EX rank supporting role's replay in a prestigious school

Chapter 798

First-Year Section, Gymnasium 1

As the first-year Class 0 students warmed up in their gym uniforms, spectators began entering the gym.

News of fights spread quickly at Eun-gwang High, and soon a crowd had gathered.

Compared to the 2nd and 3rd years, who were busy with extracurriculars or otherworldly expeditions, more first-year students had shown up.

The first-year students seemed excited, as this was their first time watching a fight at Eun-gwang High.

Additionally, it seemed the older Tigers were just as eager to watch the spectacle.

"It’s hard to believe we’re finally able to watch something like this. Living this long has its perks," Hwang Ji-ho boasted, mentioning his age.

I hoped we wouldn’t forget that we were here as part of the newspaper club’s activity.

But as the head of the mythic clan, the leader of the Tigers, was it really okay to let the descendants of the clan fight it out in front of everyone?

It was hard to compare, but if the Dragon Clan or Yeom Jun-yeol were to fight for reasons other than training, the entire Dragon Tribe, led by the Blue Dragon, would step in to stop it.

Though, the whole Dragon Tribe might not get involved.

Long Jie-geon would probably just enjoy watching Yeom Jun-yeol’s injuries if he didn’t get hurt.

Hwang Ji-ho lowered his voice.

"Red Tiger and White Tiger are also here to watch the fight. They’re hiding in the shadows."

It seemed there were more Tigers among the unseen spectators.

It was clear that these two clans held their descendants in high regard, given that they went through the trouble of hiding to watch.

No matter what happened, it seemed unlikely anyone would get hurt with so many Tigers present.

"Hahaha! I hope they make friends while fighting," one of the Tigers joked.

It seemed like Tigers did indeed become friends by fighting.

I remembered hearing stories from the mythic era about Tigers fighting and becoming close afterward.@@@@

Could it be that they expected the same for Eun-ho’s descendants? I thought it would only deepen emotional rifts and misunderstandings, but maybe it was better than living without knowing each other at all.

But something still bothered me.

‘Won’t the younger students be hungry? It's getting to be that time, and with the tournament-style format, there will be so many matches that it’ll take a while, right?’

There were so many first-year students gathered at this time of day, yet Hwang Ji-ho, who was managing the event, was just standing there watching.

I thought about going to the snack bar myself.

"Jo Uishin, where are you going? The match is about to start."

"To the snack bar."

"Hmm, you seem unhappy. Care to share?"

I hadn’t been trying to hide anything, but it seemed like the old man had a knack for picking up on things.

I decided to be honest.

"I’m going to buy some snacks for the kids."

"Is that so? As expected, you’re always so considerate of your juniors. You don’t need to go; I’ll take care of it."

I trusted Hwang Ji-ho’s choice of snacks, knowing they would be delicious.

As I was about to sit down, Eun-ho approached, looking fresh in his school gym uniform.

"Everyone is here. Thank you for coming."

"Hahaha! How could I miss a chance to watch you fight?"

"I’ll do my best to meet your expectations."

Eun-ho wasn’t fazed by the ruckus caused by the class president election, and seeing his calm demeanor reassured me.

Maybe Eun-ho should be the class president after all.

Eun Seo-ho, Eun Yi-ho, and Yoon Yeorang are all good kids, but Eun-ho has more experience.

Back in the days of Cheon Seong-heon, Eun-ho frequently held leadership positions, like being a class representative or department head.

He may have declined to run for the student council president, but if he had, he would have won with overwhelming support.

It seemed there was a first-year student who recognized Eun-ho. I turned to check, and sure enough, it was a familiar face.

It was the student who had sat next to Eun-ho during the Eun-gwang High entrance interview.

Maybe his grades were borderline, but he had been asked tough questions and answered calmly, making a good impression, and it looked like he had passed.

‘So a junior who heard about his brother’s bragging live has entered this year.’

Thinking about all the endless stories Eun-ho had told about his brother, my head started to spin.

Of course, Eun-ho’s brotherly pride was mostly about Baekho-gun and Cheon Dong-ha, but I, too, had been included in those stories.

"Now, it’s starting."

As the popcorn and hot dogs in various flavors, along with sodas and juices, were distributed by Hwang Ji-ho’s subordinates, the match was about to begin.

I wanted to greet Eun Seo-ho and Eun Yi-ho, but both were in full focus, preparing for their matches, so there was no chance to talk.

After waving at Yoon Yeorang, who had arrived late due to getting lost, Gong Cheong-hwon stepped forward.

"I’ll confirm the rules. The goal of this tournament is to decide the class president and vice-president. The winner will be the president, and the runner-up will be the vice-president. Is my understanding correct?"

"Yes!"

A voice full of sincerity echoed throughout the gym, and the loud reply came from the first-year Class 0 students.

Looking at them, it seemed they were very loyal to Gong Cheong-hwon.

This was in stark contrast to how Geum Chan-wangchan had rebelled against Je-gal Jae-gul when he first arrived.

"I understand. The class president should be chosen in a way that all class members can accept. As requested, I will officiate. I will intervene if the fight escalates beyond what is necessary."

"Yes!"

Even though there were a lot of eccentric students, if a teacher like him was officiating, they would have no choice but to follow.

He was trying to understand them and find a middle ground, even when they were about to do something absurd.

"Is the tournament bracket ready?"

"Yes, we’ve prepared it in advance!"

"We’ll send it through the teacher’s device."

Thanks to Eun-ho’s help, I now had the tournament bracket too.

The tournament bracket prepared by the first-year Class 0 students was created through a complex process of drawing lots, prior negotiations, and exchanges.

I thought it was a waste of time and effort, but they seemed serious, so I decided to watch for now.

Of course, there was something on my mind.

‘Although we won’t face each other right away, based on the tournament structure, Eun-ho and his descendants will meet eventually.’

Eun Seo-ho and Eun Yi-ho are descendants of the Tiger Clan.

Like Kim Shin-rok, unless they form an ability-linked battle against others, it’s impossible to fight the Tiger Clan.

If this fight goes on, it will eventually expose their identities as Tigers. Will that be okay?

Maybe they have prepared something to hide their true identities, like Kim Shin-rok did.

But if there was a secret that would allow the descendants to attack their direct ancestors, Kim Shin-rok would have known about it already, and protected himself from the Tigers.

‘What does Eun-ho plan to do? It looks like he’s serious about showing a good side of himself today.’

After checking the tournament bracket, Gong Cheong-hwon announced:

"The first match is Cheon Eun-ha vs. Yoon Yeorang. Please come forward."

At those words, Yoon Yeorang stepped forward briskly, while Cheon Eun-ha walked calmly.

They both stopped at the spot designated by Gong Cheong-hwon.

‘The first match... with these two...’

It was better than having Eun-ho’s descendants fight each other right from the start, but the match felt like a tough one to call, and it was hard to choose whom to support.

"Start!"

"Wowwwww!"

With Gong Cheong-hwon’s signal and the cheers of the crowd, the battle between the former Tiger Clan leader and the current Dragon King’s priestess began.