Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

[The raid team has cleared the ruins-type Otherworld! The audience, who has been cheering for a long time, sends their applause to the players who triumphed after such a long campaign!]
The loud cheers and applause were so overwhelming that I began to feel like I was gradually returning to reality.
While waiting for the judges to score based on the data the simulator produced, the host seemed ready to introduce the contributors to keep the atmosphere lively.

Coincidentally, the crowd was chanting the name of the top contributor.
The host, excited by the fact that a top contributor had come from the Korean team, introduced us in an enthusiastic voice.
[Introducing the top contributors of the raid team, who have created a new myth in the world of the mythological beasts! The runner-up of the playlist, the one who dominated the opening stage of the Korea-China-Japan exchange match, Dogo Mi-ro!]

Had they prepared an edited highlight reel of Dogo Mi-ro’s feats to play as soon as the top contributor was announced?
Immediately, a highlight reel showing Dogo Mi-ro’s accomplishments was played.
The scenes of Dogo Mi-ro discovering the Japanese team’s reconnaissance device, charging towards the foreign enemy’s sorcerer who controlled insects, and other moments appeared.

I was worried about a scene where the childlike boss enemy might be shown, but it seemed like the video of the moment of the clear hadn’t been uploaded yet, as only the previous scenes were playing on the screen.
“Thank you for your long support!”
Dogo Mi-ro waved happily, smiling brightly.

On the outside, Dogo Mi-ro looked just as they had before we started the simulation, but the reality was different.
We hadn’t actually cleared an Otherworld, just conducted a simulation. No one was truly hurt.
Just like in VR games, if a character dies, the player doesn’t die.

The devices used during the simulation can sync data with the real world, but for the most part, they don't.
‘The mental fatigue has built up, and I’ve used a lot of energy. Everyone’s probably tired.’
Even though it was just a simulation, after fighting, organizing information, and going through various experiences, mental exhaustion was bound to accumulate.

Additionally, when players used their abilities in the Otherworld simulator, they consumed energy to prevent overload caused by calculating the effects of those abilities.
So, even though no one had been physically hurt, I suspected everyone’s condition wasn’t great.
Despite being exhausted, Dogo Mi-ro still greeted us with a smile.
Seeing Dogo Mi-ro finish their greeting so stylishly, I decided to pull myself together as well.

[Two top contributors have been selected this time! The stars are shining not only in the audience but also in the stadium. Nameless Supernova!]
The audience section seemed to have a lot of cheering tools that symbolized stars, which led the host to make such a comment.
In fact, it seemed like most people were just holding the star-shaped cheering tools given out for free.

I wasn’t thrilled to be introduced, but since my name was mentioned, I had no choice.
The highlight reel showed scenes where I called myself a prophet while facing Cheong-ho, and moments where I asserted that the boss enemy would be in Cheoniksan.
They seemed like rather insignificant moments for someone being touted as the top contributor.

‘It looks like the scene of me fighting Baek Ho-gun hasn’t been uploaded yet. The Hojo must’ve cut it themselves.’
While greeting the audience, I thought about such useless things.
There had been many moments where blood was splattered in the fight, but because of that, I figured no matter how important the scenes were, they could be cut for the sake of censorship.

It was unfortunate that not all of the raid members' efforts were included, but it was better than having the true identities of the Hojo be revealed or having scenes of someone getting injured vividly broadcast.
These were all irrelevant thoughts, but without them, the overwhelming applause would have made me feel too embarrassed, and I felt like I’d fall asleep if I let my guard down. So, I forced myself to think.
In fact, even while thinking these things, my mind kept lingering on the Black Tiger’s existence.

‘Maybe it’s the lack of sleep. My thoughts are all tangled up.’
After finishing my greeting and returning, it was Karen Renzo-in’s turn.
[Next, we present the top contributor of the defense team. Throughout the simulation, they never once rested and guarded the doors! The player representing Japan, the incarnation of the lotus, Karen Renzo-in!]

Karen Renzo-in walked out gracefully and greeted us.
Seeing her humble expression and her appearance, which didn’t look tired at all, the voices of fans chanting “Ren-ren” grew louder.
I had already heard the ringing in my ears, but a new question arose.

‘The MVP of the defense team is Karen Renzo-in?’
With players like Ju Soo-hyeok, Ahn Da-in, and Maeng Hyo-don, how could she be?
My thoughts stopped midway.

It was obvious that the contribution points had been funneled to Karen Renzo-in, who must’ve been the one to handle the foreign enemy that appeared on the Japanese team’s side.
With the outstanding players on the Korean team, it was clear that they hadn’t made it to the top contributor spot.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

If I were in my usual state, I would’ve thought of this the moment I saw the name in the top contributor section, but my mind wasn’t working properly.
“Hey, guys, you worked hard! It’s been such a long time, right? Are you hurt?”
In the meantime, we had joined the defense team.

Heo Chae-ah immediately approached me.
She had been nearby, probably because she was greeting the audience and was close in position.
“I’m fine.”

“I can’t trust the vice-captain.”
Behind Heo Chae-ah, Maeng Hyo-don was there too.
Despite seeming like he had fought the whole time, Maeng Hyo-don didn’t look particularly tired.

If Maeng Hyo-don fought like Karen Renzo-in and received all the contribution points, wouldn’t he have been a top contributor too?
Of course, the same could be said for Ju Soo-hyeok and Ahn Da-in.
As Heo Chae-ah looked at me, she glanced at Yeom Jun-yeol, and he spoke.

“Yi-shin, we’ll take care of things back here. Go ahead and rest first.”
“I’ll wait for the results announcement before resting.”
“There are some people from the Chinese side going to rest too. Don’t worry about it.”

Yeom Jun-yeol looked toward the Chinese team.
I couldn’t hear the conversation because it was noisy and far away, but I saw Li Wei signaling to the two members who had been caught by the foreign enemies the whole time.
Still, I figured it was better to stay behind since I made it as a top contributor.

While hesitating, Yeom Jun-yeol spoke.
“Kyung-gu, who nearly died from a neck wound, should rest too. Go get a medical checkup and head to the Zhiik Conference Hall with Yi-shin.”
“What? Kyung-gu died?!”

“Kyung-gu hyung…”
The defense team, who had been watching me silently, turned to look at Kwak Kyung-gu with surprised faces when they heard Yeom Jun-yeol’s words.
Hearing Yeom Jun-yeol’s words, my chest sank.

It was because I couldn’t hold onto Baek Ho-gun any longer, and that’s why Kwak Kyung-gu got slashed.
If this weren’t a simulation but a real battle, by now, Kwak Kyung-gu would have…
“I didn’t die that time. Thanks to the Light Domain training, I barely made it.”

Kwak Kyung-gu said firmly.
It didn’t seem like he was lying.
Considering Kwak Kyung-gu’s recovery ability from the Light Domain, it wasn’t an impossible statement.

Yeom Jun-yeol laughed and teased.
Given his attitude, it seemed like Yeom Jun-yeol had known all along that Kwak Kyung-gu didn’t die.
“Still, you could’ve died. You’ve never been that hurt in a simulation, have you? Rest.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”
Although Kwak Kyung-gu seemed displeased, he led me along.
I figured that if I didn’t go, Kwak Kyung-gu, who almost died from a neck wound, wouldn’t be able to rest either, so I decided to follow.

We weren’t the only ones heading to the waiting room.
A few members of the Japanese team, including Tomoaki Arihara, headed to the waiting room while Karen Renzo-in greeted the crowd.
A few players from each team were heading to rest without watching the results announcement, so we didn’t stand out much.

As we walked down the corridor inside the stadium, the cheers slowly faded, and it grew quieter.
It was so quiet that I felt like I might fall asleep any moment.
“Pack your things. I’ll carry your stuff.”

“No, I’m fine. Huh?”
When we entered the Korean team’s waiting room and opened the door, someone was waiting for us.
Kwak Kyung-gu widened his eyes when he saw who it was.

“You…!”
Kwak Kyung-gu couldn’t finish his sentence.
Standing in the waiting room was Baek Ho-gun.

Unlike the Baek Ho-gun who had tried to kill me, Baek Ho-gun’s eyes were warm.
Perhaps he was worried about me.
Since he was standing in front of my locker, it seemed like he had come to take me somewhere.

‘Even though the other tigers haven’t seen the video, the White Tiger must’ve watched everything.’
Baek Ho-gun wore a mask, but anyone who had fought him directly would recognize him.
Especially Kwak Kyung-gu, who had clashed swords with him, immediately recognized Baek Ho-gun.

Normally, one might think there was no way a mythological Hojo would be standing right in front of them, but Kwak Kyung-gu had seen Huang Ji-ho speak the same way as the Yellow Tiger, so it wasn’t so strange to him.
Having seen one mythological Hojo, it wouldn’t be odd to see a second.
“….”

Baek Ho-gun silently looked at Kwak Kyung-gu’s hands.
Kwak Kyung-gu was holding a
twin sword item card.

Even if Baek Ho-gun didn’t feel hostility, seeing the person who had slashed his neck standing before him, it seemed like Baek Ho-gun was about to manifest his sword instinctively.
He must have known I was with Kwak Kyung-gu. Why did he come here?
“They told me to bring you. I came to meet you.”

Having sent Baek Ho-gun, who nearly killed me in the simulation, it seemed like the simulation video hadn’t been transmitted yet.
No matter how bold the tigers were, they wouldn’t have immediately sent Baek Ho-gun, the one who almost annihilated the Korean team, to meet me.
“Who told you to come meet Yi-shin…”

“They’re the ones who consider Yi-shin their benefactor.”
Kwak Kyung-gu looked between Baek Ho-gun and me with wide eyes.
It was rare for Kwak Kyung-gu to look that shocked, especially not even in the Plama.

But soon, Kwak Kyung-gu understood.
“You figured it out quickly.”
“Yi-shin knew Baek Ho-gun’s sword. Anyone who handles a sword would think the same.”

It seemed Kwak Kyung-gu was convinced by the sword.
At that moment, there was no other way but to stop Baek Ho-gun directly, but because of that, many things had been revealed.
The video of that final fight would likely be edited out entirely.

I should trust Eun Ho’s editing skills.
“Let’s go. There’s a dedicated passage.”
Kwak Kyung-gu handed me over to Baek Ho-gun.

Since I was going to receive teachings from Baek Ho-gun, I assumed it was fine to leave it to him.
The passage Baek Ho-gun guided me through had no one in it.
It wasn’t a staff-only passage; it seemed to be one that VIPs used to quietly come and go.

During the move, Baek Ho-gun remained silent.
‘I’m sure he has many questions.’
Baek Ho-gun must have realized what I was thinking about the Black Tiger.

He probably knew I had thought about X, and he also knew that I hadn’t actively tried to find it.
But if it were the Black Tiger, it would change things.
‘I should have figured it out sooner for the tigers.’

If I had rushed my thinking about X, wouldn’t I have realized sooner that the Black Tiger had disappeared?
Wasn’t the Black Tiger waiting for me to find him?
Was the Cross Universe guiding me toward that?

“My friend will wait for you.”
I stopped thinking about it when I heard Baek Ho-gun’s words.
Instead, I decided to ask him.

How did you know?
You didn’t even know who I was or what I had forgotten.
“I wouldn’t have made a friend of one who pressured my tired Hojo benefactor. So don’t worry.”

Although it didn’t comfort me much, my eyelids grew heavy.
As soon as I got into the waiting limousine, I closed my eyes.
“Don’t worry, sleep, Yi-shin.”

I trusted those words and fell asleep.
Though only briefly, I decided to forget about the nightmare and the worries about X.