Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
49. Sport Exchange (2)
‘Controlling an otherworld’s crack’ meant blocking an otherworld’s vitalization and stopping the corresponding area from otherworldization by incapacitating Enemies.
Hearing that phrase, the public would usually think of the ‘otherworld conquest’, the scene where Players enter the otherworld, get to the boss room and clear the otherworld.
In truth, it was the most well-known and most often used method to control an otherworld, and the otherworld conquest I experienced today through the first practice, the otherworld’s clear.
But it wasn’t the only way to control an otherworld.
‘The Ho tribe had a Dominated Otherworld, huh?’
One other method of controlling an otherworld’s crack was ‘Otherworld Domination’.
It meant that a specific individual interferes into an otherworld with a superpower wave to make all Enemies of the otherworld, starting with the boss, submit to them, and after controlling the otherworld by themselves, they would become the core or a new boss.
Otherworld Domination was much more complicated and needed more powerful superpowers than a simple otherworld clear.
Moreover, there was a chance that at the slightest slip-up, the otherworld ruler would be reduced to an Enemy, because their mind world collapsed.
For that reason, it was thought that only Jin people were able to dominate an otherworld, but there was a case that some among humans succeeded through a ‘Superpower Wave Link’.
‘The 2nd year class 0 was said to succeed in the otherworld domination, right? I heard that they are still maintaining that garden.’
Anyhow, the otherworld placed under someone’s dominance as result of undergoing such a process and taking the risk was called ‘Garden’.
“Currently the number of Ung tribe members retained by the Ho tribe is seven. One is a Training category Ung secured by Baek-ho, five are Ung tribe members captured at April’s Fool’s Day, and remaining one was the head’s right hand, ‘Impostor’.”
Jeok-ho gave an explanation.
Seven pictures floated up as a hologram.
As if the pictures were taken just after capture, the Ung tribe members were glaring from the screen with a comparatively normal looks.
Only the Training category Ung had a face as if he was out of his mind, perhaps because he lost his mind after both of his arms were cut off.
“Among those seven, my son was managing six. But today it became five, as one of them was given to Hyangrok.”
After Jeok-ho operated the screen, the pictures of the six Ung tribe members, starting with the Training category Ung and the Impostor, were put into one group.
Among those pictures put in one group, the picture of the Ung, who was handed over to Hyangrok, became black and white.
“They said they usually moved under the orders given by the Ung tribe’s head. But it seems they also moved at the commands of a person, who wasn’t the head.”
“A person, who wasn’t the head? You aren’t talking about the Impostor, right?”
“No. It seems that person is of an equal or higher rank as the Ung tribe’s head. As result of my son’s interrogation, it was revealed that among them there is an Ung who personally came into contact with them.”
The Impostor was said to be the Ung tribe’s head’s right hand, so he was below the head.
If so, the one to give commands to the Ung tribe…
‘Did they come into contact directly with the Dark Mastermind and received commands from them?!’
Appearance, habits, speaking patterns, abilities…
Nothing about the Dark Mastermind was clear.
As I saw things committed by Dark Mastermind through the game, I knew to a degree how powerful Dark Mastermind was, and what their final goal was.
But Dark Mastermind’s identity was unknown like before.
It was necessary to interrogate the person, who directly came into contact with Dark Mastermind and get a clue.
“But this is the person who directly came face to face with the person bestowing those commands.”
Jeok-ho pointed at the picture, which wasn’t included in the group, as he spoke.
The sole person Kim Sinrok couldn’t interrogate.
‘Why this person wasn’t interrogated by Kim Sinrok and sent to the Ho tribe’s garden?’
The person in the garden was one of the five Ung, who attacked on the day when Eun Seoho risked his life and visited Eungwang School.
I tried to recall if there was some unique situation, but there was nothing particular I knew about.
Compared to that, the face of Hwang Jiho, who heard the description, subtly hardened.
I felt that Jeok-ho and Kim Sinrok were also talking carefully about this topic.
“You said that bastard, who spilled a clue, was on the verge of his mind collapsing. Is there no possibility it’s one of the bastards outside the garden?”
“As the Nightmare’s Dust encroached on his mind, he became obedient, so it’s almost certain. I couldn’t do face-to-face interrogation, but I confirmed it through pictures and videos.
“I accompanied my son during the interrogation. It’s certain.”
“…”
As during the explanation, Jeok-ho kept saying son this, son that, Kim Sinrok seemed to tightly clench his teeth.
Even though this father and son reconciled, it still looked awkward.
“Got it. I’ll take charge of this case. If possible, I’ll try to talk with them so you can personally interrogate… But I can’t guarantee it.”
Hwang Jiho seemed to choose his words carefully.
Hwang Jiho was someone who acted ruthlessly towards the Ung, and greatly trusted Jeok-ho and Kim Sinrok, so I couldn’t understand why he was like this.
It seemed that Hwang Jiho wasn’t going to simply permit that Ung interrogation and both Jeok-ho and Kim Sinrok thought it was natural.
Considering the father and son’s ambiguous position in the Ho tribe, I had a rough guess about the full story, but because I couldn’t be certain, I shut my mouth.
“You know that the Ho tribe and Ung tribe are in conflict, right?”
As if noticing my doubts, Hwang Jiho looked at me and spoke.
“Just after Heavenly God’s grace left Korean Peninsula, because of the Ung tribe’s betrayal, a descendant, who was still young, died at that guy’s hands.”
If we’re talking about the time when Heavenly God’s grace left this land because of the Ung tribe’s betrayal… it was when the war between the Ho tribe and Ung tribe started again, because Ungnyeo of Grief and Jeok-ho committed a sin and faced ruin.
If it involved the Ho tribe members, who lost a descendant with this war as a trigger, Jeok-ho and Kim Sinrok would be able to do nothing but step back.
“The couple, who lost their descendant, came to me and knelt down. They asked for an opportunity for revenge. I told them that if it’s within the Ho tribe’s territory, they can kill or let that guy live as they like.”
Hwang Jiho’s vice sunk low.
Recalling how extremely the Jin people cherished descendants, I could guess how angry they were.
“After my permission was given, I didn’t see that couple or this dirty Ung even once. They are probably bear hunting in the garden even now.”
“They didn’t come out of the garden even once? The time flow in that garden is distorted, so…”
I opened my eyes wide at one of Jeok-ho’s words, ‘time flow distortion’.
It seemed that the garden the Ho tribe was managing was at least SSR rank.
When the otherworld difficulty raised, it wasn’t simply that Enemies grew stronger and the size got bigger.
The phenomena that violated and ignored the laws of physics, and sense and logic of things, like time distortion and space compression, frequently occurred.
“I’ll personally speak with the chief shaman, who is the garden’s owner. I’m in charge of this case.”
“… Understood.”
At Hwang Jiho’s words, Jeok-ho and Kim Sinrok agreed without complaining.
When the atmosphere became dark, with the sound of knocking, an automatic maid appeared.
On the tray held by the automatic maid was baesuk with jujube[1] and ginger[2], and new school uniform wrapped in plastic.
“Then let’s wrap up the conversation here. Jo Uisin, before you meet with Eun-ho’s descendants and that Military School’s cadet, wash off the scent of blood and change. When you come back, I’ll give you more baesuk as a reward.”
That damn geezer said nonsense as if I was a young child.
Even so, concerned that Eun-ho’s descendants’ sense of smell and Jang Namuk’s Eyes of the Star Maiden would see through that bloodstain, I decided to follow it without complaining.
* * *
Player’s Association, Hong Gyubin’s personal office in the Regulation Enforcement Department.
As manager Yun continued his report, Hong Gyubin’s face grew stiffer.
“… You mean You were attacked? Are You hurt anywhere?”
“Employee Jeong dealt with everything, so there were no problems.”
“Please report in more detail about the circumstances of the attack and the superpower used by the opponent.”
“Yes, I’ll explain together with the video recorded by the device.”
Hong Gyubin ordered manager Yun and employee Jeong to investigate the suicide of the Gwangli Police Station’s chief, inspector Kim.
There were zero results obtained through this investigation, but the suspicions deepened even more.
After hearing manager Yun’s explanation, the suspicions turned into certainty.
‘It’s common for the Regulation Enforcement Department to suffer attacks. Even so, the timing and method bother me. Namkung Group’s Planning Office probably interfered.’
The members of the Regulation Enforcement Department had the right to seal Gwangrim, skills and ability to cardify and materialize cards as punishment of Players, who broke Association’s rules.
Manager Yun, who was lower in rank, couldn’t exercise that right without Hong Gyubin’s command, but as he accompanied Hong Gyubin in the operations a few times, it wasn’t strange that he incurred resentment.
But Hong Gyubin’s instincts were telling him this attack was an interference of the Planning Office.
“You worked hard. Please act together with employee Jeong in the future too.”
“…Understood.”
Manager Yun made a pained expression for a second at the fact that he would have to continue to act with employee Jeong, who even though the season changed, kept poking fun at him without any difference.
“If it’s difficult, I can make You in charge of the PR team work instead.”
Recently the conflict between PR team 1 and PR team 2 was gradually intensifying.
The ringleader was the PR team 2’s team leader Bak, and though the PR team 2’s accomplishments were behind when compared to the PR team 1, thanks to the team leader Bak’s amazing abilities in the corporate politics and management of personal connections, the gap created by the accomplishments was decreasing.
The main target of team leader Bak was his girlfriend’s previous boyfriend, manager Yun.
Using the fact they were in different teams and there was a gap in status, team leader Bak put pressure on manager Yun every time he saw him.
Of course, team leader Bak also caused trouble for Hong Gyubin.
However, though Hong Gyubin had a lower status in terms of age, both of them were of team leader rank, so it was a situation where Hong Gyubin, who had a limit on how much he could be bullied, was personally facing against team leader Bak to protect team members.
Manager Yun ended his short worries over which was the lesser evil, and chose the lesser evil.
“… No. Thank You for Your consideration.”
After manger Yun said goodbye and left, Hong Gyubin sighed.
After the incidents which turned the Player community upside down, the Fantasy Controversy and Association’s satellite problem, settled down, he was suffering without a chance to rest from the Association’s internal politics once again.
It didn’t mean there were no external problems.
It was just that thanks to the small number of personnel responding to it quietly, it wasn’t noticed.
The incident with the Gwangli Police Station’s chief, concealed as a suicide, was like this.
‘Nevertheless, I thought it would be a bit quieter when Cunning went abroad to play.’
And the ominous message the head of the Seo tribe, who bestowed on Hong Gyubin a blessing, Seodol sent was also like this.
Recently Seodol requested to investigate all kinds of things.
Among them were personal details of a certain student from Eungwang School’s 1st year class 0 and movements of one of the world’s top 10 Player teams, Pledge of Three Knights.
Even so, he thought it was better for Seodol to be abroad rather than return to Korea saying he would investigate it personally, so he moderately investigated it and handed over the materials.
‘If it’s related to Eungwang School’s 1st year class 0’s child, shouldn’t I tell Uisin?’
Recently he gained a huge debt to Jo Uisin for Jegal Jaegeol’s magazine first print edition.
Considering that Jo Uisin would remain a part of Jegal Jaegeol’s Newspaper Club in the future, he had to have an even closer friendship with him, so it might be good to say something about Seodol’s investigation of class 0’s student.
When Hong Gyubin finished his thoughts and turned on the device.
Ding.
At the sound of an incoming device’s call, Hong Gyubin made a surprised face.
A name of a family member he didn’t see in a long time came up on the hologram as the caller’s name.
Hong Gyubin immediately accepted the call.
“Hello?”
[Gyubin oppa, it’s me.]
After Hong Gyubin received the call, the other party got straight to the point without proper greetings.
At the fact that his younger sister didn’t change, Hong Gyubin smiled, as he replied:
“Okay, what’s the matter?”
[Are You busy with the Regulation Enforcement Department’s work these days? I have something to check.]
“I’m busy, but tell me first.”
His younger sister’s subsequent explanation was a bit long.
As the explanation grew longer, Hong Gyubin’s expression gradually grew serious.
*~*~*
[1] jujube — 대추 (daeju), there is a belief that an amulet made out of jujube tree, which was struck by lightning, repels evil spirits.
[2] ginger — 생강 (saenggang). Nothing particular about it, but its name makes me think of ‘Life River’ (생 saeng means life/living, and 강gang means river). Of course, both are used as part of traditional remedies.
Translator’s note: Interesting how Jo Uisin thinks about details of the otherworld conquest and domination in the chapter titled Sport Exchange…
Patron thank you note
Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Micropera utriculosa’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Macroclinium wullschlaegelianum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Luca, please accept this Macradenia lutescens’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Amy Peters, please accept this Maxillaria tenuifolia’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Myrmecophila brysiana’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Mexipedium xerophyticum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Microcoelia aphylla’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Kasimir Ilmonen, please accept this Miltonia spectabilis’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Tara Hess, please accept this Miltoniopsis phalaenopsis’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Ice, please accept this Mycaranthes latifolia’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, anonymous Kofi-supporter, please accept this Mystacidium capense’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Links to support this translation and access to 5 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