CHAPTER 73……………………………….
Kang Kwonhu walked me all the way home when I was completely out of it. I needed to organize what I was going to discuss with the guild members tomorrow, but my head was a mess.
Would it have been better to pretend I had amnesia?
Still, the atmosphere in the café hadn’t allowed for any excuses. No matter how much I replayed what had already happened, I couldn’t think of any way to undo my mistake.
“Since it’s come to this, I should think about something else. Obsessing won’t help if no solution’s coming.”
I flopped down onto my bed and pulled up the quest window. The penalty text—one of the guild members will die—looked especially large.
Tonight, I’ll think about how to clear the special quest.
It was a night that felt both long and short.
Because Ryu Jisu’s prearranged work ended at 4 p.m., our guild decided to gather an hour later, at 5.
“Hello.”
I arrived at Kang Kwonhu’s house ten minutes early. When the door opened, the person greeting me was unexpectedly Kim Jun. I widened my eyes, having assumed the homeowner himself would be there.
“Welcome, hyung!”
Kim Jun greeted me like a puppy seeing its owner after a week apart. We’d only gone a day without seeing each other, yet he looked this happy—it was both cute and a little pitiful.
Jun must’ve been starved for affection too.
I deliberately greeted him with even more enthusiasm.
“Jun, are your injuries all healed? You got here really early.”
“Yes. I’m still in an adjustment period, so I’m not going to school right now and have a lot of free time. I came an hour early.”
An hour early. That meant if neither I nor Ryu Jisu were around, he would’ve been alone in this big house with Kang Kwonhu—and Jun knew that.
Wasn’t Jun pretty scared of Kang Kwonhu?
Maybe he’d gotten used to him now. Or maybe after fighting a few battles, he’d grown bolder. Hard to say.
“What were you doing here so early?”
No matter how I imagined it, I couldn’t picture the two of them having a cozy chat.
“I was researching poisons in the lab. It was pretty fun, so I want to do it with you too, hyung.”
Kim Jun said something genuinely terrifying, his face flushed red. I had zero interest in poisons—not even the slightest curiosity—but seeing how excited he was, I slowly nodded.
“Sure.”
“Did Woojin arrive?”
I was just about to ask where the homeowner was when Kang Kwonhu emerged from the bathroom at the perfect moment.
His hair was still wet, so he must’ve just showered. Unlike Baek Sohyeok—who would casually walk around shirtless at home—Kang Kwonhu had his shirt buttoned all the way up. That small detail made it clear he lived a life where he couldn’t truly relax, even in his own house.
“Hello. Jisu should be arriving soon.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
Kang Kwonhu replied offhandedly while drying his hair with a towel. I thought it was impressive how someone could sound that uninterested.
“Sorry we always end up gathering at your place.”
He’d told us we could come anytime, but showing up whenever something came up was starting to make me feel self-conscious.
“You’re always welcome, Woojin. It’s a bit annoying when the tagalongs come too, but that’s something I have to put up with. We do have things to discuss, after all.”
Despite being openly called a “tagalong,” Kim Jun didn’t look offended at all.
“I wanted to ask what we should do right away after getting the quest yesterday, but I thought you might be busy, hyung, so I held back from calling.”
On top of that, he was grinning, as if Kang Kwonhu’s words had gone in one ear and out the other. Even though they were in the same space, they acted like the other didn’t exist. Maybe they’d both decided the other wasn’t a threat and therefore not worth much attention.
“Good. You did well.”
I patted Jun’s head, as if rewarding him for waiting for praise. Thankfully, if he’d called yesterday, I wouldn’t have been able to answer anyway—I’d been with Baek Sohyeok.
Ding-dong.
Ten minutes passed quickly with small talk, and right on time at five o’clock, Ryu Jisu rang the doorbell.
“Come in.”
“Hello.”
As Ryu Jisu stepped inside, the metallic stench of blood wafted from her. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was impossible to ignore.
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
At my cautious question, she waved her hand dismissively.
“Oh, no. The construction site I was at today is near a D-rank dungeon. They said it’d be better to clear it out even though it’s low rank, so I joined in. I washed up, but I guess the smell of blood is still lingering.”
“A dungeon?”
“Yes. It was my first time, so I was nervous, but only weak monsters showed up. It was a bit anticlimactic.”
A dungeon… I’d always known they existed, of course, but I’d deliberately avoided them since I didn’t want to fight monsters. Still, if leveling up my skills was necessary, maybe it was time I started participating too.
Unless the special quest lets me off easy, training is unavoidable. Still, if I can put it off, I want to.
I let out a quiet sigh, careful not to let the others notice.
“Noona, can you take me with you next time?”
“If I have the time, I’ll think about it. But only with full safety gear, and only C-rank or lower.”
“Tch. That’s boring.”
Kim Jun pouted in disappointment. Ryu Jisu looked at him with a stern expression.
“Have you already forgotten how you got hurt last time? Do you know how shocked everyone was? Wanting to grow as a hunter is fine, but you have to prioritize safety.”
She was absolutely right. Maybe it was because she’d practically raised her younger sibling, but her advice hit hard.
“And that goes for you too, Woojin. I think I said something similar last time—whether you participate in this quest or give it up, share the information you know and think things through together with us. If you get seriously hurt again, don’t expect to leave the hospital.”
Even I wasn’t spared.
“Okay, okay. We already wrapped that up during the company dinner.”
“You say you understand, but I feel like you’ll do it again anyway. Maybe that’s why—I just keep nagging whenever I see you.”
She hit the nail on the head, and I shut my mouth. This time, it seemed better to change the subject rather than respond clumsily.
“I think Jisu’s right. Then instead of me just announcing a decision, how about we all share our thoughts first, assuming we do take the quest?”
I crossed the familiar living room and sat on the sofa. The others followed, forming a circle around the table.
“If we’re talking on the assumption that we participate, then just from reading the quest description, the Order faction seems better to me. Even the word ‘Chaos’ itself feels kind of off-putting.”
Ryu Jisu spoke first. She added, “It might be because I haven’t awakened for long and don’t know much yet,” but unlike before, she was clearly stating her opinion.
“What about you, Jun?”
I asked him on purpose. I didn’t want him to be swayed by my thoughts or Kang Kwonhu’s. Kang Kwonhu would obviously want Chaos. He could say he wanted to return to his original guild before choosing a faction, but that seemed unlikely.
In the game, he returned at the timing when faction switching became possible. This time too, unless there’s a special reason, he’ll stay with us at least until the midpoint.
While I was calculating all that, Kim Jun lifted his head, having made up his mind.
“I just want all of us to clear the quest together, so I don’t really care which faction we choose. But if we don’t pick either faction and end up giving up, that’d feel like a waste.”
Jun was focused on belonging and achievement itself. I nodded and shifted my gaze.
“My turn now?”
Kang Kwonhu, lounging crookedly in his seat, flashed a beautiful smile. I’d grown so used to it that I sometimes forgot—insanely handsome lunatic really did suit him.
“I think we should go with Order.”
The moment those words left his mouth, admiring his face became the least of my concerns.
“What?”
“I said I think we should choose Order.”
I couldn’t hide my shock. Kang Kwonhu choosing Order was completely outside my expectations—it threw my entire plan off.
“W-Why?”
“Looks like you assumed I’d obviously pick Chaos.”
His tone carried a hint of mock sympathy, which irritated me more than it should have.
He’s not just messing with me on purpose, right?
I calmed my racing heart and started thinking again.
“Not necessarily, but I’d like to know your reason.”
“I plan on sending the guild I originally belonged to into the Chaos faction. That way, no matter which side wins, I don’t lose anything.”
It was a reason I’d never considered. It was based on his confidence that, with himself involved, even our small guild could become the top contributing guild.
What do I do now…
Kang Kwonhu was openly watching my reaction. Ryu Jisu and Kim Jun, seated beside me, were also waiting for my final opinion.
“I actually came here thinking about Chaos.”
At this point, honesty was the best option. Trying to hide my stance or talk in circles would only erode trust.
“That’s surprising.”
Ryu Jisu frowned slightly.
“Is it?”
“Yes. I thought you’d side with the group that protects the weak.”
For some reason, Ryu Jisu seemed to think quite highly of my moral compass.
“I’m surprised too. I thought Baek Sohyeok would definitely choose Order, and that you wouldn’t want to clash with your brother anymore.”
That was true as well. After calming down about the quest’s penalty, my biggest worry had been my relationship with Baek Sohyeok. Choosing a different faction could destroy the good relationship I’d worked so hard to rebuild.
From how he was yesterday, I don’t think he’d hate or despise me again—but he might feel betrayed. Or he might take extreme measures to stop me.
Either way, it was a difficult situation. Still, avoiding that conflict wasn’t worth accepting the worst possible penalty—one of my guild members dying.
I desperately recited the lines I’d prepared yesterday.
“At first glance, Order does seem better. But the more I thought about it, the less certain I became. For example, think about the ‘right to intervene in system settings’ that’s given to the top contributing guild. Even if it’s only a one-time thing, if a guild with twisted values uses that authority, things could get extremely complicated. Power like that is better left in no one’s hands.”
I’d thought the same thing back when I played the game. Back then, I hadn’t considered it a major issue, assuming the protagonist would win anyway—but now, it was a critical point.
Sure, if you’re prepared to defeat those with bad intentions and claim the reward yourself, maybe it’s fine. But people like that always believe their own choices are right.
I definitely wasn’t one of those people. As a former gamer, I didn’t have the courage to shoulder that kind of responsibility.
I’m bad at lying, so mixing in as much truth as possible is important.
Especially since Kang Kwonhu was basically my personal lie detector.
“You have a point, Woojin. But isn’t granting a single wish just as dangerous? Someone could wish for all the power in the world. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to choose Order, where the risks are lower?”
Ryu Jisu calmly countered me. It was a perfectly reasonable argument.
“The explanation is so abstract that either side could be abused. It’s not like you wouldn’t have thought of that. Could you tell us your real reason—honestly?”
If I told them the real reason, the quest would fail immediately.
“If it’s difficult, there’s another option. I can send the Chaos guild I originally belonged to into the Order faction, and have the Chronos guild join Chaos instead.”
Unexpectedly, the lifeline came from Kang Kwonhu.
“Of course, there’s a condition.”
Whether that rope was sturdy or already rotting—there was only one way to find out.
