The day after meeting with Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun—
Completely drained of motivation, I lay sprawled on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling.
‘I don’t want to do anything...’
Even when I tried, every time I closed my eyes, Ryu Sunghyun’s face would appear—his expression as he rejected my request drained the energy right out of me.
‘Yeah, let’s be honest. Hoping the Circle Guild doesn’t lose to Ronik... that’s just my own selfishness.’
If they had to choose between losing to a rival guild in a fair match or winning through underhanded means, both Ryu Sunghyun and the Circle Guildmaster would choose the former without hesitation.
As for me, I’d choose the latter. Fairness only matters when both sides play by the same rules. And Ronik Guild isn’t the kind of opponent that respects fairness.
I’m the selfish one. I shouldn’t drag good people down just because I want something. Better to just stay put.
“I’ll deal with Ronik myself later anyway.”
Saying I respected Ryu Sunghyun’s choice didn’t mean I was going to let Ronik off the hook.
I might’ve given up on the match, but those damn Ronik bastards... they’d get what was coming to them. Just as I was grinning to myself while planning their downfall, a shadow fell across my face.
“Huh?”
It was Cha Sahyeon, who had been playing games on the couch across from me.
Apparently bored with the game, she tossed the console aside and quietly stood over me, staring down.
“What is it? Hungry?”
I asked knowingly, even though we’d just eaten lunch. What she needed right now wasn’t food—it was affection.
I sat up and gently tugged her arm. As if she’d been waiting for it, she let herself be pulled in. I lifted her effortlessly and sat her down on my lap. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
“Wanna eat a snack? We still have some cookies from last time.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“But you have to drink milk with it.”
“Mm-hmm.”
She nodded obediently and snuggled closer. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pressed her forehead against me—her warmth seeped into my skin.
“I thought you said you wanted a snack.”
It was obvious she wanted cuddles more than cookies, so I teased her a bit as I patted her back. Sure enough, she shook her head with a little smile.
I kept patting her for a while until—bzzz, a vibration came from somewhere nearby. It was my phone, tossed in the corner of the couch.
“Oh, Hyun Dowoon.”
I answered the call, saying his name, and heard his skeptical tone right away.
—"What now?"
“What?”
—"Something happened again, didn’t it?"
“No? Nothing happened.”
Something had definitely happened—but it wasn’t something I planned on explaining to Hyun Dowoon, so I feigned ignorance.
He clicked his tongue before speaking again.
—"I got what you asked for."
“Which one?”
—"You even know how many damn things you’ve asked me to look into? I’m talking about the last one. The stuff between Ronik and Circle."
For a brief second, I thought, Maybe it’s useless info now, but since he’d already gone through the trouble, I figured I might as well hear it. Who knows when it might come in handy?
“Tell me.”
—"Well, the thing is..."
He hesitated, clearly unsure of how to explain.
—"Even I’ve never seen something like this before."
“Something wrong?”
—"Hang on... It’s just about to air. If you’re at your place, turn on the TV. Channel 12."
TV? That came out of nowhere. Still, if he said to check, there was probably a reason. I set Cha Sahyeon down beside me and grabbed the remote.
Beep. The TV flicked on. I switched to Channel 12, just like he said—and sure enough, the news was airing.
“A video of a Ronik Guild hunter assaulting a member of the Circle Guild has been leaked and is drawing public attention. Reporter Shin Kyungmin has the full story.”
I stared at the screen, stunned.
“You’ve got to be kidding me...”
—"Yeah. It matches exactly what I found."
The news kept going as I sat there speechless.
The footage played. The quality wasn’t great, and the faces were blurred—but I knew who it was the second I saw it.
‘Kim Suho...’
The Circle Guild hunter getting beaten by three Ronik Guild members was Kim Suho—the one who’d warned me about Ronik back in that dungeon.
“Three A-rank hunters assault a C-rank hunter using fists and kicks. The three attackers belong to the Ronik Guild, which has a history of provoking the Circle Guild.”
In the video, Kim Suho eventually collapsed to the ground.
He barely managed to prop himself up against a wall in a narrow alley as his attackers spat on him and walked away laughing.
“The Ronik Guild has stated that this was a personal altercation unrelated to the upcoming competitive match. They’ve promised ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) to discipline the members involved but have given no specifics.”
A chill spread through my chest.
Even as the segment ended and the anchor moved on to the next story, the image of Kim Suho being beaten lingered in my mind.
“...When was this?”
I asked quietly. Hyun Dowoon let out a sigh and answered.
—"The video was recorded six days ago. Same day Ronik officially challenged Circle to the match. Less than an hour apart, apparently."
“Location?”
—"Residential alley about five minutes from Ssangmun Station. The footage came from CCTV, so Ronik could’ve deleted it if they wanted."
That only meant one thing. The moment I heard the news call it a "leaked video," I voiced the thought already forming in my mind.
“Ronik released it themselves, didn’t they?”
—"Most likely. I mean, why else would they go to Ssangmun just to find a Circle Guild member? Their HQ is in Gangnam."
“And do you have any proof they filmed it on purpose and leaked it? There's no upside to this—it just ruins their reputation.”
—"I thought the same, so I looked deeper..."
I heard some shuffling on the other end before he continued.
—"Just ten minutes before I called you, I got an update. The Administration Bureau held a meeting with both guilds. Purpose: to finalize rank assignments for the upcoming match."
“And?”
—"Ronik wanted to bring seven A-ranks, one S-rank, and four B-ranks."
“What?”
I expected Ronik to play hardball, but seven A-ranks? That was outrageous.
The S-rank would obviously be their Guildmaster. Even if you split the B-ranks between supporters and tanks, bringing seven A-ranks was insane.
“That’s not even a negotiation. There’s no way Circle can match that.”
—"Of course, the talks fell apart. Nothing was settled. But things are tense. Ronik’s position now is: if Circle can’t match the ranks they proposed, they’ll cancel the match."
“...And then the video gets ‘leaked’?”
—"Exactly."
I slowly closed my mouth. Now it all made sense.
The video had a clear aggressor and a clear victim. Ronik hunters attacking a Circle hunter—right when the two guilds were about to compete. Naturally, the public and media were tearing Ronik apart.
But that would only last for a little while. I’d seen this tactic from Ronik before, back in my past life.
Right now, they’d take the heat. But soon enough, they’d start donating to charities, flooding the internet with heartwarming stories, and manipulating public opinion until no one even remembered why they were angry.
Give it a year, and that video will be forgotten by most.
And Circle Guild?
For now, people pity them—weak underdogs attacked by bullies. But later, the only thing that’ll stick is the image of a guild that couldn’t even protect its own members.
A big guild like Ronik could survive that. But a small, struggling guild like Circle?
It’d be a fatal blow.
No hunter wants to join a guild that can’t protect its own.
Both sides would suffer a hit, but only Ronik could weather it. Circle would spiral further downward—into something worse than what they are now.
That’s just how it works. When strength clashes with weakness, the weak always lose.
“......”
I forced down the burning emotion rising in my throat and closed my eyes.
And then I heard Ryu Sunghyun’s voice from yesterday, echoing in my ears.
“Regardless of who we’re up against, is it so wrong to want to fight fairly?”
...I get it, hyung. I respect that.
You accepted this match for Kim Suho’s sake—even knowing how unfair it would be. Who am I to belittle that?
So... I’ll make sure you win fairly.
With that decision made, I slowly opened my eyes and said to Hyun Dowoon:
—"A tip? What kind?"
I took a deep breath and answered.
“Say that Cover is siding with the Circle Guild for the upcoming match.”

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