Chapter 987

The cracks in the glass window widened and the wind came in.

As he breathed in the fresh air, his consciousness gradually became clearer.

Now that he had come to his senses, it was time to make his next move.

‘I hope he didn’t get caught, right?’

The moves he could make depend greatly on whether or not the existence of the White Tiger was discovered.

Since he was so confident, he thought he wouldn’t get caught just because he broke the glass, but he was concerned that Kozuka Yashiro wasn’t an ordinary fox.

Kozuka Yashiro, who talked about tigers’ dens and the smell of tigers, didn’t seem human.

‘It’s not that there aren’t humans who are hostile to the clans, but the clans have been almost completely inactive since the modern era. If they were to take an opposing stance, they would have to have lived longer than that.’

Then the possibility that he was a true clan or a descendant increased.

He could have been a human who had obtained the means of immortality, or he could have inherited the will of his ancestors, even though he didn’t directly confront the clans.

But the problem was the name.

As you can see from Hwang Ji-ho, Yong Je-geon, Seo-dol, and Ok-to-yeon, there are Jin-jok who like to reveal their race in their surname or name even though they live in human society.

Although Kozuka Yashiro knew a lot about Jin-jok, he suspected that they were Jin-jok because their surname included the word fox.

Since Yong Je-geon was included in the coaching staff of Eun-gwang High School, it wouldn’t have been strange if there were Jin-jok in the Japanese national team, but if that Jin-jok was messing with Andain, it would be a big problem.

‘There’s still not enough evidence to determine whether they’re Jin-jok, descendants, or humans. I’ll have to ask Baek-ho-kun later to be sure.’

It must have been quite a distance, but he must have read Kozuka Yashiro’s aura.

Since I also looked into Baek-ho-kun’s head, it would have been easier to make a move right away, but it was a bit disappointing.

While I was briefly organizing my thoughts, Kozuka Yashiro was giving instructions and checking something on the device.

I heard something being said in Japanese, and I was told to search around the hotel, but it seemed like I didn’t find anything.

I pretended not to be in my right mind yet, and looked back and forth between the broken window and Kozuka Yashiro with a confused expression.

“… … There’s no tiger nearby?”

I heard Kozuka Yashiro mumbling suspiciously.

I guess I thoroughly prepared for tigers when I came here, but if I had prepared poorly, I might have been caught right away.

Fortunately, Baekho-kun, who came with me, wasn’t a poor tiger.

‘No, maybe he wasn’t caught for another reason.’

Baekho-kun doesn’t have a true name.

And the Jin and the descendants judge each other by the presence of their true names.

The reason why the other Jin didn’t mistake Baekho-kun for a human was because he was a famous Jin from the mythical world, and there were many rumors that he had lost his true name, so they could recognize him just by looking at his face.

In a sense, it seemed like he had benefited from throwing out the truth.

Of course, throwing out the truth still seemed crazy, so I still hope he takes it away quickly.

“It’s not like this phenomenon doesn’t exist because it’s an area with strong intelligence… … .”

“There’s a similar phenomenon occurring in a hotel facility right now, so we’re assessing the damage.”

Meanwhile, since Baekho-kun’s presence wasn’t revealed at all, the glass window issue was attributed to a problem with the restaurant’s facilities.

Eun-gwang-gu has strong intelligence and a high proportion of players among the floating population, so they thoroughly prepare for the phenomenon of supernatural powers, but even so, this kind of thing happens sometimes.

Baekho-kun seemed to be aiming for that and breaking the glass window.

And how did he do that? He broke the glass windows of several floors at the same time, not just this restaurant, which made me doubt that he was only targeting this place.

After hearing the explanation from the restaurant manager, Kozuka Yashiro pretended to be worried and looked at me.

“Are you okay? It doesn’t look like it’s in good shape, and then this kind of accident happens… … Let’s move and continue the conversation.”

It seems like Kozuka Yashiro hasn’t given up yet.

Because of the supernatural power, it’s hard to penetrate the player’s mind, so it was basic to create an opening before using a mental supernatural power.

That opening can be created by physically attacking or stimulating trauma, like when Kozuka Yashiro just brought up the family story to me.

From Kozuka Yashiro’s perspective, I’m probably in a good position to attack because I’m already shaken up by the story about my family and suddenly experienced a glass-breaking incident.

I thought it would be okay to keep pretending to be fooled, but I thought it would be dangerous if Kozuka Yashiro dragged me around any longer.

“Can we go somewhere where I can open the window? I’m a little dizzy because I’m nervous.”

“Oh, you surprised me. Okay.”

Kozuka Yashiro spoke with a sympathetic face, and the restaurant attendant guided him to a private room.

With such an unhesitating attitude, it was hard to believe that he was trying to lead me to a confined space and do something stupid with the scent.

He really wasn’t an easy opponent.

I sat down by the window and opened it.

Once again, the two of us were alone, and Kozuka Yashiro waited quietly for me to speak.

‘At first glance, he looks like a counselor waiting for the other person to speak, but no. He must still be suspicious of the accident just now.’

I collected my thoughts, pretended to be sorry, pretended to be flustered, and then stammered a little before organizing my thoughts again.

“When we brought up the topic of family, I couldn’t help but feel emotional. As you said, I think my worries started after the incident that happened to my family.”

I spoke as if I was thanking the counselor for pointing out the core of my worries.

While I was talking about family, I felt like there were thorns on my tongue and throat, and it was painful.

I wondered if Kozuka Yashiro could see that pain.

I thought about what to do next.

I was going to make Kozuka Yashiro never talk about his family again.

“But if I keep doing this, my family will worry. So I think we should talk about something else now.”

“That’s a good mindset. Well, since we talked about the beginning of my worries, let’s see what happens next.”

After that, we moved away from talking about family and started a game under the guise of counseling.

Kozuka Yashiro didn’t directly touch on my weaknesses because he couldn’t use incense, but he used clever language to find my weak points.

I was dragged by Kozuka Yashiro and pretended to sympathize, but I swallowed all the stories that were unfavorable to Andain or the clan.

Because he seemed easy to handle as a young student, but he couldn’t get what he wanted, I thought I could see the chess pieces that Kozuka Yashiro had.

Soon, the decisive moment came.

“I don’t want to just listen to your advice. I want to help you.”

Kozuka Yashiro said with a sad face.

I felt that the other side was also strong because I had to say what and how I wanted help, so I had an excuse and evidence.

Now, I would be able to hear what I wanted to hear.

“I also want to get help from someone. But if a Korean student asks a Japanese national team teacher for help, wouldn’t there be people who would feel uncomfortable?”

“I see. You’re not just polite, you’re also thoughtful. Thank you for thinking about it.”

Kozuka Yashiro said with moved eyes.

Even though he made that expression, he probably felt frustrated inside and wanted to hit me or spray incense to control his mind.

If I do that, the white tiger that I had a temper with when I was young will not only break the glass and run away, but will also throw a sword and barge in.

“If you’re worried about me, how about asking my acquaintance? If you’re in a difficult situation because of the rumors, it would really help.”

Kozuka Yashiro said, handing me a business card.

The analog paper business card didn’t have any names or positions written on it, but it had a device code printed on it.

I finally felt like I had the piece I was looking for.

* * *

Tiger Mansion.

After receiving the business card, I had a long conversation with Kozuka Yashiro and returned.

Kozuka Yashiro seemed to be planning to hold me for a long time and even have dinner, but I made a move first.

My expression changed, and with a half-frightened face, I said, “I have an appointment that’s hard to postpone or refuse.”

Although I didn’t explain it in detail, I pretended that I had an appointment with a clan official, so he let me go without holding me back.

‘I’m currently in a position where I have no choice but to hide my skills while being threatened by the tigers, so that’s the best excuse.’

After parting ways with Kozuka Yashiro, who affectionately told me to contact him anytime, I headed to the Tiger Mansion alone.

As soon as I entered the Tiger Mansion grounds, the White Tiger, who had been nowhere to be seen or heard, suddenly appeared.

I was a little amazed when he suddenly appeared in front of me without any wind or sound, but I tried not to show it.

However, it was meaningless because my mind was read.

“There was a tailing.”

White Tiger said with a smirk.

I was moved, but I decided to ask something important.

“You followed me all the way here?”

“No, I was caught in the Yellow Tiger’s barrier before I could see the mansion.”

I heard that the Tiger Mansion’s barrier was so advanced that it was difficult to even recognize, and it was difficult to see anyone who didn’t allow it.

If it was Kozuka Yashiro who had been tailing me, I would have noticed that there was a huge force.

“Kozuka Yashiro is a true tribe.”

Before I could even ask, Baekho-kun spoke fluently.

It was convenient to be able to hear the answer before I asked.

The problem was that Baekho-kun didn’t properly answer the questions I asked him.

Baekho-kun ignored my thoughts and continued to explain what he had seen and learned while accompanying me today, and the more I listened, the more I thought about it.

‘They were quite well-armed and prepared for someone who had just come to participate in the international exchange… … .’

It didn’t seem like he had made such preparations just to protect the young lady.

And even though it was only for a moment, Kozuka Yashiro had accurately understood my weakness and had stabbed me in the eye.

If I had been alone in that situation, it would have been quite difficult to escape while hiding the existence of the Gwangrim or Sangbosimgeumpa that I possessed.

‘My weakness wasn’t just chess.’

The trauma of chess was somewhat relieved, but not when it came to family.

I couldn’t figure out whether I should get over it or not.

The faces of my parents and siblings came to mind vividly.

There was a time when I almost forgot because I was busy with my daily life, but I vividly remembered it because I had something to see again recently thanks to Seong Sung-woo’s ability.

I don’t know how I can forget and be okay.

“Joeui-shin, you don’t have to get rid of your weakness.”

My thoughts stopped at Baekho-gun’s words.

I couldn’t understand what it meant to not get rid of your weakness.

Baekho-gun would know better the dangers of my power, so I wondered what he meant.@@novelbin@@

“I will help you like today.”

My thoughts stopped at Baekho-gun’s arrogant and confident words.

My feet also stopped for a moment while I paused.

When I was about to say something to Baekho-gun, the front door of the Tiger Mansion annex opened wide.

I saw Hwang Ji-ho and Eun-ho.

“Joe Shin, what do you mean you met a fox?”

“Hwang Ho, it would be better to sit down and listen to the story. You two must be very tired from dealing with the fox.”

It seemed like he was going to say something like thank you to Baekho-kun, but he just stopped talking.

Baekho-kun must have told the tigers.