RG 37

The purchased items were automatically placed in the cart at the top of the item shop. To make them appear in reality, I needed to press the “Retrieve” button.

‘Let’s check the most urgent skill first.’

I pressed the retrieve button to get the “Skill Capsule: Divine Power” item. A small light flashed before my eyes, revealing a tiny pill. I quickly grabbed it before Cha Sahyeon noticed.

[Skill Capsule: Divine Power] 

A special pill containing divine power. Swallowing this pill grants the Divine Power skill. 

(Expires in 3 days 23 hours 59 minutes)

I had to consume this expensive item within the time limit? I let out a wry laugh and swallowed the pill.

The pill was so smooth and small that I hardly felt it going down my throat. As soon as I swallowed it, a new status window appeared.

Ding!

《You have consumed the skill capsule!》

《The skill capsule effect has been successfully applied. You can now use the Divine Power (Class C) skill.》

[Divine Power]

A special skill that grants the powers of blessing and purification.

The power of blessing heals wounds, and the power of purification deals damage to demon-type monsters and cleanses contaminated areas.

User Information: Cha Seohu (Supporting Character)

Age: 26 (28)

Primary Skill: Guardian’s Bond (Class S), Divine Power (Class C)

Hidden Skill: Silver Protection (Class S)

Attack Power: Class F

Attack Speed: Class F

Movement Speed: Class F

Agility: Class F

Specialty

ㄴ Drenched Cat (Class F)

ㄴ Stay Exactly Where You Are (Class F)

ㄴ Empty on the Side? (Class F)

‘What? This is much more useful than I thought.’

While it wasn’t an offensive skill, it was still quite valuable. Demon-type monsters were particularly tough to deal with, and this skill would be especially effective against them. It would certainly be helpful in future encounters.

‘The skill description is clear enough. Now I need to test if it works properly.’

Thankfully—or perhaps unfortunately—my body was in bad shape, so there were plenty of places to test the skill. I placed my opposite hand over a wrist wound that I couldn’t even remember getting and activated the skill. A small, warm white light emanated from my palm, and a comforting sensation spread over the injury.

And then…

Ding!

《The Divine Power skill cannot be activated.》

Huh?

《The power of blessing does not apply to the user.》

“…What?”

Wait a minute, what kind of nonsense is this? The description didn’t mention anything like that!

In a hurry, I pulled up the skill description window again. At the bottom, a line had been added that wasn’t there before.

*The power of blessing can only be used on others.

“…”

Damn it.

Muttering curses under my breath, I clenched my fists tightly, trembling with frustration. Despite trying to calm down, the feeling of being blindsided made my anger boil over.

“Ha…” I closed my eyes, feeling the heat of rage rising to my head. Cha Sahyeon, who was engrossed in his game, looked puzzled by my sigh, but I couldn’t pay him any attention right now.

Honestly, isn’t this a scam? Such crucial information should have been prominently displayed on the sales page.

‘My 50 million…’

It was precious cash I had earned through hard work, and I ended up buying this worthless item with it.

The system had completely played me. The frustration was followed by a wave of emptiness. I felt so foolish that I lost all motivation.

Sure, it’s only Class C now, and it might change if it levels up, but that would mean investing even more into this skill.

I was already annoyed that I spent 50 million on a skill that only heals others, and now I’d have to invest more into it? I had bought other cash items too, but I had no desire to check them now. I was terrified that I’d find another worthless item.

‘…I’ll look at them later.’

I needed to let this emotional wound heal a bit before I could muster the will to check the other items.

Ah, my precious 50 million. Swallowing my tears of frustration, I vowed never to blindly buy a skill again.

***

A week after Cha Sahyeon vented his anger in the office, an unexpected guest arrived. Under the warm midday sunlight streaming through the windows, I sat across from the guest on the sofa, awkwardly clearing my throat. Thankfully, I had tidied up the office beforehand.

“I didn’t expect you to come here in person,” I said.

At my words, Kwon Taehyeok glanced at me and then at Cha Sahyeon, who was sitting close beside me, before responding, “Well, you refused the formal invitation and ignored the calls from the secretary team… so I had no choice but to come here myself.”

“Hmm…”

As Kwon Taehyeok mentioned, I had received an invitation from the Yesung Guild five days ago.

Receiving an invitation with the Yesung Guild logo emblazoned on it had been quite stressful. Considering that Kwon Taehyeok was listed as a ‘main character’ by the system, it made sense to get closer to him. However, I wasn’t thrilled about this method.

Kwon Taehyeok’s interest in me stemmed entirely from the support I provided in the dungeon. He was probably curious. My skills were far beyond what one would expect from a B-class, and my past as a test subject in a laboratory only added to the intrigue.

Walking into the Yesung Guild naively after receiving a formal invitation could lead to being coerced into signing some strange contract. Alternatively, I could be forcibly taken to the management bureau for a rank reassessment.

‘I don’t think that upright man would resort to such harsh measures…’

But since I had a lot to hide, it was better to be cautious. After considering my options, I smiled innocently and asked, “So, what brings you here?”

“I have a proposal for you.”

“Let me be clear upfront: I have no intention of disbanding the guild right now.”

As I drew a line in the sand, Kwon Taehyeok merely lifted the corner of his mouth slightly. Was he smirking?

“Do as you please with your guild. My proposal is for cooperation.”

He pulled up something on the tablet PC beside him and handed it to me. On the screen, a location and relevant details were displayed.

“High-Risk Rift Area… 88% probability of occurrence?”

After reading the title in bold letters, I checked the location. As I suspected, the map pointed to Ui-dong in Gangbuk-gu.

“This is the exact location where a rift will open in seven days. As you know, unlike dungeons, rifts can appear anywhere, which means we need to handle them with extra care. If even one monster gets loose, civilians could be at risk.”

“Of course.”

“To handle this rift smoothly, I would like your assistance, Hunter Cha Seohu.”

I read through the information thoroughly as Kwon Taehyeok calmly continued his explanation.

This was a place I knew well. It was famous as a filming location for dramas, but more importantly, because of an incident that had happened there.

‘Aside from the rift we detected, another one appeared nearby.’

Rifts appear randomly around the world. It has only been a few years since we started detecting them. The technology was still quite unstable and had many shortcomings. The worst manifestation of these flaws was the “Gangbuk Rift Incident.”

‘It’s around this time of year,’ I thought.

According to the data Kwon Taehyeok brought, a rift would appear in Ui-dong, Gangbuk, in seven days. It had happened in my previous life too.

Reflecting carefully on the past incident, I tapped my finger on the tablet screen, contemplating my next move.

‘What should I do?’

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t directly related to me. Before my regression, I had no involvement with this incident. To be more precise, the guild I belonged to was too weak to access such information. We didn’t even have the opportunity.

I only learned about the incident after it had already happened. The news reported daily about the date of the incident, the number of casualties, and the scale of the damage in meticulous detail, making it impossible to ignore.

“…”

The more I considered the potential benefits of accepting the proposal, the more my thoughts cooled.

If someone like Kwon Taehyeok had regressed, he would undoubtedly accept the proposal. Even without any reward, he would rush to save people. But I wasn’t in the same mindset or situation. I turned my gaze to Cha Sahyeon, who was sitting right next to me, his shoulder pressed against mine.

He gets anxious when we’re apart, so I would definitely have to bring him along. I wasn’t sure I could handle looking after him amidst the chaos.

Is it really necessary to get involved and take on the risk? No matter how I look at it, it’s a losing proposition for me.

‘If I try to offer advice, I’ll only end up arousing unnecessary suspicion.’

Given how perceptive Kwon Taehyeok was, that was a real possibility. He was already suspicious of me, and drawing more attention to myself would do no good.

I decided to refuse. Just as I made up my mind, a voice echoed in my head.

[If only our guild had been a bit stronger, we could have obtained this information… I just can’t stop thinking that.]

The voice resonated with a profound sense of disappointment. I pressed my lips together tightly, recalling a fragment of my past.

‘Ah…’

Why did that memory have to resurface now? My resolve wavered significantly.