Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

The seat that Eun Ho recommended for Baek Ho was directly across from Eun Ho’s own.

As usual, Baek Ho sat at the place of honor, which positioned him between the two of them.
‘I finally get to see Baek Ho get a scolding. He probably won’t even get the dried persimmon tea or might not get it at all.’
Hwang Ho thought of the scene in the simulator, where Baek Ho wielded his sword mercilessly.

Since ancient times, his close friend had been exceedingly strong and showed no mercy to his enemies.
When his ruthless, ignorant friend’s sword was aimed at a benefactor, it gave Hwang Ho an uncomfortable feeling.
When Baek A almost severed Jo Yi-shin's arm, Hwang Ho had wanted to stop the simulation right then.

Eun Ho, who was deeply devoted to Jo Yi-shin and had witnessed that scene, would surely have some resentment against Baek Ho, Hwang Ho thought.
But his expectations were off.
“I have a lot I want to talk about. Let’s talk while drinking tea.”

“Thank you. I’ll drink it well.”
“…Huh?”
Eun Ho neatly arranged the teacups and poured tea for Baek Ho.

He carefully watched if dried persimmons were inside, but he used the same ordinary tea leaves as Hwang Ho to brew the tea.
Hwang Ho alternated between watching the teacup in front of Baek Ho and Eun Ho.
While Baek Ho drank the tea, Eun Ho gently spoke to Hwang Ho.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t offer tea to Baek Ho hyung?”
“…”
“You shouldn’t look at a close friend like that when he’s being offered tea.”

Hwang Ho didn’t respond and continued drinking his tea.
Having his childlike appearance, the white tea felt bitter.
Now that he thought about it, Eun Ho would often offer sweet snacks or ice cream to Hwang Ho, but today he was giving him white tea, which was almost devoid of any sweetness.
It seemed there was still some unresolved tension with Hwang Ho.

“Baek Ho hyung has always treated Yi-shin hyung well in the real world. He’s never threatened him with things like life or death, right? Isn’t that true, Hwang Ho?”
“…Well, that’s true.”
Hwang Ho couldn’t refute Eun Ho’s words.

What one did in reality and what one did in the simulator were two separate matters.
Thinking about how Baek Ho had always treated Jo Yi-shin well, Hwang Ho reconsidered Baek Ho's actions.
On the day Jo Yi-shin saved Kim Shin-rok, Baek Ho had also headed to the scene, albeit late.

Among the reports Hwang Ho had received, it had been noted that before the seal was broken, Baek Ho had broken down the gymnasium door.
The fact that Hwang Ho had intentionally kept quiet about Baek Ho’s involvement that day was his own doing.
‘Baek Ho must have gone to help Jo Yi-shin from the very beginning. It seems Eun Ho views it positively as well.’

Eun Ho had been paying close attention to Baek Ho’s movements for a while now.
When Eun Ho found out that Baek Ho had headed to the gymnasium where Class 13 was taking the test that day, he had shown great interest.
Whether it was because he liked seeing these figures who were like older brothers helping each other, or simply because he found the interaction interesting, Eun Ho had thoroughly examined the incident where Baek Ho and Jo Yi-shin were involved together.

‘Baek Ho also cooperated when they wiped out Choi Pyeon-deuk's den. If I had gone with them back then, it would have been nice. If we had collaborated from the start, Jo Yi-shin’s attitude might have been different…’
Back then, Hwang Ho had arranged for Jo Yi-shin and Jeok Ho to meet, but hadn’t been involved otherwise.
He had helped clean up afterward, but back then, Hwang Ho had been more of a bystander.

And while Hwang Ho didn’t fully know, even if he had cooperated with Jo Yi-shin immediately, Jo Yi-shin’s attitude wouldn’t have changed much.
Jo Yi-shin clearly remembered how lax Hwang Ho had been at the Plamagoh.
“Baek Ho hyung has been trying to help Yi-shin hyung since the day he came to this world, you know. Even though you didn’t notice, Baek Ho hyung knew and headed to the gymnasium where Class 13 was taking the test.”

While Hwang Ho paused to think, Eun Ho asked Baek Ho a question.
When Hwang Ho heard the question, he lifted his head.
At that time, Hwang Ho had no suspicions about how quickly Baek Ho had arrived at the gymnasium.

Back then, Hwang Ho had been negligent, and while Baek Ho had been a beast, he and Kim Shin-rok still shared a master-disciple relationship.
Though a bit late, it wasn’t unusual for the master to rush to the aid of his disciple, especially someone from the Hojo family, the most powerful beast.
It wouldn’t have been strange if he had detected the beastman’s intrusion using his extraordinary instincts.

“The beastmen set foot on the sacred land. There was no way I could just stand by.”
“The beastmen dared to step on sacred land, so of course, it’s only right to act accordingly. But the event that occurred back then was a hidden move by the mastermind. That person knew the movements of the key forces at Eungwang High perfectly and set his traps. But Baek Ho hyung didn’t follow that person’s prediction.”
Hwang Ho recalled the events of that day as he listened to Eun Ho’s words.

It was indeed strange.
Had Kim Shin-rok not been there and had ordinary teachers or students been nearby, it would have been nothing more than a small incident.
If Yongje Geon had come to watch Kim Shin-rok out of boredom, if strong students had done a patrol, or if a different teacher had been there, the beastman from the Beast Taming Department would have been either dead or quickly thrown into the Hojo family’s pit.

Especially if the strong homeroom teacher Lim Yeon-hwa or the martial arts master Ham Geun-hyung had been there, they might have defeated Rino Seron in an instant, sent the beastman from the Beast Taming Department to his grave, and perhaps even found the clue to the long tail.
‘That person must have used the female dragon shaman to deliver a false weather forecast and kept Yongje Geon occupied. Other teachers or strong students would have been similarly kept away.’
At that time, the mastermind had used more than just the female dragon shaman; Choi Pyeon-deuk had also been a key player.

The mastermind must have used Choi Pyeon-deuk to map out the patrol routes of students and the positions of the teachers, carefully setting their traps.
But at Eungwang High, there was another powerful group.
That group was the Hojo family.

The Hojo family’s members mostly worked for the Hwangmyeong Foundation, so it wouldn’t have been unusual for them to appear anywhere in Eungwang High.
After putting together such a detailed plan, if a Hojo family member had appeared unexpectedly, all of those plans would have gone awry.
‘I see. That person would have been monitoring the movements of the Hojo family too. Especially me, Jeok Ho, and Baek Ho. They must have been waiting for a situation where we wouldn’t be around or where it would be hard to get news.’

When preparing such an important and large-scale plan, just as Hwang Ho had used Jeok Ho to investigate the situation with the money and the beasts, the mastermind must have also employed powerful moves to track the Hojo family’s movements.
That day, Hwang Ho had left no clones at Eungwang High, Jeok Ho had been investigating the beastmen as usual, and Baek Ho had been off in a remote area outside the sacred land, probably practicing his sword alone.
But then, Baek Ho had appeared at the scene.

If time was taken into consideration, even if Jo Yi-shin had failed in his hunt for Rino Seron, Kim Shin-rok might have barely survived.
In other words, Baek Ho had moved beyond the mastermind’s calculations.
It seemed Eun Ho had reached this conclusion faster than Hwang Ho.

“After that, Baek Ho hyung helped Yi-shin hyung again. Baek Ho hyung appeared at the building where the Fight Club was and dealt with the beastmen from the Beast Taming Department. Yi-shin hyung or Jeok Ho didn’t call him.”
Hwang Ho knew this but hadn’t suspected anything.
It made perfect sense for Baek Ho to show interest in his disciple, whom he had saved. If he had quietly observed and then decided to join when he saw Jeok Ho’s actions, it wasn’t strange.

But Eun Ho seemed to have a different perspective.
“There have been several incidents where Baek Ho hyung’s actions or statements have raised some doubts.”
Hwang Ho had been so happy to see his old friends again that he hadn’t given it much thought.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
He didn’t pay much attention to his close friends saying strange things after a long time.
But as he listened to Eun Ho’s words, he started to recall certain events from the past that seemed a bit off.

‘There were times when Baek Ho acted as if he could read Jo Yi-shin’s mind.’
At first, it was hard to understand, but when he observed Jo Yi-shin closely, there were moments when his thoughts became clear.
Such as when he harbored dissatisfaction with Hwang Ho or thought Hwang Ho was speaking nonsense or planning to do something dangerous without telling the Hojo family.

There were times when Jo Yi-shin’s thoughts were easily understood, like when he thought of the divine beasts as cute.
But when he was deep in thought, like playing a game of chess, Hwang Ho couldn’t read him at all.
“Baek Ho hyung, I have one question.”

Baek Ho silently listened to Eun Ho’s words.
Hwang Ho couldn’t guess what question Eun Ho was about to ask.
“Who taught you chess?”

This sudden question made Hwang Ho widen his eyes and look between the two.
He couldn’t understand why chess was being brought up after talking about Jo Yi-shin and Baek Ho.
But there was something that bothered him.

‘I remember playing chess with Baek Ho once.’
Back when the stalemate chess tournament was held last year, Eun Ho’s descendants had shown interest in chess.
Hwang Ho had explained the rules of chess to the children, but Baek Ho had been quietly observing Jo Yi-shin’s chess games.

It was so unusual to see his close friend interested in chess that he had started a conversation with him.
—Baek Ho, do you like chess too? I’ll teach you the rules, so let’s have a game. I’m pretty good at it, so I’ll probably have to give you a few pieces to make it fair.
Hwang Ho had intentionally provoked Baek Ho.

He thought that by doing this, Baek Ho’s competitive spirit would ignite, and he would take a greater interest in chess.
In truth, Hwang Ho had been good at chess because he had studied human games for many years.
At Hwang Ho’s provocation, Baek Ho had stopped staring at the chess games and said.

—I know the rules.
Hwang Ho was secretly pleased when he saw the determination in Baek Ho’s eyes.
Baek Ho had always been skilled at countering provocations.

—There’s no need to give me any pieces. After we play, you’ll probably be the one asking me to give you some.
Baek Ho, like always, had expertly countered Hwang Ho’s provocation.
That day, Hwang Ho and Baek Ho had played a fierce game of chess in front of Eun Ho’s descendants.

Hwang Ho had thought Baek Ho was just bluffing, or maybe if things turned against him, he would try to break the chessboard with Baek A, but after a few moves, those thoughts vanished.
Baek Ho was certainly no easy opponent.
Hwang Ho had faced professional chess players before, but the pressure he felt against Baek Ho was even greater than when facing those experts.

And the chess match between the Hojo family’s best players had ended with Baek Ho’s victory.
‘It’s possible he taught himself, but while he was sharpening his skills, he must have played some matches. Not just one or two games.’
Recently, Baek Ho had been speaking more openly, but would he really stay quiet now?

As Hwang Ho thought this, Baek Ho spoke.
“Eun Ho, they told me to answer if you asked that question.”
“Did the person who taught you chess say that?”

“Yes.”
Hwang Ho widened his eyes a little at Baek Ho’s response.
The person who had taught Baek Ho chess seemed to know about Eun Ho as well.

If that was the case, it meant that the person knew that Eun Ho had awakened, narrowing down the candidates significantly.
Just as Hwang Ho was still unable to catch on, Baek Ho answered.
“The person who taught me chess is Jo Yi-shin.”

“Jo Yi-shin? How?”
Jo Yi-shin.
Hwang Ho asked in surprise, unable to control himself.

Baek Ho followed up with even more shocking words.
“Jo Yi-shin said he didn’t want to receive a blessing from someone who couldn’t even play chess, especially not one with his life at stake. So, he learned it himself.”