RG 19

“I’ve looked into the young man you ordered.”

After glancing at Kwon Taehyeok’s expression, the secretary handed over some documents. Kwon Taehyeok, clearly in a low mood, took the documents, and the secretary began to explain, “His name is Cha Seohu. He’s 26 years old, from Zone C-281, and has one younger brother.”

“Younger brother?”

“Yes.”

As Kwon Taehyeok listened to the briefing and glanced through the documents, he raised an eyebrow.

‘A younger brother… Could it be the child who was with him back then?’

He had considered the possibility that siblings might have been taken together. It seemed plausible that they were kidnapped together after losing their parents.

“He has been held in the research facility for three months. During that time, he seems to have been quite rebellious, and there’s a separate note in the research records highlighting him as someone to be cautious of.”

With this additional explanation from the secretary, Kwon Taehyeok naturally recalled the moment he first encountered Cha Seohu.

The awkward smile on his face. He didn’t seem to have a rebellious personality to the extent of causing trouble. Well, being confined was indeed a special circumstance.

“After being rescued from the research facility, his whereabouts were mysterious for a while, but it has been confirmed that he recently established a guild.”

The secretary handed over additional documents. This time, the documents contained information about the guild Cha Seohu had founded.

“Anything else?”

“For now, that’s all… but there’s something a bit strange.”

“What is it?”

“It’s related to Cha Seohu’s brother. While Cha Seohu, who was captured in the research facility, has detailed records for the three months, there’s nothing on the younger brother’s side.”

Kwon Taehyeok checked the documents again, and it was true–Cha Sahyeon’s file was completely empty.

“It’s not just that the lab didn’t record it; there’s absolutely no record of the younger brother being captured by the research facility at all. This situation is unique to that child.”

“So it’s the child who seems suspicious.”

“If we were to be particular, yes. The secretarial team is focusing on finding the child, but honestly, it seems unlikely that we’ll find much. There’s very little information available.”

“Hmm…” Kwon Taehyeok blinked slowly as if pondering something and said, “Continue the search as planned, but we should add another method.”

“Another method?”

“You said he established a guild.” He tapped the area around the guild name ‘ONE’ printed on the document with his finger. “There’s a dungeon we need to deal with anyway, right? Set a schedule and send a cooperation request to the guilds in Seoul, including this one.”

“Understood.”

Cha Seohu won’t be able to ignore the cooperation request. As a newly established guild, he probably doesn’t have many means of earning money. If a cooperation request comes from a large guild like this one, it will not only provide safety but also generate income. Unless he’s foolish, he’ll likely participate.

Even if the child isn’t brought to the dungeon, it doesn’t matter. Cha Seohu is someone to be cautious of, and meddling with a guardian will naturally bring information about the child.

Without further explanation, the secretary, understanding what Kwon Taehyeok is aiming for, nodded. “I’ll send the request immediately. Since Cha Seohu might cooperate, I’ll reserve a support position as well.”

“And?”

“Yes?”

Kwon Taehyeok, with a stern expression, narrowed his eyes at the bewildered secretary. “There should be more to report, right? Did I order you to only investigate Cha Seohu?”

“Uh…”

The secretary, attempting to escape subtly and failing, coughed awkwardly and replied, “Well… I did look into the ‘Cover’ you commanded as well. But there aren’t any noteworthy results to report.”

“What does that mean?”

“Exactly as I said. There is no information available.”

Kwon Taehyeok’s gaze became even colder at the disappointing result. However, it was not his place to complain about something that didn’t exist.

“We identified the Hunter as blonde through video analysis, but, as you know, Guildmaster, that’s not particularly useful. The remaining concern is related to the mask….” The secretary, carefully observing Kwon Taehyeok’s reaction with an awkward expression, cautiously continued, “It seems likely that the Hunter belongs to the group known as ‘Spider’s Web,’ a faction known for wearing masks while active.”

‘Spider’s Web’ was a shadowy information organization that operated mainly in China. Although their headquarters was in China, the leader was Korean, and all members wore black masks with a white spider pattern, making them a distinctive and mysterious group.

“Could it be their leader? I heard the leader of ‘Spider’s Web’ is also an S-class Hunter.”

“No.” Kwon Taehyeok decisively shook his head. “His voice was completely different. His physique was also larger than that of the leader.”

“Ah, you mentioned encountering him before.”

The identity of ‘Cover’ and the leader of ‘Spider’s Web’ were both unknown. Kwon Taehyeok, recalling the leader of ‘Spider’s Web’ who playfully scratched his insides while smiling, added, “And the leader of ‘Spider’s Web’ has silver hair. Given that it hasn’t changed for the past few years, the likelihood of suddenly switching to blonde seems low.”

“Well, in that case, it’s more realistic to consider that ‘Cover’ is one of the Hunters from ‘Spider’s Web’ rather than the leader.”

At the secretary’s remark, Kwon Taehyeok thought of ‘Cover’, whom he had encountered in the square a few days ago. A voice that was appropriately low and soft, coupled with a playful tone. Despite introducing themselves as a novice, their combat skills and sense weren’t bad at all.

If it weren’t for the inexplicable attire and suspicious behavior, he might have been inclined to suggest scouting for the guild.

‘But his personality seemed unlikely to fit someone operating within a closed group like ‘Spider’s Web.’

For starters, ‘Cover’ was wearing a plain mask, not the spider-embossed one worn by members of ‘Spider’s Web’. Considering that it was Halloween that day, there was a good chance that the Hunter simply bought any mask to cover his face.

“Sigh…”

As the secretary said, there was nothing certain. All the information mentioned was mere speculation.

“For now, continue the investigation. Especially, report immediately if there’s any new discovery regarding ‘Cover’.”

“Understood.”

***

“A cooperation request for a B-class dungeon.”

As I read the contents written on the document, I raised the corner of my mouth.

“A large guild like Yesung Guild is sending a cooperation request just for a B-class dungeon?”

And from a guild only created just a few days ago?

It seems that Kwon Taehyeok is quite bothered not only by ‘Cover’, the Hunter ranked 1st, but also by ‘Cha Seohu’.

‘On the first day we met, I acted a bit awkward.’

Above all, escaping with Cha Sahyeon, avoiding the gazes of other Hunters, would undoubtedly make Kwon Taehyeok more suspicious.

“I guess this is ultimately an invitation sent to me.”

Should I accept this willingly or find a way out?

Honestly, the invitation itself wasn’t bad. Joining a raid party organized by a large guild like Yesung Guild was quite appealing, and I also had matters to discuss with Kwon Taehyeok.

‘As long as Kwon Taehyeok is one of the main characters, I have to get close to him.’

Becoming somewhat closer might be enough to gain the trust of that blunt guy. I didn’t know how long I could keep avoiding him.

But there was a reason I couldn’t make a hasty decision and was hesitating.

As I turned my head after folding the document, Cha Sahyeon sitting next to me came into view. Until recently, he only came close when I called him, but nowadays, he would just sit right beside me without hesitation.

There wasn’t much for him to do; he just sat there absentmindedly. However, because he stuck to me so closely, it was hard not to pay attention to him.

‘If it’s a B-class dungeon raid, it might take at least three days.’

Leaving Cha Sahyeon alone here for three days while I went off was impossible.

However, taking Cha Sahyeon to the dungeon was also challenging. While a minor affiliated with the guild could participate in a raid if accompanied by a guardian, Cha Sahyeon wasn’t an ordinary child. Taking him to a place with many potential dangers like a dungeon could lead to trouble if the seed’s progress increased. Moreover, even if the law permitted it, bringing a young child to a dungeon was not something an adult should do.

“Should I decline and wait for the next opportunity?”

There was no guarantee that going to the dungeon would make me closer to Kwon Taehyeok, and I wasn’t inclined to gamble on Cha Sahyeon’s safety and the seed’s progress.

Perhaps it was better to give up this time. There would be better timing in the future.

Just as I was thinking this and about to clear away the documents, a familiar notification sound rang out.

Ding!

《Main Quest has arrived!》

《Main Quest: Successfully conquer a dungeon of B-class or higher with the antagonist. (Remaining time: 7 days 11 hours 59 minutes)》

A new status window appeared before me. Upon checking the quest details, my face contorted in misery.

“This damn…!”

“…?”

The child, hearing my curse, looked at me with a puzzled expression. I sighed while massaging my throbbing head.

‘This damn quest is determined to turn me into human garbage.’

Frustrated by the seemingly uncooperative reality, I swallowed back tears inwardly.