RG 135

As soon as we left the parking lot and began climbing the mountain in earnest, the air became noticeably chillier. Each exhale turned into a white puff in the air, and the bare tree branches trembled weakly in the wind. Judging by the temperature alone, it felt like late autumn or early winter. It was drastically different from the real-world weather, where flowers were in full bloom and warm sunlight streamed down. The contrast made it feel like we had stepped into another world.

I looked up at the sky, which was blanketed with thick, dark clouds, and pulled a long coat from my inventory to drape over myself. Just wearing that helped ease the cold a bit.

It wasn’t just ordinary cold—it was a chill created by some sort of energy. Rather than layering thick clothing, it was safer to wear defense gear made from special items. Ryu Seonghyeon was also wearing a defensive jacket like me. He was S-class, so he could probably manage without an item, but still.

‘The higher we go, the colder it’ll get.’

About 30 minutes passed as we braved the biting wind and continued up the mountain with our coats fluttering. Suddenly, snow began to fall. White snowflakes drifted down beneath the wide stretch of dark clouds, and thick layers of snow bloomed like flowers on the tree branches. The strong wind that had felt like it was blocking our path earlier had lessened, but the cold grew more intense, and the snow piling up made it harder to walk.

“Are you alright?” Ryu Seonghyeon looked at me with concern as we trudged through a snowy mountain path covered in a thick white blanket.

“Of course.”

I understood the sentiment, but there was no turning back now. I didn’t want to send him alone either.

“I think we can go this way.”

Surprisingly, the path was easy to follow, with stairs and railings installed here and there. Maybe because it was once a popular hiking spot, the basic infrastructure was still in place.

Thanks to the coat, the cold was still bearable. And if I, with an ordinary human body, could manage this, Ryu Seonghyeon was probably unfazed.

Honestly, the bigger problem was something else entirely.

Whoooosh!

“…”

“…”

A cold gust of wind passed between me and Ryu Seonghyeon. We continued climbing in silence, lost in our own thoughts.

‘This is so awkward…!’

Come to think of it, this was the first time I had spent so much time alone with Ryu Seonghyeon since regressing. Before, there had always been someone else around, so even if I felt the awkwardness, it wasn’t so suffocating. But now, it was unbearable.

‘This is killing me.’

I had been so excited about finally meeting Song Ji-un that I hadn’t anticipated this problem at all. Awkwardness with Ryu Seonghyeon? That was a situation I never even dreamed of before returning.

‘We have to wander around the mountain together until we find Song Ji-un—this won’t do.’

Maybe this was actually a good opportunity to get a little closer to him. Swallowing nervously, I turned to Ryu Seonghyeon and said, “Well, it really feels like we came to the mountains in the middle of winter. What season do you like, Vicemaster?” Small talk is always the best in moments like this. I smiled as I asked, and he gave me a similar smile in return.

“I like autumn. Winter’s nice too. What about you, Hunter Cha Seohu?”

“Oh, look at that—we’re on the same page. I like autumn too.”

“Ha ha, is that so?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“…”

Whooosh!

Another gust of wind swept past us. I inwardly cried and swallowed a curse.

‘Damn it…’

Honestly, I’d never been in this kind of situation before. In my life, I’d never had anyone I wanted to get closer to badly enough to push through this kind of awkwardness. And before I returned, I had joined the Circle Guild and naturally bonded with everyone there.

‘He’s feeling awkward too.’

I understood. What had I ever done to make him feel comfortable around me?

But I no longer let things like this disappoint me. Instead of wasting time being upset, it was much more productive to think about how to lower his guard.

“…Hunter Cha Seohu.” Just as I was wracking my brain trying to think of something to say, Ryu Seonghyeon unexpectedly spoke first. “May I ask… what your relationship is with Guildmaster?”

“Huh?” I looked at him, puzzled by the somewhat sudden question.

Guildmaster? Is he talking about the fake one?

He raised the corners of his mouth in an awkward smile. “You two seemed really close.”

As if. There’s no way I’d be close with that fake. The one I want to get close to is you, bro.

“Mm, not really,” I replied indifferently.

This time, Ryu Seonghyeon looked at me in confusion. “I assumed you were close, since he helped you, and also seemed connected to Hunter Cover.”

“He didn’t save me for no reason. I mean, that’s why I’m here.” I shrugged and replied in a deliberately casual tone, “The guildmaster said he’d help me if I did him a favor in return, and I agreed. It was a transaction. So please don’t kick me out—I’m just here to repay a debt.” I added a joke, asking him to take me along even if it’s inconvenient, and Ryu Seonghyeon let out a small, amused snort.

“Even if I did try to kick you out, I doubt you’d leave quietly.”

“That’s true.”

After exchanging a round of jokes, the tense atmosphere eased just a little. Ryu Seonghyeon met my eyes, hesitated for a moment like he was gathering his thoughts, then spoke. “To be honest, up until yesterday, I agreed with Hunter Kwon Taehyeok’s opinion. It’s true that this place is too rough for a Support.”

“…”

“But now that I’m actually here… I feel glad you’re with me. If I had come alone, I would’ve been in trouble.” He lifted his head and stared at the faint outline of the mountaintop in the distance. From his expression, I could tell what was weighing on him.

“You seem preoccupied about meeting the mountain dweller.”

“Yeah. I don’t know how to explain that we want him to become the guildmaster. Even if we do need a strong DPS in the guild, it’s hard to justify why it has to be the mountain dweller of all people.”

He didn’t know the things I and the fake did—the world before the regression, or that Song Ji-un was originally the Circle Guildmaster. So it was only natural for him to be confused. From his perspective, it was like his superior had issued some strange order to go out and bring back a new superior. And now he had to convince a stranger—on a snow-covered mountain, no less.

‘He’s too kind to even talk back to that fake. If it were me, I’d have grabbed that boss by the collar for giving such a ridiculous order.’

Whether before or after the return, Ryu Seonghyeon always ended up doing the hard work. I felt bad for him.

‘That’s why we absolutely need to find the real guildmaster and bring him back.’

What would something inhuman know about human struggles? Humans need human superiors. More importantly, the real Song Ji-un and Ryu Seonghyeon had been especially close before my regression. I was sure they’d become fast friends again once they met.

“If you don’t mind, Hunter Cha Seohu, I’d like your opinion on what kind of person the mountain dweller is. Unlike me, you seem capable of making a level-headed judgment,” Ryu Seonghyeon muttered bitterly. Seeing the weariness on his face made my chest sting, like something had pierced near my heart.

If I could, I would’ve told him not to worry—that the mountain dweller was definitely a good person. But that wasn’t what he needed to hear right now. “…Of course. Technically speaking, I’m an outsider, right? I’ll take a cool, objective look at the mountain dweller for you.”

After hearing my confident response, Ryu Seonghyeon finally looked a bit more at ease. “Thank you.”

Yeah. That was enough. What did a pre-regression life matter to a Ryu Seonghyeon who didn’t remember it?

‘That was close.’

If I had told him “the mountain dweller is a good person, so don’t worry,” right now… he would never have shown me that relaxed expression.

‘Don’t force the past before the regression on him. It’s enough that I remember it.’

Walking through the gently falling snow, Ryu Seonghyeon smiled softly. It was a sight I liked. Feeling satisfied, I followed after him.

***

As expected, the higher we climbed the mountain, the colder it got. The snow piled up higher on the ground too. No matter how much I turned my head, all I could see was snow-covered whiteness. If not for the signposts half-buried in snow scattered here and there, we would’ve lost our way a long time ago.

‘There’s a mark scratched with a blade on every tree trunk—someone must’ve done that too, right?’

I was brushing my hand over the deep scratch on the rough bark when Ryu Seonghyeon, who had stopped and was scanning the area, suddenly noticed something and quickly grabbed my arm.

“Vicemaster?”

“Shh.”

As soon as he motioned for silence, a snow-laden tree branch across from us rustled—and something popped out. In this world of pure white, a sudden gray figure made me instinctively flinch. But I quickly realized what it was.

Meooow!

A round head, two pointy ears. A tail standing tall, covered in gray fur. I locked eyes with a cat staring straight at me.

‘Eunbok?’

I barely swallowed the name before it slipped out. Eunbok was the cat Song Ji-un raised before my regression. The cat in front of me looked exactly like him.

“What’s a cat doing in a place like this…?”

I checked, just in case, but I couldn’t sense anything from it. It wasn’t a monster pretending to be a cat—it was a real cat.

Maow. Purrr.

Its upright tail curled slightly at the tip.

The cat let out another cry, then cautiously crept toward us while glancing up at Ryu Seonghyeon. Its eyes stayed fixed solely on me. Without thinking, I knelt down and reached out a hand. Soft fur brushed against my fingertips, radiating warmth. It seemed the cat had been spared from the bone-chilling cold.

When I scooped the cat up into my arms, it nuzzled into me—and then I heard unfamiliar footsteps. They came from the same direction the cat had appeared from.

Crunch, crunch.

There was the sound of snow being stepped on. Strangely, it felt like the person approaching was deliberately making their presence known. Unlike the cat, I could clearly feel the presence of an Awakened pressing against my skin. Ryu Seonghyeon stepped in front of me, staying alert in case of a sudden attack.

A pale hand reached out and brushed away the branches blocking the view. The snow clinging to the branch fell in a flurry, revealing the person’s face.

“…!”

What came into view first was silver hair, tinged with light gray. His loosely tied hair hung down past his shoulders, and the thick, blue-tinged leather cloak fluttered slightly. Fresh, leaf-green eyes that reminded me of budding sprouts—this was unmistakably Song Ji-un. But his small, white face, looking at the unfamiliar intruders to his domain, was so youthful it was almost unrecognizable.

The Song Ji-un I knew was a full-grown man well over forty. He looked young for his age, sure—but never this young, never like someone in his mid-twenties.

The figure looked at Ryu Seonghyeon, who stood cautiously guarded, then at me, who was left speechless and floundering. He opened his mouth in a low, somber tone. “Are you lost?”