EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school-Chapter 1100: At the end of a long fight (10)

After Baek Ho-gun left, in the Stalemate room.

Yong Je-gun stared down at Kim Shin-rok, who had his head lowered.

He considered waiting for him to lift his head, but he realized it might be sunset by then.

No, if left alone, he would probably stay sunk in his thoughts even as the seasons changed.

‘I guess it’s fine to keep watching...’

Despite thinking this, Yong Je-gun quietly knelt.

As he tilted his head, his long hair, loosely tied at the ends, brushed the floor.

Upon seeing Kim Shin-rok’s face up close, Yong Je-gun felt puzzled.

‘Huh?’

Anger, disappointment, sadness, betrayal, loss, emptiness.

Yong Je-gun considered several emotions but none seemed to fit.

Kim Shin-rok was overtaken by something else.

Fear.

Kim Shin-rok was terrified.

‘Could it be that Je-ho...’

Yong Je-gun, without realizing it, reached his hand toward Kim Shin-rok.

As his hand touched his shoulder, Kim Shin-rok flinched, glancing at Yong Je-gun.

It seemed that only now did he recognize his presence.

“...Why are you kneeling? Are you planning to apologize?”

“No, I just wanted to see your face.”

Kim Shin-rok swatted away Yong Je-gun’s hand.

The strength with which he swatted was as weak as a breeze, but Yong Je-gun obediently withdrew his hand.

As Kim Shin-rok watched Yong Je-gun’s hand being pushed away, he spoke.

“The Hojo family won’t forgive you.”

“That’s probably true. What about Je-ho? Will he not forgive me either?”

Despite Kim Shin-rok’s trembling voice, Yong Je-gun’s tone held a hint of amusement.

Seeing his only close friend worrying about his safety, despite knowing everything, made everything seem unimportant to him.

Kim Shin-rok didn’t respond to the question about forgiveness, but Yong Je-gun, deciding on his own, joked.

“So, Je-ho is not angry with me after all.”

“Do you think he won’t be angry?”

“Well, at least he should pretend to be angry.”

Seeing Yong Je-gun still playing around, Kim Shin-rok’s frustration seemed to be building up.

Though the details of the deal with the Weeping Tiger were shocking enough to almost make Kim Shin-rok lose consciousness, he barely kept his composure.

There were a few reasons Kim Shin-rok managed to hold on.

One was that Yong Je-gun had decided to become his close friend before meeting the Weeping Tiger.

Another was that his reliable mentor, Baek Ho-gun, was by his side.

‘And that dragon tried to become a higher existence for me. Even if the deal was tainted by deception along the way, right now...’

Thinking about this, Kim Shin-rok felt both worried for what Yong Je-gun might face and resentful of how he was enjoying this game despite the reckless actions.

Kim Shin-rok spoke in a voice mixed with fear and frustration.

“If the Hojo family decides to hunt you... I...”

Kim Shin-rok imagined the worst-case scenario.

If that situation arose, he would use all means at his disposal to plead for mercy.

But given his position within the Hojo family and the deeds of the Weeping Tiger, it was unlikely things would go well.

Kim Shin-rok felt as if he were being thrown into a dark abyss.

“Je-ho, if the Hojo family plans to hunt me, Baek Ho-gun wouldn’t have left you with me. I could have held you hostage or run away with you, you know?”

Kim Shin-rok didn’t deny that, but still, his unease remained.

Considering Baek Ho-gun’s personality, he probably thought, ‘Whether I take a hostage or run away, it doesn’t matter. If I set my mind to it, I could save a disciple like Yi-shin, so it won’t interfere with dragon hunting.’

Kim Shin-rok only relaxed after hearing the words that followed.

“And Yi-shin or Baek Ho-gun wouldn’t choose to harm you.” freewёbnoνel.com

Yong Je-gun wasn’t entirely convinced by that, but it was reassuring.

At the Eungwang High Research Wing, the Gyeongrim Research Building 4, Eunyeong-gwan.

As they headed downstairs, Jo Yi-shin continued to complain to Baek Ho-gun.

[Are you sure you’re not being careless? You’re not tired just from moving around a little, are you?]

I’m not tired.

Baek Ho-gun firmly believed this, but Jo Yi-shin still grumbled.

When they left the 2nd-year Class 0 classroom, they had almost encountered a sudden rainstorm and the troublesome duo, Goosulbi and Onggildong. Baek Ho-gun was blamed for it.

They were still up to their mischief, trying to get Baek Ho-gun to attend school, and had set up surveillance measures in the classroom as part of their ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) scheme.

The pair, who had detected an unfamiliar silhouette approaching the classroom, had tried to launch a surprise attack, since they were conveniently in the school at that time.

However, Baek Ho-gun managed to escape through the window, climbed the building wall vertically, and vanished, causing their attempt to fail.

‘Those two could pass on a message to you while you’re awake. Maybe I could find out about the identity issue before I attend school?’

[What would you do if you can’t figure it out?]

‘You still think I’m not a student of Class 0, but a staff member, don’t you? I’m curious about your reaction when you find out I’m actually a classmate.’

Jo Yi-shin, who was awake, had briefly hesitated, thinking about whether he could take this item if he fainted. He had worried about whether Baek Ho-gun would let him take it, since he probably had the right status to enter the classroom.

After reading this thought, Baek Ho-gun didn’t say anything, and Jo Yi-shin, figuring that Baek Ho-gun would allow him to take it, thought, ‘You must be confident about it. Do whatever you want.’

Baek Ho-gun didn’t lie about the task at hand.

[Just do your job well. We’ll be there soon.]

Of course, Baek Ho-gun would do his job well.

When it came to dealing with the Wung tribe, no one was better than Baek Ho-gun.

[What are you talking about? You’re much better at torture than I am.]

Torture is torture, but dealing with them is a separate matter.

Baek Ho-gun confidently headed toward the abyss that continued from Eunyeong-gwan’s basement.

The entrance to the abyss was surrounded by a sturdy barrier that distracted, blocked, and trapped intruders, but it didn’t stop Baek Ho-gun.

Though he had caused many incidents, Baek Ho-gun was still one of the trusted warriors of the Hojo family.

‘No matter where you’re hidden, you won’t see the light. You’re hidden deep.’

Baek Ho-gun’s speed didn’t take long to reach his destination.

Soon, he discovered his target.

Inside a bamboo cage engraved with intricate golden barrier runes, one of the Eight Great Beasts, the Bear of Torment, was squirming grotesquely.

Its arms and legs were fixed to the wall with a broken Zen staff, but even though it was broken, it seemed to think it could escape by pulling it out and holding it.

Of course, it was a futile struggle.

‘This is the experiment my disciple is conducting.’

Would offering false hope and crushing it break through its mental barriers faster?

Kim Shin-rok had prepared for the torture with this idea in mind.

The staff, lodged with the help of Yeokho’s power, could hardly be removed by the beast's own strength.

Moreover, the staff had been tampered with by Eun-ho, so whether it was held or restored, no magical ability could manifest.

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

[It doesn’t even know you’re here. It won’t take long.]

Jo Yi-shin in the dream spoke coldly.

Baek Ho-gun agreed.

The sight of the Bear of Torment being tortured was welcome, but Baek Ho-gun didn’t want to waste time watching, so he lifted his foot and stomped hard on the staff.

“Grrk!”

As the staff sank deeper, the Bear of Torment screamed.

Finally recognizing Baek Ho-gun, it trembled in fear.

It still seemed to regard Baek Ho-gun as more dangerous than the torturer.

Baek Ho-gun skipped all pleasantries and got straight to the point.

“The Weeping Tiger has agreed to cooperate.”

“...!”

The Bear of Torment gasped in disbelief.

Time was distorted in this place, so the Bear of Torment had been trapped for what felt like decades or even centuries. Its sense of time was warped.

So, even if it believed the Weeping Tiger had decided to cooperate after centuries, it wouldn’t have been too strange, but the Bear of Torment didn’t easily believe it.

Instead, it tried to figure out Baek Ho-gun’s real intentions by rolling its eyes.

“However, neither the Hojo family nor the Weeping Tiger trust you. So I intend to ask the same question to both of you to verify the truth of the information.”

“There’s no way the Weeping Tiger will be caught. Even if she is, I don’t think you’ll let her live.”

Words alone couldn’t move the Bear of Torment.

Baek Ho-gun silently took an item card from his pocket.

Wealth and the Weight of Life.

One of the treasures controlled by the Weeping Tiger, a relic of the Eight Great Beasts.

The Bear of Torment’s face changed upon seeing the item card.

“Whether you believe it or not is up to you. But I’m sure you understand what it means that this is in the Hojo family’s hands.”

Whether the Weeping Tiger truly cooperated, or if it was taken by force.

Either way, it meant that the Hojo family had secured her fate.

Of course, this was a hypothetical assumption far from reality, but the Bear of Torment, having seen the Weeping Tiger’s obsession with the scales for thousands of years, couldn’t imagine her handing this over in a trade.

The Bear of Torment now had doubts about something else.

“...Why did the greatest warrior of the Hojo family come here?”

This was a question Jo Yi-shin had already anticipated.

Baek Ho-gun answered smoothly.

“The Weeping Tiger has expressed her willingness to cooperate, but other members of the Hojo family want me to wield the Sword of Wung against her. I want to prove her value to them.”

Baek Ho-gun was friends with Yeokho and Kim Shin-rok’s mentor.

No matter what Baek Ho-gun truly thought, he had a valid reason to save the Weeping Tiger.

With everyone refusing to cooperate, Baek Ho-gun was now personally verifying the value of the information the Weeping Tiger held.

The Bear of Torment quickly considered this.

The Wung tribe knew that over the years, Yeokho and Kim Shin-rok had earned Hwang Ho’s trust and had solidified their positions within the Hojo family.

‘And the Weeping Tiger has deep ties with them. The sly Wung tribe understands this.’

If, due to Baek Ho-gun’s actions, the Weeping Tiger found her place again, and if she acknowledged the Bear of Torment’s cooperation in this process, the situation might change.

Just as the Hojo family once forgave the Wung tribe.

Also, once the Weeping Tiger secured her position, she would try to gain power and would think of the Bear of Torment, who helped her.

It was a slim chance, and it would take a long time, but it was much better than being endlessly thrown into the abyss.

[The Bear of Torment would rather use the Weeping Tiger than escape on its own. If it’s not stupid, it will try to cooperate.]

The Bear of Torment thought this, influenced by Jo Yi-shin’s guidance.

The silence didn’t last long.

“What are you trying to ask?”

“Tell me about the time you used the scales before.”

The Bear of Torment hesitated, thinking it was a hard question to answer, but eventually started recalling and speaking.

It thought Baek Ho-gun was trying to get it to speak more to verify if the story matched, if it was telling the truth or speaking differently from the Weeping Tiger.

Baek Ho-gun asked several more questions, all regarding the scales.

Having heard everything Baek Ho-gun wanted to know, he turned and left without hesitation.

The Bear of Torment’s eyes shone with subtle hope, but it had no idea how fleeting and futile those emotions were.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to use this experiment to offer false hope and crush it.’

Though Baek Ho-gun had become disgusted from dealing with the Wung tribe, he felt somewhat better, thinking about giving his disciple a gift.

Jo Yi-shin, still pondering over the information he had just received, spoke up.

[The next move will be made tomorrow.]

As they exited Eunyeong-gwan, the sun had completely set.

Even though it was summer and the days were long, it had grown dark enough that quite a bit of time had passed.

Baek Ho-gun still had energy left, but as Jo Yi-shin had said, he had to follow his instructions.

[I’ve made a reservation with MITRON’s patissier for tomorrow. Rest and move early in the morning.]

Following Jo Yi-shin’s instructions, more time passed as they worked through their plans.

Meanwhile, the Korean Peninsula entered the typhoon’s zone, with heavy rain and wind causing increasing damage across the nation.

And on the day the typhoon reached its peak wind speed, Jo Yi-shin opened his eyes.