EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school-Chapter 1049: Tiger Trap (3)

A derelict house on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.

Right after the false body of Cheongho, presented by the Earthquake Knight, was revealed to be fake.

‘To think he knew exactly where the proof of its falseness was... Did he buy the information from Jared or the Blue Violinist?’

The fake Cheongho in front of him was expertly crafted, but the signature left by the Water Shadow Knight on the shadow of the fake revealed the deception.

The letters ‘WR’ were imbued with a sophisticated magic circle that composed the fake body, making any excuse for its appearance impossible.

Above all, Huang-ho understood the power that the Water Shadow Knight held and knew there was no way to deceive him.

‘This is the worst. Confronting Huang-ho directly is too dangerous.’

The Earthquake Knight, with nervous eyes, watched Huang-ho.

Huang-ho radiated a dangerous aura, as if ready to explode at any moment.

It was impossible to retreat and make plans for the future.

After all, he had been caught playing with a fake in front of the Hojo clan leader in the middle of the night. It would be unreasonable to expect him to be let go just like that.

If Huang-ho were to kill the Earthquake Knight as an example and threaten him to bring the real body, there would be justification for it.

‘Fighting Huang-ho here would only end in my death. But even if I were to propose another deal right now, I don’t know if Huang-ho would forgive me. Besides, if I use the real body in a deal, that person...’

Giving away Cheongho's real body would mean severing ties with the oath made by the three knights to that ‘person.’

The three knights and that person were deeply involved in various shady dealings, and just thinking about the retaliation that might follow made his head spin.

No matter what price he had to pay, it was certain that his life was more valuable than any of those consequences, but as the Grand Cross of the Three Knights’ Oath, Dishang had to prioritize the future of the team over personal survival.

“Bring the real body here immediately, and I will let this matter go without any further action.”

Huang-ho made a rather generous offer.

The youthful Huang-ho, upon seeing the fake body of Cheongho, let out a heavy psychic aura, expressing his anger, but he restrained himself for the sake of his friend.

This clearly indicated that Huang-ho was still willing to continue the deal.

The two Grand Cross members listening to this conversation via an ear-mounted device responded.

First, the Water Shadow Knight spoke.

[To think my masterpiece was uncovered so quickly. Dishang, remember when I gave you the decision-making power before we departed? I’ll leave it up to you.]

Secretly, the Earthquake Knight had hoped that the Water Shadow Knight had hidden another trick up his sleeve, perhaps another fake body prepared in the closet.

But with those words, any small hope was instantly extinguished.

The real body’s transformation magic, the hidden fake body in the derelict house—neither of them could be used so quickly by the Water Shadow Knight as he had hoped.

Next, the Yellow Rose Knight spoke.

[The priority is to rid ourselves of this wretched plague. Whatever choice you make, I will certainly trade with the Hojo clan.]

The Yellow Rose Knight, who was suffering from the worst of the plague, gritted his teeth.

Before joining the Chinese team, the Earthquake Knight had last seen the Yellow Rose Knight unable to speak due to the agony he was in.

The Yellow Rose Knight had been using his psychic powers to suppress the plague, but even the smallest amount of psychic energy made his nerve cells react, causing intense suffering.

Ordinary players would be unable to endure the pain, screaming in agony or giving up using their psychic powers, relying on narcotic painkillers to cope.

However, the Yellow Rose Knight managed to endure without drugs.

Though his mental fortitude was awe-inspiring to watch, the thought that this might be his future self filled him with dread.

‘No matter what choice I make here, nothing changes. Regardless of what the Water Shadow Knight says, the Yellow Rose Knight will attempt the trade, and Huang-ho will comply. I’ll just have to walk a different path from that person.’

Of course, killing the Earthquake Knight would cause some friction in the trade, but the Yellow Rose Knight would do anything to remove the plague.

In that case, Dishang decided that it was best to prioritize survival, even if it meant deviating slightly from the original plan.

After making his decision, Dishang politely spoke.

“Thank you for your generous offer. I will guide you.”

The Earthquake Knight, as expected, didn’t express an apology, but Huang-ho didn’t point it out.

Huang-ho, in his twenties, silently followed behind.

Of course, not all of Huang-ho’s appearances were like this.

At Eungwang High, the proxy of Huang Jiho, disguised as the headmaster, was busy speaking.

“We’re on the move. It seems we’re about to face the real one.”

“Wow, even though I know you’re using a proxy, it still feels strange.”

Dokgo Miro was intrigued as he listened to Huang-ho’s explanation.

Although Dokgo Miro was included in Jo Yi-shin’s plans, his role was relatively dull, and he had some complaints, but when the condition to relay the situation through Huang-ho’s proxy was added, he reluctantly understood.

“This operation seems to rely heavily on timing for the device messages. Did you place a proxy with the vice captain as well? We need real-time updates to be able to respond quickly.”

“I’d love to have a proxy, but right now Jo Yi-shin is with the fox. It’s not easy to deceive the fox’s senses.”

Though he was eager to use a proxy, Jo Yi-shin had rejected it.

Jo Yi-shin believed that using a proxy that could deceive Kozuka Yashiro’s senses would make it more difficult to fight the Earthquake Knight.

Eun-ho agreed with this assessment.

After all, Eun-ho knew Jo Yi-shin’s situation better than anyone, so if necessary, Eun-ho would personally intervene or request reinforcements.

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

“If the vice-captain is close to a very dangerous opponent, it means you’re hiding your presence well.”

“I don’t doubt your abilities, but your role is to monitor the Hojo’s movements while waiting in Eungwang District to help Jo Yi-shin, so it’s not possible.”

Knowing that no proxy was near Jo Yi-shin, Dokgo Miro looked concerned.

Huang-ho, seeing his worries, tried to reassure him.

“And you don’t need to worry. There’s a useful method to check on Jo Yi-shin’s condition.”

“A useful method?”

“That’s right. It’s a method unique to the Hojo clan. It’s something that no other reckless true tribe would have, always looking for an opportunity to bother the Hojo’s benefactor.”

Jo Yi-shin had the blessing of Huang-ho’s true name.

Although Huang-ho still harbored some lingering anger, he decided to use it to his advantage.

After all, Huang-ho was a Hojo clan member, and Jo Yi-shin had received the Hojo’s blessing.

No matter how many other true tribes claimed to be benefactors, only Huang-ho had given Jo Yi-shin this blessing.

“Whatever it is, the fact that you don’t call it ‘something unique to me’ and seeing how frequently you send device messages, it doesn’t seem to be your ability.”

Dokgo Miro accurately read the meaning hidden in Huang-ho’s words.

“So, with that method, how is the vice-captain doing now?”

“I’ll check.”

Huang-ho was currently in contact with Eun-ho via a device, and a proxy in the form of Huang Yoo-ho was with Eun-ho.

From a distance, it seemed like a cumbersome way to relay messages, but for Huang-ho, who shared all the senses of his proxies, it was an easy task.

Huang-ho, after receiving news through Eun-ho, spoke with a slightly grim expression.

“Jo Yi-shin has successfully entered the lair of the infamous troll.”

“That crazy troll’s lair? Ah, I should have gone there and wrecked it myself.”

Han I, who had just finished his hot chocolate and looked up, blinked several times after hearing Dokgo Miro’s words.

Dokgo Miro, as if he hadn’t said anything crude, smiled and offered Han I a madavick generously topped with honey and cream, distracting him from the situation.

Huang-ho, preparing another hot chocolate for Han I, urged the proxy to relay news about the benefactor and monitored the Earthquake Knight to prevent him from causing trouble.

There was still no news from either side.

It was close to midnight when they reached their destination.

Following Kozuka Yashiro and the manipulator, they arrived at what appeared to be an ordinary commercial building.

Using Dokgo Miro’s words, this seemed to be the lair of the infamous troll.

‘The Japanese team’s lodging is in Eungwang District, so the Hojo clan won’t be able to take me there. Ultimately, I had no choice but to go to the manipulator’s hideout.’

Baek-ho had played the role of the person chasing him all the way to the designated meeting place, and because he could read his thoughts, he had been able to manage the distance and timing easily, making it seem like he was being pursued by the Hojo clan.

Since the Hojo clan hadn’t sent a tracker, the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ manipulator wouldn’t have invited him to the hideout, and if the tracker had been as powerful as Baek-ho, he would have been abandoned without hesitation.

‘Still, it’s closer to Eungwang District than I expected. Just barely outside of it.’

I checked the coordinates of this place in my head.

At this distance, even the white tiger would have kept some distance.

After passing through the emergency exit of the commercial building, they came upon another door.

It was a plain iron door, and before opening it, the manipulator spoke irritably.

“I need to check him before we go in. Give me your device.”

“Still suspicious of me?”

“He might have planted a tracking app or a bug without realizing it. We need to check.”

“I don’t think he’s dense enough not to notice...”

Kozuka Yashiro lightly smiled as if to defend me, but didn’t stop the manipulator from checking my device and conducting a body search.

The sly fox was clearly more cautious than he was letting on.

I had expected a body search, so I left one of the two devices I normally carried behind.

“There are so many trivial messages.”

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“Checking messages is a bit much...”

“Well, there doesn’t seem to be any issues.”

The manipulator checked the device and threw it aside.

I picked it up, acting embarrassed.

Of course, I had only copied the harmless messages onto it.

While I fiddled with the device and acted embarrassed, Kozuka Yashiro comforted me with soft words, and the manipulator opened the iron door after completing a complicated biometric check.

When the door opened, I briefly thought I had entered a small-scale electronic shop as numerous devices emitted faint lights everywhere.

They were probably used to incite public opinion and leave malicious comments.

‘It’s stifling in here.’

The space felt as if the ventilation was poor.

The air quickly grew stale due to the heat from the devices, making it hard to breathe.

Is this how trolls end up with voices that sound like metal? I felt uneasy thinking of a past troll like the manipulator.

“You damn troll!”

While walking and checking a hologram, the manipulator suddenly introduced himself.

Listening to his muttering, I realized he wasn’t talking about himself but referring to another troll.

From the sounds of it, the manipulator had tried to run a trolling bot on auto but someone had reported it, leading to a ban.

That someone seemed to be Gye I-dam.

‘Either way, I’ve successfully arrived here.’

One of the things I had been looking for was here.

There were many who had tried to destroy socially, but identifying them in reality was very difficult.

And here, the traces of the manipulator’s attacks were clearly visible.