NOVPUBNot long after the match with Kwang Gyeong-gu, the article was published.
The article, written by Eunho, contained high-resolution photos of key moments along with segmented video clips.
The selected photos and videos had varying angles, possibly taken from multiple recording devices, and the article was accompanied by in-depth analysis, sharp insights on the use of Inungpa, and skill deployment.
Despite the impressive quality of the article, the descriptions of my and Kwang Gyeong-gu’s abilities and key skills were deliberately vague, successfully preventing any strategic leaks.
‘Eunho, who must have been busy, still managed to put so much effort into writing this article.’
Eunho had said that he was lucky to be in charge of my article, but I felt that I was the lucky one.
I was truly grateful that such a capable junior was assigned to write about me.
After reading the article to the end, I checked the attached link and description, and couldn’t believe my eyes.
Not only was the article of high quality, but according to the description, there was a full version of the article.
‘...The full version isn’t a small amount, but it’s still separate?’
When I clicked on the link at the bottom of the last line, I was directed to the extended full article, which was several times longer than the initial one.
I was astonished not just by the length and content of the article but by the number of views it had received.
Did so many people actually read this long extended version?
Curious about who had read it, I checked the comments, and the number was quite large.
[Just watched it because I was bored, but ended up reading it as if I was hypnotized; good article...]
[Even without seeing the author’s name, I can tell who wrote this. Lately, all articles about unknown stars or the Anjungjigye have been written by them.]
[It’s great. I hope they or Moon Saeron keeps writing.]
[We have a newspaper club member in our class, haha. He said he’d write next time, but that’s just not going to happen, haha. A certain first-year from Class 3 who is in the newspaper club, if you see this, focus on studying for the exams, haha.]
[↑ Aren’t you the one who takes Enemy Studies Intro with me? I’m wishing for a score under 40 in the finals ^^ㅗ]
[↑ Juniors... don’t joke around with Enemy Studies Intro, you might really score under 40.ㅠㅠ Don’t fight, go study...]
[↑ Is this your personal experience? If you’re a student, can you share the study materials?]
[↑ The syllabus for Professor Gong Cheonghyeon’s class is useless... You know that the latest enemy updates from the association are what actually come up on the exam, right? I relied on the syllabus once and ended up with a make-up exam...]
[Who is this?]
[↑ The student council president’s younger sibling, first-year top scorer, Class 0’s vice president, Cheon Eun-ha.]
[↑ Ah... it’s that person.]
[Where can I find the original aerial shot video?]
[↑ (link)]
[↑ Thank you!!]
Perhaps it was because the finals were approaching, but it seemed everyone was bored and commenting about anything.
Even with all these irrelevant comments, it was clear that Eunho’s ability to write such an article had caught a lot of attention.
It was impressive how many people recognized that Eunho had written the article just by reading it.
There were many general comments or irrelevant discussions, but there were also some people purely commenting on the match itself.
‘Both fought well, but since their spots were already confirmed, it seemed like they were giving each other a bit of space; it wasn’t that exciting, I didn’t see their full potential, so I’m looking forward to the youth exchange... both seemed distracted in the second half...’
There were even a few biting remarks mixed in.
Although the number of comments was low, there was a divide of opinion about the moment when I withdrew my Inungpa from the sword at the end.
Eunho had simply described the process and the result without adding his own interpretation, which led to more discussion.
Some people believed it was due to a lack of concentration and that I had no choice but to withdraw my Inungpa, while others suggested that I had intentionally done so to prevent Kwang Gyeong-gu from getting hurt, though they added that I had been too slow in realizing his reckless defense.
‘So that’s how it looked to them.’
Perhaps because my left eye appeared normal, they assumed my late reaction was simply a lack of concentration.
Though I felt a bit unjust, upon reflection, it turned out well.
‘It’s better this way than revealing the injury to my left eye. Eunho was likely aiming to keep that under wraps and limit the videos released.’
Immediately after the match ended, Eunho had checked my hand and discussed how he would write the article.
Though it looked fine on the surface, Eunho suspected that the reason I had taken Kwang Gyeong-gu’s sword without using Inungpa might have been because I had damaged the muscles beneath the skin, disrupting the flow of Inungpa.
—"I know what you intended, Eui-shin hyung. But you should take care of yourself. What if someone decides to intentionally injure themselves just to share the pain with you?"
Eunho’s words, though absurd, couldn’t be outright denied.
After injuring my left eye, I had heard similar things at the Dragon Palace.
Kind-hearted junior Yeom Jun-yeol once said that if the master were to get hurt, he would share the pain, even if it was only later.
‘Did Hwang Ji-ho relay what Yeom Jun-yeol said?’
Seeing the old tiger behind Eunho making an unsatisfied expression confirmed my suspicions.
I decided to ignore it, as saying anything would likely result in a multitude of scolding.
It was more troubling whether I should tell Yeom Jun-yeol about the injury than the old tiger.
Compared to losing my eye, it seemed like a minor injury, but should I tell him about it?
If I didn’t, they might deliberately injure my hand.
As I continued to think, Eunho’s words continued.
—"The student council president didn’t notice your condition during the match, but there’s a chance someone might figure it out. We need to limit the recording devices for the video release and control what the public focuses on in the article."
Thanks to Eunho’s adjustments, most of the comments were filled with irrelevant chatter.
Seeing how the match and the article received so much attention, without any mention of my left eye injury, I could tell that Eunho had successfully carried out his plan.
However, after reading messages from some seniors, it seemed Eunho had been busy with more than just writing the article.
[Kim Chan-sol] Hey, we found a spy planted by another school among the ones who were booing, kicked them out. They were trying to act like Eun-gwang High students while being from a different school.
[Wang Chan-sol] It looks like a first-year vice president was trying to find that spy too, but we got them first.
[Kim Chan-sol] Just saying it to get credit. If any fights break out, stick with our side!
[Wang Chan-sol] Let us know first if anything happens with Professor Jeol!
Was Chan-sol talking about the kind, good-hearted first-years from Class 0?
Declaring that they would fight with younger juniors and then asking for support was absurd.
With that kind of attitude, it was hard to tell who was the senior and who was the junior.
I decided to ignore the show-off comments and inquire about the situation.
According to Kim Chan-sol, they had planted spies from another school with the intention of sabotaging Eun-gwang High’s atmosphere and lowering morale.
‘Starting with the booing was just the beginning. Over time, they would spread rumors and try to indirectly influence the selected players to ruin their condition.’
Had they disguised themselves in Eun-gwang High uniforms to avoid being spotted while sending boos?
Hwang Ji-ho and Eunho must have figured it out and started tracking them down, and it seemed Kim Chan-sol had found them first.
‘How did those seniors manage to find the spy before the Ho Clan?’
I politely asked this question, and Kim Chan-sol answered:
[Wang Chan-sol] Some of the people booing weren’t sincere about it.
[Kim Chan-sol] Right, that’s not how it’s done.
Though I received the answer, I gave up on understanding the minds of the mad ones.
I asked the tigers about the rest of the events.
The spies had only wanted to try on the Eun-gwang High uniform, but when their devices were checked, it was revealed they had attempted to steal students’ devices and failed.
In the end, they were expelled from the barrier by the Hwangmyeong Foundation and permanently banned from entering.
At other schools, they labeled it as an "individual’s act" and punished them according to regulations, but it was difficult to confirm whether it was truly an individual’s decision.
Jeok-ho, who had been investigating the incident’s background, said:
—"There’s a possibility that it was really ‘some’ individual’s decision. Betting had started on international player betting sites for the Korea-China-Japan Youth Exchange. Even though the exchange hadn’t started yet, large amounts of money and player points were being staked."
—"I suppose the site isn’t officially recognized by the association."
—"Of course, it isn’t. The Youth Exchange hasn’t even started yet."
Hwang Ji-ho was clearly displeased but laughed and asked:
—"It looks like the odds were high if they went through the trouble of bypassing Eun-gwang High’s barrier to use a pawn."
—"Until recently, the odds were relatively balanced, but with the match between the star players Yeom Jun-yeol and Ju Su-hyeok, the odds shifted. Those who bet on China or Japan will now be on alert."
It seemed that the incredible performance of the two in their match had caused an unexpected ripple.
In the future, not only would the two schools face challenges, but those who bet on them would have to be dealt with as well.
Since the Youth Exchange would be held in Korea, Eun-gwang High was already in a position of being targeted, and now, the number of people they had to face had increased.
‘Having more people to face is good for training, but I can’t just be happy about it.’
It wasn’t just about the increased chances of losing in the Youth Exchange.
Considering the recent events, the increase in variables wasn’t exactly a good thing.
However, I couldn’t stop the Youth Exchange due to my concerns, so I decided to organize my thoughts and continue observing.
Meanwhile, Cha Ae’s proposal had been accepted, and there was an additional recruitment for the support role, with Park Seung-hyun being selected.
‘As expected, he immediately applied when the opening ceremony from last year was mentioned.’
Park Seung-hyun was trying to emulate someone who handled power similar to mine in a very strong manner.
That person was Baek Ho-gun, who had used Gwangrim during his sword dance at last year’s opening ceremony.
When I casually mentioned looking forward to the opening ceremony of this year’s Youth Exchange, Park Seung-hyun’s eyes changed.
He seemed to be eager, possibly because he thought something similar might happen this year.
Although I likely wouldn’t be using Gwangrim again during the opening ceremony, for now, Park Seung-hyun’s selection was good enough.
‘...And though it wasn’t intentional, Ma Jin-seung also made it to the candidate list.’
Ma Jin-seung immediately applied when he heard about the additional recruitment.
He hadn’t even confirmed whether it was for the dealer or support role and was very flustered when he found out, but he showed a good attitude.
As a result, he wasn’t selected but was placed on the reserve list.
Reserve candidates were a system to prevent situations where selected members dropped out suddenly, leaving them with no opponents, though it was uncertain whether they would actually get to participate.
Still, Ma Jin-seung would likely be able to join the training camp.
By the time the weekend had passed, the aftermath of the selection had settled down, but the crisis hadn’t passed.
‘The selection went smoothly, but there’s still a major obstacle ahead.’
A greater threat than the selection was approaching the students of Eun-gwang High.
Immediately after the selection concluded, Eun-gwang High entered preparation for the first-semester final exams.
