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Before it snowed, Yong Jegun was alone in Stalemate’s club room.
Looking out the window, some students walked around preparing for the Christmas event, but it was quiet.
Although some civilians were already let in, there was still a long way to go before the performances and some places were yet to be fully ready.
‘Should I have done something by myself?’
Although there were no longer active chess club members, Stalemate wasn’t abolished yet since members still had their names on the membership list.
The year after this though, Yong Jegun wasn’t optimistic about the club’s survival.
It’s uncertain whether students would join extracurricular clubs at all.
‘I hope our members would increase someday and we’d become official again.’
Compared to Yong Jegun’s long life, the history of the small-time chess club Stalemate wasn’t very long.
Stalemate was created when Yong Jegun’s close friend started using the identity of Kim Shinrok.
Kim Shinrok served as the first adviser to Jiikhoe, but he stepped down when Jiikhoe stabilized.
Students who admired Kim Shinrok would visit him once every time a new club was created to ask him to be the adviser.
Whenever that happened, Kim Shinrok would refuse using all kinds of excuses.
However, the students who wanted to build the chess club were a little persistent.
— Professor Kim Shinrok! We saw you studying chess that one time.
— You played the black pieces, right Professor? The person who played white was almost pro-level, but you responded very well, Professor!
— Right, you were prepared for a stalemate as early as the middle game.
— If the other person noticed it a little later, it could’ve been a stalemate…!
Kim Shinrok studied chess during breaks, something that seemed to have caught the students’ attention.
The students who were trying to create a small chess team immediately tried to get Kim Shinrok as their first adviser.
When Kim Shinrok gently expressed his refusal, the kids stepped down at once.
Unfortunately, however, he was found studying chess notation on his own, firing up the students’ attention once again.
— Professor Kim Shinrok, do you want me to say no for you?
— …
After confirming that no one was around, Kim Shinrok replied curtly.
— Mind your own business.
— I see. But if you’re going to play chess seriously, why don’t you make a small chess team and study it with the kids? It won’t be that easy to beat that mythical tiger at chess, you know.
— How did you…! Ah.
Yong Jegun laughed out loud after seeing Kim Shinrok’s reaction.
Kim Shinrok was annoyed that Yong Jegun played him.
His list of friends was quite narrow, and Kim Shinrok only had a few people to play against.
It was clear that he was so focused on studying chess to beat a certain someone.
In that case, it would be a certain tiger or a certain dragon.
‘Shinrok stopped coming over to play when Junyeol was born so I don’t think it’s a dragon. Then it’s a tiger, obviously.’
Three tigers are likely to play against Kim Shinrok.
First was Jeokho, his father, though that was unlikely.
There’s a possibility that they’ve made up enough to play against each other, but if that were the case, Kim Shinrok would’ve been in a much better disposition.
Then the remaining candidates were Hwangho and Baekho, the mythical tigers.
— I don’t think it’s Hwangho-ssi. The Guardian has been out of Eungwang District a lot these days. I didn’t know Baekho-ssi was good at chess.
— …
After Yong Jegun effortlessly deciphered the situation, Kim Shinrok looked at him with a fed-up face.
Yong Jegun rolled his head and tried to trick Kim Shinrok to give further details.
In the end, Kim Shinrok gave up and told him the detailed story.
—…Baekho-nim taught me how to play chess. I want to win at least once or at least get a draw or a stalemate.
It was well-known that Baekho, who lost his true name after the otherworld occurrences, has heaven’s wrath.
Baekho was tied to Eungwang District, but it was difficult to see his face.
Baekho seemed to be wandering around Eungwang in a tight mood.
Kim Shinrok, Baekho’s student, was very disappointed.
The two seemed to be playing chess recently.
Kim Shinrok looked happy to have that connection with his teacher.
— I want to keep playing chess, but getting too close to students with my new identity…
Kim Shinrok’s short words were full of anguish.
Yong Jegun proposed something to ease his friend’s heart.
— How about I learn it too?
— …Huh?
— Call me the next time those kids look for you.
And so Yong Jegun became the adviser of the chess club, Stalemate.
Yong Jegun found Kim Shinrok’s determination to get at least a stalemate with Baekho impressive.
Kim Shinrok was the initial reason, but Yong Jegun grew attached to chess and Stalemate in his own way, to the point of being the adviser for more than ten years.’
‘Shinrok couldn’t get that stalemate with Baekho in the end.’
Kim Shinrok made his own efforts.
Yong Jegun helped Kim Shinrok win over Baekho.
Along with the children from the small chess team, they studied several techniques that Baekho had, and Yong Jegun also played against Kim Shinrok’s match.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t win or get a draw.
‘Baekho-ssi became stronger every time.’
Baekho was hard to reach so Kim Shinrok couldn’t play with him often.
But the problem wasn’t just the number of matches.
Baekho was too strong and seemed to improve with every game.
In particular, whenever Kim Shinrok would try for a stalemate, Baekho notices it and smashes all chances like a ghost.
‘…I wanted to see Shinrok win someday.’
Yong Jegun thought it would be better to keep the chess team going until next year, even if it’s a little too much to handle.
Just in time, Yeom Junyeol, Dragon Clan’s descendant, will return next year from studying abroad.
When Yong Jegun thought about asking him if he knew any of his juniors who played chess…
‘…It’s snowing.’
Outside the window, Yong Jegun saw snowfall.
Dragons are weather-sensitive.
Yong Jegun, whose main body is the Cintamani, is less affected than other dragons.
He felt eerie as he quietly watched the snowfall.
‘It’s not regular snow!’
The snow was filled with bitter energy.
Yong Jegun rushed out.
Students who were carrying luggage outside were happy to see the snow.
“Wow, it must be a white Christmas this year.”
“There was no mention of snow in the weather forecast though. Should we set up some tents?”
“…This feels strange.”
“Oh, something must be going on at the main gate. It’s at the north… no, the west… Wait. Oh? Communication signal’s cut off.”
Students with insight skills and sensitive eyes stared in horror.
The students from autonomous organizations tiled their heads while trying to operate their devices.
“Go inside.”
“…Professor Yong Jegun?”
“Contact the other kids and evacuate them into the building. Don’t get hit by the snow.”
“Eh? W-wait, communication is off right now…”
Yong Jegun’s expression darkened.
It was snowing when it shouldn’t, and the communication signal was suddenly cut off.
It was obvious that someone was attacking Eungwang High.
The malice that lurked over Eungwang High little by little for the past year culminated in this snow that tried to swallow Eungwang High.
‘Something’s coming!’
When the snow was piled up enough to be submerged.
Something appeared from the snow.
The confused students exclaimed at the sight.
“Enemies…!”
“Impossible…! Eungwang High has a boundary!”
“No, an enemy got in last year too…”
Surprised, students prepared to fight.
However, when they tried to materialize their item cards…
Their weapons couldn’t be actualized.
Their energy waves were blocked, not letting them materialize cards easily.
They felt as if their whole body’s energy waves were frozen by the snow.
Screeeeech…!
Through the snowstorm, enemies approached the students with a grotesque sound.
Between the frozen students and the slowly approaching enemies, a space summoned by Yong Jegun appeared.
Fwaaa!
As if they didn’t have high intelligence, enemies began tapping on the space instead of going after the students.
They seemed to be learning how to move.
“Go inside. Avoid the snow and your energy waves will return to normal.
“Okay…!”
Yong Jegun wandered around the school to save the students.
Since preparations for the Christmas event were ongoing, many students were all over the central area.
Some were isolated in other areas while some were fleeing.
Yong Jegun moved to save them one by one.
‘This is strange. I’m in a very good condition.’
Yong Jegun hasn’t been clear-headed since his friend died, but today was different.
His mind was as clear as if it had borrowed the spirit of a very clear-headed player.
Yong Jegun defeated enemies strategically and efficiently and saved the most students possible.
‘I’m in an exceptional condition today. That’s a relief.’
Yong Jegun tried to find out what was going on while he saved the students.
Although communication was blocked, some students communicated the situation to the outside through skills or items.
What Yong Jegun figured out was as follows;
First, Eungwang High was blocked right after the snow.
Second, the flow of time seemed to be different between the outside and inside of Eungwang High.
An hour outside corresponded to ten hours inside the school.
‘Someone distorted the boundary using this snow.’
It takes several hours to destroy the boundary that wrapped Eungwang High and send professional player teams inside.
Students had to endure for hours dealing with the snow and rising number of enemies until outside support arrives.
Although students were rescued and barricaded around thanks to the direction of student representative Do Wonwoo, the situation was precarious as enemies grew in number.
‘There must’ve been an emergency exit and escape route in Eungwang High, but why…’
In consideration of the boundary malfunctioning, several emergency exits were installed in the school.
Do Wonwoo moved to get the students to those exits, but for some reason, every single one was blocked.
That was the doing of a freshman student who escaped after hearing the word from Choi Pyeondeuk.
The student closed the emergency exits and sealed them with SSR-rank items.
The teachers and students were unaware of this and suffered casualties as they tried to retreat from the blocked exits to the student association hall.
Waaang, kwaaang…!
While wandering around and rescuing the students, Yong Jegun heard a strange sound.
Although his view blocked the snowstorm, he realized that he had arrived outside the school site.
Kwaaag, wang, wang!
It was the sound of the distorted boundary.
Someone was trying to break it.
As he approached, Yong Jegun realized who was outside.
‘Baekho…!’
Baekho was trying to break the boundary.
He was wielding the great sword outside the boundary.
Even though it would be impossible to break the boundary alone, which was made with the combination of the twelve clans’ powers and an unknown someone, Baekho continued to try to break it.
‘…I can go outside now.”
Yong Jegun had a secret item.
Dragon King’s Scales.
It was a scale given by the Dragon King to his beloved Cintamani.
He could escape if he uses the item in time for the moment Baekho swings his sword.
Yong Jegun could escape alone.
‘…But I won’t be able to come back inside once I’m out.’
As soon as it continues to snow, the boundary will remain intact.
The passage of time is different inside and outside the boundary, so while Yong Jegun gathers dragons for backup, it will be devastated inside the school.
In that case, it seemed that Yong Jegun would never be able to wish for his friend’s revival again.
Since his friend treasured the students, if Yong Jegun went outside and abandons them, his friend would never forgive him.
His friend would never answer his wish.
Yong Jegun kept feeling like someone was pushing him to go outside, so he spoke to himself, determined.
“I don’t want to go outside though.”
Kwang! Wang!
Yong Jegun looked up at the sky, ignoring the sound in his ears.
At that time, he felt strange as he looked through the pouring snowflakes.
‘…That’s?’
Before Yong Jegun connected his thoughts, a student’s scream blew him away in the distance.
He wandered to save students until he was exhausted.
The accumulating snow, the screams of the students, and the growing number of enemies…
Yong Jegun vaguely felt a huge conspiracy facing the school.
Even if he tried his best to save the students, he can’t change the ending.
Fwiiisss…!
As soon as his body and soul reached its limit, he heard the sound of something cracking.
Yong Jegun’s main body, the Cintamani, cracked little by little and eventually disappeared into powder.
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