Aqua summoned a pillar of water that swept over Lee Chulhun from head to toe.
Lee Chulhun, this time, gasped for air as if he’d just been pulled out after nearly drowning.
His grimy appearance transformed in an instant into a neat one, though his face was still dazed, unable to recover from the shock of having come back from the brink of death.
“Looks like we’ve completed our mission, right?”
The Teddy Bear, its Buttons all torn off, sat forlornly at the edge of the swamp, its head hanging low like someone who’d just had their prized possession stolen.
“Thank you. Thanks to participant Hwang Roy, we were able to get the Button easily.”
One of the participants gathered together expressed their gratitude to Roy.
No one knew how far the other teams had progressed, but judging by the Teddy Bear’s condition, it seemed they’d obtained the Button faster than most.
“We all got it together.”
Roy humbly credited everyone, then glanced over at Lee Chulhun.
Lee Chulhun seemed to be gradually regaining his senses.
His once unfocused eyes were sharpening.
“Chulhun, here.”
Kangchul handed over the Button he’d obtained to Lee Chulhun.
From the start, Kangchul had only seven Buttons, and the moment he realized there were eight people, he’d decided to forfeit his own share.
“…Do I look like a beggar to you?”
Lee Chulhun glared at Kangchul, but still took the Button that was offered.
“Ah.”
“What’s wrong?”
But Lee Chulhun immediately dropped the Button from his hand.
Kangchul quickly caught the falling Button before it hit the ground.
“I felt a jolt of pain.”
Lee Chulhun clenched and unclenched his hand, trying to recall the sensation he’d just felt.
Kangchul tilted his head in confusion and handed the Button to Lee Chulhun again.
“…Shit.”
The sensation was even stronger this time, and Lee Chulhun dropped the Button once more.
“It seems… the Button becomes bound to the first person who holds it. Like an item.”
At the words of another participant standing beside Kangchul, Lee Chulhun’s brow furrowed dangerously.
He swore, forgetting he was on live broadcast, so close to losing his rationality as if a sword was dancing above his head, ready to fall at any moment.
That meant, out of fifty people, he was the one destined to be eliminated in this mission.
‘…This is your doing, isn’t it?’
He gripped the hilt of the sword he hadn’t let go of even as he was dragged into the swamp.
His eyes, blazing with anger, turned to Roy, who had his back to him.
The ice that everyone else could step on without issue melted the moment he set foot on it.
Even if the Spirit Summoner’s power weakened, and with it the Spirit’s power, it was too much of a coincidence that only where he stepped would fail.
‘It has to be that bastard’s doing. There’s no other way…’
He’d already suffered at Roy’s hands before, his hair completely singed.
Just recalling that memory made his scalp burn.
Maybe it was because he was wearing a wig, and the inside was damp with sweat, making it hard for air to circulate.
Thanks to Aqua’s cleaning, his outward appearance was neat, but swamp residue still lingered in his mouth and nose.
“Ugh!”
Every breath filled his senses with a foul taste and smell, and what little reason Lee Chulhun had left was completely snuffed out.
“Die…!”
Kangchul had no time to stop him.
Lee Chulhun raised his sword so the tip pointed to the sky and charged straight at Roy.
Of everyone present, Lee Chulhun was the next highest level after Roy.
Perhaps his anger had drawn out his potential, as his movements were faster than usual, leaving the other participants wide-eyed.
“Don’t, Chulhun!”
No one had expected a participant to actually swing a sword at another, no matter how angry they were, which made the shock even greater.
Sensing the killing intent behind him, Roy turned.
By then, Lee Chulhun’s sword was already descending toward Roy’s forehead.
Ber and Aqua moved at the same time.
Flame and ice surged forward, but before the two Spirits could act, another being moved first.
“What did I just see…?”
A participant’s dazed words swept through the suddenly silent room.
The Teddy Bear, who had been sitting with a sullen look, had somehow raised a hand to block Lee Chulhun’s sword.
Everyone knew the common sense: if a stuffed hand wrapped in cloth met a sharp blade, the stuffing should be cut.
“Ugh…!”
The sound of Lee Chulhun gritting his teeth was heard as his face turned bright red from exertion.
But the sword caught by the Teddy Bear didn’t budge.
The Teddy Bear even nonchalantly swung its legs while perched on Roy’s shoulder.
The pressure emanating from the Teddy Bear silenced everyone, including Roy.
“Hello. I’m Kim Taejin, leader of High Cycle.”
“Huh…?”
A participant’s confused voice echoed everyone’s thoughts.
Everyone seemed unsure if the voice coming from the Teddy Bear was just a hallucination.
Whoosh—
The Teddy Bear flicked its hand, sending the sword Lee Chulhun was gripping as if it were his lifeline flying far away.
The Teddy Bear landed lightly on the ground, placed a hand elegantly on its belly, and bowed its head as if inviting someone to dance at a ball.
“Gasp…!”
No one knew who made the sound.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the Teddy Bear, now enveloped in light.
The light surrounding the Teddy Bear grew to the size of a human, and as it faded, it revealed a person.
“It wasn’t a Teddy Bear… It was a person? No way!”
The appearance of a handsome man in an ivory shirt and straight black pants left everyone’s eyes trembling.
The man swept back his black hair with long fingers and smiled with gentle eyes.
His dazzling smile, showing neat teeth, made the room feel instantly brighter.
“H-High Cycle’s Kim Taejin sunbaenim…?”
“Yes, that’s right. Nice to meet you, juniors.”
Even as a participant stammered in surprise, Kim Taejin remained utterly composed.
Roy curled his trembling fingers into a fist and hid them.
The pressure emanating from Kim Taejin made Roy feel as if he’d kneel at any moment.
Even though Kim Taejin wasn’t exerting any power toward him, the feeling was overwhelming.
It was a pressure Roy had never even felt from Kairus.
It felt only natural to bow his head to this man.
‘…Is it because of the level gap?’
Roy didn’t think Kim Taejin’s abilities were stronger than his own in the past.
That’s why, at their first meeting, he’d felt competitive.
But now that Kim Taejin had shown even a glimpse of his presence, the pressure pressing down on Roy’s body was far beyond mere rivalry.
Even clenching his fist hard enough to leave marks in his palm, Roy’s trembling body wouldn’t obey his will.
“But just now, you did something quite dangerous, didn’t you? This junior here.”
Kim Taejin’s tone was polite, but his gaze as he looked down at Lee Chulhun was colder than frost.
Lee Chulhun shuddered as if struck by a blizzard.
The confidence he’d shown when swinging his sword at Roy shriveled like a balloon in front of someone so much stronger.
“You all have completed the mission splendidly. I am Kim Taejin, who will be joining you on stage for this mission. Once again, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Kim Taejin quickly turned his gaze from Lee Chulhun and gave a bright smile to the other, still-frozen participants.
***
The mission to obtain Buttons from the Teddy Bear was actually a smokescreen for a joint stage with High Cycle.
As it turned out, all the Teddy Bears were High Cycle members transformed.
Artifacts that could change a person’s appearance, even for a limited time, were single-use and extremely expensive.
Even with the program’s popularity, it would have been hard to cover the cost with the production budget.
‘We’ll handle the support on our end.’
High Cycle not only suggested the mission idea but also brought enough of the rare artifacts for each member.
The production team was overjoyed.
With High Cycle’s appearance alone, they would have bowed in gratitude, but now they were even providing fun content and easing budget concerns.
“Oh, whatever you want, just say the word! We’ll prepare everything you ask for!”
The production team had no choice but to accommodate all of High Cycle’s requests for the mission.
But High Cycle’s requests weren’t difficult.
No restrictions on how they and the participants could create the stage. And, after one trick, to have viewers vote.
Just two things.
“I never thought I’d get to perform on stage with High Cycle for real…”
At a teammate’s words, Roy nodded.
They were, without question, the top Hunter Idol group in Korea.
What’s more, every member ranked at the top of global Hunter rankings.
Anyone who dreamed of becoming a Hunter Idol wanted to be like them.
It was only natural that everyone wore a dreamy expression now that they had a chance to share the stage with their ultimate role models.
“These people are my rivals for this mission.”
Roy glanced around.
Everyone here had chased the Teddy Bear in the Button Gathering Mission.
Everyone but Lee Chulhun, who ultimately failed to get a Button, was present.
He looked at Kangchul, who sat with an unreadable expression, then at the other participant, Min Junyoung, before turning his gaze to the door.
His eyes lingered on Min Junyoung because he had ranked 7th in the second ranking announcement.
Kim Taejin, looking as glamorous as if he’d just finished a broadcast, entered the practice room.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“Oh, no, we just got here ourselves.”
Despite his status, Kim Taejin was polite—sometimes excessively so.
“Thank you for understanding. Has everyone heard how the stage will be run?”
“Yes.”
For this stage, participants would perform together with a High Cycle member, and viewers would vote Online.
“Then we all know we have to practice like crazy now.”
“Of course.”
Kim Taejin raised the corners of his lips in a charming smile.
While the participants were focused on surviving the next ranking announcement, he could participate in the mission more lightly.
But his eyes sparkled with a mysterious competitive spirit.
“Let’s make sure we win first place. It’s been a while since I felt this kind of excitement—my heart is pounding.”
Roy figured the High Cycle members must have made a bet among themselves.
Regardless of Kim Taejin’s motivation, Roy decided all he needed to do was his best.
It’d be even better if Kim Taejin put in the effort.
However, it wouldn’t be long before Roy experienced High Cycle’s prestige firsthand.
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