The Support Ate it All

As we walked,

Hong Yeon-hwa kept glancing at my hair before cautiously asking,

“Um, your hair color…”

“You mean how it ended up gray?”

“Mhmm…”

I explained casually.

The alchemy club had held a dye potion tasting event, and I had participated, which temporarily changed both my hair and eye color.

At that, Blue eyes and Gold hair Seo Ye-in added proudly,

“Gray Kim Ho.”

Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to understand, but she still couldn’t stop sneaking curious glances at me.

I let her be, and before long, we arrived at the bakery.

When I handed the coupon to the waiting staff at the entrance, he performed a brief verification process before guiding us inside.

As soon as we sat down at our table, we opened the menu.

“Let’s order first.”

“Mhmm.”

Since it was around lunchtime, everyone was bound to be hungry.

We flipped through the menu and ordered a few dishes—

Salmon salad, seafood pasta, chop steak…

However, there was something a bit concerning about the dish Hong Yeon-hwa picked.

“I’ll have this…?”

<Hellfire Chicken Gratin>

The more I observed, the clearer it became. She really had a thing for spicy, salty, bitter, and intensely flavored foods.

Even I might struggle with that one.

Back during Ho-Qyu-Sho’s late-night snack party, even the Inferno-flavored tteokbokki that Jegal So-so had brought was pretty spicy.

And Hellfire flavor was a step above that.

It was infamous even at this upscale bakery in the downtown area. Ahn Jeong-mi had once eaten a Hellfire pizza bun and ended up feeling unwell.

Yet Hong Yeon-hwa was already licking her lips in anticipation. Her face was brimming with excitement.

Might as well let her order it.

If she liked it that much, there was no reason to stop her.

She was good with spicy food, so she could handle it herself.

Curious, Seo Ye-in pointed at the Hellfire Gratin as well.

“I’ll have one too.”

“No, you won’t, young miss.”

I cut her off firmly while imitating Ahn Jeong-mi’s tone.

If you eat that, it’ll be a disaster.

With that, we finished ordering.

While waiting for our food, we decided to check our rewards.

The Seo-sassin & Ho-sassin duo had taken down more than twenty opponents with precise, deadly blows.

And zero deaths.

So we easily met the reward criteria and received two Random Rank Ups each.

Including the ones I had stashed in my inventory, I now had a total of eight.

“Since we’re talking about it, let’s use them here.”

“Okay.”

Seo Ye-in gave a small nod.

Not fully understanding the situation, Hong Yeon-hwa asked,

“Random Rank Up? You’re using them together?”

“I have a Stamp Coupon.”

[Stamp Coupon (C+)]

▷ Stamps: 0/15

Each failed Random Rank Up attempt would add a stamp.

If we succeeded, we’d gain stat boosts instead, even if we collected fewer stamps. So either way, it was a win.

After hearing that, Hong Yeon-hwa hesitated for a moment, then rummaged through her inventory and pulled out two Random Rank Ups.

“I-I have some too….”

She hadn’t earned any from the event since she got beaten up by the assassin duo, but she had apparently been carrying some around.

I shook my head.

I had only suggested using them now because we had some spare time, not to make it a group activity.

“You don’t have to use them right now.”

“No, it’s fine. I was planning to use them anyway. And if it helps, even better….”

“If you say so. In that case, I appreciate it.”

In reality, Random Rank Ups weren’t influenced by luck-related traits, items, or environmental factors. No matter when or where we used them, the odds remained the same.

With Hong Yeon-hwa’s addition, we now had ten Random Rank Ups in total.

If things went well, or “wrong”, we might fill all ten stamp slots in one sitting.

Since I was the one who brought it up, I went first.

The Random Rank Up started glowing brightly before—

Fwoosh!—

It instantly fizzled out and scattered like ashes.

Fsshhhhh….

[Rank Up Failed.]

[Rank Up Failed…]

[Rank…]

……

……

Six failures in a row.

Figures.

This was completely normal.

I hadn’t expected much to begin with, but I couldn’t deny that it stung a little.

After a few lucky hits, I had secretly wondered, “Maybe this time…?”

Chance-based items were truly bad for mental health.

In any case, I had already secured the first reward.

[Stamp Coupon (C+)]

▷ Stamps: 6/15

▷ Reward for accumulating 5 stamps: Rank Up (D)

I used the Rank Up as soon as I got it.

At this point, the only skill I had at D-rank was [Chillwind], and since it was a skill that was difficult to improve through normal means, I had planned to use it anyway.

[Activated ‘Rank Up (D)’.]

[The rank of ‘Chillwind’ has increased. (D+ → C+)]

Next, I handed things over to Lucky Charm.

“Go ahead and use it.”

“……”

Before I even finished speaking, Seo Ye-in activated her Random Rank Ups.

Fwoosh…

Both attempts failed and turned to dust.

Since luck bonuses didn’t apply, everyone was equal when it came to Random Rank Ups.

[Stamp Coupon (C+)]

▷ Stamps: 8/15

Now, it was Hong Yeon-hwa’s turn.

Maybe watching eight attempts vanish into thin air had gotten to her, because she looked a little uneasy.

She also seemed to be regretting stepping up in the first place, so I reassured her again.

“Like I said, no pressure. If you really want to use it, go ahead. If not, just save it.”

“I-I’m fine. Really…”

But despite her words, she still couldn’t shake off her nerves.

Cautiously, she activated a Random Rank Up, and the magic scroll began to glow.

Flaaash—

“……”

As if expecting failure, Hong Yeon-hwa instinctively covered her eyes.

But contrary to her expectations—

Flaaaash!

The magic scroll shone even brighter, and the light seeped into her body.

[Rank Up Succeeded!]

“……!”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s face lit up just like the magic scroll.

But then, she immediately glanced at me and Seo Ye-in with a hesitant face.

“Oh… but, um… you only get a stamp if we fail, right?”

“You don’t have to feel bad. It was yours to use, and besides, ranking up is something to celebrate.”

Seo Ye-in seemed to agree and gave her a silent round of finger claps.

Hong Yeon-hwa darted her eyes around before mumbling in a small voice.

“…Thanks.”

Then, she immediately used her last Random Rank Up—

Fwoosh…

And, of course, it failed.

She let out a small sigh as if she had expected it and asked,

“How many do you have now?”

“Nine.”

[Stamp Coupon (C+)]

▷ Stamps: 9/15

It hadn’t even been a week since I got it, yet I had already gathered this much.

Hong Yeon-hwa kept asking.

“If we get one more stamp, do we get the next reward?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll ask my sister if she has any left.”

“That’d be great if she does, but there are plenty of other ways to get stamps.”

As long as we used any probability-based item and got a “failure” result, it counted.

“The most common method is using a random box.”

“Ah…!”

A figurative exclamation mark seemed to pop up above Hong Yeon-hwa’s head.

But just as quickly, her excitement faded.

“I don’t have any left… I should’ve saved the one I got last time.”

“No big deal. We can always go get more.”

“….…?”

Something in my words must have clued her in, as her eyes widened slightly.

I gave her a nod, confirming her suspicion.

“Let’s head down next week.”

“…Really?”

“We’ve been resting for a while. It’s time to go back and work on ranking up again.”

With the Witch of Corruption defeated, Dark Oobleck had disappeared, eliminating any unexpected variables in dungeon exploration.

That also meant security on the lower floors had likely weakened, making it easier to move around unnoticed.

“…! I’ll clear my schedule.”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s face lit up with excitement.

If she had a tail, it would’ve been wagging like crazy.

When Seo Ye-in saw this, she tapped my shoulder and looked up at me.

“What about me?”

“Not until you get permission.”

“……”

Her expression remained blank, but I could tell she was brimming with dissatisfaction.

I grinned and teased,

“Disqualified as a butler?”

Immediately, Seo Ye-in shook her head, as if the very idea was absurd.

“Lifetime butler.”

“That’s a scary thing to say.”

“Can’t go.”

To emphasize her point, she even grabbed my wrist, as if she was ready to hold me back.

As I playfully shook my captured wrist back and forth, the food we had ordered arrived.

The waiter placed the dishes on the table one by one.

Seafood pasta, chopped steak, and…

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…

Hellfire Chicken Gratin.

It was far too red to be considered just food.

It looked as if someone had poured molten lava into a dish, thrown in a few pieces of chicken, and topped it off with cheese.

“……”

Seo Ye-in stared at the dish with that same curious look in her eyes.

Hong Yeon-hwa noticed this and offered,

“Wanna take a bite?”

But before Seo Ye-in could even lift her fork, I cut in.

“No way. You can’t even handle spicy food, but you’re always so curious.”

“……”

Even so, she clearly wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

I turned to Hong Yeon-hwa and said,

“I’ll take a little.”

“Sure, take as much as you want.”

When Hong Yeon-hwa pushed the dish toward me, I placed a small piece of chicken breast on my plate.

Then, just to let her get a whiff, I brought it close to Seo Ye-in.

“……?”

Her eyes widened slightly before she recoiled in the opposite direction.

Just the smell alone was enough to make her flinch.

“See? If you put it in your mouth, you’re done for.”

“It’s spicy…”

“Let’s eat something else. The salmon’s good. So is the steak.”

Only then did Seo Ye-in finally give up and focus on the food she had ordered.

For the record, I ended up eating the small portion of Hellfire Gratin I had taken.

I figured I had to try it at least once to see just how spicy it was.

And I immediately regretted that decision.

Wow… this is no joke…

One tiny piece of chicken breast was enough to make my tongue go numb.

Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa kept digging into her dish of molten lava. Her face was the picture of pure happiness.

She didn’t even seem the slightest bit affected by the spice.

***

With everyone satisfied, the meal came to an end.

Before we left the bakery, we each packed a few pastries to go.

Hong Yeon-hwa grabbed a Hellfire Pizza Bun for her sister, while Seo Ye-in picked out a set of new-release cookies.

Seeing that, Hong Yeon-hwa asked,

“You like cookies?”

“Mhmm.”

Seo Ye-in gave a slight nod and held up the cookies.

“For research.”

“Research…?”

Since Hong Yeon-hwa wasn’t yet fluent in sloth language, a single word wasn’t enough for her to grasp the full context.

So I added an explanation.

“She bakes for me sometimes. They’re pretty good.”

The taste was good.

The appearance, on the other hand, still hadn’t improved.

At that, Hong Yeon-hwa alternated glances between the two of us and went into deep thought.

“Cookies…”

Leaving her to her musings, I turned to Seo Ye-in and asked,

“What’s your battery at right now?”

“Fifty-four percent.”

“Why’s your fuel efficiency so good today?”

“Fuel efficiency, full power.”

On a normal day, she would’ve been almost drained by now.

Which meant there was no rush to head back.

“Should we hang out a little longer?”

“Shop.”

“We already did that.”

After all, we had just bought an A-rank item from the Long Ears Magic Item Shop using Ahn Jeong-mi’s blank check to its fullest.

With our bracelets upgraded, we’d already gained more than enough.

Even so, Seo Ye-in shook her head.

“Buy one more.”

“That’s not how this works. We agreed to get just one.”

I wasn’t the type to turn down gifts, but there were still boundaries I needed to respect.

Seo Ye-in stared at me in silence for a moment before rummaging through her inventory.

Before long, she pulled out a small and thick rectangular black card.

A Hye-seong Group Black Card.

“My gift.”

“You’re buying it for me?”

“Mhmm.”

“…Let’s go.”

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