At that firm warning, Cha Seohu furrowed his brow.
"Take Cha Sahyeon? Not even using the choker, but that drug?"
"It should work pretty well, don't you think? It even hides his energy as A-rank. Oh, and he can still use his skills. If he doesn't go overboard, the pill should hold up well enough to protect you."
"No, but how the hell am I supposed to bring a kid into a mega-dungeon...?"
"Hm?"
Chronos pointed at Cha Sahyeon with a grimace.
"You're not seriously calling that thing a kid and spouting this nonsense, right?"
In an instant, Seohu became the overprotective older brother treating a fully grown adult like a child. Embarrassed, his cheeks flushed as he snapped back.
"What are you saying? Don't you realize he's being hunted? There's no guarantee those cult bastards won't sneak into the raid team. How the hell can I bring him in with me?"
"And your plan is what, to leave him outside while you go in and get killed?"
"Who's getting killed? Like you said, the Yesung Guildmaster and Sunghyun-hyung are going in, along with a bunch of other strong Hunters. I'll be supporting from the rear, there's no reason I'd be in danger."
It may have sounded reckless to ignore a warning from someone claiming to manage the world, but Seohu had his own reasoning.
First of all, he had an S-rank buff skill that could dramatically boost the raid team's power.
He'd planned to apply it to people like Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun, who already knew about his skill, but if things got dangerous, he was ready to buff other skilled Hunters too.
With dozens of participants in the raid team—plus foreign mercenaries—there had to be other S-ranks as well.
And he had S-rank holy power on top of that.
If the front-line Hunters were wiped out and chaos ensued, he could heal the wounded with wide-area recovery skills.
Other support-types would be present too, so he wouldn't recklessly overextend himself—but he was prepared to act if the situation demanded it.
On top of that, there was a secret Chronos didn't know.
I'll stock up on useful items from the Item Shop.
The system and its Item Shop were another trump card.
Especially the shop—it sold items you'd never find in the real world. If he prepared in advance, there'd be plenty of opportunities to use them.
Cha Seohu wasn't the same weak B-rank support scrambling {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} to apply a single buff anymore.
Before regression, he'd prayed for Ryu Sunghyun's safe return from the mega-dungeon. But now—he was ready to enter it himself and make a difference.
Bringing Cha Sahyeon along just felt like an added complication—but clearly, Chronos thought otherwise.
"Your abilities may be versatile, but you're not invincible. If there's a way to reduce risk, shouldn't you use it?"
His voice was calm now—no longer teasing, no trace of amusement. He continued with a composed expression.
"You may have memories of a previous timeline, but this is your first time entering the mega-dungeon. And you know how unpredictable humans are—when you gather a lot of them, accidents are bound to happen. Prepare as much as you can. At the very least, protect your own life."
"...You talk like Sahyeon is nothing but a tool."
"Isn't he?"
Chronos shrugged. He wasn't being sarcastic. He truly saw Sahyeon that way.
And the realization lit a cold flame in Seohu's chest.
Yet the one being treated like a tool—Cha Sahyeon—showed no reaction. On the contrary, he agreed with Chronos and grabbed Seohu's arm.
"Hyung. Take me. I want to go with you."
Sahyeon clung to Seohu's arm, pleading earnestly.
"You were seriously hurt during that last dungeon break. Even if you attach a shadow to me, we don't know if it'll follow you inside the dungeon. What if I appear suddenly inside—it'll be a mess. It's better to go together from the start."
"But—"
"And don't give me that crap about leaving the shadow off. You really think that's possible?"
Seohu's mouth clamped shut.
"It already pissed me off watching you get hurt saving an S-rank. And now I'm supposed to just sit here and watch you walk into a dungeon? Not happening. I'm going with you."
"No, that was... I had to save him or he would've died—"
"That bastard's life isn't worth your torn-up ribs."
Same here. But what could I do? Of all people, it had to be Eun Woojeong playing a "main role," so I had to keep him alive.
Not like I can tell the truth anyway.
Seohu let out a frustrated sigh. Meanwhile, Chronos, resting his chin in one hand and observing them lazily, finally spoke again.
"You're worried about his identity being discovered—but that ship's already sailed. The moment that church incident happened, it was over."
"The cultists at the scene were all eliminated."
"Even if they died, they likely reported back first. About how he destroyed the lab before awakening, about you storming in and killing humans. Not everything was cleaned up."
Chronos smiled slyly at Sahyeon, as if to say you know what I mean. Sahyeon's brow twitched as Chronos continued.
"Cha Seohu, you've probably noticed it by now. All the anomalies piling up—events that didn't happen in the previous timeline."
He handed Seohu the pearl and waved a hand lightly.
"They're panicking too. The test subject containing the 'real' Seed is acting independently, and you've been interfering with all their preparation work to destroy the world. This mega-dungeon is no different. Since Sahyeon won't cooperate, they're triggering other disasters instead."
It made perfect sense.
The world he remembered from before regression had been different. After joining Circle Guild, things had remained peaceful for quite a while.
The sudden rift breaches, dungeon breaks, attacks by high-class demons—those had appeared much later.
The Catastrophe emerged only after the world was already in chaos...
And now he knew—the cult had orchestrated it all. Just the thought of them made his blood boil.
"You can't hide him forever. And what if there's another 'Source of Vitality' inside the dungeon? You'll need Sahyeon to find it."
Chronos pointed to the pill.
"...Haa."
Letting out a heavy breath, Seohu looked down at the pill in his palm—then turned to look at Sahyeon.
Sahyeon was still staring only at him. His slightly upturned eyes drooped pitifully, his whole expression begging to be taken along.
The way his whole body pleaded made Seohu feel even more conflicted.
...If we're being honest, I'm the one who should be asking him to come.
The jewel-like pill in his hand only deepened the gloom in his heart.
After all, I'm now asking for protection from the person who once killed everyone I cared about.
Seohu didn't know what the right answer was anymore.
Should he forgive Sahyeon because of his horrifying past? Or was it right to resent him to the end?
If he forgave Sahyeon, would the dead—Ryu Sunghyun, the members of Circle Guild—ever understand him?
As he imagined Ryu Sunghyun's kind smile slowly hardening into something cold, Cha Seohu nodded.
"Alright."
The moment he gave his consent, Sahyeon, who had been nervously waiting, lit up with joy. Leaving the excited boy alone, Seohu slipped the pill into his inventory.
Since the effect was temporary, it'd be best to take it right before entering the dungeon.
"We're done here, right? If that's all, I'm leaving."
He stood up without hesitation. As he signaled with his eyes, Sahyeon summoned a shadow bird without needing to be told.
While waiting for the bird to return from the hotel, Seohu adjusted his hat and turned to Chronos.
"I have one question."
"What is it?"
"Why aren't you bothered by Sahyeon? According to what you told me—he's the reason the world was destroyed and you had to rewind time, right?"
"Ah."
Chronos stroked his chin with a surprisingly thoughtful expression and replied without hesitation.
"That's obvious. He's just a well-made tool."
"...What?"
"It's like this. If one human kills another using a sword, the one to blame is the killer—not the sword. The sword is just a weapon."
"..."
"That thing was created for that purpose. Getting angry at it would only waste my strength."
Seohu's eyes trembled. His pale cheeks were visible under the brim of his hat.
He blinked, barely holding back the storm of emotion, and clenched his fists tightly. Sahyeon, unaware of what Chronos had said, fidgeted nervously but couldn't bring himself to ask why.
Chronos gave Seohu a bitter smile.
"You don't need to empathize. I can accept this because I see him as a tool. You, Cha Seohu, don't."
"..."
Understanding his silence, Chronos added one last thing.
"Your guild's still intact, right? I'll handle the raid application. Come back when the dungeon appears."
See you in three days, Cha Seohu.
With Chronos's parting words—spoken only to Seohu—the two of them left Circle Guild behind.
Three days after meeting Chronos, just as he had prophesied, an S-rank mega-dungeon appeared in Incheon.
The government, realizing the dungeon's rank, scrambled to recruit a raid team. The media and online communities exploded with speculation.
It was the second S-rank mega-dungeon in Korea in seven years, and the sixth worldwide. Naturally, many aggressive foreign Hunters showed interest.
Just as promised, Cha Seohu left the hotel the moment he heard the news and headed for Circle Guild. This time, he didn't sneak around in the dark—he walked openly in broad daylight. The childlike Cha Sahyeon, wearing his choker, held Seohu's hand as they went.
He ignored Kang Haeil, who was likely watching him from somewhere. Once he'd committed to the raid, hiding his movements was meaningless.
"Cha Seohu Hunter. Is it true you're joining the mega-dungeon raid?"
As soon as he arrived at Circle Guild, Ryu Sunghyun ran out with a worried look on his face. Seeing him again made Seohu's eyes light up with joy.
Just as he was about to ease Sunghyun's worries, a broad-shouldered figure cut in.
"It's dangerous."
Seohu narrowed his eyes.
Why the hell is this guy here again?

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