RG 157

That was the end of the conversation with the system. My attempt to provoke the pervert failed miserably and faded away into nothingness, leaving behind only the fact that the system was a true perverted bastard.

Annoyed, I decided to do some shopping in the item shop, planning to spend the cache box the system had given me along with the cache I had accumulated from clearing quests.

《Your current rank is Silver.》

《Hidden items are now revealed.》

I got these notifications, and it would’ve been a shame to just ignore them.

Sure enough, browsing through the recommended items, I could see that the selection had definitely expanded compared to before. Of course, some items were still a bit questionable in terms of practicality and price, but overall, the list was definitely better.

‘Maybe I’ll just buy this much for now.’

Scrolling through the list, I picked out items that seemed like they would be useful.

[Herb of Recovery]

Restores energy and heals wounds.

(Healing effects are minor, so use with caution.)

[Wings of Skywalking]

Small wings that help you fly. Attach them to your shoes. (Duration: 5 minutes)

[Feign Death Potion]

A potion that allows you to disguise yourself as a corpse. Drinking the liquid drastically slows your heartbeat and lowers your body temperature, making you appear dead. The user must fall asleep during this time. (Duration: 15 minutes)

All three were newly updated items. They were practical and reasonably priced, which made me very satisfied. On top of that, I also bought an item I had taken note of last time.

[Time Stop Potion]

Drinking the potion stops time for 10 seconds. During the frozen time, only the user can move.

[Charm Enhancement Amulet]

Purchasing and tearing this amulet grants you a charm buff for a certain period. Your appearance will seem more radiant to others, and it will be easier to gain their favor.

Back then, I had skipped over these items because they seemed expensive and useless, but now that I looked again, they weren’t so bad. Especially that “Charm Enhancement Amulet”—it annoyed me that something that only boosted charm would cost 80 million cash, but considering that my main goal was to befriend the main characters and make them allies, it seemed like a pretty efficient item.

‘Yeah, whatever. A buff is a buff, even if it’s just charm.’

It was a bit painful to spend that much cash, but I told myself it was fine since I was using the cash that pervert had given me as a gift.

While I was at it, I decided to check the main quest again—the one I received right after regressing and still the most important quest.

[Main Quest: Gather the scattered main characters and make them your allies. (Progress: 32%)]

You must meet the scattered main characters and become their comrade. (Comrade Requirement: Main Character’s Trust)

[Main characters]

Key figures tasked with preventing a calamity and safeguarding the world.

If a main character dies, the calamity cannot be averted, so they must be protected at all costs.

• Attention! If even one protagonist dies, the quest will fail.

Quest Failure: World Annihilation

The content is still as brutal as ever.

‘Oh, the progress has gone up, though?’

When I first received the quest, it was definitely at 0%, but before I knew it, it had risen to 32%. It seemed that all the effort I had put in had paid off. Smiling in satisfaction, I packed the items into my inventory and cleared away all the status screens. Seeing the surroundings gradually brighten, it was clear it was time to head back.

“Hey. Are you listening?” Before leaving, I tried speaking to the system one more time. Unlike earlier, there was no response, but I continued talking anyway, “I still don’t understand a lot.”

Why it chose me to regress, what its true purpose was.

“Setting aside being grateful, you’re still suspicious to me.”

I looked down at a yellow flower that had fallen among the grass. It was the flower the system had given me earlier—an item with no effect whatsoever.

“Whether you’re spying on me or stalking me, I don’t care. Next time, let’s have a proper conversation.”

It wasn’t like I had gained nothing from this encounter. Just confirming that the system was a being capable of communication was a huge advantage for me.

I knew there would be no reply. Without any lingering attachment, I turned and headed down the mountain.

***

The day after my early morning walk alone, we finished preparations to leave the mountain, just as planned. The Painting King who came to see us off as we gathered to depart the temple.

“Are you really sure you don’t want to come with us?”

Wearing the plain clothes she had worn five years ago when she lived with Song Ji-un, the King looked just like an ordinary person. Adjusting the cardigan that had slipped off her shoulders, she gently shook her head. “I’m more comfortable here than among humans. Besides, someone needs to stay and protect this temple and the mountain.”

Even though I had purified many areas, this mountain was still a restricted zone. That meant criminal Hunters could sneak in at any time. The intense chill that the King had used to dominate the mountain while adjusting her powers after her rampage had faded. Of course, Supports like me still couldn’t endure it easily, and blizzards still swept through, but it was much better than before.

Once criminal DPS Hunters started creeping in one by one, the mountain would quickly become filthy and corrupted again. Someone had to stay behind to prevent that.

“You’ll be lonely, though. We’re even taking Eunbok with us.”

Originally, we hadn’t planned to take Eunbok.

Eunbok had lived at the temple for several years, and I had learned before regressing that cats, being territorial animals, shouldn’t be relocated carelessly. However, as if sensing our preparations to leave starting yesterday, Eunbok had clung desperately to me, Ryu Seonghyeon, and Song Ji-un, crying so pitifully that we simply couldn’t bear to leave him behind.

Looking down at Eunbok, who was nestled quietly in my arms, I spoke teasingly, and the King chuckled as if she found me ridiculous. “Treating me like some old lady, huh. You’re the only one who would dare say something like that to me. I live by a different flow of time than humans, so don’t worry and go.” Then, looking over at Song Ji-un, she spoke again. “My disciple, once you leave the mountain, you must reclaim the age you’ve been forgetting. Your slowed aging means your appearance hasn’t changed much over the past twenty years, but that doesn’t mean your actual age has disappeared. You must stay sharp.”

“Understood.”

“It worries me, honestly—someone like you, who still has so much to learn, taking over as the leader of the organization your twin brother was managing…” The King’s gaze shifted toward me and Ryu Seonghyeon. “But you won’t be alone, so you’ll be fine.”

A warm breeze blew toward the King. Smiling with her snow-white hair fluttering—hair identical to Song Ji-un’s—the Painting King looked more at peace than anyone else.

“I’ll be here guarding this place. If you ever need my help, come find me.”

Having made the decision to protect the mountain in place of her disciple Song Ji-un, the Painting King showed no hesitation at all. She watched us until we completely disappeared from sight. Song Ji-un also kept turning back several times, dragging his heavy steps.

Noticing how much he seemed bothered, I tried to comfort him. “We’ll probably be able to visit again soon. There’s still purification work left to do on the mountain.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. And you don’t need to be too intimidated by the guild work either. The current guildmaster will help you a lot, and all the guild members are good people. Right, Vicemaster?”

Trying to lift the increasingly gloomy atmosphere, I sent a desperate signal with my eyes to Ryu Seonghyeon, who awkwardly nodded. “That’s right. Everyone will welcome you.”

The answer was less reassuring than I’d hoped. Narrowing my eyes, I glanced at both Ryu Seonghyeon and Song Ji-un.

‘Is he just shy?’

Ryu Seonghyeon was always polite, but he wasn’t particularly sociable.

Strictly speaking, they had only met a few days ago, and now Song Ji-un was going to be his superior—no wonder Ryu Seonghyeon’s mind was probably tangled. Song Ji-un, too, was surely anxious about leaving the mountain and starting a new life. I understood both their positions, but we couldn’t let things stay awkward between them. They had been close before my regression, so it should get better, right?

“Hunter Cha Seohu.”

While I was walking in a daze, feeling unsettled myself, Song Ji-un, his ears slightly pinker than usual, carefully approached me.

Since Eunbok had taken over my arms, Cha Sahyeon, who had been holding my hand instead, shot a sideways glare at Song Ji-un.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I feel much more at ease.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“And… if you don’t mind, may I ask you something?”

Ask me something? Curious, I looked at him, and after hesitating for a moment, Song Ji-un asked, “I heard this person is the vicemaster of Circle Guild… so do you also have a title or position?”

“…!”

Startled, I opened my eyes wide, and Song Ji-un, seeming to think he had made some kind of mistake, hurriedly added, “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that since both of you came to see me together, I thought there might be a reason…”

“No, no, it’s fine to ask.”

I exchanged glances with Ryu Seonghyeon.

‘Did you not tell him?’

‘Come to think of it, I was so busy, I probably forgot…’

Sharing a silent conversation through our eyes, we both pressed our foreheads in realization. It wasn’t exactly an important matter, but we had completely forgotten about it.

I spoke to Song Ji-un, who looked bewildered. “Mountain Keeper.”

“Yes?”

“I’m… not part of the Circle Guild.”

“…Pardon?”

“My brother here and I founded our own small two-person guild. We’re only on friendly terms with the Circle Guild, nothing more.”

As Song Ji-un listened blankly, realization finally struck him, and his eyes shook violently.

“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner. We absolutely weren’t trying to deceive you—there was just so much going on that it slipped our minds… Mountain Keeper? Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes…”

Not really. No matter how you looked at him, he didn’t seem okay.

Seeing Song Ji-un visibly deflate, I grew worried. But it wasn’t as if I could just join the Circle Guild now. Cha Sahyeon and I were a package deal. If we joined the Circle Guild recklessly, everyone would be in danger.

The shock seemed so great that Song Ji-un even stumbled a little. It looked like finding out that I wasn’t in the guild had seriously shaken his sense of security.

After that, he stayed silent, walking quietly. He didn’t seem angry—more like he was deep in thought about something.

From time to time, I could feel an intense gaze burning into the back of my head, but given the situation, where it felt like I had accidentally deceived him, I didn’t have the courage to turn around and ask.

‘…Forget it. Let’s just get back to the Circle Guild first.’

The fake would handle things somehow. Choosing to escape from reality, I hurried down the mountain.