Translator: Wan ED/PR: Solarin
66. Another candidate (5)
As time went on, Gye Idam’s condition worsened.
As if aware of Gye Idam’s state, Seong Siwan talked with him often.
Around the start of the 2nd semester, it wasn’t just Seong Siwan, but also the Guideline Club members seem to feel that Gye Idam became strange.
“Idam-ah, is your condition not good?”
“…”
Gye Idam couldn’t properly answer Oh Hyeji’s question and shook his head.
He also thought that his condition recently wasn’t very good, but every time others showed concern about him, he felt a surge of anger in him.
It was even more so when some particular people worried about him.
He worked hard to find commonalities between those particular people, but gender, age, occupation and personalities — they had not even one thing in common.
If he only picked the people, who instigated that upset feeling in the Guideline Club, they were the Guideline Club’s advisor Ham Geun-hyeong, the next Guideline Club’s president Oh Hyeji and the follow members Cheon Dongha and Ma Jinseung…
Even just thinking about them made him dizzy.
‘What are they worried about my state? In any case, those guys will, will…’
When his thoughts were cut off again, a message arrived on his device.
At Ham Geun-hyeong’s recommendation, he took a complete medical examination in the center zone’s infirmary no. 1, and it seemed that the results came.
Gye Idam hastily checked the message.
‘The result of the examination… everything normal.’
His body’s condition and even superpower wave were all normal.
Besides the signs of sleep deprivation, there was nothing particularly out of the norm.
Gye Idam felt a chill go down his spine.
‘I’m normal?’
The medical specialist at the Korean Republic most prestigious Player highschool judged him as normal.
He might have to live his entire life like this.
No, he will surely go crazy one day before he dies according to his life expectancy.
“Idam-ah.”
As he urgently closed the hologram and turned his head in the direction from which he heard a voice, he saw Cheon Dongha.
He was looking at him with eyes as if he saw through everything.
For people with weak guts, they would be frightened by Cheon Dongha’s cold gaze and spirit, and might have confessed to nonexisting crimes.
However, perhaps because Gye Idam got accustomed to Cheon Dongha over the last few months of seeing him, or perhaps because he learned that even though he looked cold, he treated people around him warmly, he didn’t think much of it.
Cheon Dongha spoke with a calm voice as usual.
“Take a break from the Guideline Club’s activities for a while.”
“… Why?”
Though he asked why, he could easily guess the reason.
It was clear that his aggressive response every time an incident occurred became a problem.
Not long ago, Ma Jinseung almost got hurt because he wrongly shot the superpower gun when the 3rd year class 0 attacked the old school for the fifth time.
It was wrong for Ma Jinseung to jump out without covering his front or back, but the fault of Gye Idam, who took out the gun straight away and took a poor aim, was even bigger.
‘If not the Student Department Head Teacher-nim, Ma Jinseung could be hurt…’
That day, Ham Geun-hyeong showed his miraculous skills by shooting the bullet with an arrow and preventing the crisis.
Ham Geun-hyeong didn’t scold Gye Idam much, but he told him to submit a letter of reflection about this incident after carefully reading the superpower weapon usage manual.
He expected Cheon Dongha to throw some word of criticism, but he didn’t mention anything about this matter.
“These days, the 1st year class 0 listens to teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim very well, so there is less work. I and Jinseung will manage on our own.”
He thought that he should quit the Guideline Club someday, but for some reason, he didn’t like to let go of the work like this.
As if to reassure Gye Idam, who couldn’t answer ‘Got it’ and hesitated, Cheon Dongha added:
“Tell me if anything happens. It’s fine even if it’s not related to the Guideline Club.”
Like this, Gye Idam took a break from the Guideline Club activities.
Gye Idam, who had some spare time, started to investigate what was happening to him.
But the more he investigated, no answer came, and his doubts only deepened.
‘Symptoms and phenomena that can’t be explained by science or superpowers…’
Gye Idam, who before searched for materials through his device, visited the central library.
He hoped that there might be an answer in the collection gathered by the principal weirdo, bookworm Hwangbo Yun.
As Gye Idam was searching books with related keywords in the central library, Heo Chaea from the same class spoke up to him.
“Are you investigating Eungwang School’s ghost stories perhaps?”
Heo Chaea belonged to the Library Club.
Because of the immense quantity of books and size, the Eungwang School’s Library Club, which organized books and guided the lost children, always suffered from heavy workload.
Even in all this business, Heo Chaea seemed to plan to help Gye Idam.
He wanted to refuse like always, but the words ‘Eungwang School’s ghost stories’, bothered him.
“… Eungwang School’s ghost stories?”
“Ye, I thought about it when looking at your search keywords. They are covered by the Newspaper Club every two or three years, but there are many unexplained things.”
Something, which identity wasn’t revealed even after it was investigated by the outstanding students of Eungwang School and existed as a ghost story.
Gye Idam took a faint hope in this fact.
Didn’t his symptoms got much more serious after he came to the Eungwang School?
He thought that his symptoms may be somehow related to the Eungwang School’s ghost stories.
After that, Gye Idam threw himself into investigating Eungwang School’s ghost stories.
‘There are many ghost stories and many of them are unclear, so they may be something related to me…’
Gye Idam’s investigation of Eungwang School’s ghost stories soon ran into trouble.
Even the Newspaper Club, which gathered people with the most information power in Eungwang School, failed to properly reveal the truth, so it was impossible to figure out the truth behind the ghost stories with Gye Idam’s personal investigation.
Even so, Gye Idam didn’t give up.
“Uh? It’s Idam-i! Come in. What did you come for?”
The Earthly Wings Council’s room, which he visited to investigate the ghost stories related to the Heavenly Wings Mountain.
He visited the Earthly Wings Council’s room targeting a quiet time, but not long after he entered, Seong Siwan appeared.
From all the people, the most meddlesome person in the Earthly Wings Council came.
Thinking he got caught by an annoying senior, Gye Idam replied half-heartedly.
“… It was opened, so I entered.”
“Hahaha, I’m not asking what you’re doing here, but I’m trying to help if I can. The doors to the Earthly Wings Council’s room are always opened.”
On the side, Seong Siwan explained ‘the reason the Earthly Wings Council’s room are always opened’.
Unlike the other facilities inside the Earthly Wings Hall, the door to the Wings Council’s room’s door was manual instead of automatic, and it didn’t have a lock function.
It was to tell that the Wings Council’s room were open to any dormitory student.
“It looks like materials about Eungwang School’s ghost stories. Do you like ghost stories?”
Gye Idam opened a hologram to find the materials about the ghost stories, and Seong Siwan asked, seeing this.
Gye Idam neither exactly liked nor hated ghost stories, but it was annoying to explain the reasons, so he just nodded.
After that, every time he tried to investigate the ghost stories related to the Earthly Wings Council, Seong Siwan would appear and start to talk to him.
He even chatted about things unrelated to the ghost stories.
“Actually, teacher Choe Pyeondeuk almost became the Earthly Wings Council’s advisor this year.”
According to Seong Siwan, the teacher, who was the Wings Council’s advisor until last year, retired from old age, and they were looking for a new advisor.
But the only teacher, who revealed the will to take on the role of the Earthly Wings Council’s advisor was Choe Pyeondeuk.
Because Choe Pyeondeuk spread the words that he is going to be the next Earthly Wings Council’s advisor, the other teachers avoided clashing with Choe Pyeondeuk and refused the Earthly Wings Council’s advisor position.
“So we tried to talk to the People, who wouldn’t be influenced by teacher Choe Pyeondeuk-nim. Teacher Yong Jegeon-nim, who was among them, gave a suggestion.”
Yong Jegeon was also picked as a teacher, who wouldn’t be influenced by Cheo Pyeondeuk.
Luckily, no, regretfully, Yong Jegeon was the advisor of the chess small group, so he said that he can’t take on the role of the Earthly Wings Council’s advisor.
Instead, Yong Jegeon gave the Earthly Wings Council’s students very useful information.
— Have you tried asking teacher Kim Sinrok-nim? He was the first Earthly Wings Council’s advisor.
Hearing that, the Earthly Wings Council’s students all went to find Kim Sinrok and bowed their heads.
Kim Sinrok showed reluctance, saying that he was the first advisor of the Earthly Wings Council, but it was just for one year and he didn’t know much about the Earthly Wings Council’s work.
But at the end of the Earthly Wings Council’s endless persuasion, he finally nodded his head.
‘It’s lucky that Cheon Pyeondeuk didn’t eat up the Earthly Wings Council. But…’
Gye Idam didn’t think it was that lucky.
He knew that Kim Sinrok wasn’t a very bad teacher, but there was a strange unease in his heart.
On the other hand, as if worried about Gye Idam, who didn’t look to be in a good condition, Seong Siwan’s meddling continued.
He often ran into Seong Siwan on the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain, but he really had no idea why could they keep meeting like this in the vast Heavenly Wings Mountain.
“Are you okay?”
Seong Siwan dealt with the wild boar that attacked Gye Idam and said this.
Because he showed sincere worry, it only added to Gye Idam’s annoyance.
Being unable to quite figure out the cause of that annoyance made Gye Idam even more mad.
“I could capture it myself.”
“Hahaha, I know that very well.”
Gye Idam asked, as if interrogating.
“… Why on earth are You doing this?”
It wasn’t a question about simply taking out the wild boar.
At Gye Idam’s words, Seong Siwan slightly downcast his eyes as if embarrassed.
It seemed that Seong Siwan himself was also conscious of the fact that he was annoying his junior.
“Because the night I saw you and Gihwan-i on the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain hangs on my mind.”
Then why wasn’t he chasing Woo Gihwan and annoying him?
Between him, who was a member of the Guideline Club and Woo Gihwan, who belong to the class 0, wasn’t Woo Gihwan naturally the dangerous one?
“Even though Giwhan-i is mentally wandering, he always prepares to battle with teacher Im Yeonhwa-nim or Wonu. So I’m not worried, but you… It feels like you’re not thinking about what you’re going to do next.”
It was difficult for Gye Idam to cope with what he was going through right now.
So it was hard to think what he was going to do next.
Gye Idam had no idea how Seong Siwan saw through his situation.
However, it didn’t change the fact that Seong Siwan felt annoying.
‘Woo Gihwan doesn’t bother him as much as me… in that case…’
Gye Idam, who sought a solution, came up with a good way.
Why won’t he use Woo Gihwan-type solution!
Recalling Woo Gihwan talking this and that about a victory against his homeroom teacher, Im Yeonhwa, Gye Idam said:
“Let’s spar.”
“Uh? Suddenly a spar?”
“If I win, You won’t bother me again.”
Seong Siwan made a surprised expression, but soon he smiled and nodded.
“Okay.”
Gye Idam was confident.
Because Gye Idam’s abilities were most optimized for battles against Players.
He believed he wouldn’t have any difficulty overpowering that smirking nice senior.
‘Now the annoying senior won’t follow me.’
But the spar ended with Gye Idam’s complete defeat.
Be it terms of Gwangrim and skills, Gye Idam lost to all of them.
Even though Gye Idam fully mobilized his Gwangrim ‘Night Silence Fog’, which restricted the opponent’s superpower wave, it was impossible to block Seong Siwan.
Seong Siwan crushed the superpower gun with a stiletto and overpowered Gye Idam with gwonbeop[1].
“I won, so I’m going to continue to bother you in the future.”
Gye Idam was upset, but he couldn’t help but acknowledge his defeat.
As Seong Siwan declared, he continued to bother him.
Gye Idam ended up searching Eungwang School’s ghost stories with Seong Siwan, and spending time with him.
And because of that, he began to be influenced by Seong Siwan.
He even made up his mind to join the Earthly Wings Council to help Seong Siwan, who was elected as the Earthly Wings Council’s president.
A few days after the student representative election ended and new representatives were decided, Gye Idam submitted a letter of resignation to the Guideline Club.
“… You really are going to quit the Guideline Club and go to the Earthly Wings Council?”
Oh Hyeji, who became the Guideline Club’s president, didn’t hide her regrets.
However, she didn’t actively hold him back.
Because it was clear that Gye Idam became brighter and more stable thanks to Seong Siwan.
“There are many capable kids in the Guideline Club.”
Gye Idam looked at Cheon Dongha and said as if making an excuse.
“Yeah, leave the Guideline Club to me!”
He didn’t speak to Ma Jinseung, but Ma Jinseung replied powerfully.
If it was the past, he would yell at him inside, but he didn’t feel like this now.
‘Well, that bastard is a duncehead, but he isn’t a bad bastard, so he will be of good help for Cheon Dongha.’
When he was about to leave the Guideline Club, Oh Hyeji said:
“I won’t process the resignation. Came to play at the Guideline Club any time you want.”
There were nothing but good people in the Guideline Club.
There was a time when he didn’t like it very much and was irritated, but now he didn’t feel that.
His thoughts might have changed, as he watched Seong Siwan, who was meddlesome and accustomed to being kind and receiving kindness from people.
And then, the day the Eungwang School’s practical exam came.
Gye Idam was assigned the role of a guide to accompany the examinees, who lost their way to the test site.
All the students of the autonomous organizations were mobilized and assigned across the Eungwang School, but as the school was vast, no matter how the students were distributed, they couldn’t cover the whole campus.
‘How was it when I was an examinee?’
Naturally, he didn’t remember well.
No, he shouldn’t remember well, but… something was not right.
Like his head was clearing up, he started to recall everything.
Thanks to the sudden flood of an enormous amount of information, Gye Idam at last found the answer to the doubts he had held until now.
‘PMH…!’
Gye Idam remembered that his name wasn’t originally Gye Idam.
And he recalled everything about PMH.
‘Wait, then this is… 13 group right now!’
At that moment, broadcast rang out throughout the school.
Its content seemed like gibberish from a person with mental problems.
— I chose a few among the lads I plan to kill. If you want to save them, good luck searching. Over!
He heard the voices of other students in the distance.
“Jin’s attack!”
“Check all the testing sites!”
“Find the supervisor you can’t contact!”
“… There are so many, I can’t count all of them. There are People, who are difficult to reach during the exam!”
Gye Idam felt like his vision was turning pure white.
That tutorial he did exactly once and then skipped, its story was unfolding before his eyes.
‘Those kids were going to die anyway, so I just skipped it…!’
At the time when he played, Gye Idam didn’t think of anything else but ‘I hope that An Dain will quickly appear’.
It even took Gye Idam a while to recall that the target of that tutorial was group 13.
Gye Idam turned on the hologram and checked the location of group 13’s testing site and the name of the supervisor, while running.
‘Group 13’s supervisor… Kim Sinrok!’
He recalled Seong Siwan smiling while talking about Kim Sinrok.
He thought about how Kim Sinrok, after hearing the story from Ham Geun-hyeong, welcomed Gye Idam and wished him well in the Earthly Wings Council in the future.
Even though it felt like he was putting on a wall somehow, at the foundation, he was a kind and good teacher, who treated students fairly.
‘Crazy, why am I here…!? No, this it not the time to think about it right now!’
The information from the previous world and things he went through in this world mixed together, making him confused, but Gye Idam sprinted with all his power.
At last, the moment he saw the gym with group 13 inside.
Clang!
In front of the gym, where the group 13’s test was carried out, a pure white Tiger swung a greatsword.
Gye Idam knew very well who that pure white Tiger was.
It was one of the PMH’s Playable Characters, ‘Baek Ho-gun’.
*~*~*
[1] Gwonbeop — Traditional Korean unarmed martial art.
Translator’s note: Seong Siwan is on the way to become the first therapist Player. Such an excellent person ㅠㅠ (crying emoji)
Patron thank you note:
Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Kraussia floribunda’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Ramosmania rodriguesii’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Mussaenda frondosa’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Gardenia jasminoides’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Mussaenda macrophylla’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Kasimir Ilmonen, please accept this Mussaenda erythrophylla’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Tara Hess, please accept this Mussaenda philippica’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Ice, please accept this Mussaenda pubescens’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Hematite, please accept this Mussaenda raiateensis’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Deflubs, please accept this Bremeria humblotii’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, TheFloorGuy, please accept this Heinsia crinita’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Akemidy, please accept this Pseudomussaenda flava’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, vicky moch, please accept this Mussaenda frondosa’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Diana-Maria, please accept this Mussaenda villosa’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Ch W, please accept this Ixora finlaysoniana’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, aila ilzyana, please accept this Ixora margaretae’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, MeltedMochi, please accept this Ixora jucunda’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Kia, please accept this Ixora coccinea’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Links to support this translation and access to 8 advanced chapter (Patreon & Kofi)
> Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LibraryKeyTranslations
> Kofi-Euro: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslator
> Kofi-USD: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslatorusd
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
Leave a Reply