Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

“Some of these faces are unfamiliar? I’m Nabiryung. At last, the young master of the Iron-Blood Twin Swords has joined us. I advised you to recruit him long ago.”

Nabiryung appeared inside the school.

To be precise, an illusion scattered with scale fragments shimmered into existence.

Had the Twelve Zodiac Barrier been fully intact and Hwangho standing guard, nothing like this could have happened. But Eun Gwang High’s defenses were so lax that someone of Nabiryung’s skill could infiltrate without leaving a trace.

A few students who recognized this so-called butterfly spirit from past encounters tensed, but none dared ask who she was.

Joo Suhyuk leaned in and whispered that Nabiryung was a subordinate of the enemy—but one who leaks information.

Kwak Kyung-gu immediately voiced his doubt.

“If she were truly spying, she wouldn’t reveal her name. The moment we speak it, we’re done for.”

“There’s only one butterfly spirit on the peninsula right now—me. The instant you claim to have contacted Nabiryung, whether you name me or not, everyone will suspect me,” she replied.

That made it even more dangerous. Butterflies, unlike mighty spirit beasts such as dragons or tigers, are usually regarded as insignificant. Only a rare few higher beings bore butterfly wings—like Psyche of classical myth or the obsidian-winged Itzpapalotl of ancient legend.

Merely the shadow of a butterfly would betray her as Nabiryung. To risk her life scattering secrets so openly was sheer madness.

“There’s no time. I’ll convey only the information you need.”

Nabiryung fluttered her wings several times toward Joo Suhyuk and Andain, as if favoring them. The two received her words with expressionless faces, offering only the barest courtesy.

Her revelations were high-level intelligence unattainable by ordinary means. It was surprising that these two—so quick to express gratitude even for small favors—would respond so coldly to someone they supposedly cared for.

‘She must have committed something truly horrific,’ Kyung-gu thought.

Nabiryung shared two major points. First: to prevent the demonic transformation, one must venture into the demon realm. Second: intelligence regarding the congressman the Flame King had targeted until the end.

At mention of the second point, more faces—including Kwak Kyung-gu’s—twisted in dismay.

“If only you’d shared this sooner, or warned Jun-yeol’s family... then surely—”

The information concerned the Dream Auction, where that congressman participated in disguise. It was said to be his primary source of funds. Rare-ability players, illicit items, stolen cultural relics—all were auctioned there. A politician could lose his seat merely by attending. Yet this man not only attended; he took payment and favors suffice to utterly destroy him.

So far, they had only Nabiryung’s word. They would need direct proof of his involvement. But if the Flame King had known, he would have delayed any reckless uprising until the New Year, ambushed the auction, seized evidence on the spot, and brought the politician down.

“I regret those losses too,” Nabiryung said. “But the twins who control wind and rain suspected me, so I couldn’t move freely.”

Her faintly formed face blurred into a smile.

Silence settled. They ought to feel grateful for the intelligence, yet no one could easily utter thanks. It was impossible to tell whether she truly had been constrained or if she had some other motive for revealing it now.

Just as they thought she would vanish, Nabiryung suddenly approached Kwak Kyung-gu and whispered:

“You possess a very useful Gwangrim. Do you realize? Your Grace, granted for only a hundred seconds, serves others more than yourself. That’s why I hoped you’d join us sooner.”

Kyung-gu felt scales prickling on his skin and frowned, waving her away. Her illusion fluttered back to avoid his hand and warned:

“When you enter the demon realm, remember my words.”

When Nabiryung disappeared, Joo Suhyuk asked anxiously, “Kyung-gu hyung, are you all right? Filter out anything that isn’t information.”

“Yeah, I will.”

Though he said so, Kyung-gu found himself replaying her words again and again. Nabiryung had been eager for his alliance—not merely because his strength would help, as with others. Joo Suhyuk and Andain surpassed him in combat skill and real-world experience. They were nearly the same age, yet while he suffered torment at school, they had been fighting outside.

Her description of his ability—only useful when he was struck—as “grace for others” weighed heavily on his mind.

After speaking with Nabiryung, Kwak Kyung-gu fell into thought. Even within the replay, it was clear how deeply he was affected. Though her visit was brief and her message short, she had succeeded in planting poison in his heart.

Having lost friends and feeling powerless under the next student council president—and having always felt dissatisfied with his own Gwangrim—her words were enough to make him resolve to sacrifice himself in the demon realm.

‘She knew none of us would all survive the demon realm. But she must have wanted to save Joo Suhyuk and Andain if possible. So my Gwangrim must have looked useful to her.’

A warrior of moderate skill, deeply bonded with the protagonist, repeatedly healed yet capable of stalling enemies—an ideal pawn to sacrifice and hold the enemy’s advance. That was why she pressed him to join. Only Cheondongha had perceived her true intent and resisted.

But now Cheondongha was gone, their forces depleted, and Kyung-gu’s term as student council president ended, freeing him to join. Joo Suhyuk had been wary of Nabiryung, but that alone was not enough to counter her schemes.

‘Still, without Kyung-gu, more would have died then. We might even have failed to halt the transformation.’

And thanks to Nabiryung’s new information, under Plma-go’s criteria they would be able to rescue Sawol Seyum the following year. Though they failed to expose the Dream Gate’s full scope or punish its participants, they could stop the auction and save several players.

‘Just in time, we rescued Sawol Seyum when she was auctioned.’

Yet it burned him to think that freeing her had eased her schemes.

Crack... thunk.

Ice fell from the ice maker, and a carbonated drink scented with orange appeared before him. The hand delivering it belonged to the White Tiger.

“Drink this if you’re burning up,” White Tiger said.

“But Yi-shin’s hands have gone cold—must you serve a cold drink?” Andain objected.

“But Yi-shin just—”

“No one wants to hear you brag about your boon.”

The two adult tigers bickered like children. Given how well they spoke now, Yi-shin wondered if they’d ever conversed properly at Plma-go.

Meanwhile, Yeom Jun-yeol, worrying for Kwak Kyung-gu and yet caring for both him and Yi-shin, seemed remarkably mature. Yi-shin recalled how the White Tiger, so chatty in his thoughts, never relayed praise for Jun-yeol.

“Yi-shin, your hands are cold. I’ll summon the Red Dragon,” Jun-yeol said.

At his call, the Red Dragon circled anxiously overhead. Yi-shin felt warmth in his head and chest, but his hands remained frigid—a strange imbalance. He drank the White Tiger’s beverage, then reached out to the waiting Red Dragon. Instantly, the chill left his body and warmth returned to his hands. Yet his head still burned and spun.

In the replay, only moments after meeting Nabiryung, demon-realm plants and beasts began to appear in Gangwon Province.

The demonic transformation brought natural disasters and progressed in stages. In Gangwon, localized blizzards raged even as interdimensional incursions became frequent. As players fled en masse, the Association could do little beyond issuing warnings.

The government refused to dispatch troops to combat the incursions, arguing that citizens who ignored evacuation orders in Gangwon did not warrant military intervention. Because the media simply reprinted government briefings, few knew of this stance.

Instead, outlets promoted travel and reality shows set far from Gangwon, starring celebrities and athletes, as if highlighting safe relocation spots. One hit program monopolized attention, leaving the task of reclaiming Gangwon to the Demon-Slaying Crusaders.

“What about Teacher Ham Geun-hyung?” someone asked.

“He’s probably stuck in Hongcheon because of the snow. He can’t make it here.”

Although Ham Geun-hyung wasn’t officially part of the Crusaders, he naturally took charge of Hongcheon. To the students who declared the state of emergency at Eun Gwang High, he was their most dependable teacher—but he remained unseen. With travel hindered by blizzards, if an incursion occurred while he was en route, the townspeople of Hongcheon could be wiped out.

“Wait, first-years! Didn’t I warn you to be careful when digging? This looks like a demon-realm plant—its roots are damaged but... oh, it’s regenerating.”

“Wow, the sap is soaking into the soil and skewing the readings! Demon-realm plants must affect the earth.”

Among the students and some teachers who had declared emergency, they formed the Crusaders to reclaim the interdimensional rifts. Even so, Guseulbi and Cha Seok-won studied the changing ecosystem whenever they could. Guseulbi, self-proclaimed greatest Druidess, could instantly distinguish alien plants. Cha Seok-won excitedly noted similarities between this land and Eun Gwang’s “dead soil.”

“My mentor is Merlin,” Guseulbi said confidently. “According to him, a portal to the demon realm will open soon, and the transformation will begin in earnest. Once it opens, it could be a long wait before the next chance—so we must hurry.”

Despite their preparations, they packed only what was needed for a prolonged campaign. Although Merlin possessed knowledge of the demon realm, he had long been sealed by the Lady of the Lake, Nimue. Much time had passed since his last journey there, and above all, the interdimensional upheaval had changed everything. In truth, they were heading into the demon realm with virtually no preparation.

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