NOVPUBOn the surface, Seong Guk-eon appeared unchanged, as if nothing had happened, until he opened his eyes.
If his Ineungpa (supernatural energy) hadn't been disturbed, he wouldn't have realized that the time had come for him to awaken.
‘Even when asleep, he doesn't show weakness.’
Seong Guk-eon didn’t want to show any weakness to those who had placed their trust in him by voting for him.
According to Kim Shin-rok, he had always been this way since his student days.
With such mental strength, Seong Guk-eon likely tried to leave a mark even when he was completely isolated and facing only death.
Seong Guk-eon opened his eyes without breaking his composure.
“......”
The focus returned to Seong Guk-eon’s eyes.
Seeing that there were no signs of distress, it seemed the flow of Ineungpa and his vitality were within normal range.
Even after opening his eyes, Seong Guk-eon appeared calm.
Anyone unaware of the situation would not have been able to guess what had transpired, as Seong Guk-eon perfectly concealed his agitation.
“Are you alright, Congressman?”
Seong Guk-eon hastily turned his head.
It seemed he had just realized Jeon Moo-young’s presence.
Following the sound of Jeon Moo-young’s voice, Seong Guk-eon’s gaze stopped in front of Kim Shin-rok.
Seong Guk-eon remained silent for a moment.
When he looked at Kim Shin-rok, he realized he had awoken from the long nightmare, and he smiled broadly, raising the corners of his mouth.
“I'm back, teacher.”
Seong Guk-eon greeted Kim Shin-rok and rose from the recliner, sitting up straight.
Immediately, Seong Guk-eon checked Jeon Moo-young’s condition, but it seemed Jeon Moo-young, who was worried for him, was displeased.
It was hard to believe that someone who had experienced long mental assaults and death could maintain such a composed appearance.
Kim Shin-rok, who had witnessed his disciple never showing weakness, appeared to suffer more.
Seeing that his teacher was alive, Seong Guk-eon had likely regained his composure quickly, but Kim Shin-rok seemed to have not considered that at all.
“I’ve seen a lot. There’s much to discuss.”
As Seong Guk-eon said this, he gestured toward Jeon Moo-young.
It seemed he wanted Jeon Moo-young to step back while he spoke.
Jeon Moo-young, who had risen earlier, appeared more disheveled, probably out of concern for Seong Guk-eon’s condition.
Jeon Moo-young finally straightened up and composed himself before speaking.
“I’m fine, too.”
When Jeon Moo-young said this, Seong Guk-eon didn’t stop him.
Seeing their resolve, Hwang Ji-ho spoke up.
“It’s better to move quickly, but there’s no need to rush. Since you want to talk, go ahead.”
Seong Guk-eon turned his gaze and looked at Hwang Ji-ho.
His lips still held a pleasant smile, but there was an overwhelming presence to it.
Seong Guk-eon opened his mouth.
“I saw you during the replay. You were a new student in Class 0, 2nd year.”
“Have we met before?”
“I only confirmed it on paper. I haven’t actually met you. Based on the timing and background, I suspected you were from the Hojok, but I never imagined you were their leader.”
As Seong Guk-eon said this, there was a sense of déjà vu on his face.
If I had to make a comparison, it resembled the expression he had shown during the national investigation of the Huimang Gate incident.
Seong Guk-eon didn’t openly express distrust, but he spoke firmly.
“Who would have known that the leader of the Hojok would be among the students during that critical and desperate time?”
Back when I played Plmago, I had the same feeling as Seong Guk-eon.
At that time, I was shocked when I entered Class 0 in the first year and saw Hwang Ji-ho, which made me slip up.
In the end, we were able to gain the cooperation of the Hojok, but when I think back on that time, it’s still a bit terrifying.
“The me in the replay entered Class 0, 2nd year.”
“You speak as if it has nothing to do with you.”
“Rather than having nothing to do with me, I should say I don’t know. I’ve never done a replay before.”
Seong Guk-eon looked at me.
Unlike when he looked at Hwang Ji-ho, there was warmth in his gaze.
Hwang Ji-ho asked the question on his behalf.
“Cho Yi-shin, is it possible to select me in a replay?”
“No.”
“It seems I didn’t meet the conditions after all.”
It was still impossible to select Hwang Ji-ho in a replay.
Since Hwang Ji-ho’s exit would happen later, it might take more time.
It might not just be an issue of timing; other conditions, like the replay stage, might not have been met.
“Any more questions? If not, then I’ll start telling the story.”
Hwang Ji-ho shrugged off the faint hostility directed at him.
Jeon Moo-young seemed to have something to say, but he restrained himself, perhaps upon seeing Kim Shin-rok’s face.
Seong Guk-eon quietly observed Hwang Ji-ho before speaking.
“First, let me talk about the beginning of the replay, the point where reality and dreams diverged.”
After waking up from a year-and-a-half-long dream, with no preparation at all, Seong Guk-eon spoke without hesitation.
He clearly and concisely conveyed the differences between the replay and reality, as well as important information.
Seong Guk-eon had been known as a famous orator during his time as a congressman, but hearing it in person was impressive.
In a filibuster debate where one could speak for hundreds of hours without a script, if it were Seong Guk-eon, I’m sure he could fill the time with meaningful and useful content.
Though, the information he was speaking about now was from the hopeless Plmago world.
‘To experience that firsthand and still speak without hesitation, even though not much time has passed...’
Kim Shin-rok, Jeok-ho, and Yong Je-geon were all calm in their reports, but it seemed Seong Guk-eon had made an effort not to show his emotions in front of others.
The restraint in expressing his feelings and only stating the facts wasn’t an easy task, but Seong Guk-eon’s mental strength was extraordinary.
“It’s almost dawn. It would be best to talk about the final moments now and rest after.”
Even when trimming the details, there wasn’t enough time to share everything.
Moreover, Seong Guk-eon seemed fine, but over time, Jeon Moo-young’s condition wasn’t improving.
At one point, Jeon Moo-young seemed to feel overwhelmed, bowing his head.
When his disciple struggled, Kim Shin-rok also appeared to suffer, and it seemed that Seong Guk-eon decided to shorten the story and focus on the most important parts.
“It’s about Teacher’s Day.”
Seong Guk-eon spoke of what he had witnessed that day.
As soon as Seong Guk-eon clarified the circumstances of his kidnapping, Hwang Ji-ho and Jeok-ho reacted immediately.
“Twins with the appearance of children?”
“Compare them to the holograms of the ones we captured. Is it them?”
Jeok-ho displayed holograms of Pungbaek and Usa.
These were photos taken after their capture during the Christmas incident.
In the photos, Pungbaek and Usa were unconscious, their eyes closed, but it was still clear enough to recognize their features.
“Yes, it’s them.”
As Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Moo-young agreed, Jeok-ho shut off the hologram with a disappointed expression.
He seemed reluctant to look at their faces.
Hwang Ji-ho spoke.
“They didn’t have the ability to transfer or capture such a player that quickly. They must have used an item or borrowed some other power.”
“They didn’t use an item. Just before, they emitted light from their hands, it looked like they used Ineung directly.”
“They used Ineung directly...”
“There was something engraved on their hands.”
Seong Guk-eon used Ineungpa to draw something in the air.
It resembled a formation (陣).
Afterward, thinking of the hell Seong Guk-eon had experienced, it would have been strange if he forgot or if the memory was blurred, yet Seong Guk-eon remembered the moment they activated their power with remarkable detail.
Perhaps even while wandering in hell, Seong Guk-eon was recalling that very moment.
‘That formation is similar to the one the Jinjok tried to carve during the Christmas incident at Eungwang High to drain the earth’s spiritual energy.’
When the tigers recognized the formation Seong Guk-eon drew, their expressions became grim.
“During Christmas, some Jinjok carried out a large-scale operation to steal spiritual energy. They tried to carve that symbol into Eungwang High.”
“I know the Majok invaded. But since you’re calling them Jinjok, it seems it wasn’t just them who came.”
“Correct. In the replay, the ritual likely succeeded. They probably used that symbol to access the spiritual energy of the sacred land.”
Pungbaek and Usa likely used the earth’s spiritual energy to kill those two.
And if my suspicions are correct, Pungbaek and Usa didn’t just use spiritual energy.
Seong Guk-eon continued speaking.
‘Even when I was playing the game, I felt that the mental assault Seong Guk-eon experienced was similar to the one by the former branch chief in Korea.’
Mental attacks with Ineung have a certain common counter, but these two were very similar in that they stirred up the target’s past and provoked regret.
As I listened to Seong Guk-eon’s words, the thought became stronger.
I think I should verify it later.
“After overcoming the mental attack, I met those twins again.”
That was when we entered the most important part of the story.
The decisive means by which Seong Guk-eon had been killed appeared.
Seong Guk-eon described what he had seen with his own eyes.
With a special grace, Seong Guk-eon recognized that there were three Jinjok present.
Two were twins, and the other was in the furnace.
“The twins had this conversation.”
After the background explanation, Seong Guk-eon recounted their conversation word for word.
Even though Seong Guk-eon spoke briefly, the atmosphere among the tigers turned tense in an instant.
The word “Unsa” appeared in the conversation the twins had.
“Unsa’s power! It’s impossible. Unsa wasn’t involved. Didn’t that cursed bear say that Unsa would die soon?”
Jeok-ho immediately rejected this.
Seeing Jeok-ho’s attitude, Seong Guk-eon asked.
“Are they talking about Unsa, the god who controls the weather in the river god myths? The one who was once a higher being...”
“I suppose so. The twins you saw were Pungbaek and Usa. They were more than qualified to become higher beings. But they followed a Shin-in (new god), lost their powers, and came down to this world. It’s hard to categorize, but they are Jinjok.”
When the names of Pungbaek, Usa, and Unsa were mentioned, Jeon Moo-young, who had no idea about the situation, was silently horrified.
Seong Guk-eon, who had been suspecting Unsa since the moment he heard the word in the replay, calmly continued speaking.
“It seems they are opposing the Hojok now, unlike in the mythological era.”
“That’s correct. I only realized that recently. I thought they had died a long time ago.”
A silence fell.
Through that brief exchange, Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Moo-young seemed to have grasped that there were complicated circumstances within the Hojok.
At this point, it seemed hard for Seong Guk-eon to ask further about Unsa.
So I decided to ask in his place.
“Tell me more about Unsa’s power. I think it will help us prepare.”
“Cho Yi-shin, do you think Unsa was involved in the twins’ murder?”
“It’s certain that Unsa’s power was used.”
Hwang Ji-ho seemed to realize the implications only after hearing the names of the two Jinjok.
I didn’t bring up my suspicion of Unsa just to question him.
“Mujigi and Gugalanna didn’t cooperate with the mastermind, but they were used by his power.”
“Cho Yi-shin, could it be that you’re thinking...?”
After the names of the two Jinjok were mentioned, Hwang Ji-ho also trailed off, his words breaking into a confused conclusion.
Jeok-ho and Kim Shin-rok also realized what I was about to say, their expressions filled with shock.
Among the tigers, only the white tiger remained calm, waiting for my next words.
“It was probably Unsa in the furnace. Unsa must be in a situation similar to Mujigi and Gugalanna.
