The moment Cha Seohu dropped the bomb, silence fell.
“......”
“......”
“......”
Not a single one of the three S-ranks could easily open their mouths. As they stood there dumbfounded, their faces slowly reddening, Cha Seohu, frustrated, shouted out.
“Hurry! We don’t have time!”
“W-Wait! You, you can’t just—!”
Cha Seohu, lacking patience, suddenly grabbed the suit jacket and began trying to pull it off, causing Kwon Taehyuk to panic and shake his head frantically.
Afraid he might hurt Seohu if he resisted with force, Kwon Taehyuk could only break out in a cold sweat as he looked around desperately. He silently pleaded for help, but Song Jiwoon and Ryu Sunghyun averted their eyes.
“Um, Hunter Cha Seohu... Wouldn’t it be better to just hold hands or maybe hug with clothes on?”
Leaving the now completely red-faced Kwon Taehyuk alone, Song Jiwoon cautiously asked.
“If you, uh, strip and then, well, do that, the side effects...”
“It’s dangerous.”
Unable to watch him struggle any longer, Ryu Sunghyun cut in.
“If you lose control from the side effects of the buff... In a situation like this, where a rift could open at any moment, it’d be better not to take it at all.”
“But you heard earlier. If the Association contacts me, I’ll have to go to the treatment facility in the rear. I won’t be able to see you again properly until the rift closes, so I have to give you the longest-lasting buff possible.”
Ryu Sunghyun narrowed his eyes and didn’t back down.
“Hunter Cha Seohu, you’ve seen what happened last time.”
“...That was...”
“That wasn’t a minor side effect. Back then it was manageable because we were on break, and it was inside a camper. But here...”
A dark corner of a hotel, lights off, used in a rush.
It was definitely worse than the camper. The expressions on the S-ranks' faces grew a shade paler as they looked around.
Even if the hotel interior was empty, outside was swarming with hunters.
And now they were being asked to strip and receive a buff? And if they lost their reason due to side effects and lunged at Cha Seohu, they’d be flattened by the other two S-ranks?
Just imagining it filled them with unbearable shame...
Sure, the buff was incredible. And in a life-or-death crisis, personal shame shouldn’t matter—but still! Embarrassment was embarrassment.
Ryu Sunghyun, who had already experienced it once, and the other two who had witnessed his suffering firsthand, couldn’t bring themselves to volunteer.
Only Cha Seohu, who was more focused on the buff than the side effects, kept pressing on without giving up.
“I understand it’s uncomfortable. But the duration difference is just too big. If we hug with clothes on, it only lasts two hours. But if you take off your clothes, it lasts six. That’s a whole four-hour difference.”
“......”
“You all saw how abnormally high the rift energy levels are. It’s an irregular far beyond even the Royal Palace incident. That incident was a disaster too, but this one will be worse. How can you endure that without a proper buff?”
Bringing up the Royal Palace incident cast a shadow over the three, especially Kwon Taehyuk.
It might be remembered now as a cleanly resolved case without casualties, but at the time, the situation was dire. If Cha Seohu hadn’t used a large-scale healing skill, dozens of hunters would’ve died right there.
Noticing that his argument was getting through, Cha Seohu lowered his voice and pleaded again.
“If the side effects are too strong like last time, I won’t push for more. So please... just give it a try.”
“...Fine.”
In the end, it was Kwon Taehyuk who surrendered.
He had always prioritized saving people, and he couldn’t bring himself to throw away the value of the buff.
He didn’t mind putting himself at risk—it wasn’t anything new—but saving others was something he couldn’t do alone.
If he received Cha Seohu’s buff and performed well on the battlefield, countless lives could be saved.
And frankly, the side effects weren’t even that bad.
Sure, it damaged his pride and caused intense shame, but it didn’t involve physical injury or unbearable pain.
Skill side effects vary wildly. There are many cases where powerful effects are given a lower rank due to severe drawbacks.
One reason Cha Seohu became the first to be rated SS-rank and gained fame was precisely because his side effects were mild.
Even if he had two skills and exceptional performance, if the side effects had been more dangerous, he never would’ve been rated SS-rank.
The officially recorded side effects were a rise in body heat and mild dizziness. Simple symptoms resembling a heat-induced cold.
‘Heat... yeah, it’s heat alright. Just not the kind you associate with a fever.’
Even if it had been officially revealed to be sex drive–related, the evaluation likely wouldn’t have changed.
The bottom line was: there was no reason for Cha Seohu to be begging for someone to receive his buff.
Who in their right mind would refuse a buff from an SS-rank Supporter over some sexual frustration? If anything, DPS should be begging him to just hold their hand.
Trying to preserve dignity and pride had only burdened the Supporter. Kwon Taehyuk sighed and covered his forehead with one hand.
‘He’s way too kind.’
Even now, thinking about their feelings... Cha Seohu’s consideration made his chest tighten.
“I’ll take it. Please, Hunter Cha Seohu.”
Resolved, Kwon Taehyuk immediately grabbed his tie and began to undress. Cha Seohu blinked in confusion at his sudden change of attitude.
‘I mean... this is great for me, but...’
Why the sudden eagerness?
As he tilted his head, Kwon Taehyuk continued steadily. The same man who had been flustered just moments ago was now calmly removing his tie, then his jacket and vest without hesitation.
“Could you hold this for me?”
“Ah, sure.”
Song Jiwoon answered absently and took the clothes. Even as he held them, he looked unsure if this situation was really happening.
Ryu Sunghyun, quietly watching Kwon Taehyuk unbutton his final shirt layer, narrowed his eyes.
He’d been about to step forward himself, reasoning that since he’d experienced the side effects before, he was the best choice.
But he hesitated for a second—and Kwon Taehyuk beat him to it.
At least, Kwon wasn’t creating any awkward atmosphere. He looked like he was preparing for a final battle.
They had already wasted too much time in the discussion. Kwon Taehyuk, aware of this, finished undressing quickly and turned to Song Jiwoon and Ryu Sunghyun.
“If I lose control and go into heat, don’t hesitate. Just restrain me.”
“...Understood.”
Ryu Sunghyun clenched his bubbling irritation down and replied.
If he showed even a hint of lust-crazed behavior, he was getting slammed into the floor. With a grim smile, he nodded.
“I’m starting now.”
Unlike Kwon Taehyuk, Cha Seohu ~Nоvеlight~ hadn’t been wearing a vest and quickly stripped off his upper clothes, checking the time.
Thankfully, there’d been no new updates from outside in the last ten minutes. No strange noise had accompanied the emergence of the irregular-grade rift—yet.
But there was no time to relax. Cha Seohu stepped forward and embraced Kwon Taehyuk tightly.
He spread his arms wide and pulled him as close as possible so their bodies touched in as many places as they could. Kwon Taehyuk, stiff with tension, slowly raised his arms and placed them on Seohu’s back.
《Skill: Bond of the Guardian (SS-rank) activated!》
《Main skill damage increased. (Target: Kwon Taehyuk) (Duration: 5 hours 59 minutes)》
《Base speed increased. (Target: Kwon Taehyuk) (Duration: 5 hours 59 minutes)》
《Stability effect applied. (Target: Kwon Taehyuk) (Duration: 5 hours 59 minutes)》
For the first time in a while, a six-hour buff window popped up.
As Cha Seohu carefully read the status screen to confirm the buff applied correctly, a faint groan brushed his ear.
“Hah, ngh...”
Kwon Taehyuk’s hands, which had merely rested on Seohu’s back, suddenly clenched with force.
An overwhelming desire to pull Seohu in by the waist and crush him in his arms surged through his mind.
With a stifled moan, he rubbed his forehead against Seohu’s shoulder and grit his teeth.
His hands twitched, then clenched into fists. His knuckles went white and veins bulged.
He took a deep breath and slowly lifted his upper body.
His face and neck flushed bright red, but he was clearly trying to fight off instinct and pull away from Cha Seohu.
Just as Cha Seohu, Ryu Sunghyun, and Song Jiwoon breathed a sigh of relief—
“...!”
Cha Seohu’s face was grabbed and yanked forward.
The blurry, unfocused black eyes of Kwon Taehyuk were suddenly way too close, and in the next instant, something soft pressed against his lips.
A surprise kiss at the very moment he let his guard down—Cha Seohu, shocked, froze, as did the two onlookers.
“Guh, mmph...!”
His lips, slightly parted in shock, allowed a thick tongue to push in without resistance. Feeling it press against his own, Seohu instinctively sucked in a breath—
—just as Ryu Sunghyun snapped out of it and kicked Kwon Taehyuk square in the ribs. As requested, he didn’t hold back. The sickening crack of bone accompanied Taehyuk’s fall to the ground.
“Hunter Cha Seohu, are you okay?!”
While Song Jiwoon finished subduing the man, Ryu Sunghyun gripped Seohu’s shoulders and urgently asked.
Seohu, blankly staring off and covering his lips with a hand, finally muttered.
“Wait, just wait a second.”
Reading a status screen visible only to him, Cha Seohu screamed internally.
‘What the hell—?! The buff duration—!’
《Hidden Quest: Mucosal Contact with the Lead Role (A-rank)》
《Hidden Quest: Mucosal Contact with the Lead Role (A-rank) – Cleared!》
《You have received the Hidden Quest reward.》
《A new effect has been added to Bond of the Guardian!》
《Contact Amplification: S-rank (Buff Duration Extension) acquired!》
[Contact Amplification: S-rank (Buff Duration Extension)]
If mucosal contact is made while using Bond of the Guardian, buff duration increases.
《Contact Amplification effect applied.》
《Main skill damage increased. (Target: Kwon Taehyuk) (Duration: 7 hours 59 minutes)》
《Base speed increased. (Target: Kwon Taehyuk) (Duration: 7 hours 59 minutes)》
《Stability effect applied. (Target: Kwon Taehyuk) (Duration: 7 hours 59 minutes)》
Cha Seohu stared in disbelief and checked the status screen again and again.
Eight hours. Just from rubbing lips together—eight full hours!
‘This is insane!’

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