A Certain Moment (15)
Meanwhile, Jong-hyeok was deep in thought with a serious expression after hearing Hae-geon’s opinion. Perhaps he had gained some insight from what Hae-geon said. As someone with little knowledge of dungeon conquests, it was difficult for me to gauge what was on Jong-hyeok’s mind.
“Hae-geon really comes up with unique ideas when you look closely, doesn’t he?”
“Good grief… That old man is being sentimental again. Whenever a new recruit joins, he just adores them to death. Hey, Esper Lee Cheol-min, are you only going to dote on the youngest members with their soft, fluffy down?”
“That’s right. This is discrimination. Show us equal affection too!”
“What? Get away from me, you leeches.”
Esper Lee Cheol-min frowned and shook his head at Esper Hwang Ji-hyun and Esper Lee Seong-rok’s pestering. Despite the commotion, Jong-hyeok maintained his focus. After alternately looking at Hae-geon, the desert oasis, his own hands, and Esper Lee Seong-rok, he finally spoke as if he had made a decision.
“Let’s try what Hae-geon suggested. If it doesn’t work, we can think of another method then. For now, let’s go with what our youngest member proposed.”
“Let’s do that.”
“Okay, then let’s proceed. Support team, are there any special considerations? Like weaknesses of those creatures, or things we should be careful about, or experiences with conquering similar species overseas… Things like that.”
The conquest support team Esper, who nodded at Esper Lee Cheol-min’s question, checked the tablet. After quickly scanning the screen, they said:
“There are records of conquering similar monster species overseas, but… their situation was somewhat different from ours. That dungeon was in a volcanic area, so they could use the volcano.”
“A volcano? Wow, they must have used lava. Then it must have been simple for them, right? Whether the ant monsters rushed in as a swarm or not, they could just burn them all with lava. I bet not a trace remained.”
“Yes, that’s right. They completed the conquest of an A-class dungeon in just half a day despite its rank. Of course, the amount of byproducts was significantly less as well.”
“Their situation was definitely quite different from ours. Still, I think we can manage with our abilities. Don’t you agree?”
“Absolutely.”
While Esper Lee Cheol-min and Esper Hwang Ji-hyun were conversing with confident voices, Jong-hyeok called over Hae-geon and Esper Lee Seong-rok to share his strategy.
“First, I think it’s best to burn the oasis to eliminate any hiding places for the ants. I’ll take care of this, and Seong-rok, you provide support. Hae-geon, watch the ants’ movements and report back.”
“Yes.”
“And Ji-hyun.”
“Yes? Did you call me?”
“There must be holes where the ants live. Can you locate them now?”
“Oh, um. Just a moment.”
Esper Hwang Ji-hyun, who had been giggling while chatting with Esper Lee Cheol-min, became serious as if nothing had happened and scanned the oasis where the ants were. She furrowed her brow in concentration and then answered.
“…Yes. There are very deep and intricate tunnels underground. And seeing how long and wide they extend, these creatures must have lived here for an incredibly long time. Team Leader, will it be possible to eliminate those hiding underground as well?”
“I think we can use water for that.”
Hae-geon quietly offered his opinion. It was refreshing to see the Espers, who usually acted childishly, seriously discussing strategies. They seemed like different people. Especially Hae-geon. He had felt quite reliable in the C-class dungeon, and it was similar in this dungeon too.
Since this was his second dungeon, he seemed much less tense than before. I hoped we could conquer this dungeon safely as well… While the Espers were engaged in serious conversation, we Guides quietly retreated to conserve as much energy as possible.
* * *
The Espers, including Hae-geon, strode toward the oasis. For safety, the Guides remained at the base camp with defensive Esper Kim Je-gon and telekinetic Esper Choi Min-jong. Throughout his walk toward the desert oasis, Hae-geon kept glancing back at the base camp where Chae Do-min was staying.
Although he knew staying at the base camp was the safest option, moving separately, unlike during the C-class dungeon conquest, felt unfamiliar and caused him inexplicable anxiety. Hae-geon took a deep breath, determined to quickly deal with the monsters and return to the base camp where Chae Do-min was waiting.
Finally reaching the oasis teeming with ant monsters, the Espers began using their abilities under An Jong-hyeok’s command.
First, Jong-hyeok planted sparks in the wild grass growing in the oasis. The small sparks that fell on the dry desert grass soon became large flames, consuming everything in sight as they spread. Due to the strong wind, the flames only grew larger.
The ant monsters hiding under the grass belatedly assessed the situation and began moving frantically. Seeing that they were trying to escape into underground tunnels, Hae-geon spoke up.
“The monsters are trying to escape underground.”
“Okay. We can’t let that happen.”
Hwang Ji-hyun crouched down, placing her hands on the ground, and as she exhaled briefly, the ground began to shake violently. The earth moved, completely closing the entrance leading to the ant tunnels. With their escape route blocked, the monsters panicked and moved to areas far from the flames.
Following each other’s pheromones, the ant monsters gathered at the edge of the oasis. Their movements, which initially required concentration to observe, gradually became clearer until they appeared about the size of black beans.
“Wow… They’re really disgusting. Look at how they’re swarming together. It feels like watching moving hair—it’s making me sick. Can we hurry up and burn them, Team Leader?”
“What about the ones underground?”
“Ah, right. Those… Shouldn’t we deal with the ones above ground first and then eliminate the others? Right, Team Leader?”
“Yes. Reducing the number of individuals capable of collective activity would be advantageous for us.”
Jong-hyeok nodded and looked at Lee Seong-rok and Hae-geon in turn. The sand-laden wind blew fiercely. The wild grass that had been serving as kindling was almost completely burned, but the weakened flames roared up again, and an ominous sound came from the sky.
Boom, boom. The sky vibrated with a thunderous noise. Simultaneously, blue-tinged flames and clearly visible lightning struck where the monsters had gathered, emitting a blinding light.
A massive sound echoed throughout the dungeon, and the ground trembled. Even the Espers near the oasis had to squint and cover their ears.
“Wow.”
Black smoke rose from where the fire and lightning had passed through. Jong-hyeok calmly examined the area where the black smoke was billowing. The spot where lightning had struck was deeply gouged, and the ant-like creatures that had looked like black beans were nowhere to be seen.
“But… is this efficient? We don’t know how many more are underground—should we keep doing this?”
“That’s right. The Team Leader might be fine, but… is Esper Sa Hae-geon okay? It seems like he used more power than expected.”
In response to Hwang Ji-hyun and Lee Seong-rok’s concerned questions, Hae-geon nodded.
“I’m fine so far.”
“I’m glad you’re okay, but… don’t overdo it. Since this is only your second dungeon, you might not have a good sense of how much power to use against monsters. You might be wasting more energy than you realize.”
“I understand. I’ll be careful.”
After responding to Hwang Ji-hyun’s advice, Hae-geon looked at Jong-hyeok.
“Ji-hyun, open the entrance.”
“Already? We could rest and continue tomorrow.”
“That’s the plan. But even if we can’t eliminate all of them, I’d feel better if we reduce their numbers as much as possible before resting.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Hwang Ji-hyun trailed off as she released the force that had been sealing the ant tunnel entrances. A few monsters that had survived due to being far from where the lightning had struck quickly headed into the ant tunnels.
“Hae-geon, fill the tunnels with water. Not completely, just enough to cause some of them to suffocate.”
“Yes.”
As Hae-geon closed his eyes and focused on using his ability, water gradually began to fill the parched ground below. After confirming that the ant tunnels, which extended like a massive maze, were about two-thirds filled with water, Hae-geon looked at Jong-hyeok.
Despite using considerable power in a short period, Hae-geon still looked energetic. The ant tunnels they had examined earlier at Jong-hyeok’s command were so extensive they could be considered connected throughout the entire dungeon.
Hwang Ji-hyun shook her head, thinking that no matter how unskilled one might be at controlling their ability, an S-class Esper was still an S-class Esper. She had always known there were differences in the magnitude and total amount of power based on rank, but she couldn’t help feeling envious whenever she witnessed it like this.
“Close the entrance again. And is there any sand that doesn’t absorb moisture?”
“What? Oh, there is, but the area is so vast that I’m not sure if it’s possible. Even for me, it would be difficult to change the soil of the entire dungeon.”
“I thought as much. Hae-geon must be tired too, so let’s stop here for today and move to the base camp.”
The Espers followed Jong-hyeok back to the base camp. Hwang Ji-hyun turned her head and tilted it in puzzlement as she noticed that Hae-geon’s complexion seemed somewhat pale.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
