EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school - Chapter 816

At first glance, Sung Gukeon looked the same as when he first fell asleep.

We wouldn’t have known he’d wake up soon if his energy waves hadn’t disturbed.

‘He doesn’t show any weakness even when asleep.’

Sung Gukeon only shows his strong side because he knows many people trust him.

Kim Shinrok said he’s been like this since he was a student.

With such a spirit, only death can stop him.

Sung Gukeon’s eyes opened, his expression not breaking even a bit.

“…”

Focus has returned to Sung Gukeon’s eyes.

Seeing that Hwang Jiho’s not saying much, his energy waves and vital signs must be normal.

Sung Gukeon seemed calm.

His agitation is so well hidden that it’s impossible for anyone who doesn’t know the situation to guess what he has just gone through.

“Sir, are you okay?”

Sung Gukeon turned his head in a hurry as he recognized Jeon Muyeong was there.

As he was following Jeon Muyeong’s voice, Sung Gukeon’s gaze stopped on Kim Shinrok.

Sung Gukeon was silent for a while.

And then, perhaps finally realizing that he woke up from a long nightmare, he smiled.

“I’m back, Professor.”

Sung Gukeon raised his body which was deeply buried in the recliner, sat down in a straight posture, and greeted Kim Shinrok.

He immediately checked Jeon Muyeong’s condition, but the latter was dissatisfied.

He looked so organized that it was hard to think that he experienced death.

Kim Shinrok was more distressed that his student refused to show any weakness until the end.

Sung Gukeon must’ve regained a lot of stability when he saw that his teacher was alive, but Kim Shinrok wouldn’t imagine that in a thousand years.

“I’ve seen a lot. There’s a lot to talk about.”

Sung Gukeon said so as he glanced at Jeon Muyeong.

He seemed to signal that he’d do the talking.

Jeon Muyeong, who woke up much earlier, still looked disturbed, so it seems like Sung Gukeon said it in consideration of him.

Jeon Muyeong belatedly straightened his posture, changed his expression and said,

“I’m alright.”

Sung Gukeon didn’t stop him.

Seeing that the two’s wills were firm, Hwang Jiho talked to them.

“The sooner the better, but I don’t mean to hurry. Tell us what you wish to say.”

Sung Gukeon turned his gaze and stared at Hwang jiho.

He was still smiling, but I felt a sense of pressure.

Sung Gukeon spoke.

“I saw you during the Replay. You entered Class Zero as a transferee.”

“You have encountered this body?”

“I just saw your name on paper. I guessed that you were part of the Tiger Clan, perhaps because of the timing and your background. But I never imagined that you were the head of the Tiger Clan.”

I felt a sense of deja vu in Sung Gukeon’s face.

If anything, his face was like this during the investigation of the Hwanmong Gate.

Sung Gukeon didn’t openly express his disbelief, but he spoke in a strong tone.

“Who knew that the head of the Tiger Clan would mingle with students at such an important and desperate time?”

I felt the same way as Sung Gukeon when I was playing PMH.

That’s why I was so surprised and made a slip of the tongue when I saw Hwang Jiho on the first day of classes last year.

I was able to cooperate with the Tiger Clan thanks to that, but I felt dizzy just thinking about that time.

“You’re saying I transferred to Class 2-0 in the Replay.”

“You talk as if it has nothing to do with you.”

“Let’s just say that I don’t know about it. This body has never undergone Replay.”

Sung Gukeon looked at me.

Unlike his gaze at Hwang Jiho, his eyes on me looked warm.

Hwang Jiho asked on behalf of him.

“Jo Euishin, can this body be chosen for Replay?”

“No.”

“It’s unfortunate, but the conditions don’t seem to be met yet.”

Hwang Jiho’s name isn’t selectable in the menu yet.

His death is a bit later, so maybe we need more time.

Not just time, but Replay’s functional stage should be increased too.

“No more questions? Then we’ll listen to what you have to say.”

Hwang Jiho let go of the subtle hostility towards him.

Jeon Muyeong looked like he wanted to say something but he chose not to when he saw Kim Shinrok’s face.

Sung Gukeon quietly observed Hwang Jiho before speaking again.

“Let me first talk about the beginning of the Replay, the tipping point between reality and dream.”

Immediately after waking up from a year-and-a-half-long nightmare, Sung Gukeon spoke like he was making a presentation.

He clearly identified the difference between Replay and this reality, stating all the important information.

Sung Gukeon is a well-established member of the National Assembly, but seeing him like this still impresses me.

He can speak for hours without a script in an unlimited debate filibuster and still give meaningful and beneficial content.

The only thing that bothered me was that he was talking about the hopeless life in that reality.

‘I can’t believe that he experienced it himself, and it hasn’t even been a while since he woke up, but he can speak without agitation.’

Just as Kim Shinrok, Jeokho, and Yong Jegun restrained their emotions and organized the information that they saw, Sung Gukeon also said only what he saw.

Unlike Jeokho who had to take time to build his report, Sung Gukeon doesn’t seem to want to have what he saw to be written on paper.

It’s not easy to suppress one’s thoughts and only convey facts, but Sung Gukeon was different.

“It’s almost sunrise. It’s best that I talk about the last moments so we can rest.”

No matter how concise he was, we only had so much time to hear the whole story.

Sung Gukeon’s speech was well gathered, but Jeon Muyeong’s condition seemed to worsen a bit as time went by.

He even lowered his head, perhaps because he felt emotional.

Kim Shinrok also struggled to see his students like this, so it seems that Sung Gukeon decided to cut to the chase.

“It happened on Teacher’s Day.”

Sung Gukeon told us what he witnessed that day.

Hwang Jiho and Jeokho reacted immediately when Sung Gukeon said how he was kidnapped.

“Twins that looked like children?”

“Compare them to the ones on this hologram. Is it them?”

Jeokho showed Pungbaek and Usa.

It was taken during the Christmas incident.

Their eyes were closed since they were being blinded, but their features are recognizable.

“Yes, it’s them.”

With Sung Gukeon and Jeon Muyeong positively ID-ing them, Jeokho switched off the hologram discouragedly.

It must be painful to see Pungbaek and Usa’s faces.

Hwang Jiho said,

“Those two can’t capture players. They must’ve used items or borrowed powers from someone else.”

“They didn’t use items. I saw light from their hands. It’s like they’re using the power themselves.”

“Those two’s powers…”

“I found something on their hands.”

Sung Gukeon drew something in the air using energy waves.

It looked like Jin (陣).

It wouldn’t be strange if Sung Gukeon forgot some details, knowing that he went through hell, but he remembered in great detail the moment Pungbaek and Usa used their powers.

“That Jin (陣) was the same as the royal lineage used during Christmas.’

The tigers recognized it too as their faces turned grim.

“A royal lineage carried out a large operation during Christmas to use the earth power in Eungwang High. They engraved that pattern all over the school.”

“I thought it was exclusively demons who invaded the school. It seems like other royal lineages were involved too.”

“That’s right. The ritual must’ve succeeded in the Replay. They used earth power using that pattern.”

That means Pungbaek and Usa used earth power from the Eungwang District to kill these two.

And according to my guess, it’s not just earth power that they used.

Sung Gukeon continued.

‘I felt it when I played the game, but the psychological attack on Sung Gukeon is similar to the former head of the association’s light skill.’

Mental attacks come in different forms, but this is just too similar in that it subjects the victim to their regrets.

I felt more sure the more Sung Gukeon spoke.

I think it’s best to check it later.

“After the attacks, I met the twins again.”

Then, Sung Gukeon relayed the most important part.

The thing that decisively killed him.

Sung Gukeon described what he saw with his own eyes.

With his order-given eye, he realized that there were three people there.

The two were twins, and the other was in a furnace.

“I heard the twins’ conversation.”

After giving the context, Sung Gukeon relayed the conversation.

A few words in and the tigers were quickly agitated.

“Unsa’s power! Impossible. Unsa isn’t with them. Didn’t that damned bear say that Unsa was about to die?”

Jeokho spoke without hesitation, and seeing that, Sung Gukeon asked him.

“Are they referring to the one that appeared in the Myth of Gaecheon? A superior being…”

“That’s right. The twins that you saw were Pungbaek and Usa. They became superior beings, but they abandoned Shinin’s power and went to this land. It’s hard to sort out, but they are royal lineage.”

Jeon Muyeong looked surprised at the mention of Pungbaek & Usa, and Unsa, perhaps not having any idea before this.

“So unlike in the myths, they’re at odds with the Tiger Clan.”
“Yes. We only realized it recently too. We thought that those three were killed a long time ago.”

Silence fell in the room.

Through those short words, Sung Gukeon and Jeon Muyeong seem to have understood that there are complicated circumstances with the Tiger Clan.

Sung Gukeon seems to hesitate to talk about Unsa.

So I decided to ask instead.

“Tell me more about Unsa’s power. I think it will help us prepare.”

“Jo Euishin, do you think Unsa was involved in killing those two in the Replay?”

“I’m sure Unsa’s power was used.”

Hwang Jiho has to face the truth about his once close friends.

I didn’t mean to suspect Unsa like this.

“Woo Zhiqi and Gugalana didn’t really cooperate with the Black Screen, but their powers have been exploited.”

“Jo Euishin, don’t tell me that you think that…”

Only after the two royal lineage’s names came out did Hwang Jiho’s words blur in disbelief.

Jeokho and Kim Shinrok were also shocked when they realized what I was trying to say.

Out of the tigers, only Baekho-gun waited for my words with calm eyes.

“It must be Unsa who’s in the furnace. Unsa may have been manipulated with the same method that subdued Wu Zhiqi and Gugalana.