The Support Ate it All

Chapter 286: Attack on the Principal

The place we arrived at shortly after was the faculty training room.

Its structure was similar to that of the training center.

The difference, perhaps, was that it was built far sturdier, considering that its users were much more powerful.

Before long, the principal positioned himself across from me and began deactivating his skills one by one.

They were various enhancement spells he usually carried around as if they were part of his body.

Next, he stored all the equipment he had been discreetly wearing into his inventory.

Bracelets, watches, tie pins, even the pen in his front pocket...

Then, he looked at me and spoke.

“Only my traits are left. Satisfied?”

“Yes, I’m satisfied.”

The reason I had insisted on the condition of “no skills or items” was simple. It was to focus on his traits.

Traits are hard to notice.

It’s not easy to determine whether a trait has been activated, and gauging its exact rank is even trickier.

If skills and item abilities were mixed in, it would become even more confusing, so I had excluded both of them right from the start.

Once I figured out the principal’s trait and its rank,

I’ll copy it.

▷ Copy – Trait [1/2]

1. (Empty)

2. The Sovereign’s Crown

Originally, the first slot had been occupied by [Poison Resistance], but after fixing it with a fixed pin and completing Poison Immunity, an empty slot had opened up.

My goal was to register a new trait here.

I wanted a defensive trait, which is why I had declared that I’d be hitting him one-sidedly.

While we were facing each other, the vice principal stood by the wall and assumed the position of a bystander.

She’s not just here to watch idly.

It was likely that she intended to assess my skills and intervene if necessary.

The condition of not using skills or items only applied to the principal, so the vice principal could use them as much as she wanted.

It might seem like a loophole, but I had no reason to complain.

I need to leave at least one safety net.

That way, I could hit him without worrying.

[Activated ‘Amplification’.]

[The rank of ‘Inferno Fist’ has increased. (B → S)]

To deal meaningful damage, I needed to raise my own rank as well.

Considering the principal’s level as a former hero, his resistance traits were likely top-notch.

Just the elemental resistance alone would be at least B-rank, maybe A-rank or higher.

At least, that had been the case with the heroes I had trained.

“I’ll begin now.”

“Come at me whenever you’re ready.”

The principal gave a casual nod as if it were no big deal.

I clenched my fist tightly, and dark red flames like blood began to blaze from within.

As I thrust it forward with all my strength,

Whoooooooooosh—!

A fiery storm roared fiercely, swallowing the principal whole in an instant.

One side of the training room was engulfed in flames, and a dark silhouette flickered faintly within the fire.

Seeing that, I thought to myself,

It didn’t work.

As expected, the principal emerged moments later and was completely unscathed.

Not only was he not burned, but there wasn’t even a single scorch mark on him.

As solid as ever.

If you looked closely, he was surrounded by a faint light, as if he was wearing it like armor. It was his defensive trait.

That alone had been enough to endure the S-rank Inferno Fist.

The principal looked at me and gave a sly smile.

“I heard you’d learned it, but I didn’t expect it to be true. Inferno Fist.”

This was something Lee Soo-Dok and Seo Cheong-Yong must have already reported, so I didn’t bother denying it.

“My opponents have been tough, so I’ve needed stronger skills.”

“Even so, you should manage the penalties when you use them. Look at your hand; it’s completely burned.”

“This much is fine.”

Just as he said, one of my hands had turned completely black, charred like a lump of coal.

Since the penalty was S-rank, even my S-rank elemental resistance hadn’t been enough to fully negate it.

Of course, I anticipated this outcome when I activated the amplification and had already prepared a countermeasure.

I still have the elixir.

It was a basic elixir I received from Kim Gap-Doo. The Gap-doo Elixir

Even so, the fact that the vice principal didn’t intervene meant that the situation hadn’t yet escalated to a truly serious level.

This ability might turn out to be a dud.

As I shifted my gaze back to the front, the principal staggered out of the flames at just the right moment.

“Urgh... Maybe I should’ve gone with a different request. This is a bit spicy.”

His entire body was blackened, and faint burn marks were visible here and there.

But in the blink of an eye, all of his injuries healed completely.

On the outside, I maintained a calm and indifferent expression, but inside, I was genuinely impressed.

This is crazy.

I had expected him to have several overpowered abilities, given that he was an S-rank hero and all, but I never imagined he would have that trait.

This was something I absolutely had to acquire, no matter what.

Without hesitation, I activated my copy ability.

[Activated ‘Copy-Trait’.]

[Registering the target’s trait, ‘Retrocovery (S)’, in the slot.]

▷ Copy-Trait [2/2]

1. Retrocovery (S)

2. The Sovereign’s Crown

[Retrocovery (S)]

▷ Automatically activates when taking damage.

▷ Restores health to 100% when triggered.

▷ Cooldown: 3 days

The activation condition was both an advantage and a disadvantage. It would trigger even from minor injuries, such as a light scratch or a pinprick, and the three-day cooldown would still apply.

Of course, it would also activate and fully heal you even if your body was split in two or your forehead was pierced by a sniper’s bullet.

Additionally, Retrocovery was categorized as a “time” skill.

Because it was classified as a “reversal” effect rather than a “healing” effect, it could easily bypass various debuffs that interfered with recovery.

There was a reason why the cooldown was as long as three days.

[‘Retrocovery’ has been activated.]

[Cooldown: 2 days, 23:59:58.]

As expected, Retrocovery activated immediately after I copied it and started healing the burns caused by the Inferno Fist penalty.

To avoid suspicion, I sprayed the elixir on my hand.

While I looked down at my rapidly regenerating hand, the principal’s question came flying at me.

“Continuing from earlier. Are you really here to study? No other objectives?”

“I do have other objectives. Like helping my friends grow alongside me.”

“...Friends?”

“Yes, as you know, this year’s first-year students are exceptionally talented.”

“Well, that’s true, but what’s in it for you?”

“That’s what I enjoy doing.”

The principal’s curiosity seemed to deepen even further.

“You’re more and more peculiar the more I hear. Anyway, let’s continue.”

However, contrary to his expectations, I released the strength from my hand.

“This will be it for today. Thank you for your efforts.”

“...What? You’re not going to hit me anymore?”

“No, I think ten hits would be a bit too much.”

Even just copying Retrocovery was already a sufficient achievement.

I could copy one more and overwrite it in the [Sovereign’s Crown] slot, but—

It’s not cost-effective.

A faint glow was beginning to reappear around the principal’s body.

This meant that his [Armor of Valor] had recharged.

To break through that, I would need to unleash Inferno Fist twice more. But Retrocovery was already on cooldown, and I only had one elixir left.

I needed to keep that last one as an emergency reserve.

I can’t afford to make him ask too many questions too.

From the beginning, I never intended to hit him ten times or give him ten opportunities.

Doing so would mean I’d have to reveal too many of my hidden cards.

Until now, he had been focused on me as the Monarch, but soon, he would start asking questions that would hit closer to the core.

For several reasons, it was better to step back now.

On the other hand, the principal who was perhaps expecting things to go all the way seemed noticeably flustered.

“Wait, that’s it? You’re just stopping here? You should keep going. After all the trouble I went through to ask you for this. I still have plenty of questions to ask.”

“I’ve come to realize my lack of skill. I think it would be better to continue the Q&A another time. Thank you.”

I bowed politely, and while the two of them seemed a bit taken aback, they didn’t try to stop me.

As I walked away, I could hear the principal muttering in an uneasy tone behind me.

“Feels like I’ve been robbed of something...”