A Certain Moment (12)
“Hyung.”
“…”
“…Hyung!”
“Ah… Oh, yeah.”
I had been absorbed in the unfamiliar sensation of the endless desert when I finally came to my senses at the sound of Sa Hae-geon calling me. The goggles prepared by the raid support team protected not only our vision from the fierce sandstorm but our eye health as well.
“With a dungeon like this, dealing with monsters seems like it would be quite tricky…”
“That’s what I’m saying. They won’t be hiding in the sand and jumping out, will they?”
“Hey, there’s no way we wouldn’t be able to sense them. Besides, our team leader is with us today.”
“Ah, right. That’s true. With the team leader here, I was just worrying unnecessarily.”
As team members exchanged casual conversation, Espers from the raid support team stepped forward. Wearing everything from goggles to face masks, they began their explanation.
“This dungeon is a desert formation as you can see, but fortunately, it’s similar to a dungeon that the Central Center has conquered before. We’re expecting snake, scorpion, or cactus monsters as the dungeon boss. And more than the monsters, you should be wary of naturally occurring phenomena like mirages, oases, sandstorms, and so on.”
“Huh? Oases? Aren’t oases good things? Are oases in dungeons different?”
“Whether they’re the same or different remains unknown. While oases may have a positive impact on desert flora and fauna, it’s a bit different for us. Many oases contain stagnant water, so there’s a high possibility of viruses.”
“What? Viruses? Oh… I didn’t know that. So basically, it’s water that should absolutely not be consumed.”
“Not absolutely, but it’s better to be cautious.”
The team members nodded at the raid support team’s words.
“Okay. Let’s just be careful about everything. How can we pay attention to each detail separately?”
“Right. When in doubt, just be careful of everything.”
I had similar thoughts. Isn’t it much easier to be careful of everything rather than trying to be careful of confusing things? But Sa Hae-geon seemed to think differently, tilting his head as he listened to the team members. His expression suggested he thought they should just be careful about specific things rather than going that far.
Lee Cheol-min, who had been looking around the desert, asked:
“By the way… how do we determine direction? The support team can figure it out… right?”
“Yes. We can determine it with the tablets we have. For now, it seems best to move north. We’ve confirmed there’s a grassland in that direction.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Why is there a grassland in a desert?”
“Believe it or not, grasslands can exist in deserts. In fact, many plants and animals live there.”
“Hearing explanations like this makes it feel like we’re on a desert tour.”
“I know. The desert I knew is being denied.”
“Exactly. From oases to grasslands… it feels like we’re watching a documentary right now.”
Perhaps tension had eased, as team members chuckled and exchanged jokes. Jong-hyeok, who had been talking with another Esper from the raid support team, nodded and soon approached us.
“Let’s move north first. There seem to be quite a few monsters in that grassland. We’ll clear them out first and then use it as a base camp.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yes!”
“The dungeon is so vast that it would be difficult to wander around and deal with all the monsters. It would be better to make them come out to us.”
“How?”
“I’ll explain that later. Let’s depart for now.”
Jong-hyeok gave Sa Hae-geon a meaningful glance before giving the order and moving forward. We followed him, treading through the sand.
How long had we been walking? The quite chilly air no longer felt cold, and the sensation of feet sinking into the sand started to become familiar. The team members who had been joking around seemed to tire a bit and gradually fell silent.
The Guides, who could never match the robust physique of Espers no matter how much they exercised, were already at their physical limits. It was easy to tire quickly because pulling feet out of the sand required more strength than expected. I glanced at Sa Hae-geon, who was silently walking beside me.
He was admirably keeping pace with Jong-hyeok without showing any signs of fatigue. As expected of an Esper. At times like this, I really envied Espers’ stamina.
Noticing my gaze, Sa Hae-geon looked at me with round eyes and spoke.
“Hyung, are you tired?”
“Hmm… a little? Walking on sand is harder than I expected.”
It was a bit embarrassing in front of the other team members, but I spoke honestly. Hae-yoon and Oh Geun-woo, an A-class Guide, seemed to agree with me as they nodded and added their thoughts.
“No matter how much we exercise, why is our stamina in this state? Don’t you agree, Guide Geun-woo?”
“Yes. Absolutely. And this is supposed to be getting easier.”
“That’s what makes me sadder. How is this getting easier? Does that make sense? How can we be so different from Espers?”
“Isn’t there a camel around? No, wait. Can’t we tame monsters? In games, there are tamers who can domesticate animals or monsters. Are there any Espers like that?”
“If such an ability existed, monster circuses and zoos would already be thriving.”
“Ah, that’s true. Sigh… So we have to keep walking like this?”
“Yes. Terribly, we must continue on these two legs.”
Other team members laughed at the conversation between Guide Geun-woo and Hae-yoon. I too was walking with a faint smile on my lips when Sa Hae-geon suddenly said something outrageous.
“Want to get on my back?”
“…What?”
“If you’re very tired, you can ride on my back.”
“No, Hae-geon.”
What on earth was he saying? Is this something to say inside a dungeon, especially while moving with team members? Does Sa Hae-geon have no thought about being careful with such statements? I was genuinely puzzled.
Worried that team members might have heard Sa Hae-geon’s strange words, I responded almost in a whisper.
“Of course not. I’m fine. I’m not tired enough to need a piggyback ride.”
“Really? But if you do get tired, please tell me.”
“Uh, yeah. I’ll do that. Thanks for your concern, though you must be tired too.”
“I’m not really tired.”
“Ah, I see… Good for you.”
Sa Hae-geon seemed simply pleased with my soulless response and smiled broadly.
“Why doesn’t the research institute develop cars that can be used inside dungeons? I mean, having such transportation would greatly reduce time, right? They tell us not to use abilities while moving to conserve energy, so why not develop something like that?”
“What are you talking about? They already exist.”
“What? Really?”
“Yep. But not only is the car itself expensive, the fuel uses some kind of mineral from dungeons? Anyway, it uses something rare, so it’s expensive. Wealthy large guilds probably already have several. They even export them.”
“Ah… Then there’s absolutely no chance our center will get a car.”
“You never know. If we find mountains of that mineral in a dungeon we conquer, they might decide to buy one.”
Sa Hae-geon tilted his head at the conversation between the Espers.
“Can’t we just use regular cars inside dungeons?”
“Yeah, we could. But ordinary cars can’t withstand the climate or environment of dungeons. It would be a disaster if the car melted or corroded while we were moving.”
“Ah, I see there’s that issue.”
Sa Hae-geon seemed to accept my explanation, adding that he understood. After continuing to chat for about thirty more minutes, we saw a greenish color in the distance. An Esper who spotted it pointed with their index finger and shouted.
“There! Isn’t that the grassland over there?”
“Huh? The grassland appears already? No way, isn’t that a mirage?”
“Hey, it’s so clear—how could that be a mirage! Are you doubting my eyesight? I have 20/20 vision in both eyes!”
“Are there even Espers with poor eyesight? Everyone has at least 20/20 vision or better.”
“…Well, that’s true, but anyway, that is definitely a grassland. Right, Team Leader?”
At Hwang Ji-hyun’s question, Jong-hyeok looked at the raid support team. The support team checked something on their tablet, then nodded and responded.
“Yes. Fortunately, it is an actual grassland, not a mirage.”
“See! Look, they confirmed it! Hey, Lee Seong-rok. How dare you doubt this noona’s eyesight?”
“No, I wasn’t doubting… No, noona, I mean, ma’am! I wasn’t doubting you! Ah, aack! Ugh, aaack!”
The fate of Lee Seong-rok, who had questioned whether it might be a mirage, was a headlock from Hwang Ji-hyun. Perhaps relieved at the thought of being able to rest soon, other Espers also cheered on Hwang Ji-hyun, telling her to punish him more severely.
“Enough. Stop and return to your positions.”
At Jong-hyeok’s intervention, Lee Seong-rok was finally released. With a flushed red face, he gasped for breath and gave Hwang Ji-hyun a not-so-mean glare.
How much further did we walk? Soon we came very close to the desert grassland. Close enough to visually confirm what kind of grassland it was and what monsters lived there.
And all team members, without exception, gazed at the grassland while uttering exclamations of amazement.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
