Ryu Sunghyun blinked, speechless at Cha Seohu’s words. Seeing his unfocused, clouded eyes, Cha Seohu bit back a curse.
“Shit, he’s totally gone.”
It was like he’d been hit with a mental-type skill. Why the hell did he suddenly end up like this?
“No way... could it be a side effect of the buff?”
There was no other way to explain it.
No wonder. Damn it. The buff effects were almost too good. This goddamn...!
“Vice-Guildmaster, get a hold of yourself. It’s me, Cha Seohu.”
First, calm Ryu Sunghyun down.
As Cha Seohu spoke calmly, Ryu Sunghyun, who had been quiet for a moment, slowly raised his slumped upper body.
“Vice-Guildmaster.”
Did he come to his senses?
Just as Cha Seohu looked up at Ryu Sunghyun with a flicker of hope—
Slide.
Ryu Sunghyun, face flushed red, began slowly moving his hips.
He grabbed Cha Seohu’s leg resting on his thigh and started rocking his hips back and forth, their lower bodies rubbing together with each motion.
Cha Seohu was horrified. There was no mistaking what Ryu Sunghyun’s actions meant.
To make matters worse, something thick and hard brushed against a place he could barely describe aloud. The moment he felt it, Cha Seohu’s face went pale.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
Not once in his life had he wanted to rub groins with a close older friend or feel how big it was. The shock hit him like a freight train, rattling him to the core.
“Vice-Guildmaster, stop! I said stop!”
Cha Seohu screamed and flailed wildly. He twisted his waist, struggling with everything he had to get off the couch.
But the more he struggled, the more Ryu Sunghyun pressed him into the back of the sofa, grinding their hips together.
“Ugh, Ryu Sunghyun...!”
“Cha Seohu.”
Ryu Sunghyun murmured his name in a low voice as if responding to the cry, his hips moving more forcefully. His eyes, looking down at Cha Seohu, were still clouded over like stormy skies.
“No, this fucking—”
The relentless rubbing had forcibly overstimulated Cha Seohu, making his face flush with heat as well. His eyes reddened at the corners.
“Stop it, just...!”
“Cha Seohu Hunter!”
A sharp voice cut in out of nowhere. At the same time, Ryu Sunghyun’s body was violently shoved off him.
Thud!
Ryu Sunghyun collapsed powerlessly to the floor. While Kwon Taehyuk subdued him, Song Jiwoon rushed over and helped Cha Seohu up.
“A-Are you okay?”
“Y-Yeah. I’m okay...”
Cha Seohu cleared his hoarse throat and let out a breath of relief.
“Perfect timing.”
If Kwon Taehyuk and Song Jiwoon had returned even a second later, it would’ve been a disaster.
Ryu Sunghyun had clearly lost his mind due to the buff’s side effects, but if he had gotten aroused from that while still sane...
The thought alone made him want to puke.
“Ah, the Vice-Guildmaster...”
Still being supported by Song Jiwoon as he stood up from the couch, Cha Seohu looked for Ryu Sunghyun first.
Ryu ★ Novelight ★ Sunghyun, lying on the floor with Kwon Taehyuk’s hand around his neck, had a furrowed brow. He had hit his head on the floor when shoved away, and maybe because of that, seemed to have regained some of his senses.
Kwon Taehyuk’s expression as he restrained him was chilling. His clenched jaw made the muscles in his face bulge.
“Yeah, that’s a reasonable reaction.”
Even if they were both men, an S-rank dealer pinning down a support-type barely stronger than a civilian—of course someone like Kwon Taehyuk, who loathed criminal behavior, would see it as something vile.
Cha Seohu needed to clear up the misunderstanding first. He found the hoodie he had taken off and thrown earlier, put it back on, and spoke to Kwon Taehyuk.
“Guildmaster, please calm down. The Vice-Guildmaster didn’t mean to do anything wrong.”
“What do you mean he didn’t! Cha Seohu Hunter, just now, Ryu Sunghyun Hunter—!”
“I’ll explain, so please let him go.”
Cha Seohu replied firmly, and Kwon Taehyuk reluctantly released Ryu Sunghyun.
Ryu Sunghyun, with red marks around his neck, looked half dazed—like someone forcibly awakened from deep sleep.
“...Looks like the buff side effect really does mess with your mind.”
Cha Seohu let out a long sigh.
It wasn’t uncommon for skills to come with side effects, but mental manipulation? That was going to be a serious headache.
With a complicated expression, he glanced between Ryu Sunghyun, Kwon Taehyuk, and Song Jiwoon, then stood up.
“I’m sorry, but... could I take a moment outside to gather my thoughts before I explain everything? It won’t take long.”
He looked so drained that no one could bring themselves to stop him.
Leaving the three behind, Cha Seohu exited the RV.
The cool air outside helped clear his mind a little, even though it was still inside the dungeon.
“Haah, I could really use a cigarette...”
He hadn’t brought any since he’d quit smoking after taking in Cha Sahyeon. Instead, he pulled out a candy he had bought for Sahyeon and popped it in his mouth, pressing his sore eyes shut.
The back-to-back shocks were exhausting, and he wanted nothing more than to say screw it and give up—but there was nowhere to escape inside the dungeon.
Of all people, why did it have to be Ryu Sunghyun? He didn’t want things to get awkward between them.
Cha Seohu forced his rusty brain to start turning.
“It’s confirmed—the buff skill has a side effect.”
Crunching on the candy, he replayed the incident.
“The side effect... how do I even describe that? Libido enhancement? No, wait. Judging by how he asked for more because it felt good, maybe it just amplifies pleasure in general.”
Even if the explanation was simple, it wasn’t a simple issue for the person experiencing it.
Pleasure is only tolerable in moderation. If it flips your mind like that...
It’s not something to take lightly.
Being the one driven mad with lust versus being the one nearly assaulted—who really had it worse?
“Nothing like this happened before regression, so it must be a new side effect that came with my S-rank upgrade.”
Did this mean that every time he gave a 6-hour buff, he’d have to go through this bullshit?
“Haaaah...”
Cha Seohu let out a sigh from deep in his gut.
Goddamn system. Important shit like this should be in the skill description. Who the hell gave it permission to upgrade his skill to S-rank and tack on side effects?
Muttering curses at the system in his head, he made his way back to the RV. He had declared a short break, but now it was time to clean up the mess.
“Cha Seohu Hunter!”
As soon as he stepped back into the RV, he was greeted by Ryu Sunghyun’s urgent shout.
Looking pale and fidgety, Ryu Sunghyun rushed up to him—only to stop just short of getting too close.
Apparently, while Cha Seohu had been outside sorting through his thoughts, Ryu Sunghyun had done the same. His eyes were now sharp and focused like usual. He’d even fixed his clothing.
“Cha Seohu Hunter, about earlier...”
Fidgeting anxiously, biting his lip, Ryu Sunghyun lowered his head with a pained expression.
“I’m... really sorry. I have no excuse. I should’ve resisted... it was scary...”
“It’s fine.”
“...What?”
Cha Seohu cut off his string of apologies coldly. Ryu Sunghyun jerked his head up in surprise.
He clearly hadn’t expected Cha Seohu to say it was fine. His confusion only made Cha Seohu feel even more fed up.
“What, did you expect me to cry and scream and demand you take responsibility?”
“Ah, no, I mean...”
Despite himself, Ryu Sunghyun instinctively thought it might’ve been better if he had.
“In the end, nothing happened, and I didn’t know about the side effects either. If anything, you’re a victim too. So it’s fine.”
“......”
It was so calm it felt cold.
There wasn’t a trace of emotional turmoil or resentment in Cha Seohu’s voice.
It was just an awkward accident, embarrassing maybe, but not worth getting worked up over. He simply wanted to move on and figure out how to handle it in the future.
Since snapping out of it, Ryu Sunghyun had been terrified that Cha Seohu might feel uncomfortable or disgusted by him.
So he was relieved beyond words that Cha Seohu accepted his apology without fuss...
But for some reason, it left a heavy feeling in his chest.
Even Ryu Sunghyun himself couldn’t fully understand what this emotion was.
“That’s enough about that. More importantly, I need to talk to you all about the buff.”
Cha Seohu turned to the three of them and spoke.
“First off, it’s certain my buff has a side effect. The more physical contact there is, the stronger the buff—but the side effect gets stronger too.”
“......”
“......”
“......”
An awkward silence settled inside the RV. As Cha Seohu glanced at the three of them—Ryu Sunghyun, Kwon Taehyuk, and Song Jiwoon—all avoiding his gaze, he raised a brow.
“...Don’t tell me. You already knew?”
The moment he asked, Cha Seohu realized how dumb the question was.
These three had received his buff more than once. Only Ryu Sunghyun had experienced the full shirtless embrace, but the others had gone at least one step short.
So why hadn’t they told him about the side effect? The answer came quickly—they’d kept it from him on purpose.
“What the hell is wrong with these guys?”
Cha Seohu glared at them in irritation. Kwon Taehyuk and Song Jiwoon avoided his eyes, while Ryu Sunghyun, the main culprit, apologized once more.
“Whatever. It’s not like I can stop giving buffs just because there’s a side effect.”
Even if he’d found out about the side effect earlier, there wouldn’t have been much he could do.
He was a support-type in a S-rank dungeon. Unless he transformed into Cover and started punching monsters, his role was to provide buffs.
“Thanks to pre-planning, only these three are getting my buffs. If I pull back now, I’ll be deadweight.”
Swallowing his frustration, Cha Seohu continued.
“Hugging with clothes on like before is fine, but shirtless hugging—we’ll have to be careful.”
“You don’t have to go that far.”
Kwon Taehyuk interrupted with a grim face.
“We’re all S-rank dealers. If something goes wrong, you could be seriously hurt. It’s better not to go that far.”
“No. We’re doing it.”
“Cha Seohu Hunter.”
Kwon Taehyuk looked like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had clearly expected Seohu to agree.
“It’s too useful to give up. Especially here. We’re in a S-rank Great Dungeon. It’s been relatively peaceful so far, but the monsters are only going to get tougher. There’s still a boss to deal with. Skipping it entirely isn’t an option. You all know how crucial your roles are in making sure we get out of here safely.”
“But Cha Seohu Hunter, it’s dangerous. Honestly, Ryu Sunghyun held back a lot just now. If a S-rank fully loses control and goes wild—!”
“Which is why we need to prepare for emergencies ahead of time.”
“...Huh?”
As the three stared at him, confused, Cha Seohu reached out. Something dropped from thin air.
To them, it looked like he’d just pulled an item from his inventory—but in truth, it was something he’d purchased from the item shop earlier.
Clank!
With a metallic clatter, Cha Seohu held up two items.
A pair of thick metal handcuffs... and a black leather gag.
“......”
The S-ranks’ eyes trembled violently at the sight. Silence once again blanketed the room.

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