EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school - Chapter 9

Translator: Hong | Editor: Darling, Aira

Inside the dark gym locked from the outside and where a wild beast was loose, the voice of a student, modified to hide his identity, can be heard.

The student’s face was mosiaced, but anyone who has seen the news lately can clearly identify who he was.

The middle school student branded as the Small Hero’

The Small Hero was wielding an item card at his friend who the public believed that he had saved and sustained injuries for.

 

— But it’s different when there is a moving bait. Wouldn’t that monster be happy if three people die? You’re all baits.

— Are you planning to use ■■■ as bait? You should be thankful ■■■ got injured trying to rescue you. You have no shame!

— Thankful? Screw that. Did you not go to middle school? People get to where they are by surpassing others.

 

The Small Hero uses the item card and traps the other student.

 

***

 

Hwangmyeong Foundation decided to release the video as they struggled to avoid attacks from the press.

The comments from the board of directors were as follows;

 

— We decided to withdraw all hospital payments for the student identified in the video after belatedly confirming his shameful acts. We decided to give this video to the press to let the public know the truth and to clear up any misunderstanding in this matter. 

 

I checked the details belatedly.

 

‘They were aware of it all along but they had no problem looking the other way. Talk about a 180 degree change.’ 

 

Hwangmyeong Foundation released the already released the video to the press. 

The eyes of the person in the video was mosaiced, and the parts where he was screaming was cut out.

Perhaps they wanted to prevent another controversy from sparking, or perhaps it’s an act of benevolence from the chairman, the part where I laid hands on Minki was edited out too.

The public went wild after the video was publicly released.

Each broadcasting station edited the video to include subtitles, and news anchors from each station included their own commentaries.

Afterward, they uploaded the videos to their own channels and within seconds, the total views on the videos jumped to 100 million.

Son Minki’s title of “Little Hero”  was changed to “Son Mikki”

 

(T/N: “Mikki” is a Korean word which translates to “bait”)

 

Every article related to the topic called Son Minki this new alias.

 

[Hero? Hahaha, this guy’s no hero. He’s Son Mikki]

[Son Min Ki Son Mi Kki]

[He used the kid that saved him as bait?? Looks like the Demon Race has a new addition. Players who have Satan’s order, watch outt~~~]

[OMG Goosebumps;;; This bastard’s worse than the enemy]

[Hwangmyeong Foundation. please don’t ever pay for that scum;s hospital fees. He might just use that money to get an expensive lawyer…the thought of it makes me rage…]

[If you pay for him you’re an idiot]

 

Son Minki’s side immediately responded. 

Although his response never made it on the public channels or main newspapers, few articles supporting Son Minki popped up. 

 

[Small Hero’s tears, “I was scared, I am sorry to my friends.”]

 

[Lapses in Hwangmyeong Foundation’s security system drives young elite into a trap]

[Video released without the ‘Small Hero’s’ consent. Lawsuit to be expected]

 

The public had long turned their backs on Son Minki.

He had nearly killed someone to save himself.

He was able to manipulate the truth to make people pity him and turn people’s anger toward Hwangmyeong Foundation.

But when the truth came out, the public were unable to forgiveSon  Minki for deceiving them and acting like a hero all this time. 

 

[After all those lies… how shameless]

[Translation: Give me back my money]

[The school’s security??? Defamed??? LOL The foundation kindly edited the video to make the person unrecognizable, and they all consented before the entrance exam that the school is not liable for any injuries sustained. Hahaha, you admitted to it by responding to the video.]

[Look carefully at the article. It’s not ‘sued’ but ‘expected to sue’. They are probably playing it out cause they are guilty.]

 

Then the next day. 

On one internet community, a furious post against Son Minki was posted. 

The post’s content stated that Son Minki manipulated his grades to be able to enter Eungwang high.

The writer of the post had several subjects with scores better thanSon Minki and when he had checked the ranking for each individual subject, he and Son Minki’s positions had been swapped. 

Many suspected the post to be false. 

As soon as people commented that his post was fake he uploaded his own student card and a written message of Son Minki’s confession. 

Confident of his connections with powerful people, Son Minki must’ve threatened the student not to reveal this secret or else he’d make it so that the student won’t be able to enter any high school. 

 

‘I expected this to happen. I knew that once Son Minki lost his title as a hero, those he bullied would finally speak up.’

 

But this was beyond what I anticipated. 

 

[A student that had been bullied by Son Minki reveals his story. A three-line summary. 1. Son Minki through his connections manipulated his grades 2. Son Minki confesses but threatens the student. 3. Son Minki is a piece of trash]

[Isn’t he a criminal already? Attempted murder, violence, manipulation of results, and blackmail! I hope he goes to jail!]

[He’s only 16 but he’s done all those things. Imagine if he was never caught and grew up sheltered under Korea’s most elite high school. Wonder how many more would have suffered.]

 

At this point, no more articles advocating for Minki were seen. 

And it was not only Son Minki who the public criticized and shunned. 

His parents, who had previously revealed their faces to the press, were also targeted. 

 

[Those who want to see the parents of the horrible Son Mikki can rewatch the news]

[Son on a bait’s father resigned only a month after working in his company. I can reveal why.]

[Son of a bait’s company website link is going up~~~you can sue or not~~~*spits*]

 

Son Minki’s parents were running a business that sells props used by players from the association and professional player teams.

Once the company’s name was revealed publicly, there were endless complaints and petitions asking the pro player teams to cut ties with them.

And those who had started raising funds for Minki’s hospital fee completely lost their objective and disappeared. 

Those who had participated in the fundraiser were justifiably upset, and they directed their rage to Son Minki.

 

[Give back our money you family of frauds]

[I am so embarrassed to have been fooled by Son Minki….I wrote so many supporting comments and even donated.]

[Go to hell with me ㅠㅠ]

[Donating for Son Minki makes me want to die. Is the Han river cold in December? I will let you know after trying out.]

[We have set up a website to be compensated for the donations we raised for Sonminki. We are discussing the strategy…we ask for your support.]

 

Around one week after the video was released.

Son Minki was in a financial crisis. 

Settlement fees, hospital fees, lawyer consultation fees, bribery to the press — all put together, the cost was worth hundreds of millions. 

And even their company was struggling to secure their yearly deal with a supplier with all the petition and rioting against them.

Regenerative surgery was out of the question. 

Furthermore, all high schools including Eungwang High, had rejected his application.

Son Minki was now a disabled middle school student swamped in debt. 

It was near the end of December when Son Minki was absolutely crushed. 

Around the time Son Minki’s controversy died down, the attention of the public had shifted. 

 

[Wasn’t the number one contributor Mr. Jo? Why is no one talking about him? He was totally unmentioned in the whole thing.]

[He must have been threatened by Son Mikki]

[If I think about it now it’s so weird. Why did that kid get hurt when everyone else was fine. Why was SAT-K’s number one contributor player treated likea ghost.] 

[So why did he get hurt in the end??]

[The number one contributor is in my class! I am in xx middle school class 3-8 and this incident must have been traumatic. He hasn’t been coming to school.]

[Is he just being loyal? The first half of the video where he threw himself was damn cool and awesome.]

 

Son Minki was being completely crucified by the public, but since we signed a non-disclosure agreement, his side cannot say anything to the press.

As it was stated in the clause that if any party discloses anything, the penalty was three times the initial settlement fee. 

I monitored all headlines and comments as the situation progressed.

I finally shut off my hologram, satisfied by the turn of events.

Things were going just as I planned. 

 

No, the situation was resolved better than what I expected.

 

***

 

“It’s a daily routine to read the news and comments. I am keeping all the articles I was inspired by so that I can read it again when life gets tough.”

 

We visited Yoo Sanghoon’s house to hang out.

While we were in Yoo Sanghoon’s room, Yoo Sanghee showed us a hologram.

 

“I get calls almost everyday. At first, it felt good but now it’s a nuisance. He wants to apologize and post a picture of us getting along on SNS…? It was his limbs that were cut off but he’s acting like it was his head.”

 

As expected from the disciple of the Goddess of Healing.

Yoo Sanghee elegantly brushed her long hair that was reflecting the sun. 

It was a stark contradiction from the brutal words she said just now.

Jang Namwook did not respond and simply drank the apple juice Sanghee brought. 

He must be used to Yoo Sanghee by now. 

 

“I didn’t tell him you guys’ contact information. I’m going to have a little fun with this. I’m gonna act like I’m hesitating.”

 

Sanghee put down the snacks and drinks in front of me and gave a fresh smile.

 

“Thanks, Eushin-ah. It’s all thanks to you. I’m sorry for not believing you right from the start. I’ll return the favor for sure.”

“No. I didn’t do much.”

“You’re humble. But no need to refuse. I am your senior so you can comfortably call me Sanghee noona.”

 

Yoo Sanghee smiled brightly at me. 

Seeing Yoo Sanghee’s face, Yoo Sanghoon looked as if he’d seen a monster.

 

“Yuck, what do you mean “Sanghee nonna”.”

 

Smack!

 

Yoo Sanghee hit Yoo Sanghoon’s hand. 

Yoo Sanhoon did not react to the pain, but his face visibly turned blue. 

….Yoo Sanghee’s hand blade skill was level 3. 

I wonder if it will bruise him.

 

“Well, have fun while you’re all here. Tell me if you need anything.”

 

As soon as Yoo Sanghee left the room I laid on the floor comfortably. 

A basketball lying around in Sanghoon’s room touched my back. 

I pushed the several basketballs lying around with my finger and asked.

 

“So why are we all gathered here today? Are we celebrating the vacation?”

 

We had been consistently messaging each other in our chat group, but this was the first time we met in person since we signed the settlement contracts.

I chose to skip school all in all, but these two had diligently attended so it was hard to meet up as well. 

 

“To celebrate you. ‘Nameless Supernova’ -nim”

 

Now how did they know that? 

 

“We saw it on the Players’ Association’s webpage. You’re listed as the guy who defeated the wanted enemy.”

 

Yoo Sanghoon explained further as if he’d sensed what I was thinking from my facial expression.

While Son Minki’s entire family was going bankrupt, I frequented the Player association. 

The ordinary 16-year-old who had defeated the enemy was not registered on Player SAT-K so they found an issue with the record. 

As I did not want to leave my real name in the records, I decided to go ahead and receive a pre-given alias that the Player SAT-K gave based on my player activity level. 

The alias being “The Nameless Supernova”

As  Hong Gyubin said…

 

‘An unregistered ordinary middle school kid accomplished what the esteemed couldn’t do, so it’s fitting.”

 

I wasn’t fond of the sly Hong Gyubin, but the name itself had a good ring to it. 

The temporary player Nameless Supernova would automatically become an official player in a few days when I turn 17. 

 

“Yeah, thanks. In a few days, both you and Namwook turn to official players too so is there really a need to celebrate?”

“Well, there’s that and also the vacation.”

“Are you sure you called me over to celebrate?”

“Let’s just play a game.”

“Hey.”

 

The meaningless conversion between Yoo Sanghoon and I continued. 

We were taking out the controllers to play the combat game when Namwook dropped a bomb. 

 

“I decided not to go to Eungwang High. I am going to go to the Player Military High School and become a sodlier”

“What?” 

“What!”

 

Yoo Sanghoon and I stood with our jaws wide open at the unexpected revelation.

Jang Namwook’s determined eyes shined brightly behind the lens of his glasses.

 

“I only applied to Eunkwang high because I had good grades. Not because I wanted to go there from the start.”

 

He applied to Korea’s most prestigious high school just because his grades made the cut off?

 

Had the 2 million high school students in Korea heard what he just said, Jang Namwook would have been assassinated or a huge bounty placed on his head.

But Jang Namwook sounded firm and somehow sounded distressed. 

 

“I don’t have the courage to throw my body like Sanghoon, I can’t strategize like you Eushin. I can only move as planned, and shout for you to run.”

“There are plenty of people out there who can’t even do that.”

“Even for Minki’s case. I couldn’t put a plan like Eushin or believe in Eushin like Sanghoon.”

“Jang Namwook….”

 

Yoo Sanghoon looked like he wanted to stop Jang Namwook. 

 

But Namwook shook his head and said firmly. 

 

“I just had the right scores and I had my energy wave so I applied. I wrote that I aspired to be a pro player, but in fact, I don’t have any dreams or know what I want.”

“There isn’t a middle student who has an idea of what they want. When people ask me, I reply that I want to be the president.” 

“But at least you want to be a player in Eungwang High. For me, I don’t”

 

Yoo Sanghoon closed his mouth, perhaps he’s ran out of things to say.

 

“I don’t fit in with Eungwang high, which focuses on freedom. Even if I attend with you guys, I’d only hold you back.”

 

Namwook was the most diligent person I knew. 

He continued speaking.

 

“But I want to be someone who can help and protect others too. To do that, I think it’s a better choice to learn that skill in the military school and become a soldier.”

 

For him to say it like this, he must have contemplated the matter every single day since the incident. 

What was the right thing to say now?

A word of advice for his military life?

The pros and cons of Eungwang High and Military High?

 

Had there been even the slightest hint of hesitation in his eyes I would have said something. 

 

“Okay. I understand.”

 

I don’t think Jang Namwook needed any of those. 

 

“If anything happens call me anytime. Even if I can’t do anything to help,  I’ll always be there to listen.”

 

Jang Namwook did not bring this up so that we would convince him otherwise or tell him things he didn’t know.

 He just wanted a ‘friend’ who would listen. 

 

“You sound like an old man”

“Are you an old man?”

 

My overly serious tone was laughed at by the two middle school students. 

Soon Sanghoon and I continued our thoughtless conversations. 

Jang Namwook soon seemed relaxed and nagged at our pointless words. 

 

* * *

 

The days are shorter in winter. 

We ate dinner at Sanghoon’s  a little earlier than usual and decided to part ways before the sun went down. 

Sanghoon’s family, who suggested that we spend the night, seemed disappointed. 

But Jang Namwook’s parents already came over to pick him up, so I also declined. 

There were three means of public transport back home. 

Train, bus, or air shuttle. 

The air shuttle was pricier and my neighborhood had no air shuttle stop so I decided to take the bus. 

Yoo Sanhoon accompanied me to the bus stop and waited with me. 

 

“Namwook doesn’t seem to have noticed but there is something bothering me.”

“What?”

 

There was nobody in the streets. 

Only the sound of passing cars could be heard. 

 

“You know, when you threw the item at Minki, it’s weird. If you wanted to optimize the impact it would have been better to throw it at the block.”

 

It was rare hearing Yoo Sanghoon speak such long sentences. 

Even when he was about to be backstabbed to death, he did not speak this long. 

He must have been thinking about this for a long time. 

 

“Have you been thinking about this since then?”

 

He didn’t answer. 

I answered after considering the worst possible scenario and the next possible step. 

 

‘If it was any user who had reached the final stage of this game,  they would have anticipated and made the same move.’

 

I had left a few openings.

Would have stopped using Sanghoon as bait or seized the ball by making use of the press. 

It would have never come to this if he had sincerely apologized to Yoo Sanghoon. 

But Son Minki always made the worst possible decisions. 

 

“I received the bounty for the enemy. My treat next time.”

 

I blatantly changed the subject but Yoo Sanghoon only stared at me.

Yoo Sanghoon gave up on hearing an answer. 

 

“I received the settlement money. I’ll buy us meals next time. Let’s call Namwook too.”

 

Now that I thought of it, the settlement money was much more than the prize money. 

I felt a sense of defeat. 

Though, Namwook and I received our share of the settlement money for agreeing to keep silent. 

We planned ahead on where we wanted to go by making use of the hologram. 

The search engine AI suggested two places. 

A hotel in the air that overlooked the Han river that served a snow and air winter special buffet. 

Or a famous french patisseries’ Korean visit limited edition dinner course. 

Both seemed good. 

While I was seriously contemplating between the two….

 

“Thanks, Jo Eushin.”

 

Sanghoon thanked me out of the blue. 

I pretended not to hear him. 

 

* * *

 

And a few days later, on 1st Jan. 

The day I,  nameless supernova Jo Eushin turned 17 and became an official player. 

 

(T/N: In the Korean counting of age system, every person gets one year added to their age on New Years’ Day.)

 

The moment my analogue clock’s second hand pointed to zero. 

The system alarm was heard. 

 

<Access to usage of light skill obtained.>