Regression Guidelines For the Supporting Character-Chapter 19

“We’ve investigated the young man you requested, sir.”

The secretary carefully handed over the report, gauging Kwon Taehyuk’s mood—which, by all appearances, was not great. As he accepted the file, the secretary began the briefing.

“His name is Cha Seohu. Twenty-six years old. From District C-281. He has one younger sibling.”

“Younger sibling?”

“Yes.”

As he listened, Kwon Taehyuk flipped through the papers, raising an eyebrow at that detail.

‘A sibling... could that kid who was with him back then be the sibling?’

He had considered the possibility that the two had been captured together. Turns out it was true. The lab had likely abducted the pair after their parents died.

“He was held in the lab for three months. Apparently, he caused some trouble—there’s a note in the records flagging him as a subject requiring caution.”

Hearing that, Kwon Taehyuk instinctively recalled the moment he first met Cha Seohu.

That awkward smile on his face. He hadn’t seemed particularly rebellious or confrontational—but then again, the situation had been far from normal.

“After being rescued from the lab, he disappeared for a while. More recently, it was confirmed that he founded a guild.”

The secretary flipped to the next section of the file, revealing the name and registration details of the guild Cha Seohu had created.

“Anything else?”

“That’s most of it for now... though there’s something odd.”

“What is it?”

“It’s not about Cha Seohu—it’s the younger sibling. Seohu’s three months in the lab are fully documented, but the sibling? Nothing.”

Kwon Taehyuk scanned the file again, and sure enough, Cha Sahyeon’s page was completely blank.

“It’s not that they just didn’t bother recording anything—there’s no documentation at all. No record that the sibling was even brought to the lab. It’s unprecedented.”

“So the kid is the suspicious one.”

“If we’re splitting hairs, yes. We’ve been trying to trace the sibling’s history specifically, but there’s just nothing to go on. The trail’s too cold.”

“Hmm...”

Kwon Taehyuk blinked slowly, then spoke again.

“Keep digging. But we’ll need another approach.”

“Another approach?”

“He started a guild, didn’t he?”

He tapped the section on the page where the name ‘ONE’ was printed.

“There’s that dungeon that needs clearing, isn’t there? Set a date and send out an official cooperation request to all the Seoul-based guilds. Make sure this one is included.”

“Understood.”

Cha Seohu wouldn’t be able to ignore a cooperation request.

His guild was still brand new—barely profitable. An official request from a major guild like Yesung would be a rare chance for safe income. He’d have to be an idiot to turn it down.

He probably wouldn’t bring the kid to a dungeon, but that didn’t matter. If Seohu got involved, anything concerning the sibling would follow eventually.

The secretary instantly understood the implication without needing further instruction.

“I’ll send the request today. If Seohu accepts, I’ll reserve a spot for a supporter in the raid team.”

“And?”

“Sorry?”

Kwon Taehyuk narrowed his eyes at the secretary’s puzzled look.

“Did I tell you to look into only Cha Seohu?”

“Ah...”

Busted mid-escape attempt, the secretary coughed awkwardly.

“Of course, we looked into ‘Cover’ as well. But there’s nothing worth reporting.”

“What does that mean?”

“Exactly that. We found nothing.”

His gaze turned colder at that reply, but the secretary couldn’t fabricate what didn’t exist.

“We did figure out the hunter’s hair was blond after analyzing footage. But as you know, that’s not very helpful. As for the mask...”

He hesitated, clearly unsure how to proceed.

“There’s a possibility the hunter is affiliated with ‘Web’—a group known for operating in masks.”

‘Web’ was a shadowy intelligence syndicate based in China.

Though headquartered in China, its leader was Korean, and every member wore a black mask emblazoned with a white spider. They were notorious for appearing and disappearing at will.

“Could it be their leader? He’s said to be an S-rank as well.”

“No.”

Kwon Taehyuk shook his head firmly.

“Different voice. And the leader’s build is bigger.”

“Ah, you mentioned running into him once before.”

While both ‘Cover’ and the leader of Web were enigmatic, the latter had been far more unpleasant. Kwon Taehyuk remembered that smug bastard all too well—the way he smiled while slowly getting under your skin.

“And the leader of Web has silver hair. That hasn’t changed in years. No way he suddenly dyed it blond.”

“Then it’s more realistic that ‘Cover’ is just one of their hunters.”

As the secretary spoke, Kwon Taehyuk recalled the masked hunter he had met in the arena.

A soft, moderately low voice. A teasing tone. Claimed to be a beginner, yet showed no lack of skill or instinct.

If not for the suspicious behavior and odd outfit, he might’ve actually wanted to recruit them.

‘Didn’t strike me as the type to join a secretive group like Web.’

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Especially since ‘Cover’ wasn’t wearing one of the signature spider-marked masks—just a plain, ordinary one.

And considering it was Halloween that day, there was a good chance they had just bought a random mask to hide their face.

“Haa...”

As the secretary had said, nothing was conclusive. It was all just speculation.

“Keep digging. And if anything new about ‘Cover’ comes up, report it immediately.”

“Understood.”

***

“A B-rank dungeon cooperation request?”

I skimmed the document and curled my lip.

“A big-time guild like Yesung sends a request to clear a measly B-rank?”

And to a guild that had only just been formed?

Clearly, Kwon Taehyuk was just as annoyed by Cha Seohu as he was by ‘Cover.’

‘Well... I did act pretty suspicious when we first met.’

Especially since I ran off with Cha Sahyeon in my arms while dodging other hunters’ eyes. From his perspective, it must’ve looked seriously shady.

“So this is basically an invitation, then.”

Should I accept or not?

Honestly, the offer wasn’t bad. Getting [N O V E L I G H T] into a dungeon raid party organized by a top-tier guild like Yesung was a good opportunity—and I did have business with Kwon Taehyuk.

‘If he’s one of the main cast, I need to build a rapport eventually.’

Who knows if that cold guy would ever open up, but I couldn’t keep dodging him forever.

Even so, there was one big reason I couldn’t decide so easily.

As I folded the document and turned my head, I saw Cha Sahyeon sitting beside me. Lately, he’d taken to sticking to my side like glue—even when he wasn’t doing anything, just zoning out, he was always right there.

‘A B-rank dungeon will take at least three days to clear.’

There was no way I could leave him alone for three days.

And taking him into a dungeon was out of the question. Even if the law allowed minors to participate under a guardian’s supervision, Sahyeon wasn’t an ordinary kid.

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If the Seed progressed due to exposure to danger, we’d be in serious trouble. Legality aside, dragging a child into a dungeon was just... not something an adult should do.

“Maybe I should pass and wait for another chance.”

I wasn’t even sure doing the raid would get me closer to Kwon Taehyuk anyway. Risking Sahyeon’s safety and triggering the Seed just wasn’t worth it.

Yeah, best to pass this time. I’d get a better chance eventually.

I was just about to put the paperwork away when—

Ding!

《A new Main Quest has arrived!》

《Main Quest: Clear a B-rank or higher dungeon with the Villain. (Time remaining: 7 days, 11 hours, 59 minutes)》

A familiar chime echoed, and a new quest window popped up in front of me. My expression instantly twisted into a grimace.

“You son of a bitch...”

“...?”

Sahyeon glanced at me in confusion after hearing my muttered curse. I ignored him and clutched my aching head.

‘This goddamn system is really out here trying to make me look like a complete piece of trash.’

Nothing ever went the way I wanted. I swallowed my frustration along with a silent scream.