Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
49. Sport Exchange (7)
Inside the Eungwang Stadium.
With not a lot of time left until the opening ceremony, the audience cheered when the dome closed.
The Sun was hot, but not enough to cause a heatstroke and the chances of rain today were close to 0, so there was no need to close the dome.
With the dome roof covering the sky, the playground gradually grew dark.
The 1st year class 0’s students sitting in the audience seats started to get nervous.
“… Why is it so dark?”
“Probably because the cover closed.”
At Sawol Seeum’s question, Maeng Hyodon answered without thinking.
At Maeng Hyodon’s thoughtless words, Song Daeseok shot back.
“Are you a fool? The dome roof blocks sound and rain, but lets the light through.”
“The darkening function was probably activated… Daeseok-ah, what did you just say? Daeseok, who is a stupid fool stone head sea cucumber sea anemone sea squirt, called Hyodon a fool?”
At Min Geurin’s rebuke, Song Daeseok was easily startled and apologized to Maeng Hyodon.
Because Maeng Hyodon himself considered himself a stone head, he didn’t seem so hurt, even though it pricked a bit.
“Ah, is that so? Then how are we going to see the opening ceremony? I have a good night vision, but can you guys see all of it?”
“It’s going to be fine thanks to the light tower and assistant lights. Games and concerts are sometimes held in Eungwang Stadium at night.”
“Uh, uh…”
Kim Yuri grabbed Maeng Hyodon, opened the stadium’s map and briefly explained the facilities.
As if Kwon Lena and Mok Uram were interested in the concerts, they attentively listened to Kim Yuri’s explanation.
While the explanation continued, the dome roof, which was slowly moving for about 10 minutes, completely closed and the surrounding turned dark.
Kuung!
They expected the lights to be turned on, but nothing turned on straight away.
The people in the audience turned on the device lights or used superpowers to illuminate their surroundings.
Looking at such audience from the distance, it resembled a night sky densely packed with big and small stars.
“Wow… Pretty!”
“Does our side look from the other side like this too? Amazing.”
While the children admired, on the dome roof, which obstructed light, enormous holographic number appeared.
The number started at 30 and was decreasing by one with each second.
“It’s a countdown!”
“It’s the time remaining until the opening ceremony. I guess darkening is also part of the set-up!” [1]
After the countdown reached 0, the bell sound rang out and filled the stadium.
After the bells sound rang, the audience cheered as if they planned it beforehand.
Paat!
On the electronic boards installed in each of the four corners of the stadium and in the center of the playground, the video began to be played on the hologram.
It was a video produced in cooperation of Eungwang School’s Broadcasting Club and Public Information Troops.
Clash of Different Worlds.
Dark Age.
Players’ superpowers manifestation.
Players fighting on the front lines.
At the same time as 100 years worth of history the remaining pictures and video materials were reenacted in the background.
The history of Eungwang School and Player Military Academy was shown.
“Uh, our school wasn’t Player specialized highschool from the beginning, eh!” [2]
“Eungwang School was founded before the Clash of Different Worlds.”
Eungwang School turning into a Player specialized highschool.
Foundation of Player Military Academy’s highschool department.
And the Players with the Great Hero Iron Arm Song Daeseok with the center suppressing the otherworlds and Enemies.
Soon after the government and Association announced the Dark Age had came to an end.
Gradually the video’s content approached the current era.
At a certain moment the grand and dramatic background music changed to a hopeful tune.
‘This part, it’s performed by senior Kwon Jane-nim!’
‘It’s a piece performed by master-nim’s muse, eh?’
While Kwon Lena and Mok Uram admired, the video’s atmosphere completely changed.
The burned down parts of the cities were restored and the faces of the people in the video were overflowing with life.
Soon the scenes of the current Eungwang School and Military School were shown.
Kwon Jane’s violin performance changed to the wind music ensemble performed by the current students.
“Uh, this music…”
“It feels like our school song, but not exactly…”
Han Yi activated the device and checked the subtitles and additional description on the live broadcast provided by the Broadcasting Club.
Looking at the subtitles, there was an explanation saying that it was Eungwang School and Military School’s songs arranged by Eungwang School Music Composition Club and played by the military band.
The video staff transferred from the prepared video to the stadium’s live broadcast.
While the two schools’ songs played, the Eungwang School’s principal in formal attire and the head of the Player Military Academy in uniform entered the empty VIP seats side by side.
Eungwang School’s principal was covering half of her face with the muffler with a Sport Exchange logo and long hair.
“This Person is the principal teacher-nim? This is the first time I see Her!” [2]
“Not even during the opening ceremony… I guess She really hates showing her face.”
“I learned Her gender only now. The name is a bit gender-neutral, so it was confusing.” [3]
Besides illuminating each of the school’s principals, the enormous spotlight also illuminated the scene of several teachers and generals entering.
The people entering exchanged greetings and handshakes, but only painter Hong Gyeongbok and Im Yeonhwa, who had connections both in the Player army and Eungwang School were greeted by many people.
Eungwang School’s cheering squad entered through the entrance allocated to the Eungwang School’s students, and the Military School’s cheering squad entered from the opposite side.
After the appearance of the schools’ cheering squads, cheers poured from the audience.
“Dain! Dain-ah, good luck!”
Kim Yuri waved her hand widely towards An Dain.
Because there wasn’t enough time to pick a cheering squad, the first cheering squad was formed centering on the Student Council.
The Eungwang School’s cheering squad had the Student Council’s vice president Ji Myeongsu as a center and people from the Student Council, including An Dain.
As if An Dain found Kim Yuri among the numerous spectators, she smiled brightly and waved her hand a bit.
“Cheering squad’s uniform was based on the old school uniforms, correct? The old uniforms were burdensome because they were too white, but… It looks cool!” [4]
“I want to wear it too…!”
Because Kim Yuri’s superpower wave was still unstable, Ham Geun-hyeong and the Ho tribe’s chief shaman objected to her joining.
While Kim Yuri was regretful, the cheering squads both entered the main playground.
“Uh, here they come!”
“I guess they’re going to climb the podium!”
The cheering squad members, who entered through the entrance, activated movement items or various superpowers to jump up to their prepared locations.
An Dain used her leg strength without any skills to kick off of the wall and rise up. Her jumping appearance looked like a swan[5] flying and people erupted with admiration.
After the entire cheering squad climbed the podium, the athletes entered.
“Uh?”
“What is it, Hyodon-ah?”
While rejoicing at the athletes entrance, while responding to the cheering squad’s guidance, Maeng Hyodon looked towards the Military Academy and said:
“There is a fucker at the Military Academy I know, but I don’t see him.”
“You know a kid at the athletes’ team?”
“Yeah, I heard he plays basketball.”
Maeng Hyodon pointed at the athletes, who entered holing the Basketball Club’s sign.
On the other side, among the Eungwang School’s Basketball Club’s representatives, who entered wearing athlete team uniforms, there was a person, who thought the same as Maeng Hyodon.
‘There is no Tao Sihu.’
Yu Sang-hun looked at the Military School’s Basketball Club, which entered from the opposite side, and thought it was strange.
He decided that because the basketball match, which started with the suggestion of Tao Sihu and Yu Sang-hun became the trigger to start the sport exchange, he was held in high regard and was specially entering last among the basketball players to honor it.
But no more athletes appeared and Tao Sihu was nowhere to be seen.
[This is the congratulations and opening ceremony.]
There was no Tao Sihu, but the opening ceremony progressed as planned.
The heads of each of the schools and each of the schools’ students representatives gave planned congratulatory speeches.
When the congratulatory speeches ended, and when Eungwang School’s Student Council’s president Tao Wonu and the Player Academy Highschool Department’s Cadet Council’s head climbed the stage installed in the center playground to announce the opening of the event.
Paaat!
The moment the two student representatives entered the stage, all stadium’s equipment turned off.
Lights, sound, video, all stopped.
The inside of the stadium was only illuminated by the lights created by the devices and superpower waves from the audience seats.
The group leader, who was holding the Basketball Club sign, tried the device and spoke with a surprised voice.
“… My device has a communication failure?”
“Even the satellite otherworld information is blocked.”
All categories’ team leaders let out agitated voices.
The 1st and 2nd years were very flustered, but Yu Sang-hun was among the calmest.
Yu Sang-hun experienced such a situation twice already.
Once at the entrance exam, and the other at the training camp.
If the nightmare he had not so long ago was to be included, it added two more times.
As he reached this thought, Yu Sang-hun automatically recalled one person in his head.
‘… He seemed to be up to something again these days.’
And looking around, he didn’t see Jo Uisin in the 1st year class 0’s audience seats.
* * *
With the sensation of starlight flickering in his head, Tao Sihu opened his eyes.
‘… What am I doing right now?’
This place was a temporary staff room prepared under the stage installed in the center of the main playground.
Tao Sihu, who came back to his senses, was standing alone in the staff room.
Originally there were staff members in the temporary staff room waiting to activate special effects and oversee safety of the stage.
But all members of the staff collapsed to Tao Sihu’s hands.
Among the staff members were also Players of the Eungwang School and Military Highschool, but they weren’t able to deal with the ambush of the Military School’s first place.
‘What am I doing? Why am I here? Why did I make those people faint?’
Tao Sihu desperately tried to trace back his memory.
A few hours before his last memory, he was conversing with Jang Namuk, while leaving the accommodations.
His memory was abruptly cut off, without the process of how he got to the Eungwang Stadium.
He gripped his throbbing head and recalled more sparse memories.
‘When I went to the Eungwang Stadium, I decided to meet with Wonu hyung to talk with Sang-hui noona before the athletes entered, but…’
Recently a strange rumor circulated in the TC Group, and Tao Sihu heard about it by chance.
He remembered leaving the athletes team for a moment to go personally meet with Tao Sihu, because it was difficult to talk about through the device.
‘Right, I was in the middle of searching for Wonu hyung!’
After he asked some staff member if they saw Tao Wonu, his memory was completely cut off.
Just like before, he wasn’t able to figure out the situation, but Tao Sihu felt shivers going down his spine.
He couldn’t distinguish if it was a higher being’s interference, a Jin’s prank, a Player, who was instigated by someone.
But he was certain that he was possessed or bewitched for something right now.
‘I have to ask for help.’
But the door leading outside were sealed by a solid barrier and the device was nowhere to be seen.
Opportunely, the hologram monitoring the stage reflected Tao Wonu and the Military Highschool’s Cadet Council’s head.
‘I guess they’re holding the opening ceremony! For how the hell long did I lose my consciousness…?!’
They stood in the location appointed during the rehearsal beforehand.
And under it was this staff room, which was filled with items gushing with the superpower waves.
No matter how he looked, they were high rarity items.
“Bombs…!”
Tao Sihu, who recognized the items’ identity, was shocked.
The items here were a type of bombs which exploded triggered by superpower waves.
Of course, the Players of Tao Sihu or the Cadet Council’s head’s level would be able to easily avoid it, because they would respond to the superpower wave before the bombs would explode.
The problem was Tao Sihu’s ability.
‘No way, are they thinking of using my Gwangrim to hurt Wonu hyung and Council’s head hyung…!’
Tao Sihu’s Gwangrim sealed and captured a target’s ability to utilize superpower waves for a certain period of time.
Though it dealt almost no damage, it was close to the best thing when used as a Capture type, and was especially good at capturing Players, who fought using the superpower skills, rather than martial arts.
Tao Sihu tried to immediately break the stage and escape to make people evacuate.
But.
Paaat!
“Keuk!”
Tao Sihu’s hands moved at its own.
It seemed like hundreds of invisible strands were manipulating Tao Sihu.
As he tried to concentrate superpower wave in his eyes, he saw something like branches entangling his whole body.
[It would be more comfortable if the mind was kept under my control.]
Together with such a thought, his mind darkened again.
Against Tao Sihu’s will, his body was about to use Gwangrim against the two students’ representatives and put the superpower wave to the fuse.
Even the dim starlight, which clung to Tao Sihu’s mind, was waning.
* * *
I confirmed that the communication and the satellite information were both cut off.
It would be impossible to observe the insides of the dome from outside, because of the blackening function.
It was certain that all ‘eyes’ were blocked.
After I looked at Baek Ho-gun, he opened his mouth straight away.
“Jo Uisin, stop Tao Sihu.”
I activated that ability and decided to pass Baek Ho-gun’s will to Tao Sihu.
The superpower wave, which flowed from my whole body, changed into particles of gentle light and spread around.
⟨Using the target character’s Gwangrim ‘The King Said’.⟩
*~*~*
[1] “It’s the time remaining until the opening ceremony. I guess darkening is also a part of the set-up!” — Sawol Seeum’s sentence.
[2] “This Person is the principal teacher-nim? This is the first time I see Her!” — Sawol Seum’s sentence.
[3] “I learned Her gender only now. The name is a bit gender-neutral, so it was confusing.” — Funnily enough, no one, the kids or narrator, states the principal’s gender here. I only know it from the future chapters. Author-nim is literally baiting Korean readers with the principal’s gender here x.x
[4] “Cheering squad’s uniform was based on the old school uniforms, correct? The old uniforms were burdensome because they were too white, but… It looks cool!” — Sawol Seeum’s sentence.
[5] swan — literally ‘백조 (baek-jo) white bird’
Translator’s note: The Gwangrim which carries the words of a person user greatly admires ㅠㅠ Ah, damn it… I’m so moved, I’ll ignore the mystery of Eungwang School’s origin for a moment.
Patron thank you note
Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Earina mucronata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Eleorchis japonica’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Luca, please accept this Elleanthus aurantiacus’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Amy Peters, please accept this Eltroplectris schlechteriana’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Embreea rodigasiana’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Encyclia ceratistes’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Epipactis helleborine’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Kasimir Ilmonen, please accept this Epipogium aphyllum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Tara Hess, please accept this Eria javanica’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Ice, please accept this Eriaxis rigida’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, anonymous Kofi-supporter, please accept this Eriochilus dilatatus’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Links to support this translation and access to 5 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