RG 178

A throbbing headache surged with the spike of irritation and stress. Pressing a hand hard against his aching temples, he swallowed his simmering anger. If he could, he really wanted to crack Eun Woojeong and Kwon Taehyeok on the backs of their heads with the sword scabbard at his waist, one hit each. Was this the site of a dungeon break, or a middle school classroom where kids asked their teacher who their first love was? He genuinely couldn’t tell.

‘System, you bastard, are you seriously telling me to make these guys my teammates?’

It was absurd all over again. And yes, “these guys” meant Eun Woojeong and Kwon Taehyeok.

Clenching his teeth, Cover forced down the curses that had risen to his throat and muttered roughly, “Didn’t I say clearly that I’m not like that with Cha Seohu, you fucking idiot…”

He ended up swearing anyway, but at least he refrained from violence, so that was something of a win.

Whether it was worth it, though… well…

Main Character Status Guide

Kwon Taehyeok

Status: Healthy (questioning)

Thoughts: If he’s denying it that hard, is it really not true? But there has to be a reason that guy’s misunderstanding things, right? And he’s even from the Spider’s Web…

Main Character Status Guide

Ryu Seonghyeon

Status: Slightly fatigued (accepting)

Thoughts: They might not be dating, but it’s obvious those two are especially close.

Main Character Status Guide

Eun Woojeong

Status: Healthy (accepting)

Thoughts: Well, since the other party is a twin brother, he can’t exactly admit it outright.

‘These assholes, seriously.’

With everyone’s thoughts looking like that, Cover was the only one about to burst a blood vessel. He could understand showing status, but why on earth did it have to show their thoughts too? He exhaled, took a deep breath, and spoke again.

“Enough. Please focus.”

At his serious voice, their gazes finally gathered on him. Cha Sahyeon also looked confused, but he didn’t press the issue. For some reason, the youngest one was acting the most mature of them all.

“To pick up where we were interrupted by all that nonsense, we encountered another monster in the forest earlier. But its condition was strange.”

Cover recalled what had happened.

The black knight monster that Cha Sahyeon had dealt with. At first glance, Cover had been certain it was a golem-type creature, one that moved using the power of a core. He’d seen similar monsters plenty of times. But this one was similar, and yet subtly different.

“It didn’t have a core?”

Since it had been crushed to death, buried under shadows, Cover had assumed the core hidden inside the armor had shattered in the process. But Cha Sahyeon had shaken his head.

“There was no core.”

“For real?”

“This monster is fundamentally different from a golem.”

Cha Sahyeon moved, picked up a gauntlet from the fallen armor, and brought it over to Cover. The moment he did, the solid steel gauntlet crumbled into dust. The gauntlet, reduced to countless tiny particles like sand, spilled onto the ground and was soon scattered and carried away by the wind.

“It’s made of thousands of tiny particles gathered together to form a shape. It looks like it has a physical body, but that’s not actually the case.” Cha Sahyeon glanced down at the unconscious Eun Woojeong. “The skills that guy used wouldn’t have worked. Since it’s just a mass of tiny particles, any attack would’ve passed straight through.” After shifting his gaze around for a moment, he continued, “I once saw something like this on TV… schools of small fish. Hundreds, thousands of them moving together. At a glance, it looks like one massive living creature, right? Even if you stab it with a spear, it just scatters for a moment. This is the same thing.”

“So you trapped it in shadows and killed it?”

“Yeah. Just in case.”

At that answer, Cover looked up at the enormous monster towering above the trees. Cha Sahyeon spoke again, as if he already knew what Cover was thinking.

“That one was human-sized, so it was easy. That thing’s trickier. If it really comes down to it, I could expand the shadows as much as possible and smother it completely, but… Brother, you don’t want that, right?”

“…Right.”

If he tried to cover something that massive with shadows, it would be visible from far away. That meant more witnesses. And the more skills he used, the more his energy would spread, making it more likely that people would notice Cha Sahyeon’s L-class aura.

“Let’s avoid using your skills as much as possible.”

They needed to look for another method. Still, it was fortunate that the knight monster had given them a clue: there was a strong possibility that the giant monster’s body was also composed of tiny particles.

Hoisting the sleeping Eun Woojeong onto his back, Cover warned Cha Sahyeon carefully.

“Can you make weapons out of shadows, like a mask? Make a longsword similar to this and use only that for now. Avoid using shadow skills whenever possible.”

After that, Cover and Cha Sahyeon left the forest with Eun Woojeong.

Cover relayed Cha Sahyeon’s explanation to the other three word for word, adding that they would need to deal with this enemy differently from the monsters they’d faced so far if they wanted to stay safe.

‘Honestly, I want to tell them to evacuate and say that Cha Sahyeon and I will handle this ourselves, but…’

This quest was all about “the safety of the main characters.” If it had been a monster with plenty of accumulated data, it would’ve been fine. But since it wasn’t, Cover couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

“I don’t know the details either. From here on out, we’ll have to face it together and figure out how to deal with it as we go.”

Even as he spoke in a stiff voice, his mind refused to settle. If the quest failed, only he would take the penalty and that would be the end of it, but if even one of the main characters died, there was no telling how the future would unravel. That had to be prevented at all costs. But at the same time, this wasn’t a situation where he could leave everything to Cha Sahyeon alone. In the end, there was only one conclusion.

He had to take the lead, and if things went wrong, he would be the one cleaning up the mess.

‘Yeah. It’s not like this is the first time.’

Honestly, this was easier on his nerves.

Letting out a sigh, Cover looked over the three standing in front of him.

Their hardened expressions carried complicated emotions, but beneath that was the familiar tension and excitement unique to Hunters about to enter battle. He liked that the mood had finally turned serious.

“We need to move carefully. Prioritize your own lives above everything else.”

The one he was most worried about was Eun Woojeong. Not only had he already lost once to the knight monster, but the skills he possessed were especially ill-suited for this kind of enemy.

Main Character Status Guide

Eun Woojeong

Status Healthy (understanding)

Thoughts: Hmm, so that’s how the mechanism works. I can’t believe a monster like that exists. Fascinating. Then how do the particles move? Instinct? Or some special property, like magnetism? If it weren’t so big, I’d have liked to capture one and study it.

Eun Woojeong, completely unaware of Cover’s earnest concern, was lost in pointless thoughts.

‘You lunatic. Is this really the time to be curious about monster biology? Worry about staying alive.’

Swallowing down the lecture he wanted to give, Cover tightened his grip on his sword hilt. “Let’s go.”

He kicked off the ground and surged forward, with Cha Sahyeon and the S-classes following close behind.

Whooo—! As they closed the distance, violent winds howled, and hard, tiny grains lashed against their skin.

“Ugh…!”

The mask meant he didn’t need to shield his eyes, but there was no avoiding the slowdown. Through the storm of swirling black particles and violently swaying trees, the monster loomed much closer now.

Grrrk!

Constantly shifting its form as it stood rooted in place, the monster looked even more massive than it had from afar. Cover had to crane his neck far back just to see what appeared to be its head. Though, to be honest, he wasn’t even sure that really was its head. It was simply the only place where something resembling eyes could be seen.

“Vicemaster, please lift me up.”

Under normal circumstances, Eun Woojeong would have wrapped his chains around the monster’s body to let them climb it, but that wouldn’t work this time, so Cover turned to Ryu Seonghyeon, who could manifest light. Ryu Seonghyeon, running alongside him, immediately activated his skill. A brilliant flash of light burst forth, and golden footholds appeared in midair.

Stepping on them to gain height, Cover thought to himself.

‘Should I use the item?’

The “Wings of Skywalking” item he had bought before; small, wing-shaped attachments that could be fixed to shoes, allowing free flight for five minutes.

Ryu Seonghyeon’s skill could create stepping points upward, but it wasn’t ideal for sustained combat. Wasn’t this exactly the kind of situation he’d bought that item for? If he tried to save it and someone got hurt, things would only get more complicated. And if anyone questioned it, he could just brush it off as a skill.

While hesitating, Cover kept moving his feet. He planted himself firmly on the final foothold and leapt. At the front, he cut through the air, rising to a position even higher than the monster’s head. Whooosh. Amid the violently swirling winds, he raised his sword.

‘Let’s try attacking first. If it doesn’t work, I’ll use the item no matter what…’

The moment the sharp blade swung toward what should have been the monster’s face—

Clang!

A piercing sound, like shattering glass, rang out from somewhere. At the same time, the monster’s dull green eyes turned toward Cover. Their gazes met, or at least, that was the thought that crossed his mind.

“…!”

His entire body stiffened. His vision twisted violently, and the body that had been suspended in the air began to fall helplessly.

As he dropped, Cover blinked slowly.

Strange. He was falling, but his senses felt dull and muted, as if he were submerged underwater.

“Hunter Cover!”

Someone’s scream-like shout echoed, and then his consciousness cut off abruptly.

***

Warm sunlight brushed against my cheek. I frowned and endured it for a moment before reluctantly opening my eyes. Exhaustion weighed down my limbs, leaving them limp and heavy. Grumbling to myself that I wanted to sleep more, I rubbed my head against the armrest of the sofa—then hastily sat up.

“Gah…!”

The moment I sprang upright, a pure white blanket slipped off the sofa and fell to the floor with a soft thud. It was a familiar blanket.

Startled, I looked around.

A window half-covered by curtains. A desk piled high with documents. The sofa I had been lying on, and the table placed in front of it. Even the faint scent of coffee lingering in the air.

No matter how I looked at it, this was the office of the Circle Guild.

“What… why am I…?”

Pressing hard between my brows, I tried to calmly organize my thoughts, but nothing came to mind. If anything, the headache only grew worse. I sat there for a long while, clutching my forehead, when the door to the office opened and someone strode in.

“Seohu.”

A gentle voice. Lips with their corners slightly upturned. Eyes shining with warmth. Ryu Seonghyeon approached me without hesitation and reached out his hand. His bare hand, ungloved and uncovered, felt strangely unfamiliar.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Brother…”

“Why are you holding your head? Does it hurt?” Ryu Seonghyeon’s large hand came to rest on my forehead. Then he tilted his head slightly. “It’s a little warm. Are you coming down with a cold? I can buy you some medicine. Or should we go to the hospital?”

“…No, it’s fine. I just took a nap.”

Meeting his gaze at such close range made me feel awkward. Big Brother hadn’t changed at all, so why was I the one feeling like this? I averted my eyes, pretending to pull away from his hand.

“I guess you didn’t sleep well. You should feel better once you wake up properly.”

“Then tell me if it still hurts in thirty minutes. I have headache medicine.”

“…Okay.”

When I answered obediently, Ryu Seonghyeon smiled faintly, patted my head a couple of times, and withdrew his hand. “You’re hungry, right? I wanted to come earlier, but the discussion ran long.”

“No, it was a dungeon strategy meeting. It’s safer if you hear everything first.”

The words came out naturally, without me even thinking about it. When I left the office with Ryu Seonghyeon, guild members who had been chatting in the hallway swarmed over.

“Seohu! Listen to me for a second!”

“Hey, that’s not fair! If it’s Big Bro Seohu, he’ll obviously take your side!”

Kim Suho wore a deeply aggrieved expression. Finding it ridiculous, I asked, “I haven’t even heard the story yet. How do you know I’ll take sides?”

“You always side with the older sisters!”

“Well, he does have a bit of a bias toward women.”

“Hey, that’s a harsh thing to say.”

“So you’re saying it’s not true?”

“…It kind of is.”

When I shrugged playfully, Kim Suho shouted, “See?!” and the female guild members nearby burst into laughter.

“What happened?” Ryu Seonghyeon asked from beside me, having watched the whole thing unfold. Kim Suho immediately tattled.

“Well, bro. I bought new shoes this time, and Harin said it was a ‘shoe-breaking ceremony’ and—!”

“The ones you’re wearing now? They already look dirty.”

“Once Harin started stepping on them, everyone else chased after me saying they wanted to try too! I was seriously scared!”

The hallway quickly filled with noise and laughter. As I watched the guild members, teasing one another, chatting, laughing without a care, I suddenly realized something.

I felt incredibly at ease. The headache that had been filling my head was gone before I even noticed. It felt like… after being lost and wandering for a very long time, I had finally found my way back.

Taking a deep breath, I relaxed the tension in my shoulders, which had been stiff to the point of aching.