Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

Baek Ho-gun aimed to block the warrior’s gaze as he swung his sword, Baek Ah, with such force that every swing scattered the feathers of the fallen.
Baek Ah moved with the ferocity to cut through raindrops and wind, showing no openings at all.
Nevertheless, the warrior did not lose his composure.

Rather, it seemed that as time passed, the warrior was becoming more accustomed to handling the corrupt darkness.
Baek Ho-gun, still the greatest weapon master, didn’t fall behind and continued to fight, but Huang Jiho’s condition was worsening.
‘It’s likely due to the corrupt darkness the warrior is using, but it’s mostly because of the spiritual energy. Especially Huang Jiho, who is heavily affected by it! That white tiger is probably affected as well…’

Baek Ho-gun must have read my thoughts, as he narrowed his brows and swung Baek Ah more heavily.
He seemed to want to claim that this had nothing to do with the way I wielded my sword, but the reality was different.
While there were differences in the environment and buffs, the warrior was fighting evenly with Baek Ho-gun.

Boom!
There was no time to continue my thoughts.
The fierce battle between the two sent shockwaves that could cause severe injury if hit directly.

I had to watch over Huang Jiho, who was barely managing to keep his body in check.
As I used spatial magic to distance myself from the battlefield, my left eye and head throbbed.
‘This isn’t good. I can’t maintain the Eye that Holds the Universe any longer.’

Given my physical condition, it was difficult to keep using Cheondongha’s abilities while managing the spatial magic and flight techniques of Yong Je-gun in this chaotic environment.
I deactivated one of my Gwanglims and added more power to the hand that supported Huang Jiho.
The warrior was still watching closely.

When facing Baek Ho-gun’s Baek Ah, the warrior’s eyes, once filled with malice, softened every time they met mine.
‘Should I apologize to Yong Je-gun?’
The warrior looked at me with such eyes and such emotions, it made me feel guilty toward Yong Je-gun.
After all, I was currently in Yong Je-gun's form.

“It’s a shame. If I didn’t have to take care of my things today, I could have spent more time with you,” the warrior said, unable to hide his regret.
Even with the tangled and messy thoughts swirling in my mind, I could still grasp the warrior’s intent.
The warrior seemed ready to retreat, now armed with a powerful weapon.

‘Is he planning to take the corrupt darkness-wielding Ten Great Wung Warriors with him? If that gets into the hands of the shadowy forces or the Four Malefic Ones, things will get troublesome…!’
Through my thoughts, Baek Ho-gun must have also realized the warrior’s intent, but he didn’t move.
While Baek Ho-gun might have wanted to defeat the Hate Bear before the warrior took him away, he couldn’t afford to act quickly since the warrior might change his mind and target Huang Jiho and me first.

The warrior had treated the Ten Great Wung Warriors like mere baggage, and to the Hojo clan, that baggage was me.
“I’ll see you again,” the warrior said, and with that, he threw himself into the chaos where the Hojo clan and Wung tribe were fighting.
After confirming the warrior’s departure, Baek Ho-gun followed suit.

Despite the warrior having taken the lead and having wings, it was Baek Ho-gun, who had the power to go anywhere, that reached the destination first.
However, it seemed the shadowy forces had already prepared their retreat and sent the warrior.
“That’s a formation imbued with teleportation powers! We need to strike before it activates!”

I heard Chung Ho’s voice from afar.
It seemed he had recognized the nature of the formation, but with his disciples being swallowed by the corrupt darkness, he couldn’t offer any help.
The one most affected by the spiritual energy was Huang Jiho, but the other members of the Hojo clan seemed to be struggling as well, moving sluggishly.

Baek Ho-gun swung Baek Ah to cut down both the formation and the Wung tribe at once, but his efforts were blocked as he got closer to the Hate Bear, who wielded the corrupt darkness, and it seemed that the extra force didn’t work.
The warrior, whose power had been enhanced by the corrupt darkness, swallowed it greedily and grew stronger.
It seemed like the teleportation power could activate any moment now.

“Catch the Wung Woman! Take her and kill… Ugh!”
At that moment, the Lust Bear pointed toward the Wung Woman and shouted.
He didn’t finish his sentence, as Jeok Ho expelled a red gemstone from his mouth, but the meaning was clear.

The bear closest to the Wung Woman, the Holy Bear, reached out.
The Holy Bear was already partially submerged in the formation, glowing with ominous light.
The wounded Wung Woman tried to pull away, her hand bracing against the ground, but the Holy Bear’s hand was faster, reaching her.

The Wung Woman attempted to strike the bear’s hand with her claws, but the Holy Bear appeared intent on dragging her away, even if it meant tearing his own hand apart.
“Wung Woman!”
Jeok Ho summoned the red gemstone, but the stone the Lust Bear had summoned blocked the lightning in front of them.

All the members of the Hojo clan present were distanced from the Wung Woman.
Just as the Holy Bear reached for the Wung Woman’s arm, gunshots rang out.
Bang! Bang!

‘Ahn Da-in? No…’
For a moment, the energy from the gun reminded me of the heroine from the Plma saga, but the one who had fired the gun was none other than those closest to Ahn Da-in.
The bullets fired from the couple’s guns pierced the Holy Bear’s outstretched hand.

These weapons, out of place in a battle against the Wung tribe, weren’t something the couple could wield with rapid fire, but just one shot from each of them was enough to stop the Holy Bear.
“How do you like the shooting skills our child taught us, you disgusting bear?”
The Holy Bear’s hand was shattered into pieces from the powerful bullets.

Though the remaining fingers were still intact, it was impossible for the Holy Bear to grasp the Wung Woman with them.
The Wung Woman mumbled, “Child…?” and the couple smiled faintly.
Meanwhile, the teleportation formation activated, and the bodies of the warrior and the Wung tribe began to fade.

“I’ll see you again,” the warrior said just before vanishing, waving his hand at me.
Knowing that the warrior couldn’t be allowed to escape, none of the Hojo clan shouted to chase after him.
They all knew that if the teleportation was triggered, they would have to face the warrior, the Wung tribe, and possibly the remaining Malefic Ones all at once.

Crunch!
As the warrior and the Wung tribe vanished, and the influence of the corrupt darkness weakened, Baek Ho-gun struck the formation that had been inscribed into the earth.
The moment the formation was struck, a tremor shook the ground as the spiritual energy was barely stabilized.

Now, the only remaining threat was the storm, but no one spoke.
‘I had been relying too heavily on Huang Jiho. I knew it, but once again!’
While all the Hojo clan had been affected by the instability in the spiritual energy, none had been shaken as much as Huang Jiho.

Huang Jiho was the one who had mastered the spiritual energy better than anyone, but that meant he was more affected by it.
Shaking the spiritual energy that had existed for so long in this land was no small task.
The shadowy forces had been preparing for this moment for a long time, planning to seal Huang Jiho.

“I held back Huang Ho and Baek Ho’s feet. Missing them is my responsibility.”
“Chung Ho…!”
“No, it was because I couldn’t fully exert my strength to protect you!”

Chung Ho’s tightly clenched fist trembled.
Chung Ho had shown a powerful fight, but he was not like the other Hojo clan members from the mythical realm who stood shoulder to shoulder with Baek Ho-gun or Huang Jiho.
Having been under the control of the shadowy forces for so long, he had lost the opportunity to train and could not reach the level of the other Hojo clan members.

Chung Ho would need time to regain his true strength.
‘It wasn’t Chung Ho who held them back. It was me.’
Though the warrior had given me some attention and fought appropriately, in the end, Huang Jiho’s clone had been injured.

Huang Jiho was checking the stabilization of the spiritual energy as he braced himself on the ground, exhaustion written across his face.
I wanted to drag him back to the mansion and let him rest, but since I couldn’t afford to do that right now, I couldn’t say anything.
“The goal has been achieved.”

A white tiger appeared in front of me, speaking calmly as it did.
The Hojo clan members, who had kept their distance, began walking toward us.
There were many injuries, but no one had died.

Although we had revealed many of our cards, as Baek Ho-gun had said, the goal had been achieved.
“We’ve protected what needed to be protected.”
The goal of this move had been to ensure that no one died and to recover the Wung Woman.

From a distance, Jeok Ho and the Wung Woman stood facing each other.
Despite the storm that had yet to let up, they seemed to ignore it, focusing only on each other.
The Hojo clan didn’t interrupt, glancing at them before turning away.

Then, something I almost forgot about suddenly came to mind.
“Wait, there’s something I need to check before we leave.”
I had been using the Eye that Holds the Universe since before the siege formation was completed.

Thanks to that, I had been able to partially witness the Wung Woman driving off the Wung tribe’s pursuit.
Of course, I had also seen the actions of the one Wung tribe member who had cooperated with her, the Bear of Ugi.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

That bear seemed to know something, which was why it had helped the Wung Woman.
Since they were likely not caught in the teleportation, it seemed that bear was still there.
“I’ll check.”

Baek Ho-gun, reading my thoughts, headed toward the spot where the Bear of Ugi had been lying unconscious.
But after a while, Baek Ho-gun returned empty-handed.
The Bear of Ugi had vanished.

Before the warrior retreated, Jo Yi-shin withdrew the Eye that Holds the Universe and focused on defense.
The Bear of Ugi still lay unconscious.
The land, now almost turned to mud due to the heavy rainfall, half-buried the Bear of Ugi, who had yet to regain consciousness.

Someone approached the Bear of Ugi, speaking.
“The Hojo clan has come! It’s because of you and the Joyous Bear!”
The Bear of Temptation, trembling, spoke.

His thoughts, philosophy, and love had all been shattered long ago, but he wasn’t stupid.
The Bear of Temptation knew his own condition.
Having joined with the Joyous Bear while still injured, there was nothing he could do.

Even if he succeeded in rescuing the Wung Woman with the help of the Hate Bear’s group, fighting them in his current state was impossible.
Right now, the one he could vent his anger on lay helpless before him.
“I’ve had quite a few things I wanted to do to the Wung Woman, but I’ll start with you. We’re from the same tribe, right? There must be something I can learn from you.”

The Bear of Temptation grinned and summoned bugs.
The bugs crawled all over the Bear of Ugi.
Sensing the attack, the Bear of Ugi instinctively struggled, but as more and more bugs appeared, he soon disappeared from view.

Countless bugs lifted the Bear of Ugi and prepared to move him.
“I’ve taken an interest in the horrible thoughts you harbor! Oh, we have a lot to do, I think!”
While speaking brightly, the Bear of Temptation’s expression twisted into something ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ grotesque.

In the distance, an explosion was heard again.
Whether it was from the Joyous Bear still rampaging on its own or from the Hojo clan and the Wung Woman’s side, the Bear of Temptation didn’t care to distinguish.
Now, he needed to vent his anger and prepare to迎 the Wung Woman.

Thanks to the storm, he didn’t have to worry about leaving traces of his movements, so the Bear of Temptation moved without hesitation.
The Bear of Temptation disappeared, carrying the Bear of Ugi with him.