8. Birthday cake smash and bonus (1)

There are a few ways to humiliate a group and hurt their pride.

Traditional way often used was to defile the group's land and symbols.

Tearing a national flag or demolishing ancestry shrines and building dirty facilities or similar buildings in their place were the examples.

Seoul's Eungwang District was Ho tribe's divine realm.

And at the center of this divine realm was the Eungwang High School.

The Ung tribe which despised Heavenly God, Sinin and Ho tribe conceived similar thoughts and desired to tarnish the divine realm's Eungwang School and Eungwang District.

"Did student Jo Uisin know about this? That they commit such dirty acts straight at the steps of Eungwang School, our Ho tribe's divine realm."

If Jeok-ho, an information gathering expert, targeted Choe Pyeondeuk he would learn about all of it.

The red sparks jumped around Jeok-ho who couldn't control his emotions.

"The Eungwang School's teacher being the preparator behind this…!"

Choe Pyeondeuk secretly founded and managed a few degenerate facilities just before Eungwang School's nose.

With his high credibility as an Eungwang School's teacher, and many connections with Eungwang district administrators and Seoul Education administrators, it was easy to deceive their eyes.

"There was no proof."

If it progressed like in the game, the hero party would succeed in purifying the Eungwang district around the next year.

From the gamer point of view, Choe Pyeondeuk was clearly a culprit, but the hero party missed him, the mastermind in the dark and all the evidence.

So I had to be even more careful.

"There is a large possibility that Choe Pyeondeuk holds hands with some other Jin tribe besides the Ung tribe."

Crack—!

I saw the red lighting struck on the other side of the balcony window.

Like the last time, the screams raised somewhere in the dormitory.

"It would be possible to pierce the Eungwang School's barrier and drive the teacher near death after sneaking in the Enemy if the Eight Ung Immortals gathered their power. However, the Eight Immortals are only related to the Sawol Seeum disappearing case."

And currently, after failing in exterminating Heavenly God and Sinin, two of Eight Immortals went crazy and three fell into deep sleep.

It wasn't enough to take over the Eungwang School's barrier.

Even the Sawol Seeum disappearing case was the same.

If you exclude Ungnyeo of Grief taking part in creating the silver coin of silent oath for Fantasy Auction, the Ung tribe's most powerful force, the Eight Immortals were in fact unrelated.

"One of the Jin tribes in 12 Zodiac Alliance must have betrayed the Ho tribe."

In this world, there existed something called the 12 Zodiac Alliance.

Around 100 years ago, after the first Clash of the Different Worlds occurred in the Korean Peninsula…

After the Jin people came to the mortal world and their power to interfere grew, each Jin tribe, which was regarded as a manifestation of the 12 Chinese Zodiacs' animals, picked a place on the Korean Peninsula and made a nonaggression treaty.

'The Jin tribes of the Alliance decided to make barriers.'

The tribes of the Zodiac Alliance each added their power to the protection barriers which defended each of their places.

Even the barrier protecting the Ho tribe's divine realm and the Eungwang District, where the Heavenly God descended, was a collaboration of the 12 Zodiac Alliance.

Therefore the incident of a demonic beast's intrusion during Eungwang School's practical entrance exam was the result of someone among the 12 Zodiac Alliance betraying the Ho tribe and holding hands with the Ung tribe.

"…You even know about the 12 Zodiac Alliance?"

Jeok-ho closed his eyes and fell into thoughts for a moment.

In his thoughts he somehow resembled Ungnyeo of Grief.

It was an extremely short moment, but the two Jins were truly like a married couple.

Finishing his thoughts, Jeok-ho answered.

"I understand, Jo Uisin. Let's go together."

My title changed from 'Student Jo Uisin' to 'Jo Uisin'.

I guess he made up his mind how he should treat me.

From now on, Jeok-ho would treat me like a Player who can solve problems.

I answered with a satisfied smile:

"Please take care of me, Jeok-ho."

***

The Educational Environment Protection Law, 'School Environment Law' for short.

This law enforced and defined the 'School Environment Protection Zone' or 'School Purity Zone'.

Within a 50 meter radius area from the school's main gates was an absolute protection zone. Within a 200 meter radius from the school's boundary, excluding the absolute protection zone, was a relative protection zone.

Therefore, 200 meter radius around 500 thousand pyeong of the Eungwang School's campus, was an Educational Environment Protection Zone.

Some facilities and businesses are prohibited from this area to protect students' health, hygiene, safety, and learning and educational environment.

'It's closer to the school than I expected.'

At the ground within the Educational Environment Protection Zone.

Jeok-ho and I stood at the rooftop of a mansion opposite of the ordinary building as any other without any signs.

'Even when checking with the map built-in the device, this building is within the School Purity Zone.'

Under the school's nose, in the Educational Environment Protection Zone.

Just thinking the adult entertainment business established by the teacher was here, hurt my brain.

'It's illegal even if it's not in the Educational Environment Protection Zone. Aren't they too bold?'

They seemed to be able to go wild only because they were that reckless.

Even if you are being looked after by the Ung tribe, what are you doing in the divine realm where the mythological Ho tribe resides?

In the game, when Ju Su-hyeok was in his 2nd year and attacked, and pulled out Maeng Hyodon, it was only described that it was close to the Eungwang School, so I didn't know it was this close.

"Jo Uisin, what are we going to do now?"

"We naturally have to go inside."

"Do you want to use Red Smoke to enter?"

Up to here, Jeok-ho brought me here under the protection of the Red Smoke.

'Thanks to that, even one raindrop didn't touch me even in the storm.'

If I used the Red Smoke during the infiltration like this, I wouldn't be seen.

However, for a 'bonus' I had to make an appearance.

"Yes. Until we're inside. After that I will use my Gwangrim to deceive the eyes of others. I'll use it in advance."

It would be my first time using Gwangrim before someone else, but if it was Jeok-ho, I could trust him.

I put on the mask and the voice changing modulator I prepared in advance and used the Gwangrim.

Because the character I'm using today is a celebrity, I had to hide my voice and appearance.

⟨Using the Gwangrim 'Player's Trajectory'.⟩

The character card raised from my fingertips and then turned into light and wrapped around my body.

I covered my face with a mask, but Jeok-ho, who noticed that my build and overall ability level clearly changed, opened his eyes a bit wide.

"Let's go."

Jeok-ho put the Red Smoke on the both of us, completely erasing our existence and traces, and we simply ventured inside the building

As expected, Jeok-ho's power was also great.

It's a pity Jeok-ho wasn't a playable character.

If I could use him with the Player's Trajectory, I would eat infiltration and information gathering raw.

***

The ordinary looking building owned by Choe Pyeondeuk was a devil den inside.

Up to the 4th floor it was a normal office, but going up to the 5th floor was only possible by entering the password in the specially operated elevator.

'I can't believe he put so much effort into it.'

The 5th floor was a gambling hall.

The 6th floor was a brothel.

The 7th floor was a fighting club.

The 8th floor was a VIP room.

The whole building was the corruption of public decency itself, completely managed by a membership system.

It was a shitshow which took the word's meaning and went beyond it, the wreck of morals and laws.

Everything reeked from the smell of cigarettes and overflowed with people guzzling up drugged heavy liquor and champagne, enjoying the degeneration.

'The feeling of superiority and decadence must be fantastic if they do it in front of Korea's most prestigious highschool.'

The majority of this place's members were Players.

They were weaker than the 1st year students of the Eungwang School.

The 15% of the entire world population were Players, but every year only 500 people could enter the Eungwang School among those.

Therefore, this building could be said to be the result of the expression of distorted desires and inferiority.

Grit.

I turned back when I heard Jeok-ho, who adjusted the Red Smoke so he would only be visible to me, gritting his teeth. I noticed his hands were shaking.

Straight before him, two people were completing an obscene deed. The sparks at Jeok-ho's fingertips were about to rise and grow.

"Stop."

I grabbed Jeok-ho's fingers and stopped him, whispering.

The person I currently transformed into had a similar build to Jeok-ho so I could easily restrain him.

"If you act recklessly here, even if we catch Choe Pyeondeuk, we will fail to catch the Ung and the guests."

He looked down at me with blood-shot eyes.

'Huu', Jeok-ho took a deep breath.

After he blinked very slowly, he replied:

"… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Let's hurry."

It might have looked a bit unnatural, but I pushed invisible Jeok-ho's back as we went up floor after floor.

Luckily Jeok-ho controlled himself when similar sights entered his eyes.

'It's here.'

7th floor, we arrived at the Fighting Club.

In the center of the floor, I saw a big ring and hologram screens.

The clock on the hologram was counting down the remaining time until midnight.

'They are planning to start a match at midnight when Choe Pyeondeuk's birthday begins.'

As I discussed with Jeok-ho beforehand, we decided to disperse.

I sent Jeok-ho off with a gaze, and Jeok-ho also replied with a light nod after which he disappeared.

'Jeok-ho seemed to calm down, so he will do well.'

I started to move to search for my 'bonus'.

While I wandered around the 7th floor where the fighting club was located, I suddenly caught the reflection of my strange appearance in the glass window.

In the completely tinted glass window, so that the inside of the building couldn't be seen from the outside, was a vague reflection of the adult figure wearing a crown mask.

It looked seriously suspicious, but in this degenerated building, the majority of people were wearing masks, so it wasn't very noticeable.

'My head hurts…'

My head spun because of all the obscene sights which washed my eyes, but I had to find that guy before 12 pm.

Because of partitions making the floor like a maze, I was lost and lost again for a few minutes.

Then my eyes entered the room in the far corner of the floor.

Through the crack of the opened door, I discovered the person I had been looking for.

'Found…!'

A short 17 years old boy.

'He looks even shorter than Sawol Seeum. But he seems to weigh more because of the muscles.'

The boy blankly stared outside the window at the falling rain as he mechanically tapped on its surface with his fist.

He had a blank expression, but I could see his fierce eyes, so I recognized him straight away.

'Sure enough, it's Maeng Hyodon.'

Maeng Hyodon, the boy who alone bore all of his father, the only remaining family member, debts spent on alcohol, gambling and women.

Maeng Hyodon was now reduced to the backstreet fighting slave by a scheme of the teacher, Choe Pyeondeuk.

'Choe Pyeondeuk, you son of a bitch…'

The Fighting Club was a place where the Players turned slaves, risked their lives fighting with bare hands against each other or if not, against Players and Enemies to put on the fucked up show.

'Did you make him fight in the school uniform!?'

Currently, as a fighting slave, he was wearing the school uniform.

Maeng Hyodon was wearing a black shirt and a dark gray jacket of the Eungwang School's uniform.

On it was an acrylic name tag with the three characters of his name carved.

It must be to sell the Eungwang School's brand here.

Maeng Hyodon, who couldn't even once participate in the entrance ceremony or class, was fighting a lonely fight to pay for his father's debts, wearing a school uniform.

"What?"

Maeng Hyodon was sitting in the waiting room that was less than one pyeong[1] when the doors were closed.

Sensing my presence, Meang Hyodon turned back to me and spit out:

"Crazy bastard, why are you looking at me with eyes like that? Wanna go to hell? Give me money if you are so compassionate."

Maeng Hyodon child breadwinner's mouth was quite rough.

For the foul-mouthed breadwinner Maeng Hyodon, I decided to become a noisy person.

"You, why are you fighting here?"

"None of your business, so get out."

"Debts aren't inheritable if you don't want to. Do you know that? The child doesn't need to pay for their parents' debts."

"What are you talking about? This old son of a bitch!"

He stood up all of the sudden.

He was ready to pounce on me any moment.

"Are you really thinking what you're doing now is some sort of filial piety? Giving your father money, so he can buy alcohol and pleasures, and gamble?"

"… Shut up and get out before I kill you!"

Maeng Hyodon was panting, yet in spite of it, he showed signs of hesitation.

He was fighting in this hell, so even he had to realize.

That his father saw him as nothing but his money machine.

That he didn't love his child.

"Why are you still here?"

One of the biggest reasons why Maeng Hyodon couldn't escape this hell…

Was because he thought there is no way there is a person who would help him or save him.

Maeng Hyodon was a fighting genius who couldn't receive the love of his parents and who couldn't adapt to school. He was a 17 years old boy who grew up moving between battlefields.

To sooth this loneliness he held on to his father and supplied him with money.

'It would be better to try from a different angle.'

Maeng Hyodon's school uniform was clean and well ironed.

It had to get dirty and be ripped to shreds during the fighting, so the traces of the poorly made stitches and regular washing remained.

He wouldn't think about Eungwang School's uniform as valuable because of the audience watching this dirty fighting scene.

"Don't you want to go to school?"

Maeng Hyodon didn't answer my words, but his face contorted and he bowed his head.

He held his breath for a while, then he lifted his head and shouted:

"You, who are you, you bastard…!"

I needed to obtain Maeng Hyodon's trust here.

He wasn't the kind of guy who was willing to take a helping hand of a suspicious person whose name or face he doesn't even know.

'I have to honestly answer who I am.'

Revealing my identity was risky.

However I trusted Maeng Hyodon.

Because in the game, he was loyal to Ju Su-hyeok, a friend who saved him, until the moment he died.

"Eungwang School 1st year class 0 Jo Uisin, the vice president of your class."

I showed him the Eungwang School electronic student ID.

At the bottom of the remarks in the Student ID was written: 'Vice class president of the 1st year class 0'.

*~*~*

[1] One pyeong – approximately 3.306m³.

Translator's note: Fun fact. The School Purity Zone Law is an actual law in South Korea and it really works like described.