RG 64
by LubaiThe representative’s office beyond the door was brightly lit, in stark contrast to the dark hallway where the lights were off. A desk piled with documents, two worn leather sofas in front of it, bookshelves filled with books, and warm air faintly tinged with the smell of ink—the guildmaster of Circle’s office, which I entered for the first time in a long while, looked almost exactly as I remembered it. Including the person standing inside.
The guildmaster had his back turned to me, staring out the window. Creak, clunk. As I stepped into the office, Ryu Seonghyeon, who had carefully closed the door, said, “I’ve brought him as you requested, Guildmaster.”
I was the one who found this report strange. His excessively formal and polished speech felt oddly unfamiliar. Of course, Ryu Seonghyeon had always been respectful to the guildmaster, but now… how should I put it? It felt more like he was dealing with a difficult superior.
A soft voice came from the guildmaster, who was still facing away, “Alright.”
I slowly shifted my gaze forward. At the same time, the guildmaster turned toward me, revealing his face.
“…!”
Light wheat-colored hair that fell over his forehead, long eyelashes framing pale green eyes that looked like budding leaves. His slightly upturned lips and the way his hair was tied to one side—it was all exactly the same as before my regression.
But an undeniable sense of discomfort washed over me like a wave.
No matter how many times I blinked in disbelief, nothing changed. The only thing that became clearer was that the Song Ji-un in front of me was not the Song Ji-un I knew. Just as I opened my mouth, concealed by my mask, frozen in shock—
Ding!
A sharp notification sound, much louder than usual, rang out, as if to warn me, and a status window appeared.
《Warning! Dangerous Individual Detected!》
《Identifying individual…》
《Error!》
《Identifying individual…》
《Error!》
《Identifying ind…》
《Error!》
A crackling sound accompanied by small sparks appeared on the status window, which began to crack all over. And then—
《Identifying indvidu—□》
《Individ—□□—□□□》
《□□—□□—□》
《Error!》
《Error!》
《Error!》
《Error!》
《Error!》
《Error!》
Countless status windows filled my vision. The terrifying scene, unlike anything I’d ever seen before, sent a chill down my spine.
“Gasp…”
As I gasped for breath and staggered, Ryu Seonghyeon, who was standing next to me, grabbed my shoulder in apparent concern. “Hunter Cover?”
Even as I tried to regain my composure at the sound of my name, my heart continued to race uncontrollably.
“Ah, well…”
I had no idea how to handle this situation. I quickly pulled my hat down lower to hide my face from Ryu Seonghyeon, who was standing close to me. Just then, Song Ji-un’s voice echoed again.
“It seems our guest is feeling uncomfortable.” Song Ji-un smiled, showing no sign of finding my sudden change in condition strange. “Perhaps you’ll feel better after sitting down and having some tea. Leave it to me, Seonghyeon, you can go now.”
“…Understood.”
Ryu Seonghyeon, who had hesitated as he looked at me with concern, eventually complied and withdrew. As the door closed and Ryu Seonghyeon left the office, I was left alone with Song Ji-un—or rather, whoever this person was.
A heavy silence fell over the room. As soon as Ryu Seonghyeon was gone and I was left alone with this unknown person, my racing heart began to calm.
Unconsciously, I had tensed up, instinctively perceiving this person as an enemy and preparing to protect Ryu Seonghyeon. Now that there was no one to protect, I could observe the man more calmly.
“…”
No matter how many times I looked, he appeared exactly the same as the Song Ji-un I had seen before my regression. But that was only on the surface. With my S-class status, it was easy to tell that this Song Ji-un was a different entity from the one before the regression.
‘Then why doesn’t Seonghyeon…realize this?’
Someone was impersonating Song Ji-un, wearing his skin like a mask. But why didn’t Ryu Seonghyeon, who was also S-class, notice this?
“You’re glaring so hard it feels like your gaze could pierce my skin.” The man, unfazed by my intense stare, casually poured boiling water into a teacup and gestured toward me. “You seem to have a lot of questions.”
“…”
“Wouldn’t it be better to resolve this peacefully through conversation?”
The man placed the teacup on the table and then sat on the sofa, indicating the seat opposite him. All of his actions were incredibly natural and relaxed. It was immediately clear where this ease came from—this man was far stronger than me, and he was well aware of it.
I took a slow, deep breath before moving forward. As I approached and sat on the sofa, the man watched me in silence. Though we were seated across from each other with just the table between us, I had no intention of drinking the tea. The man spoke first, noticing my tension, “Why don’t you try it? For a cheap tea, it’s actually quite good.” He spoke freely, no longer bothering to hide his true nature. From beginning to end, this was a tone that the real Song Ji-un would never have used.
I was so astonished that I couldn’t help but feel irritation rising within me. Suppressing the whirlwind of emotions, I asked, “Who are you?”
“Guildmaster of Circle,” he responded immediately, as if reciting something memorized, and continued speaking before I could even react, “Song Ji-un. Age 42. A Support with A-class emotion control skills. It’s been three years since he founded the Circle Guild.”
“…”
“Why? Is this not what you’re curious about?”
Clatter. A pale hand lifted the teacup in front of it. I bit my lip as I watched Song Ji-un leisurely sip his tea.
The information the man recited matched Song Ji-un’s personal details exactly. And… if not for the inexplicable sense of unease, the aura emanating from him felt precisely like that of an A-class Awakened. Had he deceived Ryu Seonghyeon this way? Not just Ryu Seonghyeon, but the other members of the Circle Guild as well?
‘Why on earth?’
I couldn’t understand his motive. What could he possibly gain from a small guild like this? The more I thought about it, the more it felt like I was sinking deeper into a labyrinth, and I grimaced in frustration.
If… if this man had harmed the real Song Ji-un? If he had quietly dealt with him and taken his place, then I…
“Cha Seohu.”
“…!”
My endless thoughts were abruptly cut off. I gasped and quickly lifted my head, only to find the man, who had already set down his teacup, staring directly at me.
“You’re finally looking at me properly.”
“How did you…?” I asked reflexively, and the man responded with a deep smile. Crossing his long legs, he placed his clasped hands on his knee.
“Your identity is obvious.”
“…”
“The ‘Song Ji-un’ you know isn’t here. And to be clear, I haven’t harmed him, nor is his life in danger. He just didn’t become the guildmaster.”
Song Ji-un… didn’t become the guildmaster? Could it be that the future changed again with the regression?
‘No, wait. The Circle Guild already existed before.’
At the time of my regression, the Circle Guild had been around for five years. As the man just mentioned, it would be three years old now, since I regressed two years into the past. Could the regression have caused a change in the guildmaster? If so… who exactly is this being in front of me, who looks identical to Song Ji-un?
“You look very confused.” The man continued, his lips curling in a slightly disappointed expression, “Unfortunately, I didn’t expect us to meet like this either. I had planned to meet you after I was more prepared.”
“…”
“You must’ve come here in such a hurry because of the competitive battle, right? There wasn’t a competitive battle in your previous life, was there? That would explain your reaction. You don’t want to see the Circle lose, after all.”
Previous life.
The casual way he mentioned it made my fingertips tremble involuntarily. This man even knew that I had regressed.
“I can answer what you’re curious about. But there will be a price.”
“…A price?”
“Win the competition. Since that’s what you came here for, it won’t be a loss for you.”
“A deal, then? If I win the competition… you’ll answer all my questions? Including where ‘Song Ji-un’ is?”
“Yes.”
As I narrowed my eyes at him, he chuckled. “What’s the point of doubting? You’d want to win the competition anyway, even without me. Isn’t it better for you to gain something extra?”
“What do you gain from this deal?”
“I’ll tell you that too—if you win.”
Nothing seemed to be working. The man spoke again as I stifled a sigh, “I’ll only give you permission to join. After that, I’ll step back. You’ll have to figure out how to prove your identity to the Management Bureau and adjust the battle time to night on your own. But I doubt you’d act recklessly without any preparation.”
“…”
“Oh, if you need, I can lend you Ryu Seonghyeon, so you can—”
“Don’t you dare say his name.”
It was infuriating enough that this unknown figure was playing at being the guildmaster and staying close to Ryu Seonghyeon; I couldn’t bear to hear him say his name so casually.
I stood from my seat. Frustrating as it was… there was nothing more I could do here. I would have to win the competition as the man suggested if I wanted to find a new path forward.
“I accept the deal.”
As soon as I spoke, looking down at the man, the shattered status window appeared again.
Crackle, fizz!
Unlike usual, the status window was fractured and broken in several places, barely holding its shape as it delivered a new quest.
《Main Quest: Win the Competitive Battle against the Ronic Guild alongside the Circle Guild. (Time Remaining: 10 days, 11 hours, 59 minutes)》