Regression Guidelines for the Supporting Character

Chapter 26

I waited for about 5 minutes before coming out, just to be safe.

Fortunately, the monsters seemed to have completely withdrawn, as I couldn’t hear any sounds or footsteps anymore.

“Phew…”

Only then did the tension ease a bit. I let out a deep sigh of relief and squeezed my body out of the wall crevice where I had been crammed.

Cha Sahyun hadn’t moved an inch during this chaos, clinging tightly to me. I grabbed the neck of Cha Sahyun, who was sitting on the floor and sticking to me like a koala, and peeled him off.

“Let’s have a talk.”

“…”

While it was fortunate that the monsters had retreated, it didn’t mean the root of the problem was solved.

The sudden quest to calm the villain was still there, and I needed to figure out exactly what had made Cha Sahyun angry.

‘If this happens again…’

It was okay this time because it was the first occurrence, but if the same thing happened in the next dungeon, it would be easy to narrow down who the culprit was.

As if not having any prospects for making money wasn’t bad enough, if I got banned from entering dungeons… No, before that, the government might take Cha Sahyun away if they found out something was strange about him.

“Kid.”

Cha Sahyun, who had been sulking after being forcibly separated from my arms, raised his head at my call. The light from the torch on the dungeon wall illuminated the child’s green eyes.

He was certainly a being that could become a great calamity that might destroy the world like before if not careful, and he was still plenty dangerous… but when I met his gaze up close like this, he just looked like a young child, and I couldn’t help but soften.

“Come on, talk to me.”

“…”

“What’s bothering you? What made you so angry?”

When I asked calmly, the child slightly narrowed his eyes and then turned his head away. Then he pouted his lips in a way that clearly showed his displeasure.

Well, look at this kid. I’m trying to cheer him up even though I just had a near-death experience.

‘…Stay calm.’

I’m not exactly known for my good temper, so I couldn’t help but feel irritated, but there was nothing to gain by showing my annoyance to the child right now.

He’s a child. A young child. He’s… probably about 16 years younger than me. Anyway, getting frustrated at a kid at least 10 years younger than me would just make me look like trash.

After a vigorous mental pep talk, I forced a smile and grabbed Cha Sahyun’s shoulders.

“Hm? Don’t hide it, tell me. That’s how I can take care of you.”

“…”

“Did someone bully you while I was away?”

Only then did Cha Sahyun glance at me again and start to hesitate as if contemplating something.

Yeah, think hard. And then spill it all to me.

“I’m not forcing you to talk.”

While thinking differently in my head, I pretended to be relaxed and stroked the child’s hair, acting like a patient and kind adult.

“But if you just avoid talking because you don’t want to, nothing will be solved. We have to live together from now on, are you going to just get angry inside and let it pass every time? You don’t want that, right?”

“…”

“We need to talk a lot to understand and consider each other better. Right?”

I kept stroking Cha Sahyun’s hair while spouting obvious advice that you’d find in a moral education textbook. His hair feels so soft and nice to touch.

Cha Sahyun, who had been letting me pat his head with reddened eyes, nodded. Then he slowly opened his mouth.

“I…”

“Yes?”

“Keep…”

Is he finally going to talk? Just as I focused on the child’s words with anticipation,

“…!”

The child suddenly widened his eyes and whipped his head around to look behind him. The face I had just managed to soften hardened again.

Wondering what was going on, I turned my gaze in the direction Cha Sahyun was looking and sensed someone approaching.

‘Wait, it’s not a monster? And this presence…’

While I was puzzled, the owner of the presence quickly arrived at the room where we were. The person who rushed in like the wind looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

‘What the…’

I was so dumbfounded to see Ryu Sunghyun entering the room after Kwon Tae-hyuk that I was at a loss for words.

‘Are these guys crazy?’

They came here knowing full well that dozens of monsters and an ogre were roaming the dungeon? And just the two of them?

Ryu Sunghyun, who arrived a bit later, spotted me in my bewildered state and rushed over.

“Hunter Cha Seo-hu, you’re safe.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’m so glad. We were really worried.”

Ryu Sunghyun carefully examined me and Cha Sahyun, checking if we were injured anywhere.

His bright brown eyes were filled with genuine concern for me, as if his words about worrying weren’t just lip service.

‘Sunghyun hyung…’

From Ryu Sunghyun’s perspective, I’m a stranger he doesn’t know well, yet he’s this sincerely worried about me.

As I was feeling touched by Ryu Sunghyun’s kind heart, Kwon Tae-hyuk, who had walked over slowly, abruptly cut in with a cold voice.

“What’s this?”

“Pardon?”

“How could you be unharmed?”

Kwon Tae-hyuk looked me up and down after dropping that comment. Unlike Ryu Sunghyun who had checked for injuries, his gaze was suspicious.

“The number of monsters wasn’t small, so surely…”

Kwon Tae-hyuk didn’t finish his sentence, but I immediately understood what he was going to say.

Surely what? Surely I should have died? That I should have been eaten without even leaving a corpse?

‘I understand why he thought that way, but still.’

Honestly, if I were Kwon Tae-hyuk, I would have thought the same, that there was no hope. And the fact that Kwon Tae-hyuk came all the way here to look for someone he thought was hopeless makes him quite remarkable.

I smiled bitterly and pointed to the crevice in the wall where I had hidden earlier.

“I hid there with the child. The monsters didn’t find us and left the room.”

Even with my explanation, Kwon Tae-hyuk still didn’t let go of his suspicion.

“Let me ask one more thing. Why didn’t you enter the room?”

“That’s…”

“You changed direction just before entering the room. What were you thinking, doing something like that? And why did the horde of monsters chase after you?”

“…”

His perception is really something else. I clicked my tongue inwardly and quickly racked my brain.

‘What should I do?’

Judging by his reaction, it seems like ordinary excuses won’t work. But if I take too long to answer, it’ll look suspicious too.

At times like this, this is the best thing to use. I covered my mouth with my hand and spoke with a bitter expression.

“I’m sorry. At that time… I belatedly ran away in another direction because I was afraid I might endanger others if I entered the room.”

“Danger? Hunter Cha Seo-hu, most of the people there are stronger than you, a supporter. Are you saying that instead of asking for help, you ran away?”

Geez, he’s really pressing the issue. Whatever you suspect, this is all I have to say.

“It was my first time in that kind of situation, so I was too shocked… Really. What reason would I have to do that on purpose?”

Please, let’s just move on from here, okay?

Just as I made up my mind to ignore Kwon Tae-hyuk if he pressed further, a familiar notification sound rang out.

Ding!

《Characteristic: Rain-Soaked Cat (F-rank) activated!》

《Induces sympathy from the opponent!》

‘Huh?’

This characteristic activates in this kind of situation?

As I was dumbfounded by the ridiculous timing, Kwon Tae-hyuk, who had been cornering me with a cold face, flinched and then pressed his lips together.

“Let’s stop there, Hunter Kwon Tae-hyuk. Hunter Cha Seo-hu is clearly uncomfortable,” Ryu Sunghyun stepped in, taking my side. Wait, did the characteristic affect not just Kwon Tae-hyuk but Ryu Sunghyun too?

“…Sigh, I understand. This isn’t the time for this, I was too hasty.”

Kwon Tae-hyuk brushed his bangs back and spoke to me with a much softer gaze.

“I’ll hear the details later after we escape the dungeon. For now, let’s get out of here. Hunter Cha Seo-hu, can you move?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Still, just in case, hold my hand.”

I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but it’s beneficial for me anyway. I’ll make a run for it as soon as we get out of the dungeon.

I was smiling brightly at the resolved situation and just as I grabbed Ryu Sunghyun’s hand,

《Warning! There has been a change in the progress of the Seed of Calamity!》

《Warning! The progress of the Seed of Calamity has increased!》

《Warning! If the progress of the Seed of Calamity exceeds 50%, please be cautious for your safety!》

《Sudden Quest: Prevent the Progress of the Seed of Calamity Failed!》

《Quest failure penalty will be applied!》

‘What?’

Before I could even read the status windows that popped up, something hot surged up in my throat. At the same time, my chest felt nauseous and my vision blurred.

Unable to hold back any longer, I vomited what was filling my mouth.

“Ugh, cough!”

Splat, the liquid in my mouth fell to the floor. The bright red blood spilled on the floor was clearly visible even through my blurry vision.

[Main Quest: Successfully clear a B-rank or higher dungeon with the villain. (Time remaining: 3 days 8 hours 27 minutes)]