The walls, which had been shifting and rearranging the maze as they pleased, finally stopped. The S-rankers, who had been watching every direction without letting their guard down, finally exhaled a weary breath.
‘Where’s Cha Seohu? Did he make it to safety?’
Kwon Taehyuk kept scanning the people around him, nervous and unsettled. It was hard to spot Cha Seohu, who had been following far behind while he took the lead.
Unable to bear his anxiety, Kwon Taehyuk turned around. He intended to go find Seohu himself.
Just as Kwon Taehyuk stepped forward—
Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon also began walking in the same direction.
“......”
“......”
“......”
All three came to a halt at once. The looks they exchanged were razor-sharp.
Expressions that seemed to say, "You too?" flickered briefly across each of their faces before vanishing.
A strange, cold silence settled over them. None of them spoke, but their sharp glances clashed back and forth. A tense battle of wits began.
Just then, Park Minhyuk approached Kwon Taehyuk ➤ NоvеIight ➤ (Read more on our source) with something to discuss but paused, taken aback by the sight of the three men standing stiffly together.
“Uh... what are the three of you from Yesung Guild doing?”
Kwon Taehyuk avoided his gaze and muttered under his breath,
“...We’ll talk later.”
He had to find Cha Seohu first.
Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon were clearly headed to find Seohu, and if he was the only one who didn’t go, Seohu might get the wrong idea.
“Ah, okay.”
Whatever it was, it must’ve been serious. Just as Park Minhyuk began to step aside from the unusually tense atmosphere—
“There you are.”
A calm voice rang out, and Park Minhyuk instinctively turned to look.
There stood a stunningly handsome Hunter approaching without the slightest hesitation. Behind him trailed a tall man wearing a sullen expression.
Even Park Minhyuk, who was used to meeting all kinds of people in his job, found himself briefly stunned by the man’s graceful appearance.
“Hunter Cha Seohu.”
The three men who had stood like statues suddenly sprang into motion, calling Seohu’s name as they briskly moved past Park Minhyuk. The tense atmosphere dissolved instantly, replaced by unmistakable warmth.
‘Cha Seohu?’
Park Minhyuk, who had memorized the names, ranks, and skills of nearly all 100 Hunters participating in the raid, immediately recalled Seohu’s profile.
‘He was a B-rank buffer, wasn’t he?’
If S-rankers were reacting like this, it meant they were on close terms—but for a B-rank buffer, that seemed far too extravagant.
“Hunter Cha Seohu, are you alright? Any injuries?”
“I’ve just been following from behind—there wasn’t much chance to get hurt. You should be more worried about yourself, Mountain Keeper. This is your first dungeon, and with the maze shifting around, you must’ve been surprised.”
“I was a little startled, but... I’m okay.”
“Hunter Cha Seohu. From now on, you should stay close to us. We've decided to move together without separating by position while we clear the maze.”
Kwon Taehyuk actively looked out for him, Song Jiwoon feigned weakness with a shy smile, and Ryu Sunghyun seized the opportunity to suggest they stick together.
Hunter Cha Seohu, Hunter Cha Seohu, Hunter Cha Seohu—the name practically glued itself to all three of their lips. And Seohu responded to each of them earnestly.
‘Huh...’
Watching the scene unfold with growing disbelief, Park Minhyuk felt a little overwhelmed.
He was just a B-rank supporter, so why were three S-rankers tripping over themselves for him?
The man standing silently behind Seohu, looking dejected but giving off a strong aura with his muscular build, likely an A-rank dealer, only made it more confusing.
Seohu nodded easily at Ryu Sunghyun’s suggestion and brought up what he originally came for with a bright smile.
“I’ll give you a buff.”
“A buff?”
“A buff?”
Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun both widened their eyes in shock. Only Song Jiwoon, who knew Seohu applied buffs through handshakes, looked puzzled.
“Right here?”
Kwon Taehyuk reflexively asked and then abruptly turned around. Ryu Sunghyun did the same.
“...?”
Park Minhyuk was baffled by the two S-rankers suddenly glaring at him in the middle of a perfectly normal conversation.
It lasted less than two seconds, but being openly scrutinized by two S-rankers made the hair on his arms stand on end.
‘What the hell is going on...?’
Did they think he was eavesdropping? But he’d been here first.
He felt wronged, but not curious enough to keep standing there while being glared at. Shaking his head inwardly, Park Minhyuk stepped away.
As soon as Park Minhyuk had moved far enough that his footsteps could no longer be heard, Kwon Taehyuk quickly replied,
“Er... this isn’t the best place...”
“Excuse me?”
“There are too many eyes watching.”
“Then where should we do it?”
“Well, when everyone gets tired later, we’ll be setting up a simple camp. A few of us, including myself, brought compressed camper vans using items, so we’ll take them out and—”
“No, no.”
Cha Seohu rubbed his forehead at the absurd explanation Kwon Taehyuk kept rambling on with.
“I want to give the buff now because we don’t know what’s going to happen. If I wait until break time, what’s the point? And what’s with camps and campers anyway? If someone overheard this...”
They’d probably think I just invited someone to have sex with me.
He barely swallowed the crude sarcasm that rose to the back of his throat.
No way he could say something like that in front of Ryu Sunghyun or Song Jiwoon. Their ears would rot.
And he had to keep up appearances with Kwon Taehyuk.
Sighing deeply, Seohu called out,
“This won’t do. Vice-Guildmaster.”
“Yes?”
“You’ve done this once already, so you’re used to it. Show them how it’s done.”
“...What?”
Without hesitation, Seohu flung his arms open wide and declared,
“Come on! Hug me quick! And roll your sleeves up first!”
“...!”
“Shh! Hunter Cha Seohu, keep your voice down!”
Next to Ryu Sunghyun, whose ears were turning bright red, Kwon Taehyuk flailed to cover Seohu’s mouth in a panic.
It was a desperate attempt to stop any more rivals from appearing, but unfortunately, curious Hunters nearby had already begun glancing their way.
“Hunter Cha Seohu, over here—just a bit more this way...!”
Eventually, the four men coaxed Seohu to a slightly more secluded spot.
They wanted to go even further, but it was a dungeon, after all.
“I don’t get it. I’m just giving a buff—why is everyone freaking out?”
“...If we do this out in the open and other Hunters get curious, what then?”
“They probably brought their own supporters. And if anyone starts getting annoying, I’ll tell Guildmaster Taehyuk on them.”
“Haa...”
“Anyway, can we start now?”
Seohu raised his arms again and spoke to Ryu Sunghyun.
“I wore just a hoodie today so it’d be easier to touch.”
“......”
Ryu Sunghyun quietly rubbed his face with both hands.
Whether he looked flustered or not, Seohu was already fired up now that the buff was going to work properly again.
“I told you the sleeves need to be rolled up above the elbow, right? And obviously, take off any gloves. After the hug, you have to press your cheek against mine. That makes the buff last longer.”
“...Understood.”
Swallowing dryly, Ryu Sunghyun gave a resolute nod, seemingly steeling himself.
He took off the gloves gifted to him by Cover and stuffed them into his jacket pocket, then rolled up his sleeves to reveal slightly tanned skin.
Once ready, Ryu Sunghyun approached Seohu, who still stood with open arms.
Cha Sahyeon and Kwon Taehyuk’s gazes sharpened, and even Song Jiwoon’s face went cold once he realized what was happening.
Just before embracing Seohu, Ryu Sunghyun licked his dry lips and flexed his hands open. Then, carefully, he slid both hands underneath the hoodie.
A faint chill touched his palms. He could feel smooth skin and firm muscle beneath them.
The moment their cheeks pressed together, Seohu activated his buff skill.
Ding!
《Skill: Bond of the Guardian (S-Rank) activated!》
《Main skill damage increased. (Target: Ryu Sunghyun) (Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes)》
《Base speed increased. (Target: Ryu Sunghyun) (Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes)》
《Stabilizing effect applied. (Target: Ryu Sunghyun) (Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes)》
Just like on the snowy mountain, the duration had massively increased.
Still in Ryu Sunghyun’s arms, Seohu checked the glowing status window that appeared in front of him with satisfaction.
‘Aside from the extended duration, I wonder if the buff performance improved too?’
Since he was S-rank, it should already be excellent. But if physical contact improved performance further...
Seohu was willing to consider even more than just hugging.

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