Chapter 33: The Support Rights Activist

“Riri, have you ever played an RPG game?”

After saying he’d teach her how to carry as a support, he asked the question as he started the game.

An RPG game, suddenly?

It was a somewhat random topic that could catch the listener off guard.

Riri seemed to feel the same way, responding in a hesitant tone.

“RPG? You mean the game where you beat up monsters and earn money, right?”

“I played it in elementary school.”

“Then explaining this will be easy.”

“Everyone, listen carefully and think about this.”

[Okayyy]

[Kayak’s lecture time is back, haha]

[Suddenly starting a lesson?]

[Why not just play the game?]

[Kayak’s Introduction to Support Roles]

Light RPG players might not know this, but there’s something that most heavy RPG players are aware of.

Supporters in RPG games are often called nobles and are treated like quasi-nobles.

The reason is simple.

There aren’t enough of them.

Healers and buffers, classified as support roles, are always suffering from a shortage of players, and even though very few people play them, they are essential in parties.

There is no raid in the world that can be cleared without a supporter.

Most famous RPG games are designed this way from the start.

Each one is precious.

Dealers or tanks can be replaced, but supporters are so few that they’re irreplaceable.

The demand is high, but the supply is low.

Naturally, by the logic of the market, they become valuable.

There were even people who played as supporters just to receive such treatment, despite it not being as fun.

This alone shows how rare and precious supporters are in RPGs.

So, to sum it up:

Supporters are essential in games.

However, due to their nature of not being able to take the spotlight, few people play them, and they are treated like nobles.

“…Huh?”

As the explanation came to an end, Riri let out a puzzled sound.

“Did you notice something strange?”

“Yes… so?”

“Supporters are rare and valuable, but that’s…”

“It’s the same in Abyss.”

[Whoa]

[The unexpected revelation, haha]

[That’s true… but why don’t supporters get treated well in Abyss?]

[All the supporters across the country, unite…]

[Wave the red flag of revolution!]

Logically speaking, it’s true.

In Abyss, the number of support players is significantly smaller compared to other roles.

So why, unlike in RPGs, are supporters in Abyss neither valued nor respected?

<Geochiman donated 10,000 KRW!>

• Abyss supporters suck when you get them.

“They’re not essential for winning the game.”

[If you can win without a support, it’s fine, haha]

[Here come the tools speaking up again]

[Of course Kayak says it and they’re all hyped]

[Supporters might be crucial in RPGs, but in Abyss, their impact is small]

[That’s a weird analogy]

Exactly, this was the common response.

The perception that supporters are useless and contribute less to victory compared to other positions.

Nothing will change even if I shout about it until my voice breaks here.

As they say, seeing is believing.

Instead of talking myself hoarse, it would be better to show it once.

“Something feels off.”

Dodakbung, a player in the middle of the game, felt a sense of discomfort and came to a stop.

Things had been going well at the start, but from the middle of the game onward, something began to feel strange.

The kill score, which had been rising sharply, no longer increased at the same pace.

Even when they managed to get a kill now and then, there was no follow-up advantage, making them meaningless kills.

It felt strange.

Though no one said it, the team was silently sharing that uneasy feeling.

“An ally has been slain!”

A disaster had occurred.

Jerome, an ally, was caught and killed while pushing the side lane.

Unlike the earlier kills the team had made, this one was a critical loss.

The enemy not only killed Jerome but also secured a key epic monster that provided a powerful buff.

The cheerful atmosphere from the beginning turned hostile in an instant.

[Earth God Gaia (Calliope) has targeted Revi (Jerome)!]

[Earth God Gaia (Calliope): Revi (Jerome) has 18 seconds left until respawn.]

[Revi (Jerome): What]

[Earth God Gaia (Calliope): ? You got caught and killed, why so confident?]

Gone were the thumbs-up emotes that had been thrown around earlier.

Sensing the brewing conflict before anyone else, Dodakbung quickly typed in the chat.

[Dodakbung (Dan): Let’s take it slow. We’re still in it.]

[Earth God Gaia (Calliope): Revi (Jerome) has 10 seconds left until respawn.]

[Revi (Jerome): If you ping me one more time, I’m throwing.]

[Dodakbung (Dan): Let’s keep our cool, please.]

Maybe it was thanks to Dodakbung’s plea, but fortunately, the team didn’t escalate the argument further.

“Is this even a game or am I babysitting…?”

Keeping these kids happy was exasperatingly difficult.

But it couldn’t be helped.

That’s just the nature of this game.

In human relationships, the more desperate party always ends up at a disadvantage.

Recently, Dodakbung’s ranking had dropped significantly, making him desperate, so he wasn’t above swallowing his pride.

[Dodakbung: Let’s pick one off.]

This was the last chance to turn the situation around.

Judging by the state of his teammates, who didn’t seem mentally stable, if they lost here, defeat was inevitable.

So, he made a bold move.

Together with his support, Calliope, they took control of nearby vision, planning a sneak attack by exploiting the blind spots.

[Revi (Jerome): Did we get spotted?]

[Dodakbung (Dan): Nah.]

How long had they been waiting in ambush?

Finally, the prey began to approach.

The target was the enemy support, Theodora.

Judging by the username, this seemed like a one-trick champion player, and this support had been responsible for turning the game against Dodakbung’s team.

How could they roam all over the map like that?

Jerome’s earlier death was also due to Theodora’s backup.

Just a support, but such an annoying one.

“But if we can catch them here…”

Dodakbung was confident they could turn the game around.

As a support, who was responsible for securing vision, Theodora wouldn’t be able to avoid this ambush.

They had deliberately taken control of the surrounding vision, and their AD carry had been shown on the map to keep the ambush hidden.

Dodakbung swallowed nervously.

‘Come, come on, just a little more…!’

Finally, Theodora entered their range.

As Dodakbung smirked and dashed forward, it happened.

“What…?”

The world flipped upside down.

It happened so fast that Dodakbung barely had time to register the feeling.

The shared vision from his hero, Dan, shook violently, as if he were on a roller coaster.

Crowd control.

Specifically, hard CC, the kind that was impossible to escape from without help.

“No!”

The fact that they were hit with crowd control immediately meant the ambush had failed.

No, it was more accurate to say they had been outplayed.

It wasn’t Dodakbung’s team that set the trap; it was the enemy team that had baited them.

“An ally has been slain!”

“Double kill!”

The cost of the failed ambush was severe.

Everyone on Dodakbung’s team, except for the AD carry who had been out as bait, was wiped out.

[Earth God Gaia (Calliope) has targeted Dodakbung (Dan)!]

[Earth God Gaia (Calliope): Dodakbung (Dan) has 22 seconds until respawn.]

[Earth God Gaia (Calliope): The call quality is trash.]

[Revi (Jerome): lmao.]

[Earth God Gaia (Calliope): This isn’t about support diff. Dodakbung’s call just threw the game.]

[Revi (Jerome): The gap is massive, losing roams as Calliope to Theodora, smh.]

[Earth God Gaia (Calliope): Someone’s got a big mouth for someone who got caught.]

Even though Dodakbung was being subtly blamed for the defeat, and the in-game chat was exploding, he paid no attention.

To be precise, he couldn’t pay attention.

“How did this even happen…”

He mumbled, seemingly in a daze, his gaze fixed on one spot.

“Charge ahead!”

There, standing proud, was the enemy support, Theodora, her iconic blonde hair blowing in the wind.

A position that doesn’t stand out, but controls the entire game from the shadows.

That was what it meant to be a support.

[You’re just good at this game, aren’t you…]

[The host is spouting nonsense again.]

[God Kayak! God of Supports, Kayak! God of Supports, Kayak!]

[Support punch! Support punch! Support punch!]

[Predicting Dan in the bush just because they saw a glimpse near a mine is crazy.]

[How can anyone pull this off?]

[Was it even a second that they were visible?]

[Report for map hacks.]

[Support carry, wtf.]

[Like a mastermind controlling the entire game, wow.]

“Anyway, my point is that a support can carry just as much as a Camilla.”

Support is as good as Camilla, isn’t it?

Never underestimate a support.

Underestimating a small support will lead to big regrets.

It was then that Liliyang’s nervous voice cut through the tension.

Her tone was completely different from the disheartened one earlier.

“Teacher, I want to play support…”

Hearing that, I smiled, satisfied.