Kicked Out, I Rose as the Strongest Support

In a world driven by Aether energy, the glory of explorers was determined by the power circuits etched into their bodies. For the students of the Astral Vanguard Academy, the Supporter was a protective battery — an unyielding pillar continuously channeling power, risking their lives in the shadows behind the main fighters.

Darian Voss understood this unfair destiny all too well. Yet inside this toxic cave tonight, his loyalty and sacrifices were repaid with the ultimate price.

"Hold the shield stronger, Darian! Do you want us all to die like idiots here?!"

Bram Sterling shouted loudly from behind his Aether sword. Golden light flared brilliantly along the Captain's blade, reflecting the glare of the colossal toxic beast roaring fiercely before them.

Darian Voss squeezed his eyes shut tight. He squeezed the remaining energy from the Aether circuit embedded along his support arm. A searing heat surged violently from his wrist down to the core of his chest.

His energy circuit vibrated violently, signaling that his support capacity threshold had pushed far past the red line.

"Your shield is weakening, you trash battery!" Bram snapped without bothering to look back.

Darian bit his lower lip so hard it trickled fresh blood. Darian's Support energy pathway kept pumping the transparent barrier covering Bram's entire body.

As a Supporter on the elite team of the Astral Vanguard Academy, Darian's duty was always the same: to be a flawless pillar.

He never complained, even as his entire life energy was drained completely dry for the Captain's glory.

Suddenly, the Boss Monster — a giant Aether Scorpion clad in green steel hide, swung its toxic tail.

The tail strike lashed out as fast as lightning. Its target aimed directly for Bram's exposed neck, left vulnerable because the Captain had been overly eager to land the finishing blow.

Bram didn't notice it. The Captain's focus was entirely captivated by the lens of the recording camera mounted on the cave wall.

"Bram, watch your left!" Darian screamed.

There was no time to think. Darian refused to let his Captain die. Darian leaped with every ounce of force remaining in his legs. He threw his own body directly between the lethal strike of poison and Bram's back.

CRASH!

The monster's tail strike landed squarely on Darian's chest. The protective Aether armor over his chest shattered into pieces. Futuristic metal shards scattered into the air, accompanied by the violent sound of popping bursts from deep within Darian's body.

The sensation of the Aether circuit inside his chest cracking was like glass being struck by an iron hammer. An agonizing pain pierced straight into his core nervous system. Darian vomited a mouthful of fresh blood that splattered across the toxic stone floor.

However, the impact of Darian's sacrifice successfully deflected the trajectory of the monster's strike. The giant monster's body lurched, exposing a fatal opening beneath its neck shell.

Bram smiled widely. The Captain didn't care in the slightest about Darian lying drenched in blood beside him. Bram leaped high, seizing the golden opportunity created by Darian's blood.

"Die, you vile beast!" Bram's shout echoed with pure arrogance.

Bram's Aether sword plunged deep, penetrating the monster's central energy core. A final roar shattered the silence of the cave before the giant creature's body collapsed onto the floor and crumbled into Aether dust.

Darian lay rigid at the edge of a gaping black toxic abyss. His breathing was short and heavy. Every ragged breath felt like inhaling poisonous thorns that scorched his lungs.

His vision blurred, obscured by a thin film of blood trickling from his temple.

In front of him, Bram stood tall while sheathing his sword. The Captain brushed off the remaining monster dust from his shoulder with a face full of satisfaction.

"We... made it, Bram..." Darian whispered softly, his voice raspy and broken.

Darian extended his trembling hand, hoping the Captain would pull him up to administer first aid.

"Please help me... the energy circuit in my chest is shattered..."

Bram stepped closer. Yet there was no pity in his eyes. All that appeared on the Captain's handsome face was a cold stare full of disgust.

CRACK!

Instead of offering a hand, Bram slammed his Aether boots right on top of Darian's chest wound. Darian screamed in agony. The heavy boot pressed down on the painful remnants of his severely cracked energy circuit.

"We made it?" Bram chuckled lowly, his laugh like a demonic whisper. "I made it, Darian. Not us."

"Bram... what are you..."

"Did you really think I'd need a crippled Supporter like you in the main tournament?" Bram interrupted mercilessly.

Bram pressed his foot down harder, causing Darian to spit out blood once more.

"From the start, you were nothing but a troublesome, worn-out battery. Your Support role is far too slow, and it makes my team's reputation look weak in front of sponsors."

Darian stared into Bram's eyes in total disbelief. The sensation of being stabbed in the back burned far worse than the wounds on his chest.

For two years, Darian had dedicated his entire life to building Bram's name. He had acted as a hidden fortress, taking all the damage just so Bram would look flawless in front of the camera.

"Why... Bram? I just saved your life!" Darian cried out from the depths of his throat.

"Saved my life?" Bram laughed sneeringly. "You were just blocking the view of my masterwork."

Bram lifted his boot from Darian's chest and took a step back. The Captain looked down into the toxic abyss behind Darian — a bottomless black chasm filled with dangerous green chemical fog.

"The tournament organizers can't know I threw away a team member," Bram whispered with a sinister, cruel smile. "But if you die inside a dungeon killed by monsters... my name will soar even higher as a grieving hero."

"Bram, don't!"

BAM!

Bram delivered a vicious kick straight into Darian's stomach. Darian's body was propelled over the rocky edge. Gravity seized him instantly. Darian plummeted into the cold, toxic darkness of the abyss.

Above, Bram's silhouette slowly shrank along with the manipulative Captain's triumphant smile. The foul-smelling night wind tore at Darian's clothes as his body fell at breakneck speed.

A freezing chill attacked his joints. Darian's consciousness hovered on the brink. He could feel death calling his name from the bottom of the jagged stone ravine.

Darian felt his chest tighten from the betrayal that crushed his entire pride.

Amid the thick fog of poison blocking his vision, Darian suddenly caught a faint flash of blue light in midair. Not far from his falling path, a tiny creature floated helplessly.

It was a small fox with a transparent crystal body. Its thin wings hung broken, and the creature's forehead emitted a dying flash from a cracked blue crystal. The little animal had been blown away by the shockwave of the battle above and was now plummeting toward the sharp rocks at the bottom of the abyss.

The little fox's eyes stared at Darian in terror. Darian's eyes widened. Even on the verge of death, his protective instinct never died.

"No... you can't die here..." Darian muttered.

Ignoring the excruciating pain in his Aether circuit, Darian twisted his body in midair. He tilted his shoulders, fighting the harsh wind friction just to reach the crystal fox's body.

With the remaining reach of his bloody fingers, Darian managed to catch the little fox. Darian pulled the tiny creature into his embrace, holding it tight against his chest. Darian rotated his position in midair so his own back faced the bottom of the abyss.

He turned his body into a protective cushion for the defenseless animal. The little fox trembled in Darian's embrace, letting out a soft, surprised, yet warm squeak.

"Shh... you're safe..." Darian whispered right before the impact.

BOOM!

Darian's back slammed into the stone floor of the abyss with immense force. The ground shuddered. Splinters of hard stone crushed Darian's ribs and shoulder blades.

Excruciating pain enveloped his entire nervous system, turning his vision stark white. Darian vomited a large amount of fresh blood.

Darian's chest rose and fell painfully slow, inhaling the thick, toxic air of the cavern floor.

Yet, locked tightly within his arms, the tiny crystal fox survived without a single scratch. The little fox sniffed Darian's chin, letting out a faint squeak filled with worry.

The dim crystal on the fox's forehead touched the bloody skin of Darian's neck. Darian could no longer move. His fingers were stiff, and his body's Aether circuit felt completely dead.

Silence crept over the pitch-black abyss.

However, the silence did not last long.

Thud... Thud... Thud...

The sound of giant footsteps stomped against the wet ground in the darkness of the subterranean cave. A foul stench of rot and thick poison suddenly spread, overpowering the scent of Darian's blood.

From behind the darkness of the green fog, dozens of pairs of blood-red eyes lit up one by one. A pack of subterranean scavenger monsters crawled out from the stone fissures.

In the front row, a towering shadow stepped forward slowly. The monster possessed razor-sharp fangs dripping with dense acidic fluid. Every drop of acid that hit the stone produced a sizzling hiss and toxic black smoke.

The acidic fluid dripped right onto the cheek of the paralyzed Darian. The skin on his cheek burned slowly, yet Darian didn't even have the strength left to cry out in pain.

The little fox on Darian's chest growled softly, trying to flutter its cracked crystal wings to protect its savior.

The giant monster lowered its terrifying head, bringing its jagged muzzle inches from Darian's face. Its red eyes gleamed with pure ferocity at the sight of the helpless human.

The subterranean cave shook lightly as a low, deep growl rumbled from the monster's throat.

"Fresh human blood... a delicious feast tonight!"