A warm energy that completely erased the lingering chill. Feeling Cha Seohu’s divine power, the king recalled the moment he lost consciousness.
That sensation on my forehead...
There was no doubt.
Unbelievable as it was, the energy of the human standing before him now was the same one that had restored his mind.
Then... did that mean he really had healed Song Jiwoon’s body as well?
Realizing that Cha Seohu wasn’t lying, the king felt his heart begin to pound.
He felt hope. His voice trembled with the expectation rising in his throat.
“Is it... really true...?”
His face, once pale as death, flushed red with emotion. Turning urgently to Song Jiwoon, the king cried out.
“Really? Truly? Disciple—has my energy really...?”
The king had never acted like this before. Caught off guard, Jiwoon soon smiled gently.
“It’s true.”
Jiwoon took the king’s hand. A cool touch met his fingertips.
The king’s body, cold as snow, contrasted with Jiwoon’s now slightly warmer skin.
They used to have the same temperature.
Even with a cold-type skill, Jiwoon was still human. It didn’t make sense for his body to feel the same as the king’s. Only now did that fact become clear.
Cha Seohu had returned Jiwoon to being fully human.
“...I see.”
The king also seemed to register the difference. His gaze lowered to his hand, emotions heavy on his face.
After staring with trembling eyes for a long while, the king closed them tightly. From beneath his long, white lashes, a single, small tear fell.
Composing himself, the king turned to Cha Seohu and asked,
“Human, did you say your name was Cha Seohu?”
“Yes.”
“Cha Seohu. I’m truly grateful—not only for healing me but for saving my disciple.”
A great debt. At those words, Seohu shook his head and deactivated his divine skill.
“I healed the mountain guardian because I needed something from him. As for helping you—it was to track the ones I’m after.”
“Even if you had a motive, it doesn’t change the fact that we are in your debt.”
The king spoke firmly, then hesitated before repeating himself.
“Thank you.”
“......”
“Thank you, Cha Seohu.”
It was a burst of sincere gratitude he could no longer hold in. Perhaps that’s why Seohu, uncharacteristically, looked a bit flustered. A little awkward.
It felt like dozens of butterflies fluttering inside his chest—a sensation unfamiliar and strange.
Not knowing how to respond, he scratched his forehead aimlessly. The king smiled warmly and made a request.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak with my disciple alone.”
That was only natural. They must have a great deal to talk about.
As the two ascended to the second floor, Seohu—waiting in the living room—noticed something on the ground.
What’s this?
Left where the king had stood was a small, transparent crystal, softly glowing like a gem. It resembled a diamond.
Did they drop it?
It seemed to belong to either the king or Song Jiwoon. Seohu picked it up, deciding to return it later.
A few hours later, after speaking with Jiwoon, the king summoned Cha Seohu to the room. Seohu entered to find the king seated, waiting.
“Come in.”
As soon as Seohu sat across from him, the king spoke.
“Earlier, I was too shaken and greeted you quite poorly.”
He smiled faintly. The wariness with which he’d stared at Seohu before—mistaking him for a conman—was completely gone.
“You purified the jewel in my forehead and healed my disciple’s body. You saved a precious life. I’m indebted to you beyond words.”
His back straight, his gaze steady.
He expressed his gratitude without overbowing, maintaining the dignity fitting his status. To Seohu, this composure was far more comfortable than earlier.
“It’s nothing.”
“If you ever find yourself in trouble, come to me. I’ll help however I can.”
“I’d appreciate that. You must also have a score to settle with those lab bastards.”
“You think it’s just a grudge?”
Despite his light tone, a flicker of bloodlust passed through the king’s silver-blue eyes.
What they had done involved Song Jiwoon. From what that man with the business card had said, it was obvious they had known exactly what the king was searching for—and approached him with that knowledge.
Seohu welcomed the outcome. He had saved the king only to win Jiwoon over—but having someone this powerful as an ally was an undeniable advantage.
“I heard from my disciple,” the king said, hesitating, unsure how to phrase his next words.
“He told me... he has a twin brother?”
“Yes.”
Seohu had expected the king to ask and explained without hesitation.
“His name is Song Jiwon. He currently runs the Circle Guild under the name ‘Song Jiwoon.’ After their father died, he grew up in an orphanage and didn’t know he had a sibling. He even had the wrong name growing up.”
That information came from the current Circle Guildmaster—the imposter.
“A twin brother is the most plausible story. Even if your skill slows aging, you two look too alike for it to be a coincidence.”
Living in an orphanage after his father’s death had been the original Song Jiwoon’s life—before regression. It was a different path from the current Jiwoon, who lived with his mother after the divorce and later went to his grandmother after her death.
Did that difference in fate affect the awakening of their skills? There was no way to know for sure.
“So... my disciple had other blood relatives besides his grandmother...”
The king muttered softly, then sighed bitterly.
“That brother must have been very lonely. Losing his parents, growing up in an orphanage, not even knowing he had a sibling...”
Many shared similar stories.
When dungeons and rifts appeared, society was plunged into chaos. Countless people lost homes and families to monsters. Records of family relationships were often destroyed—giving the imposter an opening to claim to be Jiwoon’s twin.
Who would’ve thought I’d learn the past of the pre-regression Guildmaster this way...
It had been for the sake of persuading Jiwoon, but Seohu still couldn’t shake the bitter taste in his mouth.
“...Despite that lonely life, he’s an admirable person.”
The pre-regression Song Jiwoon—real one—was indeed a good man. Hearing Seohu’s honest voice, the king relaxed.
“My disciple has already made his decision. He wants to go with you. To see his grandmother again. And to meet his brother.”
“He can’t live here forever, after all.”
Seohu paused, then looked at the king.
“Won’t you come with us?”
“We’ll see.”
The king turned his eyes to the window. Green leaves on tall trees brushed gently against the glass.
“My disciple asked me the same. But it’s not a question I can answer lightly.”
“You could come. You’re controlling your energy well. And even if something happens, I can always purify you again.”
“You planning to follow me everywhere, casting your skills?”
“I’m pretty busy, so maybe not all the time.”
Seohu shrugged with a playful smile, and the king let out a brief laugh.
“I’ll think about it. Even for me, it’s not easy to leave a place I’ve lived in for nearly thirty years.”
“Understood.”
Despite his disciple deciding to leave after over twenty years together, the king didn’t look the least bit sad.
When the imposter first spoke of the current Jiwoon, the king assumed this life must have been more miserable than the last. Living alone as a mountain guardian on a snowy peak—it sounded like pure isolation.
But now, thinking back... with a master like this who genuinely cherished him, wasn’t Jiwoon already happy?
Now I have another reason to stop the Catastrophe.
Seohu realized: for Song Jiwoon to be truly happy, this king had to remain by his side.
They planned to leave in two days.
It was far too little time for Song Jiwoon to prepare himself mentally after living here so long—but Seohu had somewhere he needed to be.
The ranking match is coming up.
He didn’t care about losing first place. But Yesung had plastered announcements everywhere, hyping it up as a formal showdown. There was no way to skip it now.
Imagining Kwon Taehyuk standing alone in the arena, waiting for Cover to show up...
And the rage that would follow...
He’s going to look absolutely pathetic. I might as well give up first place too.
Naturally, Seohu couldn’t tell Ryu Sunghyun and Jiwoon the truth, so ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) he vaguely said he had a personal appointment to attend.
The king, perhaps sensing the real reason, supported the early departure, helping finalize their schedule without issue.
Once they descended and dropped Jiwoon off at the Circle Guild, Seohu could join the ranking match just in time. But before that—
“...Cha Sahyeon.”
“Yeah, hyung?”
Seohu, standing at the window and gazing at the night sky, called softly. Sahyeon, who had been lurking silently in the shadows, answered right away.
More urgent than the ranking match was what to do with Sahyeon before leaving the mountain. Seohu still hadn’t decided.
He hadn’t explained things properly to Ryu Sunghyun either. The man still remembered Seohu’s younger brother and was understandably confused.
Though he hadn’t asked any questions out of respect, things couldn’t stay awkward forever. Seohu would have to say something eventually.
Forget it. Let’s deal with Sahyeon’s energy first.
After sighing internally for what felt like the hundredth time, Seohu turned around.
“Come here.”
At his gesture, a flicker of light passed through Sahyeon’s deep green eyes. As Sahyeon stepped toward him, Seohu braced himself.
Be rational.
No matter how terrifying or disturbing Sahyeon might be, he had to keep him close. That’s what the system wanted. And what the system wanted... was the shortest path away from destruction.
Besides, no matter how often Seohu told him to go away, Sahyeon would just circle him like an abandoned dog. Seohu’s opinion didn’t matter. The outcome had been decided from the beginning.
“You said you wouldn’t disobey me.”
“As long as I have memories of living with you, I’ll never hurt you. I won’t disobey your orders either.”
Seohu repeated Sahyeon’s words back to him.
“Until I give the command, don’t use any skills.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t kill anyone. If anyone I know is in danger, protect them.”
“I will.”
Even with restrictions on his freedom, Sahyeon agreed instantly, without hesitation.
Then, smiling brightly, he leaned forward so Seohu could place an item around his neck.

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