The audience seating area, filled with second-year students from class 0, erupted in cheers as the second round matchups were revealed.

The students, especially those from the second-year class 0, were ecstatic.

This was because every participant in the second round was from class 0, and all of them were from the second-year class 0.

Jo Yi-shin from the second-year class 0 would face Cheon Eun-ha from the first-year class 0.

Baek Ho-gun from the second-year class 0 would face Yeon Ga-ram from the third-year class 0.

Since students were battling against classmates from the same grade starting from the first round, it was particularly exciting for those who had difficulty cheering for their friends.

"I was worried we’d end up fighting among ourselves again! Thankfully, we didn’t. If we’re lucky, both of us could make it to the third round."

"That also means both of us could get knocked out."

"Jeong-muk, what are you saying? Yi-shin would never lose here."

"Right! Yi-shin is last year’s champion. He won’t lose easily to a first-year."

Sa-wol Seum and Kwon Le-na, who had watched the chess competition live last year, immediately countered Jeong-muk’s comment.

Gu Seul-bi, who had been quieter since Ong Gil-dong’s loss, also jumped in, confidently declaring that Jo Yi-shin would win, and one by one, more students began to predict Jo Yi-shin’s victory.

Hwang Ho felt his fatigue lifting as he watched the scene.

The classmates here were all convinced that Jo Yi-shin would win, but they weren’t as confident that Baek Ho would come out on top.

Recently, seeing his close friend who had been laughing without reason, causing unnecessary frustration, being treated this way by the class, Hwang Ho felt somewhat relieved.

Of course, that didn’t mean he thought Baek Ho would lose.

‘Baek Ho is more likely to advance to the third round.’

Yeon Ga-ram was quite a capable player, but not on Baek Ho’s level.

Hwang Ho had lost to Baek Ho, but his chess skills were still better than Yeon Ga-ram’s.

On the other hand, Jo Yi-shin and Eun-ho were both formidable opponents.

As some of his close friends had pointed out, Hwang Ho wasn’t participating in this chess tournament because of his age but because he believed he had little chance of being selected as a representative.

Meanwhile, seeing the two matches in the second round, each having a member of the Ho-jok clan, Cheong Ho squinted and said:

"They must have done this on purpose, right?"

"On purpose?"

"You can tell just by looking."

Cheong Ho didn’t elaborate much, but Hwang Ho roughly understood.

Eun-ho’s anticipation for the chess match with Jo Yi-shin was well known to the entire Ho-jok clan.

Despite having many opportunities to ask Jo Yi-shin for practice matches, Eun-ho had been carefully selecting and preparing for the stage where they would face off for the first time.

Eun-ho had once said:

— "I was heavily influenced by Yi-shin hyung when I was young. My dream was to become a chess master."

— "Eun-ho, how can you say that? Your childhood ended 5,000 years ago."

Jeok Ho responded nonchalantly, but Eun-ho’s face didn’t change.

Since their big fight with Hoo-ye had ended, Eun-ho hadn’t paid any attention to Jeok Ho’s provocations, which sounded as insignificant as the barking of a dog.

Eun-ho, lost in thought, spoke again.

— "I couldn’t directly receive lessons from anyone, but I borrowed books to learn the rules of chess and studied Yi-shin hyung’s games. At that time, I didn’t have the financial means to enter official competitions, and luck was never on my side, so I never got to face Yi-shin hyung."

— "It wasn’t luck that held you back; it was just your lack of skill. Jo Yi-shin made it to the finals, so no matter how bad your draw was, if you made it to the finals, you would’ve met him."

This statement was something both Hwang Ho and Cheong Ho agreed with, but they didn’t say it out loud.

They knew very well that if they teased Eun-ho now, it would only come back to them several times over.

Jeok Ho wasn’t unaware of this either, but as a crazy tiger who had long been known for his reckless behavior, he wasn’t thinking about the future.

Eun-ho, despite hearing Jeok Ho’s words clearly, remained lost in his nostalgic thoughts.

— "Before I became a middle schooler, it was revealed that I was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family, and I gave up on my dream of becoming a chess master. Shortly after that, Yi-shin hyung retired, and the possibility of meeting him in an official match or exhibition completely vanished. And..."

Eun-ho suddenly stopped speaking unnaturally.

There didn’t seem to be any way Jeok Ho’s words could affect him now, so there must have been another reason.

Cheong Ho asked:

— "Eun-ho, what’s wrong?"

Eun-ho fell silent for a brief moment as if he were caught in a powerful memory.

The silence didn’t last long, but the Ho-jok clan found it strange that the usually eloquent Eun-ho had stopped speaking.

Eun-ho gazed at Cheong Ho and responded:

— "...I was just recalling a dream I used to have repeatedly back then. It was a dream where someone with their eyes covered appeared and revealed to me the weight of my sins."

— "Is that the dream where the Heavenly God appeared?"

Instead of answering "yes" or "no," Eun-ho asked a question.

— "In your dream, Cheong Ho, did the person who appeared also cover their eyes with cloth that was stitched with five colors?"

— "Yes, even in the repeating dream and when warning me about Hwang Ho’s danger, they used the same cloth to cover their eyes."

— "It seems to be the same type of blindfold I saw."

Even though Eun-ho was living as a human, if he had repeatedly had such a dream, it would have left a strong impression, and just recalling it could make him feel stuck for words.

However, Eun-ho seemed deep in thought, and Hwang Ho, watching without speaking, also appeared to have many thoughts of his own.

Although Eun-ho was deep in thought, Hwang Ho found it extremely annoying that Baek Ho was acting as if he knew everything.

‘He’s probably guessed something based on the various hypotheses and deductions Jo Yi-shin has made.’

After pushing the dried persimmons with matcha cream toward Baek Ho, Hwang Ho spoke again, a little more quietly.

— "He’ll get his chance soon. He’s going to prepare."

— "What kind of preparation are you talking about?"

— "The preparation to play chess with Yi-shin hyung in an official match, leave a record, and be selected together as representatives."

Eun-ho’s voice was filled with determination.

What had once been the wind of Cheon Seong-heon was now Eun-ho’s will.

Having lived a life of regrets, Cheong Ho quickly nodded in agreement, but Jeok Ho didn’t understand.

Jeok Ho harbored a strong desire to protect his family, but all he could do was be bound by his duties.

So, he didn’t understand why Eun-ho, who wasn’t bound in the same way, wasn’t acting immediately.

Jeok Ho voiced his doubt without hiding it.

— "Is there really a need to go that far? Jo Yi-shin will listen to you just because you’re a junior. If you ask him to play, he’ll come right away. How about you play chess for a long time and use that as an excuse to stay at his mansion?"

— "No."

Instead of ignoring Jeok Ho, Eun-ho firmly rejected the idea.

When Jeok Ho saw the expression on Baek Ho’s face behind Eun-ho, he made a sour face.

Eun-ho smiled slightly and responded:

— "I’ll be the first opponent in Yi-shin hyung’s next official match. Through proper procedures and methods."

As he had declared, Eun-ho carried out his plan.

Jo Yi-shin’s position as the seed was already set.

Now, nothing could stop Eun-ho from entering the tournament, and whether or not there was good fortune in the matchups, he had the skill to break through and move forward.

The moment to fulfill his long-held dream was near, and just as Eun-ho had declared and Cheong Ho had predicted, it was clear he had been planning for this.

Hwang Ho, having wrapped up his reflection, replied to Cheong Ho.

— "It’s just as you think. He must have done whatever it took to be Jo Yi-shin’s first opponent." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

— "As expected."

Cheong Ho looked at the gymnasium with a complex expression.

Watching his old leader and friend give everything to achieve this result as a high school student must have stirred up complex feelings.

Finally, the preparations for the gym’s maintenance and equipment checks before the second round were completed.

Eun-ho was heading to play his match with Jo Yi-shin.

Before stepping onto the stage, Eun-ho greeted Jo Yi-shin, displaying the respectful expression of a junior who followed his senior.

Hwang Ho and Cheong Ho, who had been watching their conversation closely, were interrupted by Dokgo Mi-ro, who asked:

— "Isn’t that the famous fan of the vice-president from the first-year class 0? Did he set things up so that he could face him first?"

The former leader of the Ho-jok clan was a well-known fan of Jo Yi-shin.

It was a thrilling description, but sadly, there was no one here to respond to Jeok Ho’s comment.

Hwang Ho and Cheong Ho both felt dizzy for a moment, but they swallowed their words.

Instead, they calmly answered Dokgo Mi-ro’s question.

— "He probably did. He declared he’d be Jo Yi-shin’s first opponent."

— "You didn’t manipulate the match outside the game, did you?"

Hwang Ho thought carefully after hearing Dokgo Mi-ro’s question.

Eun-ho would stop at nothing to achieve what he wanted.

Even if it meant dirtying his hands and reputation, if it was necessary, he would act without hesitation to reach his goal.

But such actions were only taken when no other option was available.

With his power and means, Eun-ho didn’t need to resort to such tricks in a match with Jo Yi-shin.

Hwang Ho spoke with confidence:

— "There’s no need for that. He’s already skilled enough to adjust his score to meet Jo Yi-shin."

— "Is that so? Then the vice-president is going to ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) have a tough time in the next match."

Dokgo Mi-ro may not have been skilled in chess, but from Hwang Ho’s explanation, she had a good understanding of the situation.

Hwang Ho didn’t deny her conclusion.

— "It’s going to be a tough match."