Ji Myunghoon gripped the bolt barring the King’s bedroom door.
As he applied pressure, the solid wood beneath his palm began to glow cherry-red and burn.
In no time, the massive bolt crumbled into ash, burning silently without even sparking a flame.
Ji Myunghoon nudged the bedroom door open a crack and peered inside.
The interior was pitch black without a single candle; only the faint sunlight filtering through the windows dimly lit the room.
It didn’t feel like a place where someone would be. But then…
Slither, thud—
Slither, thud…
He heard the sound of something sweeping across the floor and bumping into something else.
The moment the door swung fully open, Ji Myunghoon let out a startled gasp despite himself.
“What in the…?!”
Since this was the place he expected the Core to be, he thought an enemy would jump out the moment he opened the door.
He had gathered his energy, ready to strike at a second’s notice, but surprisingly, there was no enemy in sight.
The bedroom was just a typical royal inner chamber, only slightly more luxurious than the rest of the palace.
A cool night breeze brushed his face.
The window was open, and pale moonlight faintly illuminated the room.
Even with a light source, the darkness was exceptionally thick—so much so that even with an Esper’s vision, it was difficult to distinguish his surroundings.
‘Is that the King?’
Even in the darkness, he could make out a cloak long enough to drag on the floor.
He couldn’t see a crown, as if the figure’s head was bowed low.
The figure presumed to be the King didn’t react to Ji Myunghoon at all.
Had he not noticed?
The shadow was repeating a bizarre action.
It would walk toward the bed, hit the bed, take two steps back, and then repeat the same action…
‘Slither, thud—’
‘Slither, thud…’
The sound of feet and fabric dragging was eerie.
Even as Ji Myunghoon lowered his body and approached, the shadow didn’t stop its repetitive movements.
‘Is it broken? Damn, this feels wrong…’
Ji Myunghoon grimaced internally and reached out toward it.
Monster or shadow person, whatever it was doing didn’t matter.
Once he took the crown, the mission would be over.
Whoosh—!
Ji Myunghoon grabbed the bowed shoulder of the shadow King and spun him around.
Under the faint moonlight, the figure that had been submerged in darkness was finally revealed.
“……?!!”
Ji Myunghoon was so shocked he couldn’t even make a sound.
The head wasn’t bowed.
There was no head.
The cross-section where the neck should have been was drenched in black mucus.
Swarms of things like black leeches were wriggling over the shoulders and nape.
“……Aaaaargh!”
The pitch-black darkness lunged toward Ji Myunghoon.
“……And that’s how I barely escaped.”
Ji Myunghoon stopped his explanation and let out a sigh.
He had narrowly avoided a rampage thanks to emergency guiding, but the load hadn’t been fully cleared, so he still looked unwell.
Hwi Sara, who had been listening to his story with a bored expression, chimed in.
“Why did you even start to rampage? How much power could you have possibly used just to get scared and run away?”
“Sara, if you say it like that, Myunghoon-ssi will get hurt.”
Ji Myunghoon clutched his head and shouted.
“My abilities just didn’t work!”
‘Abilities didn’t work?’
As an S-rank Fire-type Esper, Ji Myunghoon was second to none when it came to energy output.
Yet he hadn’t even been able to use his powers properly.
Hwi Sara seemed equally bewildered, as she frowned and asked back.
“You mean it didn’t burn?”
“No, it wasn’t like that. Those black leech-like things kept sticking to me, and no matter how much fire I poured out, my strength just felt drained away while nothing happened…”
At those words, everyone’s faces turned grave.
“Abilities are useless against it? I’ve never heard of a monster like that.”
Hwi Saul muttered.
His voice was calm, but tension was etched into his expression.
It was only natural.
For an Esper, their ability is a part of their body and a significant portion of their identity.
Being unable to use it is akin to having one’s very reason for existence denied.
Seo Jaewon, who had lost his own powers as an Esper, could understand that fear perfectly.
“A monster that abilities don’t work on…”
Seo Jaewon rubbed the space between his eyebrows.
The crown’s whereabouts were unknown, and an unidentified enemy was lurking. It was a headache.
If it was a black, leech-like substance, it was similar to what Seo Jaewon had seen in the library.
It was also worth considering that he had felt a strange energy from the residue left on the corpse.
Perhaps it had the ability to cause issues with an Esper’s energy.
Was this why Joo Youngha was in pain every time he used his powers?
But the pattern was too different from Ji Myunghoon’s.
Besides, he had been sick before even coming into contact with the leeches.
Silence fell between them for a moment. They were all lost in thought.
“Then what are we supposed to do…? Can we even clear this in time?”
Hwi Sara muttered, unable to hide her anxiety.
At her words, even Ji Myunghoon, the most senior member among them, looked stiff.
Hwi Saul appeared peaceful on the surface, but he was silent, deep in thought.
It was because none of the team members had long careers.
Strength and experience were two different things.
Usually, a raid team is intentionally composed of members with varying years of experience, but because of Joo Youngha, that plan had failed.
No veteran Esper could stand the guy’s arrogance.
But letting morale drop was not an option.
‘In times like this, the leader has to hold the center.’
Seo Jaewon spoke with a feigned air of composure.
“At least we know the Core isn’t there, thanks to Esper Ji Myunghoon. Or maybe the approach we thought of was wrong.”
“Hmm.”
Ji Myunghoon glanced at Seo Jaewon.
“Dungeons always have a solution. Escape-room dungeons are no different.”
“……I guess so. Let’s investigate that bedroom one more time first.”
Hwi Saul, who had been quietly looking at the floor, responded quickly.
“I’ll go with you this time. The plants here haven’t been responding at all, but I should still do what I can.”
As expected, Hwi Saul was the most cooperative and quick-witted.
“Still, I’m better at escape rooms than Sara.”
“What?”
“Am I wrong? Want to bet on who finds the hint first?”
As they left the room, Hwi Saul exchanged a look with Seo Jaewon.
It was a sign that he’d handle things well.
An angry-eyed Hwi Sara stormed out, followed by a staggering Ji Myunghoon.
Hwi Saul could be trusted.
Seo Jaewon decided to leave the Esper work to the Espers.
Now it was time for his own task.
“Joo Youngha… No, Youngha. You and I need to talk.”
Joo Youngha blinked innocently.
Because his eyes were so large, it felt like it took a long time for his eyelids to just move once.
“What is it, Jaewon?”
Seo Jaewon felt a surge of frustration again at that sight. It was always like this.
“I told you to stay in bed.”
Seo Jaewon strode over and firmly pressed down on the guy’s shoulders.
Joo Youngha’s body fell back without resistance, like a limp doll.
Seo Jaewon spoke in a low voice.
“……You know something, don’t you?”
He couldn’t use his abilities, and guiding was useless—it actually made things worse.
No Esper could remain calm in such a situation.
「Don’t worry. I won’t rampage.」
「I’ll get better if I just stay still.」
But Joo Youngha had said those things with a perfectly calm face.
Was that something to say in this situation?
It irritated him that the guy acted like vomiting blood or fainting was no big deal.
He clearly had some idea about his own physical condition.
It was maddening that he wouldn’t speak up.
Why on earth?
‘I’m your Guide.’
“Spit it out while I’m still being nice.”
“Ahaha.”
Joo Youngha laughed as if he were enjoying himself.
His brown eyes sparkled like honey or amber.
He looked up at Seo Jaewon with a smile.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Do you even have to ask?”
His voice turned rough without him realizing it.
The guy was already as precarious as if he were made of matchsticks—how could Jaewon not be worried when he was vomiting blood!
He was even less trustworthy because he was someone who had died a meaningless death once before.
The weight of him collapsing helplessly into Jaewon’s arms and the smell of blood wafting from him were vivid in his memory.
That image kept overlapping with the memory of stabbing Joo Youngha in his past life.
“I’m not in the mood for jokes. Tell me, now.”
“Hmm……”
Joo Youngha rolled his eyes as if contemplating for a moment, then a bright smile broke across his face as if he had realized something.
“Wow.”
“……?”
“I’m not going to tell you.”
A low laugh sparkled in the dim darkness as if it might shatter.
“What?!”
Seo Jaewon froze for a moment.
Like a beast caught in headlights, he was overwhelmed by the joy radiating from Joo Youngha.
Joo Youngha’s arms wrapped around his neck.
A gentle strength pulled him downward, and a voice whispered in his ear.
“So, keep worrying about me like that.”
Seo Jaewon paced hesitantly in front of Joo Youngha’s door.
He had come out under the pretext of checking on Min Yoomin, but even after finishing his business, his mind was too troubled to face him.
‘Keep worrying about him?’
How was he supposed to take that?
Was he being serious?
Was he just trying to annoy him?
Did he have some other intention?
He had tucked the guy in and told him to go to sleep, but should he have pressed him further?
‘Surely he doesn’t actually want me to worry about him.’
Since he was an EX-rank, not many people worried about him.
But of all people, there was no way the great Joo Youngha would want such a thing.
He was the kind of guy who would survive perfectly fine even if he were the last person left on Earth.
Click—
Just then, a suspicious sound came from beyond the door.
“……?”
Thoughts aside, Seo Jaewon reflexively threw the door open.
Anyone would end up this way after spending time with Joo Youngha.
If you took your eyes off him for even a second, he’d do something unexpected!
“Hey, Joo Youngha.”
A breeze blowing in through the wide-open window ruffled Seo Jaewon’s hair.
He had definitely closed all the windows and doors before leaving.
Sure enough, Joo Youngha was perched on the windowsill, looking down.
His face turned toward him, glowing purely in the moonlight.
“Ah, I got caught.”
