chapter 100 - đźď¸
Kwon Taehyuk glanced between Cha Seohuâs hand resting on the back of his own and Seohuâs face, then asked:
âHide you? What do you meanâŚ?â
âI need to use my skill to heal the injured,â Seohu said, withdrawing his hand and stepping away. âBut I donât want others to find out.â
He continued walking.
âI donât mind using the skill itself. The problem is, even though itâs an area skill, I donât know the exact range. So I canât stray too far from where the injured are.â
Seohu lifted his gaze and looked around.
The sudden rift and monster appearance had reduced everything to rubble. There wasnât anywhere left to hide.
The throne hall in the distance was relatively intact, but it was far too removed from the injured.
No matter how powerful an S-rank AoE skill was, it had limits. If he was lucky, it might reach, but there wasnât enough time to bet on uncertainty.
âI have to use the skill right here where the injured are⌠but there might still be CCTV, and drone cameras are a concern too.â
âSo thatâs why you asked me to hide you? ButâŚâ
âYes. Obviously it wonât be perfect. But what choice do we have? There are too many hurt people.â
ââŚâŚâ
âCould I borrow your coat? At least to cover my face. And I need to head to where the Vice Guildmaster of Circle isâŚâ
âI understand.â
Kwon Taehyuk, watching anxiously as Seohu picked his way around the demon blood splattered across the ground, finally couldnât take it anymore and reached out to grab his arm.
So as not to startle him, he gently pulled Seohu onto his polished shoes.
Caught off guard as he ended up standing atop Kwon Taehyukâs feet, Seohu looked confused.
Kwon sighed.
âTry not to step on the ground unless you have to. Itâs dangerous.â
âNo, itâs fine, reallyââ
As Seohu pushed against his shoulder awkwardly, uncomfortable in the position, Kwon Taehyuk preempted him and wrapped an arm around his waist, then kicked off the ground.
âThis guy doesnât even pretend to listen.â
Kwon Taehyuk knew full well that Seohu didnât like physical contact, and yet here he was, doing whatever he wanted. It was infuriating.
As Kwon ran toward the Gate of Flourishing Rites, Seohu glared at the back of his headâbut when their eyes met, he just smiled.
âFine. Do whatever you want.â
It was more convenient this way anyway.
Inside, he gave a thumbs-up to Kwonâs obsessive sense of protection. Honestly, they didnât have time to argue about trivial things.
When they arrived in front of the gate, Ryu Sunghyun, who had been moving injured people, widened his eyes in surprise.
âHunter Cha Seohu?â
âGood to see you again.â
Seohu nodded toward him and quickly scanned the area. There were easily more than twenty wounded lying on the ground, and far more demon blood soaked this area than around the Gate of Eternal Relief.
Ryu Sunghyun had been shifting unconscious Hunters into the center, and surprisingly, Eun Woojeong was still helping, moving bodies using his chains. Apparently, his earlier comment about not wanting to get on Coverâs bad side had been sincere.
Kwon Taehyuk carefully ensured the area was clear of demon blood before setting Seohu down. Ryu Sunghyun approached and looked around.
âItâs dangerous here. Why did youâŚ? Whereâs Cover Hunter?â
âAh, he had something else to do, so he went aheadâŚâ
âHe ran off again. He said heâd bring Hunter Cha Seohu, but sent him alone and vanished.â
Kwon Taehyuk cut Seohu off sharply. His voice carried a heavy dose of bitterness, and Ryu Sunghyun turned to Seohu in confusion.
âYou came here toâŚ?â
âTo heal the injured.â
ââŚSorry?â
Ryu Sunghyun looked utterly baffled, and Seohu responded with a slight smile.
âI have a healing skill.â
He had to tell him anyway, and it might as well be now.
If it were anyone else, he wouldnât have botheredâbut this was Ryu Sunghyun. If he knew Seohu had healing abilities, he might ask for help again in the future. And when Ryu needed buffs or healing, Seohu wanted to be the one to help him.
âYou have⌠healing skills? But I thought you were a buffer?â
Ryu Sunghyun still didnât understand. His frown deepened with skepticism, but Seohu didnât mind.
âYou donât have to believe me. Iâll just show you.â
Seeing is believing, right?
That simple phrase made Ryu Sunghyun blink slowlyâand something shifted in his gaze.
[âSeeing is believing. You know that, right?â]
Cover had said the exact same thing.
Ryu Sunghyun recalled that moment in the dark hallwayâhis face hidden behind a mask, his pale blond hair glowing under moonlight.
That memory convinced him.
âSo they really do know each otherâŚâ
He hadnât fully believed it before. The idea that Cover and Cha Seohu had some connection didnât feel real. But now, with that uncanny similarity, he couldnât deny it.
âCover⌠mustâve joined the competition because Cha Seohu asked him to.â
It had felt suspiciously sudden at the time. He never imagined the mystery would unravel like this.
Of course, it didnât erase the gratitude he felt toward Cover. But realizing he had helped him as a favor to someone else⌠it stung.
As Ryu Sunghyun stood silently, lost in thought, Seohu turned to Eun Woojeong. He hadnât moved closer, merely watched from a distance.
Seohu had plans for him too.
Heâd already witnessed Seohu using divine power during the previous rift incident. He wouldnât leave just because he was told to, so if he already knew, Seohu might as well make use of it.
âYou should help, too. Cover said you would.â
At the mention of âCover,â both Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun narrowed their eyes.
Eun Woojeong tilted his head.
âHm. And what do I get out of helping?â
âAsk Cover.â
Seohu deflected shamelessly, leaving Eun Woojeong to snort inside his mask.
âYou think heâll even meet with me?â
âOf course. We made a deal, after all. Isnât it a bit untrusting of you?â
He implied Cover still had something to collect from Eun Woojeongâso heâd show up.
Eun Woojeong seemed to understand the hint and clicked his tongue.
âWhat do you want me to do?â
With Eun Woojeong now looped in as well, Seohu looked up.
Right on cue, the sound of buzzing filled the air, and a black object appeared in the distance.
Just as Seohu had suspected: now that the rift was gone and the monsters had disappeared, the drones were returning.
They had to act before the cameras started filming.
Without taking his eyes off the incoming drone, Seohu spoke.
âIf the three of you help me, this will be over quickly.â
***
Kwon Taehyuk, Ryu Sunghyun, and Eun Woojeong stood in a loose triangle around Seohu, shielding him.
Seohu hid behind their tall, broad bodies, draped in Kwon Taehyukâs long black coat. Even flying drones couldnât catch a clear view of his faceâmaybe just a leg or part of his outfit at most.
They couldâve used Ryu Sunghyunâs skill to conceal him, but that wouldâve interfered with measuring the skillâs range.
To heal as many as possible, Seohu needed to see who needed help and act quickly.
âSo damn inconvenient.â
He hadnât realized before regression how much of a pain hiding his identity would be.
âActivating skill.â
ăSkill: Divine Power (S-rank) activated!ă
ăHoly energy overflows!ă
As soon as the skill activated, pure white light burst from Seohuâs body. Ryu Sunghyun, standing to his left and shielding him, widened his eyes at the brilliance.
ăDue to the high level of Divine Power, special effects are added!ă
Fuck.
The familiar status window appeared, and Seohu swore internally.
As before, the thing he hated most appearedâthose luminous wings unfurled behind him, made entirely of light.
ăAll who witness the Divine Power are filled with awe!ă
ââŚWhoa.â
Ryu Sunghyun gaped at the sudden wings.
God, this is so embarrassing.
Seohu blushed under the coat, drawing in more power to speed things up and end it quickly.
The radiant light spread far and wide, flying outward and seeping into both the wounded and the demon blood soaking the ground.
âThe wounds⌠theyâre really healingâŚâ
Ryu Sunghyun couldnât contain his awe as he watched.
The injured were recovering rapidly. Torn flesh regenerated. Swollen, poisoned skin returned to normal. Deathly pale faces regained color.
Even the black, reeking demon blood turned to clear water the moment the light touched it.
Kwon Taehyuk and Eun Woojeongâseeing the purification effect for the first timeâlooked genuinely stunned.
The conscious Hunters stared blankly toward the light. Though they couldnât see who cast the skill, they couldnât tear their eyes awayâpossibly due to the awe effect tied to Divine Power.
There were more drones in the air than before, but thanks to the human wall and â
đđ¨đŻđđĽđ˘đ đĄđ â
the coat, they couldnât get a good shot. Seohu was glad he had the foresight to shield himself with people.
Everyone near the Gate of Flourishing Rites was now fully healed, but there were still injured people beyond the Gate of Eternal Relief. The light hadnât reached that far.
He considered moving positions when suddenlyâ
Ding!
ăHidden Quest unlocked!ă
ăHidden Quest: Heal 50 injured with Divine Power (B-rank)ă
ăQuest Complete!ă
ăYou are granted a reward for completing the Hidden Quest.ă
ăNew Divine Power effect added!ă
ăContemplative Prayer: S-rank (Divine Power Effect) acquired!ă
[Contemplative Prayer: S-rank (Divine Power Effect)]
If you clasp your hands together, the skillâs effect is amplified and the range is extended.
Seohu blinked with a dead expression.
Is this system actually insane?
Now it was literally telling him to pray? Or was it just pretending to be prayer?
[Main Quest: Capture the hidden research staff somewhere in the event venue. (Time Remaining: 3 hours 43 minutes)]