NOVPUBJu Sang-hoon, who usually didn’t say much, rambled on and on about all sorts of things.
Was it because he was close to Jang Nam-wook that he had picked up the habit of talking so much?
Ju Sang-hoon was busy bragging about the god game.
"When you first create a character, your skills and attributes are randomly assigned. You can reset as many times as you want until you're satisfied. Oh, and you can change or earn new skills as you play. But the attributes don’t overlap, and once you select them, you can’t change them. If you want to get a good attribute, you have to start quickly."
Despite saying this, Ju Sang-hoon planned to choose a shield as his main weapon.
He was called a "shield soldier" in the trailer, and it seemed like he would keep that concept.
Although he said the attributes were different, hearing that he was going for the shield made me think back to Christmas Eve, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease.
If he was going to pick an attribute, I hoped he would choose something different than vengeful wind or other insane concepts.
I responded with a lackluster tone to Ju Sang-hoon’s words.
"It sounds like a well-made game."
"It’s really well made. The game itself has high quality, and they’ve been incorporating user feedback during the OBT period, making it even better."
I already knew that without him saying it.
I had known for a long time, since the god game talk first started back in Plmago.
PlayerZ was a well-made and well-managed game, unlike the disastrous Plmago...
A god game isn’t just about being well-made, it needs good management, additional content, updates, and user feedback integration—PlayerZ could do that almost perfectly.
I couldn’t help but feel both envy and bitterness towards the existence of that god game.
"Jang Nam-wook will only play until he starts studying for exams. If you’re going to play, let’s do it on the same server."
"Jang Nam-wook?"
"Yeah. He’s not the only one. Some of the academy students are interested and want to try it too."
It seemed Jang Nam-wook wasn’t interested in PlayerZ for its own sake, but more because he was concerned about Ju Sang-hoon and the other cadets, wanting to play together.
Jang Nam-wook knew that advice from fellow players who had actually played the game would resonate more than advice from someone who had never played it.
‘Jang Nam-wook probably worries about Ju Sang-hoon the most. He’s seriously hooked on it.’
It was a bit concerning, but it also seemed fine for them to do what they wanted.
I started Plmago after the college entrance exam, but if PlayerZ had been released a little earlier, I probably would’ve played it seriously as long as it didn’t interfere with my studies.
Seeing Ju Sang-hoon excitedly introduce the game and wanting to play together, my feelings of envy and concern shifted more towards wanting to have fun with him.
"Alright, I’ll think about it."
"If you’re going to, send me a message right away."
Satisfied with my answer, Ju Sang-hoon returned to his class.
I wondered why he had been lingering around our hallway, but it seemed he had been waiting just to suggest the game to me.
‘He really wants to play together. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to join him once.’
It reminded me of the time before high school when we gathered at Ju Sang-hoon’s house to play games or occasionally played basketball together. It had been fun back then, so playing this god game together might also be fun.
Thinking this way, my desire to stop him gradually faded.
However, unlike Ju Sang-hoon, there were some kids I didn’t want to encourage.
"So, are you going to watch the game live this weekend?"
"Yeah! Luckily, the outfield seats haven’t sold out yet, so I think everyone who wants to go can get in!"
"TC Knights are the home team, right? Which side should we cheer for? Doesn’t the outfield split according to the scoreboard?"
"For Jamsil Stadium, the home team uses the dugout on the first base side."
When I entered the classroom, the students in my class were gathered, planning to go watch the baseball game live.
They were planning to cheer for TC Knights, a notorious underperforming team.
It seemed some of the kids had gotten interested after TC Knights’ performance on Children’s Day and during the spring picnic at Jamsil.
‘Not that team...!’
Last year, our school had a strong prophet, Woo Gi-hwan.
Woo Gi-hwan’s prophetic abilities were so accurate that he predicted he would only ever be second in rank from the time he entered until his graduation.
He had also made a prophecy about TC Knights.
He predicted that they would continue to be in last place for several years.
‘It seems like TC Knights will end up in last place again. I don’t know how many years it’ll take, but judging by their performance last year, I’m not optimistic.’
I recalled the tragic scream of Okto-yeon as he watched TC Knights’ disastrous baseball games.
Thinking about how our class might end up like that made me feel dizzy.
Although TC Knights were currently performing well in the league, their true abilities would be exposed when the weather heated up, and they would likely fall to the bottom.
‘If they’re going to cheer for a team from Seoul, it would be better to support the Joo Oh Dragons, who are a championship contender...’
Jang Nam-wook, a fan of the Joo Oh Dragons, suffered because the team was always second, but at least they were happy until the fall games.
Maybe I could ask Jang Nam-wook to do some recruiting for the Joo Oh Dragons since the kids in our class were getting interested in baseball.
I imagined Jang Nam-wook would be thrilled to make a thorough plan to promote the Joo Oh Dragons.
While I was thinking about how to keep the kids from taking the wrong path, someone called out to me.
"I have something to say."
While I was deep in thought, Jin Jeong-mook spoke up.
Though he spoke, Jin Jeong-mook was in a corner of the classroom, speaking in a low voice.
Was he going for the assassin concept today instead of the usual martial artist vibe?
‘Seeing the usually quiet martial artist act like this, something must be going on.’
I decided to follow Jin Jeong-mook’s lead and nodded slightly, lowering my presence as I followed him outside the classroom.
Jin Jeong-mook led me to the most shaded walkway in the 2nd-year section.
Though Eungwang High generally had plenty of sunlight, I had no idea how he found such a spot.
When we arrived at our destination, Jin Jeong-mook looked around, confirming no one was around before speaking.
He seemed somewhat worried.
"...What happened?"
"Why?"
"The state of your superpowers is normal, but I feel the energy of someone who’s just finished a long battle."
I had no idea what the martial artist was talking about.
I reassured him, saying I was fine, and Jin Jeong-mook hesitated before nodding.
He seemed distracted, though his attention was clearly elsewhere.
"A new sect of demon cultivators has shown strange movements on the Korean peninsula. I was wondering if you had fought with them. Isn’t the mysterious rising star, the young hero, also someone who fights demon cultivators?"
It took me a moment to understand Jin Jeong-mook’s words.
The new sect of demon cultivators he was referring to must be the Formor Demon Tribe.
But the Formor Demon Tribe doesn’t serve demon gods like Abalitia or Invidius, so calling them demon cultivators seems a bit off, doesn’t it?
The Black Wind Sect opposes all demon tribes that threaten humanity, so his words aren’t entirely wrong.
The Formor Demon Tribe had auctioned off the fallen celestial dragon, Imugi, and during that auction, Gu Seul-bi and Ong Gil-dong had almost been hurt.
‘He must be calling me a fighter against demon cultivators because of the conversation I had before.’
To persuade Jin Jeong-mook to attend school, I had shared an anecdote where I came face to face with the eyes of Balor, along with Ong Gil-dong and Gu Seul-bi.
After understanding his words, I spoke to Jin Jeong-mook.
"You mean the Formor Demon Tribe. If there’s a problem there, I think the Black Wind Sect would have already figured it out."
"...That’s true. My master has already been monitoring the movements of demon cultivators."
Jin Jeong-mook’s expression darkened.
It seemed like he was troubled by the Black Wind Sect’s somewhat lackluster response to the Formor Demon Tribe’s strange movements.
But there was nothing we could do about it.
Before the Teacher’s Day incident, I had already contacted the Black Wind Sect and discussed the current plan with them.
‘There was a possibility the Black Wind Sect would get involved with the contract between Seong Guk-eon and the Formor Demon Tribe. I needed to talk to them beforehand to prevent that.’
The Black Wind Sect had been monitoring the movements of the Formor Demon Tribe.
However, if they found out about the contract without knowing the full details, they would definitely condemn Seong Guk-eon, regardless of whether he was a member of the National Assembly or a respected player.
If anyone was connected to the demon cultivators, the Black Wind Sect would go all out in the fight.
That’s why I had to explain things clearly in advance.
‘It was tough explaining the hidden secrets about Seong Guk-eon’s contract, such as how the Formor Demon Tribe’s current goal is to destroy the Great Conduit of the Shinto gods and that Seong Guk-eon’s contract doesn’t affect the safety of humanity.’
I revealed the hidden details of Seong Guk-eon’s contract to the Black Wind Sect, but for now, it’s highly confidential, and only the Black Wind Sword Master and the sub-team master know.
Jin Jeong-mook didn’t know the secrets of Seong Guk-eon’s contract, but it seemed he had noticed the movements of the Formor Demon Tribe over the weekend.
I wondered if Jin Jeong-mook had been patrolling over the weekend without anyone asking him.
‘If I leave Jin Jeong-mook alone, he might try to investigate on his own.’
Knowing Jin Jeong-mook’s persistence, I was even more concerned.
There was a real possibility he might get targeted by the dark forces.
I decided to say something convincing to calm him down.
"The Black Wind Sword Master must have a plan. Also, considering the current situation right after a major incident, if demon cultivators are involved in the center incident, the Black Wind Sect will step in. But if not, it could just cause confusion. The priority right now should be to figure out whether this incident is linked to the demon cultivators."
Jin Jeong-mook listened carefully, his serious expression still intact.
He nodded, and after a moment, said with a slightly brighter face.
"I’ve been too unaware of worldly matters and couldn’t think deeply. I appreciate your guidance." 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
Jin Jeong-mook seemed to let the incident slide for now, but if anything related to demon cultivators came up in the future, I had no doubt he would act.
It seemed that Jin Jeong-mook would not be missing from the demon realm scenario.
When the demon cultivators make their move, Jin Jeong-mook will surely jump into the fray, regardless of the Black Wind Sect’s efforts to persuade him.
‘It feels like, with Maeng Hyo-don, Jin Jeong-mook, and the others, our class is getting more and more tangled up in confrontations with the dark forces.’
It wasn’t just Maeng Hyo-don and Jin Jeong-mook who were involved.
Kim Yu-ri was already deeply connected to the noble factions, and the situation with Gwanglim was also drawing attention to Sa Wol-seum.
If the dark forces target satellites, Song Dae-seok could also become a target, and other kids could easily be in danger too.
‘Ong Gil-dong is supposed to die in 2nd year, but since the Seong Guk-eon assassination event didn’t happen, maybe he’ll be fine?’
In Plmago, Seong Guk-eon leaves clues before his death.
Ong Gil-dong, who considers himself a master thief, finds those clues.
Even though the plot has changed, Ong Gil-dong’s instincts are sharp, and he may have already sensed the existence of the dark forces.
‘Right now, Ong Gil-dong is following the student who refused to attend school, not the dark forces. Maybe that’s safer.’
I was still worried, though, since that student seemed related to the nightmare.
As I was organizing my thoughts while walking along the path after parting with Jin Jeong-mook, someone spoke to me.
"...What are you doing here?"
It was Maeng Hyo-don.
But he wasn’t alone.
"Yui-shin, we’ve been looking for you."
It seemed like he was using his clairvoyance as traces of the superpowers appeared in Ju Su-hyeok’s vision.
And standing next to him was Ahn Dain.
