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Red Lion team building, at an underground banquet hall that leads to the Dragon Clan’s territory.
This place, where Yeom Junyeol’s video performance was usually displayed, was decorated for a party.
There were two huge trees in the center of the banquet hall, one with the logo of the Red Lion and the other with decorations symbolizing the dragon.
There were party ornaments celebrating the safe return of those who were dispatched into the operation.
It was such a colorful party that it was hard to think that there wouldn’t be any guests.
Unlike the atmosphere, however, the conversation was unusual.
“Did you find the shamans?”
“Yes, Master.”
Yeom Bangyeol, who was wearing a Santa hat with the team’s logo on it, listened to the intelligence team’s report with a serious look.
Nok (Green), Byeok (Jade), and Ja (Purple) disappeared while shopping and were found inside the mall.
They were scattered in a maze of the large shopping mall.
They were collapsed among shopping bags full of wrapped gifts.
Yoohwang (Sulfur) and Hong (Red) were also confirmed to be in the prayer room.
The energy wave that tightly locked the door of the prayer room disappeared.
When they opened the door, they found Yoohwang fainted and Hong who didn’t know what to do.
There was one thing in common among the unconscious shamans.
They were covered in black snowflakes.
“Black snow fell in Eungwang High. The fact that they’ve got snow on them is proof that they were here.”
Yeom Bangyeol said as he clicked his tongue.
There is a strong risk in the ability to pray for disaster or misfortune.
If the curse fails or is purified, it returns to the one who cast it.
The shamans who participated in making snow fall in Eungwang High were rather covered with snow, the strong power of purification.
‘I can’t believe it. I’ve always wanted to believe that there is an innocent shaman…’
Yeom Bangyeol believed in the benefactor, but he had a “what if” that he tried to hold onto.
He hoped that it was just some people who are using a power similar to the shamans in hopes of framing them.
However, his hopes were broken by the evidence of the black snow made by the benefactor.
A member of the intelligence team who gave the report asked for confirmation.
“Does this mean that we can consider the four people covered in black snow as traitors, except for Hong?”
“We can’t say for sure.”
Like Yeom Bangyeol, Cheongryong was saving his words from the bittersweet emotions.
Cheongryong recounted the report.
“Didn’t you say that something similar appeared in the forehead of the fainted shamans?”
“Yes, four colors were placed in the same position: sulfur, green, jade, and purple.”
“It’s a trace of the old art of sharing life and death. Those who use this technique together share strength, and when they are hurt, they also share the damage.”
Cheongryong explained the principle of the power used by the four.
“But it takes about ten years to engrave each other’s power. Since Hong has only been a shaman for a few years, she wouldn’t have been able to engrave the technique even if she intended to.”
“So we don’t know how many of them are traitors?”
“Yes. In other words, everyone could be traitors, or it could be just two.”
All they know is the traitors prepared so skillfully and thoroughly.
As the silence was about to lengthen, a bright voice was heard.
“It’s not that we don’t have any clue. Our benefactor sent a message. One of the traitors is Yoohwang.”
A blindfolded Yong Jegun popped in, showing a device message from Jo Euishin.
It was a scheduled message that he received when the communication signal went back up.
The message from Jo Euishin didn’t have supporting evidence, but everyone believed it.
“Yoohwang, the eldest? We have been together for decades…!”
Cheongryong lamented.
Yoohwang stayed more than twice as long in the Dragon Clan than Yeom Bangyeol and the Red Lion.
There was a difference like heaven and earth between being suspected and having been confirmed to be the traitor.
“I’d like to talk with the benefactor. Can you get in touch with him now?”
“I heard it’s going to be hard to contact him for a while.”
“How long should we wait?”
“If his absence is prolonged, we should go find Hwangho.”
While Yeom Bangyeol and Yong Jegun were talking, Cheongryong tried to get a grip on his shaken mind.
It can’t be helped since he’s the head of the Dragon Clan.
“I see. The new year is just around the corner, so let’s wait then and call Hwangho. First of all, the surveillance of Yoohwang is…”
Before Cheongryong continued to talk, Yong Jegun quietly raised his hand to stop him.
Yong Jegun pointed towards the main door of the banquet hall.
There he saw Yeom Junyeol coming in.
Glad to see his son, Yeom Bangyeol asked.
“Did you feel Junyeol’s presence? Or can you see him?”
“I can see. It’s nice that my vision is getting wider despite being blindfolded. My senses became sensitive so the food tastes better too.”
Yong Jegun laughed as he answered with much more than what he was asked.
Yong Jegun’s ecstatic face always made everyone flinch, but seeing him in a blindfold was quite sad.
Cheongryong asked, hiding his disappointment.
“Are you really going to ascend?”
“Probably? I’ll go to Junyeol. It will be easier to talk if he’s distracted.”
Yong Jegun went to Yeom Junyeol with a smile.
He felt the members of the Red Lion team staring at his blindfold, but Yong Jegun feigned ignorance.
Today is the day when his close friend, Eungwang High students, the Dragon Clan, and members of the Red Lion returned home safely and are full of stories.
Now that such a day is coming to an end, he decided to just enjoy it.
“Did you greet your mother, Junyeol-ah?”
“Yes, Jegun hyung. I wanted to bring her to the party, but I don’t think it’s possible.”
Yeom Junyeol went to say hello to his mother, who would’ve been worried about him after he returned home.
He then went to the party and was greeted by everyone.
He was wearing a sweater that fit the Christmas atmosphere.
Yeom Junyeol sincerely and kindly answered everyone who talked to him and asked about what happened at school.
Yeom Junyeol could’ve been tired because he had been awake for several hours, but he was full of energy.
Looking at the energetic Yeom Junyeol, the corners of Yong Jegun’s mouth went higher.
“Did something good happen today?”
“Yes!”
Yeom Junyeol’s excitement from the energy wave link was still there.
How the center suddenly came to him from Geum Chansol and how Hongryong grew bigger the moment he joined the link.
Yeom Junyeol still knew little about the energy wave link, but he was clever enough to know that he was at the center of the powerful force.
‘I was able to do something that the experienced guys and Grandma Chokryong couldn’t do. There’s something that only I can do.’
Yeom Junyeol’s excitement would grow even more if he learned the secret.
His heart throbbed at the thought of the giant Hongryong.
Its power was comparable to the one that the Red Wall Thief summons.
No, maybe he could go even more powerful.
“Something big must’ve happened for you to be this happy, Junyeol-ah, but I guess you can’t say what it is.”
Yong Jegun inferred a lot from Yeom Junyeol’s short reaction.
As Yong Jegun said, the energy wave link is a force that can’t be easily revealed.
Even if he’s family, he promised Jegal to keep it a secret.
But there was someone he could talk to about it.
Jo Euishin already knew about the energy wave link.
‘I can’t believe Euishin knew.’
He heard from Geum Chansol and Wang Chansol that Jo Euishin was aware of the power’s existence.
After successfully dominating an otherworld, Jegal ordered them to be silent about it.
The association also said that very few people knew about the link.
When Jegal was asking him to keep it a secret, Yeom Junyeol noted the Chansol duo’s strange reaction.
Jegal, who was deeply worried that his students would be in danger because of this power, immediately noticed too.
When Jegal asked, the duo confessed that they told Jo Euishin.
— But Jegal-ssaem, your magazine’s first edition was on the line!
— Yes, we had no choice!
— Hey, you’re the class president!
— Let’s impeach the president and vice president!
When Geum Chansol and Wang Chansol sold the secret in exchange for the first edition of Jegal’s magazine, everyone in Class 2-0 had their eyes sharp.
Chaos erupted and Jegal had no time to scold the two as he tried to settle the commotion.
Yeon Garam, who served as the interim representative, made a sharp comment.
— Even if the first edition, there’s no way the Chansols would’ve revealed such a big secret.
Doubts deepened further when they saw Geum Chansol and Wang Chansol’s reaction to Yeon Garam’s words.
The two had faith in Jo Euishin’s rescue of Jegal who was in crisis due to the basement incident.
Class 2-0 went crazy, but Yeom Junyeol was just happy.
He could share this secret with his teacher.
‘I wish I could tell him right away, but the teacher said it would be difficult to contact him.’
Yeom Junyeol recalled the message he received when communication resumed.
It seemed to be a scheduled message from Jo Euishin.
[Teacher] You might not be able to contact me for a while. If things don’t go as planned, more messages will arrive.
Jo Euishin sent the message as a teacher and as a hoobae.
There was something strange about the message.
‘What does he mean I’m going to get additional messages… Does it mean that another scheduled message will arrive if I can’t contact him?’
Jo Euishin seemed to have prepared a lot.
The second message might be the real will of Jo Euishin, but Yeom Junyeol did not know this.
Both messages as teacher and hoobae had a “Merry Christmas” greeting.
‘I received a Christmas greeting, but why don’t I feel happy?’
He couldn’t determine why he felt that way.
For now, Yeom Junyeol replied with a stamp of Hongryong wearing a Santa hat.
However, no matter how long he waited, the message wasn’t read by the receiver.
***
With the sensation of falling infinitely below, the surroundings grew darker and darker.
My eyes remained open, but it was so dark that I could not tell if they were still.
Or perhaps I just didn’t realize.
Maybe I fainted and came to my senses.
It was only after a long period of darkness that I felt my back being pulled on the ground.
It took me a while to lift myself up as the air felt heavy.
When I stood up and blinked a few times, I saw a hazy light.
‘I arrived.’
I have arrived in the world of death, disconnected from the world that I knew.
Looking up at the sky, everything was just black and dark.
There were no stars in this world.
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