EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school-Chapter 955: Consciousness (3)

The timing of everything was too coincidental:

A low number of players in Hongcheon.The secret funeral of Seong Hyeong-woo being held there.The escape of a vicious criminal during transport.An emergency summons from the Association.

All of it felt too perfectly timed.

‘If a crisis of this magnitude happens in an area with so few players, Seong Guk-eon and the funeral guests will have no choice but to step in.’

Perhaps due to the long absence of a lifeline in the area, there weren’t many superhumans here. According to Maeng Hyo-don, who had been involved in rescue operations during the typhoon, the number of players who responded to the call was very small. Because there were few capable individuals to deal with superhuman phenomena, Professor Ham Geun-hyeong had to frequently visit this area for assignments.

Given this situation, it was likely that all the funeral guests received the emergency summons and were preparing for combat by now. Once they started moving, the defense around Seong Hyeong-woo's body would weaken.

‘If this is the mastermind’s plan, the main goal is likely to steal Seong Hyeong-woo's body. But the plan feels too shallow. Plus, when I spoke with Heukma, he set up a large barrier around the area — surely they’ve realized Huang Ji-ho is here by now?’

The mastermind knows that Seong Guk-eon and the Hojok, along with the Yong tribe, have aligned. They know there’s a chance that members of these groups will attend the funeral, and sure enough, Huang Ji-ho has arrived.

Would the mastermind try to move against Huang Ji-ho while he's here?

Even if Seong Hyeong-woo's body holds great value, the cost of trying to steal it would be too high.

‘Even if they take drastic measures, the chances of success are slim. The straight-line distance from here to Seoul is about 80 kilometers. If they call for the Hojok or the Yong tribe, they’ll arrive quickly. The Association will be mobilizing too, so the likelihood of the mastermind succeeding in stealing the body is almost nonexistent.’

If the mastermind succeeds in taking the body, they would gain an advantage. However, the true goal might be something else entirely.

I thought carefully about the mastermind's true objective, considering their cautious and cunning nature, and narrowed down a few possibilities before speaking.

“There’s only one criminal recently apprehended in this area who could have requested support from a player. The escaped criminal is probably the fugitive caught by the party Maeng Hyo-don belongs to.”

Huang Ji-ho nodded as if he had heard about the criminal caught by Maeng Hyo-don’s party.

Huang Ji-ho turned off his hologram as he checked the emergency summons and replied, “Got it. I’ll request information right away.”

“There’s something we need to do first,” I said.

Huang Ji-ho tilted his head inquiringly, signaling me to continue.

At this moment, Huang Ji-ho, as the leader of the Jin tribe of the 12 Zodiacs, needed to act.

“We need to contact Heukma.”

It seemed like my suggestion caught Huang Ji-ho off guard. He replied, “Heukma?”

“If this is the mastermind’s scheme, Heukma will likely use the Ma-tribe to interfere and launch an attack.”

“I see.”

Huang Ji-ho quickly grasped the situation.

The Ma-tribe, led by Heukma, had been settled in this area since the interdimensional collision. Despite the frequent attacks they endured, their knowledge of the land remained unmatched.

Heukma, who had immediately recognized Huang Ji-ho’s presence when he appeared unannounced, would certainly notice if the mastermind's plan started to unfold. This made it very likely that Heukma would be able to thwart any attempt to interfere.

There was also another task I needed to ask of Huang Ji-ho.

“You have more to do.”

“Haha! It’s a day full of requests. What do you need?” Huang Ji-ho laughed casually, even as he moved his clone to contact Heukma and organize the Hojok.

It seemed like he was finding it amusing to manage so many tasks.

Even as he laughed, Huang Ji-ho remained unfazed by the intense gaze from Seong Si-wan and Gye Idam, who had been watching us closely.

“Regarding the Jin tribe member who can create clones, I had a vague idea based on what I saw in the old simulator...”

Seong Si-wan seemed to recall the time he saw Huang Ji-ho's clone abilities, remembering from their previous encounter with Gye Idam. Huang Ji-ho had made quite an impression back then, and it seemed like Seong Si-wan had known about this for a while, but it hadn’t fully felt real to him until now.

Now, being tangled up in the mastermind’s plans, I had gotten used to Huang Ji-ho’s nature.

So, I decided to directly request that he use his abilities.

Since only those present knew about Huang Ji-ho’s true identity, I asked without hesitation.

“Can you make another clone right now?”

“Of course. Didn’t I come wearing a school uniform? This uniform is made of special material, so I can make a clone right away without any problems.”

I had heard that some of Huang Ji-ho's clones wore special uniforms made from a material that reacted to his powers. The uniform he wore, from Eun-gwang High, was probably one of those materials.

It wasn’t an easy material to acquire, and I wondered when Huang Ji-ho had started preparing to impersonate a student, but there must have been a reason for him to always wear that uniform.

Despite having other civilian clothes for cloning purposes, he likely preferred to maintain the “concept” of the student look.

As Huang Ji-ho, eager to create a clone, stopped when he saw something in my hand, he furrowed his brow.

“What’s that you’re holding, Yi-shin...?”

His gaze fell on the item in my hand — the crow mask.

At the Three Horses Peak (Sammachi) of Oum Mountain, near Hong Gyeong-bok’s old studio, there was a small meeting before Seong Hyeong-woo’s funeral began.

Attending the meeting were Hong Gyeong-bok, Hwang Bo-yun, Song Man-seok, and Tak Geo-san.

After gathering early and drinking tea in remembrance of the deceased, they immediately began preparing for combat once they received the emergency summons from the Association.

“They probably used this road when transporting the criminal. If he escaped while crossing the ridge, it seems like the incident occurred around here...”

The one who knew this area best was Hong Gyeong-bok, so he took charge of determining the search route.

Hong Gyeong-bok used his powers to sketch a map in midair, but it wasn’t a map for a search; it looked more like a traditional landscape painting.

If anyone in the group had an interest in Eastern painting, they might have taken a photo to preserve the art, but since all of them were in their seventies and had seen Hong Gyeong-bok’s paintings for decades, they simply observed with a calm reaction.

“Gyeong-bok, it’s hot. Let’s go to the shade. You can explain over there.”

“If it’s hot, you should take off that scarf.”

“It’s not a scarf; it’s a linen one that blocks UV rays, so it’ll actually be hotter if I take it off.”

Hwang Bo-yun, the principal of Eun-gwang High, and the legendary hero Song Man-seok spoke casually, despite both being in their seventies.

Although both were the same age, Hwang Bo-yun, due to his youthful appearance, seemed much younger.

Hong Gyeong-bok, listening to their conversation, clicked his tongue.

“Forget it. Man-seok’s head is as hard as his arms, so explaining to him is pointless.”

“True. Gyeong-bok, if you took care of yourself better, your head would still be sharp, and you’d look younger.”

The younger of the two, Tak Geo-san, watched them with a complex expression. Despite his own age, he was still considered the youngest among them.

As the two veterans shared a lighthearted conversation, the mood suddenly shifted as they raised a serious topic.

“This time, isn’t it better for Guk-eon to stay out of it?”

Hwang Bo-yun made a sharp comment.

Tak Geo-san agreed with him.

Tak Geo-san had been present when Seong Hyeong-woo’s body was found and had personally encountered the eerie and powerful malice surrounding the case.

He knew firsthand how carefully Seong Hyeong-woo’s body was being managed, and now, with such an incident happening, he felt uneasy.

‘Guk-eon has been showing signs of his ties with the Jin tribe. There’s no way that looks good to anyone.’

Recalling the strange events that had happened when Seong Guk-eon wore his blindfold, they felt deeply unsettling.

They had tried everything to pry off his blindfold, some out of mere curiosity and others with more malicious intent.

The players, seasoned by the dark times they had lived through, had figured out what was going on.

They also realized that one of the mastermind’s objectives was likely Seong Guk-eon, and the escaped criminal was somehow connected to it.

“If we stop him, his grandson won’t just sit quietly.”

“That’s right. The kid’s kind, but he doesn’t listen.”

The veterans, while concerned about Seong Guk-eon, were also worried about someone even younger who might be getting into more dangerous activities.

“The worry isn’t just for Guk-eon, it’s for that other kid too.”

No one specifically named the child, as speaking their name could end up driving them into danger.

At that moment, an explosion rang out in the distance.

It wasn’t close enough to be a direct threat, but they could reach it in under a minute if they rushed.

The smoke from the explosion could be seen rising even with the naked eye.

The first thing that came to their minds was the criminal and the powers they used.

“Is that the escaped criminal?”

“Let’s hurry and catch him!”

As Song Man-seok and Tak Geo-san prepared to move, Hong Gyeong-bok stopped them.

To prevent them from acting impulsively, Hong Gyeong-bok quickly raised his energy.

“Wait!”

His voice pierced the air, and they hesitated instinctively.

Although Hong Gyeong-bok’s call stopped them, Hwang Bo-yun, clearly annoyed, didn’t hide his displeasure.

Once he confirmed they had stopped, Hong Gyeong-bok pointed to an area on the map he had drawn in the air.

It was near the site where the explosion had occurred.

When Hong Gyeong-bok initially provided the search route, this path hadn’t been included.

“What’s there, Gyeong-bok?”

“Now that I think about it, that wasn’t included in the route. The terrain is rugged, and it seems like a good place to hide.”

Song Man-seok and Hwang Bo-yun commented, and Hong Gyeong-bok responded firmly.

“That’s a place we shouldn’t tread. They’re not hostile to humans, but they don’t like anyone stepping on their territory.”

“But with an explosion like that in the mountains...”

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“I’ve seen fire there before. I almost lost a hand.”

Tak Geo-san interrupted, and Hong Gyeong-bok spoke decisively.

“That place is within the territory of the Ma-tribe, one of the 12 Zodiacs. We shouldn’t go any closer.”