I stared down at the bird in awkward silence, then turned my head.
First things first... let’s check the quest rewards.
No matter how lost I felt, sitting here doing nothing wasn’t helping. In situations like this, it's best to start with the task right in front of you—handle one thing at a time, and the path will eventually become clear.
Ignoring the bird persistently nudging at me, I brought up my status window.
Huh? There are a lot of unread notifications.
Several translucent screens unfolded in midair. I scanned through them, slightly overwhelmed.
《Main Quest: Reunite with the Villain – Cleared!》
《Main Quest reward has been granted.》
《Trait grade increased!》
《Soaked Cat (E-rank) → Soaked Cat (C-rank)》
《Just Lie There (E-rank) → Just Lie There (C-rank)》
《Got a Gap on the Side? (F-rank) → Got a Gap on the Side? (D-rank)》
《No Mercy Allowed (F-rank) → No Mercy Allowed (D-rank)》
《Cash box has arrived! Check your item shop gift box.》
This part was somewhat familiar.
Though it was the first time all traits had upgraded by two levels, considering how brutal this quest was, these rewards felt justified.
But the real surprise came next. I carefully read the next set of alerts.
《Hidden Quest Unlocked!》
《Hidden Quest: Achieve Two Traits at C-rank (B-rank)》
《Hidden Quest: Achieve Two Traits at C-rank (B-rank) – Cleared!》
《Hidden Quest reward granted.》
《Trait acquired: I See Through the Lies (F-rank)》
“Hidden quest?”
You never knew when the hell these hidden quests were going to pop up. Still, a reward’s a reward—I wasn’t about to complain.
Another trait, huh.
Back in the day, I used to hope hidden quest rewards would give me decent combat skills. Now, after being backstabbed so many times, I didn’t even bother hoping anymore.
Still, it was free. I figured I should at least check what I got. When I opened the detailed description, my eyes widened.
I See Through the Lies (F-rank)
Remain calm in any situation and temporarily enhance memory and judgment through brain activation. (Activation Time: 10 seconds)
“Wait... activation time? So I can trigger this manually?”
All my previous traits had been probability-based. They triggered on chance—not by my will.
But this one... it had an activation time. Meaning I could use it when I wanted.
My heart began to race. I swallowed dryly and pulled up the other traits for comparison.
Soaked Cat (C-rank)
Triggers sympathy in others with a 3% chance.
Just Lie There (C-rank)
On hit, has a 2% chance to cause the enemy to faint.
Got a Gap on the Side? (D-rank)
5% chance to detect an opening in the opponent’s guard.
No Mercy Allowed (D-rank)
In life-threatening situations, 3% chance to increase attack and agility.
The success rates were much higher than before.
Not a single one under 1% anymore. That’s huge.
The traits had always been useful—just too low a chance to matter. But if their odds rose like this with every rank-up, they’d definitely be worth investing in.
If I could get all my traits to S-rank...
Combat was about raw skill, yes—but it was also a game of probabilities.
I didn’t have proper battle skills, but with these traits, I could survive even the worst scenarios. Especially against groups like the ones in the church incident—they’d be a huge help.
Thinking that far, I suddenly felt something off and lifted my head.
“...No way.”
Was this what the system intended from the start?
I hurriedly opened my full status window.
Age: 26 (28)
Main Skill: Bond of the Guardian (S-rank), Divine Power (S-rank) [Active]
Hidden Skill: Silverlight’s Blessing (S-rank) [Inactive]
Attack Power: F-rank
Attack Speed: F-rank
Movement Speed: F-rank
Agility: F-rank
Magic Resistance: S-rank (via Divine Power)
Status Resistance: S-rank (via Divine Power)
Aggro Control: S-rank (via Divine Power)
Traits ▼
└ Soaked Cat (C-rank)
└ Just Lie There (C-rank)
└ Got a Gap on the Side? (D-rank)
└ No Mercy Allowed (D-rank)
└ I See Through the Lies (F-rank)
What if—
The system couldn't give me combat skills for some reason, so it gave me traits instead?
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
It's too early to be sure, but if this is true...
Then the system was... on my side. It didn’t want me to die—because I had to stop Cha Sahyeon. To keep him from becoming the Catastrophe.
But why me? Why was I the one who regressed? Why did the system come to me? There were S-rank dealers far stronger than me. Why not one of them?
What was the system, really? I already knew it wasn’t a normal thing. Even in a world full of dungeons, Rifts, and Awakeners, the system felt... alien.
“Alien...”
I muttered under my breath. The black bird resting on my thigh tilted its head in response.
There was one more entity I knew that was as alien, as beyond human, as the system.
The imposter wearing Song Jiwoon’s face, running the Circle Guild.
Now that I thought about it, hadn’t everything played out exactly the way he said it would?
Kwon Taehyuk will hear something unexpected—go meet him. You’ll end up visiting Eun Woojeong even if you don’t contact him.
Kwon Taehyuk had told me about the ranking match two weeks out. I’d gone to find Eun Woojeong to track Sahyeon’s whereabouts.
All of it was accurate. Not just information—it was closer to prophecy.
The fake also knew I had regressed. He knew the world had repeated itself multiple times. I clearly remembered the black-and-white tree branches he showed me.
I need to meet him again.
I had a strong feeling—like he was waiting for me.
Screech!
As I shot to my feet, the bird flapped its wings and landed on the bed. I left it behind and walked into the bathroom.
Just like before, when things got too tangled, starting with something small gave me clarity.
Now I had a clear goal: go to the Circle Guild.
Yeah. I couldn’t afford to mope around. I had no idea when Cha Sahyeon would return—there was no time to waste sitting still.
After washing up, I activated my hidden skill and changed into the clothes I kept in my inventory. They were prepped so I could move as “Cover” anytime, anywhere.
I left the hotel, grabbed a taxi, and headed straight to the Circle Guild. The black bird was nowhere to be seen—but it was probably hidden inside my shadow, courtesy of Cha Sahyeon.
By the time I arrived, it was nearly midnight. Only the light in the Guildmaster’s office was still on.
Click.
I adjusted my hat brim and clicked my tongue.
I was right. Everyone else had gone home. The fake was waiting for me.
I bypassed the locked front door and climbed up the wall instead.
Normally, guild buildings had security systems to prevent intruders—but the broke-ass Circle Guild? No chance.
So I scaled the wall easily and tapped on the window of the Guildmaster’s office.
“Perfect timing.”
The imposter greeted me with a smile and opened the window.
He showed no surprise. He was calm—as if I were a guest arriving exactly as scheduled. Which made me feel off balance.
“How much do you actually know?”
“Still rude, I see.”
As I entered, he ignored my question and gestured to the sofa.
“Sit down. You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”
His smug grin made me want to punch it—but I was here for information. I sat.
He closed the window and sat across from me, then spoke again.
“So? Starting to trust me now?”
“Over that? You really think trust is that cheap?”
“Hm?”
He smiled as I retorted. His eyes curled with amusement.
“Then what is it you want?”
“Information.”
“Information, huh...”
He stroked his chin and stared at me. Then nodded, as if he understood.
“I told you last time, didn’t I? Information comes at a price.”
“You’re some kind of transcendent being—why the hell do you need payment from lowly humans?”
“If you want something, even a weed growing from a sidewalk crack can demand a price. Even if that weed is trash in my eyes.”
He leaned back in the sofa, continuing casually.
“But you’re far too useful to be just ★ Novelight ★ a weed.”
“Wow. Thanks, I guess.”
“So then—name your price. I’ll set the balance.”
“...”
I clasped my hands together and thought.
Truthfully, I already knew what I wanted to ask. But I hesitated—not because of the request itself, but because I had no idea what the cost would be.
Well, can’t be helped.
No one else could do it. And the stakes were too high to back off out of fear.
After a moment, I spoke.
“That ‘trial version’ you showed me last time—do it again.”
He blinked, surprised.
“You don’t mean to revisit your past bonds at this moment, do you? Don’t tell me... you want to face the Catastrophe?”
“Yeah.”
There were so many things I wanted to ask Cha Sahyeon. Things I could only confirm if he returned.
From how he behaved just before leaving, I had a feeling he might answer some questions. Like what happened during that day of captivity. Whether his memory was intact.
But what I couldn’t get from him—I had to get from him. And since I had the system on my side, I might be able to use it.
The Cha Sahyeon from before the regression had to be at 100% Seed progression. I needed to meet him—face the Catastrophe—to confirm what had changed.
My hands trembled faintly. Even just thinking about facing him again filled me with fear.

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