In the end, unable to ignore the voice echoing in my head, I asked Kwon Taehyuk instead of answering.
“There should be plenty of supporters in Yesung Guild.”
“There are no S-ranks.”
I hadn’t even said anything about being S-rank, yet his reply was absolute.
So now he wasn’t even pretending to hide it anymore, huh.
Well, I wasn’t the type to dance around obvious facts either.
Since I still didn’t give a clear answer, Kwon Taehyuk opened his mouth again.
“It won’t be a bad deal for your guild either. There will be personnel from the Bureau at the site, so it’ll be good for gaining some recognition. Plus, since there aren’t any other cooperating guilds, you’ll be properly compensated.”
“......Understood.”
At this point, it was no longer an atmosphere where I could refuse.
If I had intended to reject him, I should have done so immediately without hesitation.
The problem was that I hesitated for too long.
“Please send the cooperation proposal and rift information separately.”
“I will.”
Retrieving his tablet PC without any lingering hesitation, Kwon Taehyuk stood up.
“My secretary will arrange and {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} send the necessary documents tomorrow. Also, on the day of departure to the site, we’ll send a car to pick you up.”
“Wow, that’s very thoughtful.”
There was no need to turn down the hospitality of a rich man. I readily accepted with a smile, and Kwon Taehyuk gave me one last glance before leaving the office.
“Hmm.”
Left with this unexpected burden, I swept back my bangs with a complicated feeling.
If I had cleanly refused, that would’ve been one thing— but now that I had accepted, it would be impossible to pretend I didn’t know anything.
Of course, there was no way I alone could prevent the catastrophe from happening.
‘If only I had gotten a better skill from the Item Shop. What the hell am I supposed to do with Sacred Power, which can only heal others?’
Taking Cha Sahyeon with me was another problem.
In order to provide support, I needed to touch the hunter, whether it was their hand or something else.
But Sahyeon was so sensitive that even a handshake could trigger her— I doubted she would obediently stay still.
If I left her behind, she’d throw a tantrum again like last time.
How the hell was I supposed to convince her?
At the very least, I needed her to accept a simple handshake.
“So exhausting......”
As I sighed in frustration, Cha Sahyeon tilted her head and blinked up at me, studying my expression.
“Tired? Because of that person?”
“What?”
“Want me to kill him?”
“.......”
The deep green eyes staring up at me didn’t waver in the slightest.
Just that was enough to make it clear the child was completely serious.
Those eyes.
They were beautiful, like precious jewels— but they could become terrifyingly cruel at any moment.
Looking at her entire face was fine.
Then I could see her as just a child delighted by a single gift.
But when I looked into only her eyes......
The horrible memories locked away behind a door in my mind rattled as if ready to burst open.
Thump-thump, my heartbeat roared in my head.
I swallowed dryly.
Forcing my body, frozen by instinctual fear, to move, I touched her soft, warm skin with my cold fingertips.
“......A kid shouldn’t say things like that.”
Smiling awkwardly, I grabbed Sahyeon’s squishy cheek and stretched it out.
Startled, she gave me a puzzled look.
“That person’s crazy strong, you know? Don’t say weird stuff—just behave, okay?”
Since I was at it, I cupped her face in both hands and squished her cheeks side to side.
Sahyeon, who had obediently offered her face to me, muttered in a disgruntled tone,
“I’m stronger.”
Yeah, probably. At the very least, she could probably put up a decent fight. And after the Seed of Catastrophe’s progress increased further, she would easily overpower him.
The important thing was, even if Cha Sahyeon charged at someone, I had no way of stopping her.
That’s why, while she was still willing to pretend to listen to me, I needed to hammer in some basic education.
“Remember what I said before? You don’t need to deal with anyone yourself. I’ll be in front of you, and I’ll protect you no matter what.”
“.......”
“Or would you prefer if I ignored everything you did— whether you fought someone or used your skills on them?”
At those words, Sahyeon, who had been glancing at me uneasily, hurriedly opened her mouth.
“I don’t want that.”
Even while I was stretching her cheeks, she shook her head vehemently.
“Good. So don’t ever say stuff like that again. Got it?”
“Uh-huh.”
Seeing her obediently nod made a breath of relief escape me.
As a reward, I brushed her eyes lightly, patted her cheeks, and ruffled her hair a few times before letting go.
That day, it was raining heavily.
It was as if the heavens, grieving over the countless victims of a sudden rift incident, were shedding tears— the wind roared, and torrential rain poured down.
I had been wandering around the guild looking for Ryu Sunghyun, when Kim Suho, who happened to be passing by, told me he was in the guildmaster’s office.
At that time, I hadn’t been in the Circle Guild for very long— I had only recently been rescued from the lab.
Standing before the tightly closed office door, I hesitated, unable to bring myself to knock.
[Come in.]
As if sensing my hesitation, a gentle voice called out from beyond the door before I could knock.
Ryu Sunghyun must have sensed my presence in the hallway and spoke up kindly— and from that small act, I could tell just how warm and considerate he was.
[Um, sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.]
I muttered awkwardly as I opened the door and entered. The guildmaster, standing by the window, smiled faintly and replied.
[Bother? I’m the one who said you’re always welcome. Come in and sit if you’d like.]
[......Then, excuse me.]
Glancing around nervously, I carefully sat on the sofa across from Ryu Sunghyun, as the guildmaster suggested.
Fidgeting with my ear out of awkwardness, I caught Ryu Sunghyun smiling gently at me— as if he were proud of a child.
That kind of gaze made me feel uncomfortable. It was unfamiliar.
If he had looked down on me or treated me lightly like others, I could’ve just acted reckless like I always did.
Because of that, in front of the guildmaster and Ryu Sunghyun, even the easy smiles I usually wore wouldn't come out.
The sense of indebtedness from them saving me only made it worse.
[Shall we pick up where we left off? Cha Seohu Hunter, you should listen too. By tomorrow, all the guild members will know anyway.]
Everyone would know? As I looked puzzled, the guildmaster handed some documents to Ryu Sunghyun.
Ryu Sunghyun, after reading them with a conflicted expression, hesitated before speaking.
[Are you really... going through with this?]
[I have to.]
[But... it won’t be accepted. Even the fact that we made such a request will just get buried quietly. As always.]
I didn’t need to hear the end of that sentence to know what he meant.
The guildmaster must have understood too, because he let out a small, bitter sigh and looked up at the gloomy, clouded sky.
[Even if it gets buried, we can’t just sit by and do nothing.]
[.......]
[Sunghyun, as you know, dungeons are becoming more manageable over time, but rifts are still dangerously unstable. People are increasingly prioritizing profit, ignoring the danger.]
In his pale green eyes, the color of newborn leaves, I saw deep worry.
[I was always anxious about it, but it finally exploded like this. Our guild was the closest to the accident site......]
Beneath his loosely tied, wheat-colored hair, his eyes twisted painfully.
[If we had known a rift was going to appear there... if we hadn’t sent you guys to a C-rank dungeon that wasn’t even half full......]
[Guildmaster......]
Hearing that voice, full of regret, even Ryu Sunghyun’s face twisted with pain.
The guildmaster was sincerely regretting and grieving. Even though he couldn’t have known the accident would happen.
It was a scene unfamiliar to me. In my experience, accidents were just accidents— and if someone had to take responsibility, it should’ve been the Bureau, who sold information to the highest bidder.
The only reason the guildmaster felt guilty was because his guild had been the closest to the site of the tragedy. Because when the news broke, they had no suitable dealers available to send.
[If only our guild had been a little stronger......]
[.......]
[I just can’t stop thinking that way.]
Turning toward the window, the guildmaster hid his expression, forcing a pained smile.
A heavy silence fell over the room. Only the sound of the storm pounding outside filled the void.
In that cold, damp noise, I slowly closed my eyes.
The rain-soaked sound faded into the distance— and everything sank into darkness, dragging my consciousness with it.
How much time had passed?
Suddenly, sensation rushed back all at once— the stinging brightness of sunlight piercing my closed eyelids.
"Ugh......."
I groggily raised my arm to block the sun and opened my eyes.
The morning sunlight poured brightly through the window, since the curtains had fallen off during the last commotion.
Hearing birds chirping cheerfully, I sat up, dislodging Cha Sahyeon, who had been stuck to my side in her sleep. I quietly muttered while pushing the blanket over to her.
"Fine. I’ll take care of it."
The accident must have weighed so heavily on my mind that it even dragged those old memories to the surface.
Grumbling at the memory of a guildmaster who now existed only in my memories, I got out of bed.

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