Goal: Removing the First Obstacle (11)
Sa Hae-geon followed the assault team, leaving Chae Do-min behind. If they could just deal with Shin Woo-jun today, all that would remain was the S-grade dungeon. His heart fluttered at the thought of spending time alone with Chae Do-min after removing the two obstacles.
He wanted to quickly protect Chae Do-min from all his fears and be embraced by him, spending peaceful time without any worries. After all, Chae Do-min’s embrace was excessively cozy and pleasant. The way he looked down at him with that angelic face, those neat eyes focused entirely on him, gave him a satisfaction greater than anything else.
And Chae Do-min still didn’t know. How warm and affectionate his gaze was when looking at him. Hadn’t he himself only realized this fact recently? Sa Hae-geon added a faint smile to his lips as he pondered the look in Chae Do-min’s eyes. His heart felt like it was inflating like a large balloon.
Even on the way to the abandoned building where Shin Woo-jun and the illegal group were hiding, the fierce wind disheveled their hair. Esper Hwang Ji-hyun laughed at Esper Lee Seong-rok’s unkempt hair.
“Hahaha! Hey, Seong-rok. What’s with your hair? Did you fight someone? It really looks awful. It’s like, um… ah, yes! Like a windmill.”
“Come on, your hair doesn’t look any different, noona.”
“Enough. We don’t have time for jokes. Stay alert.”
Esper Hwang Ji-hyun, who had been snickering quietly, stopped laughing abruptly at Esper An Jong-hyeok’s rebuke and regained her composure. As they got closer to the abandoned building, the wind grew stronger, continuously reducing visibility. By the time they reached the building, it was nearly impossible to maintain clear sight.
Esper An Jong-hyeok frowned as he looked around and muttered:
“The D-grade Esper who was supposed to be guarding the bottom of the building seems to have gone up.”
“Yes, it seems so.”
“Everyone, stick to the outer wall. Enter as cautiously as possible.”
“Yes.”
Following Esper An Jong-hyeok’s instructions, the entire assault team moved with their backs against the outer wall. The wind that had been blowing fiercely enough to completely obscure their vision had somehow weakened. Esper An Jong-hyeok checked the building entrance, which was blocked by a rusty iron door, trying to calm his heart that was pleasantly pounding at the thought of finally capturing Shin Woo-jun.
The door hinges, worn out from years of exposure, made eerie creaking sounds even with the slightest breeze. Esper Hwang Ji-hyun frowned at the uncanny sound that raised goosebumps on the skin.
“Ugh… creepy.”
Esper An Jong-hyeok put his index finger to his lips, signaling Esper Hwang Ji-hyun to be quiet. After briefly surveying the surroundings, he approached the iron door and put his ear against it. Either Shin Woo-jun’s group was staying on the higher floors of the building, or there was no sound at all.
Esper An Jong-hyeok signaled to Esper Lee Cheol-min, who was standing behind him. Esper Lee Cheol-min nodded and spread a small shield.
“One… two… three.”
After quietly counting numbers while making eye contact with the team members, Esper An Jong-hyeok carefully turned the doorknob. With a creaking sound, the round doorknob turned. Clank, as the door opened, the assault team entered the building, muffling their footsteps completely.
Befitting a building that hadn’t been used for a long time, the interior environment was deplorable. Not only were parts of the concrete floor broken, but rusty nails were protruding in places.
The musty smell of mold circled around Sa Hae-geon’s nose. He frowned in displeasure and looked around the interior carefully. Hazy dust had accumulated here and there. He was in a particularly foul mood for having to enter such a filthy environment that gave him goosebumps just by looking at it.
Moreover, his chest tightened at the thought of fighting while rolling around in the hazy piles of dust.
The inside of the abandoned building was as quiet as if not even an ant was crawling around. It was so quiet that not even a faint sound could be heard despite the Espers’ exceptional hearing. Could they have teleported away? Sa Hae-geon was just thinking about that.
Esper Hwang Ji-hyun mouthed to Esper An Jong-hyeok:
‘I don’t hear any sound. Shouldn’t we check quickly? What if they’ve all escaped?’
When Esper An Jong-hyeok just stared blankly at her, apparently understanding what she said, Esper Hwang Ji-hyun, who had been pouting her lips in displeasure, soon remembered something and let out a sigh.
“…Ah!”
Why did she need to move to check if they had escaped or not? She could confirm it with her ability. Realizing how foolish her question to Esper An Jong-hyeok had been, Esper Hwang Ji-hyun smiled awkwardly and bent down. Despite wearing combat gloves, she was reluctant to touch the floor full of dirt and dust.
Esper Hwang Ji-hyun scrunched her face and placed her fingertips on the floor, scanning the entire building. She sensed the presence of several people near the very top. About eight or nine people were moving busily. After confirming that they hadn’t escaped yet, Esper Hwang Ji-hyun dusted off her hands and straightened her back.
Noticing that all the team members’ eyes were focused on her, she smiled silently and nodded. In response, Esper An Jong-hyeok gave a slight smile and signaled to Esper Lee Cheol-min. Receiving his gaze, Esper Lee Cheol-min deployed a small-range shield, just as when they entered the building.
The rigidly woven shield showed Esper Lee Cheol-min’s experience. Sa Hae-geon took note of the shape, size, and surface texture of the shield made by Esper Lee Cheol-min as he followed the assault team members.
The abandoned building was a high-rise reaching about 20 floors. However, the assault team climbed the emergency stairs without even taking a deep breath, as if it were nothing. As they got closer to the top floor, their lips twitched.
The assault team tightly clenched and unclenched their fists as if to suppress the rising competitive spirit and excitement. Finally, when the assault team arrived at the floor just below the top, they checked the situation while holding their breath. As Esper Hwang Ji-hyun had said, they sensed several presences on the floor above.
They could clearly hear the sounds of conversation and movement. But that was brief. It seemed the others also noticed the unusual atmosphere, as it suddenly became quiet.
Esper An Jong-hyeok, not missing the opportunity, climbed the stairs with completely muffled footsteps. Now all that remained between Shin Woo-jun and the assault team was the emergency door to the top floor. Shin Woo-jun would surely be beyond that old door.
Esper An Jong-hyeok was extremely curious about how Shin Woo-jun would react and respond upon seeing him. How much had he blamed himself after narrowly missing him in Canada before? His hands were trembling at the thought of finally putting an end to their long-standing bad relationship.
Esper An Jong-hyeok swallowed dryly and turned the doorknob. Due to the lack of oiling, the door opened roughly with a sharp sound. Behind the widely opened door, they could see Shin Woo-jun and the Espers surrounding him protectively.
Shin Woo-jun was sitting in a metal chair with his usual sly expression, but he couldn’t hide the intense anger embedded in his relaxed smile.
“Well, look who it is. Isn’t it our esteemed Team Leader An? You’re looking quite bright. Is it because you’ve been receiving your Guiding regularly? Hmm?”
The voice filled with hostility was directed at Esper An Jong-hyeok. At the familiar voice and tone, Esper An Jong-hyeok twisted up one corner of his mouth.
“That’s right. Unlike some people, I have a constitution that receives Guiding well.”
Shin Woo-jun’s face crumpled at Esper An Jong-hyeok’s words. But he quickly burst into a light laugh and shrugged his shoulders, pretending to be unbothered.
“Let’s stop here. The greeting is getting too long and tiresome. And we weren’t close enough to exchange friendly greetings anyway.”
“Then why don’t you drop that ‘we’ first? It’s disgusting to hear.”
Shin Woo-jun’s lips trembled momentarily. He let out a loud fake laugh, sweeping up his bangs, as if swallowing his rising irritation. Then he scanned behind Esper An Jong-hyeok.
“There’s an unfamiliar face among the boring ones. A rookie?”
Nobody answered, but Shin Woo-jun continued to babble unconcernedly.
“Good build. Physical enhancement or something like that? Grade is… low A-grade, high S-grade?”
Even with the gaze that overtly scanned his body, Sa Hae-geon stood indifferently.
“Seeing no response, maybe you’re C-grade or lower, like an all-show-no-substance? As a rookie, you might not know, but in this field, there are many like you. Guys who have no ability but got into the center because of connections. They call it parachuting, parachuting.”
Despite his unpleasant evaluation, Shin Woo-jun couldn’t get a satisfying reaction from Sa Hae-geon, and the corner of his mouth twisted upward. He soon sighed and got up from his seat.
“Ah, alright. I get it, I get it. Let’s end the small talk here and get down to business. You’re just eager to die as soon as possible. Right?”
Shin Woo-jun stretched and looked at the assault team one by one. His eyes, scanning each person as if licking them, glistened like those of a beast.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
