of the hectic fighting.

Then, almost at the same time, the three members of the Gyu party turned their heads toward the main gate.

Because they felt a heavy presence.

“......”

Sure enough, a middle-aged man stood there.

His appearance and atmosphere were reminiscent of a giant snake coiled in place.

He was the final boss of this dungeon.

Black Serpent Fang Lord.

They had expected him to start going on about the Flame Tyrant when he saw Hong Yeonhwa, but surprisingly, his gaze was fixed on Dang Gyu-ri instead.

“......This is difficult to understand. You appear to be a daughter of the Dang Family, yet where are your hidden weapons, and why are you holding a staff? And what is this strange sorcery?”

“There’s nothing more laughable than the Demonic Cult calling something sorcery.”

Dang Gyu-ri answered with a snort.

At that, the Black Serpent Fang Lord’s face hardened, but rather than falling for the provocation, he seemed to have reacted to the words Demonic Cult.

“......So you came here knowing everything. Then I will have to silence you all.”

Soon he drew up his true energy and took a combat stance.

He was a master of claw-style martial arts, fighting by raking and tearing wounds into his opponents.

And the tips of his fingers and nails were stained pitch black.

Proof that he had cultivated an exceptionally vicious poison art.

Seeing that, the three of the Gyu party quietly exchanged glances.

But we have ★All-Poison Immunity★, don’t we?