EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school-Chapter 1101: X (1)

Jo Yi-shin’s journey through the timeline was being carefully reviewed by Eun Ho every single day until Yi-shin awoke.

When he first created it, Eun Ho had something different on his mind compared to before. He was thinking of two things: Yeong-in and Heuk-ho.

Eun Ho was trying to find traces of the two that were not recorded in the timeline.

‘I haven’t come to a clear answer, but the sense of discomfort is growing. Especially when it comes to Heuk-ho.’

Eun Ho recalled the decisions and results he had made during his time as the leader.

The discomfort he had felt in the process, when he added Heuk-ho’s existence to it, suddenly all made sense.

Eun Ho and Hwang-ho had spoken as the former and current leaders.

The result of their conversation revealed that Hwang-ho, from the standpoint of a leader, had never felt any discomfort.

‘Even though Hwang-ho had spent far more time as the leader, he didn’t feel the discomfort. That means Heuk-ho might have disappeared around the time when the leader’s position was changed, doesn’t it?’

Eun Ho was still searching for the cause of this discomfort and at the same ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) time, he visited Jo Yi-shin three times a day, trying to gauge the flow of their communication.

The reason Yi-shin had asked questions, the hints he had received, the answers given, the reasons for his reluctance to directly reveal Heuk-ho’s identity, the Hojo family’s situation, Baek Ho’s constant movements, and the discomfort and contradictions Eun Ho had felt.

Suddenly, Eun Ho stopped in his tracks as a new thought came to mind.

‘Yi-shin is preparing for what will happen once Heuk-ho wakes up. If I’m right, something big is about to unfold.’

Eun Ho didn’t intend to disrupt Yi-shin’s intentions.

So, instead of continuing that line of thought, he decided to inquire about the Hojo family’s situation from Hwang-ho’s doppelgänger, who was waiting in the annex.

Yi-shin would be in a hurry to catch up to the shadowy figure, and if the Hojo family was not prepared by then, it was clear that there would be a struggle.

But instead of meeting Hwang-ho’s doppelgänger, Eun Ho encountered someone else first.

“Jeok-ho?”

Jeok-ho stood still in the hallway, absentmindedly staring out the window.

The sky was dark, filled with storm clouds, and rain was pouring, threatening to shatter the glass.

Jeok-ho had been in charge of investigating Yeong-in, and as a result, his thoughts inevitably turned to events from the mythological era.

As he searched through his memories, every place he visited, Jeok-ho unknowingly tried to find traces of his old ally.

It wasn’t until Eun Ho called his name once more that Jeok-ho snapped out of his trance and replied.

“My apologies. As I was investigating Yeong-in, I kept thinking about the old days... Where did Baek Ho go this time?”

“He’s probably somewhere in Eungwang District,” Eun Ho replied.

Jeok-ho awkwardly shifted the topic, and Eun Ho went along with it.

As he thought about Baek Ho, Jeok-ho’s frustration seemed to build up again, and he muttered a brief curse before speaking.

“Couldn’t we use the pardon again and let him go outside the Eungwang District like last time?”

“That wouldn’t work. Baek Ho said he was going to check out Cheon-ik Mountain today, so he should be far...” Eun Ho trailed off.

The pardon weighed on his mind, and a lingering question remained.

‘Why hasn’t the Cheon-shin said anything about this yet?’

Even though they had used the pardon to utilize Baek Ho’s power, Cheon-shin remained unresponsive.

Before answering this question, Jo Yi-shin finally awoke.

When he opened his eyes, quite some time had passed.

Previously, he had been asleep for around three days, so he expected something similar, but he had slept for much longer this time.

The moment he woke up, Baek Ho-gun handed him two item cards.

These healing items had been prepared in case he needed to face the weight of wealth and life, or for communication.

“The healing whirlwind passed by,” Baek Ho-gun remarked.

Yi-shin didn’t think it would come to this, but ultimately, he had been a bother to Yoo Sang-hee.

The feeling of being ashamed sank deep into him.

He wondered if, instead of calling for Yoo Sang-hee, it would have been better to have someone like Hwang Ji-ho or Jeok-ho check on him again.

Perhaps checking on the newly awakened Cheong-ho would have been a good idea too.

“You know, if you said that in front of my friends, it would be an interesting reaction. Go ahead and do it.”

Yi-shin didn’t feel like following through with it since he was asked so openly.

“Fine, just give me the information.”

Baek Ho-gun, after reading Yi-shin’s thoughts, chuckled and shared what had happened recently.

Baek Ho-gun finished his long-winded explanation with words that made Yi-shin’s allies feel frustrated.

“He didn’t understand the meaning of your actions, and it drove him mad.”

“Who even asked about that?”

In any case, it was fortunate that none of the tigers noticed before preparations were finished.

‘Most of it went according to my plan. Let’s make a move now.’

The disappearance of X and the fact that the awakening didn’t occur even though Heuk-ho’s identity was known meant that the shadowy figures also remained unaware. If they were to act simultaneously with another incident, it would make things incredibly difficult for the Hojo family to respond.

Despite the storm, fighting in the rain seemed more favorable than having things explode like Jeong Jun-yeol’s rampage.

Baek Ho-gun likely agreed with this.

“Do you think the Hojo family is ready?”

“Yes.”

Before Baek Ho-gun could finish speaking, the door opened.

It was the ever-kind Hwang Yu-ho.

Unlike Baek Ho-gun, who had appeared sneakily through his avatar to time things carefully, Hwang Yu-ho was clever and kind, arriving so quickly.

“Jo Yi-shin! You’ve finally woken up. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Yi-shin’s concern wasn’t for his own condition, but for Hwang Yu-ho.

He worried that what they had to talk about might hurt the kind-hearted Hwang Yu-ho.

He hesitated before speaking.

“I need to talk to you.”

“...I figured as much.”

Though Hwang Yu-ho couldn’t hide his displeasure, he still made room for Yi-shin as requested.

Although it took quite a bit of time due to examinations and meals, Yi-shin had needed time to gather those he had called for.

He had awoken in the morning, but the room had been prepared only by late afternoon.

‘Everyone’s staring at my left eye.’

Because of the communication, his left eye had been strained, causing his lens to break, revealing the obangsaek.

Eun Ho and Hwang Ji-ho had created new lenses for him, but they had told him, “Wear it later. Everyone wants to check your eye condition,” so there was nothing he could do.

The tigers, including Gong Cheong-hwon and San-ryeong, who were closely attached to him, all focused on his left eye.

“Yi-shin, why not get treated again at the Dragon Palace?”

“I heard the Dragon King’s priestesses are too busy calming the storms around the Dragon Palace.”

“You can wait as if you’re recovering at the Dragon Palace and then get treated there.”

Watching Hwang Ji-ho exchange words with the visibly annoyed Yong Je-gun, Kim Shin-rok opened his mouth awkwardly.

It seemed ridiculous that Yong Je-gun would appear here after the event with the Hoonyeo, and seeing him argue with Hwang Ji-ho about taking Yi-shin away, it was chilling.

Yong Je-gun looked fine, but Kim Shin-rok was clearly very tense.

Eun Ho stepped forward to face Yong Je-gun.

“It seems like Yi-shin’s left eye is bothering you.”

“Yeah. When Yi-shin’s eye looked like this, what did the Hojo family do?”

“Yi-shin pushed himself to gather important information. Thanks to that, we found out that the shadowy figures were trying to cause a rampage with the descendants of the dragon tribe.”

“Really?”

Yong Je-gun’s eyes gleamed with excitement and animosity.

Though angry about the descendants being targeted, he looked strangely thrilled, which was characteristic of him.

“I’m fine. Though my eye is like this, my Ineungpa is in better shape than it has been in a long time.”

“Well, of course. Yi-shin hasn’t rested at all lately. But why are you talking as if losing your eye was no big deal?

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Agreeing with Kim Shin-rok, Cheong-ho nodded enthusiastically.

The other tigers weren’t as extreme as Cheong-ho, but they too showed their agreement.

Yi-shin calmed them down and moved the conversation forward by saying decisively,

“Still, my left eye remains here, unlike Heuk-ho’s existence.”

When Heuk-ho was mentioned, Cheong-ho stopped nodding and the other tigers’ expressions shifted as well.

“Before the sky opened, there was a Hojo named Heuk-ho. At least in the era recreated by the 1st round of the exchange match's Ruins-type Parallel World Simulator, he definitely existed.”

“Heuk-ho appeared as a boss enemy?”

“Yes.”

“How is that even possible? Even if I use the power of my wish, it’s impossible to completely erase something like that, isn’t it?”

Yi-shin pulled out the "Weight of Wealth and Life" item cards.

The Hojo family, who knew he possessed these cards, reacted calmly, while those who learned of them for the first time were shocked.

“That method is the scale used by the foreign forces and the Eung Tribe. The Jinwongpal-seon went insane or fell asleep from the aftermath of erasing Heuk-ho, and the scale broke too. The Weight of Wealth and Life item is a kind of degraded version.”

“Erasing the potential of humans with such a horrible scale... a degraded version...”

“Seems like the investigation Baek Ho-gun entrusted to Yi-shin included something about the scale, right?”

After Hwang Ji-ho’s sigh, Eun Ho spoke calmly.

Excluding Baek Ho-gun, Eun Ho would probably be the closest to the truth among the Hojo family.

Yi-shin acknowledged Eun Ho’s statement and added,

“When the Weight of Wealth and Life was used to erase the Ineungpa of the negative entry, the scale only erased the Ineungpa. But Heuk-ho’s case was different.”

“You erased their Ineungpa. Since it was you, Yi-shin, it must have been something that could be erased. But what was different?”

Among the group, there were teachers, so some might have been surprised that a student could erase another’s Ineungpa, but, as with Gong Cheong-hwon, even Han didn’t react much.

The tigers, it seemed, were more interested in Heuk-ho and the scale than the erased Ineungpa of the negative entry.

“Everyone remembers that the Ineungpa of the negative entry existed. But with Heuk-ho, even the fact that he existed was erased.”

“Ah...!”

A few who realized the difference late exclaimed in awe.

It wasn’t just Heuk-ho that was erased.

The memories of those who knew Heuk-ho, the achievements, and the traces he left were all gone.

Thus, the Jinwongpal-seon had to pay a greater price than just erasing a single clan member.

“The Demon King of Inaction and Silence, Sidrellentium, is currently researching the scale. Sidrellentium discovered that the scale was broken. Because of this malfunction, this scale will no longer perform with the same ability it did when Heuk-ho was erased. Also, every time something is erased, a larger price is being paid.”

When the Ineungpa of the negative entry was erased, there was a change of hands.

When considered with the more expensive scale, it seemed that the value of that Ineungpa had almost hit rock bottom.

Before continuing further on Heuk-ho, Yi-shin decided to say something very important.

He had moved Baek Ho-gun to investigate the scale, and he had to say this first.

“The reason I investigated and explained the scale was to make sure you all remember this: Heuk-ho was forgotten because the other side paid the price for it.”

“Jo Yi-shin...”

Hwang Ji-ho looked at him with a mixture of emotions, unable to get a hold of his feelings.

“The lost existence X, Heuk-ho, was gradually reclaiming his presence. So I knew something was missing, but I didn’t want to intervene unnecessarily. In a situation where there are many events that require my intervention, rushing the ones who will naturally return could mess things up.”

The surroundings went quiet.

Yong Je-gun seemed to have a lot he wanted to say, but it appeared he was holding back because he wanted to hear Yi-shin’s words.

Kim Shin-rok attempted to calm Yong Je-gun by poking him in the side, but failed miserably.

“But now I’ve realized that the shadowy figure might make moves based on Heuk-ho’s awakening. Heuk-ho may even fear regaining his full strength for some reason, so I’ve decided to act quickly.”

Yi-shin grinned to himself while looking at the somewhat excited Yong Je-gun.

“When I visited the Dragon Palace, I thought about it after hearing what the Azure Dragon said. If Heuk-ho exists, he might have similar characteristics to the Black Dragon. Perhaps he’s even similar to the Black Tortoise, which symbolizes the same direction and color.”

“The Black Dragon and the Black Tortoise have more differences than similarities, don’t you think? The Black Tortoise is more dignified. They share some similarities, like dealing with Ineungpa colors and coldness, or being good at music, though,” Hwang Ji-ho remarked.

“Yes, I thought so too. In fact, Heuk-ho in the Ruins-type Parallel World Simulator had those characteristics.”

A type of Ineungpa in the black spectrum.

The ice storm that hindered the Korean team’s raid group.

The skill to accompany a newcomer’s difficult song with musical accompaniment.

“And during the Ruins-type Parallel World Simulator, Heuk-ho played a wind instrument.”

“The boss enemy’s performance was filled with background noise, so the sound was hard to hear. I tried to filter it while editing, but it didn’t work well,” Yong Je-gun said.

“It wouldn’t have been recorded well by the recording device. But a player with a good ear for music would have heard it.”

The character Yao Lechi, who was better at handling the erhu, grabbed the Diz after hearing Heuk-ho’s performance, almost as if in competition.

It was because the other side had handled a wind instrument so well.

Yi-shin’s mind recalled Yao Lechi’s stubbornness as he insisted on playing the Diz as if in competition.

“And if someone’s existence was missing, that person was probably infiltrating the foreign forces to gather information.”

This was a hypothesis made by the Hojo family, based on the discomfort Eun Ho had felt as the leader at the time.

In the simulation, Hwang Ho tried to hide the existence of Heuk-ho, and Eun Ho found it strange that he hadn’t infiltrated someone at the time.

“The foreign forces were so elusive that even the Hojo family couldn’t properly record them. Moreover, they also stole faces. Disguising themselves as foreigners and blending in was difficult. To gather information, they had to kill their presence and sneak in.”

“Yes, I agree. If Heuk-ho didn’t have the power to hide his presence, I would have used Jeok-ho’s skillful suppression of presence to gather information.”

Heuk-ho was particularly skilled at hiding his presence.

If Eun Ho trusted him enough to assign him important tasks, he was undoubtedly someone capable of deceiving the true-blooded clan.

“And if Heuk-ho has regained some of his presence, I believe he’s already been involved with the Hojo family in some way.”

“...Even though we’ve forgotten Heuk-ho?”

“Yes, I have no evidence, but yes. You and Gong Cheong-hwon were close to the Hojo family too.”

Hearing this, Cheong-ho’s expression shifted as if he had regained his composure.

Some were waiting for Yi-shin’s words with calm faces like Eun Ho and Gong Cheong-hwon, but the majority of them couldn’t hide their troubled hearts.

“In the Ruins-type Parallel World Simulator, players who witnessed the boss enemy called Heuk-ho a ‘child.’”

“The true-blooded clan can freely change their appearance. So it’s not definite that Heuk-ho appeared as a child, right?”

“The boss enemy was defeated before the sky opened. Before the Hojo family was treated as true-blooded,” Yi-shin answered.

Jeok-ho’s expression darkened.

Some had already figured out who Yi-shin was referring to after hearing his words.

“The Jinwongpal-seon opening their eyes means Heuk-ho is already regaining himself. He must have already acquired the traits I mentioned.”

Yi-shin listed each of the traits.

“Appearance as a child. Strong against cold and handles Ineungpa in the black spectrum.”

The image of a small figure running barefoot on Cheon-ik Mountain, wrapped in ink-like Ineungpa, came to mind.

That child had even said they didn’t like fire.

And, although he knew the child wasn’t cold, Yi-shin had wanted to buy new clothes for them, but in the end, he had bought them a toy instead.

“Exceptional at handling wind instruments and has the ability to suppress presence.”

Heuk-ho was handling a small wind instrument that was hard to see from a distance.

And that child taught one of the wind instruments, the Fulpiri, to the descendants, singing alongside Gong Cheong-hwon.

Furthermore, they taught too well how to play dead, leading Hwang Ji-ho, Jeok-ho, and Ok-to-yeon to mistake the descendants for being dead and turning the mansion upside down.

Additionally, they tricked the descendants into doing mischievous pranks, hurting Hwang Ji-ho’s temple.

‘Still, the Hojo family kept them close.’

What would have happened if Yi-shin had done those things before gaining the Hojo family’s trust?

It surely wouldn’t have ended with just fitting into the training of the white tigers.

If they needed monitoring and guarding, it would have been enough to attach a Hojo family member to hide in a corner of Cheon-ik Mountain. But without earning the Hojo family’s trust, there was no need to keep them in the main house of the mansion, especially beside a precious descendant.

Yet, the Hojo family, despite everything, grew attached to the child and allowed them to stay.

The Hojo family hadn’t completely forgotten Heuk-ho even though they had lost their objectivity.

“And there’s another comrade to the Hojo family. The great mountain, Cheon-ik Mountain. When the comrade was about to vanish, Cheon-ik Mountain probably reached out to help.”

In the Ruins-type Parallel World Simulator, Cheon-ik Mountain fought alongside Heuk-ho.

It may have taken thousands of years, but Cheon-ik Mountain successfully shared its energy, bringing its comrade back to this land.

‘Good thing I didn’t wear the black tiger outfit back then.’

The Hojo family had tried to dress him in black tiger clothes before.

Yi-shin had declined and instead wore a crow doll outfit.

He was glad he didn’t add more things for the child to be upset about.

Yi-shin turned to look at San-ryeong.

“Heuk-ho.”

The moment Yi-shin referred to San-ryeong as Heuk-ho and everyone in the room recognized San-ryeong as Heuk-ho, the shadow surrounding him gradually faded away.

Those who hadn’t lived in the same era as Heuk-ho were unaffected, but the faces of the mythological Hojo family members were filled with shock.

Their memories were returning.

Fwoooom...!

A great power raged around Heuk-ho.

Ink-like Ineungpa seemed to wrap around Heuk-ho, as if granting him color and substance.

Everyone was mesmerized by Heuk-ho’s awakening.

Gong Cheong-hwon supported Heuk-ho’s small body, whispering soothing words to calm him down.

Only after several intertwining waves of Heuk-ho’s energy and the warm light from Gong Cheong-hwon’s language did Heuk-ho calm down.

Heuk-ho looked at his friends with a face full of mixed emotions before suddenly stopping dead in his tracks.

“Ah, aaahhh!”

Upon meeting Jeok-ho’s eyes, Heuk-ho screamed and sobbed uncontrollably.

Jeok-ho was taken aback, seeing Heuk-ho cry, and the other Hojo family members were at a loss, flustered.

At that moment, Eun Ho suddenly rose from his seat.

“Heuk-ho! Report!”

Eun Ho was wearing the face of a leader.

Heuk-ho, who had been crying with difficulty, looked at Eun Ho, finally calming down enough to speak.

“We have to go save Wungyeo! Jinwongpal-seon is going to kill Wungyeo!”