Regression Guidelines For the Supporting Character

The final line on the status window echoed like a blade in Cover’s bleach-white mind.
Current location of the rift’s source: Next to the Gate of Diligent Governance.
Thump, thump!

His heart pounded, nausea swirling in his gut. Pushing all the confusion aside, Cover spun around without hesitation.
None of it made sense.
Why had a sub-quest arrived now of all times? Why had the status window glitched in a language he couldn’t understand? Why would the system just hand over the exact location of the source?

But really—what did it matter?
There was only one thing he had to do: close the rift and eliminate the monsters. End this chaos as fast as possible and return to Cha Sahyeon. That was all.
Grinding his teeth, Cover turned in the middle of the Bridge of Eternal Relief and sprinted toward the Gate of Diligent Governance.

“Hunter Cover!”
Ryu Sunghyun’s voice called out behind him, but he couldn’t answer—not now.
Kyaaaak!

“Urgh…!”
He hadn’t made it far before a Baphomet blocked his path. Cover raised his sword, biting his lip in frustration. And then—
Chrrrk!

A silver chain shot out from the side, wrapping around the Baphomet’s limbs.
The monster bared its teeth and flapped its wings violently, caught in the coil of metal. Cover inhaled sharply and swung his sword before it could break free.
He beheaded the creature. Its snarling head thudded to the ground and rolled away, while its limp body collapsed. Cover was about to run again when something gripped his waist with strong force.

“Where are you going?”
A cold scent brushed past his nose. Turning his head, he saw silver hair swaying in the wind. A wordless question—what are you doing?—left him speechless.
Eun Woojeong met his gaze through the mask, waiting for an answer. Under the weight of his sharp eyes, Cover reluctantly spoke.
“…Next to the Gate of Diligent Governance.”

He nodded as if he already understood. Gripping another chain in his hand, he flung a hook attached to its end toward the ornate structure of the gate.
With an arm wrapped firmly around Cover’s waist, Eun Woojeong jumped. The chain yanked them both across like a slingshot, and in the blink of an eye, they landed in front of the gate.
Cover shoved him away and immediately sprinted left.

The quest didn’t pinpoint the exact spot, but he had a strong guess—where Kwak Seunggyu had been standing during the event. He’d seen it earlier: collapsed debris piled up on the ground.
Krrk—
Kicking off the bloody, dusty ground, he reached the heap and began clearing it away with his bare hands. Even though monster flesh and body parts were stuck to the rubble, he didn’t hesitate.

THUD!
As he removed the largest chunk, something hidden beneath it was revealed—and Cover’s eyes widened in shock.
A flower. Perfectly intact, despite being buried under the wreckage.

Its stem and leaves were black, and atop it bloomed a blossom—deep green petals splayed open like a hand.
“……”
Cover stared at the small flower and swallowed hard.

No one had to explain it to him. He felt it. A chilling, ominous aura radiated from the flower. The colors alone—black and dark green—were proof this wasn’t anything normal.
“…This is…”
Eun Woojeong, who had followed behind, narrowed his eyes when he saw it.

“A flower?”
A simple statement, yet it carried layered meaning.
He wasn’t sure if he should let him see it—but it was too late to hide anything. With no choice, he left him to observe while he debated.

What am I supposed to do with this?
The sub-quest said to eliminate the source, but he didn’t want to destroy the one clue he’d just found.
He needed to preserve it intact for analysis. If this really was something Kwak Seunggyu had planted—if it truly caused the rift—then it could be critical evidence.

But still… he couldn’t just ignore the sub-quest. If destroying the flower would collapse the rift and end this hellscape, then it had to be done.
There was no time to sit and debate.
Kwon Taehyuk, Ryu Sunghyun, and the other Hunters were still fighting for their lives. The source had to be eliminated, and fast. Even if they could manage the Baphomets, that Leviathan…

“Focus.”
A calm, cold voice snapped him out of it. Eun Woojeong gripped his shoulder tightly, then let go.
“I get it. But staring at it won’t solve anything.”

“……”
He knew that. But sometimes, even knowing didn’t help.
Adaptability required experience—and Cover, or rather, Cha Seohu, had lived a life without any room for accidents. His whole world had been a confined zone and a research lab. His time with Circle before the regression was his only glimpse of the world.

So when chaos hit like this, he struggled.
This rift incident was a prime example. He never knew the right answer and stumbled at every turn.
He said Sahyeon mattered more than anything, yet left him behind to save others.

When the military truck flipped, he blacked out and made Sahyeon use his skill.
He dragged Kwon Taehyuk to chase after Kwak Seunggyu… every time, he thought it was the best move, but all it led to was disaster.
But these people weren’t like him.

Unlike Cha Seohu—the fake S-rank—these three were born strong. They had real skills. They responded to chaos smoothly. So completely different from him… and in that moment, he understood why they were the “protagonists.”
So that’s it…
Cha Seohu, the “supporting role,” had a different job. He’d guided Eun Woojeong here. Led him to the source so it could be destroyed.

He was the guide. And now he understood.
He really was different from the others.
But he didn’t feel jealous or resentful. If anything, he felt relieved.

If this was his role, he wanted it to be useful.
That thought brought «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» another memory back—the quest he got the day he regressed. The one that told him to become allies with the protagonists.
So that’s why it said that.

To be close enough to be useful when the time came.
From beneath the Cover persona, Cha Seohu quietly accepted it.
From now on, I need to stick even closer to the protagonists.

He had felt lost before—but after uncovering this hidden truth, something inside him finally settled.
[Main Quest: Capture the research facility member hiding somewhere at the event. (Time remaining: 5 hours 17 minutes)]