(TL Note: Chapter Reuploaded. I made a mistake – I thought it was Song Man-seok they were pertaining to, but it was actually his grandson, Song Dae-seok.)
Yeom Jun-yeoul, whom I met at a chess tournament before, exchanged device codes. Talking about one’s contact information now was virtually the same as revealing one’s identity.
“I will never bother Master. I will use it sometimes when I need teaching or when there is something I want to say urgently!”
Yeom Jun-yeoul’s attitude was strange. Looking at that image, it didn’t seem like he was doing that just because he wanted to keep in touch with Master. I had no choice but to ask.
“What happened?”
“The day before the party on board Cymopoleia, I met someone who seemed to know Master. I wanted to inform Master right away, but there was no way to contact him…”
Someone who seemed to know me?
“It was a Jinjok in a red dress. She said that he had a story to tell and that I should follow her. But I followed Master’s instructions. I didn’t go with her because I didn’t know her.”
Alas, my disciple was a good disciple who was smart, polite, humble, full of improvement and listened to what the teacher said.
But what about the red dress? There was only one Jinjok wearing a red dress in the story of the Plamago game.
“Descendants are rare. I said that Jinjok had a ‘naughty son’… Who is it? Among the descendants I know, there is no one who I can guess.”
The troublemaker was indeed a descendant of Yeom Jun-yeoul.
‘This must be Teacher Kim Shin-rok.’
Was the descendant being treated as a troublemaker even by the grieving uncle…?
‘What the hell have you been doing for 5,000 years?’
‘It is certain that it was the woman of grief who approached Yeom Jun-yeoul.’
When I heard that she appeared in her red dress, it must mean that she had resurfaced.
‘I wonder if the grieving ungnyeo intervened in the cause of the disappearance of the gangster.’
Everyone thought that the gangster would have escaped, but anyone who confronted her on her deck with a samurai scallion would know.
‘At that time, she didn’t run away from that gang, even though she was admittedly in a situation where she could die at my hands.’
I couldn’t really tell at this point, but I knew there must’ve been a substantial difference between the character of that gang-ryeok I had seen in ‘Journey to the West,’ as well as the appearance I saw at that time.
Then, why did the gang hunter disappear?
‘If the disappearance is regardless of the will of the hunter, someone must have intervened.’
That person must have held a grudge against the hunter and had the ability to repay it.
‘I can only think of a grieving woman because I heard about the red dress.’
The event that triggered the collapse of the Plamago concrete floor. In that particular story, the moment Jeokho was fatally wounded, she appeared, right in the form of mourning a loved one in a red dress.
From the moment the enemy had died, she intervened in the story with an eerie figure that made me wonder if the game genre had really changed.
‘…In the end, Jeokho ended up dying, but the grieving ungnyeo intervened and the case was settled.’
Knowing her actions in such a game, she was able to ask for her deal at the Hwanmong auction.
‘The outcome was to be expected. A grieving lady who wore a red dress. Combining these two with the current situation will give you the answer. It is highly probable that it was the grieving woman who caused the disappearance of the gang poacher.’
If she was a wise woman, she would have guessed why I didn’t kill the gang poacher and dealt with it. She couldn’t have welcomed the move of the darkness that threatened the security of her enemy.
‘But why did she approach Yeom Jun-yeoul in the first place?’
Was it to dig up my information? Still, I hoped that she didn’t approach my disciple.
“Good job. In the future, don’t follow people you don’t know.”
“Yes!” Yeom Jun-yeoul responded vigorously. Although he was an overly kind descendant, he was still worried that his kindness would be taken advantage of.
“There was such a thing, and I wish there was a way to contact Master just in case… I also lost in the chess competition, and I didn’t succeed in ‘Swallowing Powers,’ either. Am I asking too blatantly?”
While I had been deep in thought, Yeom Jun-yeoul had begun to answer in a low tone of voice.
I had thought of that. I had already been caught by the Dragon Emperor, but even if that were the case, then what would be different if the descendants of the Dragon clan caught it instead?
“…Please do not trace back in this particular matter.”
“Yes! I will not.”
“I’ll give you the device code the next time we meet. Wait.”
Players often had multiple lines. Kwon Jae-in had one device, but several codes. Currently, I was using two devices with one line in sync, so I thought that it would be okay to increase the line by one.
“I have this as a reserve until the next class.”
“Thank you, Master!”
SR—class consumable item, ‘Jeonseo-gu without a message.’
It was literally a one-time consumable item that could only be conveyed to the supernatural without a message. After setting a destination with my eccentric, I handed a card to Yeom Jun-yeoul.
“Then, let’s start class.”
“Yes!” Yeom Jun-yeol answered with a smile on his ambitious expression. Because the disciple was so enthusiastic, he had the desire to become a teacher as well.
When about 30 minutes had passed…
“Master, I finally succeeded…! Look, Master’s flames move according to my will!”
Finally, my disciple succeeded in swallowing the power for the first time. Yeom Jun-yeoul smiled with widened eyes. It still seemed impossible for him to swallow this ability unless he unlocked the power of the Balaur, but if he did, he would soon be able to control his power.
“Yeah, well done.”
“Thank you!”
Reflecting Yeom Jun-yeoul’s mood upon hearing the compliment, his Hong-ryong blazed around me and circulated around me.
“For the first time, I succeeded in Swallowing the Powers, and I gained a way to communicate with Master…! Today is a really good day.”
Yeom Jun-yeol took the initiative in the flame I made and freely transformed its shape. At first, it was a little red dragon.
Then, a red wall made at the Hwanmong auction.
Then, the process by which carnations changed from flower buds to full bloom.
Lastly, the crow mask I was wearing. The star player-down ceremony that had received rounds of applause.
“If I continue to grow, one day I will stand shoulder to shoulder with Master… … No, at least there will come a day when we will be able to fight behind the scenes, right? I couldn’t go to the boat party incident, but I definitely want to help Master next time.”
I could tell he was still feeling resentful about not being able to present at that incident.
“Now, the next goal is to defeat the champion of this chess tournament, Eushin.”
All of a sudden, my story was coming out. I felt surprised, but again admired Yeom Jun-yeoul’s sense of improvement.
“I’m worried because there are many other players who want to play against EUshin besides me. Last year’s champion Dongha also said he wanted to hang out with Eushin. I’m afraid my turn will be too late.”
Cheon Dong-ha, Ahn Jung-ji-gye, a sophomore in Eungwang High. He was also one of the playable characters. I hadn’t had any contact with Chun Dong-ha yet, but I was pretty sure that they would get to know each other soon.
‘At the same time, there was talk of a person belonging to the leadership team, so let me ask you that.’
Among all the ghost stories, a secret association between the student council and the leadership team had been created.
“Are you close with the leader? Looking at the school notice, it seems that there are not many events that had been jointly organized other than the student representative meeting. Is there something to do with the student council and the leadership team?”
“I have a personal acquaintance with the boys from the leadership team, but… Oh.”
Yeom Jun-yeoul seemed to remember something.
“When I was in my freshman year, I heard that a senior in Year 3, who is now graduating, suggested that Kyung-gu, who was in the same student council, join a group.”
“In the same class?”
“Yes. Even within the student council, several people gather to form a study group or hold a research meeting to attack other worlds. Could it be that?”
A senior from the leadership team suggested that Kwak Kyung-gu of the student council come to the meeting? Maybe this is a clue. I asked another question to distract Yeom Jun-yeoul.
“Anyway. Are you preparing for the final exam? Are you going to join the study party?”
“My dragon brothers and sisters wanted to help me with my studies, so I plan to study at home. It’s not good for Dongha to take notes, but I’ll make up for it with practical skills and aim for the top.”
“I will support you.”
“Yes! As usual, I’ll study hard. So, please call me anytime, even during the exam period.”
Unfortunately, we had a study meeting with our classmates, so it was difficult to meet during the exam period.
After that, I continued listening to Yeom Jun-yeoul, who was excited and finished the class.
* * *
Kim Yu-ri’s house.
The front door opened and everyone sitting in the living room welcomed me.
“Ah, the spirit has come!”
“I’m having a late-night snack, and it’s good.”
“I also made sure to save the vice president’s share.”
This was Year 1 Class 0’s final exam study meeting. The first late-night meal had been Chicago Deep Dish Pizza with plenty of casserole cheese. Toppings were roast chicken with barbecue sauce, whole shrimp, and chipotle sauce.
The moment I took a bite, the flavor of cheese, soft dough, and toppings blended in my mouth.
“This is so good. Where did you do it?” Hearing this, the children shut their mouths and looked at Hwang Jiho.
Ah, so it was him again.
“Yeah, I made it. The last time I ate it was quite delicious.”
Hwang Jiho was eating his share of pizza with a satisfied expression on his face. Come to think of it, this guy really liked Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, even during his first class.
How did he even make it like this?
“Well, I don’t think I can win with cooking.”
“Why, Jiho? Would you like to cook?”
“…Decomposition. Tasty.”
Han-yi had a resentful expression on her face, but every time she took a bite of pizza, it morphed into one of happiness. She really did seem to like the dish.
“It was because it was delicious.”
While the children expressed their doubts, the best teacher, Maeng Hyo-don, seemed to have given up on thinking. At this, Hwang Jiho suddenly asked. “Where have you been?”
“Oh, you know. Out.”
Jiho had indeed been told about stopping by the dormitory. I could tell I did a really good job at leaving the device provided by the school today.
“Huh.”
I tried to take another bite of the pizza, but now it just felt hardened.
On one side of the living room was a round sofa that can only be found in a cafe. Above it was Min Green, who had fallen asleep with only the corners of her eyes exposed, covering her body with a blanket.
“…Min Green is still there?”
Kwon Lena answered my question. “Green fell asleep while studying. She woke me up a few times, though.”
Huh. That vigilant Green fell asleep among the children. It seemed that there was some relief as the malicious comments disappeared recently. Still, the fact that she had opened her heart to the children of our class remained the same, which was nice, but there was a problem.
Seeing me immersed in her thoughts, Kim Yuri spoke up. “Hahaha, don’t worry. First of all, Green contacted her parents through Mr. Yong! Green said her parents had called me directly, and that she was free to go to sleep. I also want Green to go to sleep.”
The problem wasn’t the parents. In fact, they would be very happy that she had made new friends. However, there was currently someone who was looking for Green.
“Let’s wake her up.”
“Huh? But she’s sleeping so well…”
Before I could make a move, however… The doorbell began to ring relentlessly.
Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong ding dong ding dong.
“Who are you, at this hour?”
“You must be a very quick-tempered person!”
“No one can come at this hour…”
That meant that he must have come.
Kim Yuri, who checked her intercom, said, “The face is not captured on the screen. I think you’re standing very close. Well… … I’ll have to adjust the camera angle later!”
Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong.
“I did a presence detection, but there’s nothing.”
“There is nothing special about risk detection… There will be no major problems.”
Han-yi and Kim Yuri activated their skills and sensed the outside. Hearing this, the children shared their opinions.
“Yes? If there is only one person, no matter what happens, I think we will be able to deal with it on our own, as long as we are not Jin.”
“If the Jin people invaded, they could break into the house and come in. It doesn’t matter if you open it or close it anyway.”
“Oh, it’s noisy. Let’s open it up and think.”
“Yes. I’m sorry to keep you waiting so long, I’ll open it!”
Over the past few months, our classmates had learned each other’s strengths through combat training. All of the above statements were correct. Except for Kwon Lena and Sawol Saeum, in our class, everyone’s attack power was also at the top of Eungwang High.
‘It’s great to use skills calmly and analyze power even in unexpected situations…’
It was probably because of my mood that the kind children in my class had become a little more radical and savage.
“Yes. Let’s open it!” Kim Yuri, the owner of the house, also accepted the children’s opinions and nodded her head.
“Wait a moment.” I tried to stop her from trying to open her door. Instead, she called Hwang Jiho, who was still eating pizza amidst the chaos.
“Hey, Hwang Jiho. You open it.”
Just in case, I had decided to put the most appropriate bullet in my class to use as a shield.
“Huh? Well, sure. Maybe.” Hwang Jiho wiped his hands with a wet tissue and pressed the button to open the front door.
Shhh—
And what I saw when the front door opened stunned me.
Hazy face.
Bloodshot eyes.
Messy hair all over the place. It was Song Dae-seok, who looked like a ghost.
