I knew it wouldn’t be easy to avoid the eyes of the Tiger Clan while moving inside the school.
But I didn’t expect to be confronted so soon.
I thought it would take them much longer since they should be busy with the garden.
“With Gye Idam-gun? Did you fight again? A training facility in the student council hall is dedicated to battles…”
Kim Shinrok openly expressed that he found it strange.
I can’t blame him since it’s only been a few nights since Gye Idam recovered from my beating.
I could make up an excuse that we met up to have another battle, but the time and place were ambiguous.
It would be nonsense that the two key figures of Jiikhoe would accept having a battle in the middle of the night at the student council hall.
“Kim Shinrok visited Gye Idam when he was recovering. You heard the reason for their first battle, correct?”
Kim Shinrok is the adviser of Jiikhoe, so it’s not strange that he’d ask the chairman of the organization why he battled with a freshman dormitory student.
I’m bothered by what that Gye Bastard told him though.
“Gye Idam said he’s done something wrong to Jo Euishin in the past… Weren’t you in a different world with Eunho before you took the practical exam, Jo Euishin?”
“That’s right. That’s why Eunho disregards his age and calls him ‘Euishin hyung.’”
At Hwang Jiho’s words, even Jeokho looked questioning.
That Gye Bastard’s loose tongue makes me want to rage.
If I knew he was running his mouth behind my back like that, I would’ve beaten him up when we were at the student council hall.
Although I’m furious that Gye Idam made things complicated, I decided to be optimistic.
‘It doesn’t matter. I can reveal as much as I want and it would only damage Gye Idam.’
I decided to speak frankly and did my best to be objective about Gye Idam.
“We met a long time ago. He doesn’t have grit, his personality is trash, and he doesn’t know a lot. It doesn’t help that he’s much weaker than me too.”
If there’s anything positive about him, it’s that I can relieve my stress when I hit him.
But even that was a waste of time since looking at his face stresses me out again.
The whole story that I told was of a useless hater and trash personality that was Gye Idam.
When I finished speaking, the tigers were looking at me with their eyes wide open.
Maybe they’re a little surprised that I indirectly admitted that Gye Bastard was from the previous world where I was.
“Hahahaha! I can’t believe you’re capable of saying those words, Jo Euishin! I wonder what Gye Idam has done for you to say all that.”
“Gye Idam’s performance in Eungwang High is not bad. I think he’s a good chairman too. Maybe he’s changed a little or he’s hiding his true colors in this world.”
Kim Shinrok showed care to the student who belonged to Jiikhoe.
I guess he really is worried about Gye Idam.
Jeokho looked at his son with a happy expression as if he knew his son’s heart.
“Now we knew very well what you think of Gye Idam. So it must be an extremely important thing that you did in the student council hall that night for you to accept being with Gye Idam, correct?”
Gye Idam once again ruined everything.
I would tell the tigers about this anyway, but I decided to blame it on Gye Idam.
‘I should be careful with my words.’
After a glimpse of his life, I learned why the former head of the association was so wary of the royal lineage and their descendants.
The counterpart who made the deal with the former head was the Demon Race who joined hands with some other royal lineage clan.
That royal lineage, who was quite well-known in Korea, hid their intentions and approached the former head of the association.
They reached out to the former head of the association, saying that they should join forces to stabilize the Korean peninsula.
The former head seriously considered joining hands with them.
Fortunately, the head managed to escape.
‘It’s largely possible that that royal lineage is the Long Tail.’
Knowing how cleverly the royal lineage tried to seduce the former head of the association, the former head taught his children to be wary of all royal lineages and descendants.
Two generations later, Sung Siwan was relatively not very wary of royal lineages, but Sung Gukeon was different.
What Sung Gukeon experienced in Eungwang High may have had a great influence on that.
‘I’m sure the Tiger Clan isn’t the one who tried to lure the former head. I can tell them.’
I wanted to organize my thoughts and deliver a little more information, but now that we’ve come to this, I should give them an idea.
I’ll reserve the method of how royal lineages are determined and attacked, but I’ll deliver the information that needs to be said here.
“Do you remember who was the head of the association during the Dark Ages, specifically when Iron Arm Song Manseok sunbaenim started his career as a player?”
“I remember.”
Hwang Jiho answered right away.
I thought this negligent man would’ve forgotten.
“I used an alter ego that I don’t use now. He must’ve thought I died.”
Hwang JIho appeared in the former head’s memory.
Decades ago, in the form of a corporate president who became the predecessor of the Hwangmyeong Group.
Roughly calculating it, that alter ego should be older than Hwang Myeongho, the oldest alter ego currently being used by Hwang Jiho.
“Oh, I remember that time too.”
“Me too…”
Jeokho and Kim Shinrok nodded as well, expressing that they remember the former head of the association.
It’s a pretty old story, but since the former head came to Hwang Jiho to ask a favor, I’m sure they remember him.
“I didn’t expect him to come to see me and borrow the Cheonja since we didn’t know each other. He had a lot of nerve.”
Cheonja, the cruiser owned by Hwangmyeong Group.
It’s a huge passenger ship now used as a practical battleship for Eungwang High students because it’s become old over the years.
In the Dark Ages, Cheonja, which was made with otherworld ores, was once drafted into the association and the Players Military to deal with the otherworlds that spawn at sea.
Although it was supposed to be drafted, considering the situation of the association and the government, the Tiger Clan was put in a position where it was difficult to go against them.
It would be dangerous if they offended the Tiger Clan.
If Hwang Jiho was displeased, he wouldn’t lend the Cheonja.
“I felt his strong character and spirit even though we didn’t talk for long. Indeed, it was characteristic of a player who overcame that era. Does he have anything to do with this?”
“Yeah.”
Kim Shinrok said he remembered the former head of the association, so I think he knew what I’m going to say.
His face turned pale, confirming my assumption.
“He’s Sung Gukeon and Sung Siwan sunbaenim’s grandfather.”
Hwang Jiho’s eyes widened a little.
“Now that you say it, he does look quite similar to Sung Gukeon. Strangely I didn’t think of that.”
Sung Gukeon also came to Hwang Jiho to ask for something.
Even though he had never met them both at the same time, the two looked very similar to each other so it couldn’t be missed.
“I got to know him because of my sunbaes. And then I got the information he left behind…”
I met Sung Gukeon when I became closer to Sung Siwan.
The mysterious stories of Eungwang High that I investigated at Sung Gukeon’s request, the Imoogi’s Exorcism and how I recaptured it, the secret passageway between the student association hall and student council hall where an otherworld simulator is hidden, what happened that night…
So many things happened, but I omitted most of them.
I confided only necessary information to the tigers.
“About 20% of the information was lost, but I found an important clue.”
“What is it?”
“About the royal lineage who joined hands with the Demon Race and planted the hidden frozen otherworlds.”
I turned on my device and expanded the map data extracted from the chip.
The developed map had some red dots on it, and next to them were notes that I wrote.
“I specified the time, place, and method of contact between that royal lineage and the Demon Race. It’s pretty old information, so it’ll take some time to track completely.”
I was worried that the old information would be difficult to deal with, but the tigers didn’t seem to think so.
They looked at the map with bright faces.
“This is good enough, Jo Euishin. We’ll take care of the rest. Well done.”
“It seems that they were hiding the contact using their concealment skill. It’s hard to catch that, but once it’s revealed, it’s easy to dig. I think this is enough to track them.”
The tigers looked pleased as they saved the map and the memos attached.
Their expressions sent a chill down my spine.
It felt like they were going to shower me with gifts.
“Hahaha, our benefactor continues to be gracious. I don’t know how to repay him at all.”
“I might not be able to repay him for the rest of my life.”
“I will always be indebted to Jo Euishin-gun.”
I thought it was over, but the tigers poured out a baptism of gratitude again.
The minutes they spent praising me were more painful than when I analyzed the data chip all night.
I was thankful that Baekho-gun just silently looked my way.
And when I became groggy from their praise attack, Hwang Jiho ambushed me.
“But why did you meet with Principal Hwangbo Yoon? Is she related to this information?”
…I don’t think I can reveal that yet.
I tried to change the subject.
“I wanted to see her since I think she and the former head had a personal relationship.”
Hwang Jiho seemed suspicious of my excuse, but he didn’t interrogate me further, perhaps because I’m regarded as the benefactor.
Just in time, Kim Shinrok needed to leave for school, and thanks to that, I was also able to get out of the place.
The tigers seemed to want to call me to the mansion, but I escaped under the excuse that my dorm room was closer to where we were.
I was only let go when I promised that I’d go back to my dorm room to sleep, eat and take my medicine on time.
* * *
I slept a dreamless sleep and woke up in a silent and dark room.
I organized my thoughts and analyzed the information when I returned to my room, and I remember that I ate and took my medicine as promised.
When I opened my eyes, the days changed again and it was already dawn.
I was surprised that I fell asleep for more than 12 hours.
I was indeed exhausted, but who knew I’d sleep for that long?
I opened my device to check the schedule.
‘CSAT D-1’ was written.
I had nothing to do with it, but our class has to prepare an event for the third graders…
I was ashamed that I wasn’t able to help out with the preparations since I was so busy.
‘They said we only have morning class today.’
In the afternoon, there are optional classes that all year levels take together.
Therefore, only general classes will be held today.
I left for school early, vowing to attend school.
It was still dark when I left my room, but students were already walking here and there.
Most of them were freshmen and sophomores, and everyone seems to be preparing their events for CSAT too.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been the first one in.’
Year One Class Zero classroom.
There was no one else yet.
There were traces of event preparation everywhere, a completely different scene from the bloodied classroom that the former head of the association showed me.
I looked at the festive traces and waited for the other kids to arrive.
The first one to arrive was Kwon Lena.
“Hi, Euishin-ah. Did you rest well?”
Kwon Lena spoke brightly.
It was different from the tired appearance I had recently seen.
“About the app that you told me about last time. I’m using it well. Thanks.”
The search engine app?
That time, Kwon Lena was anxious because she couldn’t contact Lee Yeoreum, but from the look on her face, it seemed that things went well.
“Did you get in contact with her?”
“Yup! She said she was done being investigated by the association. But she said she’d be busy because she has a new job…”
Kwon Lena was smiling, but there was something that bothered me.
The time when Kwon Lena and Lee Yeoreum got in contact.
It was around the time when Hong Gyubin was withdrawn from all cases related to the Namgung Group.
‘Is it just a coincidence? Or…’
I was lost in thought as I listened to Kwon Lena talk brightly about Lee Yeoreum.
