Tick, tock. The clock continued its rhythm.
Time was slipping by—time that I couldn’t stop or change, no matter how hard I tried. The ticking hands mixed with Ryu Sunghyun’s voice, echoing in my head.
[We’re going to protect them.]
No, hyung. We’re going to die.
My throat felt sealed shut. I couldn’t get the words out. How could I say something like that to Ryu Sunghyun, who smiled at me so sorrowfully?
But then I realized... maybe he already knew. That no matter what we did, everyone was going to die.
If that was the case, then I had only one option: to die with the people I cared about.
A life without them held no meaning for me. I didn’t even want to live the kind of life where I just stood behind others and got protected.
And yet...
[What... What are you saying...?]
Rain poured down from the sky as if it had been pierced open. The representative’s office, which always felt warm, suddenly felt unbearably cold.
Song Jiwoon looked at me with a conflicted expression as I stood there, stunned.
[Run, Seohu.]
[...]
[Once the war starts, no one will notice if one or two people disappear. When that happens...]
[You want me to run then? Alone?]
It was so absurd I accidentally let out a short laugh.
I never imagined Song Jiwoon would say something like this. I laughed, but inside, I wanted to cry.
I didn’t even know what I was feeling anymore. Was I disappointed in him for trying to make me run away while everyone else risked their lives? Or was it guilt—for making him worry even in a moment like this?
[How could I do that? I... I can’t, Guildmaster. Not by myself...]
[You won’t be alone.]
[What?]
Song Jiwoon hesitated briefly, then looked away from me.
[In a chaotic world like this, it’s dangerous for a supporter to travel alone.]
[Wait.]
A terrible feeling swept over me.
All the blood in my body went cold. I didn’t want to hear what was coming next. But before I could stop him, Song Jiwoon opened his mouth again.
[You’ll be safe if Sunghyun is with you.]
[...]
[Leave together.]
Everything I had barely held together came crashing down.
I wanted to scream as I felt myself plummet into a bottomless pit. My heart hurt—slashed to shreds. It hurt so much... I could barely breathe.
[Why... Why does it have to be me?]
We all knew we were going to die. I had accepted it because I couldn’t stop Ryu Sunghyun, who wasn’t afraid of death and wanted to protect others.
So I decided I would die beside him.
But I was too weak to even be allowed that. What did Ryu Sunghyun do to deserve this? Why did he have to bear the burden of dragging me along while running away like a coward?
[If we’re going to run, then let’s all run together.]
[...]
[Everyone wants to live, don’t they? You can’t do this to Sunghyun-hyung either. Why me, of all people...]
[Seohu.]
Song Jiwoon gently took my hand. His hand, always warm, felt unnaturally cold this time.
When I lifted my head, he didn’t avoid my gaze. His light green eyes were darkened, sunken.
[Everyone in the guild... feels the same way.]
[...]
[Even Sunghyun...]
[...]
He kept talking, but I couldn’t hear a word.
Only now did I realize what it meant when the guild members ignored my objections during the meeting, and what Ryu Sunghyun truly meant when he said we were going to protect them.
My vision blurred in an instant. After blinking a few times, I could feel my face growing wet.
Ah... this misery. I hated them for not even letting me die with them. But I hated myself even more for being so powerless.
As I silently let the tears fall, Song Jiwoon whispered to me.
[Live, Seohu.]
That pitiful request rang in my ears like a curse.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I shut my eyes tight. Darkness surged in, swallowing me whole. In the drowning haze of my mind, I asked Song Jiwoon:
But Guildmaster...
Is a life like mine... really worth saving?
“...Is there no other way?”
“...This was the best option at the time...”
As my consciousness sharpened, the first thing I heard was voices in conversation.
When I slowly opened my eyes to the sound of a familiar voice, I saw a gray ceiling—and then, pain came rushing back.
“Ugh...” I let out a groan and instinctively reached for my shoulder.
“Cover Hunter.”
The person who noticed I was awake quickly approached. I looked up dizzily and saw a familiar face, full of worry.
“...Hyung?”
Ryu Sunghyun’s eyes widened in shock when he heard me speak.
“......!”
That sight jolted me fully awake, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head. I scrambled to sit up, hands flying to my face.
‘Oh, shit!’
Thankfully, my fingers brushed against the hard surface of my mask. But that didn’t mean I could relax.
Gasping, I scanned my surroundings. The room looked like a waiting area. Only Ryu Sunghyun and Kwon Taehyuk were present. It was the worst possible setup.
‘Did they see me? They must’ve seen me, right?’
Who else saw me? Did they figure out who I really was? Wait—what time is it? How much time is left until the skill deactivates...?
My mind spun out of control.
I should’ve held out longer. No matter what, I had to endure. This... this was beyond salvageable. My fingers, pressed tightly against the mask, began to tremble.
“...Um, Cover Hunter?”
Ryu Sunghyun took a slow step back from me, his voice gentle.
“Calm down. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“......”
I took a deep breath and looked at both Ryu Sunghyun and Kwon Taehyuk. Neither of them showed any signs of deception.
I couldn’t fully let my guard down, but my heart, which had been racing like mad, gradually steadied. Swallowing dryly, I spoke in a calm voice.
“This... is the waiting room?”
“Yes. We explained the situation to the organizers and borrowed it. The guild members and staff left earlier. Only Hunter Kwon Taehyuk and I remained.”
“The time...?”
“It’s just past 5 a.m.”
Later than I expected. My head started to ache.
The match must have ended around 11 p.m. at the latest. If I passed out right after, I’d been unconscious for nearly six hours.
‘Screwed.’
As soon as I realized I had lost six hours, Cha Sahyeon came to mind. He was probably still waiting, without having slept.
While I fumbled for a response, Ryu Sunghyun glanced ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) over at Kwon Taehyuk.
“Hunter Kwon Taehyuk, if you don’t mind, could you give us a moment?”
Kwon Taehyuk turned his eyes to me. He clearly had things he wanted to say too. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded.
“Understood. I’ll have a car waiting. Come out when you’re done.”
“Thank you.”
Once Kwon Taehyuk exited the room, Ryu Sunghyun pulled a chair in front of the sofa and sat down. It was the first time since my regression that he had come this close on his own, and I flinched instinctively.
Ryu Sunghyun leaned forward slightly, rubbing his lips before speaking.
“First, take this.”
He pulled out a white pill—one of the painkillers he often carried.
“A C-rank supporter from the organizers tried to use a healing skill, but the effect was minimal. Your condition probably isn’t good.”
After taking an S-rank hit, of course it wasn’t. I nodded and swallowed the pill obediently.
“Especially your shoulder...”
“......”
“Sigh...”
Ryu Sunghyun rubbed his tired eyes and sighed before continuing.
“Your shoulder’s in bad shape. If you’re moved to a hospital, you can be healed completely. But that would leave a record. That’s why Hunter Kwon Taehyuk and I decided to bring you here instead. If this causes long-term damage to your shoulder—”
“That’s fine.”
I cut him off and sat up, tired of hearing the drawn-out explanation.
“This is enough.”
My shoulder still hurt like hell, but the rest of me felt better than before I passed out. The C-rank skill had done something, at least.
As long as I could move well enough to escape, injuries didn’t matter. I grabbed my sword from the waiting room desk without hesitation.
“If you went so far as to worry about medical records, I guess you really didn’t mess with me while I was unconscious.”
“...Mess with you?”
Ryu Sunghyun sighed softly, following me to his feet.
“Everyone—Hunter Kwon Taehyuk and the rest—wanted to protect your identity.”
“Everyone, huh.”
His words overlapped with Song Jiwoon’s voice from my dream.
Of all the dreams to have... I clicked my tongue mentally, slipped the sword into my inventory, and turned around.
“Then pass along my thanks. To the Guildmaster of Yesung as well.”
“Wait, Cover Hunter. What are you doing?”
As I headed toward the window and opened it, Ryu Sunghyun realized something was wrong and rushed over.
“The competition’s over. Naturally, I’m going my own way. Thanks for everything, Deputy Guildmaster.”
“What—Cover Hunter!”
With Kwon Taehyuk guarding the door, the only way out unnoticed was through the window. I waved briefly at Ryu Sunghyun and jumped without hesitation.
‘Wait—’
In 0.5 seconds, I regretted it. Was it... higher than I remembered?
“Cover Hunter!”
Ryu Sunghyun’s voice rang out—and then something wrapped tightly around my waist. He had jumped out with me, holding me close while grabbing onto the outer building decorations with his other hand.
“......”
“Phew...”
Dangling midair in Ryu Sunghyun’s arms, I hesitated before asking:
“...Did we change rooms?”
Ryu Sunghyun sighed in exasperation, then answered.
“Yes. That was the fifth floor waiting room.”
The Circle Guild’s usual room was on the second floor.
I’d assumed it was the same room and jumped. But the rooms all looked similar—I hadn’t realized it was the fifth floor.

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