Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

The PlayerZ World Championship finals were held in a single-elimination tournament format.

In this format, multiple participants competed in 1v1 matches to determine the survivors, making the draw very important.
There was no revival round in this tournament, so one loss immediately meant elimination, adding to the tense atmosphere.
‘Usually, the semifinals are best of five or three sets, but this tournament has a single match until the final, so I can’t afford to be careless.’

Today, the survivors in the tournament will be two from the individual competition and two teams from the team competition.
The only ones who would get to compete in the final at the SZ Meteor Arena, known as the sacred ground of e-sports in the Korean Peninsula, were the winners of today's matches.
“Wow, the camera is pointing at us again!”

As she was watching the audience entering through the air, Sa Wol-seum spotted the filming drone and waved her hand.
Despite being targeted by shadowy figures and born with rare bloodlines and abilities, it wasn’t ideal for Sa Wol-seum to be overexposed to the media, but she didn’t seem to care much about it.
Having lived peacefully and being with the class, she seemed fearless.

Of course, we weren’t going to let anything happen to her while we were together.
‘Our class stands out too much. It can’t be helped since I’m in the same class as the championship candidates, In Seon-oh and Dokgo Mi-ro, but still...’
Apart from those two, famous figures like the dragon kin from the ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Yuhui Circle were also included, so attracting attention was inevitable.

The camera lingering on us particularly bothered me, and I wasn’t the only one who noticed, as both Cheong-ho and Huang Ji-ho kept glaring at the camera lenses whenever they appeared.
Before they could take action, fortunately, the attention-seekers stepped forward.
It seemed like they thought they were dominating the cameras, so they covered the lens, effectively blocking the shot and redirecting attention from the kids who preferred to remain out of the spotlight.

“Ah, this was the technique I was going to show while supporting Seon-oh!”
“With this much expectation, I can’t ignore it. At least, I should give a hint!”
When Ong Gil-dong and Gu Seul-bi tried to throw aurora-colored pollen, the cameras that had been filming our class quickly retreated.

True to their attention-seeking nature, Ong Gil-dong and Gu Seul-bi were skilled at locating the cameras, making them ideal to handle the media that was attempting to film indiscriminately.
Kwon Lena, gauging the number of kids gathered in our class, asked,
“Two, four, six... Ham Geun-hyung, Green, and Dae-seok haven’t arrived yet.”
“Green and Dae-seok are on their way! They’ll be here just in time for the assembly. Today, Ham Geun-hyung is on a business trip to Hongcheon. So, Yong-sensei will be in charge of the guidance.”

Kim Yuri, our capable class president, gave the answer, and our attention was divided between two things.
One was the unreliable leader, Yong Je-gun, and the other was Huang Ji-ho, who was very close to the school administration, having spent time with the homeroom teacher.
“Isn’t Eungwang High making the teachers do too much work?”

“I don’t think so. Yong-sensei is just hanging around here.”
“If the chairman gives me a task, I’d be happy to do more.”
“In that case, isn’t there a problem with task delegation?”

“That’s right, Senior Kim Chan-wang and Chan’s always had complaints about this!”
Although Yong Je-gun interjected in the middle, no one, including the Eungwang High Chairman, seemed to pay attention.
While the class grumbled, Cheong-ho turned to Huang Ji-ho and asked,

“What do you think?”
“Hahaha! You hit the nail on the head. But the homeroom teacher’s business trip is something even I can’t handle.”
“Even with your strength?”

Maeng Hyo-don, who knew Huang Ji-ho’s true identity, asked again.
Other kids, who also knew Huang Ji-ho’s identity, looked at him with confusion.
They didn’t understand how the head of the Hojo family and the Eungwang High chairman couldn’t deal with a teacher’s business trip.

“The status of the energy grid in Hongcheon is quite unstable. Since about 20 years ago, when Ch’ang Cheon-myeong-gung single-handedly stopped the dimensional shift of Hongcheon Ski Resort, he has periodically visited Hongcheon to patrol, hunt enemies, and raid other dimensions.”
“Isn’t that something the Player Association should handle?”
Jin Jeong-mook made a sharp point.

Ham Geun-hyung, the teacher, was a player, but he wasn’t one employed by the association.
Since enemy hunting was the Player Association’s goal, it seemed correct for the association to handle enemies that appeared due to issues with the energy grid.
But I had no intention of stopping Ham Geun-hyung.

It seemed Huang Ji-ho felt the same.
“If you look at it that way, the eradication of the demon kin who serve the Demon King, who follows the teachings that threaten humanity, should also be the Player Association’s responsibility. Demon kin empowered by the Demon King also enjoy hunting players and use enemies to kill humans.”
Among the Player Association’s goals were not only ‘enemy eradication’ but also ‘player protection.’

So, there was a reason to hunt down the demon kin priests who followed the Demon King.
“But Jeol-heuk Punglim has been hunting them on his own, and Ch’ang Cheon-myeong-gung also decided on his own to go to Hongcheon. Handling this as a business trip, paying appropriate compensation, and giving credit is proof that Eungwang High respects Ch’ang Cheon-myeong-gung.”
The class stared wide-eyed at Huang Ji-ho’s words.

They hadn’t expected him to answer so seriously, as Huang Ji-ho usually just brushed through situations with humor.
Jin Jeong-mook was so impressed by Huang Ji-ho’s response that he bowed in respect.
“My thoughts were shallow. Ch’ang Cheon-myeong-gung did what he did out of his own will, and yet, I foolishly thought to leave it to the association.”

“Hahaha! I know you were saying that out of concern for Ch’ang Cheon-myeong-gung.”
Huang Ji-ho laughed and spoke.
He was good with words, but calling the homeroom teacher by a nickname felt a bit too casual. Was that okay?

Fortunately, since Huang Ji-ho had been acting strangely, no one seemed to mind.
Finally, Min Green and Song Dae-seok arrived, and our class entered the stadium where the finals would take place.
The interior of the stadium was filled with PlayerZ logos.

From a distance, the emblem, which resembled a ‘Z,’ displayed words like ‘Ability Master,’ ‘Player,’ and the date the game had launched.
“There’s a maze in the pamphlet!”
“They listed Miro’s name in the opening video, but Miro doesn’t have a performance. He’s going on stage today, right?”

“Today, it’s just the voice. During the opening title video, he’ll probably sing live. The stage Miro is practicing for is for the final opening ceremony.”
Some were disappointed, but a few seemed excited.
In any sport, the most attention-grabbing match is the final.

Considering PlayerZ’s popularity, the opening of the finals was a prestigious stage, but the weight of the final itself made it feel even more significant.
The effort and time put into staging were overwhelmingly focused on the final.
“Miro’s voice is here!”

“Shh.”
The lights in the stadium went off, and a powerful voice filled the air as the background music played.
As the lights gradually brightened, holograms began playing in sync.

Cinematic footage showing the 16 individuals and 16 teams who had made it to the finals after fierce qualifiers filled the screen.
‘It’s Yoo Sang-hoon.’
The first to be highlighted was the shield-bearer, Yoo Sang-hoon, who had advanced in both the individual and team competitions and was also a hot topic as a streamer.

As the footage showed him planting his giant shield into the ground and setting up his Glorim, cheers erupted from the audience.
The shield Yoo Sang-hoon wielded was the heaviest and most durable that could be carried by a mid-level infantry, and it could only perform at its best when acknowledged by the five knights of the Fairy King.
It was the most famous shield he owned, but because he always fought with an avatar on top of it, I had never actually seen the real one in the game.

‘Yoo Sang-hoon never uses such a cool shield. He’s usually swinging things like surfboards, tubes, and trees.’
Along with the shield-bearer, other players’ footage was shown.
Included were Dusk and In Seon-oh’s plays as well.

Among the highlights were players who were considered favorites, but In Seon-oh’s movements were very static compared to theirs.
I understood how people felt confused after seeing In Seon-oh’s performance on Yeom Jun-yeol’s stream.
‘He’s setting traps and waiting. It fits his style perfectly.’

The cinematic video continued to show the participants of the World Championship one by one.
Most were Korean, but there were also quite a few foreigners.
After quickly showing several countries, the screen returned to the Korean Peninsula, where the tournament was taking place.

The video ended with the view of the stadium filled with excited spectators.
It felt immersive, as if the world of PlayerZ had shifted to this stadium.
WAAAAAAH!

With the cheers, the spotlight on stage turned on.
At the center stood a well-known caster in the e-sports world.
He had made a name for himself by playing PlayerZ, studying it, and sharing his experiences on social media, which had also been featured on SZ Games’ official account, creating a buzz.

“Greetings to all the ‘Ones Who Opened the Door’ who visited Zeta. The first round of the PlayerZ World Championship Finals will now begin!”
In response to the caster’s greeting, the audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
Our class also cheered, and with Gu Seul-bi and Ong Gil-dong leading the way, they ended up on the scoreboard.

With their attention-grabbing outfits, the cameraman probably couldn’t miss them.
The finals would first begin with the individual competition, followed by the team competition.
‘The individual competition has relatively less attention. It’s better to go first.’

Although no formal league had been established, most teams were still amateurs, but through streaming sites and game communities, many people were already passionately supporting specific teams.
Moreover, since the individual competition was mainly determined by personal skill, there were fewer uncertainties compared to the team competition.
The team competition involved more factors to consider, such as character job combinations, teamwork, and synergy with opposing teams, making it more fun.

The individual competition, however, proceeded almost one-sidedly.
‘Yoo Sang-hoon, just how much has he played?’
Yoo Sang-hoon overwhelmingly defeated his opponents and climbed to the top.

There were certainly strong contenders like Dusk and the Glorious Warrior, but they had decided to only participate in the team competition.
Since the individual competition received less attention, most who entered were those who enjoyed the game.
And Yoo Sang-hoon was someone who enjoyed the game and was good at it.

“BPB, the shield-bearer has confirmed his spot in the individual finals!”
After playing in VR mode, Yoo Sang-hoon removed his headgear and bowed toward the audience.
Yoo Sang-hoon, finding the spot where our class was sitting, waved at us.

Though Yoo Sang-hoon had made it to the individual finals, the fight wasn’t over yet.
With grand music, the caster’s voice filled the stadium, announcing the start of the team competition.