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nTranslator: Hong | Editor: Darling

nInside the dark gym, where the evil had come in contact with the limit it was accompanied by an uncomfortable sound in the background a modified voice of a student can be heard.

nThe face has been mosaiced, but only the eyes have been covered so anyone who has seen the news lately will be able to identify the person.

nHe was the secondary student recently named the ‘little hero.’

nThe little hero was aiming an item card at the friend who he had saved and sustained the injuries for.

nThe little hero uses the item card and ties the other students up

n***

nHwangmyeong corporation decided to release the video as they struggled to contain the press.

nThe comments from the board of directors were as below.

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n‘We decided to withdraw all payments to the student identified in the video after belatedly confirming his shameful acts. We decided to open the video to the press to explain to the public their misunderstanding in the matter.

nYa right, belated.

n‘They were well aware and willing to bury the fact, what a 180 degrees change.’

nHwangmyeong corporation released the already made film to the press.

nThe eyes of the person in the video was mosaiced away, and the portion where he screamed he was going blind was edited out.

nPerhaps they wanted to prevent another controversy or this was the benevolence of the chairman, the part where I lay hands on Minki was edited out.

nThe video provided by the corporation was published and the presence went wild.

nEach press edited the video to include subtitles and audios based on the commentaries of their own anchors.

nAfterwhich the press uploaded the videos to their channels and within seconds the total views jumped to 100 million.

nThe little hero title of minki was changed to ‘Son of a bait’

nEvery article related to minki was followed by comments of “Son of a bait.”

nHero? Haha you’re just a son of a bait

nS O N O F A B A I T

nYou used the kid who tried to save you as bait?? Today the world has seen an increase in one whole new the devil clan. Those who are under the protection of Satan watch out~~~

nOMG Goosebumps; You’re worse than the enemy

nHwangmyeong corporation….please don’t ever pay for that scums hospital fee. He might just use that money for an expensive lawyer…the thought of that makes me rage…

nIf you pay for him you’re an idiot

nMinki’s side immediately responded.

nAlthough his response never made it on the public channels or main newspapers, few articles supporting Minki popped up.

n‘Little hero’s tears, ‘I was scared, I am sorry to my friends.’

nThe whole in Hwangmyeong corporation’s security system, drives young elite into a trap

nVideo revealed, without the ‘little hero’s’ consent. Lawsuit to be expected

nThe public had long turned their backs to Minki

nHe had nearly killed someone to live.

nThis fact may have bought him pity votes.

nAnd turned the rage to the Hwangmyeong corporation.

nBut the public were unable to forgive Minki for deceiving them and acting all this while as a hero.

nAfter all those lies how shameless

nTranslation: give me the money

nThe school’s security??? Defamed??? Hahaha The corporation kindly edited the video to make the person unrecognizable, and we all consented before the entrance exam that the school is not liable for any injuries sustained. Hahaha, you admitted to it by responding to the video.

nLook carefully at the article. It’s not ‘sued’ but ‘expected to sue’. They are probably playing it out cause they are guilty.

nThen the next day.

nOn a web community, a furious post was uploaded.

nThe post’s content stated that the school had supported the manipulation of results to allow Minki to enter Eunkwang high.

nThe writer of the post had several subjects with scores better than Minki and when he had checked the ranking for each individual subject he and Minki’s positions had been swapped.

nMany suspected the post to be false.

nAs soon as people commented that his post was fake he uploaded his own student card and a written message of Minki’s confession.

nMinki who had been confident of his powerful friends must have flaunted it by threatening him ‘You will never go to a high school if you ever reveal this.’

n‘I had anticipated that once Minki fell from the heroic title those who had been ‘stepped on’ by Minki would speak up.’

nBut this was beyond expectation.

nA student that had been disadvantaged by Son Minki reveals story. A three-line summary. 1. Son minki and his power friends manipulated scores 2. Sonminki confesses and threatened. 3. Son minki is trash

nIsn’t that a crime? Attempted murder, violence, manipulation of results, and blackmail! I hope he goes to jail!

nHe has done those things aged 16. Imagine if he was never caught and grew up sheltered under Korea’s most elite high school. Wonder how many more would have suffered.

nAt this stage, no more articles advocating for Minki were seen.

nAnd it was not only Minki the public criticized and shunned.

nHis parents who had previously revealed their faces to the press also were targeted.

nThose who want to see the parents of the horrible Son of a bait can rewatch the news

nSon on a bait’s father resigned only a month after working in his company. I can reveal why.

nSon of a bait’s company website link is going up~~~you can sue or not~~~*spits*

nMinki’s parents ran a business where they sold props used by the players association and team.

nOnce the company’s name was revealed publicly, there were endless complaints and petitions asking the pro player teams to cut off ties with them.

nAnd those who had started raising funds for Minki’s hospital fee lost objective and disappeared.

nThose who had participated in the fundraiser raged and directed it to Minki.

nPay back the money you family of frauds

nI am so embarrassed to have been fooled by Son Minki….I wrote so many supporting comments and even donated.

nGo to hell with me ㅠㅠ

nAm suicidal after donating for Son Minki. Is the Han river cold in December? I Will let you know after trying out.

nWe have set up a cafe to be compensated for the donation we raise for Sonminki. We are discussing the strategy…we ask for your subscription.

nThis reaction took exactly one week after the video was released.

nSonminki was in a financial crisis.

nSettlement fees, hospital fees, lawyer consultation fees, bribery to the press put together was worth hundreds of millions.

nAnd even their company was struggling to secure their yearly deal with a supplier with all the petition and rioting against them.

nRegenerative surgery was out of the question.

nFurthermore, all high schools including Eunkwang high had all rejected his application.

nSon minki was a disabled secondary student swamped in debt.

nIt was near the end of December when Sonminki was absolutely crushed.

nAround the time Sonminki’s controversy died down the attention of the public had changed.

nMost ethical person Mr. Jo? Why did no one talk about him? He was totally unmentioned in the whole thing.

nHe must have been threatened by Son of a bait

n If I think about it now it’s so weird. Why did that kid get hurt when everyone else was fine. Why was SAT-K’s most ethically chosen player treated like air.

nSo why did he get hurt in the end??

nThe most ethical person is in my class! I am in xx secondary class 3-8 and this incident must have been traumatic. He hasn’t been coming to school.

nIs he just being loyal? In the first half of the video where he threw himself it was damn cool and awesome.

nBecause of our happening Minki was attacked once again but the settlement content was not one they could release to the press for their advantage.

nAs it was stated in the clause that if it was revealed the penalty was three times the initial settlement fee.

nAs the situation progressed and I monitored the headlines and comments I closed the hologram satisfied.

nAs planned.

nNo, the situation was resolved better than planned.

n***

n“It’s a daily routine to read the news and comments. I am keeping all the writings I was inspired by. So that I can read it again when life gets tough.”

nSanghee showed the hologram to us who had visited Sanghoon’s room to hang out.

n“Every day there is a call. At first, it felt good but now it’s a nuisance. They want to apologize and post a picture of us getting along on SNS…? It was his limbs that were cut off but he’s acting like it was his head.”

nAs expected from the disciple of the goddess of healing, Sanghee brushed her long hair that was reflecting the sun elegantly.

nEven though the content of her speech was brutal.

nNamwook did not respond and simply drank the apple juice Sanghee brought.

nHe must be used to Sanghee.

n“I didn’t tell him your contacts. I’m having a bit of fun while acting as if I’m hesitating.”

nSanghee put down the snacks and drinks and came forward with a smile.

n“Thanks, Eushin. It’s all thanks to you. I’m sorry for not believing you right at the start. I will pay you back for sure.”

n“No. I didn’t do anything.”

n“You’re humble. But no need to refuse. I am your senior so you can comfortably call me Sang Hee noona.”

nSanghee smiled brightly at me.

nSanghoon who saw that beside me made a face as though he’d seen a monster.

n“Yuck, Sanghee nonna.”

nSmack!

nSnaghee hit Sanghoon’s hand.

nSanhoon did not react to the pain but his face turned blue.

n….Sanghee’s hand strength skill was level 3.

nWonder if it will worsen his wound from before.

n“Well have fun while you are here. Tell me if you need anything.”

nAs soon as Sanghee left the room I lay on the floor comfortably.

nA basketball lying around in Sanghoon’s room touched my back.

nI pushed the several basketballs lying around with my finger and asked.

n“So why are we all gathered here today? Is it to commemorate the vacation?”

nWe had sent messages in our chat group but this was the first time we had met offline since the signing of the settlement.

nI had skipped school but these two had diligently attended so it was hard to meet up as well.

n“To celebrate you. ‘The nameless Supernova’.”

nNow how did they know that?

n“We saw it on the player’s association webpage. You’re listed as the wanted enemy tobal player.”

nSanghoon who saw my face and read my mind added on.

nWhile Sonminki’s entire family was going bankrupt I frequented the Player association.

nThe ordinary 16-year-old who had defeated the enemy tobal was not registered on Player SAT-K so they found an issue with the record.

nAs I did not want to leave my real name in the records, I decided to go ahead and receive a pre-given name Player SAT-K gave based on the player’s activity level.

nThe result of that was the nameless supernova.

nAs Hong Kyubin said…

n‘An unregistered ordinary secondary school kid accomplished what the esteemed couldn’t do, so it’s fitting.”

nI wasn’t fond of the sly Kyubin but the name itself had a good ring to it.

nThe temporary player nameless supernova would automatically become an official player in a few days as I turned 17.

n“Ya, thanks. In a few days, both you and Namwook turn to official players too so is there really a need to celebrate?”

n“Well, there’s that and also the vacation.”

n“Are you sure you called me over to celebrate.”

n“Let’s just play the game.”

n“Hey.”

nThe meaningless conversion between Sanghoon and I continued.

nWe were taking out the controllers for a combat game when Namwook threw a bomb.

n“I decided not to go to Eunkwang high. I am going to go to a military high school and become a military officer.”

n“What?”

n“What!”

nSanghoon and I stood with our jaws wide open at the unexpected turn of events.

nNamwook’s determined eyes shined brightly behind his glass lens.

n“I only applied to Eunkwang high because I had the score. Not because I wanted to go there from the start.”

nYou applied to Korea’s most elite high school just because your scores made it?

nHad the 200 million high school students in Korea would have assassinated Namwook or placed a bounty on his head.

nBut Namwook sounded firm and somehow sounded distressed.

n“I don’t have the courage to throw my body like Sanghoon, I can’t strategize like you Eushin. I can only move as planned, and shout for you to run.”

n“There are plenty of people out there who can’t even do that.”

n“Even for Minki’s case. I couldn’t put a plan like Eushin or believe in Eushin like Sanghoon.”

n“Jang Namwook….”

nSanghoon looked like he wanted to stop Namwook.

nBut Namwook shook his head and said firmly.

n“I just had the right scores and had met the requirements to apply. I wrote that I aspired to be a pro gamer, but in actual fact, I don’t have any dreams or know what I want.”

n“There isn’t a secondary student who has an idea of what they want. Even if someone asks me, I reply that I want to be the president.”

n“But at least you want to be a player in Eunkwang high. For me, I don’t”

nSanghoon must have run out of things to say because he closed his mouth.

n“I don’t fit in with Eunkwang high, which focuses on freedom. Even if I attend with you guys I’d only hold you back.”

nNamwook was the most diligent person I knew.

nNamwook continued.

n“But I want to be someone who can help and protect others too. To do that I think it’s a better choice to learn that skill in the military school and become a soldier.”

nFor him to say it like this he must have contemplated the matter every single day since the incident.

nWhat was the right thing to say now?

nA word of advice for his military life?

nThe pros and cons of Eunkwang high and military high?

nHad there been even the slightest hint of hesitation in his eyes I would have said something.

n“Okay. I understand.”

nFor Nawook he didn’t need any of this information.

n“If anything happens call me anytime. Even if I can’t do anything I’ll always be there to listen.”

nNamwook did not bring this up so that we would convince him otherwise or tell him things he didn’t know. He just wanted a ‘friend’ who would listen.

n“You sound like an old man”

n“Are you an old man?”

nMy overly serious tone was laughed at by the two secondary students.

nSoon Sanghoon and I continued our thoughtless conversations.

nNamwook soon seemed relaxed and nagged at our pointless conversations.

nThe sunlight is shorter in winter.

nWe ate dinner at Sanghoon a little earlier than usual and decided to part before the sun went down.

nSanghoon’s family suggested we sleepover and seemed disappointed.

nBut Namwook’s parents came over to pick him up, and I also declined.

nThere were three means of public transport back home.

nTrain, bus, or air shuttle.

nThe air shuttle was pricier and my neighborhood had no air shuttle stop so I decided to take the bus.

nSanhoon accompanied me to the bus stop and waited with me.

n“Namwook doesn’t seem to have noticed but there is something getting on my nerve.”

n“Like what?”

nThere was nobody in the street.

nOnly the sound of passing cars could be heard.

n“You know, when you threw the item at minki, it’s weird. If you wanted to optimize the impact it would have been better to throw it at the limit.”

nIt was rare for Sanghoon to form such long sentences.

nEven when he was about to be backstabbed to death he did not speak this long.

nHe must have been thinking about this for a long time.

n“Have you been thinking about this since then?”

nHe didn’t answer.

nI answered after considering the worst possible scenario and the next possible step.

n‘Had it been a player who had reached the final stage of this game they would have anticipated and made the same move.’

nI had left a few openings.

nWould have stopped using Sanghoon as bait or seized the ball by making use of the press.

nIt would have never come to this if he had sincerely apologized to Sanghoon.

nBut Minki always made the worst possible decisions.

n“The prize money is in. My treat next time.”

nSanghoon stared at me who had blatantly changed the subject.

nSanghoon gave up on hearing an answer.

n“I received the settlement money, I’ll buy it. Let’s call Namwook too.”

nNow that I thought of it the settlement money was much more than the prize money.

nI felt a sense of defeat.

nEven though Namwook and I received our share of the settlement money for agreeing to keep silent.

nWe planned ahead on where we wanted to go by making use of the hologram.

nThe search engine AI suggested two places.

nA hotel in the air that overlooked the Han river that served a snow and air winter special buffet.

nOr a famous french patisseries’ Korean visit limited edition dinner course.

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nBoth seemed good.

nWhile I was seriously contemplating between the two….

n“Thanks, Jo Eushin.”

nSanghoon thanked me out of the blue.

nI pretended not to hear.

nAnd a few days later, on 1st Jan.

nThe day I, nameless supernova Jo Eushin turned 17 and became an official player.

nThe moment my analogue clock’s second hand pointed to zero.

nThe system alarm was heard.

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