“Eushin, thank you for contacting me. Soohyuk said he was looking from the west coast. He almost missed it if he did it wrong. That little bird… Can you explain where Sihoo was and what he was doing?”
While Do Sihoo was still being beaten, Jang Namwook spoke to me. Cursing came out of Jang Namwook’s mouth, but it seemed that he was still pissed off.
“It was first discovered at Seorak Sunrise Park in Sokcho, and the staff there…”
When I finished explaining Do Sihoo’s travels, the military cadets punched him one by one.
Puck! Bang!
The last hit was Jang Namwook’s pop-up European uppercut, followed by another cadet’s flapjack.
Wow!
His fists, straight out toward the sky, pierced through Do Sihoo’s chin cleanly.
“100 million…”
Do Sihoo, who had clenched his teeth and held back the scream, let out a small moan to showcase the pain he received. The combined attack of the cadets seemed painful just by looking at it.
“Sihoo, are you crazy? You almost drowned in an on-campus swimming pool that was less than 2m deep, and suddenly jumped into the sea with a low water temperature and fast flow? Did you want to die?”
That meant that Do Sihoo must have already had a criminal record. Jang Namwook’s face turned white when he said that.
“If you want to die like that, just die right, you bastard!”
“Yeah, it’s the same whether you run through it or drown in the water, but that’s better. What is the crime of the Coast Guard who has to remove the drowning body?”
“Sometimes, the remnants of supernatural powers remain on a player’s body even after death. It may be that our seniors, not the Coast Guard, will have to deal with it.”
The military cadets who captured Do Sihoo to prevent him from escaping began to utter atrocious words. He spoke harshly, but worry was etched on his youthful face, which did not go well with his tight hair.
“…I didn’t mean to die. I thought that if I could swim, other people wouldn’t object.”
“Even if you can swim, if the seasick doesn’t go away, I’ll keep opposing it.”
“Why are you so stupid all of a sudden?”
Do Sihoo who had been sold, looked at Jang Namwook before speaking.
“…Can’t you just cheer me on?”
Jang Namwook’s expression contorted. It seemed that those words sounded like, ‘I want to go die, can’t you just cheer me on?’
He tried to watch, but it proved to be quite difficult to keep his mouth shut.
“Hey. Jang Namwook or your military academy friends will not be able to support you. Not even like me.”
I wanted my playable characters to do whatever they want, but if they were to tell me that they were going to die, they would stop me. If there was no other choice but to go to Saji, I would have to come up with a countermeasure.
“Even if they can’t say what you want, they’re taking your concerns seriously. Do you know that Jang Namwook didn’t even sleep and he ran to look for you?”
Upon hearing that, Do Sihoo looked closely at Jang Namwook’s face. Jang Namwook was dressed in textbook attire like a typical reservist, but his eyes were bloodshot and his lips were open.
The other cadets also had expressions similar to Jang Namwook’s. Finally, I put on an expression that was ignorant of the messed-up expressions of my own friends.
“…Sorry.”
“Even if you apologize, you can’t support me.”
“Hahaha, yes…”
Do Sihoo also apologized to the other children one by one. Looking at that figure, it seemed that Do Sihoo would run out again and not take it. Seeing friends who cared so much, you must’ve felt something.
“Don’t go outside, everyone come in. I’ve come a long way, so let me serve you tea.”
“Yes? Sorry. It’s a bit too much to be an example…”
“Heh heh, if you think it’s rude, come quickly.”
Due to the landlord’s decisive attitude, the cadets of the military academy eventually entered the room.
Inside the hut, we proceeded on the cushions. I asked Jang Namwook with a tired expression as if he had relaxed. “How did you recruit the tiltrotor?”
“One of our riders was rescued from a child who had long been affiliated with a research institute under the Ministry of National Defense. He asked if he wanted to try driving for practice, and he got permission right away.”
It was strange that permission came out right away, but I was of the same age as Jang Nam-wook, and I was driving the tiltrotor myself. There seemed to be many hidden talents in the military academy as well.
Still, I couldn’t help but think about how flashy they were being.
“You submitted it as a proxy for an out-of-towner after Do Sihoo. If it moves conspicuously, the school will recognize it. Will you be okay?”
“It’s okay. As the captain, I will take responsibility.”
It was basically just saying that if one were to get caught, they would be punished. I didn’t know about the others, but I didn’t think Jang Namwook would be okay at all.
‘Was Jang Namwook the captain?’
The captain was selected by the cadets of the rider after entering the player military academy. In the future, he would be the chief executive of his age group until his jockey became a top-class student, and selected a student president from among his classmates.
‘I heard that the chief is usually in charge. He seems to be being trusted with the mass game thing.’
Not only did he not say that he entered Class 2, he seemed to have omitted a lot of important things.
“Let’s see where you got hurt.”
While waiting for the car to be ready. Ham Geun Hyeong was holding a recovery item card and trying to look at Do Sihoo.
“After all, Sihoo has to be right again when he goes back. After Sihoo is all right, we will treat you. I will only be grateful.”
He restrained me very politely so as not to match what Jang Namwook was saying. Do Sihoo, who had been silent with his mouth shut, began to speak in a trembling voice.
“…Uh? Do I have to be right again?”
“Yeah, the kids here lined up to beat you. We are waiting in the first row of the parade ground for our riders.”
“…My head hurts I need to take some medicine.”
As Do Sihoo shook his head, Jang Namwook, who had punched his face several times, asked anxiously.
“Does your head hurt a lot?”
Hearing these words, Do Sihoo exclaimed triumphantly. “I have a headache, so I have to take two pills. A headache is a headache, after all! Hahaha… 100 million!”
Tight!
One of the cadets slapped Do Sihoo in the back of the head, making him shut his mouth.
The atmosphere became colder, and Do Sihoo had on a gloomy expression.
“That bastard was beaten and what happened to his head?” Song Dae-seok, who was hiding Min Green behind him, said harshly.
Sadly, Do Sihoo had that hair even before he was beaten. He felt a little relieved because Do Sihoo seemed to be back to normal.
“The car came. Let’s sit down and listen.”
Artist Hong Kyung-bok was a wide-eyed painter who served tea even after witnessing the one-sided lynching of particular high school students that he had never even seen before. With his words, everyone sat quietly and began to raise their teacups.
The new tea was made by grinding and crushing the ground arrowroot root. The refreshments were made with arrowroot root, ginger juice, and honey.
‘It’s a meeting with no roots.’
Because of the increasing number of strangers, Min Green was hiding behind Song Dae-seok’s collar tightly.
Teacher Ham Geun Hyeong sat in a seat that obstructed Min Green’s view.
The cadets of the military academy drinking stiff tea with their angles.
Hong Kyung-bok, an artist who had a tendency to talk no matter the occasion.
Though this peculiar situation was subtle, the tea ceremony was ended well thanks to the great artist Hong Kyung-bok. And so, things were being resolved as they sipped tea.
“Sorry for making a fuss.”
“Sorry!”
“Heh heh, what are you sorry for? Raise your head.”
Hong Kyung-bok had a happy expression on his face when he saw the good-looking haircuts.
“Then I will go down to see you off.”
“I will go too.”
This situation was a mess because of Do Sihoo’s doings, but today was the day the two priests, the painters representing Korea, would be able to meet after a long time.
It seemed like Song Dae-seok also met Hong Kyung-bok after a long time, so I secretly hoped that he could talk slowly. Teacher Ham Geun Hyeong also went out with us, probably harboring the same thoughts as me.
‘There are people who decided to meet in Hongcheon-gun…’
Actually, from the beginning, I was planning to leave in the middle.
[Me] Senior, I have arrived in Hongcheon. Where should I go?
[Sung Siwan] Where are you? I’ll meet you! Haha.
I had realized I was also supposed to meet Sung Siwan and Gye Dam too today.
* * *
Hassan-ha, the military academy cadets, Ham Geun Hyeong, and Jo Eushin.
Song Dae-seok was watching them through the window.
“Your class vice president is a really good kid. After all, Geun Hyeong is in charge of the homeroom, so I have nothing else to say.” Hong Kyung-bok said, almost as if reading Song Dae-seok.
“Dae-seok, even if you go to school, I don’t think Green will have a hard time.”
Song Dae-seok did not respond to those words but instead looked at Min Green, who was frantically appreciating Hong Kyung-bok’s new work from the other side. The faces of those who had been harassing Min Green as they mentioned his name in his head flashed past.
“Think about it. It’s a chance to spend school days with Green.”
However soon, the Year 1 Class 0 children came to mind.
Min Green also complimented the classmates whenever she had the time.
“I’ll help you too, Dae-seok. Green started school and came to see me, so I made a decision.”
“…Yes?”
Having said that, Kyung-bok Hong manipulated the device and started contacting someone.
Song Dae-seok, who was listening to the conversation next to him, looked as if he was in disbelief.
* * *
After confirming that the cadets were buying Airbus tickets, I decided to join Sung Siwan.
“Looks like you have an appointment.”
“Yes, I decided to meet Sung Siwan. Do you have any plans?”
“Nothing. I have to attack the SSR level dungeon tomorrow, so I plan to stay overnight at the elderly person’s house. Please wait with me until Sung Siwan arrives.”
Ham Geun Hyeong seemed worried about his disciple in an unfamiliar area, even when he didn’t.
Ham Geun Hyeong then added, as if reading my thoughts.
“This area is mentally unstable. During the interseasonal seasons, different worlds always occur multiple times. It is not advisable for you to act alone.”
“Intellect here?”
“Yes.”
So, it was intelligence…
According to the legend of Sammachi in Oeumsan Mountain in this area, the Ley had been severely damaged, so I suppose that was good enough. Hearing Ham Geun Hyeong’s words, he began to guess the cause of his business trip.
“Did Hongcheon-gun’s unstable intelligence have anything to do with the teacher’s business trip?”
“Yes…. I have cleared another world in this area in the past, and I am helping each year with that opportunity.”
If so, then I knew. The incident that blocked Lee Gye-hwa at the Hongcheon-gun ski resort, which started the legend of Ham Geun-hyeong’s Changcheon Myeonggung Palace.
With the advent of the extended dungeon, the gap between the different worlds gradually widened, but the heavy snow was in the midst of a delayed crisis. This was an incident in which Ham Geun Hyeong completely performed the role of the garrison and raid by himself by attacking the dungeon in a short time after subjugating all the external enemies.
‘To attack SSR level or higher dungeons alone at such a young age…’
It was also my playable character and my homeroom teacher’s performance. As I was standing in front of the Airbus terminal and briefly listening to Ham Geun Hyeong’s activities, Sung Siwan appeared immediately.
“Oh, Ham Geun Hyeong! Hello! Is your business trip over?”
“Yes. We plan to return only after clearing the SSR-class otherworld that is scheduled to take place tomorrow.”
“I applied to the association to go attack that too. let’s go together. Gye Dam will also go to the raid.”
“Yes.”
“Good for you. I can only do melee attacks… Oh, sir. Would you like to go have lunch?”
Sung Siwan smiled brightly and invited Ham Geun Hyeong to his house. Ham Geun Hyeong had nothing to do, and because of this, he accepted it right away because he did not want to disturb the bonding time of the painters he had not seen in a long time.
‘Shall I ask that?’
On the way to Sung Siwan’s house. I pretended to be a small talker and decided to dig up Sung Siwan’s origins.
“Is Sung Siwan from Hongcheon?”
“No, my parents moved before I was born. At the time of my pregnancy, a psychic was detected and I went to the player facility. I was born and raised in Seoul. I got into Eungwang High, and my family went back to Hongcheon in the meantime.”
“Is your cousin like that too?”
“Yeah, the Korean language hyung too! The Lee Neung Center where I was located, is the place where Ga Guk Eon hyung came out, and when he was there…”
As I had said before, Sung Siwan began to brag about Seong Guk-eon, and there was no end to it. It was not all that bad to hear the secret story behind my playable character as I walked and listened.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Mr. Ham Geun Hyeong.”
Ham Geun Hyeong looked at the side where the voice came from with a surprised expression.
“Korean language…”
In front of Sung Siwan’s main house, Seong Guk-eon was looking our way
