EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school - Chapter 18

Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse

Lee Lena’s unusually large eyes opened and blinked.

I spoke to her as her eyes were open. 

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Sung Siwan was opening the door to the teacher’s lounge in front of me, and he joined me in silently staring at Lee Lena who I held in my arms.

 

“Ah…”

 

Suddenly, Lee Lena’s face turned blue. 

Seeing her face, I instinctively knew. 

Lee Lena had really intended to die. 

 

“Come in.”

 

Ham Geunhyung put down the towel that was on his head on the table and signaled for us to come in. 

He should have been able to dry himself in three minutes if he used the whole-body dryer provided in the shower room. 

Perhaps Ham Geun Heyong didn’t want to make us wait even one second so he welcomed us here with only a towel in hand. 

 

Plop. 

 

I placed Lee Lena, still covered in a blanket, down on the couch opposite Ham Geunhyung.

Ham Geunyung looked between Lee Lena and me before turning to Sung Siwan. 

 

“I told the students in the dormitories that it was a prank by Class Zero….would it be better to discuss in detail another time?”

“Yes. You should dry your hair before  you catch a cold.”

“I’m okay…oh, thank you.”

 

Noticing his frosted hair, Ham Geunhyung threw the towel toward Sung Siwan. 

I thought it would be best for me to leave. 

I bowed and greeted Ham Geunhyung goodbye. 

 

“I’ll be excusing myself first. Goodbye.”

“Be careful on your way back, Jo Eushin. Let’s talk more tomorrow.”

 

Just as Sung Siwan and I were about to leave… 

Lee Lena stretched out her hand from behind the blanket and grabbed a hold of me.

 

“Oh?”

 

A weak arm with visibly protruding bones was feebly holding on to the ends of my uniform.

 

“….oh, sorry.”

 

Lee Lena hesitated before letting go. 

Shee seemed frightened by something. 

 

‘Perhaps…’

 

I tried to picture myself from her point of view. 

Her parents. 

The Hwanmong Auction. 

Looking back at those details, I could somehow guess what she was afraid of. 

 

“….Is she afraid of adults?”

 

Ham Geunhyung was a rather unpleasant-looking man in his late thirties. 

Sung Siwan was in his third year but held the demeanor that suited his title as the head of the Jiikhoe.

And there was me who was a freshman, with a medium build and still in my uniform. 

To Lee Lena, I was probably the one she felt most comfortable with. 

It would be better if I stayed. 

 

“Professor Ham Geunhyung, would it be alright if I left a little later?”

“….Sure.”

 

Sung Siwan, who had been observing us, leaned on a wall nearby and started to towel dry his hair. 

He must have no intention of leaving his dormitory students here unattended. 

I sat in the seat next to Lee Lena. 

As I sat down, Lee Lena spread out her hand and held onto the end of my shirt again. 

Perhaps this was a subconscious behavior. 

 

‘Maybe it would be better for me to speak to her instead of Ham Geunhyung.’

 

I signaled to Ham Geunhyung with my gaze, and as if he sensed my intention, he nodded his head. 

 

“Can I ask what happened?…. Or do you want to go back and rest for today?

 

If we forced her to speak it would probably backfire. 

I tried to make her feel reassured and asked cautiously. 

 

‘Let’s wait for an answer.’

 

For a while, Lee Lena didn’t say anything. 

But none of us pressed her to speak up. 

We waited relentlessly as we tried to keep our gazes elsewhere so as not to pressure her.

 

“My parents were banned for life from the Players’ Association today….”

 

Just as I thought, it had something to do with her parents. 

Ham Geunhyung covered his mouth to hide his expression, and it seems like he’s aware of what happened.

 

“Then they told me it was all my fault, and I should never have been born.”

 

Tears started to well in Lee Lena’s eyes. 

 

“It felt like it was all my fault, and I thought I didn’t deserve to…live.”

 

Lee Lena’s words started to break off. 

And towards the end, we could only hear the sound of her cries. 

She cried until she exhausted herself to sleep. 

After that, we left her in the care of the freshman female student guidance counselor and left the staff dormitory. 

Easing Lena’s slender hands from my shirt felt harder than destroying the entire Hwanmong Auction. 

 

* * *

 

Sung Siwan returned ahead to report the incident to the Jiikhoe. 

Only Ham Geunhyung and I were left behind. 

Ham Geunhyung escorted me to the freshman dormitory on behalf of Sung Siwan. 

 

“It’s the Hwanmong Gate, isn’t it?

 

Ham Geunhyung stopped walking and looked down at me. 

 

“Those that were recently banned for life by the player’s association were players involved with the dream gate.”

 

Lee Lena was not allocated to class zero in the game version I was aware of. 

Her sudden allocation must be due to the Hwanmong Gate. 

Ham Geunhyung added with a rather tense-up voice. 

 

“Lee Lena did not have the mark of the Sidelentium coin in her hand left by the Red Wall Thief on all the participants of the auction. She cooperated as a witness to the police and the association. But her parents were rather heavily involved so she was assigned to Class Zero.”

 

The Hwanmong Gate is currently the biggest scandal in the world of players. 

If this was publicly exposed, Lee Lena who herself had committed no wrongdoings, would bear the crimes of her parents. 

I could guess what Ham Geunhyung was worried about.

 

“I know Lee Lena is innocent, sir.”

“….Yes.”

 

Ham Geunhyung looked relieved at my words and smiled for the first time after I saw him today. 

 

“You saved Lee Lena today, Jo Eushin.”

 

The fierce-looking Ham Geunhyung looked like an ordinary professor as he smiled and encouraged his student. 

 

“If Lena had fallen to the first floor and survived, she would have experienced pain that would have killed a normal person…. and Lena would have thought that she deserved that as her punishment since she believes she doesn’t deserve to live right now.”

 

Ham Geunhyung lightly patted my back. 

 

“Well done, Eushin.”

 

By the time I had returned to my room after receiving Ham Geunhyung’s farewell, it was already late into the night. 

I was headed to the shower to get ready to go to sleep when I spotted something shining from the corner of the living room. 

 

‘This is…’

 

It was the golden ribbon that Lena had worn. 

I wonder when it had fallen off. 

I lifted the ribbon carefully, so as not to wrinkle it. 

The ribbon that had been left unattended for quite a while was ice cold. 

 

‘Lee Lena’s parents…..’

 

One more item was added to my to-do list. 

I was easily able to come up with my next move. 

 

***

 

I ran around Cheonik Mountain as my morning training and also to keep a lookout for signs of Cotton Wool. 

It was just a manner of speech to say run, as my actual speed while I moved through the hiking tracks, was much faster than a normal person bolting. 

Perhaps the cold weather was keeping everyone indoors. 

 

‘I’m the only one on the hiking track.’

 

As I reached a slightly elevated area, I could see from afar the dormitory students lining up for their selected ‘Eungwang Training Course.’

 

There was a player training curriculum at Eungwang High. 

But it was optional for the students. 

There were students who preferred the freedom to determine their own pace and time to study, but there were also students who preferred a routine lifestyle and needed others to strategize ahead. 

Eungwang High catered to both types of students. 

Being time-bound would limit my movements so I chose the option of a free curriculum. 

 

‘It would be best to train myself on physical skills to move about easily.’

 

When I first joined this world my overall skill was Lv.10. 

It’s been three months since then, and I am now an Lv.13.

The average level of most freshmen was between 10 and 20, and since now was the beginning of the semester, my physical skill was probably around the middle among the freshmen. 

Based on the Player Identity’s special selection, my physical training was the lowest-ranked. 

Because my light skill allowed me to increase my overall skill based on the character I selected, there was no need to be so hung up on my level. 

When the overall skill level rises, it places a limit on one’s perception of damage. 

 

‘But it’ll be good to expand on my lung capacity, just in case.’

 

As compared to others my light skill was rather heterogeneous.

I had accomplished mastering the skill of control and used the selected character’s power without affecting my appearance. 

Even so, I wanted to avoid using the Player Identity skill in front of others as much as possible. 

 

‘I bet Yoo Sanghoon would tease me for at least ten years if he ever found out that I was the Red Wall Thief.’

 

The alias that makes me cringe — Red Wall Thief.

I have to stop anyone from ever finding out that it was me. 

The above was the biggest reason. 

 

‘I’m a bit curious about the reporter who came up with that title.’

 

If possible, I wanted to return the favor by coming up with an equally embarrassing alias for him. 

 

‘Cotton Wool, where in the world are you.’

 

This morning’s search for Cotton Wool ended in another failure.

The alarm from my wearable device went off as my allocated training time came to an end. 

I returned to the dormitory to prepare myself to go to school.

Lessons start at 9 AM.

The morning assembly was at 8:30 AM.

Right now, it’s 8 AM and the Class Zero classroom was still empty except for one person.

 

“Hi!”

 

Kim Yuri, one of my playable characters,  greeted me first. 

 

“Oh, hey.”

 

As I replied to her greeting, Kim Yuri stood up from her seat and came over to me. 

Kim Yuri was much taller than other female students of her age. 

Her straight posture and way of walking made her seem resolute. 

In the official game illustration, she was drawn in association with a magnolia and it felt like it suits her even more in real life. 

 

<Viewing character information on Kim Yuri. >

[Name] Kim Yuri

[Title] Eungwang High freshman Class Zero representative

[Order] The words of the royal lineage that hid their name ‘Have a bit more courage.’

[Light skill] (Sealed)

[Status] Normal

[Overall skill] Lv.15

[Skill]

Fencing Lv.4

Danger detection Lv.2

Sprinter Lv.2

…

…

 

I checked the information and saw that Kim Yuri’s light skill was sealed. 

 

‘Nothing is different from the game.’

 

Kim Yuri falls into a state of panic after she experiences her light skill for the first time at age 17. 

Kim Yuri is afraid of her own light skill. 

She voluntarily joined Class Zero and requested the Players’ Association to seal away her light skill. 

 

‘She died while hiding this truth even from her best friend An Dain.’

In the end, Kim Yuri was not able to overcome her fear of her own light skill before she died. 

 

“I’m Kim Yuri, Nice to meet you.”

“Jo Eushin. Nice to meet you too.”

 

We were wearing name tags and were aware of each other’s names but still engaged in a formal introduction. 

 

“Eushin-ah, do you remember yesterday we were choosing the class president and vice president? We decided for me to be the class rep but Hani says she doesn’t want to be involved in school committee roles. So I was hoping either you or Jiho can take it up. Oh, if you want to be the rep instead I’ll let you do it. “

 

I couldn’t ask the others since no one else was in the room yet. 

Looking at Kim Yuri, she was friendly toward me even though this was pretty much the first time we had met. 

Her natural ability to continue a conversation gave me the impression that she must have been in a similar role in middle school. 

 

‘Thinking of the future activities, I definitely want to be either the class president or the vice president.’

 

I couldn’t ask for more than someone like Kim Yuri for a school committee role. 

 

“Hwang Jiho would find something like this a hassle. I’ll be the vice rep.”

 

This wasn’t a lie. 

Hwang Jiho, no, Hwang Myeongho to be more precise. 

Anyways Hwangho (Yellow Tiger)  seemed to find his current chairman role a hassle as well. 

 

“Wah, that’s a relief. Let’s work hard together this year.”

 

Yuri spoke brightly.

She must have been worried that no one would want to be the vice rep since Class Zero is infamous for being a class of odd kids.

 

“Eushin-ah, will you share your device code with me?”

“Sure, send me yours too.”

 

We were going to be the class rep and vice rep together. 

It would be easier to know each other’s contact numbers. 

We exchanged our wearable device codes and chatted as we waited for the morning assembly to start. 

 

“Eushin-ah, you are the ‘Nameless Supernova’ right? I didn’t think you would join Class Zero.”

“Yeah, somehow it turned out that way.”

 

I really didn’t know things would turn out this way. 

This was a result of my deal with Hwangho. 

 

‘Overall, it wasn’t a bad choice.’

 

It was in close proximity to the main characters in classes 1 and 2. 

And there were several characters in Class 0 I wanted to save. 

Besides, my different vibe as compared to most Eungwang High students could be easily passed off without suspicion as “Class zero acting up again.”

 

“I think Class Zero is really nice. Other classes have like up to 50 per class but our class doesn’t even have 20 in total. So it’s easier to ask our professor for help and use the classroom spaciously.”

 

Yuri seemed to genuinely like class zero. 

 

“Did you see the common timetable? Today’s ‘Player Battle Practice 1’ is a combined class.”

 

Player battle practice1. 

Our first lesson. 

This was an event that was treated with more importance even in the game. 

Yuri continued to talk. 

 

“Because our class size is too small, we are combining with classes 1 and 2.”

 

Year 1 Class 1 and Year 1 Class 2. 

The classes where the main hero Soohyuk and the main heroine Dain were in. 

My first lesson would be together with these main characters.