The Gokseong Passage

Baek Ho-yeon, king of the Tiger Clan, who had left his own territory behind and taken over the chairman’s office at Jiri Academy, sat there in a foul mood with his thick body stretched long across the chair.

“Human society is far too complicated.”
“Your Majesty. There are many matters that must be dealt with.”
“That pig of a human who was here before really did leave it in a mess.”

As Baek Ho-yeon looked over the agenda items, he bared his sharp teeth and his eyes gleamed fiercely.
The Tiger Clan’s envoy, Woon Ho, now Baek Ho-yeon’s secretary, spoke in the same steady manner as ever.

“You were the one who wrested the position of Jiri Academy chairman from the Association President. And all the materials regarding the previous chairman’s embezzlement and corruption have been gathered. More than ninety percent of the materials for suing the faculty and staff have also been collected.”
“As soon as it’s all gathered, give them one good beating and hand them over to the judges.”
“Understood. And your hand has stopped. There is still a great deal of work left, so please get moving.”
“Hoo….”

Baek Ho-yeon picked up the pen with his thick hand.

“Writing tools these days are made too small.”
“You must adapt to new developments.”

Woon Ho said this while tapping at a pad screen instead of flipping through a paper file.
As he scrolled through the screen, Woon Ho began listing the schedule.

“Once you finish the backlog of work, you have a meeting with the Minister of Education, a meeting with the Minister of National Defense, a dinner with the President, a national academy chairmen gathering, and a meeting with the academy executive staff.”
“Meetings, meetings, meetings! Why do humans like moving in groups so much?”
“Weak animals tend to like grouping together by nature. Of course, fierce beasts also like moving in packs.”

That is exactly what Your Majesty is doing as well.
Woon Ho swallowed the rest of that thought.
But it was not as though he couldn’t understand.
The reason the king clung so obsessively to his own kin was because of the past, when they had been slaughtered by the Japanese.
Baek Ho-yeon sprawled out in the chair as if he could not care less.

Creeeak!

The chair supporting Baek Ho-yeon’s heavy body let out a scream.
The sight made him look like a tiger stretching out across a well-warmed rock, and Woon Ho found himself wanting to lie down too.

‘It’s good that His Majesty ended his seclusion, but he has absolutely no intention of working. At this point, there’s no choice but to use the last resort.’

Woon Ho decided to dangle a tempting piece of bait to get the king moving.

“Ah, right. I heard the exam results are out. Student Lee Ro-un took first in the whole school again this time. He’s an excellent student.”
“Lee Ro-un? Well now. It seems even among humans, one or two useful ones do appear now and then.”

Just as he had expected, the king showed interest.
Woon Ho quickly continued speaking about Lee Ro-un.

“He is also highly regarded externally. A future Saint. A hope who takes care of the weak. His volunteer work is overwhelming, and despite being only eighteen, his record of passage entry is remarkable. He has also supported major guilds on multiple occasions.”
“That just means the Association worked him like a dog. This is why humans who are only righteous die young.”

Since ancient times, many outstanding figures had appeared on this land.
A general who defended the nation against an army of hundreds of thousands, a swordsman who surpassed the limits of a frail human body, a hero who protected the seas with brilliant strategy, a king who invented many things for the sake of his people, and more.
An amount of force so vast it seemed impossible for such a small land to contain had brought many possibilities to bloom.
But perhaps as a backlash to that, such figures had never been on good terms with those in power.

“However, the fact that Lee Ro-un’s conduct has changed so drastically of late is suspicious. They say that starting from the entrance ceremony in March, he has been skipping class and no longer responds to the Association’s summons.”
“Hm. But Lee Ro-un’s ability was indeed something he originally possessed.”
“Could it be that his body was stolen by an otherworld resident?”
“If that were the case, our princess would never like Lee Ro-un. The princess said the Saint’s soul is very clear and pure.”

Baek Ho-yeon answered with all the doting foolishness of a parent.
As accustomed as ever to ignoring Baek Ho-yeon’s doting, Woon Ho continued speaking.

“That is true. That is also why the princess was able to remain safe.”

And we also got ahold of that old, cunning human’s weakness.
Thinking of the Association President, who had dared gamble with the princess’s life out of greed, Woon Ho’s eyes gleamed.
It was a bloodthirsty look, as though he were already thinking over how best to toy with him.
Baek Ho-yeon stopped Woon Ho, who was beginning to radiate killing intent.

“That’s enough.”
“My apologies.”
“I’m already considering what to do with the Association President myself, so slowly. Let’s think it through very, very slowly.”
“Yes.”

The secretary bowed his head.
The Association President probably thought that giving up the chairman’s position at a failing academy had settled the matter, but as if that would be enough.

‘That human. He won’t die peacefully.’

There was no way the king would ever forgive a human who had targeted his own kin.
When Baek Ho-yeon, who had been glaring into empty space for a moment, changed his expression, the atmosphere around him loosened at once.
Without realizing it, the secretary let out the breath he had been holding in.

“…Ha.”

As expected of the king.
It was said that a being with true rank could dominate a space with presence alone, and the king too possessed the dignity befitting a Divine Beast.
The secretary’s chest swelled at the king’s sheer presence.
For those who followed him, having an exceptional being as the leader was enough to satisfy even the soul.

“So when is Lee Ro-un supposed to come? He’ll probably come straight here to get the consent form. What excuse should I use to refuse him?”

Baek Ho-yeon smiled brightly, clearly delighted as he imagined toying with Lee Ro-un through the consent form.
It would be even better if he could use the consent form as an excuse to lure him into his territory.

“Your Majesty said that you wished to see proof that Lee Ro-un could survive even after going out into society. Good grades alone do not prove that one can survive.”
“Oh!”

At Woon Ho’s clever idea, Baek Ho-yeon’s face lit up.

“Now that’s a good idea. We keep putting conditions on him and use them to draw him into our territory!”
“I hear Lee Ro-un is weak to women and children. He seems especially weak to the princess, so we should mention the princess often.”
“Good! Since ancient times, all famous figures have had a soft spot for the weak. But why did the elderly get left out?”
“Most likely because of humans like the Association President.”
“True enough. Both the Association and the academy have too many rotten humans. Young brats bullying even younger ones and the like.”

The tiger, aged thousands of years, clicked his tongue at the greed of old humans.
In any case, as the secretary was making notes on everything necessary to achieve the goal of ‘bringing Lee Ro-un into the Tiger Clan’s territory,’ a pop-up appeared on his pad.

“Chairman.”
“Yeah.”
“Lee Ro-un has submitted a field training application.”

Up!

“Lee Ro-un is going where?!”

Ho-yeon sprang up and thrust his face forward.
His eyes sparkled with interest like morning stars.

“Student Cheon Su-ho just submitted a field training application, and Lee Ro-un is listed as his teammate. The passage they applied for is a C-rank passage in Gokseong. It is a passage highly compatible with student Lee Ro-un. It is a place where ghost-type otherworld residents weak to Holy Power appear.”
“A passage. And a C-rank one at that.”
“Yes. I have already sent the materials on the applied-for passage to your pad.”

At Woon Ho’s words, Baek Ho-yeon couldn’t hold back and snatched away Woon Ho’s pad.
It was only a series of light taps, but to any observer, the enormous hand that looked like it could crush rock seemed to be pressing down with great force as it clumsily tapped the screen.

“I just can’t get used to these things.”

Well, technology advanced a great deal after the 1980s, which was the last time Your Majesty had come out in public.
Nearly a full century had passed, and technology from other dimensions had even been introduced, so the technological gap Your Majesty had to catch up on was quite large.

“Press the one beside that. The icon with three lines side by side.”
“This one?”
“Yes. If you press that, a list should appear below.”
“Oh. There it is. Let’s see. So this is the passage Lee Ro-un applied for?”

Thanks to Woon Ho sparing no advice at his side like someone teaching an old man how to use a machine, Baek Ho-yeon barely managed to pull up the information on the passage Lee Ro-un was planning to enter.

【Otherworld Passage: The Marsh Where Wailing Echoes (C)】
[Location: 1177-6 Singi-ri, Gokseong-eup, Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do
Type: Dungeon-type
Resident Type: Grade-2 ghost-type
Special Notes: Passage does not clear even after defeating the boss / An additional door was discovered opposite the boss room / The Baekje Guild attempted it multiple times, but the door would not open / It appears a specific condition must be met]

After reviewing the passage information, Baek Ho-yeon’s eyes gleamed.

“Grade 2 means small fry. A passage that doesn’t resolve even after the boss is defeated, hm. This smells suspicious. The exams are over, yet instead of coming to see me, Lee Ro-un submitted a field training application first? Woon Ho, what do you think?”
“The one who submitted the application was student Cheon Su-ho… but there is one notable point. Student Cheon Su-ho suffers from <Mana Disability> and possesses the trait <Hero>.”
“Oh? And the one going with him just happens to be a student with the <Hero> trait. That makes it smell even more suspicious.”

Baek Ho-yeon curled up the corner of his mouth, clearly finding it suspicious.

“Does Your Majesty suspect that Lee Ro-un is deliberately taking Cheon Su-ho to the Gokseong passage?”
“Woon Ho. How much of the world do you believe to be coincidence?”

At the sight of Baek Ho-yeon speaking with solemn gravity, Woon Ho answered in kind.

“I have not existed long, but I believe there is no such thing as coincidence in this world.”
“Just so. Everything is inevitability. That the Saint’s sprout saved my daughter was not coincidence, but inevitability itself.”

It was all because of Lee Ro-un’s power that his daughter had escaped a fate of death.
Keeping his thoughts about fate tightly sealed away, Baek Ho-yeon stared into the air.
Woon Ho continued and asked,

“Then does Your Majesty also believe that his going into the passage together with the Hero is likewise inevitable?”
“It is certainly no coincidence.”

The more one knew, the fewer words one was permitted to say, so Baek Ho-yeon answered vaguely.
But Woon Ho, who had served the king at his side for a long time, faintly grasped the meaning behind those words.

“I will look closely into the passage the Saint and the Hero are entering. I will also further investigate Cheon Su-ho and report back.”
“Yeah. Good work.”

In an instant, Baek Ho-yeon let go of the dignity of a Divine Beast and slumped back into his lax posture, waving his thick hand.
Left alone, Baek Ho-yeon lightly tapped at the screen displaying the materials for the passage Lee Ro-un had applied to enter.

“Lee Ro-un. Why are you trying to go here this time? Are you trying to save someone again? Or is there some reason you have to go together with a <Hero>?”

Whatever the reason, he would find out when the day came.

“If you resolve even this passage, Lee Ro-un, then I will believe that you possess the power to twist fate.”

At that point, I will become your steadfast protector.
And I will deliver fitting punishment to the bastards who dared deceive my eyes and target my daughter.
Baek Ho-yeon looked into the air and curled up the corner of his mouth.

“Lee Ro-un!”

The door opened, and the mutt came in.
Because that mutt had been ringing the bell from the crack of dawn, Ro-un had no choice but to open the door.
With an irritated look, Lee Ro-un turned to glance at the mutt who had just entered.

“You. Why are you here?”
“Didn’t we agree to do field training together! I came to prepare for clearing the passage with you!”
“Haaaaah.”

Ro-un let out a long, deep sigh.
Every single word out of his mouth made Ro-un’s head throb.

“You.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you go and put my name on the field training application without asking?”
“Hm? Didn’t you say if I placed in the top ten, you’d go with me? So I submitted the application the moment I checked the rankings.”
“No, how did you even know my student number?”
“Is there even a student who doesn’t know your student number, Lee Ro-un?”

Cheon Su-ho asked back in all innocence.

‘Of course not, damn it!’

For some reason, ever since the regression, he felt like he had been living with a curse word constantly on his lips.
There had been far too many cases of the chairman and principal using him for publicity for him to imagine anyone not knowing his year, class, and number.
Lee Ro-un glared at Cheon Su-ho.

“I’m pretty sure I said I’d think about it. Choosing a field training passage is something you’re supposed to do carefully. Since when do you submit it right away without your teammate’s consent?”
“Weren’t you always diligent with the academic schedule, Lee Ro-un? I thought you’d be the first to put in a field training application this time too. The academic affairs office also checked that you were my teammate and approved it right away.”

What kind of goddamn school is this?!
At least get the student’s proper consent!
A sharp pain started rising in the back of Ro-un’s neck at the sight of just how chaotically this academy was being run.
He knew things were not going to improve instantly just because the chairman had changed, but how was it that not a single thing around here functioned properly?
They were just approving applications without even having the other student’s consent?
Was field training some kind of joke?!

Gnash!

Ro-un ground his teeth.
Standing before a Ro-un trembling with anger, Cheon Su-ho held out a hologram window.

“Lee Ro-un, look at this! I brought an interview with the Baekje Guild that tried to clear the Gokseong passage.”
“I’ve seen that too.”

The dual passage in Gokseong was one of the incidents Lee Ro-un had been trying to prevent.
The reason was that after the tragedy, the Baekje Guild, which had tried to clear that passage but failed to stop its collapse because they couldn’t find anyone able to open the door, had disbanded under the weight of guilt.
Since it had been an incident involving the collapse of an S-rank dual passage, the casualties among both Awakeners and civilians had been especially severe.

‘I’m sorry. It was our fault. I’m sorry, ngh. I’m truly sorry.’

The words spoken by the Baekje Guild’s representative in that interview were still vivid in his mind.
Most guilds based in the provinces were made up largely of locals from that area.
For a guild to have suffered heavy losses among both its Awakeners and the civilians there meant, in effect, that families, relatives, and loved ones had died.

‘Baekje Guild is a fairly well-known guild even in South Jeolla. They’re also close with the locals. A guild like that disappearing can’t be compared to just one promising guild vanishing.’

Guilds that were both conscientious and widely respected were few enough to count on one hand.
Especially in modern times, guilds that met the standard of being “conscientious” were rare enough to count on one hand.

“Lee Ro-un! Look at this! It says the resident types are ghost-type, so they’re weak to light and fire!”
“So it does.”
“If they’re Grade 2, we should be able to deal with them even with cheap items! Do you happen to have any item that can make fire?”

Ro-un rummaged through his inventory.
Finding a lighter, Ro-un took it out and checked it.

“Ah. The battery’s almost dead.”
“So it’s the kind that charges with a crystal stone. Lee Ro-un, do you have any crystal stones?”
“…No.”

The little money he had on hand was completely gone now, thanks to recently moving his family’s home.
Ro-un’s shoulders slumped.
Cheon Su-ho, who could not even enter the passage due to <Mana Disability>, also let his shoulders droop.

‘There is an item that would both make money and help stop the Calamity.’

Originally, it was supposed to have been a business started under the name of one of the Association President’s relatives.
One of the reasons he had chosen that item was because he himself had been involved in the development process and knew exactly how it worked.
And this item would become a huge hit.

‘Given how much I already handed over to those bastards, taking this one item without any guilt should be fine.’

Ro-un smiled faintly.

“Oh. Lee Ro-un. Your face looked very scary just now. Did someone go down below and start gambling again?”
“…It’s not that. And what do I care whether someone sneaks down below to gamble again?”
“Is that so? Then loosen your grip a little. At this rate you’ll draw blood.”

At Cheon Su-ho’s words, Lee Ro-un looked down at where his hand was resting.

‘No wonder my leg’s been going numb for a while.’

Looking at his own hand pressing hard into his thigh as if trying to cut off the blood flow, Ro-un relaxed his grip.
He had no reason to get angry over what those bastards had done, yet sometimes his body moved on its own, beyond his will.
A side effect of the regression?

“A lighter alone won’t be enough to clear it, so we’ll have to find an alternative.”
“First we’ll check whether we can borrow items from the academy, and if there’s nothing suitable, we’ll have to add someone with the right skill set to the team.”

They would probably have to bring in a new teammate.
There was no way even the items Ro-un had donated were still intact, so there was even less chance the academy’s supplies would be.

‘Yeah. It really would be better to bring someone with the right skill.’

As Ro-un searched his head for someone usable,
the wall exploded.