Chapter 66

“If necessary, you’re welcome to verify me again. I understand your unease.”

In truth, having no one suspect him would have been far more unsettling. Even if the Guild Master had accepted him, someone needed to pump the brakes on an unvetted newcomer to protect the guild.

“Um… well, the thing is…”

Yet despite his open offer, the response was decidedly lukewarm. Whatever vigor she had displayed while defending herself had vanished; Na Yeojin scratched the back of her head with an embarrassed grimace.

“It’s rich coming from the one who ruined the mood, but I don’t think verification is even possible,” Yeojin muttered.

“Uh, why is that?”

“Hunter Kang can’t be replicated on my end. Just like the Guild Master.”

“Not even his appearance?” Hae-gun asked.

Na Yeojin shook her head. “No. Only a replication-impossible warning pops up. If it’s like this for me, I doubt Sejun can do anything either.”

All attention pivoted toward Hwang Sejun, who had shrunk into his seat. Everyone seemed curious whether he, too, had failed to penetrate Eui-rim’s defenses.

Eui-rim spoke gently to the frozen boy. “Would you like to give it a try?”

“Pardon?” the boy blurted.

“Casting your skill.”

Repeating the offer caused Hwang Sejun’s expression to twist into an odd grimace. After staring blankly at Eui-rim for a beat, his lips parted. “You really aren’t offended?”

“No. I consider it reasonable suspicion. Seo Hae-gun-ssi… no, the Guild Master and I have already talked at length, but the rest of you haven’t had that chance.”

“…Insane.”

Only after hearing the calm answer did Hwang Sejun let out a breathless gasp. Glancing around at his teammates, who were watching intently, he pointed to his own eyes, which had turned starkly bloodshot.

“I only get system errors. On top of that, if I push any deeper, my eyeballs will burst before I can even discern the truth.”

At Sejun’s grumbling, Hae-gun simply shrugged. Unlike the others, he showed zero interest in verifying Eui-rim’s identity through mental skills.

Did he assume from the start it would be impossible because of my mental barrier?

Yet he seems far too indifferent for that. It’s not as though he looks resigned, either.

Rather, doesn’t it feel as though his trust is so unconditional that the very idea of verification offends him?

“…”

At this point, beyond simple trust, Hae-gun’s indifference felt outright baffling. Wouldn’t anyone normally harbor some curiosity? This was a chance to confirm the truth, after all. Even if Shim Woo-joo and Hae-gun himself had failed once before, any ordinary person would show some interest. Eui-rim couldn’t fathom why he remained so thoroughly detached.

Did he discover something without my knowledge? If so, what part of me did he learn about?

…More to the point, if two of his guild members possessed verification skills, why didn’t Hae-gun bring me to them in the first place?

“I told you. There was a reason Senior Healer Shim Woo-joo pronounced him impossible to diagnose.”

At the weary voice, Eui-rim looked up to see Lee Seonha pinching the bridge of her nose. Glancing from the groaning Hwang Sejun to the sheepish Na Yeojin, she bowed her head toward Eui-rim.

“Pardon our rudeness, Hunter Kang. I thought I had explained things, but it seems these two didn’t listen. If you took offense, I apologize on their behalf.”

“Ah, no. It’s truly fine. I already told you I understand,” Eui-rim said quickly.

“Still…”

“But Vice Guild Master, unless he’s a spy or a con artist, how does someone like that just roll in like a windfall?”

Having just whined about his throbbing eyes, Hwang Sejun raised his voice in indignation. Covering his face with both hands to catch his breath, the boy pointed toward Hae-gun.

“Mental-type skills don’t work on him at all, he seeks out the Guild Master to offer support despite having a skill like Rewinding Hand, and on top of that, he looks like that. Does any of this make sense?”

A compliment… right?

“He’s right,” Na Yeojin agreed emphatically. Scanning Eui-rim and Hae-gun with narrowed eyes, she continued, “I suspected him because the way he knew the Mount Gamak passcode was so bizarre, but… no matter how I look at it, Seonha’s take makes sense. Unless the Guild Master kidnapped him, how could someone like that ever willingly plant himself at his side?”

Listening to them made Eui-rim’s mind go blank for a second. Did either of them realize what they were actually saying? By their logic, the one who warranted suspicion wasn’t Eui-rim, but Hae-gun.

“Kids. I’m listening.”

At the dry remark, Eui-rim glanced at Hae-gun, only to find that every trace of annoyance had vanished from the Guild Master’s face. Did this kind of teasing truly not faze him?

“I’m back!”

Right on cue, the door swung open. Ahn Moonhyuk strode in carrying a tray of iced coffees in one hand and a box of pastries in the other, accompanied by Son Chaeyoon, who hauled a massive hard case over her shoulder like a sack of cargo.

Even as he took a cup from Moonhyuk, Eui-rim couldn’t tear his eyes away from Son Chaeyoon. The surreal sensation he had experienced upon first meeting Moonhyuk and Seonha rushed back in full force.

Seeing someone in the flesh whom I’d only ever watched on television is something I’ll never get used to.

“Oh, is this the supporter?”

Dropping the heavy case onto the table with a thud, Son Chaeyoon spoke in a cheerful voice. With practiced efficiency, she unlatched the locks and pulled out two reinforced windbreakers, three pairs of tactical pants, and three undershirts.

“He looks even younger than his photos. So, did you read him? Moonhyuk-oppa swore up and down it wouldn’t work.”

“Can’t read him. Nothing.”

“See? Told you it wouldn’t work.”

At Sejun’s sullen reply, Moonhyuk snorted as he opened the pastry boxes. Setting an assortment of breads and cookies before Eui-rim, he beamed at his teammates with an inexplicably triumphant grin.

“I told you. What we need to confirm isn’t Hunter Kang’s identity. This is way more urgent!”

What is he talking about? What’s urgent?

Bewildered, Eui-rim stared at Moonhyuk, who merely grinned back. The burly hunter clearly had an ulterior motive, but his beaming face gave nothing away.

“Ridiculous.”

Hae-gun was the first to catch on. Chuckling as if seeing right through Moonhyuk’s scheme, he picked up a cookie and held it out to Eui-rim.

“I’m sorry, Eui-rim-ssi.”

“Yes?” Eui-rim accepted it, none the wiser.

“They have no manners. It seems the mood will only settle once you eat something, Eui-rim-ssi.”

Wondering what he meant, Eui-rim glanced around, only to find stares of intense astonishment fixed upon him. The air pulled taut with breathless anticipation—an intensity far fiercer than when Na Yeojin and Hwang Sejun had tried to pry into him with their skills.

The moment Eui-rim took the cookie, he realized what spectacle the guild members were dying to witness. Moonhyuk’s plea from a few days ago—the moment he learned Eui-rim had shared breakfast with Hae-gun—flashed through his mind.

Hadn’t he begged to watch from the sidelines just once? Those might not have been his exact words, but that was certainly the gist.

…They have way too much time on their hands.

To be confronted with an unverifiable stranger and have their burning suspicion boil down to whether he could eat in front of their Guild Master—Eui-rim wondered if this was truly how an elite guild operated.

Still, now that he understood what they wanted, he had no reason to hesitate. If dispelling their wariness took nothing more than this, he had every reason to be grateful.

Ignoring the intense stares, Eui-rim ate the cookie, causing the muted murmurs around the table to cut out entirely. Swallowing his embarrassment, he took a sip of coffee. Then he picked up a madeleine that Hae-gun subtly nudged toward him and took a bite.

“Satisfied now?”

At the single phrase slicing through the silence, stunned faces turned toward Hae-gun. Exhaling a brief sigh like someone who had just sat through a tedious farce, Hae-gun leaned back in his chair.

“If you’re done checking, I’d like to wrap things up.”

“…Is your stomach all right?”

Hae-gun smiled at Lee Seonha’s dubious inquiry. “Fine, of course.”

“…”

“He’s the only one who will share meals with me from now on. Right, Eui-rim-ssi?”

Cough!

Of all moments, Eui-rim choked on the madeleine. Hastily washing down the coughing fit with coffee, he shot a glare sideways at Hae-gun.

I mean, sure, I was the one who made the offer first, so it’s not wrong. But doesn’t the phrasing sound a bit strange…?

The air froze in an instant, turning stifling in a very different way than before. As Eui-rim lowered his head and waved his hands in frantic embarrassment, Hae-gun said with a low chuckle, “As you all know by now, this is Hunter Kang Eui-rim. He’ll be acting as my exclusive supporter until we clear the Tower of Time, so treat him well and don’t pull any nonsense. Just as you said, he’s a rare talent.”

It was less an introduction than a formal declaration—delivered with absolute authority as his gaze swept across his guild members, one by one.