Translator: Wan ED/PR: Solarin
57. On stage (8)
Broadcast delay.
I simulated in my head what would occur if such an incident exploded.
There were already a lot of Playlist’s antis.
It was clear that whether there would be damages or not, the talk would come out.
‘All viewers know very well how desperate the Players who appeared in the Playlist are. And based on this, the antis will make noise that there is ‘something’ bad enough to delay such a desperate broadcast.’
There was no way that the numerous antis would think that ‘something’ was simply for safety and wouldn’t let it go.
I decided to assume the worst case scenario.
‘There is a chance that suspicions would rise that there was damage, and it was covered up.’
As communication was cut off, there is no way to inform about the current situation.
In addition, this broadcasting station.
Even if the video from the recording devices were released later, this was a place that had sufficient ability to fabricate it.
It would take months for the investigation institutions to check and clarify that there are no traces of manipulation of recording devices.
But after a few months, the participants would have already suffered from numerous conspiracy theories, the public would only remember that the popularity that fell to the bottom and the distorted rumors, and only the malicious commentators would be left victorious.
It was an extreme assumption, but it was difficult to dismiss it as completely baseless thinking, because there were several similar cases in reality.
“… Won’t the Player participants be criticized because they didn’t participate in the otherworld conquest? I think it’s better to just delay the broadcast and say that all the Players are conquering or dealing with the Enemies.”
The staff member behind Choe Jina trembled, as he spoke.
From his distorted face, it didn’t seem like he had any intention of continuing filming.
Choe Jina took in a deep breath and spoke calmly after exhaling.
Though she spoke long, her pronunciation and intonation were clear, worthy of the debater representing Players.
“After filming the current affairs program, I immediately received comments with the same point as what the lighting director-nim said. During the broadcast filming, an otherworld occurred nearby, there immediately were malicious comments asking ‘what are you doing?’ and saying I should quit broadcasting, because I was an eyesore.”
“They were malicious commentators, but aren’t they right? It’s natural that You would be an eyesore if You appear on the broadcast. If You’re a Player, shouldn’t You prioritize the otherworld conquest above everything?!”
Because of the lighting director’s sudden outburst, the surrounding immediately became quiet.
There was a saying that human reveal their true nature in a crisis situation, and it seemed those words were fully right.
Most Players found it absurd, while the ordinary people among the staff and spectators, some seemed flustered, while some seemed to agree, nodding their heads, looking like a miniature version of the current public opinion.
“… Was anyone hurt that day?”
“No one was harmed. It was the case where the otherworld was conquered without any damages thanks to the pro Player team.”
When Choe Jina replied to Jegal Jaegeol’s question, the 2nd year class 0’s senior bastards yelled:
“Wow, no one was hurt, but You were sent malicious comments?”
“The more shield there is, the safer you are. I guess they wanted to increase the number of shields.”
“It’s clear they see Players not as humans, but shields.”
“Don’t only lifetime losers want to post malicious comments?”
When the 2nd year class 0 spoke, while openly glaring at the lighting director with the gazes as if they were looking at trash, Jegal Jaegeol stopped them.
The lighting director shouted at Choe Jina, but his face turned red, as if he didn’t like the rebuttal.
But as if he was clever enough to know that it wasn’t good to turn Players into enemies even more in this situation, he shut his mouth.
But it seemed it was too late.
“I don’t like it, eh?”
I saw Hwang Jiho check the lighting director’s face and name.
That lighting director may somehow get through this event, but it didn’t seem like he would take charge of the staff in Player-related programs in the future.
Choe Jina smiled faintly, as she looked at the lighting director, who shouted at her.
The relaxed attitude of the debater, who destroyed the self-proclaimed experts, who pressured for Players’ unconditional sacrifice in the current affairs programs in the debates.
“However, thanks to those malicious comments I felt even stronger that a voice representing Players is necessary.”
The lighting director glared at Choe Jina with an unhappy face just like before.
‘Because there is an issue of the possibility of controversy, various opinions can come up. But this…’
The lighting director’s face wasn’t like he properly accepted her words right now, but the expression of that he will catch her slip somehow and say a word.
From the beginning, the lighting director raised his voice not to try to have a productive debate with Choe Jina, but just to send the Players out into the battlefield, so it was impossible to persuade him.
Choe Jina also seemed to know this fact very well.
“I act on the premise that the otherworld conquest will end perfectly. If the harm like the potential casualties and broadcast delays during the otherworld conquest are reduced to zero, we can minimize the voices of criticism.”
“… Are You really sure?”
“The critical voices find it difficult to persuade the public in a situation where no damage occurred. At that time, the malicious comments against me received much more dislikes than likes.”
Player were just 15% of the world’s population.
If with such proportion, the malicious comments against Choe Jina received more dislikes, there was a high chance that the ordinary people also didn’t like the malicious comments and pressed dislike.
“I hope that Miro will continue to stand on the stage.”
Han Yi, who kept her mouth shut before, spoke up.
Our class children, who like Han Yi, could fight without weapons, Min Geurin, Sawol Seeum and Maeng Hyodon enthusiastically agreed with Han Yi’s words.
“Me too…!”
“Me too! We can conquer the otherworld. Please continue filming!”
“Didn’t you say that otherworlds only occurred underground? We can stop Enemies from coming up.”
Excluding the people from the pro Player team, who said they would follow their employer’s opinion, all Players advocated for continuing the filming.
The staff talked among themselves, but couldn’t come to a decision.
After Choe Jina said ‘I was the one who requested to continue filming first. If there are any problems, I’ll take responsibility’, they unified their opinion on continuing to film.
“Miro? Does she know about it?”
“Probably not. It seems they won’t tell her until the pre-recordings ends.”
“If Miro came to this studio, she would build a barricade right away.”
When moving to leave the studio, I saw people carry pile of boxes and unused equipment.
Even with Yeo Raehun’s barrier, I guess they weren’t at ease.
“Hey.”
Taking the gap of confusion, I handed a pack of item cards to Hwang Jiho.
Those were things I had in my inventory window.
“Why are you giving it to me?”
“I might be late, or there can be unpredictable variables. If it seems like Enemies will escape the underground, distribute the weapons. Looking at the structure, the 1st underground floor is a prop room, so you have to restrict the line of defense to the 2nd underground floor.”
“… Didn’t you say that you’re going to join Yeom Junyeol and then come to us? You speak like you presume it will be impossible for you to join.”
Hwang Jiho spoke with a face like he didn’t like it.
But unfortunately or fortunately, Hwang Jiho didn’t have time to question me.
Hwang Jiho accepted the item cards, as he spoke.
“The support my alter-ego called is nearby. They will break the barrier and defense wall, and head to the basement and your position right away.”
I and Yong Jegeon were headed upstairs, and the rest of the battle force went underground.
Though, to speak precisely, Choe Jin and Yeo Raehun, who could also be classified as combat power, remained in the studio.
“Junyeol’s location? I heard he would come to the studio around the time pre-recording was about to end.”
“It’s a waiting room nearby the voice recording room two floors above from here. While the participants were doing the pre-recording, He was going to record the narration for the today episode.”
Because the elevator’s operation was halted for safety reasons, we had to use the stairs, so we ran to the emergency exit where the stairs were.
While moving, we ran into the staff and entertainers heading to the studio designated as the evacuation point, but there weren’t that many of them.
It seemed it was thanks to the fact there were no desk employees, as it was past their working hours, only the people who were filming at night and did editing were left.
And when we arrived at the upper floor, not even one person was seen.
‘Cadmus kills only dragons. He will keep ordinary people away from the area with skills and items.’
As if sensing the grave atmosphere, Yong Jegeon was about to run.
I blocked Yong Jegeon’s path and said.
“Teacher Yong Jegeon-nim, You can’t go. If You go like this, You will die. And senior Yeom Junyeol-nim too.”
“…!”
Yong Jegeon’s eyes opened wide.
“I guess Junyeol-yi is in danger, huh? What about the dragon that was with him?”
At that moment the bloodied Yong tribe member, who collapsed, was reflected in the ‘Eyes embracing Heaven and Earth’.
As if Cadmus prioritized Yeom Junyeol behind the door to the waiting room above the dragon in front of his eyes, he crushed the door first, instead of cutting the life of the Yong tribe member.
Instead of explaining in detail, I shook my head, and the face of Yong Jegeon, who understood my meaning, quickly turned dark.
“I have a suggestion.”
Yong Jegeon didn’t know what was the intention behind my suggestion, but he decided to follow it.
Thanks to Yong Jegeon not knowing what was happening right now, and what I was going to do, I was able to easily receive the approval.
* * *
Before taking the Red Wall Thief as his master, Yeom Junyeol had two masters.
One was the dragon with wanderlust, and the other was Yeom Bangyeol.
He had two masters, because he was a descendant.
— It’s difficult to take a descendant as a disciple without more than decent martial art talent. Because it’s difficult to spar with a descendant, it’s complicated to guide them.
— Yeom Bangyeol decided he wants to teach his son, so that’s for the best!
Yeom Junyeol understood his abilities and position as a descendant very well.
As such, he did his best to receive teaching from his two masters, and took the Red Wall Thief as his master.
As the result, Yeom Junyeol was alive now.
He had learned how powerless a descendant was in front of a Jin, who is connected by blood with them, and learned what he should do in such situations.
And he learned from his third master what he couldn’t learn from his two masters.
‘If I didn’t learn the way to hide my presence as instructed by master-nim, I would’ve been captured already. Probably dead.’
The moment the waiting room door was shattered, the Yong tribe member, who took on the role of Yeom Junyeol’s bodyguard, caught the attacker by the ankle with the last of her power.
Taking the opportunity of that gap, Yeom Junyeol hid his presence and fled.
It was painful to leave behind the seriously injured Yong and run, but Yeom Junyeol knew very well if he stayed, there would be one more corpse.
‘Sorry, noona…! I’ll make sure to survive and call other People!’
He often visited the broadcasting station because the Playlist filming, and even at the broadcasting station he tried to avoid the eyes of Dokgo Miro and Yong tribe to train his presence hiding in spare moments.
That training became helpful at this time, allowing Yeom Junyeol to safely flee through the complicated maze-like floor.
‘On the bottom floor is Jegeon hyung and teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim. And there is the head of the Ho tribe in the 1st year class 0!’
The person chasing Yeom Junyeol was a powerful Jin, but he couldn’t match the opposing beings.
When Yeom Junyeol finally arrived at the emergency exist leading to the bottom floor.
In the emergency exit, he saw Yong Jegeon, who revealed his cyan hair, and a person in Eungwang School uniform, with a face covered by a mask.
‘Jegeon hyung! And the one beside Him…’
The hand, which was fixing the mask, dropped.
Then he saw the mask clearly.
It was the crow mask the Red Wall Thief wore.
‘Master-nim…? Why are You here?’
Doubts soon changed to happiness and relief.
There was nothing to be afraid of if his master was here.
At that moment.
“Dragon Teeth, pierce your kin.”
With the attacker’s voice, the sound of splitting wind rang out.
Whoooosh! Peuk!
The Dragon Teeth rammed into Yong Jegeon’s back, shoulder and upper arm.
He saw the jade space around him break, and even though he responded instantly at that moment, it seemed that it pierced the space easily.
As if it was some unreasonable destructive power that completely ignored the power of dragons.
The blood dyeing Yong Jegeon’s jade hair was vivid in his eyes.
Yeom Junyeol had to block his mouth to not let out his scream and erratic breath.
‘Jegeon hyung…! Uh…?’
But something was strange.
Yong Jegeon, whose body was surely pierced through by the dragon teeth was smiling.
For some reason, it was the suspicious smile that Yeom Junyeol’s master tended to make.
*~*~*
Translator’s note: *Jo Uisin smiles suspiciously as he thinks about how no one knows what the hell he plans to do to himself. Again.*
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