Regression Guidelines For the Supporting Character-Chapter 40

‘So that’s why he wore a mask that completely covered his face last time.’

Since Eun Woojeong was also a “Main Character” designated by the system, meeting him like this wasn’t bad for me, but... that didn’t change the fact that he was a suspicious guy.

“Cha Seohu Hunter, are you a supporter?”

As soon as he let go of my hand, Eun Woojeong asked me a question. I could barely hold back a sneer.

He probably already knew everything about me, yet he pretended not to. As expected of an actor, I guess.

“Yes. B-rank supporter.”

“I see.”

Seeing that Eun Woojeong went out of his way to say this to me, I realized something.

I had been wondering why he was even here in such a dangerous place, where monsters would pour out in just a few hours — and now it was obvious: because of me.

He didn’t know I was "Cover." He thought I was someone being protected by Cover. So he had come all the way here to try and get more information about Cover through me.

‘Tch. I really don’t like this kind of attention.’

Kwon Taehyuk and Eun Woojeong both — regardless of the fact that I needed to grow closer to them — only made things burdensome for me.

I swallowed a sigh and wrapped up the awkward greeting with Eun Woojeong.

Just then, Kwon Taehyuk, who had been silently watching, noticed Cha Sahyeon by my side and spoke up.

“You brought your younger sibling again today.”

“I felt uneasy leaving her alone.”

“It’s more dangerous here.”

At Kwon Taehyuk’s response — clearly not agreeing with me — I shrugged and motioned toward Eun Woojeong with my eyes.

If a perfectly normal civilian like Eun Woojeong could be here, why was he nagging me?

Even if he didn’t know Sahyeon’s exact rank, he could at least sense she was an Awakener.

Understanding the meaning behind my gesture, Kwon Taehyuk answered with a tired look.

“...Mr. Eun Woojeong will be leaving for a safer place soon.”

“I just stopped by after hearing the news while filming nearby.”

“Ah, sure.”

Even though this was clearly no place to "stop by," Eun Woojeong smiled shamelessly.

By the looks of it, Kwon Taehyuk had no idea that Eun Woojeong was the leader of Spiderweb. Well, without the status window, I wouldn’t have noticed either.

‘Well, he’s an S-rank hunter anyway, so he probably thinks he has nothing to fear.’

Still, I couldn’t figure it out.

How could he perfectly hide the aura of an Awakener and act like an ordinary civilian? Was he using an item?

Ever since the appearance of dungeons and rifts, monster byproducts and magic stones had produced an endless flood of items worldwide. There were so many it was almost impossible to track them all.

It was entirely plausible that an item existed that made one appear like an ordinary person. Illusion artifacts that hid tattoos and scars already existed, after all.

“The rift is expected to open in 3 hours and 17 minutes from now. It’s fine for now, but at least an hour before it opens, you should send your sister to the shelter.”

Checking his wristwatch, Kwon Taehyuk explained, then glanced coldly at Eun Woojeong.

“And Mr. Eun Woojeong, you should leave even earlier.”

The sharp, heavy tone would’ve made most people shrink back. But, of course, that didn’t apply to everyone.

“Don’t kick me out so coldly. Meeting Cha Seohu Hunter here is fate, right? Wouldn’t it be nice to get closer?”

“Hah......”

Hearing Eun Woojeong shamelessly bring me up made me chuckle helplessly.

The more I saw of him, the more real it felt that he was the leader of Spiderweb. Only someone like that could casually brush off a guildmaster like Kwon Taehyuk, or lounge around so relaxedly in a place where monsters would soon rain down from the sky.

Suppressing the absurdity I felt, I forced myself to keep smiling and spoke.

“There’s not much to gain by getting close to me. I’m just a weak, useless B-rank supporter.”

“Gain?”

With a strange expression, Eun Woojeong lightly touched his lips and tilted his head.

“Do I look like someone who cares about that sort of thing?”

“.......”

“Whether there’s gain or loss doesn’t matter. I just admire hunters. I really do.”

“Admire, you say?”

I blurted it out without thinking — it was just too ridiculous.

Eun Woojeong surely caught the incredulity in my voice, but he simply smiled warmly and answered.

“Yes.

Someone like me — with no special abilities, so weak — naturally admires hunters who can fight terrifying monsters. And I’m a fan of [N O V E L I G H T] a few hunters, including your guildmaster here.”

“Haa......”

Hearing the word "fan," Kwon Taehyuk let out a deep sigh, unable to hold back anymore.

Judging by his lack of surprise, this must not have been the first time Eun Woojeong said something like this to him.

‘I remember hearing they didn’t get along before.’

In my previous life, the world had plunged into chaos with the appearance of the Catastrophe.

Large and small incidents exploded daily, and death was a constant.

In that chaos, the leader of Spiderweb had begun to show his face more publicly.

I didn’t remember if he had silver hair and wore a mask back then, but I distinctly recalled hearing news of him clashing with Kwon Taehyuk multiple times.

Now, the timeline was earlier, and things might play out differently than before... but if Kwon Taehyuk already had bad feelings toward the leader of Spiderweb, then this situation right now was pretty hilarious.

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

‘If I use this well, it could be very useful.’

There was no way the righteous Kwon Taehyuk would imagine that the innocent-looking civilian actor sitting next to him was the leader of a massive underground information network.

If someday I had to clash with Eun Woojeong, or if I needed to negotiate with Kwon Taehyuk, handing over that information might be worth considering.

‘He’s annoying anyway. Might as well get some payback.’

Pushing aside the main quest about becoming comrades with the main characters, I secretly grinned — but then Eun Woojeong’s voice cut in.

“Speaking of hunters, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask the Yesung Guildmaster.”

Wearing the gentlest, kindest expression, Eun Woojeong asked Kwon Taehyuk,

“So... how was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Cover. You fought him directly in the rankings, didn’t you?”

The moment the familiar name spilled from his mouth, my fingertips twitched involuntarily.

The only one here who knew my real identity, Cha Sahyeon, glanced up at me quietly.

“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

Kwon Taehyuk’s face tightened. Clearly, the mention of Cover didn’t put him in a good mood.

Understandably so. After all, he had lost his long-held first place in the rankings to me. In a way he could hardly accept.

Despite the sharp atmosphere, Eun Woojeong kept smiling as he continued.

“I was just curious. I fell for him after watching him beat you.”

“.......”

“.......”

That simple statement, spoken so innocently, made Kwon Taehyuk glower at Eun Woojeong in disgust, while I turned my gaze toward the distant mountains.

‘Fucking insane.......’

Asking the man who lost to Cover if he became a fan because of it, and doing it so openly in front of me, who was connected to Cover...

It was clear that Eun Woojeong — by gathering Kwon Taehyuk and me together — was subtly trying to pry into things.

‘And I can’t just ignore him either, because of that deal we made.’

I would have to meet him again several times in my Cover persona.

Was he planning to keep probing the people around me this way?

I couldn’t reveal I was Cover. Scratching my forehead in frustration, someone tugged on my right hand.

“Hm?”

Lowering my gaze, I saw Cha Sahyeon pointing at something.

Following the direction of her tiny hand, I spotted it.

A glittering light in the sky — a sharp, blue crack running across it like shattered glass.

It was starting to split wider and wider.

“That’s.......”

Seeing the chaotic, twisted blue swirl inside the growing rift, I felt a chill run down my spine.

This wasn’t a mistake. It was unmistakably—

“A rift...!”

Hearing my mutter, Kwon Taehyuk urgently lifted his head. Even in that short time,the rift kept expanding rapidly.