4. Player’s Trajectory (4)

There are many roots and origins of the Jin people.

And based on those roots, the designation's 'category' is decided.

There is almost no hierarchical structure to the categories, but there are a few exceptions.

They are the 'myth category', the 'legend category' and the 'folktale category'.

Those ranks were decided depending on whether the root was recorded as a myth, remained as a legend or circulated around as a folktale.

'This world's Korea's founding myth is the Gaecheon myth, not the Dangun myth[1].'

Unlike in the Dangun myth, the bears didn't appear in the Gaecheon myth.

It was a story of sacred tigers who received the grace of Heavenly God and reigned over the nation with the Sinin[2]. The Ho tribe possessed hegemony over the Korean Peninsula in the Gaecheon myth.

So unlike the Ho tribe, the Ung tribe didn't belong to the myth category but the legend category.

Ungnyeo of Grief, who I contacted, was a part of that legendary Ung tribe's Eight Immortals.

I passed her a note at the Fantasy Auction after I found her.

The note asked her to come to the Ansan's top beacon in Muak neighborhood at this time.

"Thank you for accepting the invitation."

"It's a reward for making the boring auction fun. Now, speak."

The woman in darkness, with the golden shawl hanging around the black dress, smiled like a painting.

'Careful now…'

What I'm about to speak about from now on will enrage Ungnyeo of Grief.

However, it was something I had to say to receive the thing I want.

"Mythical…no, Jeok-ho (Red Tiger), who was relegated to the legendary category in the Ho tribe, will die within the year."

Paaat!

A shockwave raised with Ungnyeo at its center.

My hair blew up in all directions in the shockwave, even though I had Yeom Junyeol's body and Red Dragon wrapped around me.

'A few parts of my body would have been cut off if I hadn't defended myself.'

I saw a faraway fallen beacon crack, and my back turned cold.

"Every human on the Korean Peninsula knows that among the Jin people, the Ho tribe and Ung tribe are enemies. It's a fact. For what reason are you informing me about Jeok-ho's death?"

I didn't answer.

The 'category' downgrade meant that he committed mortal sin worthy of changing the root.

I not only knew that fact, I also knew how Ungnyeo of Grief was involved in the secret of Jeok-ho's downgrade.

The Ho tribe gained supreme power on the Korean Peninsula and received the grace of Heavenly god.

The Ho tribe tried to accept and co-exist with the Ung tribe who they fought over supremacy before.

But the Ung tribe couldn't let go of their ambitions and Ungnyeo of Grief tricked Jeok-ho into abandoning Heavenly God's grace.

'Only if Heavenly God's grace disappears, the Ho tribe and the Ung tribe can live as equals on the Korean Peninsula.'

…she sweet-talked him like this.

After tricking Jeok-ho into committing a crime, the Ung tribe rebelled.

The Ho tribe succeeded in overpowering the Ung tribe, but with Jeok-ho's betrayal, most of the grace Heavenly God granted to the Korean Peninsula disappeared, and they lost many of their kind.

To erase that humiliating history, Heavenly God, Sinin and Ho tribe wiped out the names of Jeok-ho and the Ung tribe from the myth.

And even after the era of myths ended, the hostility between the Ho tribe and the Ung tribe continued in the invisible world.

Even now, in the present world again after the Clash of worlds.

However, what was currently passed down was only:

'The Ho tribe and Ung tribe are at odds with each other. It's estimated that the hostility continues from the time of the Gaecheon myth, but no accurate records remained.'

Because Ungnyeo of Grief and Jeok-ho's story was erased.

'If I say that, I'll be skinned alive or really killed.'

I hated being sick and hated dying even more. [3]

I hid what I knew and turned Ungnyeo of Grief's attention away.

"Ungnyeo of Grief is known to possess 'Three-eyed goosefoot cane of truth'. Please, shine its eyes on me."

"…You cannot tell a lie before my cane. Do you know that?"

"Yes."

Ungnyeo shook her hand and a goosefoot cane, with three red eyes embedded, appeared.

Three-eyed goosefoot cane of truth.

It was one of the most famous SSR rank items produced by Ungnyeo of Grief. With this item, she could discern the truth and falsehood of words three times if the other party gave their consent.

I saw Ungnyeo point the cane at me and strengthened my resolve.

When I nodded, the cane's red eyes started to emit a dim light.

"Is it true you know Jeok-ho's future?"

"Yes."

One of the cane's eyes closed.

It proved I said the truth.

The instant you say a lie, that red eye rather than closing, casts a curse and pierces your eyeball.

"Jeok-ho will die within a year."

"Yes."

Second eye closed.

Ungnyeo also tightly closed her eyes for a moment.

For a few seconds, there was no reaction. Then she asked her third question with a little hoarse voice.

"Can you save Jeok-ho?"

I couldn't be sure about that yet.

I'll try to save him.

However I still couldn't truly, for 100%, know if I could save him.

A certain future like this didn't exist.

'If I say 'yes' here, it would be a lie.'

I closed my mouth.

Seeing me not answer, she asked again.

"I'll change the question. Can you do something to prevent Jeok-ho's death?"

There was no need to hesitate about this answer.

"Yes."

All the cane's eyes closed.

Ungnyeo shook her elegant arm, and the cane disappeared.

"Speak. What do you want?"

I found melancholy in Ungnyeo's eyes.

They were the eyes which held regret, anger and lingering attachments for 5000 years.

I looked straight into those eyes as I replied.

"I need 3 pieces of the treasure the Eight Immortals created to harm Heavenly God and Sinin."

"What did you say?!"

Saaa—

The trees within Ungnyeo's 10m radius wilted in the instant.

The ground covered by the Jin's fury lost all life and all colors died out.

"Human child, do you know what you're talking about?"

"I know."

"Do you also know it was a failure?"

"Yes."

That item only appeared in the setting book and didn't show up in the game.

I couldn't achieve one of my goals without this item.

It happened before the Clash of different worlds.

During the time when the Jin people were still invisible, remaining in the world as beings with limited interference in the mortal world.

The Ung's Eight Immortals used their powers and wits to extinguish the existence of Heavenly God and Sinin.

However, in the process, two of them went mad and three of them fell into a long sleep. That attempt ended in failure.

And what remained was only a wrecked flop.

Ungnyeo of Grief quietly closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, she was holding three shining cards in her hand.

"Keep it in mind. If Jeok-ho's breath stops before your short life ends, this Ungnyeo of Grief will surely tear you down in the name of Eight Immortals."

⟨The ownership of the 'Weight scale of life and fortune' was transferred from 'Ungnyeo of Grief'.⟩

Shining item cards flew up to me from Ungnyeo.

The cards disappeared in the inventory after I grabbed them into my hands.

Only then did my mind relax.

'The biggest homework I had to solve before the first day in Eungwang School is done…'

Ungnyeo stood before me as before she passed me the items.

She stared at me with a gaze I couldn't read.

"Next time, meet me with your true appearance. As long as you own that failure, I'll never fail to recognize you."

It seemed she pierced through the fact I borrowed Yeom Junyeol's appearance.

'No way, can Jin people see through the Player's Trajectory?'

Nervous, I opened my eyes wide and took a cautious posture.

Then, as if Ungnyeo's anger up to now was a lie, she put on a mischievous and teasing smile.

"I also saw the Yong tribe's cherished Little Red Dragon a few times. There is no way you're that immature child."

Under the moonlight, Ungnyeo grinned, showing her white teeth.

She leaned slightly towards me as if she could see me, Jo Uisin, inside Yeom Junyeol.

'…It's the Jin who bewitched Jeok-ho.'

Ungnyeo of Grief was seductive.

However, at the same time she aroused the fear that she is meticulously digging into my insides and dark emotions[4].

I unknowingly took a step back.

"You're like a trace of a hazy and distant future that this current child can't ever reach."

Haha, she laughed and smiled slightly.

With crazy words, she turned her back and then took one step. She was instantly buried in the darkness and disappeared from my sight.

***

It was evening when I woke up after taking a long new year's nap.

In the meantime, the incident on Yeoui island turned from questions about a big fire into an enormous crime controversy.

'I didn't imagine they would dig so far in just one day.'

While I thought so, the case progressed fast.

I simultaneously unfolded and read several articles on the opened hologram windows.

[Shock. Disappearance of the players with rare powers. Records of human trafficking had been found.]

[How far it goes, the Fantasy Controversy. Targets of investigation only – hundreds of people.]

[Fantasy Controversy. Human trafficking, assaults, kidnapping, imprisonment, tax evasion, illegal possession, etc. the charges against the main preparator 'Byeon Sunhoe' don't end…]

[Seoul Criminal Investigation Department digs into the local police station, turning a blind eye to the Fantasy Controversy. 'Special investigation call'.]

[Players Association Korean Branch notice: Players participating in the Fantasy Auction will be permanently expelled.]

'This is the power of the Iron Arm of Great Hero Song Manseok…'

That day I wasn't only trying to call firefighters, rescue teams and contracted with them professional player teams.

My first aim was to call the 'Han River Cycling Team'.

Han River Cycling Team.

The Master of this professional player team, created around 20 years ago, was 'Iron Arm Song Manseok' who turned 72 years old this year.

Song Manseok, who became a professional player 50 years ago, survived and faced the Enemy with a 'naked body', without items, subjugation information or player support system.

He lost numerous companions, but because of that, he came to save many more people.

Great Hero Iron Arm Song Manseok guided the player world towards the dawn and held enormous influence during that time.

However, even as a Great Hero, in his late 40s and early 50s, his energy decreased, and his body turned old compared to his younger days. He quietly retired while people forgot about him.

After that, he gathered retired player companions and created the Han River Cycling Team, formerly known as 'Han River Cycling Club'.

The club started as a simple, friendly meeting every weekend while they rode bicycles following the cycling route around the Han River.

Then one day…

The Cycling Club members witnessed 100 boys and girls, possessed by bewitching devil[5] Enemy, attempting to commit suicide from the Yanghwa Bridge.

0 people died in this event, later called 'Yanghwa Bridge's group suicide attempt incident'.

It was the result of 15 members of the cycling club and retired players of average age of 54, throwing their bodies at the time.

'And the Han River Cycling Team was established.'

After that, Song Manseok followed the club members' wishes and formed the 'Han River Cycling Team'.

The joining condition was a minimum 30 year career as a professional player.

In the 20 years since forming the team, they began helping people from the shadows, in a different way than the Great Hero's Iron Arm did before and even avoided contact with the media.

More than around 1000 people think about suicide at the Han River every year.

More than around 400 of them actually jump.

The minds of weak people are easily penetrated and induced to suicide by bewitching devils or intangible Enemies.

But it was only up to the human mind to defeat the formless bewitching Enemy.

The Han River Cycling Team finds those weakened people and then helps, persuades, supports and saves them.

'The Cycling Team patrols around the Han River even in the New Year.'

And the convention hall at Yeoui Island, where the Fantasy Auction took place, just happened to face the Han River.

Let's suppose they discover a large fire, what will happen then?

No matter how late, the entire team will be called and immediately head towards the incident site.

When Yeom Bangyeol led the Red Lion and Yong tribe to raid the National Assembly, not even one civilian died thanks to their work.

'Even the articles mention that the Han River Cycling team was there.'

I run my finger across the team name, which was mentioned in only one line in the hologram, while guessing.

If it was a veteran like Song Manseok, he would notice that Byeon Sunhoe is hiding something.

There was no way that righteous Song Manseok would pretend he didn't notice all the dirt gathered by the Fantasy Auction over the years.

'Byeon Sunheo said he already talked it out with the local police. However, seeing the story of emergency arrest and special investigation come out… Song Manseok had to call someone at least at the level of department head.'

Most people had forgotten, but high-ranking officials in their 50s and older still remembered Iron Arm Song Manseok.

Likely with just one call, the head of Player Association's Korean Branch would come flying within 10 minutes.

And I, who smashed the Fantasy Auction, was once again given a title after the Unknown Supernova.

~*~*~

[1] Dangun myth – You may have heard about it as a story about the bear and the tiger locked in a cave. I encourage you to look it up yourself if you don't know it, but long story short: A bear and a tiger wanted to become humans. They prayed to Hwanung, and he told them to stay in the cave for 100 days. Tiger didn't manage and failed, but the bear endured and became a woman. That woman later became Hwanung's wife and gave birth to the founder of Korea – Dangun. Though, it differs depending on the source of the story. Also, the bear in that story was our Ungnyeo here.

[2] Sinin – Another thing which is hard to translate, especially because we're referring to a person, and it's kind of his name..? Sinin in simple terms means avatar of god (or rookie in modern language). In more difficult terms… um, it's a god-man, the belief in god, the connection to god, just an entire meaning 'all living things are part of god', half-god-half-human…

[3] 'I hated being sick and hated dying even more.' – This is my first time hearing about this. I found no evidence of such thinking in…850+ chapters.

[4] my insides and dark emotions – That's a curious one. In raws it's my insides and 'abyss'. The abyss is defined as: 'A dark pond', 'a very difficult and desperate situation or emotion that one finds hard to escape (figurative) or 'A profound distance between two things or persons that one cannot jump over or overcome (figurative)'.

[5] bewitching devil Enemy – category: bewitching, species: devil. And though it's called a devil, you shouldn't mistake them for any of the mythological devils. Those will be Jin people or similar beings.

Also. By beacons in this chapter, they mean those things:

Translator's note: If you think about the differences between the Dangun myth and Gaecheon myth in this book… There are some dark conclusions you may end up with.

On a brighter note! Here comes the ultimate weapon against Jo Uisin!