RG 22

Amidst the thick atmosphere that seemed unlikely to emanate from the boy’s small stature, Ryu Seonghyeon stood frozen in bewilderment.

“Bro!” A guild member who had followed behind grabbed Ryu Seonghyeon’s shoulder with a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

Ryu Seonghyeon, barely regaining his composure, glanced at the guild member and then shifted his gaze back to the child.

However, the child had turned his head away from Ryu Seonghyeon and was leaning on the shoulders of the man who held him. The murderous aura had vanished as if it had never existed.

It felt like a dream. The guild member pulled the dazed Ryu Seonghyeon’s arm.

“Guildmaster of Yesung is calling for you. Seems like there’s something to discuss.”

After a brief internal struggle, Ryu Seonghyeon followed the guild member.

As they walked towards where Kwon Taehyeok was, representatives from each guild, who had arrived earlier than Ryu Seonghyeon, came into view. The representatives, who had gathered there, simultaneously turned to look at Ryu Seonghyeon, who had arrived last. Among them, a Hunter with a particularly irritable expression twisted his lips when his eyes met Ryu Seonghyeon’s.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s start the discussion.” After confirming Ryu Seonghyeon’s presence, Kwon Taehyeok surveyed the faces of the gathered representatives and began speaking, “As you all may have noticed, the number of monsters discovered internally is much higher than the previous records. Therefore, we are planning to devise countermeasures accordingly.”

“Is the cause still unknown?”

“It’s the first time something like this happened, and since we lack a dungeon expert, an accurate analysis is challenging.”

“How troublesome. If monsters keep appearing unpredictably like this, everyone will be exhausted.”

“It’s fortunate that B-class dungeons are relatively short…”

The representatives all wore uneasy expressions at the dungeon’s changes.

Even if the dungeon wasn’t of high rank, the slightest deviation could cost lives. They had to approach it sensitively as responsible figures. Fortunately, the leading party was the top guild in the country, Yesung Guild, so the reaction was relatively mild. If it had been a guild of a similar position, the protest might have been stronger.

Though aware that it wasn’t the fault of the organizers, they were preemptively deciding on a scapegoat in case the problem escalated.

“With me and the Vicemaster of Circle, there should be no issue with the clear itself.” Kwon Taehyeok noticed the sentiments of the representatives but calmly responded as if he didn’t notice.

Regardless, the situation had become more dangerous than the strategy had anticipated. He was prepared to shoulder the responsibility, so he saw no need to dwell on the discomfort.

Now, the focus should be on gathering opinions to clear the dungeon safely.

“While maintaining the overall positions, the Vicemaster of Circle and I will take the lead. If we handle as many as possible upfront, it will reduce the burden on other Hunters. Hunter Ryu Seonghyeon, do you agree?”

When Kwon Taehyeok asked Ryu Seonghyeon, he nodded in agreement. “I’m fine with it. But I hope you can extend the rest time. The other DPS Hunters fighting at the front will find it tough with the current breaks.”

“Of course…”

“Extend the rest time?” A sharp voice interjected abruptly into the conversation between Kwon Taehyeok and Ryu Seonghyeon. It was the Hunter who had mocked Ryu Seonghyeon earlier. He sneered while taunting his opponent. “Our pace is already too slow because the number of monsters has increased. What are we supposed to do with the extended rest time?”

“… We can’t forcibly maintain the pace when the DPS are struggling,” Kwon Taehyeok calmly responded.

“Well, our guild members don’t seem to struggle much. Hunter Ryu Seonghyeon, aren’t your guild members the only ones finding it tough?”

Ryu Seonghyeon, who had been handling provocations with as little emotion as possible, narrowed his eyes at this comment without daring to refute it. 

“Even if it’s only a B-class dungeon, how could you bring low-ranked members to a joint raid?”

“…”

“If you want to bring low-ranked guild members, go to your guild-owned dungeon.”

The other party was clearly aware that the Circle Guild didn’t own a dungeon due to its small scale; Ryu Seonghyeon remained silent in the face of deliberate provocation.

Other Hunters, uncomfortable with the situation, didn’t openly take Ryu Seonghyeon’s side. They, too, wished to reduce the clear time instead of increasing the rest time, as they weren’t as burdened as the Circle Guild.

Amidst the tense atmosphere and Ryu Seonghyeon’s silent endurance, Kwon Taehyeok was about to intervene with a sigh, attempting to mediate the situation.

“How about it, everyone? Instead of extending the rest time, why not tighten the schedule even more…”

Thunk!

“Ugh!”

The Hunter, who realized the atmosphere had shifted towards him, cheerfully shouted before suddenly slumping forward with a thud.

“Ah, excuse me, I suppose?”

Startled by the sight of the fallen Hunter, the representatives involuntarily looked up at the cheerful voice that followed. The contrast of the sleek, jet-black hair with the exceptionally pale skin was striking. The face owner was so beautiful that it momentarily brightened the dreary dungeon, and a gentle smile adorned it.

The entrance of the man surprised not only Kwon Taehyeok but also Ryu Seonghyeon. Especially for Ryu Seonghyeon, who had been unable to greet the person properly earlier, encountering him in this manner was indeed surprising.

“I’ve been asking you to move aside for a while now, but you kept ignoring me. I had no choice but to give a little forceful push.”

With his naturally spoken words, the attention of the other representatives shifted from the man to the fallen Hunter.

‘A little forceful…?’

‘He practically kicked that guy away.’

The Hunter who had tumbled in front of everyone blushed with embarrassment at the man’s nonchalant explanation and suddenly stood up, shouting, “What the hell, who are you?! What the f*ck’s up with…”

“Guildmaster of Ronic.” Kwon Taehyeok frowned at the explicit swearing, and tried to intervene, but the man responded faster.

“Me? I’m a guild representative.”

“What?”

“I said, a guild representative. Isn’t this a meeting where guild representatives gather? I don’t understand why I was left out.” The man smiled slyly and looked at Kwon Taehyeok. Acknowledging the man as a legitimate guild master, Kwon Taehyeok inwardly clicked his tongue.

“You’re a guild representative?”

Facing the suspicious gaze of the Guildmaster of Ronic, the man introduced himself, “Yes. I’m Cha Seohu, the representative of One Guild. I’m a B-class, and my position is a support.”

“A B-class?”

“To kick someone away like that as a support…”

Other representatives started murmuring upon hearing Cha Seohu’s words. The Guildmaster of Ronic also seemed to grasp the situation, his face turning even redder.

“Anyway, I find the discussion we were having quite interesting.”

While ignoring him, Cha Seohu addressed Kwon Taehyeok and Ryu Seonghyeon, “I agree with speeding up the clear. It’s burdensome to spend more than three days in such a dreary dungeon.”

“…Hunter Cha Seohu. I appreciate your opinion, but we can’t decide the pace based on that reason alone. Some Hunters may struggle to keep up with the speed…”

“If I can replenish the energy of those struggling Hunters?” Interrupting Kwon Taehyeok’s words, Cha Seohu flashed a refreshing smile. “Vicemaster, you mentioned that guild members are finding it tough. Wouldn’t it be easier if you have a support?”

“That’s…”

The Circle Guild was struggling without a supporter, but accepting a helping hand from a stranger posed its own set of challenges. While Ryu Seonghyeon hesitated, Cha Seohu made a decision on his own. “I’ll assist the members of the Circle Guild. Since other guilds claim not to have anyone in difficulty, this should solve the problem.”

“Handling four members alone as a B-class support might be difficult.”

“Even if it’s tough, it has to be done. It’s not like I’ll be the only one suffering.”

In response to the indifferent reply, Kwon Taehyeok turned a troubled gaze toward Ryu Seonghyeon. “Hunter Ryu Seonghyeon, do you agree?”

“…Alright.”

“That settles it. Well then, please take care of me during this raid, Vicemaster.”

Amidst the subtle atmosphere, Cha Seohu confidently smiled and extended his hand for a handshake with Ryu Seonghyeon. Reluctantly, Ryu Seonghyeon took the offered hand, glancing down at it with a somewhat awkward expression.

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

Although he had wanted to greet with a welcoming heart, he had never expected things to develop in this way.

‘Is he trying to repay the favor from last time by forcibly helping me…?’

The thought was more burdensome than welcoming.

However, since the decision had already been made, refusing now would be rather comical. The truth was that only the Circle Guild struggled to keep up with the pace.

‘If only our guild had a bit more strength… No, even if we had an officially assigned support…’

It was a recurring thought that crossed Ryu Seonghyeon’s mind whenever faced with a similar situation. He bit his lip, suppressing any bitter emotions that threatened to surface.

[Main Quest: Successfully conquer a dungeon of B-class or higher with the antagonist. (Remaining time: 4 days 1 hour 12 minutes)]