Episode 74
* * *
What is this?
A surprise hidden camera for lazy third-year students?
Gangwon-do exile confinement trial experience?
Isn’t this a big picture that everyone is trying to draw to trap me in Gangwon-do? Aren’t these people all in the same boat?
Kyeonji-oh furrowed his brows seriously. Flutter, flutter. The sight of him trapped in a large gray monk’s robe was the very picture of a young monk.
“Hey, stay still.”
‘shit.’
Geum-hee’s whisper, giving a quick pat on the back from the side.
Geo was wronged. His legs were so numb. What kind of knee is this?
‘If you knew who I had made you kneel down on just now, you monks would be so shocked that you would fall over.’
Exactly!
“Mahavanya Ramil.”
“Ma, Maha Banya Ramil… … .”
Time for the offering of Balwoo.
Geo lifted the bowl awkwardly. The monks stood up and distributed food every time Bohyun struck the bamboo stick.
Something is coming, but… … It doesn’t seem like anything is coming at all. Vegetables, cucumbers, a few pieces of lotus root. And that’s it.
‘Why are you giving me water to wash dishes and rice at the same time?’
Wipe it with radish paper, rinse it with water, and drink it. Hey, look at this.
“Bodhisattva Geo. Hold the bowl close to your mouth and don’t show that you are chewing the food.”
“……yes.”
‘I want to go back.’
[Your Covenant, ‘Reader of Destiny’ is furious and says, ‘Hey you idiots, our child is going to cry like that.’]
Gyeonji-o was chewing lotus root with the face of the saddest person in the world.
I miss meat dishes.
The path of training was extremely harsh for living beings who were engrossed in the mundane world.
‘Ha… … Shiver, you’re so annoying.’
And the fact that this place and Geo were not compatible at all was almost confirmed by nightfall.
Kwack, thud, kwack.
The paper window rattled noisily.
It was because of the strong mountain wind. Geo, who had been staring at the ceiling with his eyes wide open, suddenly woke up.
I don’t know if it’s because of the changed sleeping arrangements or what.
Because of my sensitive ears, I had trouble falling asleep, so I decided to go look at the moon.
Seoraksan Wolgye Temple.
A temple in a valley where the moon has disappeared.
This place is located in a very deep, secluded place within Seorak Mountain.
It is rugged and difficult to find, so unless you are determined, you will most likely not be able to find it and end up turning back.
Knock, knock!
But this has nothing to do with this.
The monk’s robe fluttered. Geo stepped lightly into the air between the large rocks blocking the hikers.
[Trait, ‘Cat Parkour’ is activated.]
‘Killing the scenery.’
The further inside you go, the more this becomes true.
Perhaps because there are few people, the valley, untouched by human hands, is almost luminous.
The moon’s shadow reflected on the water and the surrounding area was so colorful that it looked like a small Milky Way had been moved there.
‘They look just like stars.’
[The Holy Spirit, the ‘Reader of Fortune’ nods, saying, ‘The Grave of the Stars’, it’s not a wrong statement.]
‘What are you talking about?’
A series of covenant messages came to mind, one after another, explaining the explanation. He said.
Spirits who failed to ascend to the constellation, and those who were removed from their star positions because their names were not recognized.
With nowhere to go, they wander the constellations and eventually settle back down in the land where they were born.
They gathered in places close to the sky, where the moonlight fell most clearly… … When the moon rose, they became stars for a moment, mingling with the moon’s shadow, and when the moon set, they fell back into the earth and fell asleep.
Thus, the ‘Tomb of the Stars’.
The place where they slept was right here in Wolgye, whispered Geoman’s star.
‘Hmm… … Okay… … .’
It’s a bit grandiose, but…
The third-year student, who was slightly less sensitive than others, was simply indifferent.
He mutters while crossing his legs.
“Isn’t it just the reflection of starlight? You’re putting too much meaning into a phenomenon that seems like it could be explained scientifically.”
[It may seem like it hasn’t all happened yet because the time has passed, but hey, hey, are you a wizard? The ‘Fate Reader’ looks at you dumbfounded.]
[Seong Yak-seong clicks his tongue, asking how young people can be so romantic, saying that this is why they keep failing at art school.]
‘Wh, what!’
You fucking punk, you poke at someone else’s Achilles heel!
Just as Geo was about to lose his temper, the sound of the forced opening of the stigmata rang in his ears.
【You’ll know when you see it for yourself.】
【This is a special eye-level service.】
Look carefully.
His voice rose like resonance.
Shaaaaah- Hwaaaaak-!
It was as if some great, invisible hand had touched the earth.
“ah…….”
Jianjio was elastic.
The stars are in full bloom.
It was a spectacular sight that could only be described in that way.
Stems that have settled down to surround the valley. They resemble evening primroses that were inconspicuous and only had buds, but they bloom all at once.
Thump! The starlight rising from within the bursting bloom.
When the wind blows, waves crash.
It was a wave of stars.
“… … The scale of the event is crazy.”
Geo walked quietly through the constellations. With every step, the starlight brushed past her short hair. It felt like walking through a dream.
at that time.
“Uh… … It’s not time to write yet… … ?”
Rustle.
A bewildered voice. It was enough to break the pain. Geo looked back.
It seemed like they only then realized that there was a passenger. They were so flustered that their whole body shook, but then they quickly let their guard down.
“What is it, you little kid?”
… … ?
What’s that kid?
A sudden slap from a human being he met for the first time. Gyeonji-oh (a third-time repeater/20-year-old with a quick turnaround/extra youthful appearance) was dumbfounded. No, who is looking at whom right now?
“Excuse me, it looks like you’re younger than me.”
“Oh, really? How old are you?”
‘Huh, why are you talking so harshly when we first met?’
Mr. Kyeonji Oh, who had been speaking in all directions for his entire life, immediately adopted the mindset of a man who is always on his toes. He is always on his toes.
“You’re eight years old. What should I do?”
“I see. You look younger than you are. Where’s your mom? Did you come alone?”
“… … ?”
New… new type.
This is almost the first time someone has treated him so rudely in a situation where they are alone together. Geo has lost his will to fight.
If you really don’t feel ‘anything’ from her, then that means you’re just an ordinary person.
‘Are you a god?’
But I usually get a little scared instinctively. He’s a special guy.
Even while Geo is observing, he is a guy who is wandering around on his own. He rolls up his sleeves and squats down in a crevice between rocks, holding something that looks like a hoe.
His face was not visible because of his glasses and messy hair. Geo approached him.
“What are you doing?”
“Hey, hey. It’s dangerous. Don’t come here, kid.”
“… … That eight-year-old thing is a lie, you punk.”
“Oh, really? But you shouldn’t come. These star spirit plants are extremely sensitive and picky. If you touch them wrong, they’ll close their leaves.”
Now that I look at it… … from the hoe to the basket. It seemed like the herbalist was aiming for the starflower.
I guess that kind of thing can be used as a medicinal herb too.
The moment Geo thought about it calmly, his hand carefully wrapped around the flower petal.
The magic moved.
“… … What, are you an Awakened One?”
“Eung, ah, surprise!”
The faces were too close. The boy raised his head without thinking and sat down in surprise.
“But why are you so fucking ordinary?”
“Well… … It’s an E-class, so that’s understandable… … Wait a minute. What the, what the X are you talking about, ordinary! It’s not like that!”
“No. If we were to use a novel analogy, it would be the level of the ordinariness of a local resident who shouts, “Try this!” at a local festival stall where the characters go to play.
“Oh, no!”
“Oh, okay. I get it. If there’s a main character, there has to be an extra. That’s the law of the universe.”
Ah, extra. The herbalist cried out in frustration. Hey!
“I am the guest of honor at Seonwoldang!”
“… … .”
Geo’s face became serious.
Then the other person’s expression looks like he knew it.
Geo immediately regretted his words. He became even more serious.
‘No. It’s not you, resident of this town.’
I feel like I’ve revealed something great, but I have no idea. Seriously, not at all.
‘I really don’t know anything.’
Kyeonji-oh put his hand on his chin and nodded.
“Seonwoldaang, the concubine… … .”
Oh, oh. I know, I know. Oh, oh.
The herbalist with the bushy hair also pushed up his glasses. He let out a faint breath.
“Yes. I see you’re from Wolgye Temple. You must have heard the rumors. I’m the nephew of that ‘Honggoya’, Honghae.”
“Eternal… … .”
“……huh?”
“Huh, huh, that first generation legendary top ten ranker Hong Goya? Oh my god!”
‘It’s a bit too artificial… … .’
It must be my imagination. Hong Ha-ya shook her head.
“It’s an absolute secret outside the temple. You know? How secretive is the life of a family of a top ten ranker?”
“hmm.”
“It’s frustrating sometimes, but there’s nothing you can do about it. The higher you go, the more enemies you’ll have.”
“Hmm.”
“Have you heard that even that Gyeonjirok recently moved the management office to protect his older sister?”
“Ahem, uh uh.”
Rumor has it that he even received a disguise license. Geo quickly changed the subject while watching Hong Ha-ya mumbling.
“But isn’t it not the top ten anymore? The rankings of the celestial realm changed a while ago. I thought it was plundered.”
“… … I’ve been feeling this way since earlier, but you really don’t care about other people’s feelings when you speak like that?”
“… … .”
[Your Covenant, ‘Reader of Fate’, doubts his eyes and asks, ‘Who is that kid? He’s hitting me with a fastball that others haven’t even thought of hitting in years, in less than an hour.’]
‘Poem, it’s refreshing.’
Hong Ha-ya shrugged her shoulders without caring whether the world number one in front of her was dazed or not.
“Anyway, rankings go up and down. My great-aunt was upset, but only for a little while. And since the people who deserved to go up have already done so, I don’t really think much about it.”
A person who can go up. It was a nuance referring to someone I know.
Hong Ha-ya, who had read the curiosity that had arisen in Geo, awkwardly wiped her nose.
“Oh. That’s right. He’s my close friend, Dohyun hyung.”
… … .
Baek Do-hyeon… … .
‘It’s you again?’
Gyeonji-oh sighed toward the distant sky at the name of the regressor that followed him wherever he went.
A guide to proper living for rankers.
