Ex Rank Supporting Role's Replay in a Prestigious School

A few hours before the world collision happened.

Some beings were looking down at the Olympic Park, which was eerily quiet as everyone was evacuated from the area.

Evacuation orders were also issued in advance to residential buildings near the area where the otherworld occurrence was expected.

This allowed these people to observe the Olympic Park from the roof of one of the apartment buildings without being seen by anyone.

“Did the target leave the school yet?”

“He is heading to the practice site along with the other dormitory students.”

Their tie-pin suits bear the logo of the Oath of the Three Knights.

They went all the way to the Korean Peninsula after being ordered to assassinate a Eungwang High student, Mok Wooram.

The assassins were under the orders from the top knights and Team Masters.

They have to fulfill their mission.

However, they felt skeptical after hearing that the target was a student.

“Honestly… Who would’ve thought that one of the world’s top ten teams would order to assassinate a high school student?”

“…”

“Why don’t we persuade him again? Didn’t he say no because of the circumstances at that time? I also refused it when I was first scouted.”

“The top knight already acted himself.”

“He acted himself?”

The man who hid his eyes behind a telescopic sunglasses spoke again.

“…They already used weapons and violence.”

The person who asked briefly cursed upon hearing that.

“I see. So, they want us to assassinate this kid because they couldn’t catch him themselves even though they used weapons and violence?”

“It’s different in Korea. Unlike China, the Hyunmoo or the turtles aren’t here. They failed under the hands of Hyunmoo and his disciples.”

“Hyunmoo? You mean one of the Four Auspicious Beasts? Is our target protected by Hyunmoo?”

“I don’t think so. If so, the target would’ve continued to stay in China, or the Hyunmoo would’ve come to Korean Peninsula. I think they just didn’t want to make a mess in Hyunmoo’s territory.”

There was a silence for a while.

The faces of the two men were greatly distorted.

They changed the subject very unnaturally, as if both didn’t want to further discuss the team’s use of violence.

“I think it’s not really efficient to watch from afar. We should’ve borrowed the Eye from the Demon Race.”

“We can’t do that. The target’s assistant homeroom teacher is the Space Dragon.”

“Ah, you said you fought with that playful dragon. I didn’t know he had that kind of ability.”

They discussed measures in case they would encounter Yong Jegun as they waited for the target to arrive.

At last, Mok Wooram entered the otherworld gap with his classmates.

“The attack has started. The operation will begin in 5 minutes. Summon the enemy that you’ve tamed. Lure it to the Legendary Archer and then we’ll enter the gap too. Don’t be more than three steps away from him. We should be fighting in close combat.”

“All right. If things go wrong and we have to combat with the Legendary Archer, I’m leaving it up to you.”

They disguised themselves as Asian players with silicon masks.

At some point, they covered their team pin, which bears the team logo and some seals of the first team masters, with otherworld ores.

Their Korean accent, which they had to go through extensive training for, was perfect.

They grabbed an item card and were about to jump off the roof.

“Wait!”

The man who was about to summon the tamed enemy pointed to the entrance of the Olympic Park.

They saw an air van with the team logo of the Lake of Eternity passing through the park’s entrance.

“…It’s the air van that the Lake of Eternity uses.”

The man with the sunglasses clicked his tongue.

It could’ve been doable if only the weak players and the Legendary Archer were there, but it was impossible to avoid the eyes or overpower that many players.

On top of that, Team Master Kwon Jein and Sub-Master Jared Lee were with them.

“…That’s Jared who just alighted from the driver’s seat! I see he’s playing the Blue Violinist’s driver now.”

“Kwon Jein did become an honorary teacher. Did she come to cheer on the students?”

“It’s odd for her to cheer on some random students on their first practice. There could be some other reason. Besides, they’re all heavily armed! Maybe our strategy was read.”

“The operation today should be suspended.”

“Of course! I don’t have a death wish!”

As they decided, the two put away their item cards and prepared to withdraw.

The man in the sunglasses took it off and tried to check the security camera’s blind spot.

And then, he suddenly ran to the roof railing.

As if he were activating a skill, a flow of energy wave appeared in his eye.

“What’s wrong? We are quite far from them, but still, turn off your energy wave. What if someone senses us?”

“There’s something there.”

“…Eh? Ah, did the otherworld’s structure change? Oh, there’s a new alert from the Korean Player Association’s Satellite. Well, isn’t it common for transforming otherworlds to have their difficulty levels change too?”

“Look. Five occurrences at the same time.”

The man near the rooftop door followed.

A flock of birds was passing under the clear sky, and underneath it, otherworld gaps could be seen everywhere.

The man was astonished by the sight of so many otherworld occurrences happening at the same time.

“Don’t tell me… Did he intervene?”

“Let’s go back to the hideout. Report to the top knights and have a change in our course of action.”

The elite knights left the area with nervous faces.

* * *

Cheon Dongha’s light skill is extremely useful for collecting information, but it has a weakness.

The first one was that the skill gives you too much information.

Because Cheon Dongha was a big genius, he has the natural ability to process and analyze the crazy amount of information that the light skill gives him.

If a mediocre were to use this skill, they’d be sure to lose their minds immediately.

The second disadvantage.

The “Eye Embracing Heaven and Earth” skill is an eye.

The only information that could be detected was visual information.

Right now, I could see the other kids in my class, but I can’t hear them.

‘I can guess by their expressions or the shape of their lips, but this is a hassle.’

My head went round and round as Cheon Dongha’s light skill went around the whole labyrinth.

It would be much more efficient if I could halt the skill from time to time and then move to the others’ locations.

But I can’t do that.

‘I don’t know how my mana would behave if my concentration drops to an extent. I can’t just turn my mana flow on and off. I can’t use magic in this state.’

I can’t use the Fate of the Unknown.

‘I should save the Fate of the Unkown just in case I need it later.’

I should leave some energy for me to use in case something unexpected happens.

With the elimination, I decided on what other skill I could spare.

I can’t use magic or my light skill, so I used the asset that could let me break through this labyrinth the fastest.

<Skill “Use Objects’ activated.>

The Sangbosimgeumpa shone as it materialized in my hand.

It didn’t speak to me directly yet, but I could feel that it was worried about my level of concentration.

Although my concentration did fall off because of the dizzying visual information that infiltrated my head, it wasn’t as difficult as dealing with the White Tiger and the Shadow Tiger before.

<Warning, enemy approaching.>

Drag…!

I heard the sound of dragging feet.

The silhouette of the enemy that appeared was close to that of humans, but it wasn’t one.

The enemy was walking upright, its body nearly 2 meters in height.

It was covered with scales all over its body, and it looked bushy rather than shiny because it was very dry.

The only thing left of it that was hydrated was its eyeball.

‘A murlock who couldn’t return home after being trapped inside a labyrinth. It’s the type that’s weak to flames… But considering my skill level and the rarity of the Sangbbosimgeumpa, I can kill it with brute physical strength.

The murlock-type enemy was holding on to the wall of the labyrinth with one hand and dragging a spear with the other.

‘It’s an armed enemy. It’s above SR-rank at least.

I’ll be fine, but can Kwon Lena or Saeum of April handle this kind of enemy?

As the rarity of the otherworld increases, its structure and size, as well as the enemies inside it change in rarity too.

I guessed that when I saw the light-bearing moss covering the walls and the ceiling, but this otherworld seemed to have evolved to be much more difficult than what we were briefed on earlier.

‘We need to reunite quickly!’

Roar!

Growl….!

Clash!

The Sangbosimgeumpa and the enemy’s spear soon collided, and I entered combat with it.

While I was doing damage to the enemy, I heard the sound of fighting somewhere near me.

— Alright. Show me your usual skills. I’m looking forward to it.

Yong Jegun smiled pleasantly as he said so while he rubbed his eyes.

Fiddling with his eyes was not a gesture that Yong Jegun usually makes.

The Space Dragon seemed to have sensed that I was using a light skill.

He must be talking not only to Maeng Hyodon, Hani, and Min Geurin who were with him.

‘He’s asking me to take care of the other kids…!’

The skilled kids who were with Yong Jegun were still calm.

Looking at this group alone, it was like a usual routine practice for player-specialized high schools.

It doesn’t seem like they’re in any trouble.

— I guess the assistant homeroom teacher is just going to watch us. Oh well, it’s a practice after all.

— I’ll go first!

— Behind you! Wow…

The three faced two enemies at the same time, but they looked relaxed.

–Where could Lena-nim be? Why can’t I contact her device? We went to the same otherworld but I can’t contact her? Oh, perhaps the other kids already went out? We should get out of here quickly.

— I came in just after Min Geurin, so what nonsense are you saying? And even if we’re in the same otherworld, communication isn’t smooth maybe because of a boss enemy or some binary interference.

Hwang Jiho, Song Daesok, and Mok Wooram were in a mess.

Hwang Jiho had no intention of stopping the two while they panicked.

Usually, it’s Hwang Jiho who’s the expert at mediating, but he was suspiciously quiet.

— Calm down. The other kids will be fine.

By the time I knocked down the enemy, Hwang Jiho spoke to the other two kids.

— …I don’t think it’s this pushover because he joined during the summer vacation. How can you behave like that?

Seeing that Hwang Jiho wasn’t smiling, it seems that he’s very serious.

The panicked Song Daesok didn’t realize that.

— What are you talking about?

Hwang Jiho responded a little sharply.

— The thing that you said during the youth retreat. “My benefactor.” Isn’t that person in our class? There’s a chance that that person is alone right now.

What?!

What did Hwang Jiho say to my playable character during the retreat…?

“My benefactor”?

Hwang Jiho’s been running his mouth saying that behind my back?

No matter how much I think about it, it certainly refers to me.

— What makes you think that my benefactor belongs to Class Zero?

— That’s…

Before I read that, I felt an energy wave stinging my skin like a needle.

A set of stairs appeared that led to the next floor of the labyrinth.

The floor where Kwon Lena and Saeum are located.

Only one path in this forked road would lead to them.

In front of it, something like a milepost was shaking.

‘This is…!’

It was the seal of the crow king Sidelentium.