RG 31

With a light tap, I landed precisely on the rooftop of the building across, after leaping over the railing.

‘Much faster than I thought?’

As I raised my head, I caught sight of the figure fleeing across the night sky.

The force I sensed was at best B-class. Considering I was currently utilizing hidden skills, I should have easily caught up and surpassed them. Maintaining this distance implied that my opponent likely possessed skills related to speed.

‘Well, that explains why he came scouting up to the building.’

I drew my longsword from my inventory and propelled myself off the rooftop once more. Whooshing through the air, I leaped high, moving to another building. Regardless of whether my opponent had superior speed or not he wouldn’t be able to escape if I pursued relentlessly. As I accelerated, he ran even harder, trying to keep pace.

Beneath the bright moonlight, the pursuit continued across the rooftops of the commercial buildings. While it was no challenge for me, the fleeing figure sounded exhausted, their rough breaths audible. Even if he had speed surpassing mine through their skills, he was still at a B-class. The significant gap in strength and stamina between B and S classes made it inevitable that the longer the battle, the more disadvantaged he became.

As their stamina visibly waned, I closed in on them, reaching out to grab them just as he was within arm’s reach.

“…Hah, eugh!”

A chilling shiver ran down my spine from somewhere, causing me to hastily retract my hand and instinctively raise my sword to shield my face.

Clang!

Something sharp collided with the blade. Despite blocking it, the tingling sensation in my hand indicated the considerable force behind the blow.

Shrrrrk!

Accompanied by the sound of metal clashing, something gleaming silver moved like a snake. It was only when it halted on a rooftop that I realized it was a chain shining in the moonlight.

“What on earth is this…?”

The chain materialized from thin air, moving as if with a will of its own, and at its end dangled sharp hooks.

At that moment, a stranger’s voice sounded from behind: “You’ve arrived earlier than expected.”

“…!”

Distracted by the chain, I belatedly flinched, quickly turning to the direction of the voice.

A man sat on the rooftop railing. His silver hair shimmered in the moonlight, tousled beneath a black mask covering his entire face.

Despite sitting, his physique seemed quite impressive, and the aura he emitted was unmistakably that of an S-class Hunter. Furthermore, the spider emblem engraved on his mask…

‘The note left at the entrance and the mask worn by the one I chased both bore that spider emblem.’

However, the man who fled wore a white mask with a black spider, while the S-class before me had a black mask with a white spider.

An S-class. A relaxed demeanor implying he knew I would come. A different mask from the others. Quickly grasping the situation, I forced a smile and inquired, “Did you lure me here on purpose?”

“That’s right. You’re not entirely foolish.” The man descended from the railing, tilting his head as he looked at me. “Truth be told, I didn’t expect to lure you in so perfectly. Seems your bond with the ‘One’ Guild runs quite deep.”

He already knew that it was my guild office. No, perhaps he already had a comprehensive understanding of me and Cha Sahyeon as well.

But there’s no way he could know that I’m Cha Seohu. The difference in skill grade and physique, coupled with some changes in my face, should make it impossible for him to figure it out.

‘Is he possibly related to the research lab?’

A chill ran down my spine. Thankfully, I wore a mask. Careful not to let any emotions seep into my voice, I calmly inquired, “Why were you monitoring my place?”

“Well, naturally, to find you.”

“Why me?”

“Hmm… where to begin. First of all, congratulations on claiming the top spot in the rankings.” Why is he suddenly mentioning the top ranking? I questioned inwardly. The man narrowed his eyes and asked, as if there was nothing amiss with his words, “Your first appearance was during the ranking match with the guildmaster of Yesung, right? The sudden appearance of the S-class Hunter ‘Cover.’ That’s you, correct?”

“And?”

“So, that’s why we’re looking for you.” The man continued, his fingers brushing against the edge of his black mask. “When you rose to the top rank wearing the mask, our situation became a bit complicated.”

“Our situation?”

“Yes, ours. The organization I work for. Would it help if I said we’re an information group with a touch of illegality?”

An information group? Could these suspicious characters really be involved in something like that?

‘Wait a moment. Come to think of it, I remember hearing about a secret organization related to spiders.’

As I looked at the spider engraved on the man’s mask, something clicked. It was a faint memory from my time in the Circle Guild before regression. An underground information organization operating primarily in China. Its name… was it something like Spider’s Web?

They operated discreetly without revealing themselves easily, so I hadn’t expected them to come looking for me.

“Is it because I wore the mask and rose to the top rank that there’s a misunderstanding about my affiliation?”

“That’s correct. You’re quite clever, aren’t you?”

“Even so, isn’t it unusual for the leader to come personally instead of just a regular member?”

The man showed a genuine surprise at my follow-up question. “You noticed?”

“With a mask like that, how could I not? Even a passing kindergarten student could tell.”

“Haha, it’s a bit childish, isn’t it? I didn’t want the position either, but I couldn’t refuse it.”

I mentally rolled my eyes at his nonchalant laughter behind the black mask. His excuse had to sound convincing enough for me to buy into it.

“I haven’t worn the mask since that day. Is there really a need to come looking for me?” I deliberately scoffed to break his poker face, but he responded in the same composed tone.

“I’m curious. About someone who suddenly appears and easily snatches the top rank. So, could you spare a moment?”

“Well, sorry, but I’m a bit busy right now.”

“I won’t keep you long.” The man brushed off my refusal and raised one hand.

Suddenly, a white shimmer appeared behind him, and from there, gleaming chains of silver shot out.

Shrrrrk!

Chains, like snakes, emerged from each of the three shimmering lights, aiming straight at me. I quickly drew my sword from its sheath and leaped from my spot.

Clang! The sharp sound echoed as the hook at the end of the chain collided with the spot where I had just been standing.

‘This is bad.’

I should have never followed them. I intended to resolve this before Cha Sahyeon came out of the bathroom, but things had gotten complicated.

‘Surely my brief departure wouldn’t cause the seed progress to increase like it did in the dungeon, right?’ I clicked my tongue in annoyance. ‘I need to detach them as quickly as possible and return.’

While twisting my body to evade the second chain chasing me, I focused my gaze on the man. Then, the stats of a new character appeared before my eyes.

User Information: ? (Main Character)

Age: ?

Primary Skill: Chain Summoning and Manipulation (Class S)

Title: The Spider King

Attack Power: Class S

Attack Speed: Class S

Movement Speed: Class S

Agility: Class S

Special Note▼

ㄴ The main character who will prevent the calamity

‘What? That guy is also named ‘main character’?’

While I was momentarily stunned by the somewhat shocking information, a sharp pain radiated from my left shoulder as a white light flashed.

“Ugh…!”

“You’ll get seriously hurt if you keep being so careless.”

My shoulder was properly sliced by the hook at the end of the chain. Feeling the dampness seeping into my clothes, I swiftly slashed at the third chain, which was aiming for my forehead.

“Thanks for your concern, really appreciate it.”

The chain cut by my sword vanished into shimmering light. So, if I attack the chains with a weapon, they disappear? Even though the skill is about summoning and controlling chains?

‘Furthermore, his name is hidden. Why? Other people’s information was displayed even when their names were unknown. Is it because he’s the main character? Or because his face isn’t visible?’

This status window always seemed to act arbitrarily, making it difficult to comprehend. Seeing that annoying question mark again only made me feel more irritated.

“Shall we try a bit more seriously?”

As the man spoke in a soft voice, a strong force erupted. Dozens of white shimmering lights appeared in the air simultaneously and more chains were revealed.

Shrrrrk, shrrrrk!

The numerous chains extended in all directions, embedding hooks into nearby objects and walls, firmly constraining me.

Swallowing dryly, I glanced around. The white chains surrounding me completely resembled… spiderwebs. Like traps set by a spider aiming for prey.

To that man, I was nothing more than prey ensnared in a spider’s web.