EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school - Chapter 859 - Boundary (12)

Players don’t commonly get derived skills throughout their lifetime, but it’s even rarer for them to get two of them in a row.

Maeng Hyodon, of course, did not know this.

With two powerful enemies right in front of him, Maeng Hyodon had no time to be surprised or celebrate.

Swoooo…

The hidden enemy suddenly stirred.

If he hadn’t been looking at it with his Fighter’s Eyes, Maeng Hyodon wouldn’t have noticed at all.

Ham Geunhyung seemed unable to catch that stealthy move.

‘That bastard will attack my professor first!’

It chose to deal with Ham Geunhyung first before Maeng Hyodon.

The student immediately felt the urge to use his light skill to fight, but he suppressed the knee-jerk reaction.

This wasn’t the best time to attack.

‘Professor Ham doesn’t attack blindly.’

Ham Geunhyung has a wide attack range, but he doesn’t shoot his arrows recklessly.

Pulling his bowstring only when he’s sure that the target will let his guard down and cannot dodge is the perfect timing that Ham Geunhyung searches for.

Tak Geosan is a flexible and nimble fighter, displaying agility that is unusual for his age.

But if the timing is not right, he is like a mountain that would not budge.

Maeng Hyodon wanted to use his newly awakened power, but he knew better than to launch such a self-destructive attack.

He thought with surprising calmness about how to buy even one more second for the two of them.

The thing that allowed him to keep his composure — his trust in his friends.

‘VP and Joo Soohyuk are nearby. They will definitely come to help.’

Maeng Hyodon waited for the moment when the enemy was most lenient.

It had only been a few seconds, but it felt like hours for him.

“That kid is frozen. Just throw him away and fight me properly.”

Dowul provoked Ham Geunhyung, finding the motionless Maeng Hyodon funny.

Neither the professor nor the student were shaken.

Back in the fight club, Maeng Hyodon was used to being booed at every fight.

Maeng Hyodon thought of something.

‘That bastard’s trying to get my attention with something else. He knows his partner’s going to attack.’

They might attack together.

With that thought in mind, his Fighter’s Eyes uncovered something new.

It was the route that the opponent would take to launch a surprise attack.

It wasn’t really something that he saw but rather something he came to know.

Maeng Hyodon didn’t think deeply about the difference.

Instead, he thought about how to use his second derived skill.

‘The strongest attack I can do with my bare hands. Something that will surprise even those bastards.’

Players naturally become aware of a skill’s name and how to use it when they acquire one.

The same was true for derived skills.

There’s a big difference between recognition and actually being able to use it skillfully, but Maeng Hyodon didn’t have time for that now.

In this crisis, Maeng Hyodon intended to use his derived skill to demonstrate a level of strength beyond his usual fighting ability.

Swoosh…

At that moment, the faceless opponent, Hondon, prepared to attack Ham Geunhyung.

The professor was engaged in a fierce battle with Dowul, but neither side was fighting with full strength.

As if gauging his skills, Dowul played around with Ham Geunhyung as he gradually increased the hairs that he was using.

Ham Geunhyung can’t afford to use his full power because he’s wary of the hidden enemy.

When Ham Geunhyung shot an arrow of light to cut Dowul’s hair…

‘Now!’

Hondon was about to activate his ability against Ham Geunhyung, but Maeng Hyodon managed to use his derived skill first.

Hondon only noticed the attack just before Maeng Hyodon’s fist made contact.

‘Just hitting him won’t do.’

It was difficult to hide his power any longer, so Maeng Hyodon revealed clearly what he was doing.

Maeng Hyodon burst out with the power he had been suppressing.

Gugugugu…!

Maeng Hyodon was the smallest among all of them, but he emitted a heavy energy wave that seemed to crush everything around him.

It was as if a mountain was moving before his eyes.

Ham Geunhyung thought that backup arrived.

Because Maeng Hyodon was trying to use Tak Geosan’s ultimate skill, Mountain-Moving Strike 移山一撃.

“Maeng Hyodon…!”

Ham Geunhyung was shocked, doubtful that Tak Geosan had already taught Maeng Hyodon that skill, but of course that wasn’t the case.

The second derived skill that awakened in Maeng Hyodon was the Fighter’s Teacher.

Maeng Hyodon had many teachers before he even entered Eungwang High.

In the past, he would watch action scenes from dramas or movies, martial arts demonstrations, and other forms of media.

He was able to replicate those moves that he had seen once, albeit clumsily.

But there’s a limit to what can be done by imitation, so it was impossible to copy the special techniques of a first-class martial artist like Tak Geosan.

Until the Fighter’s Teacher skill, that is.

‘This is the Taoist’s most powerful technique!’

He was able to reproduce his master’s skills, even if only for a moment.

With Tak Geosan’s ultimate skill coming toward him, Hondon had no choice but to fight back.

Hondon stopped immediately and thickened up his skin.

He was planning on raising his defense instead of dodging and activating his counterattack ability the moment the blow touched his skin.

However, Maeng Hyodon’s attack did not land.

Hwiii…

Maeng Hyodon perfectly killed the skill, and the seething energy no longer felt.

Maeng Hyodon imitated Tak Geosan and completely stopped his momentum before his attack landed.

‘I’ll lose strength and I won’t be able to move if I use this ability for real. Then I’ll really become a burden.’

A player who is unable to move on the battlefield drops their chances of survival, as well as of their allies’.

He was taught in class that if there is a situation where he has to sacrifice a limb, he should always choose his arm.

“Are you trying to bluff for the sake of your master? Trying to use a skill that you can’t use? Ha, how amusing.”

Dowul sneered at Maeng Hyodon, but he was also secretly surprised.

It was surprising that Maeng Hyodon, the kid he considered a burden to the Legendary Archer, a target that could be killed or taken hostage whenever he wanted, knew of Hondon’s location.

Hondon had let down his guard a little, but not completely.

It’s impossible now for Maeng Hyodon to use that level of power again.

‘Ah, my hands keep shaking. I’m just getting ready, but I already lost this much strength.’

Maeng Hyodon’s stamina was greatly depleted.

Even in that state, he tried to pretend that he could use that power again at any time.

The only one who immediately knew of Maeng Hyodon’s bluff was Ham Geunhyung.

But it was impossible to keep up this bluff for long.

“…”

Hondon sent signals to Dowul, the latter smiling when he received it.

“It’s admirable that you would put on such a show for your teacher.”

Dowul’s smile was of contempt and anger.

Contempt for the act of goodwill and sacrifice.

Anger at having been fooled, even for a moment.

Dowul decided to vent his anger.

He smiled and spoke to Maeng Hyodon.

“If we don’t go easy on you, you won’t be able to win. This is a garden that we manage, and if we close the distance on the Legendary Archer, he won’t be able to exert his full power. The younger one wouldn’t be of much use either.”

Ham Geunhyung and Maeng Hyodon didn’t react, but they knew it was true.

The two royal lineage monsters were too powerful.

Dowul pointed at Maeng Hyodon.

“You have shown enough strength to deceive us despite being so young. For that, I will spare your life. Leave your teacher behind.”

In situations like this, most good-hearted people resist, saying that they can’t leave their comrade behind.

But hearts often break when one begs the other to run away and survive.

Dowul has made this offer countless times, but he has never spared anyone’s life.

His temperament drives him to choose one side and kill them first so he can enjoy the reaction of the other.

Ham Geunhyung spoke first.

“I don’t know if he is being sincere, but if you see an opening, go and run away.”

Ham Geunhyung wasn’t naively fooled, but he was thinking of Maeng Hyodon’s survival.

But Maeng Hyodon spoke firmly.

“I’m not leaving, Professor Ham.”

He doesn’t mean that he would stay behind and die with Ham Geunhyung.

Maeng Hyodon was much younger than Ham Geunhyung, but he encountered a lot of malice during his life.

He’s been baited before, back when he was in the fight club.

His expectations would build up, only for him to be dropped back on the floor.

Dowul had the same face as those people who tricked him.

Maeng Hyodon spoke with confidence.

“That bastard is lying.”

Dowul frowned in displeasure.

“I was going to show you mercy if you ran away. But I guess that’s not going to work out.”

Mercy meant he would delay his death for a few minutes, so it wasn’t something Maeng Hyodon and Ham Geunhyung needed anyway.

Hondon, who had been anticipating the result of Dowul’s little joke, shivered in disappointment.

The two raised their powers to finally kill the humans.

Dowul’s hair grew several times longer, and the color of his skin also changed.

At that moment…

“This body has no heart to show mercy even to a fleeing enemy. You must have a very big heart.”

They heard the voice of someone who shouldn’t be there.

Maeng Hyodon and Ham Geunhyung recognized the voice.

It was a bit thicker than they knew, but the Class Zero crazy head was someone they couldn’t forget.

Soon, the dark garden was bathed in gold.