Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
49. Sport Exchange (1) [1]
The device, set to silent mode, vibrated a bit and lit up, informing about an incoming call.
It seemed that the clever Snare reacted to the small sound and looked in my direction, but it swiftly turned its head away again and wagged its tail in Baek Ho-gun’s arms.
I suffered a great shock at that scene.
While I stiffened blankly after suffering from shock, the device kept informing about an incoming call.
“Isn’t it an urgent call? Who is calling?”
“It’s a call from Jang Namuk.”
Hwang Jiho’s mood didn’t improve for him to laugh as usual, but it seemed that he liked that Snare was ignoring me again.
The damn geezer spoke with a smile in the corners of his lips.
“Isn’t it a call from the Player Military Academy cadet, who was expected to visit my mansion today? How welcome he would be if he was going to postpone the appointment? If he postpones it, you can go to the main building today and rest, eh? Accept it.”
In case he postpones the appointment, I’ll just go back to the dormitory to rest.
Snare was pretending not to know me, so was there any reason to stay?
And if I troubled myself to go to the main building, and kind Eun-ho’s descendants noticed it, they may end up troubling themselves.
I decided to accept the call first.
“Hello.”
[Uisin-ah, can you talk right now? Ah, I saw today’s otherworld conquest results. Congratulations on becoming the biggest contributor.]
“Yeah, thanks.”
Seeing how he congratulated me fist, it didn’t seem like an urgent matter.
After a brief conversation starting with news about Yu Sang-hun, Jang Namuk got to the point.
[In preparations for the next week’s exchange, I visited the training facility where our representative athletes will be staying, and the gym and stadium where the games will be held.]
Starting next week, the first Eungwang School and Player Military Academy’s exchange will be held.
I expected it to be forgotten among the students, as it was an exchange with ordinary sport disciplines unlike a superpower competition like Korea-China-Japan Exchange, but the students’ reaction was better than expected.
Eungwang School picked contestants not only from among physical activities types clubs and small groups, but also gathered additional athletes through the open try-out, so there was a fierce competition, with three people competing for one spot on average for all disciplines.
After that, the selected Eungwang School students matched their team uniforms and created a sport camp at school to stay together during a semester and increase the practice time.
As if even the students, who weren’t directly participating, became interested, someone in the Student Council suggested making a cheering squad.
In the end it was still only temporary, but starting with the Student Council’s vice president Ji Myeongsu, who stepped out as the first cheering squad leader, the cheering squad formed.
‘Eungwang School almost didn’t have any exchanges with the outside. So the cheering squad didn’t exist.’
Anyhow, it seemed that there were many cadets at the Player Military Academy that were as interested as Eungwang School’s students.
Thanks to that, it seemed that the flag bearer Jang Namuk was very busy ahead of the exchange.
[But there was something that bothered me a bit about the facilities I visited…]
“Bothered you?”
[Because there were other kids, I couldn’t examine it properly, but…]
It seemed that Jang Namuk wasn’t quite certain.
So it may be why he took his time to get to the main point.
Jang Namuk beat around the bush, and then spoke.
[In the facilities lent to us… I think there were traces of the ‘seeds’ I felt on Sihu.]
The moment I heard those words, I had a feeling as if I saw someone invisible play an unexpected move on the chess board in my head.
It wasn’t now when Tao Sihu died in the game.
But there was no event called ‘Eungwang School and Military Academy’s sport exchange’ held in the game, and in addition, Tao Sihu was participating.
‘Dark Mastermind tried to isolate Eungwang School. They wouldn’t welcome the exchange.’
Opportunely there were people, who wanted to eliminate Tao Sihu.
In this situation, what would I do to Tao Sihu if I was the Dark Mastermind?
What move would I play using Tao Sihu?
Every time I played a move in my head, I recalled the day I cleansed the seeds harming Tao Sihu and the face of Jang Namuk, who made an expression filled with despair upon discovering Tao Sihu’s relative in the ‘Memory of Ill Will’.
* * *
The National Army Education Institution, Player Military Academy, which trained officers and non-commissioned officers.
Unlike the army, navy and air force academies, which needed highschool graduation diploma or expectant graduation diploma, or equal to it educational diploma as a condition for admission, the Player Military Academy had a highschool department.
It was in consideration of the Players’ particularity of awaking their superpowers at the age of 17 when they become highschoolers.
Player Military Academy was divided into a highschool department and a general department, but they used the same academic system.
The highschool department and the general department’s movement routes usually didn’t overlap, but there were facilities for common use.
Among those facilities was Player Military Academy’s support squad subsidiary unit, Player Military Academy Hospital.
“Cadet Tao Sihu’s blood test was completed. We expect the sleep test to finish within 30 minutes.”
“Is he in the middle of additional check-ups again?”
The army doctor and nurse officer observed the sleeping Tao Sihu in the capsule.
Electrodes used to detect superpower waves were attached to Tao Sihu’s whole body.
Because Tao Sihu often had sleep walking incidents caused by superpower waves in recent days, he had several check-ups.
But even after several check-ups, the result was ‘normal’.
The army doctor in charge of the 1st years re-examined the chart, while making a subtle face.
‘Numerous cadets witnessed it. It’s not a fake illness. This year’s freshman flag bearer and the cadets are sincere, so…’
When looking only at the chart, there was not even a little bit of a problem with Tao Sihu’s superpower waves.
Even while as a result of a thorough check-up, Tao Sihu’s superpower waves were within normal range, the numerical values, which came out as ‘very good’, said Tao Sihu was in his best form.
“Didn’t You say he was chosen as an athlete for the exchange? Looking at the results, the problem seems to simply be stress.”
The nurse officer diverted army doctor’s attention, while suggesting a cup of coffee.
Anyway, the sleep test result wouldn’t come because they were just standing there and waiting.
The army doctor ended their short worries and left the place with the nurse officer.
Soon after the sleep laboratory became empty.
Ping, piing.
The sleep laboratory’s door opened again.
The one to enter was Namkung Gyu-yeon, with a doctor coat draped over a scrub uniform.
As it wasn’t a uniform or daily clothes she was usually wearing, she didn’t have her military shovel that she always brought with her, and she was wearing a non-woven doctor mask, it was difficult to recognize this person as her.
“…”
Namkung Gyu-yeon glanced at Tao Sihu, lying in a capsule, and then sat down in front of a monitor and started to operate the examination machine.
Then she printed the superpower wave analysis machine’s old analysis results in order, and Namkung Gyu-yeon took out a file and put them all in it.
Tap, tap…
Printing didn’t finish yet, but footsteps were heard outside.
‘I have no idea if the searched value came out yet or not, what should I do? It would be a bit difficult to sneak in a second time.’
After a short hesitation, Namkung Gyu-yeon gave up on leaving.
Instead, she stopped printing that had yet to finish and quickly hid behind curtains.
Almost at the same time as she hid, the door opened.
Just after the door opened, the examination completed alarm rang from the sleeping capsule.
“Cadet Tao Sihu, are You awake?”
“… Ah, yes.”
It seemed that the army doctor and nurse officer returned on time of the sleep test finishing.
The army doctor asked Tao Sihu something, and the nurse officer also helped with a word sometimes.
The nurse officer’s hand removed all electrodes and Tao Sihu saluted brightly.
“Okay, pass my regards to Your father.”
“Yes, thank You! Ah, there was something I wanted to ask about a navy curriculum.”
At those words, Namkung Gyu-yeon’s eyes grew wide.
‘You mean you’re acquainted with Sihu’s dad?’
Tao Sihu’s father, Ship King cooperated with the navy and carried out operations with them a few times.
From the conversation, it seemed that the army doctor and nurse officer were both close friends of the Ship King.
‘Both of them served in the navy? Then how are they connected?’
Namkung Gyu-yeon hid behind the curtains and organized her thoughts.
Even after all people left, and the laboratory became quiet, her thinking continued.
* * *
After the call with Jang Namuk ended.
I came up with a few moves Dark Mastermind could play, but I thought I couldn’t be certain without personally checking it.
I was about to find an excuse and leave, but the tigers interrupted me.
“I can permit a meeting with the Military School’s cadet late in the afternoon at my mansion. But I can’t leave you alone now.”
“You finished treatment and drunk the elixir, remember?”
“Didn’t you hear what Hyangrok said? He said that you should restrain from superpower usage for a few hours. You’re thinking of going out, while you can’t even use superpowers?”
First of all, I wasn’t going to fight.
Even if I couldn’t use superpowers, I could use my head.
But even so, I couldn’t refuse.
In this world, accidents at times you couldn’t predict were an everyday occurrence.
If I went out and was swept up by an otherworld or a battle situation occurred, I would end up using superpowers in the end.
‘Even so, wouldn’t it be fine if I was careful? And if anything, I can use items to avoid it.’
Before I could recall the items I had in my item window, my thoughts halted.
Keuung….
Snare, who kept ignoring me before, looked in my direction and cried out deeply.
I was about to refute Hwang Jiho somehow, but I immediately forgot about it.
“I sent out subordinates to the designated location. Even if something happens, it won’t be a problem for a day or two. So stay in the mansion right now and go with me tomorrow.”
Following Hwang Jiho, Baek Ho-gun also opened his mouth.
“It’s all inside Eungwang District, eh? I’ll also accompany you tomorrow.”
Baek Ho-gun put emphasis on the word ‘tomorrow’.
As following Snare, my main Playable Character Baek Ho-gun also said that, I couldn’t keep being stubborn.
“Got it. Inform me if the dispatched subordinates report something.”
“Will do.”
After sitting down, Hwang Jiho served baesuk[2].
The cruel tigers didn’t give me a sip of water even after I drank the hellish elixir.
Midst of it, I thought I will live, while drinking baesuk cooked with honey and in-season pears[3] stuffed with peppercorns.
As I emptied my cup a bit faster than usual, Hwang Jiho giggled.
“Jo Uisin, wasn’t it your first time participating in an otherworld conquest as the attack team? It’s useless stubbornness, and more reckless than I thought, eh?”
“It wasn’t the first time.”
I was conquering otherworlds for over 10 years beyond the screen.
Moreover, I also entered an otherworld in this world.
“I received chairman’s permission and participated in the conquest, remember?”
Seokchon Lake’s underwater maze I entered after Nabiryeong passed a message to Kwon Jane.
There were no records left, but I did participate as an attack team in that otherworld.
“… Right, there was such a thing. However, at the time you almost didn’t participate in the attack. And even beside that, you entered the boss room alone.”
It seemed that Hwang Jiho still was trying to figure out things about me.
As I drank another glass of baesuk, while roughly pretending to listen, the out-building door opened.
“I’m back, I heard You’re in the out-building, so I came here.”
“I’m ba…. Hello.”
Jeok-ho and Kim Sinrok were standing at the maru[4].
Kim Sinrok almost said ‘I’m back’ following Jeok-ho, but closed his mouth in the middle and then changed his words.
The fast to notice tigers, who were like Kim Sinrok’s uncles, saw through all of it and made satisfied expressions.
“Okay, was the Ung handed over? There were no problems, right?”
“Yes, there were no problems related to that Ung.”
“Related to that Ung? I guess there are problems somewhere else, eh?”
Kim Sinrok spoke with a downcast face.
“That Ung was sane until yesterday. Just at the brink of his mind crumbling, he spilled a clue.”
“Speak.”
It seemed that Kim Sinrok was hesitating how he should speak up about it.
Kim Sinrok glanced at Jeok-ho, who was standing beside him, and opened his mouth.
“… It seems that the Ung, imprisoned in the Ho tribe’s garden right now, knows something.”
*~*~*
[1] Sport Exchange — So dictionary definition of ‘교류전 (gyoryujeon)’ is ‘A game which is held not for a goal of victory or defeat, but to foster friendship between two groups’, or ‘an exhibition of artists’ works from different fields or countries’. Also 교류 (gyoryu) means mixing currents, while 전 (jeon) could also mean battle or records of a person’s life.
Sport is a word borrowed from English which means it has no homonyms, and I have nothing to say about it, and that makes me sad.
[2] baesuk — a traditional Korean punch made from pears.
[3] pears — homonym of a pear in Korean is ‘boat’.
[4] maru — open floor of a hanok.
Translator’s note: It’s so cute Kim Sinrok is starting to pick up his father’s speech habits.
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