Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

I had considered the possibility that representatives from other countries might have made contact with the Wung Tribe, but it was surprising.
If anyone were to approach the Wung Tribe, I had thought it would be the Chinese team.
Currently, the Chinese team’s offensive leader is Lu Bo-won, and the Japanese team’s offensive leader is Hirano Seiji. If I had to pick someone who would recklessly approach the Wung Tribe, it would undoubtedly be Lu Bo-won.

There were a few things that bothered me as well.
"Besides, Hirano Seiji has to lead the anti-lady faction in the absence of Renjoin Karen. If he suggested staying in the Wung Tribe’s territory, someone would surely object. He must have persuaded them well."
Before we departed, I checked the Japanese team’s offensive squad, which included Arihara Tomoaki.

If Arihara Tomoaki decided to make things difficult, it would have been hard for Hirano Seiji to handle.
Perhaps Hirano Seiji is simply more agreeable in the absence of Renjoin Karen?
By now, Renjoin Karen would have been fighting fiercely as the defense leader, proving that she was superior to Ahn Da-in.

The Korean team’s defense leader is Heo Chae-ah, and Ahn Da-in would likely be fighting from the rear. So in terms of the defense battle, Renjoin Karen might seem to be the superior one.
"Thinking about the team’s victory, Renjoin Karen should have been assigned to the offensive squad, but from Japan’s perspective, the current situation is likely to be very favorable."
Due to the time difference, their broadcasts are likely centered on the defense squad, so from the perspective of Japan's faction, it would feel like a significant gain.

It’s uncertain whether the Japanese team will win this match, but they will surely succeed in leaving a strong impression of Renjoin Karen early on.
The Japanese team seems to be performing better in the Wung Tribe’s territory than I expected, which raises questions, but there’s no way to confirm what exactly is going on yet.
When Park Seung-hyun heard the report that a device had been found in the Wung Tribe’s territory, he expressed doubt.

"The Wung Tribe has been quite exclusionary in their movements, right? Could it be that the Japanese team has secretly entered their territory?"
"Based on the wear and dust on the device, it seems to have been installed quite a while ago. If the Wung Tribe didn’t accept the Japanese team, that would mean their scouts are pretty incompetent."
Dokgo Miro showed a photo taken from the blind spot of the scout device.

Though it was a little blurry due to the distance, the device did indeed seem to have been installed quite some time ago, just as Dokgo Miro had said.
With the current situation and the information we had gathered from the tigers, I decided to add some explanation.
"It’s true that the Wung Tribe lived in isolation for a long time, but that only happened after their leader changed. The first leader of the Wung Tribe is still alive, so things are likely very different now."
"Ah... The first leader of the Wung Tribe allied with the Hojo family. So, maybe the Japanese team was accepted because of that?"

"I think so. The Hojo family has more power than the Wung Tribe, but they have an obligation to protect the newcomers, so there must have been more casualties on the Hojo side. Considering that, it's possible the Wung Tribe is now more open to outsiders than the Hojo family."
Everyone seemed to understand after hearing my explanation.
"Maybe it would have been better if we had gone to the Wung Tribe’s territory."

"Kyung-gu, you shouldn’t say such things while attending a high school under the Hojo’s patronage."
Gwak Kyung-gu half-jokingly said, but I agreed with Yeom Jun-yeol’s remark.
Even though it’s a simulation of another world, if I had joined forces with the Wung Tribe while bringing the students from Eungwang High, the tigers wouldn’t have looked favorably upon me.

If I had done that, I could only imagine how disappointed the Hojo family’s genius warrior would have been in me.
Perhaps right after the simulation ended, they would force me to drink some elixir as a way of "consoling" me.
"I’m not exactly cooperating with the Hojo family, but since I haven’t allied with the Wung Tribe, the tigers probably won’t have any complaints."

Although I’m not exactly on good terms with the tigers here, it’s not my fault; they’re the ones acting this way, and I have no way of changing it.
In any case, thanks to the information obtained by Dokgo Miro, we now had a clue to assess the current situation.
"If the Japanese team is getting along with the Wung Tribe, it’s less likely that the boss enemy is with them."

"That’s true. If they earned their trust, they would have had plenty of opportunities to gather information on the Wung Tribe. But if they’re still using scout devices to collect information without capturing the boss enemy, it means they couldn’t find the boss enemy within the Wung Tribe."
Yeom Jun-yeol immediately understood what I meant and nodded in agreement.
The boss enemy is more likely to be with the Hojo family or the external forces.

That meant our next steps were clear.
Perhaps having reached the same conclusion as I did, Yeom Jun-yeol suggested the course of action I would have proposed.
"When the external forces come again, let’s go fight. If the oracle says that the descendants of the dragon tribe should earn the merit in the next battle, the Hojo family won’t oppose it."

Although they wouldn’t oppose it, the Hojo’s leader and the new recruits would be kept far away, and there would likely be surveillance.
I thought of a skill that might help me imitate the oracle and proposed it.
"I’ll check the possible locations where the external forces might appear with my insight skill. Saying the oracle pointed to the location of the external forces will be more convincing."

"No, Yi-shin, you stay put. If you want to join the battle against the external forces, it’s better to rest now."
Yeom Jun-yeol rejected my suggestion.
I hadn’t expected him to shut it down so quickly, so I was speechless for a few seconds, but the next plan was quickly decided.

"I’ll ask Seung-hyun to use the insight skill. Miro and I will go check places outside the Wung Tribe’s territory. If possible, let’s check places that are far from the Wung Tribe’s area."
"I’ll go stretch my legs as well."
"Then, Kyung-gu can join us. The three of us will go."

Since everyone except me agreed, I couldn’t say anything.
Using the path of the player’s trajectory, if I borrow the power of a playable character, I could use an insight skill far stronger than what Park Seung-hyun could currently use.
That would eliminate the need for multiple people to act, but if I said that now, it would feel like I’m diminishing Seung-hyun’s or anyone else’s abilities, so I kept it to myself.

In the end, I had to watch as the three of them made preparations to leave.
"Ah, the backup device’s battery is almost out."
"It’s because the sky is dark, the charging isn’t going well. Save the battery. I’ve been using the power-saving mode since yesterday."

"I should do the same."
I heard Park Seung-hyun and Dokgo Miro talking as they checked the battery on the device connected to the portable solar panel.
Most devices are designed to automatically charge via solar power, but in another world, it’s common for sunlight to not reach, so the offensive team has to bring backup batteries.

The exploration was taking longer than expected, and due to the persistent darkness, charging wasn’t going well.
"Is there no way to push the darkness away with wind or rain, even for a little while? I remember there was a deity that governed the weather in the Gaechun Myth."
"Should we ask the Hojo family later? The Jeokho of the Hojo family is somewhat favorable toward us thanks to Senior Yeom Jun-yeol."

Gwak Kyung-gu seemed to be recalling the Wind General, Rain General, and Cloud General when he said that.
It was before the sky opened up that they were known to have died.
So, by the time the sky was darkening, Wind General and Rain General had already betrayed, and Cloud General had been captured.

In the modern version of the Gaechun Myth, the time of their deaths is recorded, but without digging into the specifics, it’s hard to know for sure.
"It’s better not to ask. The Hojo family probably heard about the death of those three recently. They’ll react sensitively, so it’s safer to avoid topics related to the weather."
"Ah... They died before the darkness came."

"It could’ve been disastrous."
"I’m glad Yi-shin knows the Gaechun Myth well. Then, I’ll go. Rest up."
Yeom Jun-yeol also stayed behind but kept telling me to rest while leaving.

I checked the battery level of the device connected to the solar panel again and sat back against the pillar.
I hadn’t been standing long, but I felt dizzy.
Fearing that I might fall asleep, I kept my thoughts going.

‘At least the battery is charging, so I still have some time, but if it takes too long, the device will turn off. We need to finish the exploration before that. I’m not sure how long I can stay awake without sleep... It’s harder than when I was waiting in the Underworld without sleeping.’
While I was continuing my thoughts, something touched my shoulder.
I turned my head and saw Yeom Jun-yeol’s hand.

Yeom Jun-yeol, kneeling on one knee, lowered his body and looked at me.
"Yi-shin, take a nap until the others arrive."
"I'm fine."

"Your reactions are slower than usual. You didn’t even notice when I came close."
In Yeom Jun-yeol’s eyes, there was a resolute determination, like that of a senior.
In fact, my accumulated fatigue was significant, and Yeom Jun-yeol was confident in this, so I couldn’t make excuses.

I assessed the situation calmly.
It was still daytime, so there wouldn’t be any Hojo members sleeping nearby.
The only one here was Yeom Jun-yeol, a senior I trusted, and my disciple.

‘This could be an opportunity.’
I steeled my resolve.
By just falling asleep, the nightmare wouldn’t enter someone else’s dream.

To delve into a dream, the target also needs to be asleep.
Even though it was difficult to say, I eventually spoke up.
"...Senior Yeom Jun-yeol, you’re not going to sleep, right?"

"One of us has to stay awake. The Hojo won’t look kindly on us."
Yeom Jun-yeol smiled with a worried expression.
It seemed like he was relieved when I decided to sleep.

"Promise me you’ll wake me up when the other attackers return. Then I’ll sleep."
"I promise."
If I sleep while someone else is also resting, the nightmare will spread.

Yeom Jun-yeol, likely thinking I made that promise just because of the team’s exploration situation, nodded without suspicion.
I reached for the sleeping bag, which I had only used for lying down so far.
As soon as I decided to sleep, my eyes started to close.

"Sleep well, Yi-shin."
After Yeom Jun-yeol’s farewell, my consciousness closed instantly and was swallowed by the demonic energy.
It wasn’t long after I fell into a deep sleep without dreams.

I heard a sound near my ear.
‘It’s that song I heard last night...’
Unconsciously listening to the faint sound, my consciousness became clear.

Although the fatigue hadn’t gone away, when I listened to the sound, I started to become more alert. At that moment, I heard Yeom Jun-yeol’s voice.
"Yi-shin, a guest has arrived."
With Yeom Jun-yeol’s voice, the song was abruptly cut off.

I immediately opened my eyes and got up at the same time the door to the shabby quarters was violently opened.
"You’re that suspicious oracle!"
Standing at the open door was a tiger wearing a mask.

Through the mask’s slit, I saw the smiling mouth and delicate eyes.
It was a tiger who hadn’t aged much—Hwang-ho.