Everything surrounding them was caught up and crushed by the structures with a thunderous roar.
It was as if a piece of the forest was being forcibly stuffed inside the castle.
Mounds of dirt surged before their eyes, and sharp fragments of split stone and wood flew everywhere.
Seo Jaewon squeezed his eyes shut.
‘This is dangerous!’
At this rate, it felt like the bodies of Seo Jaewon and Joo Youngha, who were at the center of it, wouldn’t remain intact.
Fortunately, before that could happen, a familiar aura of energy surrounded Seo Jaewon.
“……!”
It was Joo Youngha’s barrier.
Beyond the transparent shield, dust piled up instantly, and the sound of various falling debris clattering against it rang out.
It felt like being inside a glass marble placed in the middle of a storm.
It was only after a long time that the baptism of debris, which threatened to bury the barrier entirely, came to an end.
Afterward, only a suffocating silence remained.
Only then did Seo Jaewon steady his frantically beating heart.
From behind him, he heard Joo Youngha’s sigh-like grumbling.
“So annoying. It was getting good just now… and then this interference.”
The dust piled on top of the barrier cascaded down the invisible surface.
When his surroundings finally came into view, they were a total mess.
The interior of the magnificent golden hall looked as though a landslide had occurred inside it.
‘This is insane.’
Literally, they had almost been buried alive.
It was as if the palace had swallowed them up and then chewed them.
The scene was so surreal that it was chilling just to look at.
Above their heads, the trees that once made up the forest were tangled together, caught on rafters and pillars.
It looked unstable, as if it might collapse again at any moment.
Only the area where Joo Youngha had deployed the barrier was a clean circle without a speck of dirt, while the surrounding area was filled with soil almost up to thigh height.
In the midst of it all, only the chandelier hanging from the ceiling remained intact, dimly illuminating the castle that had turned into a ruin.
“Let go for a second.”
Seo Jaewon shook off Joo Youngha, who was still clinging to his back.
He then desperately looked around the semi-destroyed hall.
“What on earth is going on?”
The system message continued to flash warnings with incomprehensible content.
!WARNING!
Leaving the qu■st area■. Return to the qu■st area imm■diately!
The letters were broken as if malfunctioning, flickering with static noise.
The red flashing in the corner of his vision was enough to give him a headache.
It was certain that this was not a normal situation.
‘What happened? This isn’t how a typical escape-room dungeon works.’
No matter how “abnormal” a dungeon might be, they still had their own rules.
In his experience, escape-room dungeons always had clear, visible rules, regardless of the theme.
Those rules were usually easy to find and left little room for confusion—as if the dungeon didn’t actually want the raid team to get lost.
On the other hand, this time… he couldn’t see the connection at all.
Though Seo Jaewon wasn’t the most imaginative person, he hadn’t done anything that would cause a castle to suddenly sprout.
There hadn’t been any hints about it, either.
‘Was catching the bird the trigger? No, the reaction wasn’t immediate enough for that.’
Environments inside an escape-room dungeon react instantly to conditions.
After catching the bird, there was a time gap before the anomaly occurred—enough time for him to guide Joo Youngha.
‘And what is this ‘Quest Area’ supposed to be?’
However, the system did not answer.
It was the same no matter how many times he asked internally.
Whether it was broken or just couldn’t hear his questions, the message stubbornly outputted the same content.
!WARNING!
Leaving the qu■st ■■ea. Return to the qu■st area im■edia■ely!
“This is driving me crazy.”
Regardless, the two of them had to find an exit now.
Since their equipment had disappeared upon entering the dungeon, they couldn’t call their teammates.
If it came down to it, he might have to make Joo Youngha use his powers regardless of his condition.
With EX-rank firepower, even if they couldn’t find a way out, it would be possible to simply smash through the building itself.
Judging by his energy state, it was better not to overtax him right now… but it was better than the two of them being trapped and dying here.
“Joo Youngha, let’s look for a way out first. Can you use your ability?”
No answer came back.
“Joo Youngha?”
Instead of answering, Joo Youngha quietly covered his mouth with his hand.
Crimson blood burst out between his white fingers.
Seo Jaewon’s mind went blank.
“……Youngha!”
At the same time, Joo Youngha’s energy barrier vanished like a popping soap bubble.
The mounds of dirt that had been pushed aside cascaded down, burying their legs.
Seo Jaewon pushed through the dirt and grabbed Joo Youngha.
“What is seriously wrong with you?”
The guy, caught by the arms Seo Jaewon had hurriedly extended, lifted his head and let out a hollow laugh with a pale face.
“Are you worried about me? Ah-ha…”
Then, he coughed up blood several more times.
“Hey!”
Seo Jaewon dragged Joo Youngha onto the pile of dirt.
In a panic, he took off his jacket, laid it down, and sat Joo Youngha on it.
“I’m fine…”
“Like hell you are! Do I look like an idiot?!”
The vivid red blood was painful to even look at.
His white clothes were so stained with blood that it made Seo Jaewon’s eyes swim.
Getting injured was a common occurrence for an Esper.
Having worked as an Esper for a long time, Seo Jaewon knew how to deal with his own injuries and those of his teammates quite rationally.
But that Joo Youngha was injured—and more than that, he was in pain?
Fundamentally, the bodies of high-ranking Espers endure pain well.
In fact, Joo Youngha hadn’t seemed particularly pained even when his stomach had been pierced before.
The fact that Joo Youngha was coughing up this much blood and looked this pained meant his actual condition was far worse than it appeared.
Looking at the mess of his energy and the timing of the blood-vomiting, the general cause was obvious.
“You… your condition is getting worse every time you use your ability, isn’t it? Do you have any idea why?”
Joo Youngha stared at Seo Jaewon’s face intently, as if observing him.
Then, he suddenly spoke.
“You’re scared. Are you anxious?”
“What?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t go into a rampage or anything.”
He spoke with a remarkably generous expression.
It was a detached attitude, as if he were talking about someone else.
He was calmly comforting only Seo Jaewon, as if the inexplicable situation and the fact that he was coughing up blood were nothing.
This guy wasn’t just indifferent to others.
He had no concern for his own safety, either.
That was why, in his past life, he had thrown his own life away so easily.
A bleak certainty settled over Seo Jaewon: no matter what he did, that aspect of Joo Youngha would never change.
To Joo Youngha, everything was like a meaningless prank.
That fact drove Seo Jaewon mad.
“It’ll get better if I just stay still.”
“How can you say that right now?!”
Seo Jaewon finally ended up yelling.
Joo Youngha blinked his eyelashes and stared, then spoke as if he had only just understood the situation.
“Ah? Are you… angry?”
“Ha… Who do you think is making me angry, you madman?”
For now, he wiped Joo Youngha’s mouth with his sleeve.
Seeing someone who was already so pale looking so ill made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Joo Youngha’s clear gaze followed Seo Jaewon quietly.
“Jaewon is…”
“Don’t talk. I’m scared you’ll cough up more blood.”
Naturally, Joo Youngha didn’t listen to a word Seo Jaewon said.
“Usually you’re so cold, but you only get kind when I’m sick.”
At the ridiculous remark, Seo Jaewon stopped his hand and stared at Joo Youngha.
“You’re not in your right mind because you’re sick, are you?”
Joo Youngha continued to speak in a soft, casual voice.
“Maybe I should have acted pitiful sooner… Would you care even more if I got stabbed or something?”
Seo Jaewon’s breath hitched.
Memories of the past surged back like a flashback.
Joo Youngha’s body, pierced by ice he had created himself, bleeding and collapsing into his arms.
Those eyes where the light was fading.
That feeling of the world falling away, of reality disappearing…
With the feeling of his blood running cold, his fists clenched involuntarily.
Seo Jaewon quietly grit his teeth.
“If you ever say something like that again, I’ll really kill you.”
Joo Youngha smiled without answering.
His narrowed eyes sparkled with happiness.
He wore an expression as if he had just heard a whisper of love from a lover.
“Wow, an expression that looks like you really would stab me.”
The blood finally rushed to Seo Jaewon’s vision at the carefree chatter.
“You brat…!”
Just as he was about to grab the patient by the collar and throw a punch regardless of his health, Joo Youngha made a blank sound.
“Ah?”
“?!”
Seo Jaewon froze at the unexpected sound.
The guy widened his eyes slightly, rolled them around, and then looked at Seo Jaewon with a dazed face.
“I have a nosebleed…”
Red blood trickled down from Joo Youngha’s pretty nose.
‘…What? I haven’t even hit him yet!’
He covered his nose with both hands and blinked.
Then, he muttered in a dazed voice.
“It’s my first time having a nosebleed.”
“…Aw, hell.”
It was the ultimate mood-killer.
Seo Jaewon finally lost his will to fight.
“Let me see.”
Fine, getting worked up against this guy was only his loss.
If I say I’m going to keep him alive, what can a guy like him do about it?
‘Let’s just be patient, let’s not react to useless things…’
He repeated those words internally like a mantra.
“Tilt your head up, it’s running.”
Joo Youngha’s clothes were already bloodstained. It was a bit late for such a warning.
Still, Seo Jaewon reached out toward the bridge of Joo Youngha’s nose.
A nosebleed would stop soon if you just pressed firmly on the upper part of the bridge.
“Mmh.”
Joo Youngha obediently tilted his head back.
‘I can’t try to force our way out.’
He didn’t want to end up killing the kid…
Fortunately, it seemed the nosebleed would stop soon.
As he held the guy’s nose and supported his head, an ominous sound echoed through the building.
‘Rumble…’
The ceiling shook. Dirt and sand poured down over their heads.
When he looked up, he saw the trees that had filled the hall in a tangled mess.
They had begun to collapse.
Crack, an ominous sound of something shifting came from a pillar that a tree had struck.
‘…God dammit…!’
Seo Jaewon forced Joo Youngha to his feet.
“Joo Youngha, come this way. We have to get out of here right now!”
