* * *
Hwi Saul spoke with an unnaturally benevolent smile.
“Now that everyone is seated, shall we continue the meeting? You said the first team that went in hasn’t returned?”
Seo Jaewon tried his best not to look too relieved.
‘Yes, let’s just have the meeting, please! Joo Youngha, you too!’
Avoiding Joo Youngha’s gaze, Seo Jaewon dropped his eyes to his tablet.
“Yes, Hyung. If it were a total wipeout, the dungeon should have reset, but there’s no sign of that. Instead, the energy levels are just getting worse.”
When an attack team is wiped out inside, a dungeon “resets.”
When a reset occurs, the dungeon processes any outside materials and returns to its initial state of emergence.
In the case of dungeons that have grown to a certain size, even if they reset, they recover their previous state almost instantly.
The fact that a dungeon reset hadn’t happened meant there was a survivor.
However, for now, that was the extent of what they could guess.
From outside the dungeon, they could only measure the amount of energy; they couldn’t know the specific situation inside.
This was because a means of communication between the inside and outside—or even between people within the dungeon—hadn’t been developed yet.
Because of that, they had no way of knowing if the team simply hadn’t found a way to clear it, or if they were too injured to complete the raid.
As a result, the follow-up team had even less time to clear it and had to shoulder the risk that the situation might have been worsened by the previous team.
‘It’s more dangerous than going in first.’
As if thinking the exact same thing, Ji Myunghoon grumbled.
“We don’t know the situation inside, and we have no information on the dungeon. It’s already a dangerous situation, and they want us to perform a rescue too?”
“The policy is to prioritize the raid and rescue survivors if possible.”
Normally, in these cases, the standard procedure was to send a specialized scout team first.
However, when time was tight, things rarely went according to the manual.
With a heavy heart, Seo Jaewon paused his speech for a moment and just flipped through the documents.
The dungeon was A-rank.
The energy levels had been showing a steep upward curve since dawn today, the fifth day since its emergence.
There probably wasn’t even a moment to consider scouting.
Seo Jaewon had only received this report after arriving at the site, which showed how urgently they had been dispatched.
‘We can’t delay the raid any longer.’
It was bitter that the lives of the Espers became a secondary goal, but thinking coldly, it was the right call.
If a Dungeon Break occurred, there would be even more victims.
“Oh, I know this person!”
Hwi Sara suddenly raised her voice.
On the document she held up, the face of a missing Esper was printed.
“……Teacher?”
Instructor Kwak Kyungshin.
It was a face so familiar that Seo Jaewon recognized it even on the poor-quality black-and-white print.
He was a legendary Esper who was the youngest to reach S-rank in Korea, but above all, he was Seo Jaewon’s mentor.
They had formed a bond when Kwak Kyungshin stepped back from the front lines to teach trainees.
Kwak Kyungshin had taught Seo Jaewon the basics of practical combat and helped him grow into a proper Esper in the dungeons afterward.
Since Kwak Kyungshin was an exceptionally powerful Water-type even among the famous S-class Espers, Seo Jaewon, who handled ice, had especially much to learn from him.
「That thing you just failed at, stay with me today until you get it right. It’s because of parts you overlook like that that you end up dying!」
It was no exaggeration to say that Seo Jaewon had survived his entire life as an Esper thanks to what he learned from him.
“Why is this person here?”
In his past life, he was sure the man had retired and moved down to Jeju Island.
Why did he enter a dungeon in Seoul?
And the fact that he was missing in that dungeon didn’t feel real at all.
To Seo Jaewon, Kwak Kyungshin was a model Esper.
He possessed immense power, was certain about everything as if he could see the future, and always seemed full of confidence.
On top of that, he was a good person who cherished his students.
Seo Jaewon often sought his advice, not just regarding his abilities, but also regarding his troubles as a leader and his struggles with controlling Joo Youngha.
Thanks to his advice, Seo Jaewon had been able to steady himself many times.
Unlike the confused Seo Jaewon, Hwi Sara said nonchalantly.
“I don’t know, I heard he volunteered.”
“All the way to Seoul?”
“I guess so.”
Seo Jaewon furrowed his brows without realizing it.
The value of a life is the same for everyone.
Yet, along with the disappointment in himself for being shaken by a familiar face, a sense of urgency washed over him.
‘Can we save them?’
The fact that they couldn’t even come out of the gate after five days, let alone clear it, meant something had gone seriously wrong.
In reality, he couldn’t even be sure how many of the people who entered first were still alive.
Now, Seo Jaewon was a Guide who could barely look after himself, let alone save anyone else.
Even if the attack team was alive, what could he possibly do…?
“Jaewon.”
“……”
“Jaewon.”
“……Uh, yeah?”
At Joo Youngha’s voice, Seo Jaewon suddenly snapped out of his thoughts.
The others, who were from different Academy branches, were looking at Seo Jaewon’s expression with curious looks.
And Joo Youngha, for some reason, had a sulky face.
“What is it?”
“……Hmm.”
Despite calling him repeatedly, he didn’t give an answer, and the silly grin from earlier was completely gone.
‘Why is he acting like that again?’
He had been teasing him with annoying delight for a while, and now he was suddenly in a bad mood.
He was truly difficult to keep up with.
‘Well, it’s not like Joo Youngha being moody is anything new.’
“……Now, everyone, please look at the materials.”
Seo Jaewon forced himself to calm down and wrapped up the short briefing.
Regardless of who was inside, Seo Jaewon’s mission didn’t change.
Just doing his best to clear the dungeon would yield the best result.
Joo Youngha maintained his sulky face even while packing his gear and finishing all preparations.
It was only after they stood side-by-side in front of the gate that he spoke to Seo Jaewon again.
“Does it bother you that much?”
“What?”
Seo Jaewon was taken aback.
Does what bother him?
You?
Well, that thing happened earlier, and now you’re acting all pouted again…
“That person.”
“Ah… you mean Teacher?”
He wondered why he was asking something so strange all of a sudden, so that’s what it was…
Since it was a question with a clear answer, he actually felt relieved.
“Of course I’m worried. Aren’t you worried?”
Seo Jaewon and Joo Youngha were Academy classmates.
Not only did they take the same classes, but they also did most of their dungeon training together.
This meant that Joo Youngha also knew Esper Kwak Kyungshin.
「Jaewon, do something about your boyfriend. I can’t even talk to you because of him.」
「I told you he’s not my boyfriend.」
「You two are exactly the same, honestly.」
…He had also played a major role in raising the teacher’s blood pressure.
While they didn’t have a warm teacher-student relationship, he had clearly left some kind of impression on Joo Youngha.
Seeing as the guy, who had zero interest in people, still remembered him.
“Why? Didn’t they say he entered because he wanted to?”
Joo Youngha asked back, even slightly curling the corner of his mouth as if the question itself was ridiculous.
“……I guess so.”
“He went because he judged it to be a benefit to himself, so he should handle the consequences. Don’t feel sorry for him.”
He even offered advice in a kind tone, as if worrying was a waste of time.
Seo Jaewon gave up on the conversation, feeling exhausted.
“Fine, fine. What’s the point in talking to you? With your personality, of course you wouldn’t understand.”
‘I’m the fool for expecting normal human emotions from you.’
However, at that reaction, Joo Youngha somehow looked wronged.
“Jaewon is only cold to me…”
“Huh?”
At those words, the surrounding gazes pierced through the two of them like needles.
Hwi Sara, who was re-tying her combat boot laces, looked up at them with her mouth hanging open.
‘Ah, don’t look this way!’
“You say you’re worried, but you won’t even make eye contact with me or talk to me… yet you’re so worried about that person that you have to go find him?”
“What kind of—ha…”
When someone is this illogical, it’s not even easy to argue back.
Seo Jaewon felt a throbbing sensation in the back of his head.
It had been a long time since he felt this way, not since his Academy days.
“……Just go in, go in.”
‘Stop acting like an Esper!’
Seo Jaewon bit his back teeth and pushed Joo Youngha’s back, shoving him into the gate.
“But—”
“Shut it. Esper Joo Youngha and Guide Seo Jaewon are entering!”
As he stepped into the kaleidoscope-like light, the dizziness unique to the gate overwhelmed him.
It felt like standing on an excessively soft carpet with his eyes covered.
“Ugh…”
Someone’s hand firmly caught his staggering body.
It was Joo Youngha.
He could tell by the waves of energy tickling his skin.
Following Joo Youngha’s guidance, he was able to step onto solid ground.
The dizziness slowly subsided, and his vision, which had been flickering with blurry light, gradually stabilized.
Seeing as it was better than last time, it seemed he had adjusted a bit.
As expected, even a Guide can adapt if they try.
Soon, the surrounding energy became completely calm.
Seo Jaewon was standing in a quiet space.
His body felt a bit heavy, but for some reason, he didn’t feel tired.
His physical and mental strength were fine.
Rather, it felt like he was being physically pressed down by something…
“Joo Youngha, are you okay—, huh?”
Seo Jaewon looked around to check what was restraining him.
His vision was still blurry.
After struggling and rubbing his eyes, what he finally saw was an empty hallway.
‘Empty?!’
Where are the other team members?
And where did Joo Youngha go?!
‘Thump, thump, thump…’
“……!”
Toward the panicked him, a knight in shimmering armor walked forward.
‘Clang, thud.’
The mass felt from the footsteps alone was not on a human level.
The giant sword hanging at its waist reflected the light with a chilling glint.
Seo Jaewon instinctively took a step back and took a defensive stance.
‘If I get hit, I’ll die…!’
It was a knight in shimmering armor.
Not a “driver” or an “engineer,” but a real knight with a sword.
However, above the armor, there was no face—only a pitch-black shadow.
It wasn’t human.
The shadow knight made a screeching sound like metal scraping and stopped in front of Seo Jaewon with an unnatural movement.
And then,
“It, is, time, to, change, shifts.”
* * *
