RG 71

— Following Kim Kihyeok from Ronic, the second player to be sent off is Ronic’s Hunter, Lee Hyeonho. [T/N: Author is kind of messy. In the previous chapter, the guy’s name was Lee Seongho, but just in case it was I who was messy, I left it as Lee Hyeonho here]

— Ah, Cover keeps moving.

— Ignoring the Ronic player right next to him, he’s chasing someone else. It seems like he’s already decided on his target.

— Circle has split into three groups! There’s Hunter Cover chasing a specific player, Hunter Ryu Seonghyeon guarding the center, and the remaining Hunters positioned in front of the Nexus.

— Ronic is quickly reorganizing and closing in on the blue team’s Nexus. As expected from a guild with such skilled Hunters.

Park Huiseok bit his lip as he watched the ground split and the central arena overturn due to Ryu Seonghyeon’s skill.

‘What is everyone doing!?’

Even though they had two S-class players, that was still just two out of twelve. Ronic had seven A-class Hunters. No matter how strong an S-class was, it was impossible to hold back that many Hunters.

Inevitably, gaps would appear, and once those gaps were breached, Circle’s defense would crumble, allowing them to push straight to the Nexus. That’s why Park Huiseok, the only S-class, had been guarding the Nexus, expecting Ryu Seonghyeon to make a reckless attack.

A fellow guild member, sensing that the situation was getting out of hand, asked in a low voice, “Uh, Guildmaster, what should we do?”

Just then, Park Huiseok spotted Ryu Seonghyeon amidst the chaos, and his eyes turned cold. “Hold your position. I’ll take care of it.”

“Understood. Be careful!”

Leaving the tense guild members behind, Park Huiseok stepped forward.

Without carrying any weapon, he boldly advanced, pushing through the debris, while Ryu Seonghyeon emerged from the rubble to meet him at the center of the arena.

As soon as they met, Park Huiseok sneered, as if he’d been waiting for this moment, “You seem desperate to win, Vicemaster of Circle.”

With a calm demeanor and a faint golden glow flickering at his fingertips, Ryu Seonghyeon responded quietly, “Of course, I didn’t come here to lose.”

“Didn’t come here to lose?” Park Huiseok scoffed, incredulous, glancing up and down at Ryu Seonghyeon.

Though Ryu Seonghyeon, being S-class, was tall, Park Huiseok was much taller and had a bulkier frame. His bleached, pale eyes only added to the unsettling aura he exuded when he stared down his opponent with a blank expression.

After glaring coldly at Ryu Seonghyeon for a moment, Park Huiseok asked mockingly, “You really think you can win?”

“…”

The informal tone felt so natural, as if this had been his true way of speaking to Ryu Seonghyeon all along. It was painfully clear how fake his previous politeness had been.

“The area in front of the Blue Team’s Nexus is already on shaky ground.”

“…”

“One breakthrough, and it’s over. Just by holding you here, we’ve already practically won. Do you really think you can defend the Nexus with such weak forces?”

Ryu Seonghyeon didn’t respond to Park Huiseok’s arrogant words. But Park Huiseok noticed it—the way Ryu Seonghyeon’s gaze wavered, barely holding back the urge to rush toward the guild members behind him.

As he realized this, a wave of thrilling exhilaration swept over him, enough to give him chills. The feeling of superiority from having Ryu Seonghyeon, someone of the same class, at his feet.

Joining a weaker guild and being unable to even challenge him—how pathetic. No matter how much Kwon Taehyeok tried or how often Cover intervened, in the end, both Ryu Seonghyeon and the Circle Guild were beneath him.

‘You should have just joined my guild when I first asked.’

How much easier would things be now? Park Huiseok thought Ryu Seonghyeon was truly foolish. 

It was then, as he was openly clicking his tongue in disapproval, that a light, casual voice suddenly cut in from the side.

“I believe in them.”

Startled, Park Huiseok quickly turned his head, only to see Cover leisurely walking through the dust. Beneath his swaying blonde hair, a mask covered his face, and his sword sheath, resting on his shoulder, was splattered with fresh red blood.

“I believe we can defend it, which is why we came up with this strategy. You’ve seen it all, so why ask? Oh, unless you’ve turned into such a beast that you can’t understand anymore?”

“What? You bastard…!”

“Tch. Quiet.”

As Park Huiseok’s face twisted in rage and he exuded killing intent, Cover casually pressed a finger to his mask’s mouth. At that very moment, the caster’s voice echoed throughout the stadium.

— And there it is! The third player has been sent off. Ronic’s Hunter Jang Hyeonil!

— What is happening!? Cover has already taken down three players, and they’re all A-class!

— Ronic can’t afford to get complacent just because they have more A-classes. Circle’s momentum is terrifying right now!

Even Ryu Seonghyeon was taken aback by the commentary. Had Cover really eliminated another player in that short time? What stood out most was how familiar the names of the three eliminated players were.

‘These were the Hunters that attacked Kim Suho…’

The moment that thought crossed his mind, he glanced at Cover’s profile, but with his face hidden behind the mask, there was no way to tell.

‘…It’s just a coincidence.’

Why would Cover go out of his way to do something like that? Shaking off unnecessary thoughts, Ryu Seonghyeon refocused on Park Huiseok.

“You filthy…!”

Park Huiseok’s expression darkened even more upon realizing that Cover had taken out one of his guild members. Half-bowing his head, he glared at Cover with a burning intensity, and his muscles suddenly started to swell.

Grrrraaah!

A deep, feral growl escaped Park Huiseok’s throat, no longer sounding human. His skin, bulging with growing muscles, began to darken, and soon, thick fur covered his entire body. His snout elongated, and his fangs grew thick and sharp. His powerful, muscular arms still retained a humanoid shape, but his hands had grown large, with thick, pointed claws emerging from his fingers.

Standing over 2.5 meters tall, Park Huiseok shook his mighty mane and growled. His now lion-like face gleamed ominously with his pale eyes.

Park Huiseok’s skill allowed him to transform his body into that of a specific animal. In his case, it was the mighty and powerful white lion.

The crowd erupted with cheers. “Park Huiseok! Park Huiseok!”

— The Ronic’s representative has finally used his skill!

— Look at that mane and those massive hands! Absolutely terrifying.

— Park Huiseok Hunter is essentially Ronic’s core damage dealer! It will be exciting to see how Ryu Seonghyeon and Cover manage to stop him.

— The outcome of this battle between these three could very well decide the winner of the match!

As Park Huiseok activated his skill, the audience’s cheers grew even louder, and the commentators excitedly chattered about the unfolding scene.

Ryu Seonghyeon swallowed nervously as he observed Park Huiseok. His pants, likely made from a special item, had stretched to accommodate his expanded size, but his shirt had long since torn apart. Though he stood on two legs like a human, his body was covered in fur, his head had become that of a lion, and his hands were massive and clawed. It was a strange and intimidating sight. While the transformation might have looked unsettling to the average person, Park Huiseok had an unexpectedly large fanbase, particularly among the wealthier elite.

“Wow.”

Cover, having just witnessed Park Huiseok’s flashy transformation up close, let out a nonchalant exclamation. Then, without warning, he grabbed Ryu Seonghyeon’s shoulder. “Sir Vicemaster.”

“Yes?”

“Good luck. You can do this.”

“Huh? What do you mean… Hunter Cover?”

Cover didn’t stop at offering this strange encouragement. He even stepped back entirely. “I do have a sense of how things work. A proper clash between the guild representatives will make for a more exciting show, don’t you think? Seems like the crowd wants that too.”

Roooaaaar!

Before Cover could even finish speaking, Park Huiseok lunged forward with his jaws wide open. The ground cracked and rumbled with each powerful leap. For someone of his massive size, Park Huiseok moved with alarming speed. Ryu Seonghyeon barely dodged the charge, quickly summoning a golden whip.

The whip lashed out and wrapped around Park Huiseok’s arm, but it wasn’t nearly strong enough to hold him down.

“Damn it! Get out of my way!”

Despite his elegant white lion face, Park Huiseok cursed like a human. With a single swipe of his arm, the whip shattered into sparkling dust.

Dodging a flurry of swipes from Park Huiseok’s sharp claws, Cover called out, “You need to attack, Vicemaster.”

“…”

Attack? Ryu Seonghyeon reflexively tried to gather his energy at Cover’s advice, but nothing came.

To be honest, Ryu Seonghyeon had very little experience fighting against other Hunters. While he had participated in dungeon raids and rift missions frequently, fighting monsters was second nature to him. But attacking fellow Hunters—who he regarded as comrades—felt instinctively wrong.

Since his awakening, Ryu Seonghyeon had been overwhelmed by guild offers and various rumors. After joining Circle, he was preoccupied with adjusting to life as a Hunter. Circle, being a small and relatively unknown guild, hadn’t been able to provide him with proper training grounds or opportunities to spar with other Hunters.

‘I understand why Seonghyeon is hesitating.’

For someone like Ryu Seonghyeon, who had barely gotten used to combat through dungeon runs, Hunters were ingrained in his mind as comrades to fight alongside. Guild affiliations didn’t change that.

That’s why he couldn’t easily bring himself to attack Park Huiseok, even though the man was dead set on tormenting him. His inexperience only made things worse.

‘But you’ve got to do it, bro.’

Ryu Seonghyeon might have been an inexperienced Hunter, but that also meant his potential was limitless.

Cover knew this. He had seen firsthand just how strong and brilliantly Ryu Seonghyeon could shine.

Cover, who had intentionally provoked Park Huiseok to ensure that Ryu Seonghyeon would fight, quietly smiled behind his mask.

‘Park Huiseok, you’re going to be our big brother’s sparring partner.’

[Main Quest: Win the Competitive Battle against the Ronic Guild alongside the Circle Guild. (Time Remaining: 3 hours 5 minutes)]