Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
42. Price of achieving a wish (3)
Was Hwang Jiho about to tell me some kind of story and even made a barrier?
Considering Hwang Jiho’s comment from a moment ago that his ability wasn’t all powerful, I hastily cut him off.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“Are you perhaps thinking of revealing something like your weakness?”
“Well… You could call it a weakness.”
Hwang Jiho spoke nonsense as if it was nothing.
His tone was exactly the same when he chatted, saying: ‘Truly good Da Hong Pao tea doesn’t change its taste even at the ninth steeping, eh? Those tea leaves are indeed worthy of receiving a red robe from emperor of Ming dynasty.[1]’, while receiving tea from the crew member.
As he made a barrier, so others couldn’t eavesdrop, it wasn’t that he was completely out of his mind, but it didn’t seem like he was sane anyhow.
Has this geezer gone senile?
‘I don’t think it’s something I should hear.’
Wouldn’t it be very troublesome if I fell into the hands of Dark Mastermind and leaked Hwang Jiho’s weakness?
I thought so, but I changed my mind.
‘Considering Hwang Jiho’s actions in the game, Dark Mastermind somehow figured out a way to capture Hwang Jiho in the end.’
Hwang Jiho who appeared in the game lost many things.
In such a situation, Hwang Jiho, who acted even more immaculately than now, disappeared.
It was safe to assume that the Dark Mastermind already knew the method to eliminate Hwang Jiho and to move.
‘If I listen well, I may get a clue to come up with the idea to ‘how to kill Hwang Jiho’.’
Instead of blocking the geezer’s recklessness, I decided to gather the information to set the course of action.
Hwang Jiho fell into thoughts for a while and then spoke as he looked me.
“Okay. Let’s compare my granted wish to chess.”
“Chess?”
After Hwang Jiho converted his superpower wave into mana and created a shining golden chessboard in front us, he pointed at the empty chessboard as he spoke.
After Hwang Jiho’s finger flip, a golden king appeared on the chessboard.
“Let’s call this chessboard the Korean Peninsula touched by Heavenly God’s grace, and my main-self the king. If we compare it like this, you could say that my mind and soul are the ones who move the chess pieces and think of the next move, right?”
Hwang Jiho tapped the golden king standing on the chessboard with his finger as he spoke.
The chess board and chess piece materialized with Hwang Jiho’s mana looking like genuine melted gold.
“And thanks to my wish granted by Heavenly God, if it’s on this chess board, I can increase the chess pieces or my alter egos indefinitely.”
After Hwang Jiho tapped with his finger, the chess pieces appeared everywhere on the chessboard.
A pawn, knights, bishops, rooks, queens… At the first glance, there didn’t seem like there was any regularity between the newly appeared chess pieces.
The two queens, four rooks, three bishops, six knights and only one pawn was a formation completely ignoring the rules.
“Just like those increased chess pieces can’t play the same role as the king, my alter-egos are the same. They don’t have the same presence that the main self has, and probably wouldn’t be able to use Gwangrim.”
“Even so, isn’t it possible for them to use skills or fight?”
“Naturally. If it’s within the limits my mental power allows.”
Even though the Gwangrim couldn’t be used, from what he said the alter-egos seemed to be powerful enough.
“In addition, it’s possible to move alter-egos at the same time. And to increase or decrease their number.”
With the flick of Hwang Jiho’s finger, the number of chess pieces increased, and then each of them started moving simultaneously.
It wasn’t just that, the knight changed into a bishop, the rook changed into a queen, the queen changed into a pawn.
Worthy of the cheat character Hwang Jiho, the golden chess pieces moved randomly, seemingly not applying to any rules, but there was one thing that didn’t change.
The chess piece that Hwang Jiho materialized first, comparing it to his main self, the king.
After the king appeared on the chess board first, it never moved.
I pointed at the king and asked:
“According to the comparison, the king is your, Hwang Jiho’s, main self and the remaining chess pieces are alter-egos, right?”
“That’s both correct and wrong. Because I can exist everywhere.”
What kind of sound was that again?
When I expressed my doubt, Hwang Jiho flicked his finger towards the chessboard again.
Paat!
I looked at the chessboard, which started to shine, and was amazed.
Because all chess pieces on the chessboard flickered, and each one of them started to change into the king.
‘No way…’
There was always only one king on the chessboard, but the king passed through the position of every chess piece.
I made a prediction of what Hwang Jiho tried to express.
“No way… If your alter-ego is on the Korean Peninsula, they can become the main self at any time?”
“Yeah. That’s the meaning of ‘This one can exist everywhere’. It doesn’t simply mean that I can produce a number of alter-egos.”
It seemed to match my prediction.
Hwang Jiho was more of a cheat character than I presumed.
“It seems all-powerful enough.”
“Hahaha! No matter how many chess pieces are on the board, they can’t substitute for the power of just one king, right?”
Hwang Jiho moved the king, while speaking.
“And it is impossible to move as the king[2] outside the chess board, and there is a constraint on the alter-egos. Moving alter-egos outside the Korean Peninsula is quite complicated. To compare… It feels like playing chess by embodying the brain and hands with the superpower wave.”
I had no idea what kind of feeling that was, but it seemed certain that Hwang Jiho had considerable restrictions on moving alter-egos beyond the Korean Peninsula.
“My thinking power, the skill precision and concentration would decrease greatly. So I would take care of all important matters before going out on this overseas trip.”
However, to speak in reverse, didn’t it mean that Hwang Jiho was close to all-powerful when on the Korean Peninsula?
In the game, Jeok-ho died, so he wouldn’t wander outside the Korean Peninsula.
What the hell was the move Dark Mastermind used to capture Hwang Jiho?
“Ah, we entered the Korean Peninsula just now, eh? Then let’s move alter-egos in the earnest.”
As expected, that bastard was a cheat character.
The way to kill Hwang Jiho was gradually lost in the maze.
* * *
After arriving in Korea.
The first to disband was Seodol.
“There is something I want to do, so I’ll go first. Ah, Jo Uisin, if You want to receive a blessing, You can go…”
“Get out quickly.”
Seodol disappeared with goodbyes that didn’t seem like a goodbye.
Hong Gyubin, who watched Mok Uram being transferred to the ambulance with Hwang Myeong Foundation’s logo, spoke weakly:
“Then I’ll be returning to the Association. Because there is paper work to do in Korea, and the investigations I have to do increased.”
Unlike when he was chatting with Jegal Jaegeol at this side, Hong Gyubin’s face was lifeless.
Like the 2nd year class 0’s senior bastards, Hong Gyubin also planned to intrude and mess up the Newspaper Club’s news-gathering trip, but it seemed to have gone completely awry with this case.
‘…Is he like this because his vacation got blown up?’
Should I induce Jegal Jaegeol to soothe Hong Gyubin?
No, I didn’t want to make trouble for my Playable Character, who was as busy as Hong Gyubin.
If so, was there some kind of way that would give Hong Gyubin strength while not hurting or being annoying for Jegal Jaegeol?
Luckily, I immediately came up with a move and was about to organize in my head what should I do to put it into practice.
“Wait, Hong Gyubin.”
Hwang Jiho, who was checking the device, caught Hong Gyubin.
Was that bastard not thinking of hiding his identity even from Hong Gyubin?
Hwang Jiho used a casual tone towards the adult Hong Gyubin when he had a 17 years old face.
Hong Gyubin, who stared at Hwang Jiho for a moment, made a surprised expression.
“You…![3]”
It seemed that Hong Gyubin recognized Hwang Jiho’s identity.
As Hwang Jiho said that he had a few conversations with Hong Gyubin, it wouldn’t be difficult to recognize him.
“The service company under Namkung Group threatened an Eungwang School’s student.”
That organized mob that Sawol Seeum was talking about was sent out by the Namkung Group?
No way, I didn’t expect one of the names of the 4 Great Groups to come out here.
‘Why are you telling Hong Gyubin this?’
As it wasn’t related to the Player’s Association, wouldn’t it be faster and more accurate to confirm it using the Hwang Myeong Group’s information network?
In the midst of such doubts, the two’s conversation continued.
Hong Gyubin replied to Hwang Jiho with a nervous face.
“Did You say Namkung Group?”
“Yeah.”
Hong Gyubin had a baffled expression, and then he spoke with a heavy voice:
“Understood.”
“Okay. I’ll take care of Mok Uram’s case. Concentrate on that side.”
“… Yes. I’ll go first.”
After Hong Gyubin bowed his head, he started to walk fast.
“We should hurry, eh?”
Before I could ask about Hong Gyubin, Hwang Jiho’s forehead wrinkled, as he said:
“Because it seems we’re not the only ones who are moving.”
* * *
There are no perfect systems or perfect governments anywhere in this world.
Even if there existed relatively orderly and upright governments, there were no absolute cases.
Gwangli Police Station of the Eungwang District, Gwangli neighborhood[4] where the Eungwang Brilliant Light Children’s Home was located, was an example of such case.
Right now, the police officers of the Gwangli Police Station were laying on their bellies on the desks sleeping, or stretched out their legs on the sofa, awaiting the civil petitioners, and laid down to sleep.
Sometimes a radio message came, but no one responded with sincerity.
The police station located in that remote location was a kind of godly workplace like a bee hive gathering the freeloaders and honey gobblers, and was created and protected by the people close with high ranking People.
“Yes-yes, woah, we’ll deal with it well as chief-nim said. There is no need for You to worry.”
The Gwangli Police Station’s captain, senior inspector Kim spoke as if he was slamming his head for the caller.
Before they received a response code passed from the 112 Emergency Operations Room, ‘Code 1’.
The code 1 was next in the priority of the response codes after the code 0, and was handed down when it was judged that immediate mobilization was needed to protect the life, bodies or property from crime.
But the people who received the mobilization radio order code 1 made a false report ‘On the move’, and remained at the police station.
It was four hours ago when the radio order was received, and their only follow-up action was to pass through the area in the police car and take a walk to leave a record.
“Captain-nim! Are we going to have dinner today somewhere?”
“Captain-nim reserved a room.”
The sounds of giggles and high-fives were heard everywhere.
When the junior police officer, who was transferred here not a long ago, made a confused face as he asked what the ‘room’ meant, the senior at his side whispered into his ears.
The face of the junior officer, who realized late that they were talking about a room salon[5], turned dumbstruck.
When the conversation’s content gradually turned vulgar, he asked about a useless matter to change the topic.
“… Is it really okay? Didn’t an order come through the radio from the Emergency Operations Room?”
“Are you going to waste your time and do a job against Those People’s humors? We have already gone there, so stop bothering.”
“But if the students, who reported it, will make a complaint….”
“It’s not once or twice that we did something like this. Anyhow, they would be losing their minds soon, so they would have no thought of making a complaint.”
“Yes? Losing minds….”
What did You do to the students, sir?
The throat of the junior officer, who was about to say that, contorted before that.
So the junior officer, who didn’t have the courage to open his mouth, could do nothing but just stiffen.
At that moment.
Jang-claang! Waaag-jang-jang! Clang!
The police station’s door, made completely out of glass, shattered with a loud sound.
The police officers, who covered their faces with newspapers and laid down on the sofa near the entrance, were covered in glass shards.
“Aack!”
“Wha-what?!”
What broke the glass was a baseball bat full of nails.
The people flocked to the door, saw the baseball bat and gaped.
“I decided to see if the fuckers, who didn’t come even after a report, will crawl out when I tear down the bird nest and smash the cop cart.”
When they looked at the parking lot where the police cars were located at the words ‘smash the cop cart’, they saw a crumpled police car that was too pathetic to even call a metal scrap.
The girl, holding the baseball bat full of nails, strolled inside the police station.
Even though she wasn’t very tall, the surrounding of the girl with tightly hidden face, was overflowing with a violent intent.
“It seems that the fuckers, who made a noise in my area before, are mixed in the bird nest. You can’t live like this, devouring the country’s public servants’ salaries, right? I’ll count to five seconds. Come out when I count down to five. Five, four….”
The girl was counting down with the raspy, mechanical voice.
*~*~*
[1] Da Hong Pao — ‘Big/Great Red Robe’. The tea itself has green-brown leaves and golden-yellow color after brewing, so its name references the story that Hwang-ho mentions. It’s said that the emperor ordered for the tea tree to be honored with a red robe (a great honor at the time) for treating the illness of the queen. It’s probably one of the most expensive teas in the world.
[2] impossible to move as the king — or with the king? Through the king? (I’m very confused. Too many possible interpretations).
[3] “You…!” — He used a polite You. From that moment he switches to a formal tone, while he used casual tone in front of them before.
[4] Gwangli neighborhood — Not a real place (as far as I can tell). Gwang may mean light, the same as in Eungwang, but it’s hard to say what ‘li’ means. The popular ones would be day, work or affair, but it’s probably not that. I can’t tell without hanja sadly.
[5] room salon — referring to hostess bar with private rooms, which provide (often illegal) prostitution services.
Translator’s note: Two queens, four rooks, three bishops, six knights and only one pawn… I can think of six knights and perhaps of one pawn, but the rest… Hmm… Who are they referring to? =-=
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