RG 20

Today was the day to go to the B-class dungeon hosted by the Yesung Guild. I reluctantly came to the meeting place with Cha Sahyeon for the quest clearance.

“Okay, let’s go over things.”

Before entering the reception area, I pulled Cha Sahyeon aside and knelt down, placing my hand on the child’s shoulder. I asked earnestly, “First, what should we be cautious about?”

“…”

“No answer? Should I leave you behind?”

Cha Sahyeon, whom I couldn’t leave anyway because of the quest, mumbled for a while before finally speaking, “…Never leave your side.”

“Whose side?”

“My brother’s side.”

“Right. Second?”

“Ignore anyone who talks to me.”

“Great. The last, third one.”

“Not taking the lead.”

“Okay.”

I felt proud as Cha Sahyeon surprisingly spoke until the end, so I patted his head. The hair on my palm felt soft.

‘The third one is just something I said.’

Since meeting Cha Sahyeon, the child had not used any skills even once. Even though entering the dungeon didn’t seem like a reason to suddenly overuse skills that weren’t used before, I still urged caution just in case.

While it was difficult for other Hunters to detect energy from Cha Sahyeon, situations where using skills and fighting were unavoidable should be minimized.

‘If the child’s emotions go bad for no reason, it’ll be a big problem.’

That, absolutely, must not happen.

Cha Sahyeon would probably stay in the rearmost position with me. Occasionally, we should fill up the energy of Hunters who occasionally scream as if dying.

Since it was just a B-class dungeon and the formidable hunters from the Yesung Guild were taking the lead, the strategy itself should be extremely easy. If Cha Sahyeon and I quietly return without much trouble, it’ll be enough.

‘I hope the rewards are something good.’

Speaking of rewards, the last quest was among the worst of the worst.

After going through all the trouble to snatch the top spot from Kwon Taehyeok, what did I get? Kwon Taehyeok’s interest rising? It was truly mind-boggling and nose-clogging.

How can I understand the perverted psychology of Kwon Taehyeok, whose interest rises after losing the top spot to someone else? Annoyed at the pathetic rewards, I felt a surge of frustration. I secretly hoped for something good, but instead, I got a surprise attack from behind, and who’s going to comfort my wounded heart?

Grumbling internally, I checked the quest window once again.

[Main Quest: Successfully conquer a dungeon of B-class or higher with the antagonist. (Remaining time: 4 days 5 hours 12 minutes)]

Within a week, enter a B-class or higher dungeon with the antagonist ‘Sahyeon’ and succeed in the raid.

Now they don’t even tell us the penalties, in addition to the rewards.

I sighed inwardly and got up, hoping the penalties aren’t too severe, or even better, there are none.

Holding Cha Sahyeon’s hand, we headed towards the reception area in front of the dungeon. The Hunters who had arrived before us were bustling around, and there were more members in the raid team than I had expected.

“Welcome. Would you like to fill out the list?”

An employee approached me at the reception, holding out documents. After filling in the guild name, my name, and Cha Sahyeon’s name, I followed the employee’s guidance.

Passing through the guards that prevented access by civilians, we entered the interior. More Hunters were waiting around the reception area than I had noticed. Between Hunters engaged in conversations, the portal leading to the dungeon entrance sparkled and shone.

Most dungeons had an entrance composed of an elliptical portal. The default color of the portal was usually blue, but as the color shifted from orange to red, the likelihood of a dungeon break increased.

The color of the dungeon entrance portal indicated the monster saturation level.

Of course, not all dungeons were like that, and this time it was a B-class dungeon with a relatively low danger level, so it was visibly apparent. There were many dungeons where the saturation level couldn’t be known, and those dungeons usually had a grade of A or higher.

‘A bit darker than orange? Then maybe it’s not a forced raid schedule.’

As I examined the portal’s color, I casually muttered when I noticed someone familiar nearby, “… Brother Seonghyeon?”

The man with brown hair and combat jacket was Ryu Seonghyeon. Next to Ryu Seonghyeon were three other Hunters, all of whom had familiar faces.

‘It seems like Circle Guild also received a support request.’

Of course. Since the lead and gatherer was the Yesung Guild, it would naturally attract various Hunters. Given that the dungeon difficulty was not too high, it made sense for smaller guilds to participate.

I watched Ryu Seonghyeon and the guild members from a distance. Seeing those familiar faces gave me a feeling as if I had returned to before the regression.

‘I used to be there with them before the regression…’

Due to the small scale and the lack of dungeons owned by our guild, participating in dungeon raids meant joining the raid teams organized by other guilds, as was the case today.

During such processes, we were sometimes mocked by rude Hunters, and some guild officials who knew our situation would send sympathetic glances. But as long as I was with guild members, everything felt okay.

A sense of unease and unknown anxiety surged within me. I felt the desire to run over there immediately and join the conversation.

Squish.

Just as I was lost in thought, staring at the Circle Guild members for a while, Cha Sahyeon’s hand pulled mine downward. When I lowered my head, I met Cha Sahyeon’s gaze. My mind cleared as I met his dark green irises.

Right, now is not the time to get lost in old memories. Why did I flee alone with Cha Sahyeon instead of joining Circle Guild? Because I’ve made a promise to protect everyone this time.

It was the right answer not to be swayed by useless sentimentality but to make an effort to improve reality even a little.

“…Let’s move back a bit.”

To avoid being noticed by Circle Guild members, I took Cha Sahyeon to a more secluded spot.

Even though they wouldn’t recognize me in this life, I didn’t want to face Ryu Seonghyeon and the guild members as if I were a stranger. Especially considering the help I received from Ryu Seonghyeon in the laboratory incident.

“Welcome, Guildmaster!”

“Over here.”

Just as if on cue, today’s protagonist, Kwon Taehyeok, arrived. Kwon Taehyeok, leading the Yesung-affiliated Hunters, pushed through the crowd and headed straight towards the front.

After receiving a report from his secretary that all participating guilds had arrived, Kwon Taehyeok took the lead and calmly spoke, “Thank you for participating in our guild’s raid schedule. We will proceed with the basic formation, so please take your positions. We’ll depart in 5 minutes. Please finish equipment checks in advance.”

After a brief briefing, Kwon Taehyeok, as if searching for someone, looked around. Eventually, his black eyes precisely met mine.

Sensing that Kwon Taehyeok was staring at me, I pretended not to notice and averted my gaze. I didn’t want to unnecessarily complicate things by acknowledging contact with that guy.

‘He sent a cooperation letter just to drag me in.’

I had anticipated it, but the feeling became strange once I realized it was actually happening.

Why did Kwon Taehyeok choose me? He couldn’t have known that I was the ‘Cover’ who took the top spot in the rankings. During the laboratory attack, I did act suspiciously and secretly escaped, but I didn’t know if that alone was enough to warrant a cooperation letter.

“We’re starting the raid!”

In the short moment of contemplation, the portal entrance opened after 5 minutes, and the Hunters who had been waiting began to move. Slowly walking from the back, I pondered.

The raid would last for about three days, and during that time, I would probably meet Kwon Taehyeok at least once. If the opportunity arose, it wouldn’t hurt to find out why Kwon Taehyeok was looking for me.

It would be good if we could become somewhat friendly in the process. While the quest’s main purpose was to become a companion of the main characters, if I could establish a cooperative relationship with Kwon Taehyeok, it would benefit me as well.

[Main Quest: Successfully conquer a dungeon of B-class or higher with the antagonist. (Remaining time: 4 days 4 hours 38 minutes)]