CHAPTER 56…………………………………
“I used to think it would be great if the synchronization rate hit 100, but now I’m starting to worry.”
When two completely different beings’ bodies and minds become one, can you really call that the pure “me”? Even with my shallow understanding of philosophy, I couldn’t help thinking, “That can’t be right.” A vague fear lifted its head—at that point, wouldn’t I become something that was neither Seo Hangyeol nor Baek Woojin?
“If anything, the two of you should have a drink together sometime.”
If Kang Kwonhu hadn’t answered right then, I might have drowned in my own thoughts.
“I quit drinking as of yesterday.”
“People who like drinking only say that the morning after they get totally wasted.”
I hadn’t gotten totally wasted, but I’d certainly drunk enough to be embarrassed, so I had nothing to say in my own defense.
[Alright, if everyone’s settled, can we move on to Round 3? The New Edison Guild says they’re ready.]
This time it was Shri, who had gone to respond to the other guild’s call, who grumbled the question.
“Yes. Please pick the next participant.”
I answered first since I was the guild master.
“This time it has to be me, right?”
Ryu Jisoo insisted it made no sense that she hadn’t been chosen even once among the four rounds—including the King’s Game that Kwonhu and I participated in—and she quickly picked up where she left off stretching. She was full of enthusiasm, stretching her legs with energy. Even after seeing Kim Joon get injured during training, she didn’t show fear; she brimmed with confidence. That was the reaction of someone who had firm faith in her own skills.
Maybe Jisoo also wants revenge on that guild.
She usually knew how to channel negative emotions healthily, so maybe she’d turned her anger into passion instead.
She inherited the giant’s skills, so she definitely has the potential. The real question is how well she can control it, considering it hasn’t been long since her abilities manifested.
I also wanted to gauge her level before the next fight—as long as she didn’t get hurt.
But since she was already picked once earlier, the odds are higher she won’t be chosen again. Even if some force swapped her for me last time, that wasn’t the system’s actual intention.
As expected, the marker did not land on Ryu Jisoo. This time, it was Kang Kwonhu.
“No way!”
Jisoo, who had been bending forward to stretch, collapsed flat onto the floor in despair.
“Aw, what a shame.”
Kwonhu nudged her with his foot, utterly unbothered.
“You’ll win, right? We even made a deal.”
He was, skill-wise, the last person we ever needed to worry about. Still, unlike Kim Joon or Jisoo, I couldn’t read what he was thinking—so I considered the possibility he might deliberately lose. I wanted to believe he wouldn’t, since he was so friendly toward me, but it never hurt to imagine the absolute worst.
“Do you want me to win?”
It was rare for Kwonhu to speak with such a blank, serious expression.
“Yes. Please.”
I answered a little more firmly on purpose. If I said it this clearly, he’d at least put in effort—if only to earn the right to ask me questions later.
“Then I’ll finish faster than Woojin did. In exchange, you owe me a reward.”
He reached out and rubbed my short hair between his fingers. It wasn’t intentional—just an unconscious impulse.
“What kind of reward could I possibly give you…?”
“I’ll think about that when I get back.”
He finally put some distance between us and signaled to Shri that he was ready for teleportation.
“Mrrrow.”
As soon as Kwonhu disappeared, the cat burst out of the ruined cage and hopped into my lap. The faint, uncollected mana around me flickered in response to the cat, who eagerly licked it as if savoring something delicious. It had always been big, but now it was so large you could barely call it a cat anymore.
I stroked its soft fur while watching Kwonhu teleport away. When our eyes met, he waved, and I reflexively waved back.
“I’ll be right back.”
And that wasn’t an empty boast—I learned that in less than five minutes. Kwonhu never planned on hiding, so he didn’t even use the five minutes he was given; he went straight for the enemy.
—K… Kang Kwonhu!
The seeker inside the barrier trembled in terror. An absurd sight.
“Does Kwonhu even realize he’s not the seeker?”
Jisoo’s exasperation echoed perfectly what I felt.
—A fluid-type barrier.
He poked around the barrier, ignoring whatever the opponent said, then reached a conclusion.
—This’ll work nicely.
He summoned a large staff with a red orb embedded at the top. It was an expensive, difficult tool that converted mana into fire-attribute energy without needing a skill.
In the game, people said, “Well, Kang Kwonhu can use it.” Hardly any players managed to create skill builds compatible with the item.
If he’s pulling that out, don’t tell me…
The amount of mana gathering around the red orb was unbelievable for one person. I’d thought I’d grown a lot in the last few days, but compared to this overwhelming sight, I realized I still had a long way to go.
So that’s what top-tier S-rank hunters look like.
The flame unleashed from the staff was bigger than a boulder, incinerating everything around it. Even a strong barrier couldn’t withstand it.
—Aah! W-wait! You can’t attack the seeker! That’s against the rule—
Before the complaint finished, the roaring flame swept over the opponent. Thanks to Kwonhu adjusting the intensity with a final swing of his staff, the enemy didn’t suffer severe burns. They weren’t fatally injured, but the fear of burning must have overwhelmed them—they fainted on the spot.
[Hey! How can you attack someone inside the barrier?]
Kay screamed at him through the screen. Kwonhu frowned lightly, annoyed by the noise.
—The rules say the seeker can’t attack for five minutes, but nothing says the opposite. I simply followed the rules as written.
[But this ruins all the locations we worked so hard to prepare!]
Kay’s bear ears twitched angrily.
[But he’s not wrong. He didn’t break any rules, didn’t drop his gem, and knocked the seeker unconscious.]
Surprisingly, Shri defended him.
—Please teleport me back now.
Kay looked unhappy, but followed Shri’s reasoning and prepared the teleport. Honestly, the travel time was longer than the actual fight.
A walk would’ve taken longer…
True to his word, Kwonhu returned right away, smiling like a boy.
“So, where’s my reward?”
He shamelessly demanded his prize, gem in hand.
“What do you even want? You didn’t decide anything.”
“Then… a kiss?”
I blinked. The word kiss sounded so alien coming from Kang Kwonhu that I questioned my own ears. But they were functioning perfectly.
If I ranked the words that least suit Kang Kwonhu, ‘kiss’ would be number one. I’d bet on it.
“…What?”
“I’m joking.”
The answer made all my tension feel ridiculous.
“Why would you joke like that? It’s exhausting.”
“If I said it wasn’t a joke, you would do it, then?”
Considering he’s someone who’d probably find kissing disgusting, there was no way he wanted something as cute as a kiss. So he must be teasing me.
“Stop messing with me.”
“Then I’ll just save it for later. Woojin, you owe me a lot.”
Even though I never asked him for anything, he shoved obligations onto me with complete confidence.
While we bickered, Shri announced the results.
[The winner between the two guilds is Chronos. Those who passed may exit through this door to return to the initial location. Eliminated participants will be teleported to the outside area. Please wait.]
“Shall we go?”
“Let’s.”
The blue bear seemed to know its job was done and got off Joon. The cage was too damaged to hold the cat again, so I simply picked it up and handed it to Jisoo.
“Mrrraaaoow.”
The cat complained, but didn’t try to escape from my arms.
