NOVPUBAlthough there was still a test left, I headed towards the Dragon Palace.
The tigers had repeatedly warned me to notify them in advance whenever I went to the Dragon Palace, and their constant reminders made my ears ring. So, I informed them.
Though I had intended to go alone, Huang Ji-ho and Jeok-ho immediately followed me, as though they had been preparing for it.
"Well, go ahead. Deciding to seek treatment early is a good thing, but I’m not too keen on going to the Dragon Palace," Huang Ji-ho said.
"I agree. But isn't it the exam period? Are you sure it's okay?" Jeok-ho added.
"That's unnecessary worry. I’d actually like to see Jo Eui-shin make a mistake and get an undesired grade," Huang Ji-ho responded, his tone dismissive.
During the journey, the tigers exaggerated their words.
The reason I decided to go to the Dragon Palace a bit earlier than planned was because I had overcome two major threats during this semester's final exams.
The first threat, unsurprisingly, was Maeng Hyo-don’s math test.
As soon as Maeng Hyo-don finished the math test, he rushed to me and asked for an unofficial grading.
"His preliminary score was above 40. He guessed some of the answers, but... I guess his guessing ability improved from solving many problems," I thought to myself.
By solving many problems and diligently filling out incorrect answer sheets, his guessing skills had naturally improved.
For multiple-choice questions, even without knowing the correct answer, you could often figure out which answers were definitely wrong.
In math, once you identify values that cannot be the answer, you can eliminate those options and focus on the remaining ones to guess.
Looking at Maeng Hyo-don’s exam paper, I could see that he had eliminated three out of five options and picked one of the remaining two, quite a few times.
"I managed to avoid failing, but it’s still unsettling. If he’s taking math again next semester, he should do some preparatory study during the summer break," I mused.
I wasn’t sure how Maeng Hyo-don would feel if he heard this, but his summer training schedule might increase.
With the first crisis of the final exams passed, I also overcame the second crisis, the public hearing exam with Gong Cheong-hyeon.
"Hani seemed a bit unsure, though. I wonder if it’ll be alright. Maybe I should have checked the answers with him," I thought.
During my time at university, I had the chance to attend the lectures of some overly enthusiastic professors, and Gong Cheong-hyeon’s class reminded me of those.
They included a vast range of material that you couldn't handle without studying and were full of the latest academic knowledge, which made the notes and materials almost meaningless. Despite the overwhelming content, the students had no choice but to stay because they couldn't escape the enjoyment of the course.
These professors, while deeply passionate about their subjects, cherished their top students.
"Those professors were the first to speak up when Seong Heon was embroiled in admissions bribery and grade manipulation allegations," I thought.
Cheong Heon was someone who often attended classes I took.
I had many opportunities to learn under those professors.
It was rare for professors who usually remained silent on university politics and scandals to take action, but they did so because Seong Heon was an outstanding and sincere student.
When I lost my job due to the parachute scandal, those professors kept looking for other opportunities for me, even after I lost my position.
However, I, being a lacking disciple, never properly showed my gratitude.
"...I didn't want to seem like I was indirectly asking for help by contacting them too often, so I never properly expressed my thanks. I wonder if it would have been better to contact them in the end," I reflected.
Meeting Teacher Ham Geun-hyeong now also made me feel that I had a good relationship with my mentors.
But there was also a slightly awkward teacher.
That was our class’s homeroom teacher.
"Hey, Eui-shin. Hi. The public hearing exam with Gong Cheong-hyeon is over, right? You arrived right on time," Teacher Yongi-gun said, waiting by the entrance of the Dragon Palace.
Though I had informed Huang Long and Yun Yeorang in advance about my visit, it seemed like Yongi-gun had figured it out by himself, just knowing I would come.
"Yongi-gun, did you know I was coming?" I asked.
"Yeah, did you expect it too?" he replied.
"Expected it? ...I heard from Ham Geun-hyeong that your prank with the simulator was part of this plan," I said, referring to a prank he had pulled.
After the practical exam, Teacher Ham Geun-hyeong had personally called me and pointed out that there had been a problem with the exam I had taken.
The issue was that the sleep-wake rate was too high and the number of flying enemies was excessive, with the rarity of enemies being too high. There was no point deduction, so I was awarded full marks, but I was told to retake the test and would receive extra points. I politely declined the offer.
It seemed that Ham Geun-hyeong had noticed that I didn’t want extra points and made the suggestion on his own.
"He must have known I wouldn’t want extra points and just went ahead and reported it," I thought.
As I listened to the conversation, it seemed like the tigers and the dragons were more or less the same.
In fact, weren't the tigers and dragons in cahoots?
"Ha!"
Yongi-gun laughed as he corrected Jeok-ho, who had just said something, and as he did, a piece of cloud drifted towards us.
It seemed like the Dragon King’s subordinate, Unlong, wasn’t fond of Yongi-gun.
From the crack in the door of the Dragon Palace, Unlong, one of Huang Long’s followers, appeared.
Behind him, Huang Long could be seen.
"To keep a guest, a noble person in discomfort outside for this long when they came to visit, Yongi-gun, please escort them in," Huang Long said warmly.
"Okay, I’ll do that," Yongi-gun replied.
"Welcome! I’m so glad you came early," Huang Long said as he smiled, wearing an eye patch.
Although it felt a bit excessive to treat me like a patient, his warm welcome made it hard to say anything.
Even though Huang Long must have been busy, he didn’t show any signs of irritation and welcomed both me and the tigers. Meanwhile, Unlong made gestures as he tried to convey the news of the Dragon Palace.
"Oppa, welcome!" Yun Yeorang greeted me cheerfully, wearing a yellowish priestess robe.
"It's fine, don’t worry. I just have one report left, and I’ll be done. How many tests do you have left?" she asked.
Having this conversation with Yun Yeorang in the Dragon Palace about school exams felt refreshing.
I talked with the other priestesses, but except for Yun Yeorang, all of them had already finished their studies, so I felt a little like a child.
Considering my age in this world, I couldn’t argue, but it was a bit frustrating.
Huang Ji-ho and Yongi-gun watched me awkwardly as I hesitated.
After the treatment, Yun Yeorang spoke again.
"Before long, the Green Priestess will return, and we should be able to finish your eye treatment," she said.
It seemed that after just one more treatment, I would be completely healed.
There would be less need for me to visit the Dragon Palace, and I would need to make arrangements before the new Green Priestess was chosen. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
I looked over at Huang Long.
Having heard the details in advance, Huang Long said, "I can deliver the message. I’ve already told the future Green Priestess."
"It’s fine, I’ll tell them myself," I replied.
I wasn’t sure if the priestesses would understand, so I didn’t want to burden Huang Long with it.
Unlong seemed to be waiting for me to rest as they glanced at me and Huang Long alternately while making cloud chairs.
Ignoring Unlong’s suggestion, I turned to the priestesses.
"I have a favor to ask," I said.
"What is it?" Yun Yeorang asked, blinking several times.
"I’d like you to temporarily appoint someone else as the Green Priestess before the formal selection," I explained.
Yun Yeorang blinked several times, unsure if she understood or if it was just awkward, while the rest of the priestesses seemed puzzled.
Only Hong-ui, the youngest of the former priestesses, kept her composure and seemed to understand right away.
She asked, "If the Dragon King has allowed it, there’s no problem. But why?"
"There’s a family in the Korean Peninsula who have a contract with the Sea Dragon King. If this contract is neglected, it will cause problems for the dragon race, and the descendants of that family will continue to die young," I explained.
"Oh... It's because of the Crystal Palace," Yun Yeorang replied.
"Seems like it’s related to the palace that moved along with the Dragon Palace," Hong-ui added.
Hong-ui, who had been with Huang Long for the longest, understood immediately and nodded. Yun Yeorang also nodded in agreement.
"I see. You want to temporarily appoint that family’s descendant as the Green Priestess to resolve the contract," Hong-ui said.
"Yes, because the descendant needs to meet the Sea Dragon King and the Dragon King personally," I confirmed.
"That makes sense. I have no objections. It’s something that will lessen Huang Long’s burden," Hong-ui said.
"I agree too!" Yun Yeorang chimed in.
The rest of the priestesses also expressed their agreement.
It seemed like the issue was almost resolved, and I could now eliminate the misfortune that had plagued the O family.
Since I had already informed Ju Su-gyeom through O Hye-ji not to schedule anything for the summer break, the work could proceed right after the finals.
The secret about the O family’s tragic deaths, which had been hidden for so long, was finally going to be brought to an end.
"Now that the treatment and the important matters are done, I think it’s time to go," Huang Long said.
"Yeah, let’s go," Yongi-gun agreed.
"Already? I thought you’d stay a bit longer..." I said.
"Huang Long, Jo Eui-shin is currently taking exams. Did you forget?" Yongi-gun reminded him.
Though Huang Long looked disappointed, he didn’t hold me back.
But another dragon was different.
"Why not study here?" Unlong suggested.
"I don’t see a reason to," Huang Ji-ho replied firmly, though Yongi-gun looked relaxed.
It seemed like Unlong's antics weren’t limited to the simulator incident.
"Jo Eui-shin’s senior is studying at the Dragon Palace," Yongi-gun added.
"What?"
"He’s been waiting to study together with Jo Eui-shin after the treatment," Yongi-gun explained.
Before I could say anything more, I sensed a presence approaching.
Guided by Unlong, who wore a serious expression, someone was quickly approaching us.
It was Yeom Jun-yeol, still in his school uniform, who had come straight after school.
"Jo Eui-shin, if it’s okay with you, want to study together? The new hall at Qinglong Palace is quiet and has a great view, perfect for studying," he said.
Jun-yeol, a senior and a friend, had made the kind offer, but it felt a bit awkward, especially after the sudden visit and treatment. I didn’t feel comfortable staying any longer, especially since the tigers were likely to be noisy.
As I hesitated, Yeom Jun-yeol lowered his eyebrows slightly and added, "I also have some things I want to discuss. We’ve never studied for exams together, and since I’ll be graduating soon... What do you think?"
Seeing him say that, I couldn’t refuse.
In the end, I ended up studying for the exams in the Dragon Palace that day.
Jeok-ho had to leave for business, but Huang Ji-ho insisted on staying behind.
I still don’t understand why he wanted to stay even though he would likely get a 40% on the exam.
That’s how we ended up in the new hall at Qinglong Palace, where the three of us—Jun-yeol, Huang Ji-ho, and I—gathered.
"Before we start studying, let’s address the concerns. It’d be hard to focus on studying with those on your mind," Huang Ji-ho said.
"Haha... Then maybe I should get Ji-ho’s advice too," Jun-yeol said awkwardly, responding to his younger junior’s words.
Yeom Jun-yeol answered the words of his junior who was thousands of years older than him with a very awkward laugh.
“The first is about the link of the I-neung-pa. Originally, Chansol used the same letters as before, right? Hwangryong hyung has a new suggestion.”
“I also heard about that through Kim Shinrok and confirmed it. I think it would be good to look at it together. What is the second topic of the consultation?”
I was the one who Yeom Junyeol asked for the consultation, but Hwang Jiho quickly got the conversation going.
The kind Yeom Junyeol continued talking like an old tiger talking to his juniors as he wanted.
“The other one is about the schedule for the youth exchange representative training camp.”
