Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
21. Six words (2)
The instruments which are possible to cardify are usually made with supernatural powers.
The instrument item cards could be obtained in an otherworld on an extremely low probability.
However, in those cases, be it in the name or in the description, there would be information related to the place where it was obtained or the name of a higher being which influenced it.
The violin Lee Lena received from Kwon Jane was an instrument produced with superpowers.
‘Let’s compare it once.’
I opened the item window[1] and checked ‘Unknown Fate’ information.
⟨Reading item data.⟩
[Item name] Unknown Fate
[Type] Weapon
[Rarity] N~EX
[Proficiency] 0%
[Effect] None
[Description]
The weapon whose name, rarity and effects change based on the user’s experiences, expectations, ideas, goals, convictions, etc.
Can be only used by possessors of the Power of Fate.
‘Supernatural violin’s type is different and the range of rarity change is smaller. Considering it, it’s on a severely deteriorated side, but… the description is too similar. It seems this violin is imitating ‘Unknown Fate’.’
I may find the clues to this weapon in completely unexpected places.
‘I want to have a conversation with the supernatural violin artisan.’
There existed only one supernatural violin artisan.
As there were too many people looking for him, the artisan lived in hiding.
‘It’s not that there is no way of contacting him, but…’
I was thinking about what kind of moves to use to obtain the information.
On the other side, the kids who observed the supernatural violin card, spoke up with excited voices:
“I want to see how it looks materialized…!”
“Me too! Lena, please!”
At Kim Yuri’s and Sawol Seeum’s requests, Lee Lena hesitated a bit, then nodded promptly.
“How do I do it? I’m shaking…”
After the supernatural wave flowed into the item card Lee Lena was clenching in her hand, the card changed into a golden-bodied violin.
The chinrest, the tailboard, the fingerboard and pegbox were black, but most of the main body was golden.
It was art like a violin possessing a mysterious color, which depending on the angle of light looked like platinum[2].
“Pretty…!”
“So gorgeous! I wonder how it sounds when played!”
Lee Lena, who couldn’t take of her eyes of the violin, hesitated, then spoke:
“I don’t have a bow right now, so I can’t play arco, but… pizzicato is possible, do you want to hear it?” [3]
“So you’re saying you can play using your hands, right? It was used during senior Kwon Jane-nim’s first piece during the performance!”
“I want to hear it…!”
“Me too.”
At Kim Yuri’s and Sawol Seeum’s enthusiastic requests and after I added a word, Lee Lena held the violin in her hands and started moving her finger on the strings.
There was no one beside us in the 1st year walk trail outside lounge.
In this place, no light reached it besides the streetlamp.
Watching Lee Lena close her eyes and carefully pluck the string, the three of us held our breaths in admiration.
‘Lee Lena is performing Kwon Jane’s new song that was released at today’s concert. Did she hear it just once and memorize all the chords?’
If compared to Kwon Jane’s perfect technique, Lee Lena’s performance was very clumsy, but the scale was accurate.
Lee Lena, who played the entire pizzicato part of her new song, pulled her hand away from the string with a bashful face.
Clap clap clap—!
As if the three of us, the audience, had made a promise beforehand, we started the applause at the same time.
“Marvelous performance! Did you memorize it all just like that and can play it now?”
“It’s been a few hours since this song was released to the world for the first time. Amazing…!”
“It seems that the entire rhythm was correct. I also want to hear the performance with a bow.”
Lee Lena’s face brightened as she expressed her thanks, hugging the supernatural violin tightly.
We hung out until the time for Kim Yuri to go home drew closer.
The six words left behind by Nabiryeong.
The artisan who produced an item similar to Unknown Fate.
There were many things I had to think about, but today I wanted to bask in the after-glow of the concert.
I decided to postpone the consideration of it for the me of tomorrow, and I slept without a dream like usual.
***
Midnight, Eugwang School main gates.
Seen beyond the main gates, illuminated by dim light of Eungwang School’s clock tower.
In front of it stood Yong Jegeon with a face looking to be in an extremely good mood.
Yong Jegeon spoke up to the person who discovered him after passing through the main gates’ barrier and walked in his direction.
“Toyun-ssi, I came out to meet you. Toyeon-ssi…?”
The To tribe’s best warrior, Ok Toyun, arrived at Eungwang School at the promised time punctually.
As she looked at Yong Jegeon who was in an extremely excited mood, her mind turned uneasy, and she wanted to turn around on her feet.
Nothing good happens when that dragon makes such an expression.
If it was Ok Toyeon who saw that face, she would have had an ominous premonition straight away and started to whine to go home.
‘… I came as the To tribe’s representative, so I should do my job.’
Ok Toyun had similar thoughts, but she hid her expression and replied formally.
“Long time no see, Jegeon-ssi. Toyeon can’t enter Eungwang District until mid June.”
“Why?… Ah, Toyeon-ssi got on Hwangho-ssi nerves again, huh?”
“Space Dragon, you still have a good instinct.”
“Rather than instinct, I thought about this based on my experience. But I wanted to personally see Toyeon-ssi’s Moon Palace Guide.”
Yong Jegeon politely stretched a hand out towards Ok Toyun.
“There is a bit of the distance from the main gates to the Silver Light Building. You don’t want to draw attention as we move, right? Please give me your hand.”
“Okay. I’ll leave the movement to you.”
After Ok Toyun placed her hand, Yong Jegeon blocked the senses with Space Art and started to walk towards Silver Light Building.
Swish—.
It was expressed as ‘walking’, but each time Yong Jegeon took a step, the surrounding scenery changed in the instant.
She guessed that he was using Space Control and his own body abilities to move, but even though she knew the principle, Ok Toyun guessed it was an impossible thing to imitate.
‘This is in the state when he is tied by Hwang-ho’s teacher contract, so…! The favorite, born from Dragon King’s most cherished Cintamani, is different, huh?’
What would happen if she fought Yong Jegeon now?
If they were in perfect state, Ok Toyun would surely lose.
Ok Toyun was still suffering the after effects of injuries sustained on the April Fool’s Day. Yong Jegeon had his power tied when on Eungwang School’s campus.
The results of those two’s spar were difficult to predict.
‘I’m curious.’
After the power entered into her clenched hand, Yong Jegeon looked back at Ok Toyun as he smirked.
“Toyun-ssi, you’re welcome anytime if you want to spar. But if I win, please give me a tour through the To tribe’s base.”
“We don’t have exchanges with the Yong tribe, so it would be difficult.”
“It seems that it is the truth that Toyun-ssi wants to spar with me.”
Snap!
Ok Toyun pushed Yong Jegeon’s hand away as she felt offended by his manner of speaking that seemed to look through the inside of her head.
At last, they arrived in front of the Silver Light Building, without becoming a missing child case.
After undergoing security checks, they entered the Silver Light Building reception room.
It was noisy inside.
“You should have told us earlier if you had a ticket. I was so nervous! And then how surprised we were!”
“Today’s schedule isn’t finished with this? Why did we have to come to Silver Light Building?”
“I want to meditate alone while ruminating over Kwon Jane-yang’s performance. I hope we leave work quickly.”
“Aye! We also have human family registers now, so please adhere to human standard working hours, Hwangho-nim!”
There were four noisy Jin people inside.
From the context of the conversation, they all seemed to be Ho tribe members.
‘Human standard working hours? That isn’t even well adhered to among humans.’
Ok Toyun thought like that while she entered the reception room, but the four Ho tribe members only glanced at her once and showed no particular reaction.
They started to grumble again towards Hwang-ho who seemed to be in the middle of reconstructing a barrier.
Hwang-ho had an expression mixed with annoyance, but he left those talkative Ho tribe members alone.
‘Hwang-ho is enduring that? Are they some cherished Ho tribe members?’
At that time, she sensed a few humans heading towards this place through the corridor.
The four Ho who were grumbling restlessly, suddenly stopped moving and stared at the door.
‘Why are you like that?’
Is the human, who is now accessing this place, a dangerous being?
Ok Toyun took on the battle stance as she watched the door.
After the automatic door opened, a blond haired foreign man and blue-eyed Korean woman appeared.
The four Ho tribe members pounced towards the Korean woman or collapsed on the spot while exclaiming:
“Really, it’s truly Kwon Jane-yang…”
“For the world…! I knew well there is a violin genius, but here is a genius as a real person!”
“I’m a fa-fan. I listened to every concert during your Eungwang School days.”
“Me too! Particularly the requiem you played to soothe the lost partner souls at the Clear Blue Lake during your 1st year, I still have a video and watch it every day.”
“… Hey, when I asked you to copy data before, you said you lost it!”
“You also didn’t show me the special-edition blu-ray of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum concert last time!”
They, who treated the To and the Yong like air, were completely destroyed in front of this human.
For unknown reasons, those four Ho tribe members radiated killing intent aimed at each other.
When the situation was about to reach a breaking point, a cold voice was heard:
“Shut up before I throw the four of you out.”
At Hwang-ho’s words, the four Ho immediately shut up.
It seemed that they hated being thrown out of the place where Kwon Jane was.
“Seems like everyone has arrived. Countermeasures against the Jeop tribe are finished. It looks like the superpower pattern constantly changes, so it will take time to expand the barrier outside of the Silver Light Building, but this place is currently secured.”
“… Jeop tribe?”
At Ok Toyun’s question that she seemed to utter to herself, Hwang-ho replied:
“Moon Rabbit’s warrior wasn’t there. A Jeop sent a message to that violinist. And so they boldly pierced Eungwang School’s barrier.”
Hwang-ho’s golden eyes still showed signs of anger and displeasure.
He looked at the faces of everyone in this place, Yong Jegeon, Ok Toyun, Kwon Jane and Jared Lee, and then he spoke:
“Greetings are late. Welcome to Eungwang School. I’m the head of the Ho tribe, Hwang-ho. Long time no see, Kwon Jane.”
“Hello. Director Hwang Myeongho-nim, no… it’s currently chairman. You resemble Him in his younger days.”
“It’s not a personal resemblance. I also use the name Hwang Myeong-ho. I had a conversation with you a few times using Hwang Myeong-ho’s appearance. But it was the first time I heard your performance in person, which is regrettable. I could have heard it many times when you attended our school.”
Hwang-ho had an appearance which many would regard as being in around the middle 30s as he spoke.
Kwon Jane’s expression was calm, but her eyes opened a little bigger, expressing the surprise.
“Let’s talk business. Why did you contact our Ho tribe?”
“Nabi[4]… I’m looking for the Jeop. I wish to cooperate with the Ho tribe.”
“Jeop?”
Hwang-ho recalled the existence of ‘Minor Creature’ Kim Sinrok dug out, but information related to the Minor Creature was only known by some of the Ho tribe members and Jo Uisin.
It didn’t explain why Kwon Jane came looking for the Ho tribe.
As if guessing some part of Hwang-ho’s thoughts, Yong Jegeon spoke:
“I’ll explain that, chairman Hwangho-nim.”
Yong Jegeon, who had arranged this place, explained recalling his ‘feeling’.
“Yong Jegeon, I’m aware your ‘feelings’ are quite good. Even so, this reason is insufficient.”
Hwang-ho looked at Kwon Jane.
The thought pattern of other humans who usually saw Kwon Jane was that she was a whimsical, famous genius violinist.
However, what Hwang-ho paid attention to in Kwon Jane during her enrollment at school was her character and carefulness as an excellent Player.
It was difficult to think that Kwon Jane, who didn’t move from England saying she needs to catch that ‘butterfly’, came to Korea straight away at Yong Jegeon’s words.
‘There is something more to the reason why Kwon Jane moved in such a hurry.’
Kwon Jane took on Hwang-ho’s gaze with a face which didn’t let him read her mind.
She turned to look at Jared Lee, and after she nodded her head once, she opened her mouth:
“The Ho tribe response to all incidents looked lukewarm in the meantime. So, even though I knew the two Jin tribes were at odds, I couldn’t trust you.”
“… What are you saying?”
“A day before the great Manchester conquest, at that time the Player’s Association’s England branch was suddenly attacked by Jin people and was in a state of destruction. The key Pro-Player teams went as support, and numerous were lost in the battle. For that reason, the otherworld conquest was slowed down a lot.”
“Yeah. At the time, the relationship between the England Player’s Association and Jin people was at its worst. It’s a situation in which it’s not weird to make a raid at any time.”
“Our team captured a Jin that participated in the attack during that time. With the help of the Jin that called themselves a Divine Creature, we were lucky to capture a clue after 10 years of mind manipulation and analysis.”
Kwon Jane’s words halted for a moment.
“The captured Jin was an Ung born on the Korean Peninsula. He said he received orders from a being he calls ‘Them’ to raid the Association.”
*~*~*
[1] item window – This translator almost always called it inventory before, but after long consideration, they decided it would be better to go with a literal translation. So it will be called an item window from now on.
[2] platinum – reminder, platinum is called ‘white gold’ in Korean.
[3] arco and pizzicato – for my fellow music illiterates out there: arco is also called bowing, so it’s the technique where you’re swinging a bow on the violin strings, while pizzicato is plucking, so you’re plucking the strings with your fingers, like when playing notes on a guitar…
[4] Nabi – Nabi means butterfly, but it’s also a part of Nabiryeong’s name, so Kwon Jane could be either trying to say her name or say butterfly. People around her would naturally assume the latter.
Translator’s note:
Yong Jegeon in this chapter: *just casually glitching during a walk*
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
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