“You’re on this side too, huh? It’s really nice to see you here.”
A crazy guy with a faintly unhinged glint in his eyes.
He was the same contestant who had relentlessly aimed his water gun at Roy during the game, as if his life depended on it.
The name tag that read “Song Doyoon” stood out vividly in Roy’s mind.
Other nearby contestants also glanced at Roy with curious expressions.
They were all people he had only seen in passing, never really spoken to properly.
Song Doyoon was no exception.
After that game, Roy had even gone out of his way to avoid crossing paths with Doyoon, changing routes whenever he spotted him from a distance.
But to an outsider, it might have looked like Roy and Song Doyoon were pretty close.
That wasn’t the case at all.
But it wasn’t exactly something he could outright deny either.
Putting on a composed expression, Roy gave a polite bow.
“Hello.”
[Polite greetings are basically a default setting now.]
Roy wasn’t exactly sure what “default setting” meant, but he had definitely gotten used to being overly polite.
Unless someone had truly become close to him, Roy maintained a boundary disguised as courtesy.
Even if he smiled on the outside, no one could ever know what he was really thinking inside.
Living here often reminded Roy of a high society social circle.
He hadn’t grown up in that kind of environment—he had come from humble beginnings and had no ties to the social world as a child.
But after summoning the Spirit Kings, he’d been forcibly thrust into that world whether he liked it or not.
Kairus, who had once been his closest friend, had a major influence on that.
“Come on, don’t be so stiff. Roy, why don’t you just speak casually with me? We’re bound by a deep connection, after all!”
‘Me? When exactly did that happen?’
Roy swallowed the retort rising to his throat.
Song Doyoon came over and threw an arm around Roy’s shoulders.
His smiling face was so close that Roy felt the urge to punch it.
He couldn’t even remember what color Doyoon’s hair had been last time.
But he was pretty sure it hadn’t been this bright orange that stood out like a sore thumb.
“The guitar part only has four people total, huh?”
Roy stretched his back, pretending it was just a casual motion as he pulled Doyoon’s arm off.
If he shoved it off outright, there was no telling how the cameras might catch it.
“Why don’t we go ahead and start with introductions?”
While Song Doyoon took on the role of an MC and tried to guide the mood, the other teams, which had more members, began settling into order as well.
“Everyone, please focus.”
Lee Jian, still wearing ghost makeup, held the mic.
The noisy chatter around the room quickly died down.
Having so many eyes on her could’ve been intimidating, but Jian seemed to enjoy the attention, smiling sweetly.
Normally, that smile would’ve been considered charming, but because of the makeup, it just looked scary.
Kim Chan, with a pale face, lowered his gaze to the floor as inconspicuously as he could.
“As you can probably tell, most contestants are in the Dealer and Tanker roles. There are fewer Healers, and even fewer in miscellaneous roles.”
The contestants’ gazes shifted toward the Healers and those in the miscellaneous roles.
Seeing Lee Hajun waving at him, Roy raised his right hand in return.
“This mission will favor teams with a balanced mix of roles. So if you end up in a team with contestants from the lesser-represented groups, you’ll likely have an advantage.”
If the mission involved displaying their Hunter abilities, then Jian’s point about balanced team composition made sense.
The problem was… most of them hadn’t leveled up much and were practically powerless.
Roy himself couldn’t even summon a single spirit at the moment.
“Healers are in the same boat. If your team doesn’t have at least one Healer, it’s going to be really tough.”
Han Jihoo beamed and waved both hands at a camera that had approached him.
***
“Before you all arrived, we hid notes all around this auditorium.”
Now that she mentioned it, the space did feel oddly messy today.
It wasn’t dirty per se, but various props were scattered here and there.
“Each note has the name of a contestant in either the Healer or Miscellaneous roles.”
The contestants began scanning the room.
It reminded Roy of the water gun mission.
“When I give the signal, contestants in the Dealer and Tanker roles will each search for one note. The name written inside will be your team leader for this mission!”
Roy forced a smile to hide the tension creeping into his face.
Team leader.
It sounded like a position of authority, someone who could lead others…
But it could just as easily mean becoming the scapegoat who took the blame if things went south.
Especially in a situation like this, where most people didn’t even have decent levels.
And judging by Jian’s makeup, this mission was probably some kind of fear-inducing courage test.
Roy was the first to spot Jian climbing onto the stage.
He had sensed something strange and looked up—
He hadn’t expected her pale face to literally float up into the air.
This time, he was determined to keep his composure.
He wouldn’t embarrass himself like before.
But still, it was definitely a mission Roy would rather avoid.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes!”
“Then go!”
The contestants in the Dealer and Tanker roles all began to move at once.
Roy’s chair shook as if an earthquake had hit.
“Wait, is that note hanging over there part of it too?”
“Looks like it.”
“How are we even supposed to grab that…?”
The notes were scattered in every possible location.
The lucky contestants found theirs under boxes.
Those who were late stared helplessly at notes in hard-to-reach places.
The most difficult one seemed to be stuck high up on a wall, almost touching the ceiling.
Contestants with good physical abilities tried jumping for it, but it wasn’t easy.
“Everyone, move aside.”
“What the—? Is that even allowed?”
It looked as difficult as it was delicious—like the most tempting rice cake.
The one who pushed the gathered contestants aside was Lee Chulhun.
Lee Chulhun had climbed onto another contestant’s shoulders, riding piggyback.
He was heavy, and the face of the contestant below him had turned bright red from the strain.
“Go all the way to the wall.”
“Okay, got it.”
Following Lee Chulhun’s instructions, an unusually large contestant walked over to the wall where the slip of paper was attached.
“Hang in there, alright?”
“Don’t worry.”
Lee Chulhun began stepping onto the contestant’s shoulders.
There was a painful difference between simply being lifted piggyback and having Chulhun’s shoes dig into your shoulders with his full weight.
The contestant tried hard not to show the pain on his face.
Using the shoulders as a stepping stone, Chulhun pushed himself up and leapt high toward the ceiling, grabbing the slip of paper.
A euphoric grin spread across his already smug face.
As he opened the paper, a glint of greed flashed in his eyes.
“Has everyone got a slip in hand?”
“Yes!”
***
The mission lasted an entire hour.
One slip of paper was even found under the sole of a staff member’s foot.
Some contestants already looked exhausted.
Roy paid close attention to the ones who kept sneaking glances at him.
Among them was Lee Chulhun, his eyes gleaming with something unsettling.
Roy didn’t avoid his gaze.
Instead, he responded with a bright smile.
“Now, please come stand in front of the person whose name you found!”
Roy and the other healer and miscellaneous-role contestants were already lined up on the stage.
They had been guided there when the paper hunt began.
Standing still like mannequins for so long made Roy’s whole body ache.
Since the cameras were still around, he couldn’t even let his smile fade.
“Long time no see. I’m really glad we’re in the same team.”
The first person to stand in front of Roy was Lee Chulhun.
Objectively speaking, he had a handsome face, but there was something about the way he smiled that made him look sleazy.
“Nice to see you,” Roy said politely, bowing to Chulhun.
He did the same for everyone who lined up behind him.
“Roy hyung!”
A genuine smile formed on Roy’s face.
Lee Hajun was at the end of the line, waving his right arm enthusiastically toward Roy.
Having even one person he felt comfortable around made a huge difference.
As long as Hajun was nearby, Roy might be able to focus on the mission without feeling too nervous.
“Looks like everyone found their teams?”
“Yes!”
“Each team has about six or seven members. Some ended up with more damage dealers, while others have more tanks.”
The healers and miscellaneous roles had been assigned one per team, but the rest were randomly scattered based on which paper they’d grabbed.
The imbalance was inevitable.
“The night mission will begin in one hour. For now, take some time to introduce yourselves and get to know your teammates!”
Saying they needed time to “get to know each other” felt loaded with meaning.
Roy held back a sigh and stepped down from the stage.
“I’m really happy to be on the same team as you, hyung!”
“Me too,” Roy replied, patting Lee Hajun’s hair as the younger boy clung to him like a puppy.
But Roy’s gaze remained fixed on Lee Chulhun.
The same was true for Chulhun.
It might have been just an illusion, but it felt like sparks were flying in the air between them.
“Even better seeing you up close.”
“Right? Let’s do our best together.”
“How about a handshake to mark the occasion?”
Roy stared at Chulhun’s outstretched hand with cold eyes.
He didn’t know what Chulhun was up to, but outright rejecting him wasn’t an option either.
The moment Roy took his hand, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his fingers.
Looking down, he saw his own hand turning pale from the pressure.
“Not much strength in your grip. Is it an age thing?”
‘Was he from some powerful background?’ Chulhun’s words danced on the edge of what was acceptable.
Roy flexed his sore hand and curved his lips into a smooth smile.
***
“True, how old is everyone here?”
In the continent of As, age didn’t hold much meaning. Social status mattered far more.
But in South Korea, age was surprisingly important.
As far as Roy knew, there were only a handful of contestants older than him.
Looking around, he didn’t see a single one who seemed older…
Until his eyes met with a contestant who looked like someone you’d have to call hyung nim rather than just hyung.
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