A Certain Moment (8)
Sa Hae-geon and I headed straight to the central center. Despite having been tense from his first battle, Sa Hae-geon insisted on driving. I wonder if he didn’t trust me that much. Though I did tell him I’ve had a license for four years but barely used it…
The roads were quite pleasant, probably because it was just past noon. Sa Hae-geon drove more comfortably than in the morning and chatted with me about the dungeon.
“About that monster we saw earlier. It really was huge. I didn’t expect to see a monster that large in a C-rank dungeon.”
“Was that alligator monster particularly big? I’ve never seen other monsters, so I can’t tell.”
“Yeah. That size is rare even in B-rank dungeons. Though I don’t get to see monsters often since I usually stay at the base camp when I accompany dungeon raids.”
“You usually stay at the base camp? With other Guides?”
“Yes. Unless it’s a low-rank dungeon like today, we typically set up a base camp. You know that tent we carried? We just unfold it to create a small resting space, that’s all.”
“It’s not just Guides there, right?”
Sa Hae-geon asked in a genuinely concerned, serious tone. Since Guides and Espers stayed together throughout today’s dungeon, it was understandable that he might be worried about Guides being separated at the base camp at other times.
“Of course not. We stay with the Espers. There’s a rotation system where they take turns guarding the base camp and the Guides. Unless you’re a team leader like Jong-hyeok, no matter your rank, you might be assigned to just guard the base camp.”
“I wouldn’t mind that. It means I get to spend more time with you. I could protect you too.”
“W-what?”
His absurd statement left me speechless. Was he treating the dungeon like some kind of excursion? After just completing his first dungeon…
Still, it was cute and admirable that he wanted to protect me. After seeing his performance earlier, it might not be a bad idea to count on him.
After driving hard on the open highway, we arrived at the center where I took Sa Hae-geon’s hand and headed straight to the examination room. I was concerned about his condition since usually more ability is consumed in actual combat than in training or simulated battles.
Also, the amount of ability used varies depending on the Esper’s state of tension and condition. Since Sa Hae-geon was such a special case, I couldn’t help but worry. The way we Guide him in the future might change depending on how much ability he uses in actual combat.
Moreover, S-class Espers needed much more Guiding than Espers of other ranks. Whether he knew this or not, Sa Hae-geon was only focusing on the fact that I had taken his hand first.
“It feels a bit strange when you take my hand first. It’s close to a good feeling, but also somehow unfamiliar…”
“Mmm, sure. First, let’s get you examined. You don’t have a headache or anything, right?”
“No. But can you hold my hand again later too?”
“Let’s talk about that after your examination. Go in now.”
Only after pushing Sa Hae-geon into the examination room could I catch my breath. He was definitely someone I couldn’t let my guard down around.
“Do-min.”
A familiar person sat down next to me on the long chair beside the examination room door as I was catching my breath.
“Hyung.”
“Did everything go well?”
It was Jong-hyeok. He handed me a warm can of coffee with a smile.
“Yes, well… I’d say it went well enough.”
“I heard a bit from Lee Cheol-min. He said Hae-geon approached the raid quite cleverly. What did you think?”
The way Sa Hae-geon handled the alligator monster was quite unique. Even when given time to think about strategy, many Espers would just rely on brute force or take chances with all-or-nothing approaches. Moreover, higher-ranked Espers tended to have more faith and confidence in their abilities, focusing on attacking with full force rather than calculating.
But Sa Hae-geon was different. Not only did he use an approach that veteran Espers with extensive dungeon experience would use to take down the monster, but he also didn’t get overly excited or scared. To be honest, his talent as an Esper was evident.
“Ah, yes. Even though it was his first time in a dungeon, he did really well. I guess natural combat sense is a real thing, hyung.”
“Right. So even you thought he did well?”
“Yes. I thought he was fine.”
“Good. Then do you think he’d adapt well if we put him in an S-rank dungeon raid team?”
“…What?”
My eyes widened at the sudden suggestion. What did I just hear? I stammered in surprise.
“S-so you’re saying… you want to put Hae-geon in an S-rank dungeon raid team?”
“Yes. I think he’d do well.”
“No, hyung… How can you say that about someone who just went to a dungeon for the first time today?”
“Isn’t the fact that Hae-geon performed well in the dungeon despite it being his first time more important than it being his first dungeon?”
This was getting worse. Had he been training Sa Hae-geon so hard from the beginning with this in mind? Even though there might be a shortage of Espers for S-rank dungeon raids, Sa Hae-geon was a rookie who had just experienced the field.
“I understand your concern, but we’re in a situation where every high-ranked ability user is valuable. I wish I could borrow even a cat’s paw. Please help me.”
“How am I supposed to help…”
“Do you think Hae-geon would agree if I talked to him? It won’t be an easy decision since it’s a difficult matter. If he tries to refuse, could you persuade him?”
“What? How could I do that… This is too sudden just to hear about it. And even though Hae-geon is an S-class Esper, there should be an order to things. Taking someone who just went to a dungeon for the first time today and immediately putting them in an S-rank dungeon raid team, not even a high-rank dungeon…”
“…I’m sorry, Do-min.”
“I didn’t say that to hear an apology from you, hyung.”
I could understand Jong-hyeok’s feelings. I vaguely sensed that he was getting more anxious as the expected date for the S-rank dungeon approached. If Sa Hae-geon hadn’t volunteered to enter the dungeon first, hyung would probably have hinted at it.
For the sake of the country and its people, persuading Sa Hae-geon might be the right thing to do, but was it the right thing for Sa Hae-geon? Even this brief consideration gave me a headache. Above all, my biggest concern was that Sa Hae-geon would likely agree to go to the S-rank dungeon without much thought.
As I was pondering hyung’s words seriously, I heard Sa Hae-geon coming out of the examination room.
As soon as he came out, he clung to me and mumbled.
“Hyung, do I have to get examined like this every time I return from a dungeon? It was so tiring. I want to rest but they wouldn’t let me.”
“Mmm. If you’re not entering a high-rank dungeon, today’s examination will probably be your first and last.”
Jong-hyeok, who had been looking back and forth between Sa Hae-geon and me, shook his head.
“I guess I’m invisible.”
“Oh, I didn’t see you there.”
“It’s fine. Good job, Hae-geon. Anyway… Do-min, think about it seriously. I’ll go ahead.”
Jong-hyeok stood up and walked away. Sa Hae-geon, who had been watching Jong-hyeok’s retreating back, made eye contact with me. His gaze was filled with suspicion.
“Um… what’s wrong?”
“What do you need to think about seriously? What is it?”
“Just… nothing important. Don’t worry about it.”
“How can I not worry? What is it? Is it something I shouldn’t know? What if I want to know anyway?”
But how could I tell him the truth? Sa Hae-geon was the type who would jump at the chance to go without knowing anything.
“Well, it’s really nothing. We just had something to talk about. We also talked a bit about Cream…”
“You’re saying you talked with Team Leader An Jong-hyeok about Cream? Then where did the ‘think about it seriously’ part come from?”
“Ah… since I might have to enter an S-rank dungeon, which means Cream would be alone for quite a long time… he was telling me to seriously consider who to entrust her to.”
I thought I’d made up a decent excuse and glanced at Sa Hae-geon’s face, but he was looking down at me with even more suspicious eyes than before. His arms around me also tensed slightly.
“Why…”
I thought he was going to press further, but surprisingly, he just stared at me without saying anything. After a long moment of eye contact, he got up first. Then, with a sullen face, he said:
“I want to go receive Guiding.”
“Oh, you do? Let’s go right away.”
I deliberately avoided Sa Hae-geon’s dissatisfied gaze and headed toward the Guiding room. Even as I walked, my mind was filled with various concerns.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
