The tallest and largest building in District C-281. Its top floor was a space accessible only to those with permission.
There, five men had gathered.
Why did they have to drag me into this too...
Hyun Dowoon, one of the five, sighed heavily in his mind.
The room was wide, but the only light came from a small lamp on the nightstand. As he stood uncomfortably at a distance, he lifted his gaze.
Beyond the wall-length window was the night skyline, laid out like a panorama. A black silhouette stood before it and turned its head slightly.
“Hyun Dowoon.”
A low voice cut through the air with a chilling edge. From the depths of darkness, where even a face could not be made out, the shadow spoke again.
“What’s the situation?”
“I confirmed he returned to the shopping complex after discharge. But he’s still not answering calls. As for why...”
Hyun Dowoon trailed off and glanced sideways. There, lounging on the sofa and restlessly shaking one leg, sat Kwon Seoyul.
“What? What now?”
Kwon Seoyul bared his teeth like a hissing cat, catching Dowoon’s glance.
“This is bullshit. Did I say anything wrong? He’s the one who hid his skill and acted on his own. He kicked me out and ghosted me... Ugh, it’s so fucking annoying.”
He grumbled, full of wounded pride. Hyun Dowoon frowned, exasperated.
As if you just talked and left it at that.
Dowoon knew exactly how Kwon Seoyul acted when it came to Cha Seohu. He had a temper like no one else.
Seoyul had been summoned here the moment he returned to the district. He reported what had happened between him and Cha Seohu to the “father” and the other brothers gathered here.
Even without Seoyul’s report, everyone already suspected the Hunter who used the wide-area healing skill in the front gate of the Royal Palace was Cha Seohu.
What was unexpected was Seohu’s reaction.
He said... there were people who understood him like we do?
Hyun Dowoon pondered the meaning of that statement. Could it be the ones who helped obscure Seohu’s identity when he used the skill?
Kwon Taehyuk, the Yesung Guildmaster. Ryu Sunghyun, the Circle Vice-Guildmaster. And...
Someone assumed to be from Spiderweb. If his guess was right, perhaps even Spiderweb’s leader.
It could’ve been one of them—or all three. But how had Seohu grown so close to them in just a few months since leaving the district?
“Father! Please send me again. This time I’ll talk to him properly and convince—”
“Enough.”
The man called “Father” cut Seoyul off.
“Mook Jeongho. Kang Haeil. One of you will go.”
A new order. After a brief silence, the man sitting opposite Seoyul gently clinked down a teacup.
“Hm.”
His hand moved gracefully, almost too elegantly. Golden hair draped over his neck swayed lightly as he moved. Underneath long lashes, blue eyes gleamed with mischief.
“What’ll it be?”
Kang Haeil turned toward Mook Jeongho. He was asking who would go.
The man hidden in the shadows, like Father, gave a silent nod—he would go.
As expected, Kang Haeil simply shrugged.
Then Father’s voice rang out again.
“Observe.”
They all thought the order would be to drag Seohu back by force. Instead, it was surveillance.
Kang Haeil raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Will that be enough?”
“Don’t touch him. Just watch.”
This order was drastically different from before. Kang Haeil touched his lips thoughtfully and looked back at Mook Jeongho.
“If it’s just surveillance, wouldn’t I be better for the job?”
Mook Jeongho was over two meters tall—his sheer presence was overwhelming. He was S-rank, sure, so he could suppress his aura and move unnoticed. But the problem was that the target was Cha Seohu. They knew each other too well. Seohu would notice in less than a day.
Well... not that I’m confident either.
Kang Haeil smirked.
That was probably why Kwon Seoyul hadn’t even bothered hiding and had just clung to Seohu. Since the goal was surveillance, staying close was the easier route.
Either way, Mook Jeongho was ill-suited for the task. Throwing him into a civilian crowd would draw too much attention. And his temperament was too aggressive.
Kang Haeil was a better fit in every way.
Once the role was decided, the district’s master spoke again.
“Everyone except Kang Haeil is to remain at their assigned locations.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
All the brothers bowed deeply in unison.
This is insane.
Hyun Dowoon bit his lip in frustration. Just before exiting the room, he glanced back. Kang Haeil was still seated, spinning his tea through the air with a flick of his finger.
His appearance was dazzling, but his behavior was pure lunatic. Mook Jeongho not going was a relief, but Kang Haeil was far from easy to deal with.
The moment he left the room, Hyun Dowoon called Cha Seohu. Still no answer.
I don’t like this...
Cha Seohu had never caused a mess like this before.
And a new skill, one he’d never mentioned? Even if he hid his face, he had to know the brothers would eventually notice from the footage. Why do something so reckless?
And then he’d suddenly shown up with a strange kid. Come to think of it, that was when things started to change.
This can’t go on.
He couldn’t stand it anymore. He needed to meet Seohu and have a real conversation. There were too many things that didn’t make sense—too many things he didn’t understand.
Sure, they were told not to move from their assigned spots... But if he went quickly, it wouldn’t be noticed. Even if it was, he’d never disobeyed a command before. They’d let it slide.
He took the elevator down to the underground levels and headed straight for his workshop. He couldn’t carry his whole setup, so he needed his laptop—and a few other items.
Moving fast, he grabbed a leather bracelet—an inventory item—to avoid drawing attention from others in the district. It was small and discreet.
He started packing tools and gear into it.
Just then—
BANG!
The door burst open with an ear-shattering crash. Startled, Hyun Dowoon turned.
Kwon Seoyul stood in the doorway.
“I’m coming too!”
“...What?”
He stared in disbelief, mouth agape. Seoyul barged in and shouted proudly.
“I said I’m coming. You’re sneaking off to meet Seohu, right?”
“Wh—No, why the hell are you even—”
“Oh, please. Everyone knows you get all twitchy when it’s about Seohu. Just take me with you.”
His crimson eyes gleamed oddly. Seeing the obsession in them, Hyun Dowoon broke into a cold sweat and tried to deflect.
“...What the hell are you talking about? We’re not supposed to move. You heard Father.”
“Cut the crap. Just grab your stuff and let’s go.”
Of course that wouldn’t work. Seoyul scoffed right in his face.
“Why don’t you shut your mouth for once? If you caused all this, you should be grounded in the district. Think Seohu’s gonna welcome you with open arms?”
The jab hit a nerve. Seoyul smirked coldly, lips twitching.
“Back off. I’m already pissed off enough. And besides—if you wanna get out without a hitch, you’ll need me.”
“...Tch.”
He wasn’t wrong. If Hyun Dowoon, who almost never left his lab, wandered around alone, people would get suspicious.
But if he left with Seoyul, everyone would assume he was on official business.
And Seoyul needed Dowoon too—for bypassing the surveillance system and dodging CCTV.
There was no other way. Grinding his teeth, Dowoon gave in.
“Fuck it. Do what you want.”
“Yay~”
With an obviously smug expression, Seoyul gestured to hurry. It annoyed the hell out of Dowoon, but the decision had already been made.
He packed the rest of his things, headache pounding. He had to check if Seohu was still alive and get back fast. If Seoyul latched onto him again—well, he’d just throw the brat at Seohu and run.
Planning to dump the annoying little brother onto his friend, Hyun Dowoon rose to his feet.
“Let’s go.”
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the space where Cha Sahyeon had vanished.
I gripped the hand he had held for just a moment, then let go. My rusted mind creaked as it tried to keep thinking.
He said his energy was too strong. Even normal people could feel it.
And it made sense. According to the system, Cha Sahyeon was L-rank.
If the usual ranking was S, then SS, then L—That meant he was two full levels above S-rank.
The world’s highest official grade was still S-rank, but even among S-ranks, there were massive differences. L-rank was something beyond that.
Even ordinary people feared the presence of S-ranks. So someone like Sahyeon must feel terrifying just by existing.
The energy itself is the problem—but how does he plan to deal with that?
He said he’d be back soon. And he wasn’t the type to make empty promises.
At that thought, I gave a bitter laugh.
Right. Like I actually know him that well.
In truth, I didn’t know much about Cha Sahyeon. That he liked candy more than any other snack. That he followed me everywhere. That even if he sulked, a pat on the head or a hug would make him feel better...
It all seemed pointless now. What use was knowing he liked sweets and had separation anxiety?
Besides, his Seed progression had skyrocketed. He must’ve changed just as much.
His body, too, was no longer something I could call “childlike.”
[Did I do well?]
“...”
The look in his eyes when he asked for praise weighed on my chest. When I checked my body earlier, it [N O V E L I G H T] was cleaner than I expected. All the wounds had been treated.
Some clumsiness, sure. But I could tell how much care he’d put into it.
Which only made me more anxious.
If he’d still been that emotionless killer from before the regression, it wouldn’t be this confusing.
Sigh...
I dragged a hand through my hair and let out a deep breath.
Too much had happened in a single day. I didn’t even know where to begin unraveling it all. And in the middle of it, he just vanished.
He said he’d be back. I’d wait.
But until then—I had no idea what to do.
Creak. Skritch.
As I tried to organize my thoughts, the black bird he’d left behind nudged up against me.
His shadow.
The bird rubbed its round head against my arm, its eyes an exact replica of his.
I couldn’t bring myself to push it away.

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