134

32. Tiger and eyes (3)

Newspaper Club freshmen room, without anyone around because all other children went home.

Hwang Jiho was looking at me with a shocked face.

"Try using it."

Hwang Jiho himself said I can obtain a portion of the power which the Ho tribe's eyes possess, why was he so surprised?

I was in doubt, but thinking it's an opportunity for the Ho tribe's head to personally take a look at the skill, so I activated the Brilliant Gaze skill without complaints.

‹'Brilliant Gaze' skill activated.›

Uuung—

Together with the sensation of ringing in my head and eyes, my vision changed.

In the changed scenery, I clearly saw Hwang Jiho's golden light pupils.

'Is Hwang Jiho also using the Brilliant Gaze skill, perhaps?'

After looking for a few seconds, the light and superpower wave disappeared from Hwang Jiho's pupils.

"… It's really 'Brilliant Gaze', eh?"

Hearing those words, it seemed my thoughts were right.

It seemed that when using the Brilliant Gaze, the users can recognize each other.

"Strange. Didn't you acquire it way too quickly? Jo Uisin, you lived a life unrelated to Jin people, so how…"

"What is it?"

"There is one more condition of acquisition, besides ingesting the essence of the spring where the Ho tribe's divine treasure appears."

"What?"

I also deactivated the Brilliant Gaze skill and asked.

Hwang Jiho looked into my eyes, as if searching for a clue, while he spoke.

"One of the conditions of acquiring Brilliant Gaze is to be exposed to 'Brilliant Gaze' light for a long time."

There was such a condition?

I didn't know how much the 'long time' was, but I could guess why Hwang Jiho was shocked.

"Usually, if you received our gaze to this degree, it either means you became our prey and we're going to kill you or we decided to pass you a skill, right? So, usually, when there is someone bold enough to steal the essence without my permission, it usually stops at their night vision getting better or their sight improving."

Hwang Jiho's gaze turned towards my abdomen.

"At the Cymopoleia's deck, I saw your body being pierced by the Nine Iron Teeth Rake in the darkness and thought about passing this skill. However, it's strange, eh? It's too quick. I thought you would obtain it within 3 years if quickly, or if very quickly, at the end of your 1st year."

According to Hwang Jiho's words, I should have been exposed to the Brilliant Gaze skill for years.

'Where the hell? How?'

Even when I tried to think about it, no answer came.

"You don't have an idea how you obtained the Brilliant Gaze's skill?"

What guess? Not much time has passed since I came to this world.

Even when assuming some unidentified Jin of this world was observing me with the Brilliant Gaze, it didn't match the time constraints.

And even if it was true, someone among the Jin people at the Eungwang School would have noticed it.

"I don't know."

"Okay…"

Hwang Jiho also didn't seem like he expected me to answer.

"I'm going to accompany you to train your Brilliant Gaze skill, okay? How did you think of training it?"

"I have an appointment with an opponent."

Though, originally I planned to train using the Nine Iron Teeth Rake.

"I'll ask."

"…?"

It seemed Hwang Jiho couldn't guess who my opponent was.

It didn't seem like he would be particularly bothered if Hwang Jiho came or not, but I decided to ask for understanding first.

[Me] Hwang Jiho will also be coming.

The message was marked as read straight away and a reply arrived.

[Baek Ho-gun] Got it.

It seemed that today's training will be with two Mythological category Ho tribe members.

***

[Kim Yuri] Then Jiho will also be late?

[Kim Yuri] I planned to make a test from common subjects around the end of the studying time. Let's do this together!

[Kim Yuri] The first and second place on the test will decide the dinner menu for tomorrow. ㅎㅎ [1]

[Kim Yuri] Then we will wait! ^▽^

While riding an airboard and moving towards the Silver Training Hall, I exchanged messages with Kim Yuri.

'Maybe thanks to appearing at school like that and having children around, she seems mentally stable.'

Kim Yuri was uneasy because of the Gwangrim Sealing Art case and her father's hospitalization.

Maybe she was like this because she spent a lot of time around the children, so she seemed to sleep well and was still energetic.

'I applied temporary measures, but…;

Thinking about an incident during the summer break, my enthusiasm towards the training soared.

"We arrived, eh? I'll go down first!"

Hwang Jiho, who was riding the airboard beside me, spoke.

The airboard that bastard was operating, unlike the airboard provided to ordinary students, was a version which had a manual operation mode.

His perfect operation skill, with which he raised the speed of the airboard, and then suddenly dived down to land, was disgusting, but I was a bit envious.

'I should ask to borrow it next time.'

While I was thinking, my airboard in the automatic mode gently landed on the ground.

After I stashed the airboard, Baek Ho-gun in the fogged area of the lake trail around the landscape zone.

"I had no idea you're helping with Jo Uisin's training. Why didn't you say even a word? Baek-ho."

Baek Ho-gun only glanced at Hwang Jiho and didn't reply, he walked towards the Byeoksa barrier.

"Do you feel there is no need to answer? But I also have many things I didn't tell you about. Like I didn't inform you beforehand about the prank that troublemaker of descendant played on you. From what I see, it seems that you're still holding a grudge about it, huh? Hahaha!"

"…"

Baek Ho-gun didn't say anything, but strangely the conversation was happening.

As it somehow resembled a chatroom of the talking a lot Jang Namuk and Yu Sang-hun, who only used a few letters, I realized the two of them were friends.

The two Myth category Ho tribe members' strange conversation continued even after we arrived at the training room above which hung a ceiling with Seven Stars of West Mansion.

"It's still the same here, eh? Probably because your power didn't reach them for a long time, the Baek-ho Seven Stars at the Inwang Mountain faded."

I guess the starry sky of the dojo was connected to Baek Ho-gun's power.

Baek Ho-gun glanced at the ceiling once and then took out White Fang.

It seemed he thought of starting training right away.

"I wanted to test this skill together today."

Before Baek Ho-gun's attack hurricane started, I activated the Brilliant Gaze.

As if he was waiting for Baek Ho-gun's reaction, the eyes of Hwang Jiho, who was leaning against the wall, started to sparkle.

‹Skill 'Brilliant Gaze' activated.›

Uuung.

At the same time as I activated the Brilliant Gaze skill, a pure white superpower wave filled Baek Ho-gun's eyes and then disappeared.

Baek Ho-gun, who seemed to fall into thought for a moment, nodded his head straight away.

"Got it."

"… You adjust fast, eh?"

As if Baek Ho-gun not showing any particular reaction wasn't fun, Hwang Jiho had a dissatisfied face.

Then, suddenly Hwang Jiho's eyes sparkled.

"Hmm."

It was ominous when that guy was like that.

Abruptly, Baek Ho-gun's surroundings brimmed with a pure white superpower wave.

"This is my family member temporarily infused with my power, Yeong-ho[1]."

Just as Baek-ho's words ended, the superpower wave formed into the shape of a tiger.

It was a shadow family member without soul or consciousness.

It was a family member Baek-ho could take out with some restriction when he was in his own territory.

'Are you thinking of using them for training…!?'

I was roughly aware of Yeong-ho's strength as I saw them in the game.

The vague shadow, who was gently laying at Baek Ho-gun's feet, was able to easily rip off a person's arm with one bite.

"Jo Uisin, seize Yeong-ho with the Brilliant Gaze and use the Nine Iron Teeth Rake to face me."

I expected to at least train them separately.

Baek Ho-gun increased the task difficulty even more.

'… It was difficult to just take the White Fang and counterattack!'

It seemed that there was a thorny path ahead of me.

Behind, Hwang Jiho's eyes were sparkling with such energy, beams were pouring from his eyes.

After I grabbed the Nine Golden Iron Rake, Baek Ho-gun and Yeong-ho ran towards me.

***

After finishing the training, Kim Yuri's house.

Excluding Min Geurin who went home before dinner, the class children were studying in the living room.

"You're here! We were just about to take a quiz."

"Uh? Uisin seems a bit tired."

As Kwon Lena said, I was seriously tired.

Baek Ho-gun and his family member Yeong-ho were attacking me without rest, it was so much that I had to use recovery items because of the damage I sustained today.

But, even if it was late, I came all the way here because I promised that I would come to the study meeting.

'Thanks to that, I became accustomed to the ringing appearing in my eyes when using the Brilliant Gaze skill and the proficiency of the Nine Golden Iron Rake raised greatly, but…'

Baek Ho-gun is very serious and strict during the training.

So much that Hwang Jiho, who was observing the training until the end, said something like this:

–-… You're harsher than when training our troublemaker or Divine Beast, eh?

I was happy that my Playable Character was taking the training seriously, but my body was somehow beyond exhaustion.

As I reminisced, there was a point that bothered me.

'But Snare is also receiving training? How do you train it? How do you fight it? If I ask you to take a video, will you do it? If not, will you approve if I ask to participate in person?'

It was an alarm sound which ended my trivial thoughts.

Beep beep beep!

Together with the sound of an alarm informing me that the limited time ended, the screen of the exam application turned off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, then we will announce the results straight away![2] For a reference, the exam app estimated that the average score in Eungwang School for this one is 70 points!"

Kim Yuri, who was in charge of the current 1st year class 0's study meeting as the meeting leader, opened a hologram.

[Jo Uisin – 100 points]

[Han Yi – 100 points]

[Kim Yuri – 95 points]

[Sawol Seeum – 86 points]

[Min Geurin – 85 points]

[Lee Lena – 59 points]

[Hwang Jiho – 40 points]

[Maeng Hyodon – 29 points]

Looking at the listed children's scores, what came out was similar to their mid term exams academic rankings.

If we exclude Maeng Hyodon who had a bit lower score.

It seems that the Master Small Stone will have to work hard during final exams this time too.

"Ah, vice president, that bastard doesn't seem to be studying but has 100 points."

"I also wanted to aim for 100 points, but that's a pity…!"

"Geurin also participated remotely, ah! I was worried if the time didn't match." [3]

While looking at the hologram, children continued their review.

"Previous time, Jiho also got 40 points on every exam, perfectly avoiding a failing grade, right?"

"It had to be difficult to do that intentionally."

"Hahahaha!"

Hwang Jiho was in the middle of doing that difficult act intentionally.

He was serving as an excellent stepping stone for Eungwang School students even while avoiding failing.

"Then menu selection votes go to Han Yi and Uisin! What do you want to eat?"

"Because I was late today, I'll pass my selection vote to Han Yi."

At my words, Han Yi happily started to choose a sweet menu.

Tomorrow's dinner was set as coconut milk curry and honey garlic tortilla.

While determining when we should come tomorrow to eat dinner together, the study meeting came to an end.

***

Next day, morning.

I checked the message sent by Seong Siwan last night, while going to school early.

[Seong Siwan] I'm currently investigating my grandfather's life when he was enrolled at Eungwang School.

[Seong Siwan] I think it will take some time, because there are a lot of things he did here and there… ㅎㅎㅎ;

Seong Siwan was currently investigating the clues discovered in the boss room of the secret passage.

'It looks like he is more motivated because his grandfather appeared.'

But are you saying that the previous Korean branch's head did a lot here and there while he was enrolled at Eungwang School?

It seemed so if he was the grandfather of Matchless in the Nation, Seong Gukeon, who left behind a legend at the Eungwang School.

[Seong Siwan] Ah, I planned to go to my family home during the weekend to check the materials in my grandfather's study. Do you want to go too?

[Seong Siwan] Idam is coming, and if you have time, come! ㅎㅎ

While I was walking and sending a reply that I'll think about, someone tapped my shoulder.

"Hey."

Looking up, Maeng Hyodon was standing before me.

I came earlier than usual, but we somehow ran into each other?

"You came early."

"Strange bastards came yesterday, remember? So I somehow ended up here."

Maeng Hyodon didn't express it, but I guess he was bothered that Min Geurin was raided yesterday.

When we chatted about bilberry cereal and grilled in skin okhotsk atka mackerel which came out in the morning, while heading towards the 1st year building.

"Hello! Everyone came!"

"Whoa, everyone came early."

"Hi."

Even though not promised, all class children came to school early.

If we exclude Min Geurin and Hwang Jiho; me and Maeng Hyodon were the last to arrive.

"Dragon Teacher-nim took care of it, but I came early to prepare just in case. I guess everyone thought the same.

Kim Yuri said while smiling brightly.

As expected, our class children were all kind.

The art clubs bastards weren't seen yet around the 1st year building, but we decided to wait outside while we all chatted together.

Soon, Hwang Jiho arrived and as we waited together, we started to see one or two 1st year students from other classes.

Amidst them, Min Geurin also came all the way here, without being noticed, while walking in the shade.

"Uh, everyone came early…"

The children, who were about to say hello, halted.

Behind her, stood Song Daeseok in plain clothes.

*~*~*

[1] Yeong-ho – 'Yeong' means shadow and 'ho' means 'tiger' (in pure korean) or 'brave'. One more funfact. '범(beom)' which means tiger and stands for 'ho' can also refer to leopards. That's because in ancient times, tigers and leopards were thought to be the same species.

[2] Ladies and gentlemen, then we will announce the results straight away! – 'Ladies and gentlemen' was added by me. It's because Kim Yuri used a formal tone here as if she was playing a host on a show.

[3] "Geurin also participated remotely, ah! I was worried if the time didn't match." – Sawol Seeum's sentence.

.

Translator's note: Yeah, Jo Uisin, how did you get the Brilliant Gaze so quickly? Let us explain that in… *stares into distant future* … Someday.