Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse

 

It was February, when it was noisy because of the Illusion Gate.

The top floor of the tall team building in Jongno 1-ga, Seoul, where the Red Lions, one of Korea’s top 5 otherworld teams and one of the world’s top 10 otherworld teams, was located.

Small Red Dragon Yeom Jun-yeol was doing his own work in the office of the Team Master King of Red Flames Yeom Bang-yeol.

“I changed my mind. I plan to remain in the silver light this year.” 

Yeom Jun-yeol had decided to study abroad for one year from this year.

The reason he changed that decision was the “Red Phantom Thief” of the Illusion Gate incident that broke out on January 1 of that year.

“Junyeol, are you really planning to quit studying abroad?”

“Yes, father. The month of March. I will only visit the player training center in the US and China for two weeks each.”

“To me, if Jun-yeol wants to stay in Korea, I would love that but……”

Yeom Jun-yeol said while unfolding the hologram.

“I was also interested in the Korea-China-Japan youth player exchange exhibition held this year or next year. And above all…”

The hologram showed a “wall of fire” with very low resolution and quality. 

“I want to stay in Korea and find the Red Phantom Thief.”

When Yeom Jun-yeol pressed the play button, the wall of fire merged into one and ascended to the sky.

He looked at the video as if he had already seen it hundreds of times.

The same Gwanglim does not exist in this world, so why did it look like the red dragon?

Firing speed, holding power, scale, control…

The technique of the Red Phantom Thief seemed to be a novelty that was not lacking in anything.

He seemed to have accurately embodied the future and utopia he dreamed of.

“As someone who has the red dragon I know. This is very similar to me, it is unlikely, but it is an ability that I can describe it as the same… …and the Red Phantom Thief is much stronger than me.”

The faint longing felt from that gaze surprised Yeom Bang yeol.

When he married a descendant of the dragon tribe, he had given up on having children.

Then, the precious only son Yeom Jun-yeol that came into being was like a miracle and he has always been the best boast and treasure to Yum Bang-yeol.

There could be no admiration for someone other than himself or the dragon tribe.

Although he admitted the strength of the Red Phantom Thief, this was a problem in the realm that the fatherhood could not forgive.  

“Y-yeah. No child is stronger than you! This Red Phantom Thief… must be a veteran about my age!”

“Yes. Maybe so.”  

Yeom Jun-yeol poured out the words of Yeom Bang-yeol with a calm face.

‘I want to find the Red Phantom Thief.’

Yeom Jun-yeol thoroughly investigated the Red Phantom Thief throughout the vacation.

He dug up every little testimony and clues.

“There are two things that are bothering me. First, the testimony of Irena, a freshman in silver light. The child, forcibly dragged by his parents, answered all questions sincerely, except for the part where the oath of silence was held. But she pretended that she wasn’t sure about the Red Phantom Thief. It was like she was protecting him.”

If the Red Phantom Thief really had the same appearance and abilities as his own, there was a possibility that Irena would have shut her mouth in fear of harm to her senior, himself.

But is it really all that?

Maybe because there were other reasons besides that.

Yeom Jun-yeol thought so and said.

“Second, the questionable word found in the recovered document. Of the data independently obtained from the Red Lion’s side, only a few words were successfully restored. Do you remember there was a peculiar word there?”

“Yeah. I didn’t know what it had meant though.”

“Sawol Seum. I thought it was a password or a dummy. But that was the name of a classmate like Irena who was going to attend our school. Since I belong to the student council, I was able to check the freshman list. In addition, the student was reported missing last year. Sometime after it was ended as a simple runaway case.  Yeom Jun-yeol concluded his reasoning.

“Both of them attend Silver Light, and both of them were also related to the 1st-grade class 0. Would that be a coincidence?”

After all, his son was smart, handsome, brilliant, polite, humble, uplifting, and couldn’t be compared to anything!

Haha, his son was so good!

Yeom Bang-yeol almost exclaimed exclamation, but he tried to speak strictly him bursting out loud about being proud of his son.

“······The Red Phantom Thief destroyed the Illusion Auction alone. He had his own information route and dangerous abilities. Don’t get caught up with him! I can’t give permission! I’d rather you go study abroad! Instead, you come to Korea often, contact us every day, and don’t sneak away from your bodyguards!”

In the mouth of Yeom Bang-yeol, who was a fool for his son, no strict words came out.  

“Father, thank you for always caring. Even so, I want to remain in Silver Light and find the Red Phantom Thief.”

“Junyeol…”

Red Phantom Thief had very similar abilities to himself but was much stronger.

He definitely wanted to meet him.

Yeom Jun-Yeol read the report on the results of the Illusion Gate investigation again while listening to what Yeom Bang yeol was talking about.

“Don’t worry about Junyeol. Yeom Bang yeol.”

“Yong Jae-gun nim!”

With a teacher contract with Hwangho, the geezer dragon tribe, Yong Je-geon, who became a teacher of Silver Light appeared silently.

Freeman. No, the free dragon tribesman Yong Je-geon always popped up when and where he wanted.

“As long as I’m in the Silver Light, nothing will happen to Jun-yeol.”

“Please, Yong Je-geon nim!”

Yong Je-geon stared at the night view outside the window with an ecstatic face.

“I’m really looking forward to living in silver light this year. Jun-yeol, and the Unknown Supernova. It will be even more enjoyable if there was the Red Phantom Thief.”

That dragon tribesman was a geezer who couldn’t stop when he was happy.

Yeom bang-yeol, who saw that expression of Yong-Je-gun, felt very uncomfortable but shut his mouth.

*    *    *

Small Red Dragon Yeom Jun-yeol, a descendant of the dragon tribe, a star player belonging to the student council, in the second year of silver light.

He walked towards them as if he had business with them. The moment Yeom Jun-yeol walked, the back road became a runway, and the silver light school uniform seemed to be a top-notch costume worn by the model.

“Junyeol said he ended his short-term study abroad early! Originally, he was planning to study abroad throughout his second year. Crazy.”

“Are we going to school with the Red Dragon in the future? Really?”

“The real Jun-yeol oppa is really handsome…… The real thing is insane…….”

“Jun-yeol is the same age as us.”

“If they are handsome, everyone is an oppa, I don’t have any conscience!”

 Hearing the news of his school attendance, it seems that the first, second, and third graders came rushing to see him.

His mind was complicated because there was something bothering him.

Yeom Jun-yeol should be studying abroad. Why was he here?

Surely?

‘No way, I don’t think he has any business with me.’

Did he find the identity of the Red Phantom Thief?

When he was so nervous like that.

Yeom Jun-yeol stopped in front of Sawol Seum.

“We need to talk. Seum.”

It seemed that it was Sawol Seum that Yeom Jun-yeol had a business with.

It became vain.

‘In the game, Yeom Jun-yeol and Sawol Seum never had any contact with each other.’

Yeom Jun-Yeol’s death was when Joo Soo-hyuk became a sophomore. Sawol Seum was rescued when Joo Soo-hyuk is in the third grade, so the two have never met in the game.

“What, if you have something to say, we will listen together.”  

Maeng Hyo-don said, shoving Sawol Seum behind him.

When he was in junior high school, he seems to be on the lookout for Maeng Hyo-don, who was controversial even to seniors with his excellent fighting skills and award history.

Of course, he reversed all the things the seniors would say and made the strongest legend of Maeng Hyo-don.

Yeom Jun-yeol’s eyes were a bit dissatisfied with his confident appearance.

“Hey, it’s okay. Hyodon.”  

It was Sawol Seum that ended their brief confrontation.

Sawol Seum was staring straight at Yeom Jun-yeol.

“I also wanted to talk with senior Yeom Jun yeol!”

“Okay. Please give me some time before the ordinance starts. Sorry for coming suddenly.”  

Yeom Jun-yeol turned to the fans who gathered. Yeom Jun-yeol smiled at the fans in the background of the cherry blossom leaves coming from the wind near the entrance of the first-year building, and that space became a photoshoot.

“I just want to talk with Seum, so can you please leave us.”  

Ahhhhhh!

The frequency was on the verge of breaking through the atmosphere.

A scream in the high-pitched range echoed.

“Jun yeol looked here. I saw it, I saw it…!”

“Yes. We will move right away.”

“Yep. Let’s go, guys!”

“Jun yeol requested it, so whoever stays behind still is going to suffer understood?”

“It’s okay if I suffer, so can I remain?”

“Come to the gym.”

“I will write a diary today and sleep. I will write it twice.”

At Yeom Jun-yeol’s word, the fans disbanded.

Some people couldn’t take their steps because of regret, but they were dragged by fans full of action.

When the fans disappeared, this time, Yeom Jun-yeol’s gaze turned to them.

It would be better to leave tactfully here.

“Maeng Hyo-don, let’s go. Sawol Seum, come to class on time.”

“Wait a minute, vice-president…”

“Then we will be heading out now.”

He also gave a rough greeting to Yeom Jun-yeol and dragged Maeng Hyo-don into the first-grade building.

Maeng Hyo-don was dragged reluctantly, but he was still worried.

Even if took a glance, it was natural to worry because Sawol Seum looked weak, and Yeom Jun-yeol was tall and overflowed with strong energy.

“It this really okay, vice-president.”

“Yeah. Yeom Jun-yeol is a good person. Since he is a celebrity, he can’t do anything wrong because an article gets published right away anyway.”

“Was he a celebrity?”

A hologram was displayed to show the article with Yeom Jun-yeol’s profile and name.

Maeng Hyo-don looked at the screen with an exciting face whether he did not know who Yeom Jun-yeol really was.

In particular, he couldn’t take his eyes off the edited video of Yeom Jun-Yeol’s attack on the other world and Enemy Subjugation.

At that moment.

〈Skill, ‘Destiny’ was activated.〉

One more thing that was completely unexpected happened.

He decided to leave while Maeng Hyo don was immersed in using his device to open the screen.

“I’m going to the bathroom real quick.”

“Okay.”

Listening to Maeng Hyo-don’s sincere answer, he looked around.

‘At least give me some type of notification. Should I use the player’s trajectory…?Then something came into his eyes. There was a cherry blossom leaf moving very unnaturally in the hallway of the classroom. One cherry tree leaf, much redder than a normal cherry tree leaf, fluttered and shook in front of him.

‘I guess it means to follow.’

He decided to go along with the cherry blossom leaf. The cherry blossom leaf floated leisurely in the air in the windless corridor. The students who he sometimes encountered seemed as if it was only his eyes could see it and they did not pay attention at all. After moving like that, he arrived at the end of the corridor on the second floor of the first-grade building, a traditional culture study room.

‘Fortunately, it was a classroom that was not used frequently and there is no one because it was the time before the ordinance.’

Oriental paintings were hung on the wall finished with Korean paper, and dozens of mannequins were wearing various hanbok made of silk, calico, Gapsa, Hangra, and Guksa cloth near the wall.

On the other side, from ordinary people’s clothes and ceremonial clothes to old military uniforms, officials, and komnyongpo were also seen, and between the open closet, a case which had a dragon and a tiger were embossed was seen.

‘To invest this much in a classroom that we don’t use very much.’

The red cherry blossom leaf stuck to the sliding lattice window and disappeared as if it melted. 

‘Is this the destination?’ 

The lattice windows were a little open.

He killed his presence and quietly approached the window.

‘Did you want to show me this?’

Under the window were Sawol Seum and Yeom Junyeol.

Their voices have been heard so far because the surroundings are quiet.

“Really, senior Yeom Jun-yeol wasn’t the Red Phantom Thief.”

“······Yeah. I’m also looking for the Red Phantom Thief.”

In an instant, the hands and feet felt like it was shriveled.

The two were chanting the embarrassing title he wanted to forget.

‘Did Destiny activate to tell me this?’

Yeom Jun-yeol seems to have been investigating to find the Red Phantom Thief. The Red Lion’s intelligence would have found Sawol Seum’s name in the auction list, and it would have been speculated that the Red Phantom Thief saved Sawol Seum.  

‘Why is Yeom Jun-yeol looking for the Red Phantom Thief? 

‘Did he want to punish for imitating him?

“Why are you looking for the Red Phantom Thief?”  

Sawol Seum asked for him.

“I want the Red Phantom Thief to be my teacher.”

He didn’t expect that either.

“Teacher…? As far as I know, I heard that Yeom Jun-yeol’s master was one of the dragons and your father, Yeom Bang-yeol, the king of Red Flames.”

“I guess the Red Phantom Thief really looked like me. Since you looked into my background.”

As if Sawol Seum thought he had made a mistake, he covered his mouth with a blurred face.

It’s okay because he thought all the pretending to be Yeom Jun-yeol thing was found out anyway.

“I do not care. If I had known about the illusion auction, I would have also done the same thing. Even if it would have been difficult to go personally because my father and the dragon tribe would have tried to stop me.” 

Yeom Jun-yeol was a good guy.

He deserved to be called his playable character.

“My father and the dragon tribes cherish me so much that I cannot train properly. I want to be a little stronger.”

Yeom Jun-yeol had the aspect of a star player who everyone envied.

His greatest strength was his strong sense of improvement, not his appearance, his pedigree, or his ability.

“The Red Phantom Thief is strong. The courage to invade the illusion auction alone, the latent embers carefully laid out in advance, the timing and speed of igniting the latent embers, the ability to maintain the wall of fire, the ability to freely handle those flames… It’s not something I can imitate .”

“Yeah! Truly he was strong and cool! I wouldn’t have come to school without him. I would love to find him and say thank you.”

“······The Red Phantom Thief is not only strong, but he also has human networks.”

At that moment, the surrounding space seemed to feel distorted.

It shrunk.

“Stop it, my mental power is already zero!”  

The two people’s compliments of the Red Phantom Thief continued for a long time.

Did the power of destiny call him here to dry and wear out his mind and limbs?

Fortunately, it was getting closer to the time of the ordinance, and the two of them ended the conversation that eroded his mind and exchanged device codes.

“Yes, call me if there is anything. If there is anything to help, I’ll help. If it’s okay when you find the Red Phantom Thief, please contact me.

“If you the Red Phantom Thief says okay…… If you, Yeom Jun-Yeol find out who the Red Phantom Thief is….”

“Okay. I will definitely let you know.”

“Okay······!”

No, it’s not okay.

In the future, he will have to move more carefully.

‘He wants to have me as a teacher?’

It’s true that iff Yeom Jun-yeol gets stronger, it will be reassuring.

It’s good if the characters who are slated to die becomes stronger and can prepare for it.

‘I didn’t expect Yum Jun-yeol’s return to Korea, but I might be able to use this.’

Next month, that is, early May.

A big crisis was about to come to Joo Soo-hyuk.

It was a scale that was difficult to prevent by himself.

The number of the dead and the injured would reach four digits, and it is a major event that will lead to an antagonism between the Joo oh and TC groups in the future.

He thought about the number of ways to cope with it, but with the power of Yeom Jun-yeol, it would be dealt with very naturally and neatly.

It would be easy to trick the black curtain as well.

‘I have to think about it.’

Instead, he’ll have to reveal the Red Phantom Thief in front of Yeom Jun-yeol.

He really would have to think about it a lot.

*    *    *

Grade 1 Class 0 classroom.

Sawol Seum had arrived before him.

Maeng Hyo-don was stuck next to him, making sure he hadn’t suffered anything.

In addition to the bulgogi case, Maeng Hyo-don seems to have a secret nanny temperament.

“Wow, I’ve never seen Yeom Jun-yeol in person. He was handsome according to the rumors but, he was really handsome.”

“······Yes, he was.”

“I was surprised when he talked to you, lrena. What did he say?”

“No, I just thought that Yeom Jun-yeol might have been someone I know…… It seems like it was a different person.”

“Yeah?”

Yeom Jun-yeol seems to have had a conversation with Irena as well.

Kim Yuri, who was at the highest level of social skills, showed consideration and did not pursue Irena greatly.

‘Did you recognize that they are different people? You didn’t even say a few words to Yeom Jun-yeol. Irena, You must have some good sense.’

“I don’t know if Yeom Junyeol is handsome.”

“Huh?”

Han-Yi threw a bomb without notice.

“He’s not that different from the boys in our class.”

Han-Yi was always expressionless.

Male students, including him in the classroom, Maeng Hyo-don, Sawol Se-eum, and Hwang Ji-ho opened their mouths and looked at Han Yi.

We’re Yeom Junyeol’s class? What?

‘It sounds like you’ll be publicly executed by Yum Jun-yeol’s fan.’

Since then, there had been a relay of praise with no evil intent.

Hwang Ji-ho endured the laughing out loud and just said thank you. And Sawol Seum, and especially Maeng Hyo Don’s faces were bright red.  

And then came his turn. 

He received a review saying, ‘Your face in thought looks okay.’

Hearing that, Maeng Hyo-don looked at him as if he was respectful.

“That’s weird because he looks completely suspicious when the vice-president is thinking about something.”

“Hahaha, hahahahaha!”

 At Maeng Hyo-don’s words, Hwang Ji-ho couldn’t take it and burst out loud and rolled around with a smile with the momentum of fainting. Eventually, the atmosphere in the classroom became a mess, and until the class bell rang, it remained lifelike.

[We are electing together. Your clean vote, the flower of democracy―]

The class bell was a campaign song for encouraging elections created by the Election Commission, which flowed out ahead of the general election and the elections of the National Assembly. The chorus showed useless talent, and it was arranged so that the voices of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass were well harmonized in a mixed choir, sounding like a hymn rather than an election song.

‘Ah, it will be the general election soon.’

He knew the outcome of the general election. The independent candidate, who is scheduled to be elected to the Silver Light district, will be the youngest member of the National Assembly to be elected this year. He graduated from silver light and was also a playable character.

‘We don’t have the right to vote yet, but everyone seems to like to prepare class bells as specials in time.’

Soon the class bell stopped, and Ham Geun-hyung came into the classroom to do the ordinance. When Ham Geun-hyung entered the classroom, the chaotic classroom atmosphere was immediately corrected.

“Good morning. As you know, our class finally has seven students in attendance.”  

Seven.

The attendance rate has not yet exceeded 50%.

It still sounded a little sad.

The ‘Come to school on time’ panel placed above Ham Geun-hyung’s head seems to be particularly flashing.  

“The basis of the strategy for the otherworld is team play. We can now practice team play with our class.”

It was recommended that at least five party members are used to attack the other world.

There were only four in their class so until now, but in a short period of time, three attended school and it became seven.

Maeng Hyo-don, Kim Yu-ri, and Han-Yi were melee attack types.

Irena, Sawol Seum, were ranged attack types.

He and Hwang Ji-ho were all-round types.

Classmates were gathered in good balance.

“Common class in the morning, player combat practice 1. Practice team play using a second strategy simulator. Change into your gym uniforms and gather at Gymnasium 5 before the start of the first period. That is it for this ordinance.”