EX rank supporting role's replay in a prestigious school

Chapter 982

Jo Yi-shin made several suggestions related to the Chinese team.

One of these was a proposal for a greeting.

While the Korea-China-Japan exchange competition preparations were ongoing, Jo Yi-shin advised Huang Ho to make contact with the Chinese team before the competition started, saying:

“The shadowy figure has once lured you to China using Cheongho’s robe, but failed. This time, they’ll use a more complicated and refined strategy.”

This was something Huang Ho had already expected.

On Christmas Eve, the enemy had tried to lure Huang Ho out of the Korean Peninsula.

If it hadn’t been for the meetings with Jo Yi-shin and the events up until now, Huang Ho would have left the Peninsula to search for traces of Cheongho.

According to Jo Yi-shin and Eun Ho, Huang Ho had actually headed to China in the simulation game "Plmago."

However, the situation had changed now.

No matter what bait the shadowy figure used, Huang Ho was confident he wouldn't be swayed.

“Certainly, that’s how they’ll approach it. But rest assured, I have no intention of leaving the Peninsula easily, no matter what bait they throw. I can’t abandon my duties.”

At these words, Jo Yi-shin gave Huang Ho an irritated glance for a few seconds.

This was the kind of response Jo Yi-shin gave when he had an issue, especially when he didn’t want to openly express his displeasure but still wasn’t thrilled about something.

Jo Yi-shin likely recalled the times when Huang Ho immediately followed him when he went to England or tried to go to the underwater palace near the border.

Considering the context, it was clear that Jo Yi-shin was thinking, ‘You say you wouldn’t easily leave the Peninsula, but you were quick to follow me back then.’

If I could read his inner thoughts more clearly, it would be satisfying, but for now, I decided to accept it as it was.

“I’m not saying you should fall for the bait.”

“Hmm?”

It seemed that Jo Yi-shin meant something else.

I looked at Baek Ho to see his reaction, as he had been unusually laughing a lot today. Maybe it was just my feeling, but he was sitting calmly, as if he already knew what Jo Yi-shin was about to say.

‘Baek Ho has been checking the Eunryeonggwan frequently. Has he gotten closer to Jo Yi-shin in the meantime?’

While Huang Ho had used both his main body and clone to attend school regularly, Baek Ho, despite being a 0th-class student, had never attended school even once.

Strangely, however, Baek Ho seemed to know a lot about Jo Yi-shin.

He was quick to interrupt Jo Yi-shin when he thought he might go off track or start thinking aimlessly.

When spending time together, one’s guard usually lowers, and it takes time to familiarize oneself with the other person’s expressions, gestures, and habits.

So, the more time spent together, the closer they get and the better they can read each other.

‘Could it be that Jo Yi-shin played games where Baek Ho appeared for a long time? No, Baek Ho shouldn’t have known about games from other worlds.’

As the keyword "other world" popped into Huang Ho’s mind, he paused in thought for a moment.

Crossing between worlds was not easy, but before Baek Ho lost his true name, he had held very special powers.

Baek Ho had once wished to the Heavenly God for the ability to go anywhere.

Using that power, Baek Ho had tried to find Eun Ho, but in the end, it was Jo Yi-shin who held the key to returning Eun Ho to this world.

Something seemed to be clicking in his mind, but Huang Ho intentionally pushed those thoughts away.

‘Baek Ho lost his true name around the time the otherworld collision happened. The timelines don’t match up. And now, I need to focus on something more important.’

Setting aside his unclear thoughts, Huang Ho smiled casually and decided to prioritize listening to Jo Yi-shin’s plan.

“I wasn’t worried about getting caught. Go ahead, Jo Yi-shin. Tell me what you have in mind.”

From what Jo Yi-shin had just said, it seemed like he wanted Huang Ho to fall for the bait.

In reality, Jo Yi-shin had meant exactly that.

“Pretend to fall for the bait. If they judge that you won’t be shaken by any bait they throw at you, they’ll stop trying. That will make it harder for them to make a move.”

Jo Yi-shin’s intention became clearer.

Huang Ho deliberately spoke loud enough for them to hear and raised his finger toward the ceiling.

Paah!

He drew a short line that could barely be called a boundary, but the line quickly expanded and engulfed the shadow.

Huang Ho tied the shadow with a golden line and tossed it toward the banquet hall door.

Bang!

The door to the banquet hall flew open as the energy blast he threw hit it.

Two students, who had been eavesdropping by the door, tried to duck behind the door to hide, but before they could, they made eye contact with Huang Ho.

“Ah!”

“Busted.”

Huang Ho smiled at the students with the kind of expression that a good-natured principal might give.

The male student who had been playing with the shadow and startled, retracting his energy, was Lu Bowen (陆博文).

The female student, who had been sneaking around the door, was Yao Leqi (姚乐琪).

“Just like a principal of a prestigious school.”

Lu Bowen said nonchalantly, but his Korean sounded slightly awkward, perhaps due to his surprise.

Compared to the mischievous acts the 0th-class students had dared to commit against the principal, this was nothing.

While Huang Ho could laugh it off, he had to appear somewhat flustered this time.

As the leader of the Hojo family, anxious about finding his friend's body, he had to make sure this got to the enemy’s ears.

“Seems like you have a lot more to study than just Korean.”

Huang Ho spoke in a low voice, and the two students looked surprised, but there was no trace of fear in their expressions.

Though Huang Ho secretly admired their bravery and energy, he masked it with a slow, dark tone.

“I hope you’ll also learn some manners and humility during this exchange competition.”

As Huang Ho finished speaking, he noticed some people rushing toward the lounge from the hotel corridor.

It seemed like the coaches and students who were supposed to meet the mischievous students had arrived late.

Then, Huang Ho spotted a familiar face among the coaches.

Though most of his face was covered, the small part visible was enough for Huang Ho to recognize him.

‘Is that the one who occupies the empty seat?’

One of the individuals without a name listed in the bus seating arrangement was a very famous player.

He was one of the three grand crosses, the founding member of the Three Knights’ Oath, the team master and highest-ranking knight.

‘By now, they’ve probably met with the Chinese team. It will take some time for the reports to come in.’

While Huang Jiho was busy confronting the Chinese team, I was at the dorm.

After returning to the dorm with Eun Ho, having prepared for the Japanese team’s observation, I hadn’t left the dorm and was forced to rest.

Though I rested, I was still working on analyzing the strength of other teams and organizing data.

‘Now, I need to be more cautious when interacting with the tigers. If either the Chinese or Japanese teams find out about my relationship with the Hojo family, it’ll be dangerous. So, I’ll try to get the reports directly through Jeokho...’

Ding dong.

While I was lost in my thoughts, a message arrived on my device.

It was from someone related to my current thoughts.

[Hirano Seiji] “Hey Yi-shin, how’s it going? Do you have time now?”

[Hirano Seiji] “The teacher I mentioned last time, the one skilled in counseling, wants to meet you.”

It seemed my short break had just ended.