The moment I jumped down from the building, I spotted light spilling from a first-floor window.
There was no time to waste—Cha Sahyeon was surely waiting in the hospital room—but my feet wouldn’t move.
I pressed my back against the outer wall to avoid detection and listened. Clear voices drifted from beyond the window—members of the guild still in the building, chatting and laughing.
Come to think of it, even before regression, we used to gather like this and stay up late talking.
Since I lived at the guild and had nowhere else to go, the members had found out about my situation and deliberately stayed behind to hang out with me.
Looking back now, it was all so stupid.
I wasn’t a minor or anything. I was a grown adult—what would possibly happen if I spent a night alone in an empty guild? Even so, a few of them would always stay behind to keep me company.
That won’t happen anymore.
There was no one like me left in the Circle Guild.
Now, people stayed behind not out of concern or pity, but simply to have fun.
I listened to the laughter for a moment longer, then pushed myself off the wall and began walking. As I headed toward the road to catch a taxi, I thought:
It’s probably best not to see anyone from the Circle Guild for a while.
That fake’s stupid little “trial version” stunt had needlessly stirred up my thoughts. There was no point running into people from the guild in this state.
Especially Ryu Sunghyun. I needed to avoid him as much as possible until I had my emotions sorted out.
When I arrived at the hospital in a taxi, I immediately sensed a familiar presence near the entrance.
Just as the fake warned me—Kwon Taehyuk was here, waiting for me.
One mountain after another, huh.
Clicking my tongue, I moved to a different position.
If I got too close to the hospital, Kwon Taehyuk would sense my presence. Sneaking in wasn’t going to work.
I walked casually toward the source of the energy and soon spotted Kwon Taehyuk standing there in a jet-black coat.
“Why are you following me around like this?”
There was no need for small talk—we weren’t on those terms. So I cut straight to the point. Kwon Taehyuk had clearly sensed my presence long ago and skipped the greeting as well, replying dryly.
“Shouldn’t the one always running away be the last to ask that?”
“So we’re on casual terms now? I can speak informally too?”
“Did you just come from meeting Cha Seohu Hunter?”
Wow, petty. I just shrugged instead of answering.
I figured he’d misunderstand. That’s exactly why I showed up from the direction of the hospital—to feed that misunderstanding.
Even if I didn’t say anything, Kwon Taehyuk would draw his own conclusions.
Reading the positive air in my attitude, Kwon Taehyuk grimaced in disapproval.
“You left me at the front gate of the Royal Palace, and now what?”
“Oh come on, you were at the front gate of the Royal Palace too. What’s the big deal?”
I chuckled as I spoke, but he looked utterly dumbfounded. Then he gritted his teeth ❖ Nоvеlight ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеlight) and muttered under his breath.
“You left a Supporter in a dangerous place and don’t even think you did anything wrong?”
“Excuse me? No, I mean, it wasn’t even that dan—”
“You left a physically weak Cha Seohu Hunter, who followed you solely out of trust, in someone else’s hands—and you’re laughing?”
“......”
What the hell is this bastard talking about.
I knew he’d misunderstand, but I didn’t think it’d be this kind of misunderstanding.
Thrown off, I missed my window to rebut. Kwon Taehyuk gave me a disapproving glare, clearly taking my silence as something else.
“Forget it. The real problem was that I expected better.”
“...Right.”
“I waited for you today for another reason.”
Now what?
“This month is your last chance.”
“...Last chance?”
Kwon Taehyuk clicked his tongue, like I’d already forgotten something, and filled me in.
“I’m talking about the Ranking Match.”
“...!”
Right—wasn’t the ranking retention period capped at four months?
We fought our last match on October 31st. It was now mid-February. If no new challengers appeared within two weeks—by the start of March—I’d be automatically removed from the rankings.
Shit. I totally forgot.
The Ranking Match.
Back then, I was forced to participate by a quest. I had no lingering attachment to it. But this was such unexpected news that it threw me off.
“I’ll tell you now—I’m submitting a challenge to you starting tomorrow. And I’ll make sure the media knows.”
“Wait, hold on—”
“I’m also booking an official stadium.”
“......”
A full-on declaration of war. He was planning to crush me in public.
As I stared at Kwon Taehyuk’s blazing eyes, I broke out in cold sweat.
How the hell am I supposed to beat that guy?
I had no attachment to my rank. But to keep dealing with Eun Woojeong, I had to stay #1.
So I have to beat Kwon Taehyuk within two weeks?
No matter how well I planned, that was going to be hard. It was a pure difference in skill.
Nothing was going right. I swallowed a sigh and nodded.
“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“If you don’t want to be removed from the rankings without a fight, you’d better contact me in time.”
And with that final warning, Kwon Taehyuk walked away without hesitation. He really had just come to deliver the news about the Ranking Match.
I didn’t turn back toward the hospital until his energy completely vanished. Only then could I finally return to the room.
After transforming back into Cha Seohu in the restroom and changing clothes, I stopped by a convenience store to grab a lunch box and porridge. It was all instant, but better than letting the kid go hungry.
When I arrived at the hospital room, the same guards were still stationed at the door, standing in the exact same positions as before.
Just as Kwon Taehyuk had promised, they didn’t interfere. They simply gave me a brief nod as I arrived late.
Thanks to that, I was able to enter the room without any issues. I took a short breath, then cautiously opened the door.
“Hey, squirt...?”
As the door opened, I saw Cha Sahyeon sitting on the bed. The moment our eyes met, he hopped off and dashed toward me.
“Whoa.”
With his arms flung wide, Cha Sahyeon barreled into me without hesitation. I shut the door behind me and caught him in my arms, still stunned.
“Squirt, you’re not mad?”
I was way later than expected. I figured he’d be furious.
His face held a trace of sadness, but he didn’t seem angry like before. I had braced myself for a tantrum, so the warm welcome caught me off guard.
Still hugging me tightly around the waist, he looked up at me and spoke with a firm voice.
“It’s okay.”
“...Huh?”
“I know everything.”
His eyes held a flicker of anger as he spoke, brow faintly furrowed.
“Outside... I could feel a strong energy. The whole time.”
Strong energy? Could he mean Kwon Taehyuk?
“That’s why you couldn’t come, right?”
“...Huh?”
“I waited for hours. You were late because you were avoiding that guy, right?”
“Uh, well...”
“It’s not your fault. I get it. So it’s okay.”
Cha Sahyeon said all that clearly and calmly, then rubbed his cheek against my shirt and hugged me again. I instinctively patted his back and scrambled to think.
So... he thought I was delayed because I was blocked by Kwon Taehyuk?
Weighing Cha Sahyeon’s trust against Kwon Taehyuk on the scale, I made my decision.
Sorry, Kwon Taehyuk.
I had to survive first. He was already on Cha Sahyeon’s blacklist anyway—what difference would one or two more strikes make?
This is all for the greater good. You’ll just have to suffer for it.
Silently saluting the unwittingly sacrificed Kwon Taehyuk, I handed the convenience store bag to the child.
“You’re right. You’re too smart, squirt. But I still feel bad for not keeping my promise, so I brought food. Let’s eat together.”
“Okay!”
“Look at this—your favorite candy too~”
When things went south, the best thing to do was change the subject.
I handed him a lollipop—his favorite treat—and he instantly went from pouting to beaming. What a relief.
The next day, as planned, I was discharged and returned to the office with Cha Sahyeon.
After changing into comfortable clothes and flopping onto the couch with him, I finally felt like I was back in normal life.
Even if it wasn’t completely safe, this place had felt like home these past few months. It was hard not to relax.
The kid, too, seemed way more at ease than he’d been in the hospital. Snuggled up next to me, he played games.
I pulled out my phone and checked the news.
[Yesung Guild’s Kwon Taehyuk Hunter Challenges “Cover”! Can He Reclaim #1?]
[New #1 Match Incoming? Ranking Battle to Be Held Soon]
[Kwon Taehyuk vs Cover – A Prideful Clash for #1. Who Will Win?]
“This is ridiculous.”
I let out a dry laugh as I scanned the headlines on the main portal site.
Just as promised, Kwon Taehyuk had spread the news to the media the moment morning came. If nothing else, he was a man of his word.
Well, he doesn’t know my identity or affiliation, so using the press makes sense.
And he had no reason to accommodate Cover, either.
Kwon Taehyuk wasn’t the problem. I was. I didn’t have any proper attack skills, and I’d become #1 by sheer luck.
If I’d known it would lead to this, I’d have failed that Ranking Match quest on purpose. Winning only poked at Kwon Taehyuk’s pride. Sure, that’s what led to my deal with Spiderweb—but still.
If I lose the #1 spot, that deal’s as good as gone.
One thing was clear: I needed to meet Eun Woojeong and talk. I’d done enough as Cover lately that maybe he’d overlook me losing the top spot.
“...I don’t know.”
After running through all the possibilities, I gave up and put my phone down.
Whatever happened, I wasn’t planning to act as Cover for at least a week. Cha Sahyeon was more important than ranking or deals.
The moment I made that decision—
Ding!
“...?”
That familiar notification sound. The system window popped up in front of me.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me...”
My brow furrowed hard as I read the contents.
[Main Quest has arrived!]
[Main Quest: Befriend the Villain Possessed by the Seed of Catastrophe (2/10)]
You must grow closer with the villain to slow the Seed’s progress.
Objective: Visit an amusement park with the villain. (Time remaining: 1 day 23 hours 59 minutes)
⚠ Warning! Failing the quest within the time limit will result in failure.
Quest Failure: Seed of Catastrophe progression increases.
This shitty system was acting up again—this time, with a quest.

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