Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

In the mountains on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do,
Yao Ruichi got out of the vehicle, hiding his anxiety.
The vehicle was an SUV with no distinguishing features, but Yao Ruichi, who had just gotten out, was well aware of its interior.

The inside of the SUV was covered with refined otherworldly metal, filled with all sorts of weapons and traps.
It wasn’t so much a regular vehicle that had been modified for combat, but more like a transportation vehicle made for battle that had been disguised to look ordinary.
There was one more strange thing.

‘There are more items here that look like they were made by someone, rather than ones directly obtained from another world. Wouldn’t items of such rarity have a label with the maker’s signature?’
It was unclear whether the labels had been intentionally removed or if the items had been made without labels from the beginning.
But one thing was certain from the situation.

‘The Oath of the Three Knights must have made or bought these items.’
Yao Ruichi, pretending to look around the mountains, glanced back at those monitoring him.
The ones watching him were guards assigned by Dishang under the pretext of providing protection.

For a player of Yao Ruichi's level, it would make more sense for him to be the one offering protection, but Dishang had refused to accept that.
He had reluctantly accepted the situation, citing that Yao Ruichi was a valuable otherworldly instrument player, but he had been constantly on guard.
The guards who followed him under the guise of protection were all exceptional players, yet they were all strangers to Yao Ruichi.

‘I know the faces of famous players belonging to the Oath of the Three Knights... but I don’t recognize these ones. Why are players of this level here?’
It was clear that they were affiliated with the Oath of the Three Knights, as they followed the orders of Dishang, the Knight of Earthquake, but Yao Ruichi didn’t know their names.
What was even stranger was that they looked Korean.

The Oath of the Three Knights was based in England, and most of its members were either British or from countries near England.
However, the ones watching Yao Ruichi now looked undeniably Korean.
It was unclear whether they had disguised themselves thoroughly as Koreans or if they had been selected as Koreans from the start, but it was certain that the Oath of the Three Knights had prepared thoroughly to operate in Korea.
“This way. Let’s go.”

The guard spoke in Korean.
There were some difficult pronunciations included, but considering how effortlessly he spoke, it seemed like he had either practiced thoroughly or that Korean was his native language.
Yao Ruichi, trying to look unbothered, followed with a blank expression.

He had tightly gripped his Diz, ready to use it to either attack or flee at any moment.
It was as if he was carrying a weapon while moving, but the guards didn’t seem to find it odd.
‘Good thing I’ve been imitating an eccentric artist in my daily life. I never expected Lu Bo-won’s advice to be this helpful.’

Thanks to his exceptional otherworldly abilities and musical talent, Yao Ruichi was considered one of the continent’s greatest geniuses, but his personality was closer to that of an ordinary high school student.
Compared to Lu Bo-won, who seemed obviously eccentric and weird, Yao Ruichi naturally appeared like a more normal person. Even without considering that, Yao Ruichi had been blessed with an unremarkable, easygoing personality.
However, his childhood friend Lu Bo-won, worried about him, had said:

—“Ruichi, sometimes you need to hide your normalcy. Bad people try to use a genius’s ordinary nature.”
—“Bad people?”
—“Yeah, sometimes you have to do something crazy.”

Yao Ruichi seriously wondered if Lu Bo-won was smart or foolish.
Lu Bo-won, who was obviously young and a mad eccentric, gave this advice with a serious face.
—“We’re about to enter the player training facility in Chengdu, right? You should act eccentric too. That’s how we’ll be able to move together.”

—“I don’t want to act like you. It’s embarrassing.”
—“...I’m embarrassing?”
—“A little.”

—“W-well, let’s only mess around sometimes! You don’t need to do anything special, just act dazed. You’re good at art, so it’s fine to be like that! People will even say you’re being more of an artist that way!”
Yao Ruichi had no idea what Lu Bo-won was saying.
But he trusted him, and since he wanted to move with his weird eccentric childhood friend, after entering the Chengdu player training facility, Yao Ruichi followed Lu Bo-won’s advice.

Moreover, Yao Ruichi personally respected the musician, the Blue Violinist Kwon Je-in, who, when living daily life, often acted dazed. So, imitating that, whenever someone acted weird or yelled in front of him, he just stayed dazed or ignored them and played along with Lu Bo-won’s pranks.
Especially when adults were around or when there were recording devices, Yao Ruichi was more careful about his actions.
—“Lu Bo-won, Yao Ruichi. You two go this way.”

Thus, despite being exceptional, the strange kids were grouped together, which allowed Yao Ruichi to act alongside Lu Bo-won.
As Yao Ruichi grew as a player, he often faced people who tried to exploit his ‘ordinary genius,’ just as Lu Bo-won had warned.
Whenever he encountered those who tried to use him, Yao Ruichi would pretend to understand nothing, remain indifferent, or call out Lu Bo-won to play pranks, easily overcoming crises.

Since Yao Ruichi had acted strangely since childhood, his reputation didn’t suddenly drop, and he wasn’t suspected by anyone.
Even now, Yao Ruichi was fiddling with his Diz, keeping his gaze blank, yet sharply observing his surroundings, repeatedly confirming how he had moved and what route he had taken.
‘I’ve entered the cave, five steps ahead. Stop for about 10 seconds, then disable the barrier and move 17 steps left, three steps forward. Then open the door with the key and go straight...’

Yao Ruichi was sweating coldly as he thought about the complex movement.
With his senses as a player from China, the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do felt incredibly close to the capital, Seoul, and the Hojo family’s shrine.
For him to be doing suspicious things so close to the capital and the shrine, it was clear that the Oath of the Three Knights was not in their right mind.

After a long period of movement, he reached a place that was presumably the destination, but it was closed off by a thick door, surrounded by traps.
‘Stone traps. Primitive in design, but I sense a strong otherworldly aura. Ah, could it be...?’
The word ‘lightning trap’ suddenly popped into Yao Ruichi’s mind.

This wasn’t just a trap, but a type of hunting weapon designed to capture and kill the enemy.
Though it had an unfamiliar and primitive appearance, the lightning trap was said to have captured numerous tigers in the Korean peninsula.
In modern times, it was rarely used and was difficult to operate effectively, but when it came to facing the Hojo family, the information stored in his device confirmed the details.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
‘Placing this here means they want to fight against the Hojo family, right? This is insane, the Oath of the Three Knights is definitely insane!’
Yao Ruichi wanted to run away right now, but he didn’t have the ability to escape from this complex cave, shaking off several players.

The only thing Yao Ruichi could do was pretend to be a clueless eccentric.
The heavy sound of a door opening echoed, revealing the inside.
The cave was filled with a delicate formation of incense.

At the center of the incense was a coffin.
The coffin was opaque, so it was unclear what was inside, but it was certain that someone was lying in it.
Moreover, Yao Ruichi felt a sense of déjà vu.

‘I’ve never experienced something so insane before, why do I feel this way?’
Yao Ruichi quickly racked his brain and suddenly remembered something.
Dishang had once gathered the five best restoration skill users at the Chengdu player training facility under the pretext of practicing restoration skills.

Among them were Yao Ruichi and Lu Bo-won.
Dishang had handed them a belt imbued with a divine energy that felt refreshing, leaving an impression in Yao Ruichi’s memory.
And now, he felt that same energy coming from beyond the coffin.

“Dishang’s message. ‘Play here.’”
“…Just play? Didn’t he say anything else?”
“There’s nothing missing from the message.”

Yao Ruichi was confused, but he knew that if he voiced his doubts, he had no idea what would happen.
He was certain that the only way to safely get out of this situation was to pretend to be a mad genius.
Wouldn’t a real crazy genius want to play in a strange place like this?

If so, he had to smile now.
“Alright.”
With a big smile, Yao Ruichi lifted his Diz.

Although he had prepared to play, his mind went completely blank, and he couldn’t think of what to play.
The guards were staring at him intently.
Yao Ruichi had to play something.

‘Right, the song I heard back then!’
Yao Ruichi recalled the song he had heard when he had awakened in the Hojo territory while strategizing the otherworldly ruins simulation.
The sound had been faint, and very distant, but it had been a melody he had never heard before, and he had been drawn to it, waking up.

Without realizing it, Yao Ruichi began to play that song.
Meanwhile, outside the cave, there were those waiting for Yao Ruichi.
“Hyunmu-nim, is Yao Ruichi safe?”

“Don’t worry.”
Hyunmu spoke in a gentle voice, comforting Li Wei.
Hyunmu’s face, with his eyes blindfolded, was facing the cave.

It looked as if his blinded eyes could see beyond the cave, piercing through the situation.
“I hear a very nostalgic melody.”
Hyunmu said this, but Li Wei couldn’t hear anything.

The annex of the Hwangmyung-ho mansion.
In the heavy atmosphere, Sanryeong was nervously sitting among the Hojo family members.
Sanryeong had unintentionally ended up in the room when Jeokho entered, and continued to listen to Baekho’s conversation.

Even after Baekho stopped speaking, Sanryeong had no chance to leave.
He was stuck in the chair, like a bundle of straw, but fortunately, Eun Ho seemed to notice Sanryeong’s presence and had his share of tea brought over.
“Everyone’s cups are empty. Please, enjoy.”

Of course, there was none for Baekho.
Instead of dealing with Baekho, Eun Ho asked Jeokho.
“Jeokho-nim, did you have anything to report about the Oath of the Three Knights?”

“There is, but I think I’m going to forget because of Baekho.”
Jeokho glared at Baekho, but Baekho wasn’t affected at all.
At that moment, Hwangho, who had been holding his temples, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

It seemed that he had received important news from another avatar, but it seemed that Hwangho had difficulty speaking, as he took several sips of cold tea before finally opening his mouth.
“Hyunmu contacted me. I think it’s related to Jeokho’s report.”
“It must be important then. Is it urgent?”

“We’ll have time to think after we hear the details.”
“That’s a relief.”
Eun Ho spoke to Jeokho, who was still seething with anger.

“Jeokho-nim, could you call your son?”
As soon as Eun Ho mentioned his son, Jeokho immediately regained his composure.
Although he was still angry because of Baekho, mentioning his son seemed to calm him down.

“I’ll call him right away. It’s better to hear the report with him.”
“Yes, and there’s that too.”
Eun Ho smiled sweetly.

“We’re planning to prepare plenty of your son’s favorite ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) food. We should have dinner together. Let him stay the night and have breakfast together in the morning. What do you think?”
“That’s a good idea.”
“Good.”

“I want to eat something delicious!”
Everyone except Baekho agreed with Eun Ho’s suggestion.