A Support In Distress

The dungeon was eerily quiet, the flickering blue torches casting long shadows on the damp stone walls. Lee Byung Hun stepped over a pile of monster corpses, their bodies still steaming from his last battle. The air was thick with the scent of blood, but he barely noticed. He had fought too many of these things for it to bother him anymore.

But as he turned the next corner, he heard something unexpected.

"HELP! ANYONE?! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE IN A PLACE THAT SMELLS LIKE A DEAD RAT'S TOILET!"

Lee Byung Hun blinked. That was… new.

Following the panicked voice, he found a young man desperately clinging to a crumbling ledge above a pit of writhing, acidic sludge. His robes were torn, and his long, disheveled hair made him look like a scholar who had been thrown into a battlefield and forgotten how to escape.

Upon seeing Byung Hun, the man's eyes lit up with a mix of relief and desperation.

"Oh, thank the heavens! You, sir, look like a man who can help—"

Before he could finish, the stone beneath his grip cracked.

"Nope—NOPE—NOT LIKE THIS—"

Byung Hun sighed and, in a blur of movement, grabbed the man's wrist just before he fell.

Dangling above the sludge, the stranger gulped, staring at the bubbling, flesh-melting substance below. "This is a really bad time to ask, but… you're not going to drop me, right?"

Byung Hun considered it. "I mean… I could."

The man paled.

"But then I'd have to deal with your screaming, and that just sounds annoying." With a firm tug, he pulled the man back up and let him collapse onto solid ground.

The stranger gasped for breath, hands shaking. "You… you actually thought about it."

Byung Hun shrugged. "Dark places make dark thoughts."

The man sat up and dusted himself off, giving an exaggerated sigh. "Whew. Well, I guess I owe you my life now! The name's Ming Byeon Lee, traveling support mage extraordinaire! You wouldn't believe the trouble I—"

Byung Hun pointed at the massive pile of dead monsters behind him. "You mean the trouble you caused?"

Ming Byeon followed his gaze and winced. "Ah. Yeah. Funny story. So, I may have accidentally triggered a horde trap—"

"—and ran?"

"—strategically retreated," Ming Byeon corrected. "Which led me to another trap, which led me here, which led me to…" He waved his hands in the air, gesturing to his near-death experience.

Byung Hun rubbed his temples. "You're an idiot."

"Hey! I prefer the term 'unlucky genius'—"

A deep, guttural growl echoed through the dungeon. Both of them froze.

Slowly, they turned to see the source of the noise. A massive beast, at least three times their size, loomed over them. Its fangs dripped with venom, and its eyes gleamed with the unmistakable promise of murder.

Ming Byeon clapped his hands together and turned to Byung Hun. "Alright, new best friend, let's discuss strategies—"

Byung Hun unsheathed his sword.

"Or! You could just charge in like a lunatic, that works too."

As Byung Hun dashed forward, Ming Byeon scrambled to his feet, chanting rapidly. "Okay, okay, support magic, don't fail me now—"

The beast lunged. Byung Hun barely dodged, spinning mid-air to slash at its flank. But the monster was fast. Too fast.

"Hey, support mage," he called out, dodging another swipe. "You planning to actually support me, or are you just here to scream?"

Ming Byeon scowled. "Oh, I got you, don't worry."

He raised his staff, and suddenly, a powerful gust of wind propelled Byung Hun forward at lightning speed—straight into the monster's gaping jaws.

Byung Hun's eyes widened. "YOU—"

With a loud CRUNCH, the beast bit down.

Silence.

Ming Byeon blinked. "…Whoops?"

Then, the monster gagged, its eyes bulging in pain. A second later, it exploded from the inside, as Byung Hun tore his way out through its skull, covered in blood and looking very pissed off.

He stomped over to Ming Byeon, who took a careful step back.

"So. About that 'support'…"

Ming Byeon raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, to be fair, I did technically help—"

Byung Hun grabbed him by the collar.

"WAIT! WAIT! BEFORE YOU KILL ME—" Ming Byeon quickly chanted another spell, and a golden aura surrounded Byung Hun, instantly healing his wounds.

"…Huh." Byung Hun's grip loosened.

Ming Byeon grinned sheepishly. "See? I can be useful."

Byung Hun sighed, rubbing his face. "Fine. You're coming with me."

Ming Byeon's expression brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah. But if you 'support' me like that again, I'll let the next monster finish the job."

Ming Byeon laughed nervously. "Duly noted."

And so, with one very reluctant swordsman and one very questionable support mage, an unlikely duo was formed.