The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

|Pr. Demon King|: To that mage and spirit master.

“…….”

I couldn’t even muster sympathy for the two who must have suddenly been subjected to the Demon King’s soothing voice. Serves them right!

While I reveled in their misfortune, another message from the Demon King arrived.

|Pr. Demon King|: The spirit master jumped up and told me where you were.

Ah, the spirit master. That damn bastard sold me out to the Demon King, huh? He better be ready when I find him…

|Pr. Demon King|: If the spirit master hadn’t told me, I would have sent a divine proclamation directly to you.

Spirit Master, thank you.

I shuddered at the thought of enduring the Demon King’s enchanting yet ominous voice. I probably would’ve collapsed right on the spot.

As I mentally thanked the Spirit Master, who was probably now racing to intercept Doby, the latter spoke in a voice dripping with irritation.

“Hey, didn’t you say he’s just a male friend?”

“Huh? Yeah, I did. Why?”

“Your looks when you two exchange glances are anything but ordinary. Here you are, holding a silent conversation with him while leaving me out.”

“…….”

Doby had definitely misunderstood something here.

The real problem, however…

“You seem to be harboring a misunderstanding about Do Haun,” the Demon King interjected.

“A misunderstanding?”

“I watch Do Haun because he has the Eye of Truth, which allows him to see a person’s true strength.”

The Demon King just made the misunderstanding even worse.

Do I look like a combat power meter to you, Demon King?

“Speaking of which, Do Haun,” he continued, “what do you think? Have I grown stronger?”

“You mean you can see that kind of thing?” Doby asked, incredulous.

Oh, kill me now.

Apparently, the Demon King genuinely thought of me as some kind of battle strength assessor.

Just as I was racking my brain to escape this mess, a saving grace appeared.

|Pr. 9th Circle Archmage|: Can I done hanging out with Hajun? Time to head home, Guild Master.

The message made me jump to my feet, grinning at the two pairs of eyes that instantly locked onto me.

“You two seem like you’ll get along wonderfully. Take this chance to bond—I’ve got urgent business and need to leave.”

Of course, neither Doby nor the Demon King would let me go so easily.

“What? You’re leaving in the middle of a conversation with me?” Doby frowned.

“Do Haun! What do you mean by this? You haven’t told me how much stronger I’ve become!” The Demon King looked downright betrayed.

Despite their protests, I spotted the Grand Duke arriving with the Demon King’s drink. I quickly passed the responsibility to him and bolted out of the shop.

|Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Mage, get a portal ready!

|Pr. 9th Circle Archmage|: •́ㅿ•̀
|Pr. 9th Circle Archmage|: Oh, sure. The mage is always just a convenient portal shuttle for you, huh? Totally taken for granted, huh?
|Pr. 9th Circle Archmage|: But for our beloved Guild Master, this mage will gladly be the shuttle!!!

What the hell? What did this guy eat to act so strangely all of a sudden?

Ding!

“Do Haun!!”

“Ahhh! Demon King, calm down for a second, will you?!”

—Mam-ma!

“See? I told you my eyes were right! The dog is flying!!”

This insane situation was spiraling out of control.

Without hesitation, I dashed straight into the red portal that had appeared.

|Pr. Hero|: Guild Master, aren’t you forgetting to take these two with you?!

Hero, I’m leaving the cleanup to you! Good luck!

*****

Thanks to the Demon King’s unexpected arrival, I couldn’t have a proper conversation with Doby. Still, I managed to uncover one crucial detail.

Doby, or Dobin by his real name, had apparently used a skill to accidentally peek at my Hidden Status and discovered I was Gloria’s Returnee.

I wasn’t sure how someone could accidentally view a Hidden Status screen. It wasn’t something I could ask anyone about, either. And come to think of it, in my rush to escape, I hadn’t even managed to properly silence him.

He didn’t strike me as the type to blab about it, but still…

“Better safe than sorry,” I muttered to myself, clicking my tongue in frustration. I decided to arrange another meeting with him to set things straight. Just as I resolved this, my screen buzzed with a notification.

The cursed word again. On our next meeting, I’d make sure to correct this ridiculous nickname.

Me: Enjoying quality time with my friend? ^^

010―□X□X―X■X■: You’re not serious, are you? That guy got dragged back by his so-called brother.

So, Guild Master Woo Mahan had shown up looking for the Demon King, huh? Good thing I left the Hero’s shop when I did.

Just as I was about to confirm another meeting date with Doby, another message popped up.

010―□X□X―X■X■: There’s something I didn’t mention earlier. And no, it’s not because I forgot. Absolutely not.

Sure, you forgot.

I wondered what he was talking about when another message arrived immediately after.

010―□X□X―X■X■: The “cultist” said something.

010―□X□X―X■X■: Yes. They said that Gloria’s people are intruders.

My fingers froze mid-typing. I had planned to tease Doby about playing around with crazies, but his last message made me pause.

I re-read it over and over. The words didn’t change no matter how many times I read them. Unable to stop myself, I called him directly.

—“Gloria?”

“What do you mean they? What’s this about intruders?”

The recipient was Doby.

—“I don’t know the details either. That’s just what the cultist said.”

“Who is this cultist?”

I could have dismissed Doby as talking nonsense, but I couldn’t ignore what I’d seen. The magic circle that appeared with that bastard Dragon Slayer—there was no mistaking it was from Gloria.

I had tried to bury the memory of that day, but here it was, clawing its way back.

“Who is this cultist?! Tell me!!”

It felt as if the sealed power of the Godslayer within me was raging, unrefined and uncontrollable.

I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

“Do—”

“Do Haun?”

A soft knock at the door startled me, and I ended the call with Doby without thinking.

My screen buzzed again with Doby’s number, but I ignored it, turning to open the door.

Standing there with wide, startled eyes was my twin sibling, Do Hain. I forced a grin—an expression I never usually wore—and feigned ignorance.

“Do Hain? You’re back early.”

“…The conversation ended faster than I thought.”

“What about Hajun?”

The older brother who had left with Do Hain was nowhere to be seen. My twin quickly provided the answer.

“He’s at the guild. He has some things to finalize before transferring authority to Hae Roun.”

Authority? What’s he giving that mage bastard?

“Mag—”

“Mag?”

I bit back the words that threatened to escape and asked instead, “He’s not handing over something illegal, is he?”

“It’s nothing like that. But more importantly, who were you on the phone with just now?”

I forced a vague smile and mumbled something noncommittal.
“It’s nothing.”

“Nothing? Your voice was so loud I could hear it all the way outside.”

Maybe I should ask my brother to install a soundproof booth in my room. As I stood there awkwardly smiling, Do Hain furrowed his brows and asked pointedly,
“Is someone teasing you about your grades?”

“Huh?”

“You know, saying something like, ‘Why are you even attending school if you’re just going to waste tuition money?’”

“…….”

You’re not just saying what you’ve been wanting to say, right?

It felt suspiciously like he was taking a dig at me, and I glared at him, thinking, How dare you? But his eyes reflected genuine concern, not sarcasm.

I let out a deflated laugh and shook my head.
“It’s not like that.”

If only it were something that simple. I brushed him off and began to close the door, but he scratched his cheek awkwardly and offered a suggestion.
“Wanna go out for some fresh air?”

“Fresh air?”

“Yeah. You’ve been feeling cooped up, haven’t you? If you go out with me, Hajun won’t say anything. Unless you don’t want to.”

His words piqued my interest. I’d gone out earlier to meet that damned Doby, but the trip had only left me feeling more suffocated.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see when we get there. If you don’t want to, just say so.”

As he turned to leave, I grabbed the hem of his jacket and shouted,
“I’ll go! I’ll go!!”

“Then get ready.”

“Got it!”

I dashed back into my room, grabbed the jacket I’d tossed aside earlier, and hurried out.
“Let’s go!”

Do Hain chuckled softly. “Were you that desperate to get out?”

I held my phone tightly as it buzzed in my hand, flashing him a wide grin.

The moment the call ended abruptly, I checked the screen to find dozens of missed calls. Saving Doby’s number, I sent a short message.

[Me]: We’ll talk later.

******

Inside a white SUV stopped at a red light, Dobin—better known by his stage name, Doby—scowled in annoyance.
“Twice now. How dare she stand me up twice?”

“Doby.”

The CEO of H-Entertainment, Kang Hasu, spoke softly, his tone as calm and soothing as if he were placating a child.
“The reason I allow you to roam freely is because it benefits both you and the company.”

In other words, what you did today wasn’t beneficial to anyone—not you, not the company.

Doby understood the implication behind Kang Hasu’s words, but he couldn’t care less.
“Whatever articles pop up, it just means people are interested in me.”

Kang Hasu’s polite smile faltered slightly as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

“Supreme and unique, the one and only.”
That was the nickname Doby had earned within H-Entertainment.

The unpredictable maverick of the entertainment world.

It was precisely why Kang Hasu had come to fetch Doby himself. Normally, Doby’s manager, Chief Kim, would have kept an eye on him. But today, Doby had bolted from the dorm before anyone could stop him.