The mind sports category was added to the list of events for this year's military academy exchange competition.

Thus, not only chess and Go, but also the competitive mode of the esports game PlayerZ were included as competition categories.

Since the history of this exchange competition is short, and before the appearance of this popular game, there was no clear path for players to become professional sports athletes, there were no existing regulations on whether professional players could participate in amateur competitions.

In terms of regulations, there would be no problem if world championship singles champion Yoo Sang-hoon and In Seon-oh, a member of the team that placed second in the team competition, decided to participate in the exchange competition, choosing the positions they were most confident in.

‘But even if there’s no legal or regulatory issue, there are still boundaries that need to be respected. Yoo Sang-hoon would know this well.’

If Yoo Sang-hoon, who had enjoyed the game tailored to us beginners rather than efficiently leveling up in adventure mode, thought about the significance of the exchange competition, he would probably aim to balance things out.

In professional baseball, for example, during events like the All-Star game or charity matches, players often switch positions, with pitchers and batters playing other roles. So, Yoo Sang-hoon would likely choose a role other than the tank he usually plays.

When switching positions, even professionals can sometimes play like beginners, making it easier to balance things out.

It’s like how, even if you’re the best wingback in the world, you wouldn’t expect stellar saves if you’re put in goal. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Another strong player, In Seon-oh, was unpredictable, but I had some idea of what he would do.

‘In Seon-oh would want to participate. Even if he didn’t, the attention-seeking fans from our school’s PlayerZ club, Eun-kwang Z, who are crazy about him, would do whatever they could to get him in.’

In Seon-oh hid a lot of things and, as shown in the tests we had earlier, he concealed his player skills.

However, he didn’t try to hide his very existence.

In fact, In Seon-oh wanted to show off his skills in PlayerZ to raise his fame and recognition.

If he performed well in the school competition, even students who weren’t interested in gaming would know who he was, so he wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity.

Anyway, the military academy was probably both cautious and hopeful about Yoo Sang-hoon and In Seon-oh’s participation, so it was a good thing.

[Jang Nam-wook] Sang-hoon will probably be the starting player in basketball, so he won’t have much time to practice for PlayerZ. But it’s known that the ‘Ttanggeomi’ in the class of Yi-shin doesn’t do much extra-curricular activity. So, Eun-kwang Z is enthusiastically persuading him, and with relatively more free time, the practice will likely revolve around Ttanggeomi, right? If that happens, Ttanggeomi will probably choose a position that’s good for giving orders.

[Yu Sang-hoon] ㅎ

In a typical situation, Jang Nam-wook’s statement wasn’t wrong, but there are exceptions.

During party play, it’s often the tank or support who gives the orders, but sometimes, it’s a well-performing damage dealer who takes the lead.

That’s how it was with the group led by In Seon-oh, who played the Earthshade.

[Do Si-hoo] Ttanggeomi was probably the one giving orders in the World Championship team event, haha.

[Jang Nam-wook] Oh, right! I forgot about that! But since both of them did well in the tournament, they might try to avoid giving orders to maintain balance. In that case, Yi-shin is more likely to take charge of the party!

[Yu Sang-hoon] ㅇ

With the upcoming exchange competition, it seemed like everyone was excited, and the flow of conversation got all mixed up.

There were even comments implying that I would obviously go out as the PlayerZ representative, take charge, and defeat those two, and Yoo Sang-hoon had briefly agreed with that.

Come to think of it, the people from Eun-kwang Z who came to meet In Seon-oh had also talked to me a bit.

Since I had appeared on Yoo Sang-hoon and Yeom Jun-yeol’s streams, my gaming skills seemed to have been exaggerated.

However, I was positive about the participation itself.

‘I’m curious about PlayerZ, so playing with top-tier players like Yoo Sang-hoon and In Seon-oh wouldn’t be bad.’

After clearing a hidden quest that reminded me of the Dragon Palace scenario, Hwang Ryong had said something like this:

‘Perhaps the entity that gave you the clues about this world is connected to that game.’

In this world, there’s no game called ‘Plmago,’ so it’s impossible to convey information through that horrible game.

Also, in a world with a hidden villain, openly transmitting information would be foolish.

So, someone may have found a very difficult means of delivering information.

‘I haven’t experienced the competitive mode yet. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to try it out now.’

PlayerZ, as expected of a great game, supports players enjoying the game in various ways.

Although the exchange competition wasn’t an official event hosted or sponsored by SZ Games, it would still follow the competition mode format and guidelines provided by the game company.

In other words, if something is hidden in the competitive mode, it could also be revealed in the exchange competition.

If something is hidden, it’s likely in adventure mode, with its various NPCs, vast maps, and hidden quests, but we can’t rule out the possibility that the competitive mode has something hidden as well.

Many things are coming up in the second semester, so I’m not sure how much practice I’ll get, but if I’m selected, I’ll do my best.

I answered Jang Nam-wook’s long message, giving a response slightly longer than Yoo Sang-hoon’s, then checked other messages.

‘There are quite a few idle leaders aside from Okto-yeon. After Kim Shin-rok’s hundred-day feast, it got more troublesome because we had to pass out cake gifts.’

The names of many leaders from the 12th Zodiac Alliance’s True Kin appeared.

There were leaders who seemed uninterested in human affairs, but strangely, messages congratulating the start of school had arrived.

To begin with, for students, the start of school isn’t something to celebrate, so either they lack common sense, or they just sent it out of boredom.

Since they seemed to have the mental and time freedom to be bored, I thought I should call them up and give them some work if something came up.

However, having a leader of the True Kin who shouldn’t be free complicated things.

[Black Demon] Heard you’re starting school? Congratulations.

[Black Demon] I ate the cake you sent me. If you want to give me something, how about visiting our territory? Huang Ho is always a hassle.

Messages like these meant that the demon faction wasn’t giving Black Demon any trouble.

In other words, instead of poking around Black Demon’s territory, they were scheming something else, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) so I had to stay vigilant.

The Pomore Demon faction was originally not interested in Black Demon and was too focused on Seongguk-eon to control him.

However, I always had to be cautious about the demon faction following the Death Demon who tried to trap Black Demon during Seong Hyeong-woo’s funeral in Hongcheon.

‘Demons usually don’t work together, but the Death Demon’s followers are different. Even if they don’t follow the Death Demon, there will probably be demons who sympathize with them.’

I expressed my polite gratitude to Black Demon’s congratulatory message, while constantly thinking about the demon world scenario.

The villain, through the newly awakened Jin Ung-pal Seon, had acquired pure evil darkness.

Thousands of years ago, when beings of a higher level were closer and the intelligence was full, demons who would have been interested in the darkened sky were overflowing.

Even those who didn’t care about the demon world scenario had a high chance of becoming the villain’s subordinates.

While thinking about how to deal with that number, I gave a half-hearted response to Seodol’s message asking for blessings or an introduction to the son of Jeokho and Ungnyeo, since Hong Gyu-bin and Kwon Je-in were too busy to hang out with humans.

The message from the leader of the added blessings, who was suffering due to the start of school, was answered even more casually.

‘The next message is from a leader of the 12th Zodiac’s True Kin, huh?’

I mechanically checked the next message.

I couldn’t respond to this one casually.

[Jecheon Daeseong] We are planning to hold an irregular luncheon soon.

[Jecheon Daeseong] Let me know when it would be best for the 3rd-year students of Eun-kwang High to go on a school trip, before or after.

It seemed like Jecheon Daeseong had already realized that something big would happen during the school trip.

Hwang Myung-ho’s mansion.

Since the number of tigers living on the estate had increased, the dinner table became louder.

Today, as a special occasion for the start of school, Jeho and Andaine’s families also joined the main house for the meal.

However, even after finishing dinner and enjoying dessert and tea, many people were glancing toward the entrance, as if waiting for someone.

Hwang Ho watched this and spoke to Cheong-ho.

“Cheong-ho, why didn’t you bring Jo Yi-shin along when you came?”

“I was going to, but I got caught by some dorm juniors. They were really eager to see Yi-shin after a long time, so I didn’t want to take him away.”

“Oh...”

Eun-ho’s descendants and the Black Tiger all sighed in unison, and the divine beast, who had been listening, flicked its tail irritably against the floor.

Hwang Ho also felt somewhat disappointed, but he had expected it.

‘It would have been difficult for Cheong-ho to bring Jo Yi-shin alone. If Eun-ho had cooperated, it would have been different.’

However, since Eun-ho was a dorm student and was hiding his identity, cooperation wasn’t an option.

Andaine comforted the disappointed children.

“There are many juniors who follow Yi-shin, so it can’t be helped. Next time, I’ll also try to encourage Yi-shin.”

“Thank you!”

“Yeah, please bring him next time!”

The reassuring words from Andaine made the faces of the descendants and the Black Tiger look better, and the older nobles watched over them with smiles, finding the scene both cute and admirable.

“It’s because I wanted to talk about the new friends I’ve made when he comes... but I’ll just do it now! I’ll tell him when I meet him later!”

The Black Tiger, who had been eager to brag about his new friends, said.

Having transferred to Gwangil Elementary, the Black Tiger had received a new name and was mixing in with human society for the first time.

Since he had shown deep interest in school life since his mountain spirit days, today’s experience had been very enjoyable for him.

“I chose my seat, and I sat next to her. Her name is pretty, and her voice is pretty too. Her favorite lunch is mini pork cutlets.”

The Black Tiger rambled on without much organization.

Though the words weren’t well-structured, most of those present had exceptional memory and reasoning skills, so they could understand without any difficulty.

‘It was a good idea to sit next to that girl. She likes tigers, so even if the Black Tiger makes a mistake, she’ll accept it with an open heart.’

After looking into the childhoods of Dokgo Mi-ro and Cheong-ho, Hwang Ho took over Gwangil Elementary and made thorough preparations so that Eun-jae-ho and the Black Tiger could feel secure.

It was no problem for him to manipulate the teacher’s ladder-climbing app in advance.

Though the seating was randomized, it wasn’t a coincidence that the Black Tiger ended up next to a gentle child.

That child had approached Hwang Ho even when he was being ostracized in elementary school, wanting to be friends, and was brilliant enough to see through his true nature as a tiger.

What mattered most was another element of trust.

‘According to Eun-ho, this child is the youngest playable character in Plmago. In other words, the child who fought against the villain.’

Jo Yi-shin had been so attentive to the orphanage where this child had lived, that he made regular donations.

Since Yi-shin trusted him, and Hwang Ho had personally checked the child’s character, the Black Tiger could be entrusted with him.

As expected, the Black Tiger and that harmless child quickly became close.

“If he’s a friend of the Black Tiger, he’s our friend too. Please introduce us next time.”

“Hahaha! As Cheong-ho said. Oh, by the way, that kid is also friends with Hwang Yu-ho.”

“Cheong-ho, Hwang Ho, do you have any conscience? The other party is an elementary school student.”

The friends who had decided to be friends with high school students and even elementary school students looked at Jeokho seriously.

But, from the perspective of Hwang Ho, who had aged considerably, there wasn’t much of a difference between high school students and elementary school students – just a ten-year difference at most, so it all seemed the same.

The Black Tiger just happily said, “Yes, let’s all be friends!”

“I really want to be friends too. Can you tell me their name?”

“Their name is ‘Ye Beom-yeong.’ I just call him Beom-yeong. ‘Ye’ is hard to pronounce, but he says it very clearly.”

The Black Tiger went on and on, bragging about Ye Beom-yeong.

At first, his words seemed like the kind of thing an elementary school student would say, and the tigers nodded along.

But as the story went on, more parts emerged that couldn’t be taken lightly.

“He’s amazing. He knew that I and Hwang Ho and Jae-ho were tigers right away!”

At these words, even the couple from the noble family, who had been quietly listening by Andaine’s side, and the tigers who had been keeping an eye on the situation, narrowed their eyes.

Unless you were from the True Kin or descendants, it was very difficult to detect the presence of a true being and see through someone’s identity.

Even if you were of the True Kin or descendants, it would still be hard to know which kind of True Kin someone was.

For one of the objects of discovery to be Hwang Ho’s familiar, the Black Tiger’s familiar, was something quite extraordinary.

‘Ye Beom-yeong was always in an open state, like Gwanglim. He probably felt a surge of power when he saw the Black Tiger and unknowingly used his strength to confirm that.’

Hwang Ho and several of the tigers had known about the extraordinary nature of Ye Beom-yeong, so they didn’t show any obvious reaction.

However, the extraordinary aspect of this elementary school student didn’t stop there.

This was something Hwang Ho, and even Jo Yi-shin, who knew about Ye Beom-yeong in Plmago, didn’t know – it was the power that the Black Tiger had first recognized.

“And when I said I’m good at playing the flute, he said he was confident with singing and taught me a children’s song. His voice was so beautiful, he sang so well! I even want to sing along with the newcomer!”

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