A Certain Moment (5)
As soon as we entered the dungeon, I felt the damp air enveloping my entire body. The dungeon was extremely humid, like putting your head in a large water tank. This was exactly why Jong-hyeok had said it was a good dungeon for utilizing water.
Even the environment inside the dungeon resembled a wetland. The team members’ eyes were filled with fatigue as they looked at the twisted trees, lush vegetation, and muddy ground.
Lee Cheol-min and other team members frowned and complained about the sticky feeling in the air.
“Ugh, it feels gross! It’s not even the rainy season… Wait, Team Leader must have known the dungeon would be wetland-type but didn’t tell us. Were you afraid we’d back out?”
“Exactly. The rookie and Seo-ju must be happy though. They must feel like fish in water.”
“Oh, that’s right! Fish in water. That’s a good comparison! Both of them handle water, and if they’re not fish, what are they?”
At their comments, Jin Seo-ju, an A-class Esper, laughed softly. Sa Hae-geon seemed so focused on looking around that he didn’t even hear the team members’ conversation.
“How is it?”
“How is what?”
“I’m asking for your first impression of the dungeon. What do you think?”
“It’s fascinating. It doesn’t really feel like a dungeon, more like a place that could naturally exist somewhere.”
“That’s right. Most of them are like that. Even I’ve only seen a few truly unique dungeons.”
“It’s more ordinary than I expected.”
Sa Hae-geon muttered, looking around, then spotted the raid support team following behind us and opened his eyes wide.
“Can civilians also enter dungeons? Is that allowed?”
“Are you talking about the raid support team?”
“Yes. Even if they’re a support team, isn’t it dangerous for civilians to enter dungeons?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his words. After all, the raid support team wasn’t made up of civilians.
“You might not know since it’s your first time. Those people are Espers too. Of course, they don’t fight directly like you.”
“Then what do they do?”
“They analyze the dungeon terrain and recommend routes for the raid. That’s why they always join us during raids.”
“I didn’t know that. I never thought there were Espers who did such work.”
“That’s understandable. By the way, those who collect dungeon by-products are also Espers. Regular people can’t endure being inside dungeons even with equipment. Guides are a bit better though.”
It’s in moments like these that I realize Guides are similar to Espers. Unlike Guides, regular people who enter dungeons complain about feeling stuffy and uncomfortable, as if they’ve entered a high-temperature sauna, regardless of the dungeon terrain.
On the other hand, Guides, like Espers, don’t feel any discomfort or strangeness. To us, the air here feels similar to the air outside. Sometimes, the dungeon air even feels more pleasant.
Just then, the raid support team began explaining while looking at their tablets.
“Hmm, this appears to be similar terrain to a dungeon we’ve raided before. We should move straight ahead toward the river while keeping our eyes forward.”
“Okay.”
Following the raid support team’s instructions, we moved through the dense vegetation and irregularly grown trees. After walking for a while, Lee Cheol-min, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped and had a serious conversation with the team members.
“There… don’t seem to be many monsters here, right? It’s too quiet.”
“That’s what I was thinking. Just trees and grass everywhere… They’re not hiding somewhere watching us, are they?”
“N-no way! We would have sensed them by now!”
“Right. Why is it so quiet? It’s making me nervous. Support team, are you sure this is C-rank?”
“Yes. There are no changes in dungeon energy detected.”
Despite the support team’s assurance, Lee Cheol-min still seemed uneasy, repeatedly tilting his head.
“This is really strange… You all know the phrase ‘calm before the storm,’ right? Am I the only one thinking of that right now? I have a bad feeling…”
“It is certainly quieter than other dungeons. But otherwise, isn’t it the same? Ah, are you worried our rookie might have a hard time on his first dungeon? That’s it, right?”
“Well, there’s that too… But it’s probably nothing. The support team says it’s fine. Okay, let’s move on.”
The group started moving again. After going further in, a long river appeared before us. Sa Hae-geon’s eyes sparkled, seemingly satisfied to find terrain he could utilize, while the other team members maintained a vigilant posture as they scanned the surroundings.
Soon, there was a splashing sound from the river as water sprayed up. It seemed a monster had spotted us and was approaching.
“Here it comes. Everyone get ready.”
“Please don’t be a big one. Please, please.”
Lee Cheol-min, who had to deploy a shield from the rear when monsters attacked, kept chanting his wish while watching the splashing river. Then, with a fierce surge of water, the ground shook with a thud.
“Ah, please let this be easy…”
Contrary to Lee Cheol-min’s desperate wish, what appeared before us was a giant alligator-like monster. As large as a house, the monster looked down at us with narrow eyes, dripping sticky saliva.
“…Holy crap.”
“Ah, there are so many smaller ones around, why this one…”
“Wow, its skin looks really thick too… Good thing Hae-geon can handle both water and electricity.”
“That’s exactly what I mean…”
The team members each made a comment as they prepared for battle. The monster also began swinging its massive tail back and forth while snorting.
* * *
Lee Cheol-min gave Sa Hae-geon time to think of a strategy on his own. Meanwhile, Jin Seo-ju faced the monster in Hae-geon’s place.
However, Sa Hae-geon, whose only combat experience was from simulations, couldn’t easily figure out how to deal with such a massive monster. More precisely, he seemed to be struggling with how much force to use and which parts to attack.
In truth, with the lightning he had shown in the simulation, it might be possible to take down this monster in one shot. But Lee Cheol-min hadn’t given him time to think so he could resolve it in such a simple way. He wanted Sa Hae-geon to identify the monster’s weaknesses and use appropriate tactics rather than just overwhelming it with his abilities.
Lee Cheol-min, who was deploying a shield from the rear while observing the situation, asked Jin Seo-ju:
“Seo-ju, are there any other monsters in the water?”
After moving the river water around to check, Jin Seo-ju nodded and replied:
“No.”
“Okay. Support team, do we have information on this monster?”
“Yes. It’s not a highly intelligent monster, but it can freely move its tail, making it somewhat difficult to deal with. Its mouth and belly are its weak points, but given its size, it won’t be easy to see its belly.”
“Then we’ll first target the mouth and think of a way to flip it over. It’s drooling with its mouth open, so the mouth should be… well, a piece of cake. Seo-ju, did you hear that?”
“Yes.”
Jin Seo-ju nodded and skillfully drew water from the river. The ground rumbled, and the river water swirled as it rose into the air. A large shadow formed instantly. The dark-colored water, matching the dungeon’s atmosphere, moved quickly toward the monster’s mouth.
The fierce stream of water hit the monster’s mouth directly, and the shocked creature angrily swung its tail around. This caused the trees and vegetation near the river to fly to the opposite side along with dirt. The riverbank was completely devastated.
A moment of silence fell among the team as they witnessed the monster’s destructive power. Kim Gyu-hwan was the first to come to his senses and asked Lee Cheol-min:
“Can you block that?”
“Honestly, I don’t know… Can you?”
“Me neither. But maybe if we overlap our shields?”
“Sigh… Alright. That’s better than taking a hit from that tail and visiting the afterlife.”
After saying that, Lee Cheol-min looked at Sa Hae-geon.
“We’ll handle blocking that brute’s attacks, Hae-geon.”
“Yes.”
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Sa Hae-geon responded with resolute eyes. His face was serious, as if he had been waiting for those words. It was a moment when the kid finally felt like a real, dependable Esper. While I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about Sa Hae-geon getting hurt, strangely, I didn’t feel anxious or impatient.
I just thought he could handle it well. And I wanted to believe in him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
