EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school-Chapter 1062: Night Outpost (5)

As the light emanating from the Yeoui Boju enveloped Han-i's vision, the surroundings changed.

Instead of the office of the head of the Eungwang High School that had been ruined by her battle with Dokgo Miro, Han-i found herself in a forest.

Moreover, Han-i was in a different form than the one she usually recognized herself in.

Although her appearance was not immediately clear, her physique had changed somewhat, resembling more closely the figure of Cheongho during the first broadcast of the interschool competition.

Suddenly, Han-i remembered the circumstances that had led her to be standing here.

‘I was training alone here. After losing to Baekho of Seosan, Eunho encouraged me...’

Before the gods gathered the Hojo family for a duel, she had challenged Baekho.

At that time, the Hojo family members hadn’t fully recognized each other yet, but the mountain spirits and heavenly spirits wandering around had all spoken of Seosan's Baekho being the greatest warrior among the Hojo family. As someone who honed her martial arts, she sought him out.

The result had been a complete defeat.

After a long battle, Baekho's great sword had stopped in front of her neck.

If Baekho had so wished, he could have easily slashed her throat or split her body.

—"Among those who have challenged me until now, you are the strongest. I will remember your name."

Though Baekho had said that, it provided no comfort.

Baekho, famous for his arrogance and for claiming that he wouldn't remember the names of those who lost to him, would have had admirers among those who respected martial prowess.

But at that moment, Han-i's heart was filled with disappointment and the sting of defeat.

Eunho, who had accompanied Baekho and observed their duel, had spoken.

—"Please don't take it to heart. The strength you are seeking is different from the strength Baekho possesses."

Eunho had spoken to her in a respectful tone, but because of the humiliation from the defeat, Han-i wasn't in the mood to respond properly.

She answered coldly.

—"It’s nothing else, I’m just weak."

—"That’s not what I meant. It seems I haven’t conveyed my meaning properly. Baekho’s strength is innate, but your strength lies in self-cultivation and sharing it with others."

—"I don’t know what you mean, but I understand that I can't fight like Baekho."

Though her attitude might have been displeasing, Eunho maintained a gentle expression throughout the conversation.

Eunho, Baekho’s sworn brother, was known for his wisdom, and there was certainly a sharpness in his gaze.

—"I’ve heard you usually train during the day. Perhaps occasionally training at night will help refresh your mind."

—"I don’t engage in pointless re-challenges. But if you come again, I will accept your challenge."

Knowing that speaking to her would be pointless at the moment, Eunho and Baekho left with those words.

The pain of defeat still lingered in her heart like a thorn, but another feeling started to rise within her.

Her competitive spirit and desire for self-improvement made her decide to challenge Baekho again.

However, attempting to challenge him again right now would surely end in another defeat.

‘I need to become stronger.’

She began to reflect on her duel with Baekho.

She thought back to everything—the air around Seosan where they had fought, the movements of the mountain and heavenly spirits who had watched the fight in secret, and even Eunho's words.

Then, suddenly, a question arose in her mind.

‘Eunho said that the strength I seek is different from Baekho’s.’

As she thought deeply about that strength, she reached a fundamental question.

Why did she want to become stronger?

The Korean Peninsula, overflowing with the blessings of the gods, was peaceful, and though she had lost to Baekho, she was still one of the strongest in the land.

There was no real need for her to grow stronger.

Since gaining her life back, she had spent each day devising martial arts and honing herself, but now she realized that there was no real reason she had to continue doing so.

Feeling empty, she turned away from Seosan and headed east, far from Baekho’s location.

It was nightfall, and everything around her grew dark.

‘What is this sound?’

She heard a beautiful song coming from somewhere.

While Han-i, lost in her thoughts, did not immediately recognize the source of the sound, she did recall the moment of hearing the beautiful sound, feeling an inexplicable sense of emotion.

She was certain that the music she had heard would be more beautiful than the performance she had heard in her dreams.

Following the sound of the song, she moved as though hypnotized, and she saw sacred energy and light descending from the sky.

Someone was singing while harvesting gold in the light.

"Ah, it’s been a long time since a guest other than the mountain spirits and heavenly spirits have come."

The person stopped singing and spoke.

Yet, whether it was because the fingers still hadn’t stopped playing the gold or because their voice was overly melodious, even the words sounded like a song.

Unable to respond properly, Han-i could only listen attentively to the voice.

Though the light obscured their face, she could tell that they were smiling.

Their pure laughter blended with their voice.

"I am the son of the Heavenly God, a divine being. May I ask your name?"

With difficulty, she replied.

"Cheongho."

As soon as she spoke the name "Cheongho," memories rushed into Han-i’s mind.

Now, Han-i recalled the most intense moment in Cheongho’s life—the first encounter with the divine being.

Before the duel of the Hojo family, Cheongho had met the divine being.

Eunho, who had suggested night training, seemed to have anticipated their meeting.

‘How could I have forgotten this?’

The meeting with the divine being had ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) given Cheongho a reason to become stronger.

Cheongho wanted to protect the divine being who would rule over this land.

Many others besides Cheongho also wished to protect the divine being, so she decided to create a way for them to grow stronger together.

That was the beginning of Taeho Gwon.

After meeting the divine being, Cheongho finally understood what Eunho had meant when he said that her strength was different from Baekho’s.

When Cheongho returned to Seosan after meeting the divine being, Eunho had said.

"Cheongho, you will have many disciples, and you will make them strong. These are things that Baekho could never imitate."

"I could also take disciples if I wanted."

"There are probably no more than five people with the talent that would catch Baekho’s eye. Out of those five, maybe one of them could be chosen by Baekho as his disciple. It might take thousands of years for Baekho to take a disciple."

Eunho’s words could not be contradicted.

Baekho was universally recognized as the greatest warrior, but because of his high standards, he had never taken a disciple.

He occasionally fought against the Hojo family, but usually, Baekho would overwhelm his opponents.

Though many Hojo family members grew stronger using Taeho Gwon, few were able to become as strong as Baekho.

Later, the duel hosted by the Heavenly God took place, with Baekho winning, and the divine being descended, bringing with it the Wind Lord, the Rain Lord, and the Cloud Lord, staying permanently on the Korean Peninsula.

The Hojo family also gathered together in one place.

And so, the complications began.

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"Cheongho, I have come to challenge you. Instead of fighting with my specialty, I will fight using the Taeho Gwon you’ve researched!"

Whenever there was a break, Hwangho would appear, his eyes sparkling, and tease Cheongho like this.

While reflecting on the memories, Han-i couldn’t help but think of Hwang Jiho, who was in the same class.

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Hwangho had always been strange, but after the orphanage incident, where his classmates got involved, he had become even stranger.

It was then that he began to claim they were friends.

Han-i remembered that time.

—"I’m the one who can say I’m childhood friends with Han-i."

—"Childhood friends with Han-i...? When did you two get to know each other?"

—"We met at Eungwang High."

Despite Han-i and Dokgo Miro responding coldly, Hwangho didn’t back down, stubbornly insisting they were friends.

The laughing Hwangho in the myth of the Great River overlapped with the image of Hwang Jiho laughing in Han-i’s memories.

—"Hahaha! The first meeting was definitely around here."

Hwangho and Cheongho had first met when the Heavenly God gathered the Hojo family, and the location had been near the Hojo family's divine territory.

Though it was thousands of years ago, it was undoubtedly near Eungwang High.

‘He wasn’t lying.’

Even in Cheongho’s memory, and in Han-i’s recollection, Hwangho was still the same person—a crazy one who laughed loudly.

Thinking about the memory of Hwangho being beaten to a pulp by Cheongho using Taeho Gwon, Han-i pondered.

‘How did Hwangho figure out that I am Cheongho? He didn’t recognize me when we first met in Class 0.’

It was clear that Hwangho hadn’t recognized Cheongho right after they entered Eungwang High.

When the first students arrived in Class 0, there were only four.

At that time, Hwangho was preoccupied with pestering Jo Yi-shin, so he didn’t bother picking fights with Han-i or Kim Yuri.

As time went on, Hwangho’s attitude changed, and now he often teased everyone whenever he got the chance.

‘Yi-shin...’

While speculating about the change in Hwangho’s behavior, Han-i was interrupted by the appearance of familiar faces.

The four disciples who had been chosen as the successors to Cheongho appeared.

These four had achieved remarkable success in Taeho Gwon and were loyal followers of Cheongho.

They had even hesitated until the very end about whether or not to pass on a message to Cheongho before she left with the divine being.

"Cheongho, I’ve heard that during the next full moon, the divine being will sing with the accompaniment of the priestess."

"We’ll secure the best seats. This time, we’ll listen to the song with us, not with your friends."

"Cheongho, I’ve devised a new technique—will you look at it?"

"Cheongho, I’ve picked some fruit that you might like..."

The faces of Cheongho’s disciples, who had been there in her memories, surfaced in Han-i’s mind.

They had often come to volunteer at the orphanage—four men and women.

They had done volunteer work in the orphanage, contributing their time and effort to repairing the facility and educating the children.

Though they never mentioned who they owed this debt to, now Han-i thought she understood.

They had come to the orphanage for Cheongho.

‘Why did I abandon everything and forget?’

Before recalling this, Han-i thought about what Yong Je-gun had said.

Yong Je-gun had said that he made a great sacrifice to fulfill his wish, which led to Han-i’s existence.

The only childhood friend of the descendants, Yeoui Boju, might have played tricks on her, but certainly, he would never lie about Cheongho.

As Han-i’s will responded, her memories flowed swiftly.

Then, before her, the divine being appeared.

"Cheongho, today you must meet someone."

The divine being was wearing a bright expression, one that was clearly filled with joy, making Cheongho feel elated as well.

The divine being led the way and spoke.

"I wanted to introduce him to you first."

"It’s an honor."

The divine being explained how much they trusted and cherished this person.

The sentiment was conveyed to Cheongho, and her mood soared.

The place where the divine being stopped was the best room in the dwelling.

"I’ll introduce you. This is my sibling."

The divine being introduced the person they trusted the most—their sibling.