I quickly pushed myself up and ran.
It would’ve been nice to have my sword, but I hadn’t seen it since I opened my eyes. It must’ve fallen somewhere nearby. Not that it mattered—right now, weapons weren’t the priority.
Even though the distance wasn’t far, fear and tension made my breath uneven. With ragged breathing, I threw myself between the two of them.
“Hyung.”
Please—
The words stuck in my throat.
I stood in front of Ryu Sunghyun and grabbed the golden whip coiled around his neck. The heat seared into my palms.
“Ryu Sunghyun” froze at the sight of me stepping in unarmed. Then his lips twisted into a cold sneer.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him smile like that. To my confusion, he spoke.
“You’re trying to protect that thing in front of me now?”
“Hyung...”
“You stepped in without a weapon because you know I wouldn’t dare hurt you, is that it?”
The whip in his hand instantly changed shape again. In a flash, the light stretched into a long, sharp sword—its gleaming edge slashing straight toward my throat.
“Hunter Cha Seohu!”
With a shout like a scream, my body was shoved aside.
My shoulder hit the ground hard. When I lifted my head, I saw Ryu Sunghyun—the real one—who’d pushed me away, and “Ryu Sunghyun,” the one who had swung his sword exactly where I’d been standing a second earlier.
“I told you your reflexes weren’t bad.”
Murmuring indifferently, “Ryu Sunghyun” swung his sword again.
Grinding his teeth, Ryu Sunghyun refused to back down and parried the blow with a weapon of his own—one he’d just forged from light.
It wasn’t the same as his opponent’s. Unlike the crude stafflike shape from before, it had formed into a proper longsword now.
It was still rougher than “Ryu Sunghyun’s,” lacking his precision and sleekness—like comparing a master craftsman’s blade to a village blacksmith’s.
Even so, no one could deny it was progress. Recognizing that change as their swords clashed, “Ryu Sunghyun” smirked.
And then he attacked relentlessly, as if to show he’d stop holding back.
I couldn’t keep watching. With the two of them colliding at such violent speed, stepping in recklessly would only get in the way.
The biggest problem was that I was still unarmed.
I needed to find my sword, wherever it had fallen, and create an opening—enough to separate the two or give Ryu Sunghyun a buff, anything at all.
Murderous intent speared toward Ryu Sunghyun’s throat and heart. A single mistake, and that golden sword would sever his neck or pierce his chest—he could feel it in his skin.
To die at the hands of his own skill, by his own weapon—just imagining it sent a chill down his spine.
And then, absurdly, all his senses sharpened. Every detail—the breath, gaze, and sword movement of the “Ryu Sunghyun” before him—rushed into his mind.
Instincts surged to their limit. His muscles tightened, heat flaring through his body.
Like a beast facing an intruder in its territory, raw killing intent radiated from him in turn.
“Good.”
Two golden blades crossed. Sparks flared, and “Ryu Sunghyun” whispered from behind them,
“That’s better.”
Bolts of golden lightning crashed down between them as the fierce battle raged on.
Each clash sent numbness through Ryu Sunghyun’s arms and shoulders. Their strength should’ve been identical, yet “Ryu Sunghyun’s” strikes hit heavier, sharper—his mastery of the blade undeniable.
There was no time to despair over that gap.
Panting, Ryu Sunghyun kept swinging, knowing that even a moment’s lapse in focus meant death.
Pushed back over and over, his face twisted. For the first time, another emotion flickered in his eyes.
'Why?'
It was defiance—no, obsession.
'Why am I—'
Jealousy.
They were identical—same face, same skills—so why couldn’t he match that man?
That difference shook his reason to its core.
Biting his lip, Ryu Sunghyun studied “Ryu Sunghyun” in minute detail: the angle of his arms when swinging, the movement of his wrist, the force in his shoulders, the way he circulated his energy. He memorized everything.
The first change appeared in his weapon.
His crude sword reshaped itself to resemble “Ryu Sunghyun’s.” The thick blade thinned; its width narrowed. The grip grew slightly larger, fitting perfectly into his hand.
As the swords grew more alike, his swings grew faster and lighter. The strain on his shoulders lessened.
Next came the skill control itself.
Ryu Sunghyun didn’t just imitate. He knew mimicry alone couldn’t surpass the more experienced “Ryu Sunghyun.”
He had to go further. He raised his energy higher.
“......!”
But the instant his focus wavered, the light forming his blade destabilized—its shape wavered slightly.
“Ryu Sunghyun” didn’t miss his chance.
Clang!
“Kh...!”
Ryu Sunghyun barely blocked the lightning-fast strike with his reforming blade, but the sheer force sent him rolling across the ground.
“Cough, cough—!”
Even though he’d barely avoided a fatal hit, the shock tore through his body.
Blood spilled from his mouth as he pressed a hand to the ground, enduring the pain twisting his insides.
“Not so easy, is it?”
“Ryu Sunghyun” approached leisurely.
“You should’ve been living like this from the start. How long have you been leeching off Seohu’s back? Pathetic.”
“......”
“Don’t you feel ashamed? First Cover, now Cha Seohu. Back when you didn’t know Cover’s real identity and thought she was just an S-rank dealer, at least you had an excuse. But after that? You let a Supporter—practically a civilian—protect you, while you couldn’t even protect him.”
Having read Cha Seohu’s memories, “Ryu Sunghyun” knew every detail between them as well as the man himself.
“......”
Ryu Sunghyun spat out the blood in his mouth.
Forcing his aching limbs to move, he stood. His body was filthy from rolling on the ground, his hair disheveled—
—but beneath it, his eyes shone with fierce clarity, burning with a tangled storm of emotions as if to devour his other self.
Clutching the blade that, remarkably, hadn’t lost its form despite his pain, Ryu Sunghyun once more gathered his energy.
He’d already made mistakes—and might again—but there was no room to retreat.
The moment he kicked off the ground and charged at “Ryu Sunghyun,” golden light scattered around them in a chain of explosions.
It was the first successful multi-attack Ryu Sunghyun had managed.
Barely avoiding the blast, Kwon Taehyuk immediately began searching for Cha Seohu. But with waves of S-rank killing intent and energy bursting all around, it was nearly impossible to track him by sense alone.
Thankfully, the heavy dust hanging in the air began to settle quickly.
Swallowing dryly, Kwon Taehyuk scanned the surroundings—and spotted Ryu Sunghyun.
Enemy, or the man he knew?
He hesitated for a moment, then decided to approach—but just as he stepped forward—
Clang!
A silver hook slammed into the ground right in front of him, chains rattling.
Kwon Taehyuk’s face hardened as he turned his head.
“...What do you think you’re doing?”
The masked leader of Spiderweb tilted his head.
“Hmm. Well, I’d say it looks like now’s not the time for you to interfere.”
“I don’t have time for your nonsense.”
“I’m not the one talking nonsense. The Guildmaster’s the one doing something stupid right now.”
Arms crossed, Eun Woojeong pointed toward the two Ryu Sunghyuns locked in a furious battle.
“The smoke’s gone. Take a good look. Tell me if that looks like a normal fight to you.”
Kwon Taehyuk frowned irritably, then turned to look.
He didn’t need long. Within five minutes, he understood exactly why Eun Woojeong had told him to watch.
After a brief silence, Kwon Taehyuk asked calmly,
“So. You’re saying we just stand by?”
“At least until we figure out that doppelgänger’s true intent. That way—”
Eun Woojeong’s words cut off abruptly.
Whoosh—he bent gracefully at the waist just as a massive gloved hand swept past his back.
“What a waste of time,” a flat voice said.
Mook Jeongho, who’d tried to grab Eun Woojeong by the neck and failed, spoke in his usual emotionless tone.
“In this uncertain space, the only way out is to eliminate that doppelgänger. Now that Cha Seohu’s free, there’s no reason—or meaning—to wait.”
“God, seriously...”
Eun Woojeong gave a short laugh, filled with irritation and contempt.
“You’ve been pissing me off for a while now.”
He leapt back lightly and summoned his chains.
Mook Jeongho didn’t retreat; he clenched ❖ Nоvеlight ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеlight) his fists, muscles swelling threateningly as he stared him down.
Meanwhile, panting as he sprinted around the field, Cha Seohu finally spotted his sword wedged in a corner. He grabbed it and ran toward his teammates.
“What the hell?”
He arrived just in time to find Eun Woojeong and Mook Jeongho facing off—and Kwon Taehyuk standing between them, hand to his forehead.
'What the hell are those idiots doing now?'

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