Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
58. Natural enemy (1) [1]
Hwang Myeong-ho’s great mansion.
Not long after Jo Uisin headed to school together with Hwang-ho in the appearance of Hwang Jiho, Hwang-ho’s younger alter-ego arrived at the mansion.
Hwang-ho, who would usually head to the main building straight away, headed to the side building.
Even after the young-looking Hwang-ho entered the side building, it was quiet.
The silence of the side building continued until Hwang-ho sat down right in front of Eun-ho, who was drinking tea in the side building’s living room.
“Hwangho-nim, You came, eh?”
Eun-ho prepared Hwang-ho’s share of tea, as he greeted him.
The young-looking Hwang-ho first stretched out his hand towards the snacks instead of tea, while speaking.
“Eun-ho, you’re late in sensing presence[2], eh?”
“Yes. My body and mind are not yet the same as in the past.”
“From the looks of it, it seems that you still haven’t read even half of the documents I handed you.”
When Hwang-ho spoke as if sounding him out, Eun-ho put down his hand with a tea cup and unfolded a hologram.
Eun-ho very quickly familiarized himself with the method of using the device, so though not as developed like here, as he said, he indeed showed experience with the modernity.
While unfolding the hologram, Eun-ho calmly informed him of the truth.
“It’s because I’m not in a good condition[3]. When I rush for no reason, I miss the information, and my thinking becomes lax. I’m limiting the amount of information I put in my head for a day.”
“Is that so?”
Hwang-ho nodded at those words, as if satisfied.
According to the words of the person in question, he wasn’t the same as in the past, but those words were very much like Eun-ho, so Hwang-ho was extremely relieved.
“But I wish to hear the story about this appearance right now.”
“Didn’t you say that you’re limiting the amount of information you put in?”
“I left enough to hear Hwangho-nim’s story. I’m curious why busy Hwangho-nim troubles Himself dedicating time and power to the elementary school life.”
Eun-ho spoke gently, but Hwang-ho was somewhat worried.
He had his reasons to use the elementary student’s appearance.
But it was around half because he just had fun cultivating[4] the elementary school, and fun observing humans.
Hwang-ho noticed that Eun-ho saw through him and laid out a story like an excuse.
“… There were some incidents in that elementary school.”
Cheong-ho, who became a human Han Yi, and Han Yi’s friend, Dokgo Miro.
And when he finished explaining the story involving them in that elementary school and about Seong Gukeon and Jeon Mu-yeong to a degree.
The young-looking Hwang-ho cut off his words with a subtle expression.
“… It seems that the Moon Rabbit discovered something through the Moon Palace Technique, eh? It’s a phenomenon observed for the first time and it happens to be around the broadcasting station the 1st year class 0’s group is heading to right now.”
“How did Uisin hyung react?”
“Jo Uisin also doesn’t seem to know much.”
The conversation halted after those words.
Eun-ho tried to recall PMH story he remembered, but he didn’t recall anything matching the current situation.
‘An unexpected development…?’
Eun-ho recalled the Dark Mastermind, who didn’t show their bare face even once, even after reaching the ending of PMH.
Considering the moves they, who were so cautious, played, there was a big chance that they would slowly take out new cards that couldn’t be expected.
‘Many moves they played were blocked by Uisin hyung in the meantime. They may arrange a bit more moves and play them in the future, or they may develop new moves.’
Eun-ho decided to double-check what was observed through the Moon Palace Technique.
Recalling the content included in the documents he read together, Eun-ho asked:
“You said that Toyeon-nim detected ‘Otherworld without warnings’ through the Moon Palace Technique before, correct?”
“On the Children’s Day Baseball Stadium and during the Youth Training Camp, that’s right. It seems to be an ability possessed by the Dark Mastermind.”
“And what was detected right now is different from that ‘Otherworld without warnings’.”
“Yeah.”
Eun-ho compared that phenomenon with the incidents in the game where the ‘Otherworld without warning’ phenomena appeared.
As if he couldn’t find answer like this, Eun-ho’s silence continued for long.
Hwang-ho, who observed Eun-ho, opened his mouth.
“Eun-ho, speaking about your descendant that damn Moon Rabbit was taking care of…”
At the word ‘descendant’, Eun-ho’s thinking momentarily froze.
He recalled the heavenly secret, that he unintentionally read a long time ago.
The content was that his descendant would become a warrior protecting this land, and that his sworn brother and his close friends would die protecting his descendant.
‘But isn’t the timing of that already a distant past? The foreign enemies would have disappeared…!’
But principles of heavens and the world would naturally change based on the flow of times.
Because Eun-ho couldn’t read heavenly secrets now, he couldn’t recheck it.
Eun-ho asked with a nervous voice.
“… No way, did You meet my descendant?”
“Yeah. But I’m not talking about your direct descendant.”
Not the direct descendant?
That sounded like he was saying that he had more descendants.
Eun-ho guessed the truth immediately.
“I guess my descendant had offsprings, eh?”
At Hwang-ho’s words that he didn’t meet the direct descendant, Eun-ho made a noticeable relieved face.
It was because the time he heard the heavenly secret about the descendant only one, a daughter, was born.
“…”
Hwang-ho saw Eun-ho’s wary attitude, and didn’t open his mouth about the descendants anymore.
Eun-ho slowly chose his words to try to dig a bit more about his descendants.
But because his mouth didn’t move, the conversation didn’t start.
“…!”
Hwang-ho suddenly perked up his head, turned on the device and started to contact someone.
From his stiffened expression, it looked like something happened.
“Hwangho-nim, what happened?”
“An otherworld occurred in the broadcasting station. The communication with the outside is also cut off. The weapon items are sealed. I, who’s connected to an alter-ego, decided to call for support.”
Eun-ho’s face hardened.
He wasn’t worried about Hwang-ho in front of him.
Hwang-ho was a Myth category Ho, and even in the case where he suffered enough damage to annihilate that individual body, he could swap the location with his alter-ego the moment he wanted, so no matter what, it was possible for him to escape.
In other words, Hwang-ho could take as a main-ego the elementary school student’s being in front of him, there was no need to worry about him.
Eun-ho was not worried about Hwang-ho but a different being.
‘Uisin hyung woke up just today…!’
And the worry about Cheong-ho, who became human, and ended up fighting with bare hands, was not small either.
While Hwang-ho called for support, Eun-ho calmed down his mind and asked.
“Please tell me the names of all the Players currently in the broadcasting station.”
Hwang-ho displayed the list on the hologram and passed it to Eun-ho.
Eun-ho, who checked the list, became uncomfortable.
There were still many unfamiliar names, but the few names he remembered bothered him.
‘… I don’t have a good feeling about it.’
Young-looking Hwang-ho finished the call and buried his body deep in the sofa.
It seemed that he took a comfortable position to decrease the power spent on the alter-ego, even if a little.
“From now one I plan to lead the children, who can fight and take the role of the defense team until the support comes.”
“And Uisin hyung? Does He plan to move with You?”
“Jo Uisin said he will move with Yong Jegeon. It seems he plans to join with Yeom Junyeol.”
At those words, Eun-ho felt a feeling of incongruity.
As he wasn’t on the field, he couldn’t know the detailed situation, but Jo Uisin’s actions right now were somewhat strange.
‘Uisin hyung moves leaving behind the 1st year class 0, where the Playable Characters are? Yong Jegeon and Yeom Junyeol are also Playable Characters, but… considering the combat power, it would be natural go to Hwangho-nim’s side.’
Eun-ho was certain something happened that meant that Jo Uisin had to personally move to Yong Jegeon and Yeom Junyeol’s side.
Eun-ho worried what move he should play, and then opened his mouth.
“It’s still difficult for me to try to combine the changes in this world, and the observation results of the previous world. I’ll leave the field positioning and plans to Hwangho-nim and Uisin hyung. Instead, I have a request.”
Hwang-ho nodded, while listening to Eun-ho’s words.
Hwang-ho also felt ominous about Jo Uisin’s attitude, so he decided to follow Eun-ho’s opinion without a word.
* * *
Apollo oversaw numerous domains.
Called the god of the sun, Apollo symbolized music and art, with nine muses at his side, and the medicine and prophecy.
And he was a god that fought on the even ground with the goddess of the moon and hunting, Artemis.
In the myths there were numerous stories about Apollo’s archery.
Among the most famous one was how he shot and pierced Python with an arrow to protect his mother, Leto.
And that Python was also categorized as a dragon.
‘If Cadmus is a natural enemy of the Yong tribe, Cadmus’ natural enemy would be Apollo.’
Cadmus was a dragon who had a debt to the Greek gods.
And Apollo was a Greek god, who had a myth of dragon slaying.
When Cadmus saw the sunlight arrow, he urgently pulled out the shield made of lion skin and defended his vital points.
However my target was different.
Paaa…!
The place the arrow filled with the power of the sun was aimed at was the javelin that had a legend of piercing the stomach of the Drakon.
Rather than hitting Cadmus, I planned to prioritize eliminating his methods of killing dragons.
“You…! You’re planning to use the power of a god in your state right now?”
Yong Jegeon shouted with an urgent voice.
My hand released the bowstring before Yong Jegeon spoke.
Swish! Bang!
My vision was blocked by light together with the sound of explosion.
From the enormous clash of powers, I was certain that the sunlight arrow smashed Cadmus’ javelin.
But I couldn’t rest assured yet.
‘When Cadmus took down the Drakon Ismenios, he used two spears and a lion leather shield. I broke the spear used for throwing, there must be still one left.’
I put an arrow on the Apollo’s bow again and loaded it with the superpower wave.
At the time, as if giving me a warning, Ham Geun-hyeong’s card shimmered before, informing me that the ‘Player’s Trajectory has not much usable time left.
There were around 10 seconds left.
I knew that the remaining limited time of the Player’s Trajectory using the ‘Unknown Fate’, but I didn’t expect the time to be consumed that fast.
‘… the consumption is more extreme than I thought! I might be borrowing the power of god, but I shot only one arrow. Is it because the damage was so great?’
From the taste of blood rising in my mouth, it also seemed that the superpower wave was going wild, because of the action of loading the bow.
‘Even so, I have to smash that spear!’
Perhaps because of the extreme blood loss, my vision was blurry, and I couldn’t put strength in my fingers.
Teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim, who I saw in PMH accurately pierced Enemies’ foreheads even after suffering more serious damage than this, but it seemed there was a big difference between seeing and doing.
Paaat! Pew! Paat!
Even in the short moment of gathering the sunlight power in the bow, Cadmus’ fierce attack continued.
Cadmus’ target was Yong Jegeon, who was unfolding the Space Art to cover me.
The spear wielded by Cadmus didn’t have the power of the Dragon Teeth, but it wasn’t easy, and bursting the space containing the power of the dragon, it headed this way.
‘Too fast. I won’t be a match to that spear with my concentration right now!’
I changed the target to the hand holding the spear and shot the second arrow.
Swwwish! Jaang!
The sunlight arrow changed its trajectory because of the superpower wave shot from Cadmus’ spear.
The arrow, which burrowed into the wall in vain, lost its sunlight and melted.
‘… it’s the same arrow, but shooting it the second time at the great hero of Thebes with a decreased power was an act of stupidity!’
My vision darkened.
At the same time the bow of Apollo in my hands turned into particles of light and disappeared.
The limited usage time of the ‘Unknown Fate’ card ended.
As if he sensed the blessing and power of Apollo disappearing, Cadmus adjusted his grip on the spear and ran towards us again.
Yong Jegeon seemed to prepare to use his Gwangrim, as he withdrew the space and gathered his power.
But as Yong Jegeon’s Gwangrim revealed his dragon’s appearance, showing it in front of the dragon slayer was an act of stupidity.
‘I can still use Gwangrim, not a card. But if I don’t recover right now…’
If instead of Gwank Gyeong-gu’s ‘100 seconds of Grace’, in which my defense power would rise, and I would enter the super-regeneration mode, I activated teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim’s Gwangrim again, I would be able to counterattack.
However, after that it would certainly be impossible for me to act.
‘… If I hesitate here, Yong Jegeon and Yeom Junyeol will be hurt.’
I strengthened my resolve and activated Gwangrim.
⟨Using Gwangrim ‘Player’s Trajectory’.⟩
Like they read my hesitation, two cards appeared in front of my eyes.
One was Gwak Gyeong-gu’s card.
And the other was teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim’s card.
The moment I looked towards teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim’s card.
Paaat!
The window covered by a barrier was pierced and arrows stormed in.
Hundreds of arrows containing light poured towards Cadmus.
Like the ones I shot a moment ago, the arrows and a bow contained the power of Apollo.
‘No way, those arrows were shot by…!’
Through the broken window, in the distance, I saw teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim.
*~*~*
[1] Natural enemy — 천적 (cheon-jeok) can also mean to be demoted from one’s position or exiled because of a crime. And, as you might have noticed, the first part of this word is ‘cheon’ which means heaven (literally, this word uses hanja 天). So this could also be very literally understood as ‘Enemy of Heavens’ or ‘Heavenly enemy’.
[2] sensing presence — literally ‘reading signs of someone being present’.
[3] not in a good condition — literally ‘not in a normal state’, it often used to say that someone is insane.
[4] cultivating — literally ‘plowing (field)’
Translator’s note: Jo Uisin’s natural enemy no. 1: Trying to decide not to self-sacrifice
Patron thank you note:
Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Antirrhinum hispanicum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Antirrhinum majus’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Antirrhinum molle’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Antirrhinum siculum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Antirrhinum tortuosum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Kasimir Ilmonen, please accept this Selenicereus costaricensis’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Tara Hess, please accept this Selenicereus megalanthus’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Ice, please accept this Selenicereus grandiflorus’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, anonymous Kofi-supporter, please accept this Selenicereus hamatus’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Hematite, please accept this Selenicereus monacanthus’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Deflubs, please accept this Selenicereus setaceus’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Rose Marie, please accept this Selenicereus undatus’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Links to support this translation and access to 8 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