RG 82

Cha Seohu is connected to the research institute, so it’s possible that Kwon Taehyeok might have also sent him a request for cooperation.

‘The Yesung Guild helped us during this competition…’

After a long hesitation, Ryu Seonghyeon finally tucked the documents into his jacket. “I’ll think it over and contact Yesung’s guildmaster separately.”

“Alright.”

It wasn’t clear if Cha Seohu would actually participate in this event, but if there was a chance to meet him again, he wanted to talk. Ryu Seonghyeon couldn’t shake the lingering guilt from their last encounter, where he felt he’d been overly sensitive. For some reason, Cha Seohu had seemed genuinely concerned about his guild and had tried to help. He wanted to meet with Cha Seohu to apologize for last time and to let him know that now, with the competition won, there was no need to worry anymore.

Having made up his mind, Ryu Seonghyeon stood up. “Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

“Alright, take care.”

With a small smile, Song Ji-un bid Ryu Seonghyeon farewell, then slowly set down the teacup he had been holding. In the now-silent office, the faint clink of the cup meeting the table echoed softly.

Song Ji-un stared at the gently rippling tea with a mysterious smile before shifting his gaze out the window.

The sunset had disappeared, and darkness was beginning to envelop the night sky. A pale yellow moon peeked out from behind the clouds.

***

“We’ve received a response from Circle’s vicemaster. He’s confirmed his attendance.”

“I see.”

“I’ll send him the previously arranged time and location.”

“What about the others?”

“There’s been no word from One Guild yet.”

With only two days left until the event on Wednesday, Kwon Taehyeok furrowed his brows slightly but refrained from reaching out to Cha Seohu or taking further action. He truly meant it when he said he respected Cha Seohu’s decisions. No matter how exceptional Cha Seohu’s skills were, it wasn’t right to drag him in and force him to offer support.

 ‘Then again, knowing him, even if we did try to drag him in, he’d probably refuse until the very end.’

Pushing aside unnecessary thoughts, Kwon Taehyeok spoke again, “What about the other inquiry I asked you to look into?”

“Ah, well…” After hesitating with a troubled expression, the secretary finally responded. “It’s confirmed that the man is associated with Zone C-281, but it’s difficult to uncover anything beyond that.”

“Difficult?”

“The security is much tighter than expected. Any further attempts at accessing their data would expose our own identity to them.”

“I recall that we were able to dig deeper into Hunter Cha Seohu’s background.”

“The situation is a bit different with him. Cha Seohu Hunter is a registered Hunter with the state and co-founded a guild with his younger brother. Of course, even that process had its suspicious points…” The secretary cleared his throat briefly before continuing, “But this man appears to be entirely embedded in the Zone. Even finding out his name requires breaking through their security to access the files, and the encryption level is so advanced that it would take a significant amount of time. Moreover, in the process, our activities would almost certainly be exposed.”

“Hmm…”

“It seems they have a skilled hacker on their side.”

With the emergence of monsters and the awakening of certain individuals, the digital world had also undergone significant changes—one of which was the hacker profession.

Servers and encryption created by S-classes were unimaginably intricate and vast, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. Penetrating those servers to retrieve desired information wasn’t an easy task, and in doing so, one’s own data would inevitably be exposed. It was akin to walking into the enemy’s headquarters and offering one’s head on a platter.

It truly suited the reputation of a zone untouchable even by the government. Smoothing his forehead with a hand, Kwon Taehyeok nodded reluctantly. “Since he seems to be acquainted with Hunter Cha Seohu, he’ll likely show up again. Keep an eye on the office vicinity.”

“Understood.”

After dismissing his secretary, Kwon Taehyeok leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. The man he had encountered outside One Guild’s office last week kept crossing his mind.

Kwon Taehyeok had been ascending the stairs when the man was coming down. His flamboyant, bright hair and the numerous piercings crammed into his face were striking enough to crease his brow.

When their eyes met, the man had a momentary look of surprise, followed by a strange smile, and then brushed past him without a word. It was Kwon Taehyeok who kept watching the man as he walked away indifferently.

No matter how he looked at it, the man didn’t suit Cha Seohu at all. How had someone like him gotten tangled up with such a questionable individual? There must have been an unavoidable reason.

 ‘Honestly, being too kind is a problem in itself.’

Even when faced with the blatant suggestion of exploiting his skills, Cha Seohu hadn’t seemed particularly displeased or resistant. Instead, he had merely said he’d consider it. Though Kwon Taehyeok resolved to do his best to ensure Cha Seohu wouldn’t have to use his skills, the situation still weighed on his mind.

***

Over the past few days, I had been focusing on cleaning up the mess I had created. The first task was to prioritize what needed immediate attention and what didn’t.

 ‘Visiting Circle’s guildmaster… I’ll put that off for now.’

There was plenty I wanted to ask and hear from him, who was hiding behind Song Ji-un’s mask, but going in with my head this cluttered wouldn’t accomplish anything.

I needed to remember: the most pressing matter in this life was the seed of calamity planted in Cha Sahyeon. To uncover its nature, I needed information about the research institute.

I couldn’t be greedy. Visiting Circle Guild could wait until later.

Next was to check the rewards I had earned from clearing the competition quest.

《Main Quest: Win the Competitive Battle against the Ronic Guild alongside the Circle Guild—cleared!》

《Main Quest rewards have been granted.》

 《Specialty rank increased!》

 《Stay Exactly Where You Are (Class F) → Stay Exactly Where You Are (Class E)》

《Cash box has arrived! Please check your item shop gift box.》

 “…”

Well, what did I expect? I wasn’t even surprised.

 ‘Still, the cash rewards are consistent. I should take a closer look at the item shop when I have the time.’

Having experienced firsthand how effective the items in the shop could be, I was starting to trust their utility more.

Now the only remaining matter was whether to accept Kwon Taehyeok’s request or turn it down. If I accepted, I would need to attend the event as “Cha Seohu.” If I declined, I’d have to wait until nightfall and attend as “Cover.”

Which option would be better? Even I didn’t know. I was mulling over the decision when I received a call from Hyeon Dowun.

 ― It’s likely a trap.

Hyeon Dowun also knew that someone connected to the research institute would appear at the Gyeongbokgung event. It seemed this was the information he had wanted to share before our last call ended.

Instead, he was surprised that I already knew about it and gave me a more detailed explanation.

— Actually, the Nox Bio logo is fairly easy to identify if you look into that institute. It was found on clothing or items belonging to people involved in the attack incident.

“That’s true.”

While this information hadn’t been publicly disclosed, it was circulating among those in the know. Only a select few, like the Yesung’s guildmaster, who had directly confronted and dismantled the institute, or Hyeon Dowun, whom I had asked to investigate, were fully aware of the details.

— They couldn’t possibly be unaware of this. If they were that careless, they wouldn’t have been able to conduct biological research under the government’s radar in the first place.

“So they’re deliberately spreading those business cards to lure in people who’ve caught on, drawing them to the event?”

— It’s not impossible. But I can’t figure out why they’d make such a plan. If they wanted to deal with people who know the institute’s secrets, there are better places to do it.

Indeed, the venue and circumstances weren’t suitable for discreet operations. Setting a trap at an event attended by numerous high-profile individuals? Not impossible, but certainly not a typical strategy.

As I rubbed my lips thoughtfully, Hyeon Dowun’s voice interrupted my musings.

— What if it’s not aimed at multiple people but at a specific individual?

“…Wait. What do you mean by that?”

— If the target is just one person, wouldn’t it make sense to act as boldly as possible to ensure they notice?

I blinked slowly. A single target?

‘If Hyeon Dowun’s theory is correct…’

Who could be that one person the institute is after? The obvious answer is Cha Sahyeon.

Judging by the drugs created by the institute’s director and the experiments conducted on Cha Sahyeon, they’re aware of the existence of the “Seed of Calamity” and are trying to advance its development.

But Cha Sahyeon is just a child—a helpless kid who can’t do anything on his own. And by his side… is me.

 “…”

Memories of escaping the institute flashed through my mind.

I had used a hidden skill to reach the central lab and rescue Cha Sahyeon, encountering numerous guards and researchers along the way. Ultimately… I faced the institute’s director. She escaped without being captured. But she saw my face when I used my skill and knows I took Cha Sahyeon.

A chill ran down my spine as if my blood had turned to ice. My lips twisted into a strained smile. “Haha….”

— What’s so funny?

When I suddenly began laughing, Hyeon Dowun’s voice sounded puzzled.

“Nothing much. Just thought of something amusing.”

— You’re insane.

“Your theory might not be entirely accurate, but it’s worth investigating.”

No matter what we discussed, it was just one of many possibilities for now. Nothing would be certain until I went to the event and tracked down Kwak Seunggyu.

As for which form to take… my decision was made. With a satisfied smile, I tilted my head slightly.

‘If there are two options, why not choose both?’

This way, I’d ensure a better chance of capturing them.