Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

In Plmago there are two visible catalysts for Demonification.

The first is the declaration of war issued by the Sin Alliance against the government of the Korean Peninsula.

The second is the opening of the gate leading to the Demon Realm.

This time they won’t issue a declaration of war. They only did so before because they were confident that neither the government nor the Association could do anything about it.

At that time in Plmago, the true masterminds had almost total control over society. It was right after the assassination of Yeom Jun-yeol and the war unleashed by the Red Lion and the Dragon, so public opinion toward players had plunged to its lowest ebb. Trust in—and fear of—the government that wielded its player forces to slaughter that mighty dragon and lion had grown in equal measure. They had no hesitation using that power.

There were voices insisting that no matter what happened after Demonification, the government would never cede its territory. But because the masterminds had already seized control of the media, they were able to change the subject at will. They easily forced the government to surrender and broke the will of any remaining resisters. Their declaration of war had no effect on those whose resolve was as iron-clad as the Extermination Squad gathered by Jeolheukpoongrim, but it crushed the spirits of everyone else.

Now, however, such tactics no longer work.

Although the conflict between the Otherworld Bureau and the Association rages on, public consciousness has changed. Nobody is clamoring that even if Yeom Jun-yeol openly Demonifies, he must be put down, and no draconian “player execution” laws will ever pass. If anyone dared to push such a law through, public outrage would erupt—and then Byeon Jae-ik’s constitutional appeal, which had been ignored by all, would gain traction. The Association is still functioning normally and has never seized control of the media, so the executive branch must heed public opinion. The head of government cannot secretly promise vast territorial concessions to the Sin Alliance and surrender unilaterally, nor can he hand over land.

As long as Seong Guk-eon sits in the National Assembly, that will be impossible.

Article 60, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution states that the National Assembly must consent to treaties on mutual assistance or security, important international organizations, commercial navigation, limitations on sovereignty, treaties of amity, and any treaties imposing significant financial burdens on the state or people. In other words, any surrender treaty ceding territory requires the Assembly’s approval. Seong Guk-eon will either prevent the vote from reaching the required quorum or persuade enough members to abstain, and he has already coordinated with like-minded legislators to prepare for this. In Plmago even Seong Guk-eon could have been made to vanish without a trace—and some deputies, terrified, might have yielded—but now that he has a powerful center of support, the situation is different. Especially those deputies whose constituencies lie in Gangwon Province: no matter how great the promised gains, if the Association and the pro-player teams remain strong and Demonification might still fail, they will not agree to surrender. So the cunning demons seem to have opted for a surprise attack instead. They assume that any declaration of war would only serve to unite the players.

“Rumors of Demonification are circulating in the player community, but no one’s paying attention, and few believe them.”

“Where did that leak?”

“They didn’t really leak. In these communities every sort of speculation spreads. People analyze charts or data from their own perspectives and post predictions that stock prices will fall or that climate change events will occur. It’s the same thing. Some believe it, but more don’t.”

Cheongho and Jeokho exchanged comments while watching the hologram. Ong Gildong, without any insider source on either side, had independently predicted something would happen in Gangwon Province. Even before he became a researcher, Song Daeseok had already gleaned various insights from publicly available observation data. While some people spread sensational rumors by cobbling together plausible-sounding information, there are rare individuals whose sharp insight allows them to foresee coming events. Yet before anything happens they are mocked, and once it does, they are asked what they did to prevent it.

Hwang Ji-ho, usually quiet unless he was moving his astral clone, finally spoke up.

“Joi-sung, Seong Guk-eon has discovered the date the gate to the Demon Realm will open. It’s December 28.”

“That’s a relief. It’s the day after the closing ceremony.”

“I expected they’d aim for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, so that’s a surprise.”

“They must intend to catch us off guard. I don’t think anyone here thought that date was likely.”

It was common for the masterminds to target festivals to imprint tragedy deeply in people’s minds and inflict suffering. Ever since the Jamsil Baseball Stadium incident in Plmago, some people said they could never watch baseball again, and many grew depressed every Christmas. The masterminds’ method was to rob the public of happiness, joy, and delight, then trample them underfoot. That was why everyone expected them to strike on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Yet the Sin Alliance, as if mocking those predictions, chose an ordinary weekday. They prioritized ensuring Demonification’s success over maximizing long-term suffering. From their choice of date, we could guess how they’re thinking over there.

“They made a deal with the masterminds, and some demons entered their service by contract. Yet they chose a meaningless date rather than a symbolic one. That must mean the masterminds haven’t fully dominated the Sin Alliance.”

“Baekho, don’t chatter as if Joi-sung came up with that guess.”

“Right, it’s too obvious.”

No sooner had the White Tiger spoken than Hwang Ji-ho and Cheongho reproached him. Jeokho, of course, joined in.

“What’s the point of boasting about reading someone else’s mind?”

“I’m boasting, though.”

“I’m jealous. I want to read his mind too!”

Before Jeokho could scowl at that cheeky retort, Heukho’s apt comment lightened the mood. Even so, I couldn’t rely on Heukho’s blessing, so from now on I resolved to speak my thoughts aloud.

“The masterminds have allied with the Sin Alliance yet still sent a separate guide into the Demon Realm. According to the intel Butterfly Spirit provided, they’re using demons now, but previously they deployed the Four Fiends. There must be more to it.”

“The Four Fiends are formidable forces. There must be a reason they sent them to the Demon Realm.”

“To coordinate with the Sin Alliance and survey the Demon Realm in preparation for Demonification, right?”

Until now I had presumed, as Jeokho suggested, but after interacting with the Demon God’s priests in this world, my thinking changed. For example, the priests serving the Wrathful Demon God who targeted Yeom Jun-yeol and those who worship Iranous were like that. They became subordinates after failing in their mission at Eun Gwang High under a contract with the masterminds. During the Dragon Palace scenario they freed Cardmos to strike at Chokrin but were captured. Reviewing the gathered intel revealed something odd.

“They made a solid pact for an operation as critical as the First Christmas Scenario. If they were merely gathering information to aid Demonification, they wouldn’t need to send anyone—they’d have received it from the other side.”

The masterminds only began commanding demons in the Demon Realm—and summoning the Four Fiends—after the demons had fallen under contract. Considering the minimal role the Four Fiends played in Plmago, they must have been maneuvering there the entire time. What on earth were they doing?

“We can’t confirm that from Plmago’s reports alone. That, too, we must find out. We don’t even know what they aimed for, or whether they succeeded.”

In Plmago the Demonification ultimately failed thanks to the sacrifices made and the protagonist party’s efforts. But did the masterminds truly fail? Perhaps they quietly succeeded where no one knew—like how they covertly eliminated Eunho’s heirs on April Fool’s Day without a trace.

“The masterminds’ subordinates are in the Demon Realm doing something. In other words, there’s a chance we’ll encounter those heading into the Demon Realm.”

Another factor to consider had emerged. The masterminds, though allied with the Sin Alliance, had not fully subordinated them and were scheming on their own. The moment was approaching when Seong Guk-eon, who had talked the Fomor demons into a contract, would need to fulfill it. But for now, I had a more immediate task.

“Then Joi-sung, tomorrow will be crowded, so be prepared. If you need help, just say so.”

Tomorrow is Friday, December 24. Christmas Eve. Technically a weekday, but at Eun Gwang High classes are suspended and a charity event is held. It’s also the anniversary of last year’s great incident. Had it coincided with the Demonification Scenario, we would have abandoned the event—but now that it hasn’t, I wanted to ensure that the students of Eun Gwang High and their guests have a pleasant memory.

On the day of the charity event, at Eun Gwang High, the weather was clear. I had worried about snow in the bitter cold, but fortunately the forecast promised sunshine all day, which Yeom Jun-yeol cheerfully shared early that morning.

“You showed up despite being busy.”

“Why the expression?”

“What do you mean?”

As I headed toward the central plaza, I ran into Yoo Sang-hun, whose face wore a sullen look. There were events by PlayerZ’s Eun Gwang Z club and a holiday to enjoy—so I wondered why he seemed so glum.

Ah, today Dowon-woo and Yoo Sang-hee must be coming. Last year’s events meant those two, both former student council members, wouldn’t miss today’s festivities. I’d heard they’d finally started dating successfully, surely driving Yoo Sang-hun to distraction. Watching them appear together would delight me—but seeing them together might genuinely make Yoo Sang-hun sick.

“You could really become family. Get used to it.”

“Ah, Joi-sung!”

I had omitted the subject, but Yoo Sang-hun understood immediately and shot back in annoyance. I’d briefly considered teasing him by calling him “brother-in-law,” but on a day like this I didn’t want to provoke genuine anger, so I refrained. Despite that jab, Yoo Sang-hun added, “Come play at the Plazet booth before you go,” and walked off. He really is devoted to PlayerZ.

When I reached our assigned building, I saw students who’d arrived early setting up the products for sale. I should have come sooner to help. At least I could have sent the White Tiger, who had been quietly trailing me, ahead first.

“Joi-sung, before you change your clothes, help Baekho carry these boxes! We increased the order quantity this time, so it’s taking longer.”

Kim Yu-ri pointed to the boxes stacked in front of the storage room. Each bore the MITRON logo; inside were Supernova Chocolates. Maeng Hyo-don, who had arrived first and was already moving boxes, looked overwhelmed by the volume.

“You still think this might not be enough?”

“Yes, because it’s chocolate bearing your name!”

Sawol Se-eum, who was affixing decorations to the high ceiling using aerial techniques, replied in wonder.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect MITRON to prepare this much. I was worried we’d have to order from elsewhere because the quantity is so large.”

“Christmas is peak season. They probably hired extra part-timers to make it all together. Cakes are flying off the shelves today, too.”

Kwon Rena offered a practical explanation. During the Christmas season cake demand soars that bakeries often hire additional help just for that period. Given how many chocolates and cookies we were buying, it was only natural to assume they’d hired extra staff. But Han, a VIP at MITRON, immediately contradicted her.

“They might have hired extra cashiers and salespeople, but the pâtissier probably made everything solo. He’s famous for doing it all himself.”

“You mean he made this much by himself? Even small bakeries usually have three or four bakers on staff...”

“Wow, I didn’t know that.”

Considering the consumption habits of Eun Gwang High students and local residents, it was astonishing. Everyone stared at the towering stacks of boxes in disbelief—but I wasn’t surprised. Given Ryu Jang’s abilities, it was entirely possible.

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