Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

"Looks like you have a lot of questions."

"Isn't it the same for you?"

"I just started school, so there's a lot I want to know. I want to get to know the class better, including Yi-shin."

When the class was mentioned, a few faces immediately came to mind.

There was Goo Seul-bi and Ong Gil-dong, who were disappointed and upset that In Seon-oh didn't win.

Then, there was Dokgo Mi-ro, who sent me a message through a device, saying that In Seon-oh was paying attention to me.

And of course, there was Maeng Hyo-don, who had been plagued by nightmares because of me.

"Thanks for helping Maeng Hyo-don back then."

"What time are you talking about?"

"When you went on a night walk around Cheongrangho."

In Seon-oh had suggested that Maeng Hyo-don keep a Dreamcatcher by his bedside and even offered to switch rooms.

Maeng Hyo-don never directly spoke about In Seon-oh, and In Seon-oh had never revealed what they did.

At that time, aside from the White Tiger, who knew everything but kept quiet, neither I nor the Tiger Clan knew anything about the nightmares.

Considering the circumstances, it seemed like In Seon-oh was the only one who could offer advice on how to avoid the nightmares.

"How did you know I was carrying nightmares?"

"When you came to Louis and Seul-bi's hideout and tried to wake us with your ability, I noticed. I happened to be sleeping at the time, so I felt it more keenly."

In Seon-oh made eye contact with me as they answered.

Based on the questions I was asking and my attitude, In Seon-oh was also gathering information from me.

It felt like a battle of wits.

"You can sense the existence of nightmares more sensitively when you're sleeping, huh?"

"Yeah, I could feel the presence of nightmares and thought, 'Finally, Insomnia has come for me.' But even though I set up a web and waited, the nightmares didn't invade my dream."

That night, In Seon-oh had appeared later than the others. I had assumed they had fallen into a deeper sleep or spent more time preparing themselves, but there had been another reason.

In Seon-oh was preparing to face Insomnia.

"And when I saw you, I was surprised. You definitely have the energy of nightmares as the master of the ability, but when I saw you face to face, you didn't seem like you were consumed by nightmares or had become Insomnia's companion."

"You didn't look surprised."

"You also hide your expression well when you fight. I had plenty of chances to see your performance in the exhibition match."

It seemed that In Seon-oh had started to be cautious of me from that moment.

The Lamb of Sleep could read the presence of nightmares whether awake or asleep, but In Seon-oh didn't seem to have that level of sensitivity.

That's why it seemed like In Seon-oh had made several attempts to gather information in the territory of the Lamb Clan.

'And after that, they must have continued to observe me.'

In Seon-oh, who had just started attending school, began to get to know the classmates.

As a player at Eun Gwang High, getting information about me was easy, and since In Seon-oh had connections around the school, they probably had no shortage of places to gather information.

In Seon-oh had likely investigated me, who carried the energy of nightmares, using various methods.

And with Hwang Ji-ho, who had no intention of hiding his identity, sticking close to me, In Seon-oh had probably grown even more cautious.

'In Seon-oh must have figured out quickly that Hwang Ji-ho is the leader of the Tiger Clan. Not only was I placed in the heart of the Tiger Clan's territory as someone carrying nightmares, but it also seemed like Hwang Ji-ho genuinely cared about me, which must have confused them.'

If I were in In Seon-oh's shoes, I would have considered the possibility that Hwang Ji-ho had already been consumed by nightmares and acted accordingly.

It made no sense for the arrogant and exclusive Tiger Clan to place Insomnia's nightmares in their central domain.

Although it could have been because they didn't know at first, Hwang Ji-ho knew and still acted this way.

Honestly, it was strange that Hwang Ji-ho wasn't trying to expel me now.

I tested In Seon-oh.

"The period hasn't been long, but if you've been watching me this whole time, you must know a lot."

"No. I don't know about the people Yi-shin is close to."

"The people you're close to?"

"For example, our classmate Ji-ho or Senior Yeom Jun-yeol."

The fact that In Seon-oh specifically mentioned the members of the Tiger Clan made it seem like they found it strange as well.

It was well-known among the dragon clan that I was carrying nightmares, aside from the Tiger Clan.

The Dragon King had said the following to me about the nightmares:

—[What you carry has a horrible power, but it is also a secretive existence. Only someone who knows much about death and dreams or has power like mine could understand it. Those related to your special eyes probably know all about it.]

—[I gave a gift to the benefactor even though I knew everything. My children are not weak, so don't worry and stay in the Dragon Palace. Just make sure to lock the door.]

The Dragon King, knowing full well what I was carrying, had handed me off to the Dragon Palace and made those comments.

Now, even the major figures of the dragon clan, including Cheong-ryong, probably knew, yet they still kept me close to Yeom Jun-yeol.

It seemed like In Seon-oh had questioned this, especially considering that the Dragon King, who was aware of Insomnia, had let me be with the dragon clan.

"Ah, and Seong-hoon was also close to Yi-shin."

In Seon-oh had become friends with Yoo Sang-hoon after their participation in PlayerZ.

They both competed in team matches, and since they attended the same school, they registered as friends in the game and had practice matches before their competitions.

Their common topic wasn't just the game, but also me, so In Seon-oh probably got to know me through Yoo Sang-hoon as well.

"You seem to know a lot already."

"Yeah? I tried to find out, but all I could figure out is that Yi-shin is a really good person."

In Seon-oh used exaggerated expressions, but their calm tone and demeanor made it seem like they were genuinely speaking.

Since I knew that they intentionally spoke in a way that made me feel awkward, I was about to change the topic when In Seon-oh spoke faster.

"Yi-shin's friends don't care that he carries nightmares. They like you that much. And the True Clan is willing to take the risk of keeping nightmares close because they value you."

"Is that the result of watching me?"

"To be precise, it's not the result of observing you. It was difficult to learn about you, so I observed those around you and came to that conclusion."

They didn't say it directly, but it was a compliment.

Knowing that I would feel embarrassed to hear such things to my face, was In Seon-oh deliberately doing this?

If they had intended to attack me, this would have been a pretty effective way to do it.

But In Seon-oh was strangely serious.

"Insomnia, the incarnation of nightmares, is pure evil, but evil is never stereotypical. It adapts and changes depending on the time, environment, ideology, and trends. Evil always changes, but there are also unchanging aspects."

"What doesn't change?"

"Permeability. Evil spreads in some way. That's why the True Clan is so wary of it. Once evil spreads, it's very hard to fix. That's why I think you're a good person."

Suddenly changing the topic was strange, but the conclusion was even stranger.

"There's an evil with powerful permeation inside you, yet you're still a good person."

For a brief moment, In Seon-oh's face, which had been calm, showed a hint of something else.

It was awe.

"I could feel that the nightmares had been inside you for a long time through your ability. But according to what the head of the Lamb Clan said, Insomnia had been absent from this world for about 20 years."

Hearing this, I started to understand why In Seon-oh had tried to meet with the head of the Lamb Clan after realizing the nightmares were inside me.

The head of the Lamb Clan could sense the existence of Insomnia from afar and had been tracking its location all along.

In Seon-oh had wanted to confirm Insomnia's movements.

"So, that means Yi-shin must have been in another world. It's strange why you came to this world, but even while crossing worlds, you carried the evil inside you. That's no small feat."

In Seon-oh, who had figured all this out in a short period with no real help, was indeed no ordinary person.

The more I realized that In Seon-oh wasn't a normal player, the more I wondered.

What would In Seon-oh do once they find Insomnia?

I decided to ask directly.

"I want to know your reason and purpose for searching for nightmares. Are you planning to fulfill the prophecy?"

"The prophecy has lost its meaning in this world."

In Seon-oh wiped away the awe in their eyes and cast a gaze that had calmed, as if preparing to make a move.

"Still, I wanted to become the incarnation of nightmares. I was even preparing to lure it into a world without abilities."

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"You wanted that?"

"Yes. Becoming the incarnation of nightmares would allow me to do certain things."

But Insomnia was in the middle of a bet with me, and I had no intention of losing.

The me in the dream would likely have the same thought.

There was no way Insomnia would abandon the bet that had dragged on for so long.

Even if they decided to quit now, I wouldn't let them go to another world and make someone else the incarnation of nightmares.

In Seon-oh looked at me directly and said.

"But as long as you carry the nightmares, I will never become the incarnation of nightmares."

In Seon-oh said this with the certainty of a vow.

Jeju Island's night sky.

Using Yong Je-geon's spatial magic, Je-ho was flying, and his mood was at its worst.

He had prepared himself, but enduring Yong Je-geon's playful antics wasn't easy.

'Thinking back to what happened in the Lamb Clan's territory still gives me a headache.'

Yong Je-geon kept bringing up sensitive topics and poking at the internal conflicts within the True Clan, making things difficult for Je-ho.

It was fortunate that the Lamb Clan was easier to handle, otherwise, there would have been a serious fight by now.

Yong Je-geon, who had been bouncing around excitedly, finally seemed to get tired of it and complained.

"There's no real problem. I came all the way out here because Yi-shin asked me to, but I haven't found anything. It's a little frustrating."

"Stop playing around and check properly. Jun-yeol is coming too, remember."

"I don't like not finding anything. Yi-shin said something would happen, so not finding any clues is a serious problem."

It was hard to tell if the dragon was being serious or not.

Of course, Je-ho concluded that the dragon was not serious, and since it was related to Yeom Jun-yeol and Yi-shin's request, he was just ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) pretending to be more diligent.

Je-ho's conclusion was closer to the truth.

"Should we patrol a different route?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Actually, since Jun-yeol is coming, I checked the tourist routes. But you and I are responsible for the second years, so we can't go with them on this school trip. I'll be your guide."

Yong Je-geon, now openly asking to play around, grinned.

As Je-ho seriously considered how to surprise the dragon with a prank mid-air, he thought to himself.

'I should have never brought this dragon. Yi-shin must have had a reason for bringing him here. There must be a point to it.'

While Je-ho was calming his anger, Yong Je-geon moved on his own.

Before long, the patrol route turned into a tourist route, and Yong Je-geon started acting as a guide.

Just as Je-ho was impressed by how thorough the guide was, Yong Je-geon suddenly stopped talking.

"I remember when Hallasan was once classified as an active volcano, a dormant volcano. You remember, right? Yeah, you must. It was reflected in the curriculum every time the classification changed, and you were a teacher then, so it must not have been confusing. Oh, wait, I'll make it confusing... This energy...?"

Yong Je-geon, who had been talking excitedly, suddenly sensed something and stopped.

His laughter deepened.

Yong Je-geon's eyes were wide open as he looked down at the ground.

"I think I know what Yi-shin was worried about and what he was trying to find."