"Following Ronik's Kim Gihyuk, the second to be eliminated is Lee Hyunho of Ronik Guild."
"Ah—Cover! He’s still on the move."
"He’s ignoring the Ronik member nearby and chasing after someone else. Looks like he’s picked specific targets."
"Circle’s formation has split into three! Cover Hunter is chasing individual targets, Ryu Sunghyun is holding the center, and the rest of the team is stationed in front of the Nexus."
"Ronik is regrouping faster than expected and closing in on Blue Team’s Nexus. As expected from a guild of elite Hunters."
Watching the center of the arena—torn apart and scorched by Ryu Sunghyun’s skill—Park Heeseok bit his lip hard.
What the hell are they all doing!?
Sure, there were two S-rank Hunters on the enemy team, but that was still just two out of twelve.
Ronik’s lineup included seven A-rank Hunters. No matter how powerful the S-ranks were, they couldn’t hold off that many people alone.
There had to be openings, and once those cracks were found, Circle wouldn’t be able to stop them—they could steamroll all the way to the Nexus. In fact, Park Heeseok had stayed back to guard the Nexus specifically in case Ryu Sunghyun got reckless.
"Guildmaster... what should we do?"
One of the Hunters, sensing the tide shifting, whispered cautiously. At that moment, Park Heeseok spotted Ryu Sunghyun among the chaos, and his eyes went cold.
"Hold your position. I’ll go."
"Yes, sir! Be careful!"
Leaving behind the fired-up Ronik members, Park Heeseok strode forward.
Weaponless, he marched toward the arena’s center—where Ryu Sunghyun, having just emerged from the rubble, awaited him.
"You must really want to win, Vice-Guildmaster of Circle."
Park Heeseok taunted him instantly, as if he'd been waiting for the moment. Ryu Sunghyun, golden light still flickering at his fingertips, responded calmly.
"I didn’t come here to lose."
"You didn’t come to lose, huh?"
Park Heeseok let out a disbelieving snort and looked Ryu up and down.
Ryu was tall—as expected of an S-rank—but Park Heeseok was even taller, and built far more thickly. His bleached eyes gave off a menacing air, even when expressionless.
After silently observing him for a moment, Park Heeseok scoffed, his voice tinged with mockery.
"You really think you’re going to win?"
"......"
The informal tone was so casual, it was clear he'd never seen the need for honorifics in the first place. So much for all the polite pretense he used to maintain around Ryu—it was all just fake.
"The Blue Team’s Nexus is already looking shaky."
"......"
"It won’t take much. Just holding you here is enough to win. You actually believe your people can defend that Nexus with such pathetic strength?"
Ryu said nothing, but Park Heeseok noticed the hesitation in his eyes—how they flicked ever so slightly toward the teammates behind him. He was restraining himself from turning around.
Realizing this gave Park Heeseok a cold thrill. The same rank as me, yet completely beneath him. Ryu Sunghyun, stuck in a weak little guild, unable to even talk back to him.
Even with Kwon Taehyuk’s endorsement and Cover’s help, it didn’t matter—Circle was still beneath Ronik. Still beneath him.
Should’ve just accepted my offer when you had the chance.
Could’ve saved yourself all this pain.
"You believe in them, huh?"
Just as he clicked his tongue in condescension, a voice—soft and out of place—cut in from the side.
Startled, Park Heeseok spun around. Through the lingering dust, Cover walked toward them, completely relaxed.
His mask glinted beneath his swaying blond hair, and his sheath—splattered with fresh blood—rested lazily against his shoulder.
"We believe in them. That’s why we planned this strategy. You’ve seen it all yourself—why ask? Oh, wait... maybe your brain's too beast-like to process it?"
"What—? You little bastard...!"
"Tsk. Quiet."
Park Heeseok’s face twisted in fury, killing intent flooding out of him—but Cover simply raised a finger to his mask, signaling silence, completely unfazed.
Just then, the announcer’s voice rang across the arena:
"And now, the third player eliminated—Jang Hyunil of Ronik Guild!"
"Unbelievable! That’s three A-rank Hunters taken out by Cover Hunter!"
"Clearly, having more A-ranks doesn’t guarantee victory. Circle is on a terrifying roll right now!"
Even Ryu Sunghyun was startled. Another one gone? That quickly?
And all three names... were familiar.
They were the ones who attacked Kim Suho.
He glanced at Cover, but the mask revealed nothing.
...Couldn’t be on purpose. Right?
Why would Cover go out of his way for something like that?
Pushing the thought aside, Ryu turned his attention back to Park Heeseok.
"You f**king piece of sh*t..."
Now realizing Cover had targeted his people, Park Heeseok’s expression darkened. His muscles bulged as he began to transform.
Grrrrrrrk!
A sound more beast than human rumbled from Park Heeseok’s throat. His skin darkened and thickened, white fur spreading rapidly across his swelling frame.
His muzzle extended forward, canines sharpening into thick fangs. His arms, still humanoid, grew thick and heavy—his hands becoming large, clawed paws.
Now over 2.5 meters tall, the towering beast snarled, a full lion’s mane rippling around his white-furred body. His pale, predatory eyes gleamed with menace.
Park Heeseok’s skill: Beast Morph. He could transform into a powerful creature—in his case, a white lion.
"Ronik’s Guildmaster has activated his skill!"
"Look at that mane, those massive claws! Absolutely ferocious."
"Park Heeseok is Ronik’s main DPS! Can Ryu Sunghyun and Cover hold him off?"
"This battle might decide the outcome of the entire match!"
As Park Heeseok transformed, the crowd’s cheers swelled. The commentators grew louder with excitement.
Ryu Sunghyun swallowed dryly as he took in the beast in front of him. His pants—likely made with expansion in mind—fit his new size. His shirt, however, had long since been torn apart.
He stood on two legs like a man, but with his fur-covered body, lion’s head, long mane, thick arms, and claws, he looked more monster than human.
It was an overwhelming presence, though surprisingly, it made him more popular—especially among the ultra-wealthy for some strange reason.
"Wow."
Cover, who’d just watched the whole transformation up close, let out a relaxed murmur. Then, he casually reached out and grabbed Ryu’s shoulder.
"Vice-Guildmaster."
"Y-Yes?"
"Good luck. You've got this."
"What? Wait—Cover Hunter?"
After offering his vague encouragement, Cover stepped back entirely.
"I do have a sense of timing, you know. It’d be boring if the leaders didn’t clash at least once, right? And the crowd seems to be waiting for it."
ROAAAAR!
Before Cover finished his sentence, Park Heeseok lunged forward with a thunderous roar. The force of his leap cracked the ground and shook the entire arena.
Despite his massive frame, he moved fast. Ryu Sunghyun hastily dodged, materializing a golden whip.
The whip lashed out and wrapped around Park Heeseok’s arm—but it was nowhere near strong enough to restrain him.
"You little sh*t! Stay out of this!"
Snarling curses through his elegant lion face, Park Heeseok swung his arm. The whip shattered into glittering fragments.
Cover, who had retreated with perfect timing, called out casually,
"You need to attack, Vice-Guildmaster."
"......"
Attack?
Ryu instinctively began channeling power, but... nothing came out.
It was laughable, really. Ryu Sunghyun had hardly ever fought another Hunter.
Sure, he’d run dungeons and fought monsters. But to attack someone he once saw as a comrade? His instincts balked at it.
From the moment he awakened, Ryu had been bombarded with recruitment offers and dragged into gossip. After joining Circle, all his energy went into simply adjusting to the life of a Hunter.
And Circle wasn’t a large guild—it didn’t have the resources for formal duels or combat simulations.
I get why he’s hesitating.
To Ryu, fellow Hunters were allies—people you fought with, not against. Guild name didn’t matter.
That’s why even now, when faced with a man who tormented him, he still couldn’t bring himself to strike.
Add in the lack of experience, and... yeah.
But you still have to do it, Hyung.
Ryu might still be inexperienced—but that just meant his potential was enormous.
And Cover knew that. Because he had seen Ryu at his brightest.
He’d provoked Park Heeseok on purpose to force this one-on-one clash, all so Ryu could grow.
Behind his mask, Cover smiled quietly.
Park Heeseok... you’re going {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} to be our Hyung’s punching bag today.
[Main Quest: Win the competitive match against Ronik Guild with Circle Guild. (Time Remaining: 3 hours 05 minutes)]

Comments

Loading...