The lights had gone out, and Cover walked all the way to the corner of the dark hallway before finally stopping after confirming there was no one else around.
Ryu Sunghyun, who had followed behind, opened his mouth as he watched Cover’s light blond hair glimmer silver under the moonlight filtering in through the corridor window.
"Cover ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Hunter... you were right. Now that I’ve come this far, I don’t intend to lose easily either."
At the calm voice, Cover turned to look at him. They stood face to face in the quiet corridor bathed in moonlight.
It was the second time they were alone together since the encounter at the guild building. Realizing that, Ryu Sunghyun felt a strange sensation rise within him.
Something...
The atmosphere around Cover seemed much softer than it had been earlier in the waiting room.
Even though his entire face was hidden behind a mask, it felt strangely different. And because of that, even though this moment was awkward and uncomfortable in many ways, he found it easier to speak.
"Still, I can’t accept such an expensive item. Just like you said, I’ll make sure to return it once the match is over."
"That’s fine. What matters is that you use it during this competitive match, Vice-Guildmaster."
Cover nodded in agreement and took a step closer to Ryu Sunghyun.
"Of course, the item is only a backup. To win this match, you’ll have to pull your weight, Vice-Guildmaster."
"...Cover Hunter."
Ryu Sunghyun hesitated for a moment, then tilted his head slightly and asked,
"Do you really think we can win?"
"Of course. I wouldn’t have come to help otherwise."
"Just like I said, I don’t intend to give up easily. I’ll do everything I can to win. But reality doesn’t always match effort..."
His voice trailed off, and he pressed his lips together.
Even if they lost, he would be fine. He was already used to the pitiful looks and the sneers from Ronik Guild. But Cover and Han Goeun, who had gotten involved through this match—what did they do to deserve such a letdown?
He was also worried about disappointing his guild members and felt ashamed before Kwon Taehyuk, who trusted him enough to send a valuable supporter. That’s why he really wanted to win... but reality was always cruel.
He was honestly anxious. With Song Jiwoon, who normally wouldn’t involve himself in such things, absent, the entire burden and pressure of leading fell squarely on Ryu Sunghyun's shoulders.
And now, seeing Cover suddenly show up and confidently declare they would win—his emotions couldn’t help but be shaken.
[As long as you’re there, we can win.]
Cover had stood proudly in front of everyone and stated that just Ryu Sunghyun was enough for victory. That image kept replaying in his mind.
Why is he so certain?
Even Ryu himself wasn’t fully confident in his own abilities. So why would someone like Cover—who’d only just met him—believe in him so strongly?
There were so many things he wanted to ask Cover, but he was afraid that once he started talking, a flood of half-formed questions would come pouring out.
"You’re right. Reality doesn’t always match effort."
Cover, who had been quietly watching his troubled expression, reached out a hand.
The hand that rose slowly paused mid-air, then, without touching anything, fell back down.
"Just trying is enough. You’re already very skilled, Vice-Guildmaster."
"Cover Hunter, I..."
"But this time, you’ll have to direct that effort a little differently."
Ryu Sunghyun was about to shake his head, thinking it was just another cliché reassurance, but Cover gave him unexpected advice.
"You’re using your skills too cautiously, too defensively. That’s how you handle monsters, sure—but this is a battle between people. That tendency will be even more apparent in this match."
"That’s..."
"I understand. As a powerful damage-dealer, you’re afraid that a mistake could cause casualties. But you can’t be like that this time. The more cautious you try to be, the more likely it is that your teammates will get hurt."
Ryu Sunghyun, who had been listening with a flustered expression, frowned when Cover mentioned people getting hurt.
"What do you mean by that? That my teammates will get hurt?"
"Well, it’s faster to show you than to explain, isn’t it?"
Cover shrugged playfully.
"Seeing is believing. You’ve heard the saying, right?"
"Please wait here for a moment."
Just before entering the arena, we followed the staff’s directions and stopped in the corridor leading to the stadium.
"Ah, I’m nervous."
"Will there be an audience?"
"Of course. Our opponent is Ronik."
The members of Circle Guild, lined up in formation, were chatting nervously. At the very back, I listened closely to the voices of the announcers and commentators spilling through the door to the arena.
"Alright, the players will be entering soon! But first, let’s check the victory prediction poll results."
Usually, the victory poll was conducted as the audience entered the stadium. That gave us a rough idea of how many spectators were present.
"Ronik in red has 1,817 votes, while Circle in blue has 224 votes!"
"That’s quite the difference. Still, Circle has two S-rank Hunters."
"That’s what makes these matches so fun, right? Sometimes the underdogs pull off a surprise."
"Absolutely. Since this is the first time both Ronik and Circle are participating in a match like this, I expect lots of interesting moments."
So about 2,000 people voted. Considering those who didn’t vote, we were probably looking at over 2,000 spectators in attendance.
More than I thought.
Competitive matches weren’t held regularly like sports leagues.
Some guilds did host them now and then for publicity or to boost their reputation, but for the most part, these were irregular, event-style competitions.
Usually, unless famous or powerful guilds participated, there wasn’t much attention. But this time, Ronik had stirred up a scandal with a recent assault, and on top of that, a member of Yesung Guild had joined as a mercenary—so the whole thing had blown up.
Works for me.
Even though it was being broadcast nationwide anyway, it was satisfying to have more people directly witness Ronik getting crushed.
I grinned under my mask, and at that moment, the loud voice of the announcer echoed through the arena.
"Now, let’s meet the participating Hunters! First up, Ronik Guild!"
A roar of cheers erupted. Ronik must’ve entered from the opposite corridor.
Which meant... it was almost our turn. Ryu Sunghyun, standing ahead of me, glanced back nervously. I shook my head to tell him not to worry, but for some reason, his gaze grew even more conflicted before he turned away.
"Next up, Circle Guild! Let’s give them a big round of applause!"
"You may enter now."
With the introduction, the staff opened the doors to the arena and motioned us forward. Ryu Sunghyun led the way as we walked into the brightly lit stadium in formation.
WAAAAAH!!
The roar of the crowd surrounded us. The stadium came into full view. I stepped onto the specially crafted arena floor and scanned the interior.
This was an indoor arena built specifically for these matches. Its dome structure allowed spectators seated higher up to get a full view of the central battlefield. A transparent magical barrier surrounded the central area to prevent anything dangerous from flying into the crowd.
At the far north and south ends stood tall platforms. Embedded at the top of each was a gem the size of a fist. These were the Nexuses—the heart of the competition.
The team that captured the opponent’s gem would win. The gemstones were reinforced with durability artifacts, so they weren’t easy to break. Our objective now was to steal the red gem protected by Ronik.
"Ronik is waving confidently toward the crowd—looks like they’re feeling good."
Ronik Guild members, striding out from the other side, waved their arms or winked at their cheering fans.
In contrast, Circle Guild members were stiff with tension, marching forward like wind-up toy soldiers.
Not a single cheer for Circle, huh...
The poll results made it obvious: the majority of the spectators were Ronik fans.
The difference in guild size was a big factor, sure... but still. Ronik had just been involved in an assault scandal. This was a bit much. A few cheers for Circle would’ve helped ease the nerves.
I sighed in disappointment—until a loud cheer suddenly rang out from the audience seats nearby.
"Cover!"
"Let’s go, Cover!"
"Circle, win this!"
Startled, I turned toward the noise and saw a group of fans waving blue thundersticks and calling my name.
Wait—fans? For me?
Well, I was ranked number one right now, regardless of how I got there. It made sense to have some fans. Honestly, just knowing that someone was cheering for us was enough.
I raised a hand like Ronik had done, waving toward the fans. They responded by shaking their thundersticks even more excitedly. My face appeared on the large screen hanging from the stadium ceiling.
"Circle is greeting the crowd now as well."
"Ah, that’s Cover Hunter, the mercenary joining this match. Haha, still wearing that mask today."
"That mask is kind of his trademark. Suits him."
"This is the second time Cover Hunter’s combat footage will be aired officially. I’m excited to see more."
"Right. Hopefully, he puts on a great show today."
The announcers began talking about me. Trademark mask, huh? Eun Woojeong from Spiderweb would’ve had something to say about that.
"And now, both teams have lined up in front of their respective Nexuses."
In front: the B-rank tank. Behind: Ryu Sunghyun, me, and the other damage-dealers. At the rear: the A-rank support.
This was the standard formation—Tank-DPS-Heal—the most commonly used and most efficient. But with only one B-rank tank, we had split the DPS into those who would move forward and those who’d hold position.
Ryu Sunghyun and I would charge ahead to break through the enemy formation. The remaining B- and C-rank DPS would stay behind the center line.
Ronik had no S-rankers aside from Guildmaster Park Heeseok, so holding them off should be doable. While the rest held their line, Ryu and I had to break through as fast as possible.
"Countdown beginning."
Numbers appeared on screens throughout the stadium. A high-pitched beep accompanied each count as the digits ticked down.
The guild members, faces taut with tension, gripped their weapons. Han Goeun, stationed on the Nexus steps, swallowed nervously, her face pale.
I drew my sword from its sheath. Beside me, Ryu Sunghyun took a deep breath and clenched and unclenched his gloved hand.
"Let the competitive match... begin!"
[Main Quest: Win the competitive match against Ronik Guild with Circle Guild. (Time Remaining: 4 hours, 12 minutes)]

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