Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
[1]
“This is the first time I see white horses in reality. I want to try to draw them.”
Min Geurin spoke with a calm amazement.
It seemed that the reason why the air taxi stopped on its own was related to those three white horses, but she probably was like that because they didn’t show any hostility towards us.
On the other hand, Song Daeseok, who fell into thoughts, said with a stiff voice:
“Three white horses? No way…”
“Daeseok, what is it?”
“What are the coordinates of this place?”
After I, who sat near the driving seat, operated the panel, a hologram with a navigation screen floated up.
The air taxi was currently pointing to be in the vicinity of the place where painter Hong Gyeongbok secluded himself and we were heading to.
To speak precisely, it was Oeum Mountain’s Sammachi[2] mountain pass.
After seeing coordinates pointing to Sammachi, I also recalled something.
‘Oeum Mountian’s Sammachi mountain pass, three white horses… No way, is it related to that legend?’
Oeum Mountian’s Sammachi’s legend.
In the distant past, a prophecy that five outstanding generals would be born in this area was told.
But, because since the old days a rumor spread that if those five generals were born, they would bring a disaster, the villagers cut the ley lines of this mountain and prevented the birth of the generals.
After the flock of villagers pierced the mountain slope with iron rods and poured liquid copper, red-black blood burst out and five screams rang out for days.
About the time when the screams stopped, the three white horses, who suddenly appeared and observed it, also disappeared.
Hence, the mountain where the five screams raised was called Oeum Mountain, and the mountain passage where the three white horses disappeared was called Sammachi.
‘I remember this legend weighing on my mind.’
Usually, a divine revelation or prophecy about a general being born is considered a sign of good luck. People like this would become heroes as they played an active role in the history.
But people treated the birth of those five generals as bad omen and even cut the ley lines.
‘If it was really a bad omen, the white horses wouldn’t have disappeared like this.’
Since the old days, white horses were treated as messengers who descended from the sky, divine creatures, symbols of good luck and as divine animals both in the East and the West.
Even during ordinary weddings, the groom moved by riding a white horse, which was a symbol of the sun and byeoksa[3].
‘But it seemed that villagers realized something was wrong too late.’
Looking as they named this place Oeum Mountain and Sammachi, as if they tried to soothe the souls, there were also villagers, who cut the ley lines, who should have realized the mistake, right?
Swish.
With the mournful sound, close to the sound of a wind, the three white horses ran towards the heart of a mountain, disappearing.
“Uh, they ran away.”
“… There is no stable around. And there is no way there are wild white horses here.”
Song Daeseok mumbled with a complicated face.
I guess he knows this area very well.
Wiiiii!
After the three white horses disappeared, the air taxi started moving around.
“Daeseok, why were you like that a moment ago? Was there something strange?”
“The area where the air taxi stopped a moment ago was Sammachi of the Oeum Mountain…”
After Min Geurin asked, Song Daeseok told her about the legend of Oeum Mountian’s Sammachi.
After Song Daeseok finished, Min Geurin spoke, while nodding her head.
“So, perhaps that’s why great Players come from here. Because many years passed, wouldn’t the ley lines recover?”
“Great Players?”
“Grandpa Song Manseok and my master-nim come from here, you know?”
I heard that Song Manseok and Hong Gyeongbok were old friends, but they were actually from the same hometown!
At Min Geurin’s words, I recalled something.
‘As Min Geurin said, even though the ley lines were cut, isn’t there a possibility that they were not completely dead and would one day be revived?’
As a proof, the Heavenly Wings Mountain’s ley lines are alive and our Snare is also growing healthy.
The Oeum Mountain described in the legend was soaked in blood.
Currently, unlike other common mountains, it was full of trees without any blood.
‘It’s still a hypothesis, but wouldn’t the ley lines recover and the five generals started to appear?’
Min Geurin words continued.
I guess she was excited at the thought that her master may be one of the legendary generals.
“Then besides those two. Are there three more?”
“… There is one more very outstanding Player among those who were born in this area.”
“Is it a famous Player?”
“No, not a famous one. She doesn’t exactly appear in the media. She said that if she was famous, she would be ripped off by them, because they would know very well they could make a lot of money with her.”
I didn’t know who it was, but it seemed that it was a person with a very rational mindset.
“Who?”
“…”
Song Daeseok didn’t reply to my question.
Then, as if Min Geurin was also curious, she asked:
“Tell us, Daeseok, please. What remarkable Player also has a hometown in Hongcheon?”
“Eungwang School’s principal.”
He gave an answer to Min Geurin’s question straight away.
I should have been quite a bit bothered by this discrimination, but it was a very desirable attitude of my Playable Character, who cherished his childhood friend.
‘But Eungwang School’s principal, you say?’
Are we talking about that principal who made a secret stack room in the basement?
She donated the budget and her personal savings to collect old and rare books so I thought she was an eccentric.
But there was no way that a person who worked as Eungwang School’s principal was an ordinary Player.
‘Great Hero Iron Arm Song Manseok, painter Hong Gyeongbok, Eungwang School’s principal. Those three may not be the only remarkable Players with a hometown here.’
I recalled one more person.
‘Seong Siwan is going to Hongcheon to investigate his grandfather’s study. In other words, there is a high chance that Seong Siwan and Seong Gukeon’s grandfather’s hometown is in Hongcheon.’
Dark Age’s Korea branch head.
Even though he knew that he would die, he made contract with Jin people to protect Korean Peninsula and leave clues.
It may be a coincidence, but all of them had a hometown in this area.
But the Korea Branch head died early, Eungwang School’s principal avoids media and painter Hong Gyeongbok is more famous for his painting talent rather than superpowers, so the only one famous Player was Song Manseok.
“Besides them? There are five generals, so isn’t there someone else?”
“I don’t know. From the beginning, there are almost no Players who come from this area. Because the 20% Player birthrate rule isn’t observed here. It isn’t even 5%.”
You’re saying that Players are born at a low rate?
Was it because of the cut ley lines?
“Even the 5% that did manifest their superpowers here, move straight away. Our family was also like this.”
“Ah… Daeseok, you did say that the moment you manifested superpowers in kindergarten, you moved to the house next to us.”
He was Min Geurin’s childhood friend as he lived in Seoul, but Song Daeseok was also born in Hongcheon, huh?
When I meet with Seong Siwan, I should ask where Seong Gukeon and Seong Siwan, the two of them, were born.
“The white horses may have appeared by chance, but it would be cool if master-nim and Grandpa Song Manseok were heroes from the legend.”
If it turned out that my Playable Characters, who I thought were just humans, were heroes from legends, it seemed that I would also be bursting with pride.
Though, there was also Baek Ho-gun who was a being from a myth.
‘If the white horses appeared, Ma tribe[4] may know something.’
But I couldn’t thoughtlessly contact the Ma tribe which still remained as a possible long tail traitor of the 12 Zodiac Alliance.
Ping, wiii!
A message informing that we arrived at our destination floated up, and the air taxi stopped.
Because this part of Gari Mountain was designated as an area where air taxis were banned, we would have to walk from here.
“… We arrived.”
Min Geurin, who was clamoring about legends and heroes, shut her mouth.
She should have exchanged messages with painter Hong Gyeongbok about coming here, but it seemed she was nervous about meeting in person.
“Let’s go.”
“Uh….”
Min Geurin hesitated, then pressed down her hood and got out of the air taxi.
***
A day passed since To Sihu disappeared without a trace[5].
His whereabouts were still unknown.
‘Where the hell did you go?!’
Jang Namuk stared at the device’s hologram with an anxious face.
Because To Sihu often played dangerous and bizarre pranks, he was overtaken with worry.
Even now, he was overtaken with worry if he shouldn’t inform the Player Association and Military Academy.
Ding.
At that moment, a message from To Wonu arrived.
[Wonu hyung] I tried to contact relatives who are friendly with Sihu. Nothing on their side.
[Wonu hyung] As Sihu may be involved in a difficult matter again if I contact the house… It seems difficult to send out people from our company to search.
[Wonu hyung] You said you contacted Su-hyeok, right?
Of course Jang Namuk contacted Ju Su-hyeok who was a close friend of To Sihu.
As they met during the basketball match, at the baseball stadium and during the boat party, he ended up sometimes exchanging calls with Ju Su-hyeok.
After calling him and informing him about the situation, Ju Su-hyeok suggested following:
— I think it’s better to search around the sea.
To Sihu, who suffers from sea sickness and can’t swim, at the sea?
After Jang Namuk considered it with doubt, Ju Su-hyeok added the following:
— On that subject, he suffering from seasickness, but Sihu loves the sea. He probably was greatly influenced by the Ship King, his father.
Ju Su-hyeok said that he would mobilize people who can move and search.
However, the Korean Peninsula was surrounded by sea on three sides.
Searching all coasts and adjacent areas was a difficult matter.
While Jang Namuk’s worries were deepening.
Slap!
Someone slapped the head of Jang Namuk, who was staring at the device hologram.
Turning his back around, he saw cadets from the same class, who used the same dormitory floor as him, gathered.
“Eat something. You have to have energy to beat up To Sihu, that crazy jerk, right?”
“I’ll offer you his face. In exchange, I’ll blow some belly punches.”
“I’ll slap the back of his head~” [6]
They piled up triangle gimbaps and milk packs in front of him.
It seemed they packed them and came, because Jang Namuk shoved himself into the room, while entranced in communication with various people through the device.
“Thank you for worrying. I’ll eat and cheer up.”
“Jang Namuk, you jerk, didn’t you skip all the meals, because that jerk To Sihu got fed up and ran away~? Just wait comfortably.”
“Okay, sorry. I’ll gobble this up or something.”
Even while receiving criticism, Jang Namuk stuffed his mouth with triangle gimbaps and started eating.
Jeunju bibimbap[7] with tuna mayonnaise, spicy cheese chicken with red chili paste and stir-fried anchovies…
He had a triangle gimbaps filled with those two flavors, but he couldn’t feel even a bit of that strange taste.
But he forced himself to swallow them all to refill his energy and lessen the worry of the cadet kids from the same class, and when To Sihu appears, to give him a great beating.
***
We walked around the Gari Mountain for a while, lost.
Min Geruin said that she came here once, but the mountain terrain was rough and the mountain trail leading to the shack was covered with weed, so it wasn’t well visible.
“Sorry… I should have memorized it better.”
“It’s okay. Let’s move carefully.”
“Yeah, you run and then get hurt. There is still a lot of time left until the promised time with grandpa, you know? Say if it’s difficult. I’ll give you a piggyback ride. And you walk a bit away from Geurin.”
Even now, Song Daeseok was the same.
His tone of voice when speaking to Min Geurin and me was different.
Looking at that grumpy guy pampering his childhood friend, Min Geurin, my mood was extremely good.
At that moment.
“Uh…”
Min Geurin, who was walking ahead, suddenly froze.
“Master-nim…”
At the end of Min Geurin’s gaze, I saw an old man wearing a daily hanbok.
It was painter Hong Gyeongbok who I had seen only in pictures before.
“There is still a lot of time left until the promised time.”
I guess Hong Gyeongbok was worried if his one remaining disciple would come safely and came out outside to wait.
Swish.
At the same time as a quiet sound of swaying leaves was heard, painter Hong Gyeongbok moved in front of Min Geurin in one step.
‘Did you use shukuchi[8]? It’s not an ordinary ability!’
He stared at his disciple, he saw after a long time, and her friends with a good-natured smile.
“You have a lot of trouble coming such a long way. Let’s come inside.”
“Master-nim…”
Min Geurin, who couldn’t continue her words and was close to tears.
Painter Hong Gyeongbok, who walked ahead, showing his back.
The two, master and disciple walked the mountain trail without talking.
Me and Song Daeseok tacitly closed our mouths and followed after them.
After the shack covered by the mountain’s shade became visible, painter Hong Gyeongbok spoke with a hoarse voice.
“It’s a bit early for Geun-hyeong to come, but let’s have lunch together.”
“… Teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim?”
“Yeah, Geun-hyeong said his work is finished, so it would be nice to go together when he comes back, huh?”
I guess Teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim had exchanges with both Song Manseok and Hong Gyeongbok.
— Piiiiiiiiiing!
Suddenly, an alarm rang from everyone’s devices.
It was a notification alarm about the formation of an otherworld sent by the Association.
[Forecast notice of SSR rank otherworld formation]
“A notice about an SSR rank dungeon occurring tomorrow in this vicinity…?”
“Huh….”
It seemed that PlayerSAT-K detected warning phenomena on Gari Mountain and immediately sent a warning to devices there.
‘As warning phenomena occurred, it shouldn’t be related to Dark Mastermind…?’
Passak.
As I read the message opened on the hologram, teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim appeared from the forest.
“Hello, elder. I’m a bit late, because a support request came from the Sokcho side.”
That Ham Geun-hyeong wasn’t alone.
“Uh? Who is that student beside you? Is he Geun-hyeong’s disciple?”
“He is not my student. The story reached me, who was just in the Gangwon Province at the time, because his superpowers are too powerful. I brought him with me for protection because he is mentally unstable.”
The person Ham Geun-hyeong brought with him was To Sihu.
*~*~*
[1] No title – ‘Outcome of choice (2)’ =-=
[2] Oeum Mountain’s Sammachi – Oeum means ‘Five sounds’, Sammachi means ‘three horses hill’. Both are real places and the legend recounted later is also a real one.
[3] sun and byeoksa – ‘sun’ could also be the existence/being which gives hope, and byeoksa is protection from evil and the skill Baek-ho uses and is also a symbol of.
[4] Ma tribe – horse tribe.
[5] disappeared without a trace – in raws ‘hiding without leaving a trace’.
[6] “I’ll slap the back of his head~” – ‘~’ added because they’re acting cute (or at least I think so? It may also be them acting as if they’re reporting soemthing, so very plain).
[7] Jeunju bibimbap – bibim means mixing while bap means rice or meal. So just mixed rice. Bibimbap is a specialization of Jeunju, but apparently locals hate bibimbap, because they are so fed up with it…
[8] shukuchi – similar problem to kotodama, where the Japanese term is more widely known than the same term in Chinese, Korean or even the literal translation, so I’m using the Japanese term, even though it has nothing to do with Japanese. It translates to ‘shrinking earth technique’.
Translator’s note: Yes, Jo Uisin. Your Playable Characters never did anything wrong.
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
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