EX rank supporting role's replay in a prestigious school

Chapter 819

Midnight, Central District Parking Lot.

I thought it would take some time before meeting with Seong Guk-eon due to his schedule, but as soon as I made the suggestion, an appointment was immediately set.

Seong Guk-eon suggested meeting at night and requested I come out to greet him.

Not long after, an air sedan carrying Seong Guk-eon arrived.

"Did you wait? Sorry for making you come out at this late hour."

"It's fine. It’s only natural to come out to greet you."

"Come on, get in. Let's talk before we move."

The fact that he insisted I get in seemed to indicate that he had something to discuss regarding the replay.

Although there was no sign of anyone in the parking lot at this hour, it would be safer to talk inside the car, where soundproofing and counter-surveillance measures were in place.

‘So, the reason he asked me to come earlier than the time agreed with Cheon Dong-ha was because of this.’

I wondered if he would hand over a document detailing the information about the replay that Jeon Moo-young had experienced.

It would be best to ask questions after reviewing the document and clarifying the details.

But when I looked at Jeon Moo-young, he only greeted me without handing anything over.

‘...Why is he being quiet?’

Seong Guk-eon, who had been silently looking at me, suddenly burst into laughter.

"Haha! You look completely clueless about why I called you, huh?"

Was he not going to talk about the replay matter?

What could the Formor demon clan have done this time?

I tried to think of any incidents related to Seong Guk-eon directly or indirectly, but couldn’t find an answer.

When I asked again if it was about the replay, Seong Guk-eon replied:

"That's not entirely wrong, but it's a little different. Did you think I was a cold-hearted senior who doesn’t know how to express gratitude to my benefactor?"

I had never thought of Seong Guk-eon as cold-hearted.

Whether through Plmago or seeing him directly in this world, Seong Guk-eon was a deeply affectionate and loyal person.

But now he was referring to someone as his benefactor?

While I was thinking about what connection Seong Guk-eon’s benefactor had with this situation, a large hand tightly gripped my shoulder.

I instinctively looked up at the owner of the hand, Seong Guk-eon.

"Back then, I couldn’t even properly express my thanks. Yi-shin, thank you."

What was he talking about suddenly?@@@@

Was he thanking me for providing information through the replay?

Thanking a junior who had pushed him into a nightmare to get the information—Seong Guk-eon’s generosity was remarkable.

When I conveyed that there was no reason to be thanked for something done to gather information, Seong Guk-eon shook his head.

"I'm not thanking you for doing the replay. I’m thanking you for everything you’ve done up until now."

Seong Guk-eon began explaining step by step, as though talking to a child.

He started by recalling the events during the tutorial with the nameless supporting character, expressing gratitude for everything.

The torrent of thanks made me feel dizzy.

I tried to redirect my thoughts elsewhere, but every time I did, Seong Guk-eon tightened his grip on my shoulder, bringing me back to the present.

Seong Guk-eon spoke as if he had figured everything out, even things unrelated to him, even things that hadn’t been revealed to the public.

‘Did he compare the differences between the replay and now and figure everything out? Some of it seems to be just guesses, but seeing my reactions, he must have confirmed them as facts.’

A person with a brain as excellent as Seong Guk-eon’s, along with his sharp memory and information gathering abilities, probably gained a tremendous amount of information from the replay.

Just when I was about to admire Seong Guk-eon, he suddenly slapped me on the back with a loud “bang!”

It didn’t hurt much, but it distracted me from my thoughts.

"In the replay, there was a congressman I was keeping an eye on for bad reasons. I investigated someone who wasn't part of the political world, and found out they were connected to the Illusory Dream Gate."

Hearing about the Illusory Dream Gate, a bad premonition washed over me.

Vroom...!

With a mechanical sound, the door opened.

Light poured out from the door, gradually solidifying into the figure of the former head of the Korean branch.

Although the differences in their appearance were noticeable when Seong Guk-eon and the former head faced each other, they were eerily similar.

Seong Guk-eon greeted him with a bright voice.

"Grandfather, it’s a pleasure to meet you."

[Has my grandchild come again? That’s the child I saw in the memories of another grandchild.]

"Haha! The way you’re calling me a child, you must be the AI of my grandfather."

The two of them were so alike that it was uncomfortable to watch, but neither seemed bothered by it.

Seong Guk-eon seemed happy to meet his grandfather, and his smile never faded.

"I have many questions. It took me a long time to get here following the clues you left behind."

[Is that so? If you want to get the clues, you’ll have to pass the test. I won’t go easy on you just because you’re my grandchild.]

"I know. You didn’t go easy on Si-wan either. I don’t need special treatment."

It didn’t quite feel like a conversation between a grandfather and grandson meeting for the first time, but it felt natural between the two of them.

Jeon Moo-young smiled wryly as he watched them.

"I was going to take the test first, but I don’t think the congressman would let me."

As expected, Seong Guk-eon didn’t give in and proceeded with the test from the former head of the Korean branch.

Considering Seong Guk-eon’s strong will, there was no need to worry.

It seemed likely he’d achieve the fastest record.

As expected, Seong Guk-eon passed the test quickly.

He didn’t seem fatigued at all after finishing the test.

"That was fast..."

Cheon Dong-ha, who had struggled through the strategies, sighed in amazement.

Though Seong Guk-eon was impressive, the delay in Cheon Dong-ha’s strategies was likely due to the synergy between the abilities rather than Seong Guk-eon’s sheer brilliance.

‘And there might be another reason why Seong Guk-eon was able to clear it so quickly.’

After completing the test, the former head of the Korean branch didn’t immediately show up.

Instead, a strange noise filled the entire boss room.

Jeon Moo-young noticed the noise and spoke.

"It’s a symptom that occurs when the simulator causes a calculation error. They’re running the debugging program to address it."

"It’s probably because the time period in my memory is tangled up. When they recalibrate and realize my memories were affected by the abilities, it will return to normal."

It seemed that the former head of the Korean branch had read Seong Guk-eon’s replay while causing a mental attack, which likely caused the error.

Thankfully, it didn’t seem like a serious issue, as the noise gradually faded.

Seong Guk-eon, deep in thought, watched the situation carefully.

‘Looks like he learned something while sparring with the former head of the Korean branch.’

When the noise subsided, the former head of the Korean branch finally reappeared.

Seong Guk-eon immediately asked his question.

"Was the attack I experienced an implementation of your Gwangrim?"

[Yes.]

The former head of the Korean branch answered a beat too late.

Was the residual effect of the calculation error still lingering?

Seong Guk-eon asked again, taking his time.

"Since you’ve read my memories, you don’t need to explain the details. Why did they use your Gwangrim?"

It seemed that Seong Guk-eon’s rapid clearance was partly due to his prior experience with similar abilities.

The powers used by the Red Wall Thief and the twins seemed connected to the former head’s Gwangrim.