Translator: Wan ED/PR: Solarin
3. Unknown Superpower (3)
“Okay, got it.”
Yu Sang-hun immediately nodded.
Yu Sang-hui and Jang Namuk stared at Yu Sang-hun with astonished faces.
“Hey, Yu Sang-hun!”
Yu Sang-hui’s gentle mask completely slipped and shouted.
Jang Namuk turned from Yu Sang-hun to Yu Sang-hui with an astonished face.
“I’ll do as Jo Uisin said.”
“There isn’t such fucking hogu[1] even among hogus. Did you forget that you almost died?”
Even though Yu Sang-hui poured a fierce condemnation, Yu Sang-hui looked at me, adding just one more word.
“Explain it so other people also understand, Jo Uisin.”
The gazes of all the people in the room poured towards me.
I had no idea if Yu Sang-hun read my thoughts or just trusted me, but I decided to explain my thinking.
“Son Mingi is currently treated as a hero. And the three of us are right now treated as second fiddles, who survived thanks to Son Mingi’s sacrifice. In fact, it isn’t wrong, correct?”
Son Mingi lost his right arm and right leg because of the item I threw.
Whether he said he threw his body for his friends or something during the interview, it had an preemptive effect.
Currently, Son Mingi looked like the main hero of a teen hero drama.
“After we, who were uninjured, testify, we would look like nothing but defaming Son Mingi, who became a star, out of jealousy. In such case, we have to secure objectivity with the help of Eungwang School’s Hwang Myeong Foundation or Player’s Association, but in the current situation, neither of them would step out.”
Player’s Association’s goals everywhere were ‘Enemy’s subjugation’ and ‘Player’s protection’.
The Association had no authority or duty to step out against them for the middle schoolers, who weren’t registered as official Players.
That day, though Hong Gyubin came to find me, it was because it was related to the unregistered Player’s subjugation of wanted Enemy.
‘Hwang Myeong Foundation is in a difficult position to move.’
Son Mingi’s topic was receiving as much attention as the security problem of Eungwang School, which was operated by Hwang Myeong Foundation.
The only people, who would give an opinion that ‘It’s amazing that it ended with this degree of interference with a Jin as an opponent’, were Players, or a small amount of people well-versed in current affairs.
For the world, only the fact that the middle schoolers, who came to take the entrance exam for the highschool with the highest entrance level in Korean Republic, almost died.
“With a good luck, we will get a warrant and the recordings of the practical exam will be confirmed if the investigation goes well. However, Son Mingi is a middle schooler. A middle schooler who panicked in front of a Jin’s familiar. If he just pretends to reflect in court, even though he attempted murder, it will end with his probation.”
The Clash of Different Worlds happened, but this was Korea.
Teenage rights leaned towards the perpetrator rather than the victim.
Because favorability towards perpetrators under the perpetrator rehabilitation and human rights protection, rather than the embodiment of justice, was rampant.
Especially in teen’s perpetrator cases, sympathy fraud using the age shield was easy.
If the perpetrator had money, they would easily manipulate public opinion using press.
Some of the public intoxicate themselves by offering merciful hearts towards perpetrators.
“Son Mingi threw an article to the press within a day. He would already have connections with the press. If we fight fairly, we will get hurt a lot in the process and it will take a long time. The chances of winning are low and even if we win, it’s a fight with more losses than gain.”
As I spoke long, my throat hurt.
Even in the Rinoseron battle, I didn’t speak this much.
I swallowed the entire plum tea, which cooled down completely, to moisturize my throat.
The lukewarm plum tea was bitter.
Even though I stopped speaking dozens of seconds ago, the room was quiet.
I decided to get to the conclusion[2].
“First, reach the agreement, please. And then…”
* * *
Son Mingi’s side accepted the agreement immediately.
Son Mingi became a star overnight.
Sacrificial mindset, which gave up his arms and legs to a Demonic Beast for his friends.
Background as a pre-Eungwang School’s student.
Above average looks.
Thanks to such conditions, Son Mingi was receiving love calls from entertainment companies in recent days.
I guess they thought that if he became a star Player, hundred of units of compensation money put out right now was nothing.
‘Rather, they would be thinking that it will hold his ankle if the past records explode after he succeeds.’
They even raised compensation, to ensure a perfect silence ban.
After a suggestion that if they raise the compensation even more, they could shut the mouths of Jang Namuk and me, they agreed straight away.
In exchange, Son Mingi’s side suggested in the case where the agreement of secrecy is broken, three times the compensation money would be paid as a penalty.
As the result, the agreement ended with putting up a compensation that was difficult for even Son Mingi’s side, which operated several companies, to pay.
“Greedy fuckers.”
Son Mingi didn’t hold back even though we were sitting among lawyers and guardians.
After the signing up of the agreement ended, Son Mingi, who appeared on a wheelchair and didn’t say a word, revealed his true colors straight away.
Once the agreement was reached, unless there was a special clause in the contract, the parties couldn’t change their stances.
‘I expected that, but I guess he was waiting until we signed it.’
Jang Namuk, who was sitting with me, was pissed and was about to say something, so I stabbed him in the ribs to make him shut his mouth.
Even Jang Namuk was like this, so if we brought Yu Sang-hui, she would throw a tantrum.
“Are you really okay, Yu Sang-hun?”
Jang Namuk spoke to Yu Sang-hun, who looked completely absentminded.
Yu Sang-hun calmly replied.
“Ye. Right now Jo Uisin’s expression is exactly the same as when he talked about the strategy.”
What kind of expression was I making?
I checked my appearance reflected in the window, but it was no different from my usual face.
* * *
Currently, I had a one-on-one appointment with the Hwang Myeong Foundation’s chairman and was heading to Eungwang School.
A mere student wasn’t a person who could easily meet him, but when Jegal Jaegeol requested it, a permission came down straight away.
“Chairman-nim said He also wanted to talk to you in person.”
Excluding the school principal and vice principal, the head of school affairs, Jegal Jaegeol had the most opportunity to come into contact with the chairman.
I was lucky that day to receive Jegal Jaegeol’s contact information.
In the worst case, I would have to contact him through Hong Gyubin.
“Thank You for arranging it.”
“There is no need, I did nothing but one call.”
After around 1 minute of riding an air shuttle with Jegal Jaegeol at school.
As if we’re using a visitor route, the school buildings and facilities were almost invisible.
I merely saw air shuttles and people riding on air board, swooshing past.
It was an opportunity to see the in-game scenery with my own eyes, but it was a pity.
After exam, I wasn’t in my right mind.
‘Anyhow, I’ll see it so many times when going to school that I will get sick of it, so isn’t it fine?’
When I had such thought, the shuttle stopped in front of the Eungwang Highschool’s main building, ‘Silver Light (Eunhwi) Building[3]’.
White building supported on shining golden pillars, gracefully curved towards the sky.
Because of the glass windows covering the outside walls reflecting the sunlight, it seemed like the building itself was emitting light.
‘It’s like game CG.’
After passing a corridor from natural marble[4], while bursting with admiration inside, I saw the sign reading ‘Chairman Office’ at the side of the door engraved with a tiger.
“I’m currently working, so contact me when you finish the conversation.”
Even though he was working, he came out to pick up a middle-schooler he saw once and was thinking of sending him off?
I tried to thank him again, but Jegal Jaegeol already turned around and was walking away.
Chairman was absent because the meeting with the Player Association took longer than planned.
“My apologies. The chariman-nim is currently absent.”
The secretary invited me to sit down and wait and served me coffee.
The mahogany hardwood sofa and table painted with golden dust, and bona china coffee cup painted with enameling technique, caught an eye.
In this space, everything, starting from the furniture was giving off an imposing aura.
‘This may be a part of the chairman’s test.’
Hwang Myeong Foundation’s chairman Hwang Myeong-ho was an eccentric who enjoyed observing and testing people.
If I didn’t catch his eye, my plans and future school life would be difficult.
“Thank You.”
I gave short thanks and comfortably sat down on the sofa.
The secretary smiled with a face that one didn’t know what she was thinking.
“Chairman-nim should arrive within 10 minutes.”
After seeing that smile, I had an abrupt thought.
Even in the game, she was smiling like this behind the chairman.
If she appeared in the game, wouldn’t I be able to check her character information?
But…
⟨Character not registered in the database. Character information cannot be read.⟩
The same as with the students and teachers I met at the middle school, her character information couldn’t be checked.
‘Hwang Myeong-ho’s secretary didn’t have even one line in the game, but she clearly appeared. However, she wasn’t registered.’
Hwang Myeong-ho’s secretary wasn’t a character in the setting book.
It was only mentioned that chairman Hwang Myeong-ho has a secretary.
Was I perhaps unable to read the character information if the character didn’t play a big role in the future observed by Transcendent Universe, or in other words, in the game?
This guess led to a bit of a terrifying prediction.
‘Because several people, who should have died, survived, the future already changed a lot. Someday, an opponent I completely can’t confirm information about may appear.’
Even so, there was nothing I could do about it.
Could I leave the punks like Jang Namuk and Yu Sang-hun to die because I was scared of the butterfly effect?
I couldn’t do that.
“Student Uisin.”
After I raised my head, chairman[5] Hwang Myeong-ho was standing there.
His hair showed some traces of time, but he looked so healthy I couldn’t believe he was in his sixties.
No, he wasn’t in his sixties.
‘Because chairman Hwang Myeong-ho is a Jin.’
What’s more, he was a Myth category Ho, who survived for over 5 thousand years, since he was inscribed in the founding myth.
⟨Reading ‘Hwang Myeong-ho’ character data.⟩
[Name] Hwang Myeong-ho
[Title] Hwang Myeong Foundation’s chairman, Myth category Ho tribe member, Hwang-ho (Yellow tiger) of the Gaecheon Myth, Guardian[6] of Divine Realm
[Blessing] ‘Heavenly God gladly granted a wish’
[Gwangrim] (inactive)
[Status] Normal
[Overall stats] Lv. ??
[Skills]
Leap Lv. ??
Brilliant Gaze Lv. ??
Roar Lv. ??
(Some loading failed.)
[Description]
Hwang-ho appearing in the Gaecheon Myth.
He received authority to ‘be able to exist anywhere’ from the Heavenly God.
If located on the ground touched by the Heavenly God’s blessing, his self can exist in any place he wants, anywhere.
He volunteered as a guardian of the divine realm, where Baek-ho was locked up and Heavenly God permitted it.
(Some loading failed.)
Even in the setting book majority of Jin people were marked as (unknown), but as expected, that applied here as well.
I thought that details didn’t come out in the setting book because the majority of Jin people weren’t Playable Characters.
‘Perhaps because of the power Jin people possess, the Transcendent Universe’s analysis couldn’t be carried out perfectly.’
But Hwang Myeong-ho was a bit of a special case even among the Jin people because of the authority he received from the Heavenly God.
“Hello.”
“Okay. Sit down.”
I stood up and gave a polite greeting.
After Hwang Myeong-ho sat down across from me, he smiled at me and offered me a seat again.
“I watched well student Uisin’s performance. The ability to analyze the situation, the ability to act based on that analysis, and the ability to improvise in unforeseen circumstances, were all outstanding. We’re happy that we can welcome an outstanding student like student Uisin at our school, eh?”
Wrinkles adored the soft face following the smile.
If I didn’t know his identity, he would just look like a good-natured grandpa in a high position.
While I was worrying how I should bring it up, the one to make the first move was Hwang Myeong-ho’s side.
“Are you here to make a request about student Son Mingi’s case?”
Hwang Myeong-ho had a good-natured smile just like before.
I couldn’t understand what Hwang Myeong-ho was thinking in the game.
No matter what kind of tragedy occurred, Hwang Myeong-ho didn’t move easily.
He only used his authority to observe.
“There is a video record of students’ entire practical exam, but we don’t plan on releasing it without a warrant.”
Even when the pure white Silver Light (Eunhwi) Building was dyed red with blood.
Even in the moment when Baek Ho-gun, his kin and close friend, who he spent over 5000 years together, Hwang-ho didn’t appear.
‘In fact, one of the twist I anticipated in the last chapter was that Hwang-ho would suddenly appear to aid Baek Ho-gun.’
As at some point, he didn’t appear at all by the game standards, so he didn’t show his face even in the last chapter.
“The director board is trying to end this controversy as fast as possible.”
I couldn’t understand Hwang-ho, but I certainly knew one of his action principles.
Curiosity.
If not for it, there is no way that a mere middle schooler would be able to have a one on one meeting with the chairman.
“It’s not what I came to request.”
If I show something Hwang Myeong-ho wants, the curiosity, the unexpected, he would accept.
“I came to request that You don’t cover Son Mingi’s medical fees at all.”
His eyes shined a bit.
“… That’s the end?”
“Yes. Besides that, I’ll follow chairman board’s decision.”
The directors of the director board knew Hwang Myeong-ho’s identity.
If Hwang Myeong-ho said to do it, no director would refuse in the end without risking their life.
At my words, Hwang Myeong-ho’s face turned excited.
Hwang Myeong-ho’s wrinkles grew deeper.
“If so, there is one condition.”
Condition?
“Join class 0.”
Class 0.
A special class, commonly called class 0, was a place where famous problem children, or students that teachers had to pay special attention to, were gathered under the excuse of ‘students with high hidden potential’.
‘Even if the latter is true, the former is a problem’.
Even though they caused a problem, they had the ability to cover those problems and to join Korean Republic most prestigious high school.
Joining the class 0 was no different from embracing the time bombs that you didn’t know when would explode.
Even so, my answer was decided.
* * *
Three days later after making a deal with Hwang Myeong-ho.
The topic of ‘Little hero’, which was dying down a bit, exploded again.
‘Hwang Myeong-ho moved, huh?’
I unfolded a hologram with the earring-type wearable device I bought with the bounty money.
I sprayed the particles in the air and while practicing the wearable device usage to make holograms in the shape of a screen, I opened a few kinds of portal sites’ main news sections at the same time and read them.
[Eungwang School Hwang Myeong Foundation refuses to pay the ‘Little Hero’ Son Mingi’s medical bills]
[Player insurance doesn’t apply to ‘Little Hero’ Son Mingi… the treatment bills only will be over 2 millions]
[Tragedy of the ‘Little Hero’, who tried to save his friends and went bankrupt]
[Korean Republic most prestigious high school’s true colors, changing their words before even a week passes]
[Hwang Myeong Foundation changes their words, ‘In the middle of figuring out related details’]
While several articles came out, Son Mingi’s parents decided to appear on TV and gave an interview.
— They changed their words overnight, the foundation’s official came to us and said there is no need to worry about any medical bills, and to just use recovery items and only think of recovering fast. We were sorry that the school’s security completely failed, but now we can’t afford the hospital bills, so he can’t receive any further treatment or be discharged. We heard that the limb recovery surgery will only cost dozens of millions…
I checked the comments under related articles.
[Everyone in Korean Republic knows that Hwang Myeong Foundation is super rich tsk tsk they really are more fuckers]
[Eungwang School has a school insurance, so the insurance company would pay medical bills from the incidents that occurred at school. Even so, they are saying they won’t pay it.]
[Eungwang School stocks are plummeting good work that’s why I’m not going to Eungwang School]
[↑not going X can’t go O]
[Korea most prestigious high school does such power tripping. That’s too sad. I’m ashamed!]
Under articles related to the medical bills, an idea to gather donation funds for Son Mingi came up.
[I’m collecting support funds for the middle schooler hero Son Mingi-gun, who fought against a Demonic Beast for his friends and became disabled.]
[Student Son Mingi stay strong. It’s a little donation, but I’m going to support You.]
[Donated.]
[Those,,,rottenbast*ards~~~!!! Mingi-ah,, I’m supporting you. STAY STRONG!!!]
[I plan to hold a 1-person protest in front of Eungwang School… If Anyone is thinking of protesting, I think we can form a group.]
One or two days after the articles were published.
Even though time passed, the Hwang Myeong Foundation didn’t reveal its stance.
When the press attention reached it’s peak, and citizens made a protest group and put on the demonstration notice in front of Eungwang School.
A video with a dark gym in the background was published on the public airwaves broadcast.
*~*~*
[1] hogu — a pushover, a very naive and amiable person.
[2] get to the conclusion — literally: ‘write the conclusion’.
[3] Silver Light (Eunhwi) Building — The word ‘Eunhwi 은휘’ based on different hanja, would mean ‘to hide, to conceal’. 輝 hanja for 휘 hwi here beside meaning light/to shine/ to illuminate, could also mean ‘morning sunlight’.
[4] marble — 대리석(daeliseok 大理石) a popular name for marble used here, it itself comes from the main source of popularization of marble in Korea, the Dali Kingdom. But when I first looked at the hanja I thought it mean Great King of Stones or something like that x.x Also, I usually don’t note western references, because it’s something you can look up yourself and be better informed than from my short note, but this I have to mention. Did you know that the origin of word marble, Marmors means ‘shining stone’?
[5] chairman — ah, it’s time I believe. So chairman is 이사장 (isajang) in Korean. 이사 (isa), which means director, has many curious homonyms like: ‘moving to another place’, ‘two Buddhist teachers who led foolish to enlightenment (also referring to two Buddhas, but I’m not sure who they are exactly)’, ‘outstanding scholar/extraordinary person’, ‘word referring to both mud and sand’, ‘bizarre thing/case’, ‘event which already passed, ‘house where earth god/spirit resides in a village’, ‘sad thought when separating’, ‘to order around’, ‘During Joseon period, the highest official of the crown prince office’. 장 (jang) is the same word as chapter, some of its homonyms were explained in the 1st note of the 1st chapter.
[6] guardian — 수호 (su-ho) could also mean amity (between countries) or the first sequence/volume/room.
Translator’s note: Oh Hwang-ho… Why can’t you have normal blessing and have at least one simple thing about you.
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