RG 92

‘Damn it…’

Kwon Taehyeok and Ryu Seonghyeon didn’t know I had any connection to Cover. For someone like me, who keeps my identity hidden while operating, it would cause nothing but trouble if the link between me and Cover were exposed. That’s why I wanted to keep it under wraps as much as possible.

‘I had a bad feeling ever since that guy started jumping to conclusions.’

Avoiding the piercing stares of Kwon Taehyeok and Ryu Seonghyeon, who looked like they were trying to drill holes into me, I forced a smile. “Well, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Not sure?”

“I’m not close to that person, nor do I know where they are.” This was the best answer I could give at the moment.

Because Eun Woojeong had confidently spouted nonsense, Kwon Taehyeok and Ryu Seonghyeon were now looking at me with suspicion. But this wasn’t something I could clear up right away.

Eun Woojeong, who had been staring at me with a hint of boredom as I suppressed my frustration and spoke as calmly as I could, finally opened his mouth, “How shameless, Guildmaster.”

“…”

“I know full well how much Cover cares about you. Do you think I’d come all the way here without solid evidence?”

“I’ve told you, we’re not involved with each other.”

“Oh, or could it be?” Ignoring my denial, Eun Woojeong suddenly stepped closer to me. The abrupt decrease in distance made me instinctively step back. “Do you think you’re safe for now? Guildmaster, if things get more dangerous for you… Cover won’t be able to stay away.”

“…!”

A chilling aura began emanating from Eun Woojeong.

At the same time I realized it was killing intent, energy surged from Kwon Taehyeok, who was gripping my wrist, and Cha Sahyeon, who was holding me protectively.

‘This lunatic!’

In a situation like this, he dared direct killing intent at me? I swallowed my curses and quickly pushed down the head of the child I had been about to glance back at.

“Ugh…!”

A white chain zipped past, grazing my cheek. A grotesque tearing sound rang out from behind me.

Screeeeech!

A vampire bat that had somehow sneaked behind me fell to the ground, pierced by the chain.

“Just kidding,” Eun Woojeong said lightly, with a faint chuckle, as he looked up. The killing intent he had released had stirred the vampire bats into another frenzy. As the bats dove down one by one, Eun Woojeong continued calmly, cutting them down with his chains, “If even Guildmaster of One doesn’t know, I guess I’ll just have to wait until Cover shows up.”

With a casual wave of his hand, more chains materialized around Eun Woojeong. He took care of every vampire bat targeting me, the weakest among the group, before speaking to Kwon Taehyeok. “The police and military are gathered in front of Gwanghwamun. The guild reinforcements haven’t arrived yet. If you’re planning to escape, you’d better head there quickly.”

“…Let’s go, Hunter Cha Seohu,” Kwon Taehyeok said, glaring at Eun Woojeong with unease. He pulled me by the wrist, leading me forward.

Leaving Eun Woojeong behind, we resumed our run, which had been interrupted by the appearance of the vampire bats. As we crossed Yeongjegyo Bridge, the bats attacked us wildly, but thanks to Eun Woojeong’s skills, as well as Kwon Taehyeok’s sword and Ryu Seonghyeon’s light magic, we managed to fend them off.

After cutting across the unexpectedly vast interior of Gyeongbokgung Palace, we finally reached Gwanghwamun, where, as Eun Woojeong had said, Hunters from the police and military were assembled.

“Guildmaster of Yesung?”

“There have been more victims!”

“Are you okay?”

Hunters rushed toward us as we exited Gwanghwamun. After exchanging a few words with the police, Kwon Taehyeok released my wrist. “You should leave here immediately. Who knows what else might emerge from the rift.”

“Wait a second.” I stopped Kwon Taehyeok, who was about to return to Gyeongbokgung with Ryu Seonghyeon, and pulled out a phone from my pocket. “I’ll give this back to you.”

“Ah.”

Kwon Taehyeok blinked for a moment before extending his hand. Instead of handing the phone to him, I grabbed his outstretched hand directly.

Kwon Taehyeok flinched as a surge of buffs coursed through him, startled by my sudden grip on his hand.

《Skill: Guardian’s Bond (Class S) activated!》

《Primary Skill damage increases. (Target: Kwon Taehyeok) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》

《Base Speed increases. (Target: Kwon Taehyeok) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》

《Stability effect applied. (Target: Kwon Taehyeok) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》

Clearly not expecting to receive a buff at such a moment, Kwon Taehyeok blinked in surprise, a faint redness appearing around his eyes.

“You’re about to go through a lot, so you might as well take the buff,” I said casually.

“A-ah… um, thank you.”

“Should I give the Circle’s vicemaster one too?” I asked, turning to Ryu Seonghyeon. Truthfully, I’d been wanting to offer it to him for a while.

Ryu Seonghyeon, who had been silently watching us, reacted with the same startled expression as Kwon Taehyeok. Why did these two keep looking so shocked every time I said something?

After hesitating and glancing between me and Kwon Taehyeok, Ryu Seonghyeon finally smiled sheepishly. “Well, if Hunter Cha Seohu doesn’t mind…”

“Of course I don’t,” I replied promptly, pleased by his rare willingness to accept. Grinning, I took his hand.

《Skill: Guardian’s Bond (Class S) activated!》

《Primary Skill damage increases. (Target: Ryu Seonghyeon) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》

《Base Speed increases. (Target: Ryu Seonghyeon) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》

《Stability effect applied. (Target: Ryu Seonghyeon) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》

‘The duration is always the frustrating part.’

While the exact stats weren’t shown, the S-class buff effects were undoubtedly strong. But the problem was the duration—just under five minutes. Buffs, by nature, offer dual benefits: boosting stats and replenishing stamina. Of these, the short duration was the most problematic.

Only five minutes? Considering how unstable the rift was, the fight could drag on much longer.

‘I need more than just holding hands.’

Increasing physical contact would double the duration, but this wasn’t the time or place for that. Plus, convincing these two to go along with it was another issue entirely.

Well, it couldn’t be helped. The fact that Ryu Seonghyeon, who often seemed uneasy around me, had accepted the buff was already progress. We still had a long way to go before things returned to how they were before the regression, but it was a start.

“Then we’ll head back. Please evacuate to a safe location.”

“Hunter Cha Seohu, make sure you don’t linger nearby. Get as far away as you can.”

The two left me with a final reminder before disappearing inside, followed by the Hunters who had come as reinforcements.

Guided by a Hunter from the healer team, Cha Sahyeon and I climbed into a military truck. Sitting on the bench in the cargo hold, I finally felt a bit of relief. I turned my attention to Cha Sahyeon, who had been quietly nestled in my arms the entire time.

“Hey, kid, are you okay?”

“Uh-huh,” came his reply, his voice unusually sweet and playful. I lifted the coat slightly, which had been shielding his face, and he responded with a cheerfulness that was hard to place.

“Good job holding it together. Let’s go home now.”

Patting his back, I glanced outside the truck. The gaping rift in the pitch-black sky remained as menacing as ever.

The rift’s reddish-black hue and unnaturally wide opening caught my eye. It didn’t seem like it would stop at just a swarm of vampire bats.

‘Where is Kwak Seunggyu?’

As the thought crossed my mind, I opened my status window, only to be interrupted by the sound of a notification.

Ding!

《Warning! The distance to Kwak Seunggyu is increasing!》

[Main Quest: Locate the lab associate hiding somewhere in the event hall]

Capture lab associate Kwak Seunggyu and uncover the lab’s secrets.

• Current location of Kwak Seunggyu: Beside Sujeongjeon Hall.

• Warning! If the distance from Kwak Seunggyu exceeds a certain limit, the quest will automatically fail.

Kwak Seunggyu was still inside Gwanghwamun.

‘Why hasn’t he left yet?’

With Kwon Taehyeok and Ryu Seonghyeon leading reinforcements into the area, I had assumed he’d already fled. And yet, he was still there. Not to mention, Eun Woojeong was also inside…

SCREEEEECH!

“Ugh…!”

The piercing noise shattered my train of thought.

A sharp pain stabbed into my ears as if needles were driving deep into my eardrums, making me wince. Around me, others in the cargo hold screamed, clutching their heads. It was the sound of a new wave beginning.

“What… what the hell is that?” one of the Hunters sitting across from me stammered, his face pale. Following his gaze, I looked up in time to see writhing shadows spilling out of the rift’s entrance.

Like a swarm of insects surging from a narrow hole, a new breed of monsters was pouring out of the opening. These creatures couldn’t fly like the vampire bats, but they leaped down from the heights without injury, landing with precision and bursting into a breakneck sprint in every direction.

Several of them landed just outside Gwanghwamun. A group of four or five snarled, baring jagged teeth, before locking onto our military truck. They began chasing after us with terrifying speed.

“Step on it! Faster!” the Hunter nearest to the driver’s cabin yelled in panic, his voice trembling under the oppressive energy radiating from the pursuing monsters.

CRASH! A deafening collision jolted the truck violently to one side.

Chaos erupted in the cargo hold as passengers were thrown together, their cries blending with the screech of tearing metal.

“Agh!”

“No, no!”

SMASH!

Reacting on instinct, I curled my body around Cha Sahyeon, holding him tightly as we were tossed by the impact. My vision blurred, and the world darkened before I could process what was happening.

[Main Quest: Locate the lab associate hiding somewhere in the event hall (Time remaining: 7 hours 48 minutes]