Main Quest: Meet the scattered protagonists and become their comrade. (Progress: 0%)
You must meet the protagonists scattered throughout the world and become their comrade.
(Condition for comradeship: Gain the protagonist’s trust)
Protagonists
Key figures who will stop the Catastrophe and protect the world.freewebnovel.com
If even one protagonist dies, the Catastrophe cannot be stopped—protect them at all costs.
Warning: If even one protagonist dies, the quest will be marked as failed.
Quest Failure: The World Ends
“Ha...”
I let out a hollow sigh at the status window that now filled my vision.
First, it was pushing me to meet the villain—and now this? Protagonists? That guy from Yesung Guild in front of me is one of them?
‘And did it say protagonists? As in, plural?’
I mean, it was good news that I wouldn’t have to stop the Catastrophe on my own... but this was way too sudden.
It wasn’t like I could just become someone’s comrade because a quest told me to. Thankfully, unlike with the villain, there was no time limit this time...
“What are you thinking about?”
Kwon Taehyuk stared at me with suspicion while I stood there, silently reading a system window only I could see. He grabbed my arm.
“You're acting awfully suspicious. Come with me.”
“No, wait... Ugh...”
I tried to offer an excuse, but pain shot up from where he was gripping me, and I winced.
He didn’t even seem to be exerting any real force, but my ordinary, fragile body couldn’t withstand even that much pressure.
‘Shit, I really got the worst possible draw here.’
If I let Kwon Taehyuk drag me off now and get interrogated, not only would I risk losing the inventory bag hidden under my clothes, but more importantly—I’d likely be separated from the kid.
I was gritting my teeth, trying to suppress the pain and shake off his grip, when—
“Excuse me, Guildmaster Kwon.”
“...!”
A calm, soft voice suddenly slid between me and Kwon Taehyuk.
Even without looking at him, I instantly knew who it was from the sound alone. My chest tightened, and I slowly lifted my head.
“This person is not affiliated with the lab. He’s a victim.”
Curly brown hair, drooping eyes beneath them, and a kind expression that contrasted sharply with his tactical black gear.
‘Hyung...’
I couldn’t bring myself to say the word aloud, but I mouthed it silently, staring at his face.
The last time I saw him, he was pale and bleeding, collapsed in my arms. Now, in this regression, he looked just as healthy as the first time we’d ever met.
As I struggled to hold down the wave of emotion rising in my throat, a new status window appeared before me.
User Info: Ryu Sunghyun (Protagonist)
Age: 31
Main Skill: Embodiment of Light (S-rank)
Title: The Radiant Sun
Attack Power: S-rank
Attack Speed: S-rank
Movement Speed: S-rank
Agility: S-rank
Special Notes ▼
└ Protagonist destined to stop the Catastrophe
Everything listed there was already familiar to me—except for one word sitting next to his name.
‘Sunghyun-hyung... is a protagonist too?’
Ryu Sunghyun was the vice guildmaster of the Circle Guild, the guild I joined in my previous life.
During the lab raid, the Circle Guild had cooperated with the operation. Sunghyun had come as their representative and invited me to join the guild when we first met.
Back then, my life had been total garbage. I didn’t trust people at all.
So I initially turned down his offer—but he kept coming back. He persisted until I finally caved and, for the first time in my life, joined a guild.
He had been the one to help ease my distrust toward others, the one who taught me how to live alongside people. The two years I spent in the Circle Guild had been the most precious time of my life.
‘I was planning to protect him no matter what, even without a quest like this.’
Still, it felt surreal to see that he and Kwon Taehyuk were both fated to stop the Catastrophe. Could I really trust what the system was saying?
While I stood frozen, trapped in thought, the two men continued their conversation over me.
“Do you have any proof that he’s a victim?”
“Yes. Please look at this.”
Sunghyun handed over a document.
“One of my guild members just found this in the lab. It’s a list of victims used in experiments. His name is on it, along with a photo for verification.”
What? That kind of document existed?
They kidnapped people on a whim and still bothered to keep organized records? The lab guys really were nuts.
Kwon Taehyuk glanced between the document and my face, then finally let go of my arm. Damn, that hurt.
“...Confirmed. I misjudged.”
He handed the paper back to Ryu Sunghyun and continued, his tone still cold.
“However, since the document was produced by the lab, it cannot be fully trusted. To prevent further issues, Mr. Cha Seohu, please go see the support staff for a brief medical checkup and treatment.”
He said my full name—just like it was printed in the document—and then turned away.
Finally free, I rubbed my still-stinging wrist and nodded to Ryu Sunghyun.
“Thank you for helping me.”
“It’s nothing.”
Sunghyun gave a small smile and glanced at my wrist.
“Good timing that the file came in when it did. Come on, I’ll take you to the support staff. You’ll need treatment anyway.”
“Ah, uh...”
I was seriously grateful for the help, a hundred times over, but I really didn’t want to go see the support staff.
I was worried my inventory bag would get exposed—and if I got separated from the kid, I’d have to go looking for her all over again.
What if the system threw me another time-limited quest like before? I went through hell to find that villain once; no way in hell was I doing it again.
‘And that document Sunghyun mentioned... If it contains the kid’s info as well, things could get complicated.’
No matter how I looked at it, the only answer was to get the hell out of here as fast as possible.
So for now, I obediently followed behind Sunghyun. As we walked past the combat vehicles, we reached a cluster of tents where support-type Hunters were gathered.
“Well, I’ve got other matters to attend to, so I’ll head back. Hope the treatment goes well.”
Sunghyun turned and headed back toward the lab.
“Are you here for treatment?”
Once I confirmed Sunghyun was far enough that he couldn’t hear anymore, I turned to the Hunter who approached me.
“Yes, but this child here really needs to use the bathroom. Is there one nearby?”
I used the child as an excuse again. Shameless, yeah, but it was the most effective card I had.
“Ah, there’s a portable toilet set up over there. You can use that.”
“Thanks.”
I gave a grateful smile, and the Hunter’s cheeks turned visibly red.
Following where they pointed, I saw a single-person outdoor toilet tucked away in a corner.
Perfect location.
I walked over with the kid, opened and closed the door once to make it look like we went inside, and then slipped away to the side.
If it had been daytime, someone might’ve seen me, but with the darkness of night surrounding us, sneaking off was easy.
I scooped the child into my arms and ran for a long while.
“Huff... huff... ah, I’m dying, huff...”
If I’d activated my hidden skill, this might’ve been manageable—but with an F-rank body, running while carrying a kid was brutal.
By the time the lab was far behind us, I finally set her down and collapsed to the ground.
The child, who’d been calmly cradled in my arms the whole time, sat on the dirt and quietly watched me gasp for breath.
Saving one little girl was this hard. Screw the villain or whatever—I felt like giving up on everything.
“Haah...”
While the child stood silently, face blank as ever, I raised my head and looked up at the night sky. The stars flickered here and there, and the moon was half-hidden behind clouds.
We’d barely escaped the lab, but the real challenge was only just beginning. I had to survive with a kid who was basically a walking time bomb.
‘First, I need to sell the items in my inventory and get some money. Then create a fake identity.’
As I calmly sorted through the list of things I needed to do, the quest came back to mind.
‘If I need to become comrades with the protagonists, that means I’ll have to see Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) again.’
I’d just run away from the lab, only to end up tracking them down myself. And Kwon Taehyuk, of all people—our first meeting already sucked. I had no clue how I was supposed to earn his trust and become his comrade.
“What a life...”
I repeated the same complaint I’d already muttered a dozen times and let out a deep sigh. With everything I had to do, the exhaustion was already hitting me hard.

Comments

Loading...