Regression Guidelines For the Supporting Character-Chapter 32

I glanced around at the chains completely encircling me and thought,

'No way I’m making it back on time.'

No matter how leisurely Cha Sahyeon took their bath, by now, they’d have already come out. And realized I was missing...

'Ah, damn it.'

Please just stay put.

Surely, they wouldn’t smash up the whole place while I was gone, right? Judging by how the status window remained quiet, it didn’t seem like there was any major problem yet.

Suppressing my growing anxiety, I rested the flat of the sword on my shoulder.

Even though I was surrounded by the opponent's skill, I didn't feel any intent to kill.

Right now, both he and I were merely assessing each other.

"You’re not doing this just because I wore a mask without permission, are you?"

"It’s a troublesome misunderstanding, but of course, it’s not only because of that."

When the man tilted his head slightly, his hair flowed softly.

Standing with the moonlight behind him, his silver hair shone like real silver.

"I told you, didn’t I? We’re an information syndicate. Naturally, we’re curious about your identity."

"My identity, huh."

"Would you be willing to reveal it? You said you were busy. If you just show your face, I'll let you go right away."

He pointed at the mask I was wearing.

With my hat pulled down low and the black mask covering most of my face, only my eyes were probably barely visible.

'Even if I take off the mask, my face looks different enough from before using the skill that it won’t be easy to recognize me.'

I hadn’t changed completely into a different person, more like someone you'd suspect was a sibling, but still, figuring out I was Cha Seohu himself would be difficult.

The only person Hyun Dowoon had registered as my sibling was Cha Sahyeon.

In the end, these guys wouldn't be able to find out who 'Cover' really was.

'But that doesn’t mean I should reveal my cards first.'

How should I make the most out of this man and the massive information syndicate known as 'Spiderweb'?

After calmly running the possibilities through my head, I opened my mouth.

"You really have no shame."

"Hm?"

"You want me to tell you for free? Why would I?"

I tilted my head in the same mocking way the man had and asked incredulously.

"We're both S-rank. I'm not really at a disadvantage here. Both of us are covering our faces, so why should I be the only one to reveal mine?"

"Ah, I see. Well, fair point."

Surprisingly, he accepted it quickly and immediately asked,

"Then would it be enough if I take off my mask too?"

"No. Sorry, but I'm not interested in your face."

Since that man was a main character, I had to make sure we met often.

Only then could we either grow close or eventually become allies.

Judging by his attitude, if I said I was curious, he looked ready to take off the mask immediately.

But if he did, I’d have to take off mine too...

And if he lost interest afterward, there might not be another chance to meet.

'Where the hell would I find the leader of Spiderweb again?'

If he went abroad or deliberately hid, it would be impossible to track him down.

So the right move was to keep him interested while also using the power he had.

"Instead, how about we make a deal?"

"A deal?"

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Thankfully, the man seemed intrigued.

"I actually needed an information network anyway. There are some people I’m trying to find."

"An exchange of information, then?"

"Yeah."

The man touched his mask thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded without hesitation.

"Fine."

Honestly, I was the one more surprised by how easily he accepted.

'He agreed to that this quickly?'

"I don’t usually negotiate like this... But if we can be the first to learn the true identity of the now-famous number-one-ranked Hunter, it’s not a bad trade."

"You must really be curious about my identity, judging by how fast you accepted."

"Information is all about getting it first. However, there are a few conditions."

"Go ahead."

"First, until you reveal it to me, you can't let anyone else find out your identity. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of getting the information first."

Without hesitation, I agreed.

I was confident I could hide it.

Besides, even if someone found out, it wasn’t like they would realize I was Cha Seohu himself.

"Second, you must maintain your number-one ranking. The only value you hold to me is that top rank."

That part was a little concerning.

I was already worried about how I’d maintain the spot that I had basically grabbed by luck.

If I ignored it, the Association might just kick me down from the ranking whenever they wanted.

'I’m not obsessed with the number-one spot, but... with how things are going, I’ll have to hang onto it somehow.'

I didn’t think I could beat Kwon Taehyuk again, but it was too late to back out now.

So I nodded.

"Anything else?"

"Yes. Last condition. You must not request the same job from any other organization."

"Why’s that?"

The man shrugged and answered in a light, joking tone,

"Because even among rivals, killing each other can leave a bad aftertaste."

"Charming. You said your group had a ‘touch’ of illegality, but you talk about killing like it's nothing."

"We often roam dangerous places as part of the job. When you meet someone in those areas, you don’t know if they’re an enemy or a fellow operative. Better to kill first."

Even at my sarcastic remark, the man ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ just smiled softly, completely unfazed.

"We have to make a living, you know."

"Tch..."

His shamelessness left me speechless, but it wasn’t really my problem to worry about.

I sighed and said,

"I’ll accept all three conditions, but I have a demand too."

"What is it?"

"Stop tailing me. I’m not planning to run away. If you need me, leave a message at the One Guild."

"You really are connected to the One Guild, then."

"And don't spy on the One Guild or its affiliates either. If you bring me the information I requested, you’ll naturally find out my identity anyway."

"Alright. If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll stop. Anything else you want?"

"..."

His smooth attitude was giving me an increasingly bad feeling.

'What the hell is this guy?'

Why was he accepting all my terms so easily?

Sure, it wasn’t a bad deal for them either, but... the feeling of unease wouldn’t go away.

While I was still debating whether I should trust him, the man continued,

"Now that we’ve settled that, I’d like to hear the most important part. Who exactly are you trying to find?"

"...There was an incident recently where several guilds, led by Yesung Guild, raided a research facility."

Pushing aside the discomfort, I began explaining.

Upon hearing this, the man nodded like he already knew.

"I know about that. It’s the one where the Management Bureau butted in and Yesung Guild got humiliated."

"I want information on the people from that lab’s intelligence department. Especially a woman known as 'The Director'."

"The Director, huh..."

The man murmured thoughtfully.

Watching him, I swallowed dryly.

'Can I really trust him?'

The status window said 'Main Character,' so he probably wasn’t related to the lab.

Still, was it really safe to trust just that one piece of information?

I didn’t even know for sure whether the status window itself was on my side.

This was basically a gamble, one I had already committed to.

Suppressing my tension, I waited silently.

Soon, the man lifted his head.

"Understood. That should be enough information for now."

"You think you can find her just based on that?"

"The details are few, but the situation is unique. Finding someone affiliated with a specific place isn’t that hard."

"Pretty confident, aren't you?"

Could Spiderweb really find the info that Hyun Dowoon couldn’t?

It was a gamble, but if they succeeded, it would be a huge help.

"I'll leave word at the One Guild as soon as I have anything."

"Suit yourself."

That wrapped up the conversation.

I let out a breath of relief without realizing it.

'Looks like I’m not too late.'

If I rushed back to the office now, I could make it before Cha Sahyeon noticed.

Holding onto that hope, I quickly turned to leave — but a flash of killing intent made me instinctively twist my head to dodge.

Clang!

A chain shot out from midair, narrowly missing my face and striking the ground hard.

The atmosphere instantly froze, turning frigid.

I swallowed my irritation and turned to glare at the man.

"What now."

"Before you go."

With a light laugh in his voice, the man tilted his chin slightly.

The chains surrounding me began moving menacingly.

"I want to verify something."

"Verify what."

"Naturally — whether you're truly the number-one Hunter, 'Cover.' This whole conversation was based on the assumption that you are."

"What?"

What the hell was this lunatic saying?

As I opened my mouth to protest, I spotted a chain flying for my thigh and hastily swung my sword to deflect it.

A sharp, slicing killing intent poured down over my whole body.

'That bastard planned this from the start...!'

I bit down hard on my lip and glared at the man, who still looked absolutely delighted.