It was past 11 PM—late into the night.
The hallway, dimly lit with only the minimal number of lights left on, was utterly silent. Leaning against the wall beside the staircase, Ryu Sunghyun replayed the events that had taken place in the representative's office.
Cover had flinched backward the moment he laid eyes on Song Jiwoon. Just a brief second, but Ryu Sunghyun hadn’t missed the pale face visible beneath the brim of the cap.
He had no choice but to leave the room at Song Jiwoon’s order, but that odd reaction from Cover kept nagging at him. He couldn’t bring himself to walk away, instead lingering in the hallway, pacing.
Creak. Clack.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when he heard the sound of a door opening and closing. Someone exited the office and walked slowly toward the stairs through the dark corridor.
As the figure stepped into the small circle of light from the hallway lamp, Ryu Sunghyun could see the face clearly. As expected—it was Cover.
“...Did the conversation go well?”
“Yes.”
Cover’s reply was brief—and he looked noticeably more worn out than before.
Rubbing the back of his neck like it was stiff, he spoke in a weary, almost withered voice.
“Vice-Guildmaster Ryu, I’d like to ask a favor.”
“...A favor?”
“Now that the news has broken that I’ll be joining the competition, a new scheduling meeting will probably be held by tomorrow afternoon.”
His slow, deliberate words had an oddly languid tone. There was something strangely compelling in his presence, and without realizing it, Ryu Sunghyun found himself staring into his face.
“Please have the match time set for after dark—any time after 8 PM should work.”
Their eyes met mid-sentence. Ryu Sunghyun noticed then—Cover’s eyes were black. Just as he did, Cover abruptly looked away and pulled his cap lower.
“Ah... ahem. I think Ronik will accept that condition without issue, so... please do what you can.”
“...Understood.”
So he really did plan to join the competition.
Ryu Sunghyun had already guessed as much—if Song Jiwoon had intended to turn him away, he wouldn’t have invited him into the representative’s office to begin with. Still, the idea of working with this unfamiliar person during such a critical event was uncomfortable.
Ryu Sunghyun sighed and brought up another concern.
“Thank you for offering your help, but Ronik won’t let this go. To participate in the competition as a mercenary, one must have their identity verified. They’ll definitely challenge us on that. Have you prepared for that part?”
“I have. I’ll contact you about it tomorrow.”
“...What?”
He’ll... contact him? How?
Before Ryu Sunghyun could ask more, Cover passed by and offered a brief nod.
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Ah—wait, Cover Hunter!”
He didn’t grab him, but raised his voice slightly to call after him.
“Do you... know the Guildmaster?”
“....”
Cover froze on the stairs at that question.
Ryu Sunghyun had asked because he couldn’t shake the image of Cover’s shaken expression in the office. But the air instantly grew colder.
Cover glanced back briefly, as if considering what to say. Then, he left behind a short answer and walked away without a hint of hesitation.
“No.”
The competition schedule adjustment meeting was set for 1 PM the very next day.
Ironically, Ronik—which had been dodging the meeting up to that point—was now the one in a hurry to confirm the appointment.
“This is unacceptable, Vice-Guildmaster Ryu.”
The official from the Administration Bureau, who was attending as witness and mediator, pushed his thick-framed glasses up and glared at Ryu Sunghyun, seated to his left.
“A ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) last-minute mercenary addition? Announced through breaking news? Do you think this is a joke?”
His rebuke sounded far too hostile for someone in a neutral position.
Across the table, Ronik’s Guildmaster, Park Heeseok, watched with his arms crossed and sneered as he jumped in.
“You’ve got no manners, seriously. I get that it’s hard to find decent A-rankers, but bringing in some unknown Hunter? What if that Cover guy’s a criminal?”
“My thoughts exactly! I thought you were taking this seriously, but clearly not. Let’s be real—Circle Guild stands to gain the most from this competition. It's only a hot topic because you're facing Ronik, after all.”
“Haha, our government official must really think highly of us.”
“Am I wrong? Circle’s clearly trying to ride on Ronik’s fame. You should show a little tact. This is in your guild’s best interest, after all.”
The official clicked his tongue irritably and pressed further, exasperated.
“Well? Got anything to say, Vice-Guildmaster Ryu? Am I wrong? Hm?”
“...”
“Vice-Guildmaster?”
“...”
“Vice-Guildmaster!”
“Ah—”
Startled by the sudden yell, Ryu Sunghyun finally looked up, his face drawn in thought.
“I apologize. What did you say?”
“....”
“....”
His sheepish smile left both the official and Park Heeseok at a loss for words.
Apparently unwilling to repeat his earlier tirade, the official awkwardly cleared his throat and turned away.
“Ahem. If you didn’t hear, it’s fine. Just please focus during the meeting.”
“I’ll do that.”
Ryu Sunghyun’s calm demeanor made Park Heeseok’s expression twist with irritation.
What’s with this bastard?
Ryu Sunghyun had always been the type to wear his emotions openly when it came to guild matters. Park Heeseok had expected a reaction—some kind of crack. But nothing he or the official said had seemed to faze him at all. That made it even more infuriating.
“Let’s wrap up what we didn’t finish last time. Guildmaster Park, you submitted the same documents as the previous meeting. No changes to your participant list?”
“No changes.”
Smiling pleasantly despite his irritation, Park Heeseok replied.
“Our members already finalized everything among themselves. Apologies for the lack of flexibility, Vice-Guildmaster.”
Even knowing it was bait, Ryu Sunghyun just nodded quietly.
It was expected—Ronik wasn’t going to change their roster. Which meant Circle needed to field someone strong enough to counter the seven A-rankers Ronik was bringing.
“Now then...”
Rustle. The official flipped a page, glancing between the documents and Ryu Sunghyun.
“For Circle, we have: two S-ranks, one A-rank, six B-ranks, and three C-ranks. That lines up reasonably well with Ronik’s roster in terms of balance.”
He adjusted his glasses again and set the papers down.
“As I said earlier, to bring in a specific mercenary Hunter, their identity must be verified. Either they’re registered with the Administration Bureau, or their resident registration must be confirmed.”
“...”
“If not, then a verified third party must vouch for their identity. If that condition is met, the mercenary may participate.”
The room fell silent.
Ryu Sunghyun said nothing, and Park Heeseok sat smugly across from him, pretending to wait patiently.
Just as expected.
Park Heeseok didn’t know exactly what was going on behind the scenes, but he was sure of one thing: there was no way Cover would be allowed to compete as a mercenary.
Sure, the news had made a fuss, but realistically—why would Cover reveal his identity just to help Circle? That kind of generosity didn’t exist.
“Vice-Guildmaster, what do you plan to do? We can’t process the paperwork like this...”
The official leaned in, clearly growing impatient. Just then, a faint buzzing sound echoed in the room. A phone vibrated somewhere.
Ryu Sunghyun checked his screen and spoke calmly.
“Apologies. I was waiting for someone.”
“...Excuse me?”
Before the confused official could ask more, a sharp knock knock came from behind him at the door. It opened without hesitation—and Ryu Sunghyun smiled faintly.
“They’ve arrived to verify Cover Hunter’s identity in person.”
The door swung open. A tall man entered without pause. He wore a sleek three-piece suit, his hair slicked back from his forehead. His handsome, cold features carried a commanding air.
Everyone in Korea would recognize him.
The official stood up so fast his chair scraped the floor.
“G-Guildmaster Kwon Taehyuk?!”
“You kept me waiting.”
“Uh—what?”
Unfazed by the startled murmurs, Kwon Taehyuk casually stepped into the room and sat down next to Ryu Sunghyun.
Then, meeting the stunned gazes of both the official and Park Heeseok, he declared firmly—
“Let’s resume the meeting.”

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