Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

The sound of singing was not heard by me alone.
Dukgo Mi-ro was the first to turn her head toward the direction from which the sound came.

‘This is the place where we found traces of the shaman before.’
Dukgo Mi-ro had been particularly interested in the unknown song. Since that day, she had occasionally hummed the song quietly while looking at the sheet music she had created with her hearing skills.
Dukgo Mi-ro adjusted her goggles and spoke.

"Let’s go."
Before I could nod, she was already running towards the source of the sound.
When moving that quickly, the sound of stepping on leaves or the earth should have been loud, but only the sound of wind could be heard.

Not only that, but her movements were much lighter than when we first entered the Hojo’s domain.
It seemed she had adapted to the environment and grown during the time spent in the ruins-type alternate world simulation.
‘If she had focused on conquering the alternate worlds after becoming a full-fledged player, she might have suffered from tinnitus in her first year and been negotiating with scouts from professional player teams by her second year.’

Of course, it was true that Dukgo Mi-ro had great talent as a player, but I had no intention of pushing her down the professional player path.
In fact, it would be nice if her talent as a player could be a tool to help her achieve her dreams.
If the alternate world simulator was doing its job properly and relaying her feats, then any nonsense about her being chosen for fame would have been put to rest.

Whoosh...
The sound of a song mixed with the wind.
This time, the song sounded clearer and sharper than before, and I could make out the nature of the sound.

‘I was confused whether it was a voice singing or an instrument playing, but it was both.’
Someone was singing quietly, accompanied by an instrument.
Even though the sound carried no special abilities, simply hearing it was soothing.

Just listening to it made me feel safe and reassured.
It was strange, knowing that the cursed darkness, called by the external forces, was covering the sky.
Dukgo Mi-ro seemed to share my feelings, as she smiled calmly over her goggles, but as the sound grew louder, her expression suddenly tightened.
"......"

Dukgo Mi-ro was about to speak to me, but then stopped.
Perhaps fearing that her voice would leak, she turned on her device and typed a message into the hologram.
[독고미로] Have you heard this song before?

It made sense that I might have heard it, given how long we’d been in the Hojo’s domain.
But it seemed Dukgo Mi-ro didn’t want to just mention that.
[독고미로] Doesn’t it sound like the song that Gong Cheong-hwon sings?

The mention of Gong Cheong-hwon made me snap to attention.
The sound was still faint, and I hadn’t heard Gong Cheong-hwon’s songs enough times to be sure.
However, Dukgo Mi-ro, with her keen ears and her childhood familiarity with Gong Cheong-hwon’s songs, was different.

In the era that this ruins-type simulator had recreated, the divine being was still alive, and the assassination attempt against the divine being hadn’t occurred yet.
‘Gong Cheong-hwon is the divine being in human form. Could it be that he’s even mimicking the voice? The tigers still praise his voice, after all.’
If the tigers had already heard Gong Cheong-hwon’s song, wouldn’t they have recognized him as a divine being by now?

It was hard to imagine they’d think he was the same entity, but they would certainly have been intrigued by him.
Unfortunately, it seemed like they had missed it by about five thousand years.
‘Before the video is sent to the broadcast booth, the tigers will edit out Gong Cheong-hwon’s name. Still, I shouldn’t add any more clues.’

I decided to play ignorant for now.
[조의신] Not sure.
[독고미로] It’s a little confusing since the sound is soft and just humming without lyrics. But if you listen closely, you’ll think the same as me. Let’s go.

There was no way to distract Dukgo Mi-ro’s attention.
We moved closer to the source of the song.
The origin of the sound was close to the place where we had discovered the symbol of the shaman.

Beyond the dense foliage, under the dim moonlight, the silhouettes of the one singing and the one playing an instrument appeared.
The singer seemed to be the divine being, but it was hard to make out the figure of the instrumentalist.
The instrumentalist was positioned in a darker spot, so it was hard to tell whether they were crouching down or if their body size was small.

Just as I was about to approach and observe more closely, a voice came from very nearby.
"Don’t come closer."
It was Qing Ho’s voice, wearing a blue mask.

Neither I nor Dukgo Mi-ro had noticed Qing Ho’s presence, but it seemed he had been hiding around us all this time.
His intent was hard to detect since there was no malice, but his stealth skills were extraordinary.
Qing Ho seemed to be preparing to strike as soon as we came closer, assuming an attacking stance.

With his back to the moon, his stance resembled the basic moves of Taeho-kwon, which immediately reminded me of Han.
"Han... no, Qing Ho?"
Dukgo Mi-ro hesitated, perhaps thinking of Han too, as she stumbled over her words.

Qing Ho, assuming Dukgo Mi-ro was startled by the sudden appearance of an opponent, spoke with a mock tone.
"Not very brave for someone sneaking around at night. How can you claim to serve the descendants of the dragon tribe and a prophet when you get spooked so easily?"
Unintentionally, the Hojo clan had started thinking of our raid group as serving the descendants of the dragon tribe and a prophet, the three of us together.

In the end, it was just me, Dukgo Mi-ro, and Park Seung-hyun who were considered their attendants, but correcting it wouldn't yield any benefit, so it had been left alone.
Before Dukgo Mi-ro could be questioned by Qing Ho, I stepped in.
"Hello, it’s a good night. We heard a lovely song and wanted to get closer to listen."

"Seems like you’ve got good ears to pick out a song so well. Though, I didn’t hear you even when you were stepping around. My ears aren’t as sharp as yours, it seems."
At Qing Ho’s words, Dukgo Mi-ro stiffened her face behind her goggles.
The atmosphere felt complicated, as Qing Ho, who had the same mood as Han, was speaking in a way that reminded her of him.

I kept talking to divert Qing Ho’s attention.
"I told you it’s best not to leave the divine being alone for too long."
"Even if you hadn’t said that, I would’ve done the same. I’m here just because of you guys."

"You’re singing with the divine being, I presume?"
I said, aware of the silhouette that seemed to be the divine being.
Qing Ho, disturbed by the interruption of the song and perhaps upset that the divine being’s unguarded moment was now exposed in front of outsiders, clenched his fists more tightly.

Though speaking with him might only incite his anger, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to gather information.
"Since you came here for just a moment, it seems like you trust the instrumentalist. Is the accompaniment being provided by the divine being of the Heavenly Gods?"
Although I had no idea who the instrumentalist was, I remembered that shamans were close to music, and the symbol of the shaman had been found around here, so I acted like I knew.

Perhaps because of the plausible title of 'prophet,' Qing Ho assumed I was trying to test him even though I knew the answer.
"Trying to test me isn’t going to be pleasant. A divine being wouldn’t sing to such an awkward accompaniment."
"I thought the best instrumentalist in the Hojo domain would be a shaman. That’s why I was curious about who the instrumentalist is, especially since they’re playing at night when the shaman can’t move."

"A prophet can see far, but it seems he can’t see what’s right in front of him. If it’s an instrumentalist from the Hojo clan, of course..."
Weeeing...
Suddenly, a sharp ringing filled my ears.

The pain was so intense, it felt like it pierced my eardrums, and I nearly stumbled.
Did Dukgo Mi-ro feel the same? She opened her eyes wide and looked at me.
‘Good thing I have my face covered.’

If I hadn’t covered my face with the neck warmer and hood, Qing Ho might have sensed something unusual.
Qing Ho, seeming to hear nothing, continued speaking.
"If you want to hear the shaman’s playing, give up. Even though he plays better than the shaman, it’ll be more beneficial for you to hear him. Not everyone will admit it, but he’s the Hojo clan’s greatest instrumentalist."

Had Qing Ho truly not heard anything? Could this just have been a glitch in the alternate world simulator?
Since the simulator was recreating the mythological era, small glitches weren’t unexpected.
Dukgo Mi-ro and I silently listened to Qing Ho’s words.

"If you don’t move from this spot, you can keep listening to the song until the end. After you’ve heard it all, return to your quarters quietly. Or leave the Hojo domain."
After saying that, Qing Ho stood still, continuing to listen to the song.
Dukgo Mi-ro and I, as promised, stood there, listening to the accompaniment of the Hojo clan’s greatest instrumentalist and the divine being’s song.

When the song ended and Qing Ho disappeared suddenly, we remained standing for a while longer.
‘When Qing Ho mentioned the Hojo clan’s greatest instrumentalist, the ringing in my ears occurred for me and Dukgo Mi-ro.’
Maybe this was something the simulator had recorded as well.

It was like the ringing had overwritten and erased Qing Ho’s words.
Meanwhile, Dukgo Mi-ro seemed more confused, thinking about the divine being, Qing Ho, Gong Cheong-hwon, and Han.
No matter how much she listened, the divine being’s song sounded like Gong Cheong-hwon’s, and she couldn’t help but wonder about it.

‘And that’s not all. Here, there’s Huang Ho, who clearly reminds me of Huang Jiho.’
Huang Jiho had been blabbering about how he and Han were close friends and childhood companions, which Dukgo Mi-ro had been particularly attentive to.
She had to be connecting what happened in school with the Hojo clan's secrets in her mind.

Adding to that the divine being and Gong Cheong-hwon, who Han followed so closely, the Hojo clan’s secrets were starting to take shape.
As I hesitated about what to say to Dukgo Mi-ro, a presence approached.
It was Gwak Gyeong-gu.

"Everyone, come quickly. Yao Ruichi has woken up."
The humble quarters the Hojo clan provided.
Yao Ruichi was sitting with his back against the wall, talking to Yeom Jun-yeol in Chinese.

‘Maybe it’s because the Dragon Palace before the relocation was between Korea and China’s borders, but Yeom Jun-yeol can speak Chinese too.’
Park Seung-hyun, who had been using the device’s translation function to listen to their conversation, greeted us when we returned.
"You're back. Do you want to see the summary of the conversation? I used a translation app, so there might be some mistakes."

"Thanks, I’ll take a look."
After a quick glance, the situation was just as we expected.
The Chinese team was trying to find the cause of the assassination attempt on the divine being and the head of the Beast Clan within the external forces.

Unable to find clues, they split into two groups. The external forces that ambushed Yao Ruichi’s group seemed to have been overwhelmed since their skills with the ethereal instruments didn’t work at all.
‘Then Lu Bo-won and Li Wei might still be fine. They wouldn’t have gone down so easily.’
There was another part of the Chinese team’s situation that caught my attention.

‘Heard the song after waking up? Did the divine being’s song reach Yao Ruichi while he was still asleep?’
As I was organizing the questions I had for Yao Ruichi in my head, Park Seung-hyun stopped while checking the time.
"Look at the device's clock. It’s supposed to be sunrise, but it’s pitch dark outside!"

At his words, everyone looked out the dark window.
Although the external forces had caused the sky to stay dark even during sunrise, it had felt like the day was gradually getting brighter.
No matter how cloudy it was, it wasn’t comparable to the absolute darkness of a completely gone night.

But now, even though it was supposed to be sunrise, it felt like night.
There was only one reason for that.
"The cursed darkness must have completely covered the sky."

At my words, the faces of the raid members turned grim.
Without having found the boss enemy, we were about to face the moment when Baek Ho would cut through the darkness.