EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school-Chapter 1055: Tiger Trap (9)

Eungwang High, Eunhui Building's Principal's Office

Since Han had fallen asleep, the principal's office had become eerily quiet.

Dokgo Miro and Huang Ho didn’t want to disturb their friend’s rest, and in truth, there was little they could do other than wait.

While they had kept the device’s screen on in case a message came through, Dokgo Miro didn’t engage in any games or web browsing—he just quietly waited.

Right now, he didn’t feel like doing anything else.

“Why am I so restless? Even though Dorai said the vice-captain’s plan is going well, I still don’t feel right.”

It might just be that it was the first time in the principal's office, and the silence after Han fell asleep made things feel unsettling.

If he didn’t start a conversation, the anxiety seemed like it might grow larger.

In a low voice, Dokgo Miro spoke to Huang Ho.

"Hey, how’s the situation? Everything alright?"

Huang Ho °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° didn’t respond to Dokgo Miro's words.

Huang Ho had previously mentioned that when operating multiple avatars, his reactions might slow down due to the concentration required.

So instead of pressing further, Dokgo Miro decided to wait.

‘He made me wait. What is he wondering about? There’s no way anything could be wrong, but I suppose he’ll respond in that familiar overconfident tone.’

But after a long wait, Huang Ho didn’t react at all.

‘Must be handling multiple avatars right now. Maybe it’s better not to disturb him and just wait?’

When attention is divided, things can go wrong.

However, Dokgo Miro knew well that Huang Ho wasn’t the kind of sloppy person who would mess things up because someone spoke to him.

Staring at Huang Ho, Dokgo Miro suddenly felt an odd discomfort.

‘He hasn’t blinked once since earlier.’

Dokgo Miro focused his eyes, trying to scrutinize Huang Ho, but his delicate eyes and long eyelashes didn’t move at all.

That wasn’t just a sign of slow reactions.

Huang Ho was completely still.

Dokgo Miro stood up and walked over to Huang Ho.

"What’s wrong with you? If you’re doing this on purpose, I’ll hit you."

Dokgo Miro raised his finger and brought it close to Huang Ho’s face.

The air movement as his finger neared made the discomfort even worse.

Huang Ho, who had been in the form of Huang Jiho, wasn’t breathing.

Thud.

When Dokgo Miro gently pushed Huang Ho’s forehead, the straight-backed Huang Ho slumped forward.

Dokgo Miro felt a chill run down his spine.

Though the manipulator’s aura could be felt around Huang Ho’s avatar, his movement had completely stopped.

Seeing the classmate from the mythical clan who had been casually conversing just moments ago like this gave Dokgo Miro an eerie feeling.

"Hey! Dorai... Jiho’s acting strange!"

Dokgo Miro rushed to the principal's office door and burst out.

But the secretary, who had guided him in earlier, was nowhere to be seen.

The secretary had left after receiving an urgent call.

The same thing was happening in other areas that Dokgo Miro hadn’t seen.

The avatar of Huang Myungho, who was working at the Huang Myung Tower, the avatar of Huang Yooho who was with Eunho at the mansion, and all the other avatars scattered around working for the Hojo family were all in the same state.

‘This is strange. Something must have happened to shake up the vice-captain's plan. Both Dorai and the vice-captain might be in danger.’

Dokgo Miro ran through the first floor of the Eunhui building searching for the secretary, but to no avail.

He considered the possibility that the Hojo family might have hidden their presence, but it seemed like the secretary had truly been absent.

Anxiety crept up as he feared that two of his classmates might be in danger, but Dokgo Miro quickly regained his composure.

‘Panicking won’t help. I need to think of something.’

Dokgo Miro tried to remain calm, but he realized there were very few clues to work with.

He had only recently learned about Huang Ho’s identity and had heard the detailed circumstances in the Eunhui building just a few hours ago.

Even though Dokgo Miro was adept at improvising, there was little he could do.

Dokgo Miro quickly ran through the short conversation he had shared with Jo Yi-shin while he explained his plans, trying to squeeze out any clues.

‘Yes, there must be something I can do in this situation!’

Just as Dokgo Miro thought he might have an answer, a presence was felt.

The sound of clothing brushing against each other was heard from the principal's office.

Thinking Huang Ho might have woken up, Dokgo Miro rushed back to the office, but it wasn’t Huang Ho who had risen.

It was Han, who had been sleeping soundly, now awake.

Han was taking deep breaths, repeatedly squeezing his eyes shut and opening them again.

"Han, are you okay? What’s happening?"

Seeing Han looking different from usual, Dokgo Miro hurried over to him.

He offered water, but Han shook his head and spoke.

"...I had a dream."

"Did you hear the music again?"

"No, but a divine being appeared in my dream..."

Han’s words didn’t continue.

Instead, Han quickly started turning his head as if looking for someone and then froze upon seeing Huang Ho, who was still motionless.

Seeing Huang Ho leaning against the sofa unnaturally, Han roughly pushed aside the blanket covering him and said.

"My friend is in danger. We have to go."

With a pale face, Han got up from his seat.

Dokgo Miro was momentarily stunned by Han’s strange behavior.

‘What kind of dream did Han have?’

It wasn’t clear what Han had seen in his dream, but since a divine being worshiped by the Hojo family had been mentioned, it was hard to believe this situation wasn’t related.

It seemed unlikely that Han had dreamed up a fantasy about a high-level entity connected to the Hojo family in the Eunhui building by chance.

Furthermore, Han seemed even more unsettled than when he had heard the music earlier.

Dokgo Miro spoke gently, trying to calm Han down.

"Where are you trying to go?"

"I have a guess. I need to go and save him."

Han couldn’t calm down.

The fact that Han was so shaken made Dokgo Miro realize that Huang Ho was in serious danger.

That thought made Dokgo Miro even more resolute.

"Earlier, Han, you weren’t really watching our conversation, but you do know that this situation is related to the Real Clan and the World’s Top 10 Player teams, right?"

"I know."

"Do you think you can handle that danger alone?"

Dokgo Miro grabbed Han’s shoulder to sit him back on the sofa, but Han swatted his hand away.

The hand was lightly pushed away with a “tap,” and as he glanced at the hand, Dokgo Miro continued.

"I can’t let you risk your life too. If things go wrong, it won’t just be you in danger, but anyone trying to save you."

"I still have to go. I can’t not go."

Seeing Han’s stubbornness, Dokgo Miro recalled something from his childhood.

Even when he tried to protect his close younger siblings who were being bullied at the orphanage, Han had always been this persistent.

It was the same attitude as back then, but something had changed.

Instead of trying to convince him with words, Han immediately took a defensive stance.

Whoosh!

As soon as Dokgo Miro sensed hostility, he instinctively grabbed a weapon item card.

It was the morning star, the one used to defeat the boss enemy in the first round of the exchange event.

"Do you plan on defeating me and leaving, Han? You’ve never won in a spar against me."

Han didn’t respond, his stance still low, his fists clenched.

He was in a position where he could throw a punch or kick at any moment.

Dokgo Miro manifested the weapon and said.

"I’m not going to let you go alone."

The Knight’s Rose Garden

Huang Ho watched as the garden, once filled with trees, became covered in roses.

The scene exuded both ease and strength, but his mind was not at ease.

‘It feels like I’ve gone back to the time before receiving the divine blessing.’

It was the first time he had moved with only his true body, without using any avatars.

It felt like his body had finally reunited after a long time.

Though the avatars of Huang Myungho had been handling simple tasks abroad, this felt different.

Huang Ho felt as if, for the first time, he didn’t have any avatars.

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He had granted so much power to his avatars that they wouldn’t disappear immediately, but if the current situation continued, he wouldn’t be able to handle any avatars, and they would all disappear.

The other avatars were near the Hojo family, but Huang Jiho, in particular, had been near his classmates, which made him somewhat worried.

‘Dokgo Miro must have noticed my condition. If Han wakes up, he’ll be surprised. I need to go back and reassure him.’

Though being unable to handle his avatars was problematic, it wasn’t all bad.

Huang Ho’s senses were sharper than ever, and his focus was higher.

Although there was an awkward feeling since he couldn’t feel the energy channels or the willpower he usually controlled, he felt confident he could exert his usual strength.

For this reason, Huang Ho chose to head deeper into the garden instead of leaving.

‘Why can’t I handle my avatars? Is it related to the fact that they left Qingho’s body here?’

Huang Ho analyzed the situation, and despite being clearly in the Korean Peninsula, it felt like he was standing on foreign soil.

Huang Ho asked a knight from the Earth Tremor.

"It’s surprising to see a garden like this built in the Korean Peninsula. Did you buy up all the land around here to create this?"

"...Yes."

After the interdimensional clash, many laws had been revised, and part of the Korean Peninsula was no longer owned by Koreans.

Foreigners’ restrictions on land and property transactions had been greatly reduced, and it was common for overseas-based Real Clan members to buy up land.

Looking down at the gravel path, Huang Ho asked again.

"The quality of the soil is different. This soil isn’t from here."

"As you might have guessed, this rose garden was created by the Yellow Rose Knight. The knight was very particular about the soil composition for growing roses."

"If you don’t like the land here, you should just leave."

"..."

The knight from Earth Tremor lowered his head, likely thinking Huang Ho was nitpicking.

Huang Ho stopped the conversation after asking a few more questions, gathering information.

The land belonged to the Yellow Rose Knight.

The soil here had been replaced with material imported from England.

Special measures had been taken to ensure that roses could bloom as desired and to create a hiding place suitable for the Three Knights’ Oath.

"Someone must have helped you. Without support from Korean corporations or pro player teams, you couldn’t have done all this."

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"...I can’t answer questions unrelated to the trade."

The knight from Earth Tremor replied with a voice as if crawling.

Throughout the questioning, Huang Ho had been applying pressure, and the knight, feeling guilty, accepted it without resistance.

After deciding that further information was unlikely to be uncovered without torturing the author, Huang Ho ceased his questioning.

Eventually, they arrived at the rose garden’s archway, passing the gravel path.

Beyond the door stood a peculiar figure dressed in a mix of bandages, a dress, and armor—the Yellow Rose Knight.

When the Yellow Rose Knight saluted, Huang Ho asked.

"Only two of the Three Grand Crosses are here. Was that one not infected by the plague?"

"The Water Shadow Knight did not come to Korea."

The knight from Earth Tremor responded, and the Yellow Rose Knight looked up at him.

Through the special bandages, bloodshot eyes glowed red.

A voice, almost like a scream, followed.

"Is there really a need for more nonsense? Don’t undermine your credibility with meaningless lies. I intend to complete this transaction."

"What’s that..."

The Yellow Rose Knight ignored the knight from Earth Tremor and spoke to Huang Ho.

"The Water Shadow Knight stayed in the garden but left for the reservoir and land inspection. He’s gone now. It doesn’t matter, he wouldn’t have been helpful to the transaction anyway."

"Did the Water Shadow Knight come to Korea?"

The two knights' words strangely contradicted each other.

One of them was probably lying, but from Huang Ho’s perspective, it seemed like the Water Shadow Knight had meddled in the middle.

The Yellow Rose Knight didn’t seem to believe the excuses of the Earth Tremor knight, and without a second glance, turned his head sharply and spoke.

"I’ll show you the underground place you’re looking for. Let’s go."

Shh...

As the Yellow Rose Knight gestured, a path opened through the roses, revealing a stone gate with the symbols of the Three Knights.

It was a door leading down below.