Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
38. Youth training camp (5)
Sawol family which was linked by blood to the messenger freed by the last dynasty’s king.
The lifestyle of theirs, who shared the fate of the last dynasty, changed, and while mysticism[1] gradually disappeared from this land, Sawol family’s power faded.
But after the Clash of Different Worlds occurred, and moreover, Sawol Seeum was born, the Sawol family’s life entered a new phase.
The day he was born, divine light came out from the family’s empty grave which served as an ancestral tablet of the generations of messengers without names.
Together with the light, the silhouettes of generations of messengers, who were similar to the family founder, descended onto the empty grave and spoke to the young family head, Sawol Seeum’s biological father.
— There is no king on this land, but this child was born to spread a king’s voice[2] wide.
— We, the messengers who passed the ‘words of the king that can’t remain in the history’, didn’t simply stop at conveying orders.
— For this child to use his power for righteous things, he has to be raised to be kind and generous, and have wide knowledge and experience.
Sawol Seeum, who was born into such expectations and concerns, grew up into an upright and clever child.
However, Sawol Seeum was a child, who was extremely curious about a lot of things.
Sawol Seeum, who longed for the outside world, asked Sawol Semin, who hid his name and acted outside, to tell him stories about the outside every time Sawol Semin returned to the family home.
He wasn’t at all picky about things, but the only things Sawol Seeum begged for and persistently wanted were things connected to the outside world.
“I want to go to Eungwang Highschool!”
Sawol family heard the words from the founder ‘he has to have wide knowledge and experience’, but the prevalent opinion was that he should remain under family’s protection until he reached adulthood.
But the family members who felt sorry for Sawol Seeum, who longed for the outside, agreed to send him out.
When for the first time the ‘Sawol’ surname took its first step outside, ending the 100 years of hiding, which continued from the Clash of Different Worlds.
Sawol Seeum ended up being caught into the hands of Fantasy Auction gang and kidnapped.
‘The world isn’t infinitely beautiful, huh?’
The world outside of seclusion, which he only saw on the holograms and LCD screens.
That world was very beautiful, but as much as it was beautiful, it was harsh.
Inside the cage, with his superpower completely sealed, the 1st January came and Sawol Seeum, who had awakened his Gwangrim, bitterly realized that fact.
Because he couldn’t control superpower waves, he couldn’t use the Gwangrim, but he could thoroughly understand the details of that existence and ability.
‘My Gwangrim IS an extremely dangerous power… Even among the generations of messengers, no one but the Founder possessed such a power.’
A few hours before he awakened his Gwangrim, he clearly saw in what kind of shape was Sawol Semin who came to rescue him.
To break Sawol Seeum’s will to escape and throw him into despair, the Fantasy Auction’s gang deliberately let them see each other.
As per to their intentions, Sawol Seeum gave up on the hope of his uncle coming to his rescue, but in exchange for that, he formed a certain will.
Even though he was crying from fear, Sawol Seeum sternly made up his mind.
‘I can’t let evil people like this use my Gwangrim! It can never be discovered. And even if it’s discovered, I can’t use that power no matter what.’
Before Sawol Seeum, who made such a resolve, somehow a phantom thief appeared, rescued him and shattered Fantasy Gate[3].
The righteous actions he had shown and bold and meticulous operations filled Sawol Seeum’s mind with gratitude and longing.
So he spoke confidently to his family members who asked him to reconsider the admission to Eungwang School.
“There are many evil people in this world, like Byeon Sunhoe’s gang and Fantasy Auction’s participants. However, there are also People like Red Wall Thief-nim, who put their lives on the line to rescue a complete stranger without any kind of return! Besides me, there were also many Players with rare superpowers, who were kidnapped in the past, who were rescued!”
Sawol Seeum, who got up from the sickbed, didn’t rest and persuaded his family members.
‘And, He said ‘see you at school’. Red Wall Thief-nim is at Eungwang School!’
Thanks to his body recovering and his persuasion progressing favorably, he went to school on 1st of April, April’s Fool Day.
The Eungwang School, he had arrived at while losing his way, was filled with wondrous and fun things.
From the amazing April Fool’s Day’s events to a small coincidence of the first student he met on his first day at school being his classmate Jo Uisin.
It was a pity that even after he flew over the entire school and walked around it every day, and even after personally meeting Yeom Junyeol, he couldn’t at all catch a clue about Red Wall Thief, but the school life was very fun and happy.
And when Sawol Seeum and his friends faced unprecedented crisis and that happiness was about to break apart.
“I’m- Red Wall Phantom Thief.”
The Red Wall Thief appeared in front of him again.
***
The moon was shining on the day when I rescued Sawol Seeum, but today the moonlight was also bright.
Thanks to that, the appearance of Yeom Junyeol and Hongryong were clearly visible.
But even so, Sawol Seeum continued to just blink his eyes as if he doubted his vision.
‘… Is that evidence still insufficient?’
When I was worrying what more should I say.
Tears started to drip from Sawol Seeum’s widely opened eyes.
“Uisin… are you…”
Sawol Seeum spoke with a tearful voice.
“Uisin, are You Red Wall Thief-nim?”
Red Wall Thief.
Nim.
I expected to be called like this, but my mind was in anguish when I heard it for real.
Unknowingly to me, my fingers curled up, and as if reflecting my feelings, I saw Hongryong’s hands also clench tightly.
It seemed that adding ‘nim’ to ‘that word’ created even more of a powerful effect.
“… that- Can you not use ‘nim’?”
“However… Red Wall Thief-nim is the one who rescued me, how… Red Wall Thief-nim was in front of me, but… I couldn’t recognize Red Wall Thief-nim this entire time and was ungrateful. How can I dare to call You without honorifics…!”
I started to think that being hit by Baek Ho-gun’s White Fang even on the rainy and dusty days would be better than keeping hearing ‘that word + nim’.
And it would be better to drink that afterlife-tasting Nok tribe’s elixir… No, I would have to think about it a bit more.
In any case, as my Playable Character was crying, while chanting those words, I seemed to be going mad in several types of ways.
In the end, I couldn’t bear it and ended up lifting the Player’s Trajectory.
Paaa….!
As I returned to Jo Uisin’s appearance, Sawol Seeum’s cries started to almost turn into weeping.
It seemed that he turned into a mess because of the crisis approaching the island, consecutive Gwangrim’s failures and a sudden appearance of the person he was searching for all along.
I soothed Sawol Seeum with my softest voice.
“Sorry I didn’t say anything all this time. I heard from senior Yeom Junyeol-nim that you wanted to give me your thanks, but…”
“Do-Don’t apologize, please! If Red Wall Thief-nim apologizes, I… Red Wall Thief-nim kept to His words ‘See you at school’, but You were the very first Person I met, yet I couldn’t recognize You!”
It seemed that when Sawol Seeum was flustered, he added ‘that word’ even more.
My mind was about to turn hazy, but with great effort, I kept my composure and patted his back.
“… my voice- don’t you want to spread it? And please call me by name like usual.”
At the words asking to spread the voice, Sawol Seeum started to take deep breaths.
Sawol Seeum, who wiped his tears, staggered as he stood up.
“… Yes!”
Sawol Seeum smiled with puffy eyes as he spoke:
“Because Red Wall Thief-nim, no, Uisin, yes, if Uisin is at my side, I’m not afraid now. I think I can spread any kind of words!”
A warm superpower wave quietly rose from Sawol Seeum’s whole body.
In the cold night air, my voice containing an order started to spread.
***
After the red fog cleared, the jade space fully appeared.
Kim Sinrok doubted his eyes one more time.
Did at this moment of disaster the traces of the power of his father, whom he was ashamed to face for his only unfilial actions, and his only friend appeared?
He thought it was perhaps like a hallucination seen before death.
Saa-pat.
As if reading such doubts of Kim Sinrok, Yong Jegeon and Jeok-ho, who were floating together in the air with the Space Art and Flight Art, landed on the ground.
From the red fog that hung around and then dispersed, it seemed that they were hiding their bodies by using Red Smoke for a long time.
“Sinrok, sorry. Because bears’ mouths become infinitely lighter with food in front of them, we waited until the critical moment. Sinrok, if they didn’t open their mouths, would you have to work hard on torturing them?”
Yong Jegeon stared at Kim Sinrok with the jade eyes, the same color as his superpower wave, as he spoke.
The color of his eyes, which he usually squinted and hid, and hair, which was usually obscured by black, were all completely dyed by jade luster and shining brightly.
It was evidence that Yong Jegeon was keeping his power open for a long time.
‘No way, Red Smoke, Space Art, Flight Art. Did the two of them continued to use those three abilities to stay around me?’
There was no way.
It was as if he was hearing that Jeok-ho cooperated with Yong Jegeon to protect him, because he was worried about him.
Who knows about that whimsical dragon, but there was no way it was true with Jeok-ho, right?
Yong Jegeon, who saw Kim Sinrok’s expression, spoke as if he read his thoughts.
“It was your father, who realized that those rude things are aiming at you.”
There is no way, but…
As he looked at his back, who didn’t say a word and stood blocking the way between Kim Sinrok and the Ung tribe members, Kim Sinrok just started to feel his heart squeeze.
Jeok-ho’s hair was also dyed red, so it seemed that he kept his power open for a long time.
“Stay here. Because you’re the safest here, behind his back and at my side.”
Yong Jegeon spoke like this while smiling.
Soon, the red lightning full of anger pounced towards the Ung, and as the opponent emitted the superpower wave to resist, the light clashed with light.
Kim Sinrok couldn’t take his eyes off of that light.
***
While listening to Maeng Hyodon’s explanation, Kwon Lena, who operated the device in various ways, made a surprised face.
“That’s true! The device won’t activate!”
“… Ho-homeroom teacher-nim is currently alone. Let’s go find Him quickly. He may not know about the situation at all, you know!”
Maeng Hyodon, who usually couldn’t say a word on his own to female students, succeeded in conveying the information, even thought it was very clumsy.
Kwon Lena, who carefully listened to those awkward words, nodded her head.
“Got it! From listening to Hyodon’s explanation, we know where no one went yet, so… from there…”
“Wait… You said that otherworld formed in the north?”
The complexion of Kim Yuri, who quietly listened to Maeng Hyodon’s words while trembling, changed, and she suddenly stood up from her seat.
“South-west, there, we have to go there!”
“Class president…?”
“I’m going to check. Sorry… Ah, I’ll go, even if I go alone. In the dream, in the dream…!”
“How could we send you alone!? We go together! But what in the dream? Perhaps, did a divine revelation came that said to go in that direction?”
On rare occasions, Players, who share a blessing with a higher being, receive a divine revelation from gods.
Because Kwon Lena was also a Player, who received a blessing of Hārītī, she knew with what kinds of techniques higher beings approached humans.
But because Hārītī had many ‘children’ she took care of and protected, she didn’t come to Kwon Lena’s side very often.
“No, it’s the opposite. It said I shouldn’t go in that direction.”
Maeng Hyodon and Kwon Lena, the two people’s doubts deepened even more.
It said not to go there, but then why did you have to go?
The two didn’t open their mouths to ask, but Kim Yuri added a few words as if answering those thoughts.
“’They’[4] whispered to me to flee towards the north. Isn’t it strange that the north, where the otherworld occurred, is safer? So we have to evacuate the teachers-nim, children and residents who are in the south!”
Kim Yuri spoke resolutely and then stepped out of the bed while tying her hair, which was free, into a high ponytail.
Maeng Hyodon, unknowingly to himself, watched the scene of the abundant hair being tied into a neat ponytail in the instant.
At that moment, Maeng Hyodon felt a very small sense of incongruity.
‘…uh? Did it always look like this?’
The hairpin, which Kim Yuri tied her hair with, which had a magnolia-like decoration attached.
On it, he saw a small, nail-sized butterfly.
As he didn’t know very much about decorations, he couldn’t say anything about it, but that butterfly was strangely irritating.
However, in such a situation, it was not a time to comment on that, so Maeng Hyodon shut his mouth.
“Hyodon, Lena. Let’s go!”
“… Uh!”
With Kim Yuri as the leader, the three started to run towards the south.
*~*~*
[1] mysticism — 신비 (sinbi), a phenomena or occurrence that cannot be understood with common sense. It could also be translated as mystery or secret.
[2] king’s voice — literally ‘jade voice’. It could also mean very beautiful voice.
[3] Fantasy Gate — Usually translated as ‘Fantasy Controversy’ as gate is a slang for that, but it didn’t make much sense here.
[4] ‘They’ — they plural and in a casual form.
Translator’s note: I’m not even surprised anymore that we have chapter (5) and gods are getting mentioned.
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
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