EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school - Chapter 849 - Boundary (2)

Kugugu…!

The cracked floor had begun to close like a zipper as soon as Maeng Hyodon was swallowed.

Tak Geosan tried to run after him, but the enemy blocked his way.

Joo Soohyuk left the middle school teacher to Kim Chul and tried to subdue the enemy.

The Two Light Wings looked calm on the outside, but that wasn’t the case.

‘I was too focused on the sky that I didn’t think about the ground…! It’s uncommon for otherworlds to have both wide skies and deep grounds though.’

Otherworlds vary in rarity and type, and their structure and appearance are determined accordingly.

All three of them knew that, but not Maeng Hyodon.

That’s why he was the quickest to notice the underground threat that no one else was aware of.

If Maeng Hyodon hadn’t noticed, the middle school teacher would’ve been swallowed with him and taken hostage.

‘This enemy isn’t likely to appear in otherworlds with fogs and clouds either.’

This particular enemy appeared to be manipulating rocks, avoiding Tak Geosan’s attacks by absorbing themselves into the ground.

“I’ll flip the whole floor over!”

The white in Tak Geosan’s eyes expanded as his student disappeared right before him.

The thought of those enemies following Maeng Hyodon and attacking him made energy waves seeth all over the enraged Tak Geosan.

He was about to turn over the entire ground to crush the enemy and dig to the very bottom of the pit where Maeng Hyodon disappeared.

But if he does that, he won’t have any strength left once they meet the owner of this garden.

Joo Soohyuk activated his light skill Flawless Wings to block him.

“You don’t have to do that.”

The wings on Joo Soohyuk’s back enveloped him and his blades turned the color of wood.

Sensing the energy from Joo Soohyuk’s dual swords, the enemy shook the ground and tried to get away from him.

But escaping Joo Soohyuk’s light skill was impossible.

He swung his sword towards the ground where the enemy hid.

Chwaaaak!

The sword’s afterimage scathed the floor and spread widely.

The power of wood (木) reached the ground.

The principles of Five Elements Wu Xing (五行相剋) is clear — wood defeats earth. 

Giiiiik…!

The enemy’s rock-like skin turned the color of wood as it struggled in pain.

Tak Geosan didn’t miss the chance and launched the final blow, his toes accurately piercing the enemy’s discolored skin.

Gwaang!

The enemy shattered at Tak Geosan’s feet and disappeared.

He then tried to punch the floor where Maeng Hyodon disappeared.

Seeing that the Taoist was about to dig up the ground, Joo Soohyuk stopped him.

“We have to find another way. Judging from the depth that Maeng Hyodon fell, it would take us much longer if we dug down. It would be faster to find the garden’s owner.”

“Hmm…”

“It seems like this garden is a combination of otherworlds. The owner has powers that defy common sense, so we should consider that possibility. That’s why we have to find the owner.”

Remembering the excruciating seconds when Maeng Hyodon fell, Tak Geosan clenched his fists with a complicated expression.

Despite his friend falling into a deep pit, Joo Soohyuk was focused, thinking of ways forward.

Since the student was behaving like that, Tak Geosan immediately cleared his throat and cleared his mind, thinking that this wasn’t the time to be disheveled.

After that, Joo Soohyuk explained what he realized during the fight and used his Clairvoyance skill to look in the direction where Maeng Hyodon disappeared.

Soon enough, Maeng Hyodon was in Joo Soohyuk’s field of vision.

The ground below him was a mess, seeming like Maeng Hyodon punched the floor to break his fall.

The rough landing caused him to be covered in dirt, but he didn’t seem to be injured.

‘Thank god. Hyodon doesn’t have any major damage.’

Joo Soohyuk checked the direction, depth, and the surrounding scenery around Maeng Hyodon.

Maeng Hyodon stood up when Joo Soohyuk figured out his approximate location, but his vision blurred.

A sharp pain pierced his eyes and his Clairvoyance skill was deactivated.

As Joo Soohyuk blinked and withdrew his energy waves, the teacher asked nervously,

“…Did you see Hyodon? Is he safe?”

“Yes, Hyodon landed safely. But judging by the interference with my skill, it seems like there’s something with strong energy waves nearby.”

The teacher’s complexion turned blue, the thought of someone having the power to split the earth and summon powerful enemies to attack Maeng Hyodon made him worry.

Tak Geosan’s wrinkled face likewise twitched in anger and worry.

“It’s alright. Hyodon isn’t weak, he’ll hang in there before we arrive. And…”

Joo Soohyuk spoke in a confident tone and activated his Clairvoyance skill again.

This time, he looked in the direction where his trusted friend left a measure.

“Because Hyodon has friends other than me.”

“You mean…”

Tak Geosan couldn’t help the words that came out of his mouth at the mention of another friend.

He knew of a very trustworthy kid among Maeng Hyodon’s friends.

Back when he stopped accepting disciples and was about to leave Eungwang High, that child asked him a favor that involved the youth retreat.

— Before the vacation is over, Maeng Hyodon will become your student, Professor Tak Geosan. So please wait and don’t go.

— I don’t know about Bang Yoonseob… but maybe he’ll be your student too. Instead, I have something to ask of you.

Tak Geosan was skeptical but acted as he was told, feeling like he was grasping at straws.

He didn’t have anything to do directly with Maeng Hyodon and Bang Yoonseon, but just as the kid said, they became his students right after the incident.

Although a clear causal relationship was unknown, it was clear that without that kid, he wouldn’t have Maeng Hyodon and Bang Yoonseob as his students.

Tak Geosan thought about Jo Euishin, a strange yet strong faith ablaze in his heart.

* * *

While he was falling, Maeng Hyodon thought he might get badly hurt, or worse, die in there.

He’ll be safe as long as he concentrates on landing well, but if he’s attacked by an enemy on the way down, nothing would be sure.

Fortunately, no enemy attacked him as he broke his fall.

‘The Taoist and Soohyuk must’ve caught them all.’

His surroundings were quiet and dark.

The walls had occasional diamonds shining and illuminating the path, but the light source wasn’t strong.

Wooong…!

Then, the surrounding air suddenly became heavier.

Something was approaching Maeng Hyodon.

‘It must be the bastard that split the floor and summoned the enemies.’

Maeng Hyodon expected a royal lineage to appear.

However, an enemy appeared.

From a distance, it looked like an enemy wearing a robe, but upon a closer look, its skin looked like stone and its back was distorted.

The surrounding ground felt like it was shaking with every step it took toward Maeng Hyodon.

‘It’s the floor master. Did it come out again after going underground? No, it’s a little different from the one earlier.’

Unless it’s a tower-type otherworld, floor masters usually resemble each other.

However, this one looked different from the [intangible] enemy that Joo Soohyuk defeated.

It was like it was from another otherworld.

‘Screw it. It’s the same thing as long as I defeat it.’

Maeng Hyodon gave up on thinking and decided to fight.

When the floor master swung its hand made of stone through the hem of its rope, huge pillars were summoned from the ground.

Thud! Guuuugugugu…!

Three huge stone pillars surrounded the floor master.

Energy waves emanated from the pillars, creating a transparent wall around the enemy.

‘Why is it doing that? It looks like a shield. Is this floor master weak? Wait a second, what’s that?’

A yellow crystal appeared above the pillars, and from it a strong power gathered.

The crystal had an ominous glow.

Wiiiing…

Maeng Hyodon had no idea what was happening, but he quickly realized what he should aim for.

Before he could do that, however, enemies began to creep in from around him.

Drawn by the power of the floor masters, the enemies attacked Maeng Hyodon.

As he kicked the enemies one by one, the power emitted by the crystal became stronger, and the floor master that stood in the center looked like it was chanting a spell.

Maeng Hyodon felt like something bad would happen if he doesn’t reach that enemy soon.

‘I have to break that nugget quickly!’

If his classmates were here, his only focus would be on stopping the enemies around the floor master.

But he’s alone now.

‘….It’s been a while since I fought like this.’

Otherworld clearing in Eungwang High was always done in party units.

Attacking and defending would be distributed among the kids in his class.

Especially during sudden crises, someone would always step up and help.

He’s had one-on-one sparring a few times since, but even then he never really felt like he was fighting alone.

Tak Geosan and his classmates would usually be cheering.

It’s been a while since he fought like this, isolated.

Perhaps the first time since the fight club.

‘Was it really this hard to fight alone?!’

He didn’t feel that way back then, fighting alone was the norm for him.

Rather, his first time fighting alongside other kids in Eungwang High was awkward.

But it was different now.

While Maeng Hyodon blew away many of the enemies, the energy emitted by the yellow crystal grew bigger and bigger, its light becoming so strong that it stung his eyes.

‘I can’t break it, it’s too late!’

Maeng Hyodon thought of a lethal move that was almost impossible to predict.

However, that lethal move can only be used to knock out a single target with one shot.

It was impossible to target three distant objects at the same time.

Maeng Hyodon stopped running towards the yellow crystal and retreated instead, but the enemies caught his feet again.

Woooong!

Following the floor master’s spell, the yellow crystal emitted a light as if it were about to explode.

Then….

Fwissh! 

Three arrows shot through the yellow crystal covered in dense energy waves.

Maeng Hyodon’s eyes widened when he saw the archer.

It was the same teacher who saved him from hell.