Translator: Wan ED/PR: Solarin
59. True nature (7)
Yeom Junyeol spoke with a sunken voice, but the tone with which he spoke was gentle and polite.
It was the tone my kind and sincere disciple would report his homework progress and his training methods.
But in that content, Yeom Junyeol’s sorrow and helplessness was buried within.
For a second, I couldn’t tell if I had misheard what Yeom Junyeol said, or if I couldn’t understand it properly.
In the momentary stupidity, I belatedly realized what Yeom Junyeol had said and became regretful.
‘I didn’t consider how Yeom Junyeol would have felt… If he was involved in such events, he would have suffered a great shock.’
When I thought it through better, if the junior, who took on the role of a master, showed such a sight in front of his eyes, it was obvious what the affectionate and emotional Yeom Junyeol would think.
The disciple, who suffered such a shock, came only after finishing the live broadcast, but what his master was doing, unable to comfort him and asking the ignorant question ‘did something happen’?
I once again acutely realized how bad of a master I was.
If it was Yeom Bangyeol, or Yeom Junyeol’s other master with the wanderlust, they would say something more proper to him.
I couldn’t answer for a while, because of the guilt after Yeom Junyeol finished speaking.
‘My disciple was so worried about me, but I couldn’t give him even a proper word of comfort!?’
I couldn’t decide whether I should apologize for showing a bad sight or should soothe Yeom Junyeol and say something to boost his confidence.
At the end of my worries, when I decided that I should start with an apology and was about to open my mouth.
I abruptly recalled the tears Yeom Junyeol showed when I asked for his safety and swallowed my words.
‘… If I apologize in such a situation, it may hurt Yeom Junyeol’s heart even more.’
I belatedly thought that words of worry about Yeom Junyeol might become poison instead in the current situation.
If Yeom Junyeol cried again, I might not be able to overcome the guilt, confess my sins to Cheongryong and Yeom Junyeol and get hit by lightning.
When I couldn’t say anything, Yeom Junyeol opened his mouth with a self-mocking face.
“Master-nim put up with the danger and saved many people before You met me. Even after accepting me as a disciple, You were doing this. So for Master-nim what happened today wasn’t a big deal, probably.”
I didn’t exactly think that today’s incident was trivial.
Even so, considering the attitude I showed and words I said until now, I had nothing to rebut it.
No, even when I thought coldly about it, Yeom Juneyol and Yong Jegeon’s lives being in danger was a bigger deal than me getting hurt.
‘Even if such an event occurs in the future, I think I will do the same.
At that time I will probably make similar choices.
In the situation where I hadn’t figured out all of the Dark Mastermind’s moves yet, I wouldn’t do silly actions like playing a suicide move, but I was determined to make smaller or bigger sacrifices.
Even so, if my choices make my Playable Character suffer so much, I will have to be more cautious.
‘Put more thoughts into minimizing harm, and if it’s an unavoidable situation, at least move carefully, without bothering anyone, so…’
While I was reflecting alone, Yeom Junyeol, who was quietly observing my face, opened his mouth again:
“I longed to see master-nim’s appearance like this, so I asked to become a disciple. But now this makes me suffer.”
There was a bone in those firmly spoken words.
As a master, the words that my disciple is suffering struck me like an arrow.
“I know that if I, who is much weaker than master-nim, said something like that, it wouldn’t be persuasive. I knew it would make only things complicated for master-nim, when I say something like that, but… I…”
Yeom Junyeol’s words trailed off.
At the same time, as his words trailed off, even the power of Hongryong in his eyes quietly wavered.
I felt how much my disciple was suffering from that movement.
Even after the persimmon tea Yeom Junyeol served completely lost its warmth, Yeom Junyeol couldn’t continue.
I don’t know about the other things, but I was worried about him self-reproaching himself saying ‘I, who is much weaker than master-nim’.
I thought for a while, and then barely opened my mouth.
“Among the things I said before, do you remember when I said that you will grow more than me?”
“… I didn’t forget even one word that master-nim said to me.”
During a past lesson, Yeom Junyeol lost his morale after seeing the Hongryong I summoned.
Because of the power gap, Yeom Junyeol despaired, as he thought that he will never be able to catch up to me.
At that time, I said this with full conviction:
— You will grow more than the current me. I’ll teach you well.
In PMH, faced with the death of his friends, Yeom Junyeol went into the runaway and awakened the new power ‘Hongryonglization’.
If Yeom Junyeol used that power to the fullest, he would be able to assimilate the Hongryong I summoned that day with the ‘superpower swallowing’.
The words I said at that time weren’t a lie made to encourage my disciple.
“You will grow more than the current me. The proof is in your eyes right now.”
“… My eyes?”
“Yeah.”
Yeom Junyeol reflexively rubbed the rims of his eyes.
Perhaps he didn’t feel the sense of incongruity this far, he looked at me with a confused face.
“Hongryong is the crystal of materializing your power through Gwangrim. There is remnant of power that isn’t usable by Gwangrim, that didn’t reveal itself yet. But right now your eyes are holding the power of Hongryong.”
“Ah…!”
It seemed that Yeom Junyeol at last realized that his eyes were different from usual.
Yeom Junyeol opened his eyes wide and touched their corners.
“You can not simply summon Hongryong, but to become the flame dragon himself.”
“Flame dragon…”
Yeom Junyeol could take on the appearance of the dragon manifestation, but it was just simple changing into a dragon appearance.
It wasn’t becoming the flame himself like the Hongryong he summoned.
“Then can master-nim also become the flame dragon?”
In the game, the Playable Character Yeom Junyeol learned the ‘Hongryonglization’ and became the flame dragon as the result of runaway.
But I couldn’t use that ability.
At every point, the characters, who were possible to control, were called Playable Characters, but the characters, who went into a runaway, were impossible to control.
‘… When Kim Yuri went into a runaway, she was impossible to control.’
The abilities obtained after going into a runaway were out of my reach.
I could use Gwangrim, skills and blessing through the Player’s Trajectory, which were usable when Yeom Junyeol was possible to control in the game, but I couldn’t use ‘Hongryonglization’.
I shook my head.
“No, I can’t use it. It’s a power only you can use.”
At my words, color returned to Yeom Junyeol’s face.
Perhaps he was excited about the power that only he could use, besides the flames in his eyes, his skin also became noticeably warmer.
“If you completely learn that ‘Hongryonglization’, you won’t have difficulty swallowing the flames of Hongryong I summon.”
There were no exaggerations in those words.
As if the convictions in my words were passed to him, Yeom Junyeol made a bright expression for the first time.
“Master-nim promised that until I do my share, You will never accept any other disciples. You have answered that even if I was a bad disciple, You won’t abandon me and take another disciple.”
“Yeah.”
“Will You continue to teach me even after I completely master that power and swallow master-nim’s Hongryong’s flames?”
Once that comes, will there be any need for me as a master?
As I nodded with the meaning that I would leave the choice to Yeom Junyeol once the time comes, Yeom Junyeol was extremely happy.
“I’ll work harder in the future to be worthy of master-nim’s sole disciple, grow powerful enough so master-nim won’t make such a choice! As master-nim’s disciple.”
Hearing my disciple’s sincere pledge, I felt like I had no regrets about pouring blood for the dragons today even a bit.
For the sake of awakening Yeom Junyeol’s Hongryonglization, I was also resolved to work diligently as a master-nim.
Yeom Junyeol added to his pledge.
“… And also as Uisin-yi’s senior.”
Yeom Junyeol, who said that, had the face worthy of the Eungwang School’s Student Council President.
‘You’re saying that you work hard both as the disciple and the senior, huh!’
As expected, my disciple had an extraordinary mindset.
Looking at my disciple’s praiseworthy appearance, I felt like my fatigue was relieved without me knowing.
I and Yeom Junyeol drank one more cup of newly brewed tea, while talking about the plans for future lessons, and then parted.
* * *
I slept without dreams like usual and woke up in the morning.
The last memory I had was falling asleep right away, after sending off Yeom Junyeol.
I thought it was an early morning, but when checking the time through the device, it was already past the time to go to school.
It seemed they were considerate of me and no one woke me up.
‘I was planning on skipping school anyway, but… shouldn’t I be woken up anyway? I slept really soundly.’
This sleeping place Cheongryong guided me to was said to have blessings[1] here and there for comfortable sleep of the residing Yong tribe members and visiting guests.
Those sleep measures were said to be made because the Yong tribe members emitted superpower waves in their sleep, and perhaps thanks to that I woke up after sleeping soundly.
I felt relieved that Yeom Junyeol and Yong Jegeon were staying in such a place.
‘Yeom Junyeol said he will go to school.’
As the Student Council’s president, Yeom Junyeol was said to go to school on time to show himself as a model student.
Before faithfully departing to school, he sent me a message.
Two messages were sent and came from Yeom Junyeol.
One was a message sent for ‘that word’ master, and the other to the 1st year junior Jo Uisin.
[Yeom Junyeol] Master-nim, hello.
[Yeom Junyeol] I wanted to greet You in person in the morning, but it seems You’re sleeping, so I’m sending a message. Unlike yesterday, when it was somewhat cloudy, today’s predictions suggest the sky will be clear. The sunlight is good, but it will be chilly in the morning in contrast to last year, so if possible, I hope You will stay indoors as long as possible.
[Yeom Junyeol] (stamp)
After that, Yeom Junyeol attached a stamp of Hongryong laying comfortably in bed.
It seemed that as he declared, Yeom Junyeol was planning to treat me as his master-nim even after knowing my identity.
‘It seems he also plans to act as a senior at the same time.’
The other message was a message sent by senior Yeom Junyeol.
[Yeom Junyeol] Uisin-ah, I believe it would be better for you to rest today, so I’ll go first. Rest.
[Yeom Junyeol] (stamp)
He spoke with a tone like that of a senior, but one thing was different from usual.
The existence of the stamp attached just after the end of the message.
‘Now he also attaches stamps to the messages sent to Jo Uisin, huh?’
Was this Hongryong stamp attached only to the people he was close with?
Whatever it was, I felt the broad-mindedness and consideration of the disciple, who sent messages to both sides, the master and the junior, who revealed his identity.
“Uisin-ah, you’re awake, huh?”
“… Jo Uisin-gun, hello.”
As I finished washing and come out, Yong Jegeon jumped out in front of the door, as if he was waiting.
Behind Yong Jegeon was Kim Sinrok, but he didn’t seem to be in a very good mood.
He had an expression like he wanted to say something to Yong Jegeon at any moment.
‘Is he enduring because Cheongryong is by his side?’
After exchanging morning greetings, Cheongryong opened his mouth.
“There is one thing I want to ask.”
“Please speak.”
“It’s about the Ho tribe’s head.”
“… Yes?”
Why are you asking me this?
If there was something to ask about Hwang Jiho, wouldn’t it better to ask Kim Sinrok?
As if Kim Sinrok thought the same, he showed doubts.
When I expressed my doubts, Cheongryong gave additional explanation.
“I didn’t notice it yesterday because I was reviewing the broadcasts Yeom Junyeol-yi showed, but the Ho tribe’s head tried to contact me through the magic circle. Because he couldn’t contact me, he just left the message and… he was asking about you[2].”
Now that I think about it, when I checked Yeom Junyeol’s messages, there was a place that was full of numerous postponed messages.
I kept not checking the device messages, so I guess Hwang Jiho contacted other places.
*~*~*
[1] blessings — the temple’s blessing, the blessing of happiness, the charms… the one Ye Raehun can give, not the ones from the system window. (I ought to find a name for it one day).
[2] you — the same polite ‘you’ he used for Kim Sinrok before.
Translator’s note: … Jo Uisin, your thoughts are so wrong on so many levels this chapter, but I can’t say anything about it because you’re right, Yeom Junyeol is the best disciple, all hail to Yeom Junyeol.
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