Chapter 943

Baekho left the lodging of Jo Yi-shin and ran through the torrential rain.

He cut through the rain and mist faster than the wind, but his body, wrapped in the energy of a supernatural being, didn’t get wet, and no one at Eungwang High sensed his presence.

Just a few seconds after leaving the lodging, Baekho arrived in front of Eunryeong-gwan.

Ugh...

In front of Eunryeong-gwan, a small puppy-shaped guardian beast waited for Baekho.

With its ears folded and eyes lowered, Olmu was worried about Baekho.

Olmu had refused to meet Jo Yi-shin until her eyes healed but had expressed the intention to accompany Baekho when discussing the nightmare.

It seemed that Olmu was considering going to meet Jo Yi-shin now, but Baekho opposed it.

Olmu, looking up at the tall, mythical noble figure, raised its head with all its might. After Baekho lowered his body to speak, he addressed the guardian beast.

“If you were here, Jo Yi-shin wouldn’t have been able to say what she wanted to. She cherishes you deeply and couldn’t get angry in front of you, who has done no wrong. If she found out that I intervened, she’d be upset.”

Woof woof!

Olmu barked in protest at Baekho’s explanation.

Olmu had sensed the presence of the nightmare when it saw Jo Yi-shin asleep.

Thinking the nightmare was targeting Jo Yi-shin, Olmu had woken her up several times.

But after learning that Jo Yi-shin was carrying the nightmare, Olmu, like Baekho, had only stayed by her side while she slept.

Although Olmu expressed some guilt for pretending not to know, Baekho shook his head.

“Jo Yi-shin’s judgment is impaired when you’re near. Even if you wanted to share a secret, it wouldn’t have reached her.”

Growl...

“It’s the same even when you return to your true form. Did you know Jo Yi-shin calls you a genius warrior when you return to your true form? They even shorten it to ‘angel.’”

The sound of Baekho’s quiet voice mixed with the guardian beast’s threatening growl.

Mostly, the conversation centered on Olmu’s worry for Jo Yi-shin and Baekho’s attempts to reassure the guardian beast.

Olmu seemed uneasy that Jo Yi-shin might become too worried after learning about the nightmare.

Olmu urged Baekho to check Jo Yi-shin’s condition immediately, but Baekho seemed not to be planning to meet her just yet.

“Jo Yi-shin, who is awake, is currently organizing her thoughts, so I can’t disturb her. Also, while I want to talk to her dream self as soon as possible, she won’t sleep for a while. I’ll let her think for a day, and then I’ll make her sleep starting tomorrow.”

Woof woof!

“I know. Now that Jo Yi-shin has recognized the nightmare, its power will grow stronger. But I haven’t told her the truth without any plan.”

Baekho took out an item card from his pocket and showed it to Olmu.

It was an item card that Eun-ho had made and given to Baekho just before Christmas, but it had remained unused.

When Olmu saw the item card, it seemed to relax slightly and lowered its guard.

After confirming Olmu had calmed down, Baekho stood up from his spot.

“I have somewhere to stop by. Will you come along?”

Instead of answering, Olmu looked toward Jo Yi-shin’s lodging at Eunso-gwan.

The guardian beast didn’t seem like it was ready to leave.

Without asking again, Baekho leapt into the rain.

For a brief moment, Baekho considered where to go.

There were people he wanted to meet both inside and outside of Eungwang High.

After a short hesitation, Baekho chose the closer option.

“Baekho, to come to Eunhui-gwan at this hour... It’s quite surprising. Come in.”

Eunhui-gwan, the main building of Eungwang High.

Even though it was late, Hwang Ho, who was scheduled to stay in Eunhui-gwan for the entire duration of the camp, was present, disguised as Hwang Myeong-ho.

As the center of the divine realm, Eunhui-gwan was protected by a powerful barrier, and entry without the guide of the secretary or permission from Hwang Ho was impossible.

However, Hwang Ho’s close friends could come and go freely without any procedure.

In fact, even Jo Yi-shin, the benefactor of the noble families, had permanent entry permission, but the benefactor always followed proper procedures, so it didn’t have much significance.

“Seeing you here, I guess you don’t plan to return to the mansion tonight. Seo Ho and Lee Ho are away, and Jae Ho is feeling lonely.”

Hwang Ho said with a scolding tone, but it didn’t seem like he intended to interrogate Baekho.

Instead of urging him to return to the mansion, Hwang Ho offered a cup of Baekhoju (white ginseng wine) and began a conversation.

“Did something happen while you were out for a night walk?”

“Why do you think that?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Since you returned to my mansion and started being silent, with a shadow over your face, you seemed frustrated. But now, you seem to feel a bit lighter.”

“Is that so?”

Baekho accepted the cup of tea from Hwang Ho.

Though he had revealed a long-kept secret to Jo Yi-shin, which made him feel lighter, his heart wasn’t at ease.

Even as he drank the tea, the anguish and thoughts connected to Jo Yi-shin’s true name continued to reach him.

Even though Jo Yi-shin was awake and couldn’t read Baekho’s thoughts, her terrifying insight made him feel as if his mind and heart had become transparent.

It was like Jo Yi-shin was shouting to Baekho, analyzing everything about him with all her mental faculties.

“Baekho, what are you thinking that makes you smile like that?”

“Was I smiling?”

“Yes. You don’t seem happy, but you were smiling.”

Hwang Ho asked with interest, but Baekho didn’t answer. Instead, he took another sip of the tea.

If Baekho’s hidden secrets were to be revealed to the noble families, as Jo Yi-shin thought, he might end up drinking dried persimmon tea during teatime. So, he decided to enjoy the Baekhoju for now.

Since Baekho had been less inclined to smile after losing his true name, Hwang Ho had even named him “Baekho-gun.”

After leaving his true name behind in another world, especially after bestowing divine protection to Jo Yi-shin, he couldn’t bring himself to smile.

Watching Jo Yi-shin lose her family and dream, while also witnessing the unfolding future of this world in Flamagona, made him feel that there was nothing worth laughing about.

Baekho kept all those thoughts buried in his heart and finally spoke.

“Hwang Ho, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it? Is it about Jo Yi-shin? You’ve been in the garden until now, and since you’re smiling, it must be related to a benefactor.”

“It is related.”

Baekho didn’t know if Jo Yi-shin would be happy or frustrated when she found out what he had in mind.

But no matter what Jo Yi-shin thought, Baekho was determined to do what he wanted.

Now that he had acknowledged the existence of the nightmare, keeping his silence in front of Jo Yi-shin didn’t hold as much meaning. He needed to extend his time near her.

Just as he had cut the nightmare from Maeng Hyo-don’s dream, he would have to wield his sword if necessary.

“From next semester, I’ll also start attending.”

The day had broken, but the heavy rain still fell.

The clouds covered the sky, making it dark outside, but when he checked the time, it was the morning.

After staying up all night and thinking deeply, many of the discomforts and doubts he had felt about this world had been resolved.

‘The contradiction I felt when using Baekho-gun’s power through the trajectory of the player has been resolved.’

When borrowing the power of the true-blooded beings through the trajectory of the player, my enemies recognized me as a true-blooded being.

For instance, when I used the power of Yongjegun.

During the broadcast station incident, when I faced off against Cardmos, I borrowed the appearance of Yongjegun, and it was so seamless that it made me ecstatic.

This was the same when borrowing Baekho-gun’s power.

—...Wait, true-blooded beings? Why do I feel the presence of true-blooded power now when just moments ago, I was human?

During the youth training camp, the mimicry of the Wung tribe said that when I used Baekho-gun’s power through the trajectory of the player, they could feel the power of the true-blooded beings.

It was the same during Christmas Eve.

While performing the energy infusion ritual in front of the Wind King and the Rain Master.

At that time, I was using both Yoon Yeo-rang and Baekho-gun’s powers simultaneously.

They said:

—...True-blooded beings? There’s a true-blooded being among the students?

—It wouldn’t be strange if some true-blooded being was in Eungwang High, given that there’s a descendant of the dragon tribe, but how dare a non-noble true-blooded being swing a sword in front of Cheondansu?

But in both cases, it was strange.

True-blooded beings and their descendants recognize each other through the scent of their true names.

But the trajectory of the player was a supernatural ability that allowed me to borrow the power of characters I played in Flamagona, and unlike Yongjegun, Baekho-gun had lost his true name from the beginning to the end.

In other words, when I used Baekho-gun’s power, it didn’t make sense for the enemy to recognize me as a true-blooded being.

‘The exact mechanism is unclear, but maybe the true name that was granted to me through divine protection reacted to Baekho-gun’s power. When the true name granted through divine protection was sensed, the enemy recognized me as a true-blooded being.’

This contradiction, along with other doubts, was now being resolved.

Jokho had said something strange not long after we met.

—It’s hard to say exactly, but I trust Jo Yi-shin.

If that weren’t the case, Baekho and even Hwang Ho wouldn’t have acted.

Perhaps other noble families feel the same way.

Jokho couldn’t explain it well, but said that he felt an unusual trust in me.

Perhaps that trust was because he could feel the divine protection within me.

Since my true name had been engraved by a friend I had trusted for thousands of years, it made sense that he could trust me, even without being able to feel it precisely.

And when I had a conversation with Hwang Ji-ho, there was something that puzzled me.

It was when I obtained the Bright Eyes skill.

—This is strange. You acquired it so quickly. Jo Yi-shin, you’ve lived a life unrelated to true-blooded beings, so how is this...?

—One of the conditions for acquiring the Bright Eyes skill is to receive the light of the Bright Eyes for a long period.

Hwang Ji-ho had said that I lived a life unrelated to true-blooded beings, but that wasn’t true.

Before I turned ten, I had already received divine protection from a tiger that crossed into my dreams.

Seeing how quickly I acquired the Bright Eyes skill, it seemed that the tiger I met in my dreams had been watching me for a long time.

When I thought about Baekho-gun, who had kept silent despite knowing the contradictions and doubts I felt, the frustration I had barely suppressed last night started to rise again.

“Yi-shin, hello. It’s going to rain all day today. But we can train indoors anytime. The facilities at Eunryeong-gwan are well-equipped... Hmm? You look a little off. Did you sleep well last night?”

“I had something to think about.”

“I see, if you need to talk, let me know anytime. I also don’t sleep well when it rains, so feel free to message or call late at night.”

“I slept fine, just call whenever.”

Despite learning a tremendous truth, the training camp continued as planned.

Yem Jun-yeol seemed to be contemplating the cancellation of outdoor training due to the rain, while Yongjegun appeared excited.

Watching the dragon and its descendants, I found myself distracted, thinking other things with a groggy mind.

What if I had ended up in the same room as Yem Jun-yeol? Wouldn’t something have happened?

‘In the worst-case scenario, the nightmare might have tried to consume my true name. No, maybe the Dragon King would have warned me beforehand.’

It seemed like the Dragon King knew about the nightmare I was carrying.

When the shaman’s succession ceremony had ended in the Dragon Palace, the Dragon King had whispered directly into my mind when no one else could hear.

—[If you weren’t carrying the nightmare, I would have asked you to take the position of the green shaman.]

It was clear that most of the higher beings, including the Dragon King, had noticed the nightmare.

Just like the leader of the two factions, it would be natural for the nightmare to be declared as “banned,” but remembering that I had been invited to the Dragon Palace as a benefactor made me grateful, yet a chill ran down my spine.

At the Tiger Mansion, Baekho had guarded me all night, but didn’t that happen in the Dragon Palace too?

When I thought about it, my tired mind became sharp again.

As if urging my now-clear mind, a loud voice rang out.

“I won’t lose today!”

Majin Seung’s booming voice hit my ears.

Behind him, Gwak Gyeong-gu was also standing, looking like he had a lot to say.

‘Did they both not sleep last night?’

Seeing the dark circles under their eyes, it seemed I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t slept.

Maybe they couldn’t sleep after losing to a junior in 30 seconds.