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Chapter 424: Trust and tests (3)
Chapter 424: Trust and tests (3)
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Hwamyeong mansion, in one of the annexes where Eunho is staying.
The elementary student Hwangho was staring at a hologram screen.
He waited for a few seconds, but the message that Hwangho sent wasn’t read nor replied to.
Hwangho waited some more for a reply, while Jo Euishin ignored the ones that he sent.
‘The benefactor is not reading my messages again. And of all times…’
Hwangho fiddled with his device and looked at Eunho.
Eunho was sitting elegantly as he drank tea while looking at a hologram screen.
“It looks like Dongha hyung has a lot of worries,” Eunho said in a gentle voice.
He seemed to be in contact with Cheon Dongha and talking about the TC Research Institute.
When Hwangho was busy moving his alter ego and looking for a good timing, he suddenly felt a chill go down his spine.
“Your hand stopped, Hwangho-nim. I guess Euishin hyung isn’t checking his messages.”
At some point, Eunho turned his attention to Hwangho.
He’s seen right through Hwangho and perfectly predicted what was happening.
Hwangho took out the lollipop from his mouth and confessed.
“Jo Euishin is not answering. He’s not reading his messages either. Based on his last message, he seems to be headed to TC Research Institute.”
“There may be a way for me to contact him, but I think Euishin hyung is busy now. Euishin hyung was talking to Yoo Sanghoon.”
As if he was done talking with Cheon Dongha, Eunho turned off the hologram and became absorbed in his thoughts for a while.
Hwangho was concerned about what the two were discussing, but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask.
Eunho finally spoke after some time.
“I do not know Yoo Sanghoon’s personality well. However, based on what I heard and his sister’s personality, there’s a possibility that the two are fighting right now.”
“Jo Euishin and Yoo Sanghoon?”
“Yes, Yoo Sanghoon might want to come with Euishin hyung. But Euishin hyung would oppose it.”
Hearing Eunho’s words, Hwangho immediately imagined the situation.
Eunho explained further.
“Yoo Sanghoon is the first person that Euishin hyung saved in this world. He is hyung’s first friend. Even if Yoo Sanghoon has capable abilities, Euishin hyung would oppose the idea of his friend coming to such a dangerous place.”
“I see… I have to figure out Jo Euishin’s location first. It’s an emergency situation right now.”
Hwangho bit on his lollipop again and activated his device.
While navigating through applications, an idea suddenly came to his mind.
‘…Maybe using that clause could help us better understand what’s going on.’
Hwangho wasn’t the only one crazy enough to have this idea.
Eunho added a word.
“Hwangho-nim, when you distributed the devices for students, they agreed to the provision that you could track their devices during emergency situations, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do Wonwoo, a student at Eungwang High, is in a dangerous situation. I think that fits the qualification.”
And after tracking some of the students’ locations, some unexpected results came up.
Hwangho explained what he found.
Hearing his explanation, Eunho turned on his device and looked at a hologram before speaking in a blurred voice.
“…There’s another variable. We have to hurry.”
***
The air cooled as he headed underground.
At first, Do Wonwoo thought that it was simply because he was moving deeper below the ground or perhaps because he was exhausted from releasing a huge amount of energy waves.
However, as the temperature dropped to an abnormal level and the density of energy waves increased, Do Wonwoo felt that something was wrong.
‘Did they need cold air for something? I don’t think there’s something listed in the studies being done here though… I don’t know what this is. I should be careful.’
In fact, a frozen-type otherworld containing poison and the cold air was located just around f TC Research Institute.
No poison was emitted because it was still wasn’t activated, but the cold air unique to frozen-type otherworlds widely permeated underground.
Although Do Wonwoo did not know about the existence of such a frozen-type otherworld nearby, he felt that something was unusual.
‘I’ll have to figure it out if I want to get out of here safely.’
Do Wonwoo laughed bitterly at himself when he realized he thought of the word ‘safely’.
Do Wonwoo changed his mind.
‘…I’ll need a clue at least so that maybe someone else can solve it.’
To protect himself from the chilling air, Do Wonwoo enveloped himself in energy waves and silently headed to his target point.
The energy waves prevented his skin from freezing, but he still felt cold.
‘It was just a while ago when it was so hot.’
Do Wonwoo suddenly remembered his activities in the student association.
A lot of things happened while he was in the student association, but the year he spent as the student representative was his most busy and faithful year.
The most impressive event that happened during his tenure was the sports exchange match with the Military Academy.
The student association was busy not only with the planning and implementation of the event but also with the establishment of the first cheering squad of Eungwang High.
The exchange match was held in mid-September, and the cheering squad practiced hard even in the scorching hot weather.
Among the freshmen, Ahn Dain was the only one who was able to endure everything and saw things to their end.
The second and third years were better, but even Kwak Gyungu was struggling.
Kwak Gyungu is particularly sensitive to heat, and he used to carry an ice pack and a portable air conditioner.
He even asks Yeom Junyeol to suppress himself as much as possible because Hongryong emits a lot of heat during warm seasons.
‘Those guys were too good to me…’
Do Wonwoo did his best to endure everything without showing that he was having a hard time, but there were times when the third-years notice him and cared for him.
In particular, the vice representative Ji Myungsoo and the secretary Yoo Sanghee.
When the two’s faces came to mind, Do Wonwoo felt angry at himself.
He thought of the two who helped him the most, and he realized that he was looking for people to lean on at this moment.
‘I have to do this alone! It’s just a passing thought, but why am I like this…?!’
When humans are put in extreme conditions, they tend to think of pleasant and happy memories.
That was the exact situation Do Wonwoo was in, so he decided to calmly get a grip on himself.
When the biting cold reached its peak, the end of the stairs was visible.
There was no further way down, but the thing that Do Wonwoo sensed was deeper underground.
Knock, knock…
Do Wonwoo loaded up his energy wave and knocked on the floor for a while.
Underneath it, just as Do Wonwoo expected, there seemed to be more structures.
It wasn’t easy to sense as it is covered with a strong boundary, but it wasn’t enough to deceive Do Wonwoo’s senses.
‘I’ll have to make my own way with my Iron Chain.’
Fwaaa!
Do Wonwoo’s palm gave off a strong energy wave.
His energy waves took the form of a chain.
Do Wonwoo’s light skill Iron Chain enables him to transform his energy waves into a chain.
Woosh!
As Do Wonwoo moved his hand, the chains he summoned began to be tightly united.
Soon enough, when the chains became as thick as Do Wonwoo’s body, he gestured.
“Go!”
Craaaash!
His powerful chain destroyed the ground at once.
A loud noise resonated, and both the ground and the boundary seemed to be destroyed yet not a single piece of debris went close to Do Wonwoo’s body.
After confirming that the floor was completely crushed, Do Wonwoo clenched his fists.
Swaaa…
The huge chain that destroyed the ground melted into the air and disappeared.
Do Wonwoo lost his words the moment he saw what was below the ground.
‘What in the world is…?!’
The underground of the TC Research Institute was decorated like a botanical garden.
The underground garden was purple all throughout, not because of artificial lights, but because of the plants.
A pungent and poisonous scent came from something that looked like a plant, something that Do Wonwoo saw for the first time in his life.
‘…It’s not normal for a plant to live in the cold like this! What’s going on here?!’
Based on Do Wonwoo’s investigations, this was the place where the ‘Superior Beings Artificial Descent Project’ was being held.
Do Wonwoo almost lost a grip of his mind when he imagined Yoo Sanghee working in this bizarre scene.
Regardless, Do Wonwoo jumped down.
‘The subject of that project are superior beings. Maybe there’s a medium of power in here that can attract them to this world.’
Do Wonwoo tried to find that ‘medium of power’ by raising his senses and energy waves.
However, the poisonous herbs’ energy waves constantly distracted him.
Do Wonwoo began to walk recklessly.
He tried to remember the TC Research Institute map and headed to what he thought was the center.
‘If I do the right things, I’ll be able to take that medium of power. I have no choice but to destroy it myself!’
Do Wonwoo walked a few more steps when…
Grrrrr…
Screech!
The sounds made Do Wonwoo’s body stiffen up.
He had no idea what this botanical garden was nor what the poisonous plants that existed in it were, but he immediately recognized that sound.
It was a sound that any player with experience with otherworlds can recognize.
‘Enemies…! And not just one or two!’
Do Wonwoo’s mind went blank.
‘I can’t believe enemies are being housed under TC!’
One of the reasons why this place is put underground might be to prevent the Players’ Association from detecting the presence of enemies.
Do Wonwoo added strength to the insulation supporter that he was wearing in his hand.
One of a player’s fundamental missions is to conquer enemies.
As a player, he can’t just leave those enemies alone.
“I see I have a visitor.”
At that moment, Do Wonwoo heard a voice near him.
He quickly looked back and saw someone.
Someone wearing a robe.
“While the priest is away, I decided to take over this place. Even if you are TC’s young master, I can’t just let you go.”
Fwak!
The robed man whipped his hands and launched seeds in the air.
It contained an ominous purple energy wave that was more threatening than the cries of the enemies nearby.
Do Wonwoo realized that the person wasn’t an ordinary human.
‘Don’t tell me he’s a royal lineage! The TC Research Institute was colluding with royal lineages?!’
Do Wonwoo didn’t have much experience fighting with the royal lineage.
The bored Yong Jegun sometimes asks him to battle, but that was a match with established rules.
This was his first real-life fight with a royal lineage.
‘I have to deal with enemies and a royal lineage at the same time?’
Do Wonwoo made up his mind.
He doesn’t want to give up or run away just because he has little chance of winning.
“I’ll make this quick.”
When the royal lineage announced so, Do Wonwoo raised energy waves all over his body.
The moment enough energy waves reached his insulation supporter and he was about to summon his chain…
“…!”
Hwik!
The robed royal lineage retreated greatly.
At the same time, Do Wonwoo saw someone stand between them.
He was busy gathering his strength so he didn’t notice the presence and the quick movements, but he saw the silhouette right away.
‘A crow mask…?’
The person who suddenly appeared was wearing a crow mask.
And it wasn’t just one.
‘There’s two of them…!’
They were both emitting strong energy waves, and though he didn't recognize one of them, Do Wonwoo knew who the other one was right away.
He believed that he’d become family with him not too long ago, so he had no doubt about it.
‘Why is Sanghoon…?’
Two people wearing crow masks stood in front of Do Wonwoo.
One of them was Yoo Sanghoon.
“…We’re not the only ones here.”
Yoo Sanghoon spoke over his mask.
Shoot! Clash!
Screech!
Fwaaa!
After that, the sound of gunfire was heard from a distance.
Unable to believe what he was seeing, Do Wonwoo squinted his eyes.
In the distance was a marksman shooting an energy gun, and Hongryong burning the ominous plants.
All of them had their faces covered, but there’s no way that Do Wonwoo wouldn’t recognize them.
The student association members were here.
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