The End of the Path We’ve Walked (4)
After the meeting ended, Sa Hae-geon and I immediately headed toward Jong-hyeok hyung, but in that brief moment, he had disappeared without a trace. Eventually, after wandering outside the conference room, we had to return to our seats with nothing accomplished. Esper Lee Seong-rok, who was guarding Team 1’s position, tilted his head curiously as he watched us trudge back.
“I thought you went out for some fresh air, but you’re back already?”
“Ah… there were still people crowded outside. So we just came back.”
“Ah, they must still be waiting for the meeting to end. Persistent, very persistent. But where did the team leader go?”
Esper Lee Seong-rok looked around the meeting hall searching for Jong-hyeok hyung, then shrugged and gave up.
“Well, he probably went to the bathroom. Ugh… this meeting is dragging on too long. I’ll be exhausted before we even enter the dungeon. Just look at noona.”
Esper Lee Seong-rok nodded toward where Esper Hwang Ji-hyun was sitting.
“Oh…”
Esper Hwang Ji-hyun was sound asleep with her forehead resting on the table. Esper Lee Seong-rok watched her with narrowed eyes and shook his head.
“I’m telling you, that noona is completely ruining our Team 1’s image.”
“I’m not sleeping. I can hear everything, Seong-rok.”
Esper Lee Seong-rok stuttered in surprise at Esper Hwang Ji-hyun’s voice, who everyone thought was sleeping.
“Ah, ah, ah… you weren’t sleeping? Then why are you like that?”
Esper Hwang Ji-hyun lifted her head while stretching her neck from side to side.
“I was listening so intently to the meeting that I got sleepy and needed a short rest, why?”
“You? Really?”
Esper Lee Seong-rok stared at Esper Hwang Ji-hyun with skeptical eyes before responding dispassionately.
“…Well, I suppose that’s possible.”
Esper Hwang Ji-hyun raised one eyebrow at his response but didn’t scold him.
Soon the final meeting began. Jong-hyeok hyung, who had been absent the entire time, returned just before the meeting started and took his seat. The third meeting involved reviewing the forces and routes discussed in previous meetings and exchanging brief opinions.
Even Jong-hyeok hyung, who had seemed unfocused during the first and second meetings, appeared to be listening attentively this time. The meetings that had started early in the morning finally concluded around 2 PM. Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung moistened her throat with her tumbler before announcing the end of the meeting.
“Then we’ll conclude the conquest strategy meeting here. Please have lunch and meet at the headquarters parking lot by 4 PM.”
Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung gathered her tumbler and left the main conference room. The conquest team members, exhausted from the long meeting, jumped out of their seats as soon as they had about two hours of free time and left the conference room without hesitation.
“Whew, finally over. Let’s eat, rest a bit, and then head to the parking lot.”
“I hope journalists aren’t camping out in the parking lot.”
“Well, even if they are, it’s not our problem. It’s for the Vice Minister or the Espers in leadership positions to handle.”
“Ah, I didn’t realize we’d be on broadcast. Should I have put on some makeup?”
“If you had, wouldn’t you have been criticized? With the situation like this, who has time to dress up?”
“I guess…”
We also got up and left the conference room, listening to the idle chatter of the Western Center Espers. All the way to the cafeteria in the basement of the Ability Department headquarters, I kept glancing at Jong-hyeok hyung. He seemed normal, but his strangely subdued gaze bothered me. Had he heard something?
At that moment, perhaps sensing my gaze, he turned and looked at me with a faint smile. As if he knew what I was worrying about and wanted to reassure me without letting me ask. Seeing his face like that, I couldn’t bring myself to ask any questions.
After a quick meal, we headed to the headquarters parking lot with our respective team members. A bus bound for the expected S-class dungeon emergence site was waiting for us.
“No journalists?”
“Less noise is better, right?”
Voices of disappointment came from various places, as if many had secretly hoped to appear on broadcast. We stopped in front of Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung, who was standing in front of the bus. The Vice Minister was wearing combat gear instead of the formal suit she had worn in the conference room.
She took in each person standing before her and then spoke.
“Everyone must be tense. And some of you may still be hesitating. That’s natural. It’s inevitable to feel fear when heading into an unknown dungeon where nothing can be guaranteed.”
Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung gazed at us with warm yet determined eyes.
“Nevertheless, we must move forward. Not because of some grand mission to serve the citizens and the country, but to protect our own daily lives and those of our families and loved ones.”
The atmosphere in the parking lot changed slightly at her resonant voice. Looking around, I saw people getting emotional. One Esper, apparently deeply moved by Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung’s words, shouted while sniffling:
“Let’s definitely conquer it…!”
“We must, we absolutely must succeed in the conquest!”
Following that Esper’s rallying cry, many others shouted commitments to succeed in the conquest. Thus, the atmosphere in the parking lot grew heated with Espers strengthening their resolve.
* * *
The bus heading to the expected emergence site was quiet. Originally, we weren’t supposed to leave this early, but the plan changed when the Dungeon Research Laboratory sent advice yesterday that the S-class dungeon’s wavelength was suspicious and it would be better to prepare in advance.
Throughout the bus ride, I had questions. Why was the S-class dungeon’s wavelength unstable? This hadn’t happened before, as far as I knew. If it were common, the Dungeon Research Laboratory wouldn’t have given such secretive information. And the Ability Department would certainly have warned from the beginning that the conquest schedule might be moved up or delayed.
I glanced at Sa Hae-geon, who was looking down and fidgeting with his hands, and suppressed a sigh. In any case, the situation didn’t seem normal, which made me feel uneasy. But unlike me, Sa Hae-geon’s face, which had looked anxious until yesterday, was now simply peaceful.
After driving for a long time, the bus stopped in front of a small port. When the doors didn’t open despite the bus having stopped, and with no instructions to disembark, someone from the back asked:
“Should we get off?”
“No. We’ll board the ship while still on the bus. Please remain seated.”
When Woo Jae-dam briefly explained, as if he had been informed in advance, people started murmuring.
“Getting on a ship? Are we going to an island?”
We hadn’t received any specific information about the expected emergence site of the S-class dungeon. Even during the meeting, many people had asked, but Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung had concealed the location, citing various reasons such as journalists and civilians might gather if the information leaked, which could endanger them.
She seemed determined to eliminate any possibility of exposing the location where the S-class dungeon would emerge. In the end, we had no choice but to accept it. Indeed, occasionally, cyber vultures would do foolish things like waiting in advance in areas where dungeons were expected to emerge, claiming they wanted to cover the story.
For such people, an S-class dungeon would be an extremely stimulating and mouth-watering topic, enough to make them forget even the fear of death. The Ability Department seemed intent on preventing such incidents in advance.
Soon, the bus seemed to be moving slowly onto a large ship. Since it was going to be an island, I hoped it would be an uninhabited one. While we were prepared to face death, whether willingly or not, civilians were different.
It would be like a bolt from the blue for them, which worried me.
After cutting through rough waves for a long time, the ship announced its docking with a loud horn. As the ship slowed down and came to a stop, Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung, sitting in the front, stood up.
“Let’s disembark.”
Nearly 300 personnel followed Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung and hurriedly got off the ship. The island where the ship had docked had only a shabby, old port, with no signs of human habitation like houses. As we looked around the island in confusion, Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung spoke.
“Until about 20 years ago, this was an inhabited island, but it became deserted when everyone left.”
“Then… is the S-class dungeon going to emerge here?”
“Yes. It’s fortunate in our misfortune that it’s happening on an uninhabited island.”
The Vice Minister was right. An S-class dungeon emerging on an uninhabited island—wasn’t that incredibly lucky? Others also seemed greatly relieved. At that moment, Esper Lee Cheol-min raised his hand.
“Yes, please speak.”
When Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung nodded, Esper Lee Cheol-min asked:
“Then where will we rest? Are there buildings on this island that can accommodate this many people, when human footsteps have barely touched it for decades?”
In response to Esper Lee Cheol-min’s question, Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung signaled to the conquest support team. The support team exchanged glances and then hurriedly ran toward the ship. Esper Lee Cheol-min looked quizzically at Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung, who had commanded the support team instead of answering his question.
The Espers from the conquest support team who had headed to the ship quickly returned. They cleared their throats as if to catch their breath, then handed something to Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung.
Vice Minister Han Yoon-jung received it and calmly said:
“This is the accommodation prepared by the Ability Department. It’s an artifact that can also be used as a base camp inside dungeons. The Dungeon Research Laboratory worked hard on this for today.”
An artifact as lodging? We couldn’t help but widen our eyes in disbelief at this incredible statement.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
