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Kim Shinrok was busy throughout the festival.
It wasn’t for keeping up with Jiikhoe's work, preparing for the festival with Class 1-1, or enjoying the festival itself.
Flip, flip.
Kim Shinrok carefully turned over the pages of his old diary.
He read the entries with concentration whenever the word “dragon” came up.
He was on the page talking about the day Yong Jegun did something while hiking.
It was the day they made a bet on who could climb the mountain the fastest without using flying skills.
Kim Shinrok arrived first and waited for a long time, but Yong Jegun didn’t come.
At first, he was happy to win, but after waiting for long, he began to worry that Yong Jegun wasn’t showing up.
It suddenly began to rain when he was about to look for him.
‘That dragon used the Cintamani and made it rain on a dry mountain. That actually saved the village under the mountain from a bad harvest.’
While Kim Shinrok wandered through the rainy mountain to find Yong Jegun, the latter quickly reached the top, making a mess of the bet.
When Yong Jegun reached the top of the mountain, he stopped the rain and teased Kim Shinrok, saying that the one to wait at the top first is the winner.
Kim Shinrok remembered the old days and wrote about what happened in a separate manuscript paper.
‘If I collect these stories and distribute them during the festival, the dragon’s recognition will increase. Then his divinity will rise and he will become a superior being faster.’
After learning of Yong Jegun’s wish, Kim Shinrok worked on documenting the miracles that the Cintamani caused on the Korean Peninsula.
Most of the contents of the diary were about Yong Jegun’s mischief, but stories of when he used the Cintamani appear rarely.
He laughed in vain at the ridiculous things that Yong Jegun did, but his laughter dried up quickly.
‘Since when did that guy raise his divinity?’
The most talented martial artist of the Tiger Clan and one of the Four Auspicious Beasts, Baekho.
The head of the Tiger Clan for about 5,000 years, Hwangho.
Those two have been famous since the mythical era and could’ve become higher beings if they wanted to.
But they chose to deny their divinity and remain on the land as Tiger Clan.
Since the two denied their divinity, Kim Shinrok assumed that Yong Jegun also did the same.
In Kim Shinrok’s eyes, Yong Jegun seemed to enjoy life in this world more than Baekho and Hwangho, so he thought that he wouldn’t choose to be a god.
However…
Kim Shinrok felt depressed, thinking that everything was an illusion.
Kim Shinrok rushed to write the manuscript and help his friend realize his wish, albeit belatedly.
The next page of the diary talked about Yong Jegun saving some nightmare dust.
‘The nightmare dust left by Insomnium was found in the Sheep Clan’s territory.’
The head of the Sheep Clan went to another world through a dream and tried to bury the nightmare dust.
However, the moment the head of the Sheep Clan fell asleep with a speck of dust, his mind was eroded at a frightening speed and he had no choice but to get up immediately.
He concluded that it was impossible to take the dust into one’s dreams, and that’s when Yong Jegun appeared.
Yong Jegun received a wish from the Sheep Clan and erased the nightmare dust from this world with the power of the Cintamani.
But he didn’t remove all of them.
‘That dragon gave me some as a gift to help with torture.’
Yong Jegun said ‘I still granted his wish to take care of the dust.’ and gave the little stain of nightmare dust to Kim Shinrok.
Yong Jegun was very excited, saying that he could make debt to both clans and pass over useful gifts to Kim Shinrok.
The nightmare dust was very useful in the torture of the Bear, but Yong Jegun’s act was undoubtedly cunning.
‘…I read it all.’
Before he knew it, Kim Shinrok finished reading his diary.
In front of him was a pile of manuscripts.
When he scanned the papers with his device, he began to print books in to form he entered in advance.
Soon, he produced a booklet in size A6.
On top of the cyan cover was written Cintamani’s Miracles in hard font.
‘I should’ve paid more attention to the cover. Should I change the design after distributing it at the festival?’
He vowed to put Yong Jegun’s ugly face on the cover before the dragon ascended.
Kim Shinrok stored the first printed edition of Cintamani’s Miracles in his drawer as he took dozens of books and headed towards the freshmen building.
‘I missed the first day of the festival, but I can still distribute it on the second day. My class is hosting an event in the freshmen’s gym, so I have to go watch it. And then I’m going to hand out the books…’
At that time, a sudden announcement stopped Kim Shinrok’s thoughts.
— In a few minutes, the battle between Class 1-1 and Professor Yong Jegun will take place. Those except the contestants, please step out of the barricade for safety.
A battle with who and who?
Kim Shinrok stood blankly in the hallway for a long time, doubting if he heard it correctly.
***
The kids from our class gathered in time for the Class 1-1’s battle.
Thanks to Maeng Hyodon and Hani getting good seats, we could see the whole gym.
“Hahaha! The view is pretty good. Great job. Here’s a gift.”
“Oh, this looks delicious. What kind of bread is it?”
“It’s a Kouign-Amann with apple jam. I saw it sold at the bakery run by Class 2.”
“Hm… Professor Yong Jegun is our class’ assistant homeroom teacher, so we should cheer for him right? But I want to cheer for Dain too.”
“Then let’s cheer for both of them!”
“Yeah! Ah, Daesok’s here too. There were a lot of people at your booth. Are you okay?”
“The team leader will take care of it.”
When our class gathered, I saw Kim Shinrok holding a paper bag in both hands as he ran toward Class 1-1.
The bag seemed to be filled with palm-sized brochures.
Hwang Jiho, who was enjoying the toffee nut flat white that Hani picked, suddenly frowned when he saw it.
“…I guess he finally got it done.”
“What?”
“After starting to use the name Yong Jegun, the wishes that the dragon fulfilled became unknown to the public. Kim Shinrok wants people to know about them by spreading the word on the miracles he did.”
A book about the secret miracles of Yong Jegun!
Kim Shinrok seemed sincere about helping Yong Jegun become a superior being after all.
Considering Kim Shinrok’s character, it’s clear that he also recorded in detail even the miracles that Yong Jegun doesn’t remember properly.
I think he’s going to distribute the books, so I should secure a copy for myself.
I thought so, but considering the purpose of making that book, many things bugged me.
“I don’t like how Kim Shinrok’s time is wasted. This body will support Class 1-1.”
“Were you a fan of Class One’s homeroom teacher?”
“Hahahaha!”
Dokgo Miro, who came over to get drinks from Hani, had a subtle expression as she got information that she didn’t want to know.
Dokgo Miro stopped asking when Hwang Jiho burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, Kim Shinrok’s face looked deep in thought.
“I heard the announcement. A battle? What the hell is going on?”
“Welcome, Professor. We are going to have an event with Professor Yong Jegun’s help.”
Ahn Dain greeted Kim Shinrok with a gentle smile.
Kim Shinrok seemed to have doubted if he misheard the announcement because of her perfect and warm greeting.
“Sanghoon will guide you to the best seats.”
Kim Shinrok eventually failed to stop the battle and came over to our side with Yoo Sanghoon’s guide.
As expected, our class really had the best seats.
“Hey, you got any bread left?”
Yoo Sanghoon sat down near our class with Kim Shinrok, who was still somewhat absent-minded.
Yoo Sanghoon didn’t seem to participate directly in this match because he’s monitoring – no, guiding Kim Shinrok.
He looked relaxed as he munched on some bread.
In contrast, the atmosphere of the gym was very sharp.
“Before starting the event, I’d like to suggest something to Professor Yong Jegun.”
“I think the announcement said it was a battle though.”
Ahn Dain and Yong Jegun were smiling as they talked, but the audience held their breath from the pressure that the two exuded.
“Professor Yong Jegun was very interested in our class’ event.”
“Yeah, it sounded like a fun opportunity.”
Class 1-1 boasted extraordinary solidarity so they had many class events planned.
I heard that travel plans are scheduled before school starts next year.
It’s said that they strongly appealed to the school about how thoroughly the plan was made and that the homeroom teacher had to lead the class, winning Kim Shinrok’s promise to accompany them.
The leadership and charisma of class president Ahn Dain was impeccable.
Surprisingly, someone like Yoo Sanghoon is integrated as well.
“If you win in our class event, you can participate in any other events that we have at any time.”
“That’s nice. What happens if I lose?”
Judging from Yong Jegun’s history, I thought the condition would be to stop bothering Kim Shinrok.
Ahn Dani’s proposal, however, was quite moderate.
“Please don’t interrupt when our class and Professor Kim Shinrok are talking.”
They held this event just to ask for that?
According to what Yoo Sanghoon said, the consensus of Class One was quite harsh.
They said that they’d attack Yong Jegun because Kim Shinrok was having a hard time.
But from their observation, they may have decided not to intervene because the two were real friends after all.
Judging from the planning of this event, it seems that the will to attack Yong Jegun hasn’t been dampened though.
‘They want to stop Yong Jegun from picking on Kim Shinrok while they’re with him at least.’
Yong Jegun didn’t seem to expect to hear that proposal, but he looked pleased.
“What do you mean by interrupting?”
“I hope you don’t do anything that interferes with our homeroom teacher’s concentration, such as appearing out of nowhere and pretending it’s a coincidence or contacting him through his device while you’re watching him.”
Taking specific examples, I got an insight into the pranks that Yong Jegun played on Kim Shinrok and Class One.
After hearing the conditions set by Ahn Dain, Yong Jegun’s lips gradually rose as if he was more motivated.
“Okay. Then can you explain the rules?”
“The event that we prepared is treasure-hunting. We prepared this since you seem to like it so much, Professor Yong Jegun.”
Treasure “hunting?”
Ahn Dain continued explaining the rules.
Acquire the treasure by defeating enemies that randomly appear on the map, and hunt the opponent.
“We prepared all non-killing weapons. It would hurt a little if you get hit directly, but getting some damage in a battle is common anyway.”
Looking at the weapons that Ahn Dain gave, I think it would hurt a lot being hit by them though.
In some cases, BB bullets can also tear flesh.
‘Ahn Dain must’ve accumulated a lot of bad blood for Yong Jegun. Still, it’s like her to solve it in such a healthy and helpful way to improve her skills.’
The explanation of the rules went on.
The winner and loser depend on the score earned.
The number of enemies knocked down.
The time limit.
The number of treasures acquired.
And it is said that damage inflicted on the opponent is converted into a score.
‘The Class One kids created a kind of competitive otherworld attack simulation.’
The motivation for preparing this event may be because of Kim Shinrok, but the results were outstanding.
Treasure hunting is a reinterpretation of a simulation attack in the form of a battle game.
I think it could be introduced to combat training if they refine it more.
“They’ve made something great.”
If Hwang Jiho says so, then it might really enter Eungwang High’s curriculum.
“Event maps and places where treasures are hidden will be randomly determined through the simulation program provided by the association. If you want, we can use a program of your choice.”
“I do not doubt fairness. Dain is Shinrok’s student after all.”
“Thank you for your trust.”
The otherworld simulator installed in the playground was then prepared.
The quality would be lower if it’s used outdoors, but the visibility is high inside the closed gy,
Class 1-1 chose to compete confidently with Yong Jegun in public.
Then, I heard Sung Gukeon’s voice.
“It reminds me of the old days. Most of the Class Zero alumni wanted to be dragon slayers.’
The subjugation of Yong Jegun was the common goal of Kim Shinrok’s students!
Perhaps Sung Gukeon also dreamt of being a dragon slayer.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I decided to ask him.
“How about you, sir?”
“If I hadn’t set my eyes on politics, then probably…”
Sung Gukeon laughed, but somehow it sounded sincere.
Come to think of it though, it was unexpected that Sung Gukeon came to Eungwang High for two consecutive days of the festival.
Jeon Muyeong greeted Kim Shinrok and he looked a little tired.
Perhaps they forced their schedule to be able to attend.
‘I wonder what he heard from Yong Jegun during the chess match…’
The referee who was referred to as the “Class Zero reader” manipulated the screen.
Holograms of a countdown floated all over the gym.
“I think it’s starting soon!”
“Fighting, Dain-ah!”
“Hahaha! Win, Class 1-1!”
“Good luck.”
When the number turned to zero, the space beyond the barricade shook and lit up a huge fortress.
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