Chapter 43

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nAs soon as he got off the air shuttle for the labyrinth garden, Snare threw its whole body at him.

nBark Bark-!

nSnare took off the supporters and ran with clumsy footwork.

nWas it more excited because he didn’t have a supporter? He went round and round around him and rubbed his body and was acting crazy.

n“Hey, Snare. Have you been well?”

nHe couldn’t tell if it was because it was a Heavenly Beast, it seemed that it was growing faster than normal dogs.

nNow, the name Snare rather than cotton ball has become more suitable.

nHe held Snare and carefully stroked it from the ear to the tail.

n“Cho eui-shin nim……! Hello!”

n“Hello, Eui shin nim!”

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n“I…… Hello!”

nThree descendants of Eunho appeared.

nThey greeted him dressed comfortably whether they started lodging at the chairman’s house.

nBut to call him Cho Eui Shin nim.

n“Just call me hyung.”

nHe held Snare with one hand and pet the hair of Eun-ho’s descendants with the other hand.

nIt was very pleasant to see well-maintained silver hair slipping through his fingers.

nWhen he first saw it, they had black hair, but in this mansion, they didn’t need to disguise, so he thought that’s why they are in their real form.

n“Yes, Cho Eui-shin hyung!”

n“Euishin oppa!”

n“Eui, Euishin hyung.”

nThe three answered with their mouths together.

nThe more he saw it, the more he thought of his younger brothers.

nThey were not humans, but they are only in their teens…

nWait, oppa?

nIt wasn’t just boys.

nHe didn’t know because all three had a similar appearance and their hair was short.

n“I can’t tell you our true names, but the names we use in this world is…….”

nOf course, they shouldn’t say their true name.

nThe meaning of the Jin Tribe was that it was tribesmen who had true names.

nBoth the Jin tribe and their descendants know their true name when they awaken their strength and power.

nTrue names were the source of existence and power itself.

nSince Baekhogun was now being treated as a sinner and accused him of losing the true name created by the power given by the heavenly deity.

n‘If anyone learns of the lost true name, Baekhogun will become a puppet.’

nBaekhogun, who lost his true name, was tied up so that he could not go outside the god’s territory, Silver Light.

nPerhaps that was also because the heavenly god protected Baekhogun in the territory.

n“I’m Eun Seoho……”

n“I’m Eun Leeho!”

n“Oh, I’m Eun Jaeho.”

nEven though the two were of junior high school age, it felt like watching elementary school students introduce themselves.

nHe didn’t know how they have lived so far, but it seemed that they weren’t used to dealing with people.

n“I will call you when it is time for dinner. Please wait in your room until then.”

nWhen exchanging device codes.

nJeokho summoned Eun-ho’s descendants.

n“Yes!”

n“Yes, JeokHo nim!”

n“Yeah······.”

nAt Jeokho’s words, the three descendants laughed and ran upstairs looking at the device hologram containing his contact information.

n“Eunho’s descendants are also good at following Cho Eui-shin.”

n“The kids are polite. I think they are grateful for the April Fools incident.”

n“I don’t think that’s the only thing.”

nThat isn’t all?

n“It is difficult to say specifically…… but Cho Eui Shin is trustworthy. If not, there would be no way for Baekho and that Hwangho to move. Maybe other tigers feel something similar.”

nWhat does that even mean?

nHe stared at him, asking for a more detailed explanation.

nJeok-ho, who received the gaze, closed his eyes for a moment, immersed in thoughts, and then opened his eyes.

nIt was the same habit as the Ungnyeo of Grief.

n“I seem to have confused Cho Eui-shin. Sorry. It’s difficult to explain.”

nHe had no idea what Jeokho wanted to say.

nDoes it have anything to do with his encountering this world as a game?

nOr are there other hidden elements?

nJeokho turned away without saying more.

n“My show of gratitude is late. If you hadn’t stopped me, who almost lost my temper when we sneaked into the building, we would have missed those who defiled the territory.

nHe was worried about what to answer.

nGroan.

nAs he was worried, Snare asked him to play and rubbed his head against his chest.

nJeokho said, looking at Snare and smiling.

n“Let us go. I have a customer to introduce to you.”

nHe went into the reception room on the first floor, passing by the automatic maid who brought out the tea.

nThe first thing that caught his eye was Hwang Ji-ho, who put rice cake in his mouth with a dissatisfied face.

n“······The rice cake is delicious.”

nWhat was he eating with that expression?

nHwang Ji-ho tasted the bukkumi wrapped in a paper wrapper and pumpkin jujube tea, but his face gradually decayed.

n“Hahaha, it’s a rice cake that was served directly to Hang-ah of Wolgung. It can’t be tasteless!”

nPerhaps the cause of the rotten expression was that person.

n‘Who is it?’

nA strange woman was sitting on the sofa opposite Baekho crossed legged.

nShe adjusted the headrests of the cotton-skin sofa to 45 degrees, leaned back in a comfortable position as if she were at home, and was chewing on a rice cake.

nThe face was familiar.

n‘It’s the Rabbit Tribe, CEO of Moon Rabbit Rice Cake…!’

nHe remembered seeing it on the moon rabbit cake web page.

nThe name used in the human world was ‘Oktoyeon’.

nShe used the fact that she was a Jin Tribe for business, and she was a woman of entrepreneurial spirit who made great success in upgrading the product.

n“Is this the human child who saved Eunho’s descendants?”

n“Yes, Ok To-yeon.”

nEven after hearing Jeok-ho’s answer, the Rabbit still holding the bean cake in one hand looked him up and down as if she was measuring his value.

n“Hmm…… he really is just human.”

nThe Rabbit tribe who ate bean cake and picked up the glutinous rice cake kept talking.

nHe thought she really liked rice cakes.

n“To think this was the boy the divine tigers other than Eun-ho believed in… Yes, if he was the human being who saved the descendants of Eun-ho, It would be okay to believe him.”

nOkto-yeon, who swallowed glutinous rice cake with two bites, wiped her mouth with a napkin and got up.

n“The name I use in the human world is Ok To-yeon. I’m the best friend of the Tigers and the head of the Rabbits! Today, at the summit of the Alliance of the 12, I came here to support the Tigers.”

n“I love how you say best friends when you’ve been hiding Eun-ho’s descendants all this time.”

nHwang Ji-ho was still deeply mad.

nAlthough Ok To-yeon doesn’t seem to care.

nRather, she suddenly wrapped her face with her hands and then provoked Hwangho by pretending to be cute.

nIt was a strong aggro.

n“······But, we are closer to Eunho than Hwangho!”

nA phrase that brought anger, ‘but’ came out…!

n“I hope Eun-ho will become the head of the family again.”

n“I’m going to kill you.”

nAre they really best friends?

n‘Because they are closer to Eun-ho than Hwang-ho, the Rabbits secretly hid Eun-ho’s descendants as well. It may have something to do with the old things I don’t know about.’

nHwang Ji-ho displayed a murderous intent so thick it looked like it can cut iron with just his eyes.

nOk To-yeon laughed happily even after receiving that look directly.

nBecause she has that courage, she secretly protected Eunho’s descendants.

n“Hahaha, if Hwangho comes to kill, let’s trust that Jeseokcheon nim will help me again. You came to kill me many times in the past, but in the end, you couldn’t.”

nIn the past, did they hate each other enough to kill?

nIt was a little understandable for Ok To-yeon to behave that way.

n“······It was surprising that Jeseokcheon helped the Rabbit tribe.”

nJeokho made a subtle expression.

nJeseokcheon, the god of Buddhism, was one of the world’s higher beings.

nEun-ho’s descendant also said that Jeseok-cheon helped the Rabbit tribe to break the barrier.

n“He and the Rabbits have a relationship. Without the involvement of Je Seok-cheon, the chief and high-ranking member of the Palbushinjung (八部神衆), our tribe would have been annihilated.”

nLittle by little the playfulness disappeared from Okto-yeon’s face.

n“But the heavenly gods are all the same, and there is a limit to the ability of a superior being to intervene in the present world. If you guys hadn’t come to help us, they would have almost died or fell into a deep slumber.”

nHwang Ji-ho said the situation as if it weren’t a big deal, but it seems like he had a big battle.

n“Enemies who were protected by the unknown Jin tribes and higher beings blessing. I was really ignorant. Our Rabbits were not originally specialized in combat. It could have been catastrophic.”

nThe Rabbits rarely appeared in the game.

nIt just turns out, ‘They were very weak at some point.’

n‘Since there was no support from the Tigers in the game, the Rabbits were driven to annihilation. All of Eunho’s descendants eventually died.’

nOk To-yeon’s words continued.

n“Even though we are best friends until now we weren’t close to the family other than Eunho. Still, because I received grace. I will pay you back. Even that human being said to have saved Eun-ho’s descendants.”

nOk To-yeon’s eyes were determined, but she added an unnecessary word.

n“Well, I’m going to repay the grace, but I don’t know how to get along with the family other than Eunho.

n“When the Alliance of the 12 talks is over, quickly ** off.”

nHwang Ji-ho’s frenzy seemed to continue for the time being.

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nInside the elevator.

nAn elevator was also installed in the grand mansion on the 5th floor.

nThe elevator seemed to have a gimmick of moving to the number of floors that were not displayed.

nWhen Hwang Ji-ho raised his hand somewhere on the wall, the elevator started moving without displaying the number of floors.

n“So, why is the human who saved Eun-ho’s descendants here?”

n“It is Cho Eui-shin who proposed this meeting.”

n“The Tigers moved by human words?”

nOk To-yeon looked at him with red eyes.

n“He was the first to notice the betrayal in the Alliance of the 12 and provided a clue. Even at this meeting, if it’s Cho Eui-shin, he will find out something.”

n“Hmmm. I heard that there are quite a few human players who are usable, but I guess it’s true….I heard there were many among the 12 that gave their blessings to humans.”

nHwang Ji-ho suddenly intervened at Ok To-yeon’s words.

n“Cho eui-shin, do you need the blessing?”

n“No.”

nHe raised an iron wall without worrying.

nHe didn’t know what he would ask for in return for the blessing, and he didn’t know what to give.

nIn exchange for receiving the buff effect, depending on the scale of the blessing given the minds of the one giving and the one receiving the blessing will be shared to an extent.

n‘I don’t want to receive any tribes blessing if I can help it.’

nThen it turned out that (Loading failed.) was displayed in the Blessing column of his status window…

nHe didn’t think he has received a blessing from anyone.

nEven if someone did, there would be no candidate other than the paranormal universe.

n“Oh! It wasn’t the other Jin tribes, but to think he would refuse the blessing offered by the mythic tiger tribe. I mean even if it was me, I would refuse too.”

n“I won’t give you my blessing.”

n“I have no intention of receiving it?”

nHwang Ji-ho and Ok To-yeon stared at each other.

nIn the middle, he decided to shut up.

n‘It’s awesome.’

nEven though there were many facilities in the school that looked expensive, he thought it was a long way to even compare with Hwang Myung-ho’s mansion.

nThe enormous golden fence barrier and maze garden.

nMaking and maintaining it probably cost a lot of money.

nBut money didn’t look like it mattered for this underground facility either.

n‘The whole room is filled with the magic power of ancient spells and the power of blessings. Even all of them are made of top-notch otherworld metal…!”

nAncient words carved in ink with deep magical power melted between the golden metals.

nA huge magic circle containing the wisdom of ancient scholars.

nThe things he saw only in the game setting were real here.

n“You can’t hold an Alliance of the 12 summits on a device line that leaves history in the human world. As the conference organizer, I should exercise this level of power at least.”

nHwang Ji-ho said boastingly, looking at him astonished by the facilities in this room.

nThis was enough to show off.

n“Now, before we start the talks, I ask again. Cho Euishin, what do you want to check by bringing the 12 tribes together? Is there any way to find the traitor?”

nThe eyes of the Jin tribe in the room focused on him.

n‘He said he was the head of the Jin tribe like Hwangho or Ok To-yeon. The Jin tribe who killed Jeokho in the game will appear at the conference today.’

nPlemago concrete floor collapse event.

nIn the game, Kim Shinrok died and lost Choi Pyeon deuk, and the protagonists and Jeokho lost numerous cooperators and clues.

nIn the second semester, an incident led Jeok-ho to become familiar with Joo Soo-hyuk and conducted an investigation together.

nIt was at the end of his first year that he noticed the betrayal of the Jin tribe.

nJeokho succeeded in approaching the identity of the black curtain, adding a little luck to his unique ability to collect information even under adverse conditions.

n‘It was because of the deadly crimes he committed after being tricked by Ung-nyeo of Grief. He didn’t even get help. For some reason, these three seem to live together now.’

nBecause it was a very dangerous information, he did not inform the protagonist and the student group.

nIn the end, Jeokho dies while struggling alone.

n‘I will not waste the dedication shown by Jeokho in the game and on other world lines.’

nAfter organizing his thoughts, he opened his mouth.

n“Let every participant say at least two sentences. That’s enough.”

nHwang Ji-ho laughed for the first time today.

nIt was normal to laugh at the classroom every day, but today he laughed a little.

n“Hahaha! Shall we see what kind of embroidery Cho Eui-shin will make this time? Moon rabbit, come into the magic circle.”

n“Well, I hate going next to Hwangho.”

n“If you don’t like it, ** off.”

n“Hahaha, I’m kidding.”

nHwang Ji-ho’s laughter quickly stopped in front of Ok To-yeon’s aggro.

nWhen Okto-yeon entered the magic circle, Hwang Ji-ho flipped his finger once.

nPaa-.

nThe magic circle began to change its shape.

nThe power and pattern moved according to Hwang Ji-ho’s will.

nThe circular magic circle was divided into 12, and letters began to rise above each divided area.

n子 (rat), 醜 (cow), 寅 (tiger), 卯 (rabbit), 辰 (dragon), 巳 (snake), 午 (horse), 未 (sheep), 申 (monkey), 酉 (rooster), 戌(dog), 亥(pig).

nHwang Ji-ho stood in the realm of 寅 (tiger).

nOkto-yeon stood in the realm of 卯 (rabbit) next to Hwang Ji-ho.

n“The preparation is over. Operating the exclusive magic power line for the Alliance of the 12.”

nHwang Ji-ho’s hair and eyes turned golden.

n“Wow, no matter how many times I look at it, I really like that power. Just the power.”

nHe heard Ok To-yeon’s words, who could not know whether it was a compliment or a curse.

nHe saw a tendon protruding from Hwang Ji-ho’s forehead.

nPaaaaaa!

nAt the same time, Hwang Ji-ho’s pupils turned beastlike, and all 12 areas lit up.

nA shadow emerged from ten empty spots.

nIn front of the shadow and Hwang Ji-ho and Okto-yeon, words embodied by reason appeared.

nRat Tribe (鼠族), 子 Cunning rat

nCow Tribe (牛族), 醜 Honest cow

nTiger Tribe (虎族), 寅 Tiger nim

nRabbit Tribe (兎族), 卯 Damn moon rabbit

nDragon tribe, 辰 Max Level Blue Dragon

nSnake Tribe(蛇族), 巳 Molting

nHorse Tribe, 午 Sensitive Black Horse

nSheep Tribe(羊族), 未 Sheep Zzz

nMonkey Tribe (猿族), 申 Jecheondaeseong, the strongest in the universe

nRooster Tribe(鷄族), 酉 Rooster Mountain Gugutakyesulrak

nDog Tribe (犬族), 戌 The one who says it is like a dog is the most doglike

nPig Tribe (豚族), 亥 I am the Zhu Baije

nWhy are their nicknames like that!

nThe Korean peninsula with the strongest intellect due to the first conflict between worlds.

nThe vast majority of the heads of the Korean peninsula’s high-ranking Jin tribes were using nicknames an elementary school student would use.

n“Wait, why is my nickname like this! Oh no, the power of the magic circle here is held by Hwangho so I can’t change it! Each of the other kids has their own nicknames, right? But what’s with their nicknames too? Everyone went crazy while we haven’t seen each other! Is it old age? Anyway, Hwangho, please change me to a cute one!”

nHwang Ji-ho completely ignored the whining Ok To-yeon.

nThe moment he spoke, the area he was standing in lit up.

n寅Tigernim “I checked the attendance of all the leaders of the alliance. The meeting will be held now.”

nHwang Ji-ho’s words were completely subtitled and floated above the magic circle.

nSoon, audio and subtitles emerged in other areas as well.

n子 Cunning Rat “That unmotivated Hwangho called us. What would it be?”

n巳Molting “I heard there were a lot of incidents in silver light these days? Is it because of that? That idiot I gave my blessing to, and the priest that the daughter of the higher-ranking being adores is also at silver light. If anything happens to them, I will hurt you, Hwangho.”

n辰 Max Level Blue Dragon “My proud relatives and descendants are in the silver light. There can be no danger in silver light.”

nAll the people mentioned by the Snakes and Dragons seemed to be people he knew.

nIt won’t be because of his mood.

n午 A Sensitive Black Horse “I’m busy, so let’s get this done quickly. The demons attacked again.”

n酉Gugutakyesulrak in Rooster Mountain “Are they at it again? If they don’t like that their name is a synonym with yours in Korean, I wish they would just ** off;”

n申Jecheondaeseong, the strongest in the universe “Horses just need to change their name and title or they should just leave the Korean Peninsula.”

n午 A sensitive black horse “I hate both.”

n子 Cunning Rat “The Korean Peninsula is the most intellectual in the world after the conflict. Even Jin Tribes, whose popularity is at the very bottom in Korea, is good to exert their power, so he doesn’t want to leave.”

n卯 Damn Moon Rabbit “Anyone who knows how to change the nicknames. I will shoot you the moon rabbit comprehensive rice cake set for one year.”

nIt was a big fiesta of nonsense.

nThis couldn’t even be treated like a summit let alone an absolute mess.

nThis sand-grained alliance had survived for 100 years.

n醜 Honest cow “Damn moon rabbit, that nickname fits you well, so I’ll just pretend I don’t know. ^_^”

n巳 Molting “I agree with the cow’s words.”

n戌 The guy who says it’s like a dog is the most doglike “I agree as well.”

n子 Cunning Rat “The three Jin tribe above, I vote for that they don’t even know how to change their screen name anyway. Right now, the moon rabbit is in the area of the magic circle of the sacred tigers.”

n醜 Honest cow “I got caught ^_^”

n卯 Damn Moon Rabbit “Fuck you”

nThey even write emoticons.

nAlthough the emoji were not voiced.

nAll of them are voices and letters that desperately contain the dignity and magic of the Jin tribes but they are being like that.

nIt is said to be the best of the ancient magic circle communication that boasts a perfect complement that transcends physical and mental boundaries but the stuff they are talking about…!

nA complete waste of talent. Waste of ability. Waste of money.

n亥 I’m the Zhu Baije “Hmm, let’s have some progress. I mean, I’m a busy person.”

n辰 Max Level Blue Dragon “This body is also busy.”

n戌 The guy who says it’s like a dog is the most like a dog “I agree with the words of a pig and the dragon.”

n未 Sheep Zzz “Well…… Hey, you know. Can I say a word?”

n醜 Honest cow “Do it ^_^”

n午 Sensitive black horse “Make it short.”

n申Jecheondaeseong, the strongest in the universe “Short go go”

nWith this, all 12 of them made at least one remark.

nHe guessed his guess was correct.

n‘The culprit who killed Jeokho in the game, I caught their tail…!’

nWhen he was thinking about that.

nThe words of the head of the Sheep tribe changed the atmosphere of the meeting.

n未Sheep Zzz “There is a man here who brought a nightmare. The energy of nightmares is felt beyond the magical circuit that connects the talks.”

nThe silence set it at the end of the words of the Sheep tribe.

nHwang Ji-ho, Ok To-yeon, and Jeok-ho, who were watching the situation, were also firming their faces.

n申Jecheondaeseong, the strongest in the universe “??? nightmare?? Confess and find enlightenment.”

n酉Gugutakyesulrak in Rooster Mountain “Ha, a nightmare? Are you talking about the nightmare god Insomnium? When did he arrive?”

n子 Cunning rat “……is that high-ranking entity with the greatest authority to intervene in the human world? 20 years? I think he has been quiet since about 15 years ago.”

n醜 The honest cow “Yes? A nightmare? ^_^;”

n辰 Max Level Blue Dragon “There is a nightmare on the Korean Peninsula?”

n午 Sensitive black horse “Quickly tell me it’s a lie.”

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nNightmare?

nWhat the hell are these Jin tribes agitating?

n未Sheep Zzz “I would never lie about the nightmares, the incarnation of sleep and dreams and their symbols.”

nThe Sheep tribe continued to speak.

n未Sheep Zzz “The only thing we have to keep to each other is the promise of ‘impossible’. But I warn you as a part of the alliance that has been together for 100 years. Those who attend this alliance, or those around the magic circle, are ‘nightmares’ themselves. Be wary of being swallowed by the nightmares.”

nThe Sheep nicely left a warning and paused.

nIn the silence of the leaders of the Jin tribe.

nThe Sheep added a word.

n未Sheep Zzz “I don’t care because there is no nightmare next to me anyway. If it’s not me, it’s okay!”

nThat coolness didn’t take 10 seconds.

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