RG 111

As soon as I jumped out of the building, I noticed light spilling out from a first-floor window. There was no time to waste, especially with Cha Sahyeon waiting in the hospital room, but for some reason, my feet wouldn’t move. I pressed my back against the building’s outer wall and listened carefully to avoid being seen. Multiple voices came clearly through the window—guild members still inside, chatting and laughing together.

Come to think of it, even before my regression, they used to gather like this and chat late into the night. Since I lived at the guild, I didn’t have a home to return to. Once the others found out, they would often stay behind and hang out with me on purpose.

Looking back now, it feels foolish.

It’s not like I was a minor or anything—what could possibly happen to a fully grown adult spending the night in an empty guild building? Still, some of them would always stay behind to keep me company.

‘That’s not going to happen anymore.’

There was no one like me left in the Circle Guild. Now, people weren’t staying late out of concern or sympathy—they stayed because they were genuinely having fun.

After listening to the chatter for a while, I finally pulled away and started walking. As I headed toward the road to catch a taxi, a thought crossed my mind.

‘It’d be best not to see anyone from the Circle Guild for a while.’

Thanks to that fake and his pointless “trial version” stunt, my head was a mess. Seeing anyone from the Circle Guild in this state would only make things worse. Ryu Seonghyeon in particular made me uncomfortable. I’d avoid him as much as I could until I had my emotions sorted out.

***

When I arrived at the hospital by taxi, I immediately sensed a familiar presence near the entrance. Just as the fake had said, Kwon Taehyeok was waiting for me.

‘Out of the frying pan, into the fire.’

Clicking my tongue, I changed direction. Getting any closer to the hospital would make it impossible to sneak in unnoticed—Kwon Taehyeok would sense my presence. So I casually walked toward where his presence was strongest, and there he was—Kwon Taehyeok, wearing a jet-black coat, standing still.

“Why do you keep following me around?”

We weren’t exactly on friendly terms, so I got straight to the point. Since Kwon Taehyeok had clearly already sensed me, he skipped any greeting and replied dryly, “Isn’t that something the one always running away shouldn’t be saying?”

“Oh? So we’re just doing casual speech now? I can play that game too.”

“Did you just come back from meeting Hunter Cha Seohu?”

Petty. I just shrugged in response. I figured he’d assume as much. That’s why I’d deliberately approached from the hospital direction in the first place. Even if I didn’t say anything outright, he would conveniently misunderstand on his own.

Reading what he took as a confirmation from my behavior, Kwon Taehyeok scowled in dissatisfaction. “So after leaving him behind in Gwanghwamun, now you care?”

“Oh come on. You were there too, Guildmaster. What’s the big deal?” I chuckled as I spoke, but Kwon Taehyeok looked at me like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, then clenched his teeth and muttered under his breath.

“You left a Support in a dangerous place, and you think you did nothing wrong?”

“Excuse me? No, I mean, it wasn’t exactly dangerous—”

“You left behind a physically weak Hunter Cha Seohu—who followed you there, trusting you—and now you’re laughing?”

“…”

‘What the hell is this guy even talking about?’

I figured he’d misunderstand, but I never expected this kind of misunderstanding. Caught off guard, I missed the moment to refute him. 

Kwon Taehyeok, misreading my silence, shot me a look full of disapproval. “That’s enough. I was the fool for expecting anything.”

“Ah, yeah…”

“I waited for you today for a different reason.”

What now.

“This month is your last chance.”

“Last chance?”

Kwon Taehyeok clicked his tongue and looked at me like I’d forgotten again, then explained, “I’m talking about the ranking match.”

“…!”

Right, the maximum period you could maintain your rank was four months, wasn’t it?

Kwon Taehyeok and I had our ranking match on October 31st of last year, and now it was mid-February. If no one challenged me again before March came around in two weeks, I’d automatically be removed from the rankings.

‘Shit. I completely forgot.’

Ranking Match, of all things. I hadn’t cared much about it in the first place since I was basically forced into participating by a quest. I hadn’t even spared it a second thought—so hearing about it now completely threw me off.

“Just so you know, starting tomorrow, I’ll be officially submitting a ranking challenge to you. I’ll spread the word to the media too.”

“Wait, that’s—”

“I’m reserving a proper arena for it, as well.”

“…”

So he’s basically declaring that he’s going to beat the crap out of me in front of a crowd. Seeing Kwon Taehyeok’s eyes gleam with the intensity of someone ready to devour me whole, I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

‘How the hell am I supposed to beat that guy?’

I didn’t care about the rankings themselves. But if I wanted to keep my deal going with Eun Woojeong, I had to hold onto that number one spot.

‘So I have to fight and beat Kwon Taehyeok within two weeks?’

No matter how carefully I planned it, this was going to be rough. It wasn’t about strategy—it was a pure difference in skill.

Nothing was going my way. I swallowed a sigh and nodded. “Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“If you don’t want to lose your rank without even getting a fight in, you’d better contact me in time.”

With that final warning, he turned and left without hesitation. I guess delivering the ranking match notice really was his only purpose.

I didn’t move until his presence had completely faded into the distance. Only then did I finally turn around.

Now I could finally return to the hospital room.

Back in the restroom, I switched back to Cha Seohu and changed clothes. With no other option, I stopped by a convenience store and picked up a quick lunch box and some porridge. It was instant food, but better than letting the kid go hungry.

When I arrived at the hospital room, I saw the guards standing in the exact same positions as before I left. Just like Kwon Taehyeok had promised, they didn’t interfere. Even though I was returning late, they simply gave me a brief nod of acknowledgment. Thanks to that, I was able to enter the room without any trouble. I took a deep breath and carefully opened the door.

“Hey, kid…?”

As the door opened, I saw Cha Sahyeon sitting on the bed. As soon as we made eye contact, the kid jumped off the bed and came running straight at me.

“Whoa!” With arms wide open, he threw himself at me without the slightest hesitation. I shut the door behind me and caught him in a hug, still slightly dazed as I asked, “Hey, weren’t you mad?”

I had expected him to be angry since I was way later than planned.

His face was filled more with sorrow than anger. He didn’t look mad like before. I’d mentally prepared for a tantrum, but instead, he welcomed me with open arms—and that caught me completely off guard.

Cha Sahyeon, who had his arms tightly wrapped around my waist, looked up at me when I asked the question. Then he said in a firm voice,  “It’s okay.”

“Huh?”

“I know everything.” There was a faint glint of anger in the kid’s eyes as he spoke with a slight frown. “Outside, I kept sensing a strong energy. Constantly.”

Strong energy? Could he mean Kwon Taehyeok?

“That’s why you couldn’t come, right?”

“…Huh?”

“I waited for hours for you to come. You were late because you were avoiding that guy, right?”

“Uh, well…”

“It’s not your fault. I understand. So it’s okay.”

Cha Sahyeon, who clearly and carefully said he understood, nuzzled his cheek against my clothes again and hugged me tight. As I reflexively patted his back, I quickly started thinking.

So… he thinks I couldn’t get here quickly because the road was blocked by Kwon Taehyeok?

I mentally weighed Cha Sahyeon’s trust against Kwon Taehyeok, then made my decision.

‘Sorry, Kwon Taehyeok.’

I need to survive first. You’re already on Cha Sahyeon’s bad side, so one or two more black marks won’t change anything.

‘This is all for the safety of the world. You’re the sacrifice.’

I gave a silent round of applause to Kwon Taehyeok, unknowingly sacrificed, and handed the convenience store bag over to the kid. “You’re right. You’re so smart, little guy. Still, I felt bad for breaking my promise, so I brought food. Let’s eat together.”

“Okay!”

“Look here—there’s your favorite candy too~”

When in trouble, changing the subject was the best move. As I handed Cha Sahyeon his favorite snack—a lollipop—his pouting face quickly disappeared, replaced by a wide, cheerful grin. Thank god.

***

The next day, just as planned, I was discharged and returned to the office with Cha Sahyeon. 

Once I changed into something comfortable and sprawled out on the couch with the kid, I finally felt like I was back to normal life. It might not have been completely safe, but after spending the last few months here like it was home, it was only natural to feel the tension melt away. The kid seemed to feel the same, curling up next to me looking far more at ease than he ever had in the hospital, playing a game as he nestled against me.

I picked up my phone and started checking the news.

[Yesung Guild Representative Hunter Kwon Taehyeok Taunts Cover! Can He Reclaim First Place?]

[A New Showdown for Rank 1? Ranking Match Coming Soon]

[Kwon Taehyeok vs. Cover: ‘I’m Number One’—Whose Pride Will Prevail in the Ranking Match?]

Seeing the headlines splashed all over the portal site’s main page, I let out a dry laugh. “This guy’s unbelievable, seriously.”

Just like he had boldly tossed the gauntlet at me last night, Kwon Taehyeok wasted no time spreading the news the moment the sun rose. He was the kind of guy who always followed through on his word—at least when it came to things like this.

‘I get that he’s using the media since he doesn’t know my identity or affiliation, but still…’

There’s no reason Kwon Taehyeok would go easy on Cover. He has no problems. The problem is me. I’m the one without any decent attack skills, who lucked his way into the top rank. If I had known it’d turn out like this, I should’ve just failed the ranking match quest. Winning it for no reason only bruised Kwon Taehyeok’s pride. Sure, that win let me start dealing with the Spider’s Web, but still.

‘In the end, if I lose my top rank, the support from Spider’s Web will disappear too.’

Well, one thing’s for sure—I need to meet with Eun Woojeong and talk things over again. I’ve done plenty of things as Cover by now, so maybe losing the top spot won’t be a total dealbreaker.

“…I don’t know.”

After weighing all the possibilities, I gave up and put my phone down. Whatever happens, I wasn’t planning on doing anything as Cover for at least a week. My top rank or the deal with Eun Woojeong wasn’t as important as Cha Sahyeon.

The moment I made my decision—

Ding!

“…?”

With that familiar notification sound, a status window appeared in front of me.

“What the hell…”

My forehead scrunched up in frustration as I read what was on the screen.

《Main Quest has arrived!》

《Main Quest: Befriend the antagonist ‘Seed of Calamity’(2/10)》

[Main Quest: Befriend the antagonist ‘Seed of Calamity’(2/10)]

Slow down the progress of the seed by befriending the antagonist.

Objective: Go to an amusement park with the villain (Remaining time: 1 day 23 hours 59 minutes)

• Attention! Failure to complete the quest within the time limit will result in failure.

Quest Failure: Increases progress of the Seed of Calamity.

This damn system was throwing another tantrum with its quests again.