Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
49. Sport Exchange (10)
Last weekend, the following day after Jang Namuk visited Hwang Myeong-ho’s mansion.
After visiting the sports grounds, planned to be used during the sport exchange and finishing the beforehand field survey with the tigers.
Considering what Jang Namuk saw, Tao Sihu’s Gwangrim and the stadium’s situation, I could mostly guess what masterminds behind this matter were aiming for.
‘Demons are clearly planning to use Tao Sihu to end the sport exchange. They will try to assassinate the two students’ representatives in front of the public. And considering the seeds planted all over the audience seats, they’re wary of the Ho tribe.’
The plan was a failure from the moment the target recognized the assassination scheme.
It wasn’t difficult to prepare to rescue Tao Sihu and safely proceed with the sport exchange.
But thanks to Jang Namuk’s hard-earned observations, it was a situation where this side could play the first move.
I found a method to capture the opponent’s pieces, while protecting this side’s pieces.
As result, I made a few more requests to Hwang Jiho, besides calling Baek Ho-gun to the Eungwang Stadium, by making him borrow the student or school staff identity.
First, call the minimum number of the Ho tribe members necessary to the Eungwang Stadium, make all of them disguise their identities as students or school staff, or hide.
Second, keep Jegal Jaegeol and Gong Cheonghwon at school during the opening ceremony.
Third, put Byeoksa ceremony in the opening ceremony’s plan.
And lastly, fourth, cut off the communication.
Hwang Jiho started to confirm the above points one after one.
“Then I’ll organize the points you requested. First, reduce the number of the Ho tribe members in the Eungwang Stadium during the opening ceremony. The stationed Ho tribe members are to hide their presence or their identity. Correct?”
“Yeah. Because Demons will check the Ho tribe’s members presence with the ‘Eyes’ they have.”
“Is it related to the fact that you called the Newspaper Club’s president to volunteer to cover this exchange?”
“Ye.”
Hwang Myeong-ho’s great mansion’s drawing room.
Even during the weekend, Hwang Jiho was dressed in a school uniform.
The shameless geezer was drinking pear slushie made from sliced pears and carbonated water.
“Baek-ho is to come under the identity of the school staff or students to the opening ceremony, because you’re wary of those ‘Eyes’?”
“Yeah. There is a chance that after they mix among the staff to enter, they will get the audience list and compare it to the actual audience through the ‘Eyes’.”
“Jo Uisin, it’s like you to memorize list of entire staff and plan to compare them to the faces at the opening ceremony.”
Hwang Jiho’s face looked pleased.
The mood of the geezer, who hit the bottom after the practice, seemed to be gradually improving.
“Baek-ho, use your student identity. I naturally don’t have any problems and… Jeok-ho, you hide your presence with the Red Smoke. Yong Jegeon will stay behind at school.”
I was sorry for Yong Jegeon, but I also thought it was the better option.
In addition to being able to detect the Demons’ ‘Eyes’, he was also a strong person.
The Demons had a high chance to be wary if they couldn’t figure out Yong Jegeon’s whereabouts or if he appeared on the sports grounds.
“Your second request should be related to your first request, eh? I’m talking about holding Jegal Jaegeol and Gong Cheonghwon at school.”
“Ye. Because kotodama skill is Demons’ weakness. If there is a Player, who uses kotodama skill, they may not come out, because they’d be wary.”
As Cheon tribe and Demons were pretty different[1] beings even among the Jin people, there was a big difference in the rules or laws validating their existence from humans and other Jin people.
The Cheon tribe and Demons had distinctive strengths from the other Jin people, but they also had weaknesses.
One of the weaknesses of the Demons was kotodama.
‘The users of kotodama skill are rare. And the people, who expose their excellence, usually have short lives, because they end up in the Demons’ hands. Currently, there are only two kotodama users related to Eungwang School, Jegal Jaegeol and Gong Cheonghwon.’
In the game, the deaths of kotodama skill Players were always connected to Demons in big or small ways.
The representative example of this in PMH was Jegal Jaegeol losing his life, because the students, with the seeds obtained from a Demon, were taken hostage by Choe Pyeondeuk’s followers.
The Demons didn’t openly kill kotodama users to prevent the risk of revealing their weakness to the public.
They would kill kotodama skill owners very cleverly.
“Kotodama is Demons’ weakness? This is the first time I’m hearing about it.”
Jeok-ho, who was listening quietly, spoke with a dark voice.
Besides Jeok-ho, Baek Ho-gun and Hwang Jiho didn’t say anything, but it seemed that they guessed that Demons would be aiming at the Sinin’s reincarnation, Gong Cheonghwon.
“I’ll give future work to the two. Then let’s confirm your third request. You want to add Baek-ho’s Byeoksa sword dance, just before the Student Council’s president and Cadet Council’s head recite the opening speeches?”
“Uh, please adjust the opening ceremony schedule. Can’t you do this?”
“Hahahaha! Is there a way that this one wouldn’t be able to do just that?”
Hwang Jiho laughed as he replied.
“The schedule will be pretty tight. The moment the school heads finish their congratulatory messages, you and Baek-ho will have to release Tao Sihu from mind domination.”
At first glance it would seem like an impossible[2] plan, but I was confident in making it succeeded.
Tao Sihu was eaten away by the Demon’s mind domination, but it didn’t seem like the first place of the Military School wouldn’t be able to resist even once and would kill his own flesh and blood and senior.
More than that, Tao Sihu had a good friend like Jang Namuk.
I had a groundless belief that he would come back to his senses at least once.
“It can be done.”
“So confident, eh?”
“Anyhow, I think it would be best if Tao Sihu is released from the mind domination and to start the Byeoksa ceremony when the congratulatory speeches end.”
Even if Tao Sihu was completely eaten by the Demon’s mind domination, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Because if I activated ‘The King Said’, Tao Sihu would immediately come back to his senses.
“If that happens, the Demon’s attention will be on Tao Sihu’s side and their concentration will drop. Please aim at that timing and attack the Demon. And finish the audience check before that.”
“Will do.”
“What about my fourth request? Can it be done?”
My fourth request was to cut off the communication.
After the Training Camp, Hwang Jiho and Yong Jegeon had a following conversation:
— Yong Jegeon, did you feel the presence of ‘Eyes’ after the communication was cut off?
— No. I felt the ‘Eyes’ before the communication was cut off, but it was different after that. It seems that if the communication and satellite information is cut off, there is a risk they won’t be able to use the ‘Eyes’.
The technology that would separate the electromagnetic waves, used by the communication, and the superpower waves used by the ‘Eyes’, and selectively cut them off, couldn’t be obtained yet.
But it was possible to cut off communication and satellite information even now.
“It’s difficult for long, but not impossible. We will keep it cut-off until the Demon is captured.”
A topic of if we cut off the audience’s device signal for a moment, won’t the Association’s Satellite Management team step out, came out.
“It would be better to talk with the Association beforehand, because we will have to deal with the satellite information for a brief period too, eh?”
That point wasn’t a problem.
Before there was a high-ranking employee of the Association, who said to order any matter at any time if something happens in the future.
“I’ll contact team leader Hong Gyubin.”
I contacted Hong Gyubin, but the response didn’t come straight away.
Luckily, as Hong Gyubin said I could shove his subordinates around, I decided to wait for a bit and if he didn’t respond, I would contact manager Yun.
“But… You’re planning on capturing a Demon alive? It seems pretty hard to not harm any life and capture them.”
“That’s not a problem. Because after helping with Baek-ho’s Byeoksa ritual, Jo Uisin said he would cooperate with me on capturing the Demon.”
“Yes? Even so, won’t it be difficult?”
At Jeok-ho’s doubts, Hwang Jiho responded instead of me.
“Didn’t Jo Uisin say that the Demon’s weakness was kotodama? It won’t be difficult to capture, if they are under strong influence of kotodama, right?”
“Ah…!”
At Hwang Jiho’s words, Jeok-ho seemed to have the same thought.
“Jo Uisin can use other people’s skills. Among them is a kotodama.”
“Even kotodama can be used!? I overlooked the fact that Jo Uisin can use other people’s abilities.”
“Right. It seems that benefactor has a precious ability, eh? Hahaha!”
At Jeok-ho’s admiration, Hwang Jiho said that I could use kotodama, as if showing off.
As I tried to ignore the sound of that geezer’s laughing, a reply from Hong Gyubin came.
[Hong Gyubin] Uisin-ah, regarding the message from a moment ago talking about Eungwang School and Military Academy’s highschool department exchange’s opening ceremony.
[Hong Gyubin] Will cadet named Tao Sihu perhaps be participating?
I only told Hong Gyubin about cutting off satellite signal, so why was Tao Sihu’s name being mentioned?
“I’m going to make a call to team leader Hong Gyubin for a moment.”
“There is no problem with doing it here. Is it related to this matter?”
“It may be.”
“Make a call.”
When I asked tigers for understanding and finished a call with Hong Gyubin, I obtained unexpected information.
* * *
Player Military Academy’s hospital, lounge exclusive for the medical staff.
A certain nurse officer was observing several holograms with an anxious face.
On all holograms news pages were open.
Even though the nurse officer refreshed several times, no eye-catching breaking news came up.
When feeling that something was not right, he checked the live broadcast from the Eungwang School’s Broadcast Club.
‘What?! Why are they alive…!’
The nurse officer glared at the two people, who were planned to be killed, on the screen.
Under the sunlight that poured from the dome, which started to open, and the bright lights, the Eungwang School’s Student Council’s president and highschool department Cadet Council’s head were reciting opening speeches with power and confidence.
— We proclaimed the opening of the 1st Eungwang School and Player Military Academy’s highschool’s sport exchange.
The audience on the other side of the screen cheered loudly for a long time.
The nurse officer rushed outside, feeling a chill creeping down his spine.
The failure of the assassination plan lead to the destruction of participants.
The opponent was young and belonged to the TC Group, so it was a pain in the neck, but he was also the son of the freaking Ship King and the cadet with the biggest prospects[3] in the Military Academy.
It was obvious what kind of fate awaited the person located at the bottom of the assassination plan.
Certainly he would take the blame for things he was truly responsible for, and the blame for things he wasn’t responsible for.
He knew there was a risk of that, but because the reward was so big and sweet, he couldn’t win against the enticement.
The nurse officer recalled the rumor of a Jin broker, who would help military deserters flee overseas, and thought optimistically.
‘I have to leave immediately, before the Player Military Police’s investigation squad comes. Good I withdrew all my down payment in cash, eh!’
While running mindlessly, he arrived at the Military Academy’s outskirts exit.
Because it was the most shabby among the entrances managed in this place, there were no soldiers and the entrance was only checked by the people detector.
When he schemed to safely come out this way.
There was an earlier visitor on the mountain road, where there should be no one.
“… Cadet Namkung Gyu-yeon, what are You doing?”
Peuk! Hwish!
Namkung Gyu-yeon was digging in the mountain outside of the boundary of the Military Academy’s site.
She was meticulous and carefully digging the firm earth with the entrenching shovel she always carried with her.
She glanced at the nurse officer with rude eyes and then continued to dig.
“Why? Are You curious about that now?”
At Namkung Gyu-yeon’s tone, he felt a subtle sense of incongruity.
Namkung Gyu-yeon was an owner of a free-spirited personality, but she respected the army culture and kept her manners well.
But Namkung Gyu-yeon, who strictly used honorific speech, by usually using ‘다’ or ‘까’[5], was using a tone towards him that she would usually use when among friends.
The nurse officer decided to ignore Namkung Gyu-yeon and move on, but he unconsciously halted at her next words.
“Sihu was going off[6], but strangely his superpower wave test were always normal. But well, it’s a case of being healthy inside, even when appearing crazy outside.”
Namkung Gyu-yeon took out a file from under her arm and took out a paper.
On it were Tao Sihu’s superpower wave test records.
“… Is there a problem with the test records?”
When the nurse officer spoke with a nervous voice, Namkung Gye-yeon shook her head.
“There are no problems. But looking closely, it matches perfectly with the superpower wave values of the graduate cadets, who have a similar height and build to Sihu.”
The state of Tao Sihu’s superpower waves were greatly disrupted by the Demon’s interference.
Because it couldn’t be revealed, he covered all of Tao Sihu’s test results with someone else’s.
‘But there is no evidence…!’
Just like there existed superpower waves of similar colors, there existed numerous superpower waves of similar values.
The nurse officer devoted himself to manipulating that information and used the data of the cadets with similar conditions to Tao Sihu, as he was certain there were no problems.
“I had a strong conviction, but no matter how much I searched, there was no proof. Even though it seemed like someone manipulated the data, I couldn’t know who. So I asked my oppa to look into it a bit and…”
Namkung Gyu-yeon, whose expression was unreadable, suddenly raised her mouth corners high into a smile.
“Among the bastards, who examined Sihu, there was a dog fucker, who ate TC Group’s slacking dicks’ money!”
Namkung Gyu-yeon, who shouted like this, thrust the entrenching shovel filled with the superpower wave deep into the ground.
Kwakwakwakwa!
Then the ground shook greatly and the nurse officer was shoved head first into the dug up hole.
When the nurse officer couldn’t even scream, less even get a chance to react and struggle with the superpower wave, which activated fast like lightning.
A low voice was heard from above.
“Player Association Regulation Enforcement Department. According to the Association’s rules, Your Gwangrim, skills and ability to cardify and materialize will be sealed.”
Before the nurse officer could properly understand the meaning of that sentence, he completely lost his senses.
Namkung Gye-yeon coldly looked at the nurse officer, who gasped for breath because soil blocked his mouth and nostrils, and then spoke towards the person, wearing a black coat and leather gloves.
“Gyubin oppa, make him throw up everything he knows before passing him over to the military police~. There is something I also want to know.”
*~*~*
[1] different — heterogeneous, of a different nature, alien, 이질적 (ijiljeok).
[2] impossible — more precisely: out of reach, too much to bear.
[3] prospect — literally: receiving hope, having hopes put on.
[4] earlier visitor — 선객 (seongaek) could also mean an immortal (practitioner of Dao) who ascended or a passenger of a ship. (As a reminder, pear 배 in Korean also means ship, so this arc just continues to be about them, huh?)
[5] ‘다’ or ‘까’ — ㅂ니다 (statement) and ㅂ니까 (question), formal speech conjugation endings. This is a tone used when you show respect towards the other person, because they’re older or of higher rank than you, or because you’re not close. (Side note, Mok Uram is using this speech). What Namkung Gyu-yeon used is polite speech (요, also used by Sawol Seeum), which is still polite, but is used towards people you’re closer with, for example family members or seniors. When you see me capitalize You or say someone used a polite speech it will be 75% this tone (요) as it’s more widely used (formal speech ㅂ니다, is a bit stiff, so not used that much).
[6] going off — 맛탱이 (mattaengi, literally terrible taste/idiomatic to go crazy) is from Jeonnam Province’s dialect.
Translator’s note: Go, go Namkung Gye-yeon! But on a side note, where did your ‘groundless confidence’ come from, Jo Uisin? I never believed you to be someone who would leave such things to a guts feeling, so… what have you done?
Patron thank you note
Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Arnocrinum preissii’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Agrostocrinum hirsutum ‘s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Luca, please accept this Phormium tenax’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Amy Peters, please accept this Hemerocallis thunbergii’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Hypoxis hemerocallidea’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Zephyra elegans’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Tecophilaea cyanocrocus’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Kasimir Ilmonen, please accept this Cyanella lutea’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Tara Hess, please accept this Odontostomum hartwegii’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Ice, please accept this Conanthera campanulata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, anonymous Kofi-supporter, please accept this Walleria gracilis’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