Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
64. Faith and test (5)
In the end, I couldn’t attack Yu Sang-hun.
“Got it. Let’s go together.”
I guess even the sensitive Yu Sang-hun didn’t know what choice I would make.
Yu Sang-hun made a noticeably reassured face.
“Good thinking.”
Was I really thinking well?
Won’t he get more hurt if he goes to Tao Wonu than if he fights with me?
How did Yu Sang-hui protected Yu Sang-hun until now…!
“Stop worrying and get moving. Where are we going?”
Yu Sang-hun spoke calmly without knowing my feelings.
Yu Sang-hun’s tone was not even a bit different from when he said, ‘We ate, so let’s go play basketball’.
Thinking about things involved with the TC Research Institute, I couldn’t help but worry.
However, you can’t take back a move once you’ve already played it.
“… I’m going to the TC Research Institute.”
“It’s not far from here. What are we going to do there?”
You mean you were going to unconditionally follow me, even though you didn’t know what I was going to do?
Even if I tried to tell him how dangerous the place I was heading to was, it didn’t seem like I would change Yu Sang-hun’s thoughts, but I decided to just speak first.
“Senior Tao Wonu-nim attacked the TC Research Institute alone.”
When Tao Wonu’s name came out, Yu Sang-hun’s face turned complicated.
As Yu Sang-hun was the no.1 victim swept by Tao Wonu’s unsightly actions, he couldn’t help but make such a face.
As we moved, the conversation continued.
“There is a high chance there are Jin people there. And that an otherworld will occur when we go in.”
“When we go in…? Looks like it isn’t a naturally occurring otherworld. Something like a Garden?”
Garden was a state when all things in the otherworld were under control, but the Frozen Otherworlds were different.
That’s to say, their entrances were just frozen, so unless the freezing of the otherworld was released, the otherworld couldn’t be interfered with.
They were no different from ordinary otherworlds when they materialized, but there was one big difference.
‘In the process of thawing, a superpower poison is released.’
Superpower poison eats away on people possessing superpowers, regardless if they were a human, a Jin or a descendant.
The only beings with superpowers, unaffected by that superpower poison were the Enemies, who were originally in the otherworld.
Currently, there exist a few ways to fight back against the superpower poison.
First, natural recovery abilities keeping up over a long time.
In Jin people’s case, they had outstanding regeneration abilities, and could reduce that time, but as it obstructed superpower usage in the meantime, their combat power drastically dropped.
Second, healing with superpowers of a healing arts user on Yu Sang-hui’s level.
Third, taking the antidote developed by Hyangrok.
But, because it had a side effect of melting the insides, it was difficult to be used by anyone but Jin people at this point.
‘And, the fourth is…’
When we arrived near TC Research Institute.
A message from Eun-ho arrived.
I don’t know about Hwang Jiho, but Eun-ho’s message was difficult to ignore.
It was because although he must have known what kind of situation I was in, he took the trouble to contact me, so it must’ve been urgent.
[Cheon Eunha] Uisin hyung, hello. I apologize for bothering You, when You’re busy.
[Cheon Eunha] This is the architectural map of TC Research Institute I received from Dongha hyung. It includes the location of the underground barrier that isn’t shown on the guidance map. Dongha hyung said He will try to find out more details.
As expected, unlike Hwang Jiho, Eun-ho didn’t contact me with useless things.
While I commit the map to memory, Eun-ho sent an additional message.
[Cheon Eunha] There are Eungwang School people who arrived at the Research Institute before hyung.
People who came before me?
It didn’t seem like he meant Tao Wonu or Hwang Jiho.
Eun-ho sent device coordinates with markers.
Besides Tao Wonu, there were names of the Student Council’s members on those markers.
Ji Myeong-su, Yeom Junyeol, Gwak Gyeong-gu, An Dain…
‘… All of them are my Playable Characters!’
As expected, there was no way that my smart and righteous Playable Characters would ignore Tao Wonu’s crisis.
But I didn’t expect them to act so quickly.
[Cheon Eunha] Hwangho-nim is around, on stand-by. It’s Uisin hyung’s decision whether he will join or not.
Eun-ho sent no more messages after those words.
I could guess why Eun-ho bothered himself to remind me about Hwang Jiho’s existence.
He meant that it was up to my choice whether and how I will deal with the Student Council’s members.
Looking at how the Student Council’s members who came here, were only the outstanding Players Eungwang School boasted about, it seemed it was a key combat force chosen by Ji Myeong-su.
They weren’t people who would die or be seriously injured in ordinary circumstances.
However, they were all the people who met their end on the front lines in PMH.
‘… If I borrow Hwang Jiho’s power, I can send the Student Council’s people back. And if needed, I can call on the Ho tribe, to supply the fighting power.’
Yu Sang-hun, who was with me, was the same.
I could say that I changed my thoughts and overpower Yu Sang-hun with Hwang Jiho.
‘If we fight together, even if no one dies, someone may get hurt. Wouldn’t it be better to send them back, while we deal with it with me and Ho tribe’s power?’
But I really didn’t like that.
I kept recalling Yu Sang-hun’s determined face when he blocked my way and said he will go with me.
It wasn’t the only thing I recalled.
‘If I try to solve this alone like during the broadcasting station’s incident, won’t I face a similar situation like that time?’
Was it because Yeom Junyeol was here too?
Yeom Junyeol, who self-reproaching himself when I visited the Yong tribe’s territory, kept coming to mind.
— But I couldn’t do anything, and had to just follow master-nim’s teachings to hide my presence and watch.
— 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 know that if I, who is much weaker than master-nim, said something like that, it wouldn’t be persuasive. I knew it would only make things complicated for master-nim, when I say something like that, but… I…
Wouldn’t it be more difficult for Yu Sang-hun, Yeom Junyeol and the Student Council’s members if they didn’t fight with me?
The thoughts with a poor basis, gradually became more persuasive building on that experience.
I hoped that Yu Sang-hun and my Playable Characters won’t get hurt.
But I also hoped they wouldn’t suffer.
If there was a way to not get other people hurt, rushing in alone wasn’t a good move.
‘… Let’s think of the best move.’
TC Research Institute.
Frozen Otherworlds laying low around it.
What I knew about the Ho tribe’s process of tracking this.
Avaritia’s priest.
Yu Sang-hui, Yu Sang-hun and Tao Wonu.
Student Council’s members, who came to help Tao Wonu.
As a result of figuring out all the chess pieces and inspecting them one after another, I came up with an answer.
‘Let’s go together this time.’
If it goes according to my thoughts, I will be able to minimize the damage.
“Looks you’re thinking of suspicious things again.”
Around the time I drew a conclusion, Yu Sang-hun said something useless.
I would be smiling suspiciously either way, so there was no use in listening to him.
I didn’t reply to those words, and took our a crow mask from an item window.
“Cover your face. There are going to be ‘Eyes’, so it’s better to cover the face.”
“What is that? Something like CCTV?”
“Similar. Use the defense item provided by school that covers a face. If you don’t have it, I’ll give it to you.”
As it was in the sphere of Demons’ influence, it would be better to be cautious of Eyes.
‘And there was something I wanted to test when wearing this mask…’
While I sent a message suggesting a joint-operation to Yeom Junyeol.
Yu Sang-hun stretched out his hand and snatched my mask.
I wasn’t able to react right away, because I didn’t feel any sense of hostility, though it was also because Yu Sang-hun’s action was so fast.
Yu Sang-hun put on the crow mask in the meantime.
“I’ll use this.”
“You can’t. I’m going to use it.”
I tried to stop him, but it had the reverse effect.
“If you say I can’t, then I have to wear it. Wearing such an eye-drawing mask — looks like you’re planning to play the role of a bait.”
… Yu Sang-hun didn’t seem to know anything about the crow mask, but he somehow guessed that?
I didn’t know what that bastard was holding in his head.
I saw Yu Sang-hun smirk under the mask.
“With your personality, you would have a spare mask. You wear that. If you hate it, wear a different defense item.”
Yu Sang-hun completely saw through me even in regards to the spare masks.
Usually, I mostly wore the crow mask when I was going to combat, so I naturally prepared spare masks in case my or the opponent’s superpowers damaged the mask.
‘There is a chance Demons will aim at the crow mask…!’
It was so, considering the whereabouts of Avaritia’s priest’s ‘Eyes’.
If I told him of those dangers, Yu Sang-hun would absolutely not take off the mask, and it would become even more dangerous because he learned information about Demons.
Because I couldn’t let only Yu Sang-hun wear a crow mask, in the end I also put on a crow mask.
“Oh, I guess you can change physique too.”
I used the ‘Player’s Trajectory’ to borrow the appearance of the person, who would have a clear alibi during this time and changed my outer-clothes.
After I put on a voice modulator to change the pitch of my voice, I said:
“Student Council’s people are here. I’ll go talk to them. You wait here.”
“… Did all the Student Council’s people come?”
Yu Sang-hun probably wanted to be certain if Yu Sang-hui didn’t come here.
I shook my head instead of replying.
Because not all Student Council’s people came.
“I didn’t expect You to come. I’m happy You suggested to fight together!”
After noticing the crow masks, Yeom Junyeol recognized me right away and gladly greeted me.
As if conscious of the other Student Council’s members’ gazes, Yeom Junyeol didn’t call me ‘master-nim’.
As such, I also decided to use the tone I used when moving as Yeom Junyeol’s master with ‘that word’.
“Do you know what is underneath here?”
“Yes, Dongha told me.”
I briefly conveyed how to move going forward.
As a basis, the gist of it was that I’ll move with Yu Sang-hun and the four of the Student Council will move together.
“Jegeon hyung?”
“… I have something separate to request, so I hope he will stay here.”
Yong Jegeon was smiling ecstatically while looking at me.
“I feel like I should move with Junyeol-yi, but… I have to be here?”
When I nodded, Yong Jegeon thought for a moment, and then replied, ‘I can’t win against Yeom Junyeol’s persuasion, I’ll do it’.
It seemed it was half thanks to Yeom Junyeol’s persuasion, but it was also half because he thought remaining here would be fun.
“He also knows teach Yong, huh?”
“Is He related to the Yong tribe?”
“Shield…”
When Yong Jegeon decided to remain here, Gwak Gyeong-gu was subtlely regretful, but it seemed the others weren’t sad.
The Student Council’s members were a bit hesitant at my suggestion of covering the faces.
Because even putting other people aside, if Yeom Junyeol summons Hongryong, his identity will be revealed right away.
That was of course true, but didn’t I have an experience of summoning Hongryong at the Fantasy Auction’s venue in the past?
Even now, it was a success if I could cause confusion among the Demons.
“Then we will also wear a crow masks!”
… That said, there was no need to wear crow masks.
I tried to stop him, but Yeom Junyeol took out item cards and materialized them.
In an instant, the cards changed into crow masks.
Seeing how those crow masks existed as item cards, it appeared that they weren’t just simple masks, but items created with superpowers.
“There is a Person around who is very good at making these. So I requested it and got several made.”
Yeom Junyeol said awkwardly.
I had no idea why Yeom Junyeol was walking around with crow masks, but I decided not to ask seeing Yong Jegeon behind him smiling widely.
“Those crow mask, perhaps…”
“It seems like the ones I saw in the article about Choe Pyeondeuk’s illegal establishment collapse incident.”
I heard An Dain and Ji Myeong-su talking, while they examined the crow masks.
They seemed to indeed look into everything happening around the school.
But would it be also because there were people from the party tracking the currently wanted criminal Choe Pyeondeuk among the Student Council’s members.
“… Chase after Tao Wonu. My party and I will enter through the opposite entrance.”
I added an important tidbit.
“Don’t get too far from my or An Dain’s side.”
I was holding the ‘Unknown Fate’ in my hand.
The character on the ‘Unknown Fate’ was An Dain.
*~*~*
Translator’s note: Look at the power of tigers’ nagging, the kids’ determination and Yeom Junyeol’s tears…!
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