As the clock ticked past 6 p.m. and edged closer to 7, the sky that had once been painted with crimson dusk quickly darkened.
Circle guild mbers, restless and uneasy, paced the waiting room or kept peeking out into the corridor. All eyes eventually turned to Ryu Sunghyun.
“Still no word?”
“Hyung, what are we supposed to do?”
Kim Suho asked with a worried expression, but there wasn’t much Ryu could say in response.
He too was barely managing to suppress his growing anxiety. Ti kept slipping away, and they had no way to contact the one person they needed the most right now.
Ten more minutes passed. The outside world had fully sunk into darkness. Ryu looked up at the sky, now clear and cloudless, with a full moon glowing bright above.
That was when a visitor arrived at the waiting room.
“Guildmaster, you’re here?”
Han Goeun, looking worried, was the first to spot the arrival. She hurried over to greet Kwon Taehyuk as he stepped inside.
Kwon, offering nothing more than a nod of acknowledgnt, turned to Ryu Sunghyun as he approached.
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
If Yesung hadn’t sent Han Goeun, an A-rank Supporter, the atmosphere here would be far more grim.
Ryu, speaking sincerely, offered one of the prepared beverages from the corner. Kwon accepted without protest, took a sip, then glanced around the room before asking again,
“And what about him?”
“...Sorry?”
“Cover. He’s not here yet?”
With Han Goeun nervously standing by, Kwon added,
“I heard he hasn’t even shown up to a single practice.”
It was a blunt question. Ryu didn’t know how to respond and gave an awkward smile instead. Kwon didn’t need a verbal answer. He raised a brow.
“He hasn’t contacted you either?”
“Well...”
“Tch. What the hell is he doing...”
Kwon clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. Ryu couldn’t even argue—he agreed with him, if only silently.
“I don’t own a phone.”
“...!”
A calm voice suddenly cut between the two.
Ryu’s head jerked up. Across the hall, a tall figure was approaching the waiting room with an easy gait.
It was Cover—finally.
There were a dozen things Ryu wanted to ask. Why only now? Couldn’t he have sent so word at least? But in that mont, what he felt above all else... was relief.
“Cov—”
As he began to call out, Ryu noticed the mask on Cover’s face and flinched.
“...Why the hell are you wearing that thing again?”
Kwon Taehyuk, who had once faced Cover during the ranking match, frowned at the sight. Cover casually ran a hand along the mask and replied coolly,
“You think I want to wear this thing? It’s uncomfortable. But there’ll be too many eyes on us. Hats co off during fights anyway. I don’t have much of a choice.”
“I don’t get why you go through so much trouble to hide your face.”
“...You’ve been getting awfully casual with your tone lately. Anyway, you’re just here to spectate?”
“Yes. I also have a few things I’d like to say to you.”
“To ? Hmm, I don’t have ti now. Let’s talk after the match.”
As Ryu blinked in confusion, the two of them conversed like old acquaintances—so naturally that it could easily be mistaken for familiarity.
Feeling like an outsider, Ryu glanced between them awkwardly. Then a cheerful voice rang out from behind.
“Oh—are you Cover Hunter?”
Han Goeun had co to check on the noise at the doorway and gasped the mont she saw him. The Circle guild mbers, previously going about their business, all turned toward the entrance.
“No way, it really is Cover!”
“Cover showed up? Look at that mask—yeah, that’s definitely him.”
“You can tell just by the mask?”
“Co on, who else walks around in sothing like that...”
“True.”
“Wow... I’d honestly given up hope.”
Watching the guild mbers whisper and light up with excitent, Ryu Sunghyun felt strangely embarrassed.
Cover gave a small wave in greeting.
“Hello. Sorry I’m late.”
It was surprisingly normal—his tone much softer and more polite than his earlier indifference.
“You must be Hunter Han Goeun, right? From Yesung Guild. I’m counting on your support today.”
He even held out a hand for a courteous handshake.
“Yes, let’s work hard together!”
Han Goeun smiled brightly as she shook the pale, refined hand extended to her.
Kwon Taehyuk, arms crossed, looked on in displeasure as Cover shook hands with his guild mber. Then, he spoke again.
“So.”
“Hmm?”
“What exactly are you planning to do? I hear you skipped all the practice sessions. With only about 40 minutes left, you barely have ti to check your equipnt.”
“You seem to know a lot.”
Cover gave a short laugh, then turned to Ryu.
“Deputy Guildmaster, catch.”
He pulled sothing from his inventory and tossed it over. Ryu instinctively caught the flying black object—and realized it was a pair of leather gloves.
“These are...?”
“You don’t seem to have any gear you regularly use, so I prepared sothing.”
Ryu stared at the gloves in shock, his eyes trembling. He hadn’t expected this at all.
“They’re support items for formless-type skills. If you wear them, it’ll help speed up the materialization process. Should work well with your manifestation-type ability.”
A powerful energy pulsed from the gloves. As a Hunter, Ryu imdiately recognized them as A-rank.
Items that support formless skills were hard to find and notoriously expensive. Ryu had once looked into buying one himself and rembered the prices all too well.
And this was A-rank.
His face paled.
“I... I can’t accept this.”
“Why not?”
That matter-of-fact reply left Ryu stunned.
“...I appreciate the gesture, but this is too much. Just having you here as a rcenary is more than enough.”
“More than enough?”
Cover chuckled again—but this ti, it was a sharp, derisive laugh.
“Says who?”
His expression sobered in an instant as he tilted his head.
“You’ll lose without those.”
“......”
“Sorry, but I didn’t co here to lose. I’m not the type to feel satisfied just by participating. It’s not like I’m suggesting anything illegal. I’m just offering you so equipnt.”
“Still, this is—”
“If it makes you feel better, just give it back after the match. It’s a loan, not a gift. That good enough?”
His tone made it clear—refusal was not an option. Ryu fell silent, still holding the gloves.
Just then, a Circle mber hesitantly spoke up.
“Uh... but, do you really think we can win? We haven’t practiced together, so I’m worried...”
Their voice trailed off, but Cover didn’t hesitate.
“We can win.”
The words rang ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) clear, full of unwavering conviction.
“Because we’ve got our Deputy Guildmaster.”
“...Huh?”
Ryu blinked in confusion. Did Cover an him?
Cover locked eyes with him and repeated himself, this ti like a finishing blow:
“As long as you’re here, we’ll win.”
“......”
“Of course, I’ll need to support you in a few ways for that to happen.”
He added it like a joke, then checked the clock on the wall. Gently placing a hand on Ryu’s shoulder, he continued,
“If you’re alright with it, let’s talk privately for a few minutes.”
“Right now?”
“Ten minutes is all I need.”
It was 7:30. Ten minutes shouldn’t cause any issues—and they needed to discuss the gloves anyway.
Ryu hesitated, then nodded. Seeing this, Cover removed his hand and started walking. Ryu followed, and Kwon Taehyuk silently watched the two of them head down the corridor.
“...I’m surprised. Cover Hunter is a lot more polite than I expected.”
“......”
“Guildmaster?”
Han Goeun, puzzled by his silence and the way he stared after them, asked.
“What’s wrong?”
“...Just feels... familiar.”
Kwon furrowed his brow. There was sothing about the way Cover treated Ryu Sunghyun that stirred déjà vu. He searched his mory—
Cha Seohu...
The way Cover seed so fixated on and concerned for Ryu—it reminded him of Cha Seohu.
He sighed heavily.
The idea that soone as unrestrained and chaotic as Cover could be similar to Cha Seohu of all people? Ridiculous.
“...It’s nothing,” he muttered.
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