The Support Ate it All

Dark Dragon Lord and Father Seo both looked deeply moved.

Apparently all the hardships they had gone through while making the watch were flashing before their eyes like a passing lantern show.

Before long, they started taking turns showing off.

“I’ve handled time-related items from time to time, but this is my first time making a proper watch.”

“The same goes for me. It was a difficult challenge.”

“I’ve lived a long time, yet I can’t remember the last time I went through this much trial and error.”

“And under such a tight schedule.”

“You’re going back to Dragonslayer Academy soon, aren’t you? So, unlike our usual selves, we worked hard day and night.”

“Pulled all-nighters every day.”

Come to think of it, they had been stopping by briefly every evening for minigames, then heading straight back to the workshop the moment we finished.

As expected, no matter how busy or tired they were, they still couldn’t resist a duel.

I decided to play along and laid the flattery on thick.

“I don’t even know how to thank you both. It could have taken much longer, but your skill is so extraordinary that it was finished in no time.”

At that, Dark Dragon Lord and Father Seo both looked quietly pleased.

Dragons and half-dragons were no different from anyone else in that regard. It felt good when someone recognized your hard work.

Soon, they looked back at the pocket watch and added a few more comments.

“Still, there were a few spots where the materials fell short.”

“So we used substitutes, just like you said.”

“The result may fall a little short of expectations.”

I smiled as if it were nothing.

“That’s what I asked for in the first place, isn’t it? The important materials are all there, so the performance gap shouldn’t be that big.”

For the less important parts, it was more efficient to complete the pocket watch first rather than plaster everything in S-rank materials from the start, then replace those parts gradually later.

By then, both I and the rest of the group would have better specs, and accessing higher-rank materials would be easier too.

“And this is Hyeseong. Even the substitute parts were never going to be low-grade compared to anywhere else.”

“The best materials,” Father Seo said, nodding.

Dark Dragon Lord handed me the pocket watch.

“Now, check it.”

At last, the item options appeared.

[Golden Pocket Watch(S)]

▷ A torrent of time swirls.

▷ Time Leap(S)

Charge: 1.01

▷ [Swift Second Hand(A+)]

▷ [Time Double(A+)]

▷ Bonus or Rank +1 to all time-type skills/traits

▷ Indestructible

Time Leap, finally.

Its effect was resetting the cooldowns of all skills and traits, which had been incredibly useful back at the Dang Family too.

By scattering [Retrocovery], [Austerity], and the like around, stacking months’ worth of cooldown, then resetting it all at once.

Back then it had been a magic scroll.

Now I had it as equipment.

Of course, it wasn’t something I could spam recklessly.

It needs to charge first.

Every time a skill or trait’s cooldown ticked down, the gauge filled a little, and once it reached 1, I gained one use.

For reference, if several cooldowns were ticking at once, it charged faster.

If three skills were on cooldown, for instance, then in five minutes it would gain the equivalent of fifteen minutes.

[Swift Second Hand] is the cooldown-related option.

At a certain probability, it reduced cooldown by 2 or 3 seconds per second.

According to veteran-player big-data, at A+ rank it was about a 20% chance for 2 seconds and a 10% chance for 3 seconds.

At this point, calculate how long it takes for [Invitation]’s cooldown to return—ten days, non-[Bond] target basis. Four points.

Anyway, there was no question that it greatly reduced the burden and let me use skills on the group more often.

Next is [Time Double].

The first two options were cooldown-related.

This one, by contrast, was duration-related.

Just as the name suggested, whenever I used a skill or trait, there was a certain chance its duration would be doubled.

[Déjà Vu] had a somewhat similar effect, but [Time Double] traded broad utility for a higher activation chance.

The “bonus to all time-type skills,” and “indestructible” options didn’t even need explaining.

And finally, there was the modest extra advantage of letting me access certain hidden pieces more easily.

Taken altogether, the performance went beyond overwhelming and straight into violent.

And it’s still unfinished.

Once the temporary parts were replaced with higher-rank ones later, the existing options would likely get even stronger, and it might gain new ones as well.

Pushing my satisfaction aside for the moment, I handed the Golden Pocket Watch back to Dark Dragon Lord.

“You made it even better than I expected. But for now, I think it’s better if I leave it with you.”

“Because of the cult leader.”

“Yes. You never know what’s coming.”

If a full-scale war with the Blood Cult broke out, the watch would be far more efficient in Dark Dragon Lord’s hands than mine.

His main build was time-based, so he would get bonuses across the board.

Naturally, he understood that too, and nodded.

“I can’t deny it. Once everything is over, I’ll return it.”

******

To make the waiting time for the Blood Cult even more productive,

I asked Sky-Healing Dragon Jupiter and Neptune to demonstrate some skills for me.

Naturally, I wasn’t planning to just watch.

I’m going to copy them.

▷ Copy - Skills [4/4]

[Featherstep(A+)][Ice Wall(B)][Destructive Gale(B+)][Space Fold(B)]I had three slots I could overwrite freely, and I had even received another [Fixed Pin] from this challenge quest.

And the synergy’s perfect too.

Sky-Healing Dragon Jupiter was a master of aerial combat and had numerous skills that were ideal for controlling space widely and gaining superiority.

Neptune’s build was also mostly water-attribute, making it perfect for linking with my freezing skills.

The dragons readily accepted my request, and we faced each other together in a wide open lot.

Then Sky-Healing Dragon Jupiter asked me:

“So all I have to do is use the skill?”

“Yes. I’ll take care of the rest on my own.”

“Good. Watch closely.”

Soon, he raised his right hand and covered both of his eyes.

A moment later, something glittered gold high in the sky and traced a smooth curve.

Like a closed eye.

Then it slowly opened and looked down below.

Sky Vision.

It was a skill that summoned an eye in the sky to massively broaden one’s field of vision.

The range increased with rank, and in Sky-Healing Dragon Jupiter’s case, it obviously had to be S-rank.

[Using ‘Copy - Skill.’]

[The target’s skill ‘Sky Vision(S)’ has been registered in a slot.]

Since I copied it, I may as well try it immediately.

I raised one hand and covered half my face the same way I had just seen him do.

Then I activated the skill.

The darkness before my eyes slowly opened up.

It felt as though I were floating high in the sky, looking down over the entire surrounding area.

Everything was so clear it looked like it was right in front of me.

I could even see myself with my hand over my face, and the dragons below looking up at me.

All right, release it for now.

Next, I raised my hand and covered only one eye.

Then I cast [Sky Vision] again, and my field of view split in half.

One half looked straight ahead, while the other looked down from above.

This almost eliminates blind spots.

Actually fighting in that state would be extremely confusing and demand serious multitasking ability, but for me that wasn’t a major problem.

At that, Sky-Healing Dragon Jupiter and Neptune both showed clear surprise.

“You’re already applying it the moment you learned it?”

“That’s absurd skill. It makes me itch to spar with you.”

“Let it stop at itching.”

“I know! I’m only saying it because it’s a shame! When else am I going to get an opportunity like this?”

I replied politely.

“I’ll definitely make time for it next time.”

“That’s a promise! Then is it my turn now?”

“I’d appreciate it.”

Neptune stepped forward to demonstrate her skill.

She asked, sounding slightly dissatisfied:

“...But are you sure about this one? I have plenty of flashier, more destructive skills. [Tidal Summon], for example. Or [Dragon Spout].”

“Thank you for the suggestions. But for now, I need the one I mentioned more.”

There were already plenty of attack skills.

And the rest of the party could use plenty of those too.

If I used one by itself based on rank alone, it probably wouldn’t hit as hard as it looked on paper.

More than anything, right now my top priority was to solidify my build.

Neptune showed a little regret, but accepted it.

“You must have your reasons. Fine, then watch closely!”

Pop.

A droplet formed at the tip of her finger.

She drew a large circle with it, creating a disk of water, then flipped it over onto me.

Bloomp.

Trapped inside a giant bubble the size of a human body, I floated up into the air.

It burst after only a few seconds, and I dropped back to the ground.

Bubble Bubble.

It was a defensive and debuff skill.

Starting with the downsides, it had a long and finicky cast time, was difficult to land, and above all had an extremely short duration.

Even against a dragon, a few seconds was all it lasted.

But it had an advantage that completely erased every one of those flaws.

Irresistible.

Even I, with S-rank [Elemental Resistance], still had to float there helplessly for a few seconds if I got caught.

And there was one more deeply personal advantage.

It makes people really angry when they get hit by it.

It absolutely deserved a top-tier spot on my list of favorite skills of all time.

So naturally, I copied it immediately.

[Using ‘Copy - Skill.’]

[The target’s skill ‘Bubble Bubble(S)’ has been registered in a slot.]

▷ Copy - Skills [4/4]

2. [Ice Wall(B)]

3. [Sky Vision(S)]

4. [Bubble Bubble(S)]

This is a downright violent power-up.

I was thoroughly satisfied.

*****

Around the same time,

the inside of Meteor Dragon’s mansion was filled with dazzling radiance.

FLAAASH—!

At the center of it stood Seo Ye-in, wrapped from head to toe in pure white light.

Soon, the light faded, and her hair returned to gray as well.

Watching her, Meteor Dragon nodded.

“Yes, like that. You’re doing well.”

The grandmother and granddaughter were in the middle of passing down the abilities of their bloodline.

Meteor Dragon let out a low murmur and added:

“I wanted to take it slowly, one step at a time, in case it became too much for you, but the circumstances won’t allow that.”

“It’ll work.”

Seo Ye-in replied, her eyes shining.

A smile touched Meteor Dragon’s lips.

“You seem to trust that child very much.”

“Absolute trust.”

“I don’t know why, but I have the same intuition. That child feels like he’ll make it happen.”

“...”

“But this is no ordinary matter, so I can’t help considering every possible outcome.”

If the worst happened, Meteor Dragon would enter her sleep cycle, and she would no longer be able to pass down the bloodline techniques.

In effect, this was their last chance.

Seo Ye-in understood that too, so she gave a small nod.

“I’ll work hard.”

Then she focused again, and white light engulfed her once more.

FLAAASH—!

The “super finisher” she had occasionally shown before possessed tremendous power, but it also came with obvious drawbacks.

One of them was that it required a wide, open space.

That made it particularly awkward to use indoors, which was why she hadn’t brought it out at all during her battle against the Blood Sword Commander in the game center.

And this time, she intended to patch that flaw.

FLAAASH—!

Still transformed white, Seo Ye-in raised one hand.

Mana gathered over her palm, taking the shape of a bullet and swallowing all light at once.

FLAAASH—!

The next moment, Seo Ye-in had returned to her usual gray-haired state.

The mana round, however, still held that pure white light.

At the same time, a notification message appeared.

[You have learned ‘Meteor Shot.’]

The mirror-image Seo Ye-in practicing beside her likewise held up her own [Meteor Shot].

“Low-power finisher.”

“Chip-damage finisher.”

“...Chipisher?”

The two Seo Ye-ins tilted their heads.

But this wasn’t the time to be worrying about naming, and Meteor Dragon cut into the conversation with a smile.

“Now then, let’s move on to the next one.”

“Mm.”

Seo Ye-in and her mirror image nodded at the same time, then stretched both hands out toward each other.

With their hands nearly clasped together, they focused.

FLAAASH—!

Once again, everything was swallowed by pure white radiance.

A single shining star appeared between them—

then began growing at a terrifying speed.

“...Super super finisher.”