No matter what term you attach “healing” to, it becomes strange, but speaking without that word certainly felt more natural.
“You can let go of my hand while you talk.”
I was waiting for the Center Director’s answer with anxious eyes, but I quickly realized my mistake and immediately let go of his hand. The Center Director stroked his chin with the hand I had released.
“I’m fond of you, but I don’t make deals where I lose.”
“When tackling dungeons…”
“Since you came as my assistant, that’s only natural.”
I knew he disliked unnecessary talk, but I didn’t expect him to cut me off the moment I opened my mouth. I swallowed dryly and observed his reaction. If I showed any weakness, I’d end up like the Research Center Director we just met. At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed in my mind.
“Then let’s do this.”
The Center Director leaned against the door and folded his arms as if to say, go ahead and try me.
“From now on, when S-class dungeon missions are assigned, I won’t refuse them.”
Even S-class Espers had the right to refuse high-difficulty missions that threatened their lives. Before the regression, accepting all the missions given by the state despite my high risk of going berserk was my choice. I did it because I knew if I refused, they would make a fuss about replacing Joo Seolhyeon, my dedicated Guide.
But now, I’d long since thrown off Joo Seolhyeon’s leash. I was certain the Center Director couldn’t refuse this offer if he planned to use me in the future.
‘This way, I’ll naturally collect artifacts from S-class dungeons.’
It would be ideal if the artifact I wanted appeared right away, but the probability was too low. In case it didn’t appear, my job was to accept as many S-class dungeon missions as possible going forward. Killing two birds with one stone. It was a proposal beneficial to both me and the Center Director.
“Not bad, you know how to think.”
The Center Director nodded with a smile on his lips. But he didn’t seem entirely satisfied. Finding his reaction puzzling, I emphasized again.
“I’m saying that I’ll completely entrust the decision-making authority for S-class dungeon missions to you, Director.”
“Your not refusing deployment is a benefit for the state, not for me. And.”
The Center Director leaned down and whispered in my ear, without hiding his displeased expression.
“When it’s about saving your only family, shouldn’t you offer something more?”
The secretive whisper entering my ear spread like poison through my mind, instantly halting all thought.
“It seems you have no idea what I want, so I’ll propose the conditions. If you accept them, that artifact is nothing.”
Wrapping his arm around my stiff shoulders, the Center Director opened the door with a graceful smile.
“Now, fix your expression. Your Guides will worry.”
I covered my rigid face while looking at the four Guides gathered beyond the open door. My mind was a complete muddy mess, as if someone had stirred it up, making normal thinking difficult.
“Mr. Woo Jeongjae.”
With the sole thought that I needed to act normal, I lowered my hand and raised my head, feeling a shadow cast over my face.
“Are you alright?”
Jeong Seyeon placed his hand over mine. The energy flowing from him quickly organized all my confused thoughts. With my suddenly cleared mind, the first thing I did was quickly scan my surroundings.
“No one noticed.”
Jeong Seyeon’s short sentence quietly brought peace to my mind. The thought of how Jeong Seyeon had immediately sensed my state crossed my mind, but ultimately, it was fortunate.
Instead of answering, I thanked him with my eyes and followed him to my seat.
The Center Director immediately gave instructions about the mission. After a brief explanation about collection—the publicly stated mission by the Research Center Director—he unfolded a map of Quardo Island. Then, drawing circles on it, he showed us the locations where we would collect. For me, who knew the real mission, the Center Director’s ability to lie so effortlessly without even wetting his lips was chilling.
Finally, he explained precautions during collection, where his meticulous nature was also evident. Under the pretext of precautions, he restricted the Guides’ range of movement to ensure they wouldn’t cross paths with the dungeon area, even by chance.
“That’s all. Let’s move out immediately.”
Once the instructions were given, everything proceeded smoothly. Since I was attached to the Center Director as his assistant from the start, I naturally accompanied him, while the Guides were paired up and assigned to different areas.
“They really love pairing people up here.”
Do Wonjin, who was paired with Yang Garam, muttered with a displeased voice, but the Center Director ignored his words.
‘Well, there’s no reason to give. It’s deliberate.’
Although Guides were weaker in combat than Espers, they had physical abilities far exceeding ordinary people, and since their main ability was regulating Esper energy, they were also excellent at detecting monstrous energy. Additionally, since monsters that could harm humans had already disappeared from Quardo Island, there was no real need to insist on pairs.
‘They’re paired to watch each other and prevent individual actions.’
What I gained from five years of field experience wasn’t just skill. I also developed the ability to read field atmospheres and discern true intentions.
In that sense, the Center Director, who maintained a poker face throughout, was a person suited for the position of leader. But conversely, he was also the type I never wanted to meet as an enemy.
‘It’s fortunate we’re on the same side. Imagine meeting him as an enemy. Just thinking about it is exhausting.’
“Don’t let your mind wander during the mission. Focus.”
At the Center Director’s voice, I stopped my train of thought and looked ahead.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the spot where the dungeon was supposed to be. But there was no sign of a cave anywhere. The Center Director pushed through chest-high, broad-leaved bushes and went inside.
“Here it is.”
Beyond the bushes, lifting tangled vines revealed the entrance to a cave.
“To think a gate opened in a place like this. I understand why it wasn’t discovered until now.”
After the first dungeon, Quardo Island, abandoned by humans, became overgrown like a jungle as mutated plants and animals took over. The rapidly increasing animals began creating caves both naturally and deliberately to establish their lairs, making caves one of the most common features all over Quardo Island.
Probably no one expected an S-class dungeon to be among those numerous caves.
‘They found such a place quite skillfully.’
The entrance hidden by vines was barely big enough for one person to enter. The not-so-deep cave soon reached a dead end, and we discovered a gate floating on the blocked wall.
With no time to waste, we immediately crossed the gate, but the scenery of the dungeon beyond looked exactly the same as before crossing.
“A fork in the road.”
I was walking while illuminating the way with fire when suddenly the path widened and a fork appeared. The Center Director frowned and turned to me.
“For an S-class dungeon, it might not just be a fork but a labyrinth.”
“Since it’s a dormant dungeon, I don’t think there are other tricks. How about we split up?”
“Indeed, if it’s just a matter of complex paths, that would be faster for finding the core.”
The Center Director is a typical combat Esper who uses telekinesis, and I’m an elemental Esper who handles fire. We’re both people who can sufficiently protect ourselves from danger.
“Then let’s split up here. You’re wearing your band properly, right? Don’t forget to leave markers indicating which direction you took whenever you encounter a fork.”
Espers were required to wear bands when conquering dungeons. It was partly for Espers to check their risk of going berserk and adjust their abilities accordingly, but it was also used for teammates to check each other’s safety, as in this case.
That’s why in dungeons, we had to share the status and location of fellow Espers through the bands and look after each other. In the worst case, if an Esper died, it was also the responsibility of companions to recover the body.
‘Is this the first time I’ve moved as a team since then?’
Except for the mission on the day I went berserk, I had carried out missions alone until now, thanks to my outstanding abilities. Perhaps that’s why the Center Director’s behavior, treating me like a child, felt very unfamiliar.
“Report immediately through your band if anything happens.”
“Yes, understood.”
Even after hearing my answer, the Center Director looked uncertain, as if he was still worried, but that was it. We immediately split up, and before long, I caught a faint noise.
“Water? No, is it the sound of wind?”
Not sensing any danger, my pace naturally quickened.
I also felt strangely excited as I experienced an unfamiliar sensation for the first time since entering the cave.
But I arrived at a dead end. The sound I heard was coming from beyond that blocked wall.
I placed my ear against the wall and tapped it lightly, like testing a watermelon. It was solid, but it didn’t feel densely packed inside. There was definitely another space beyond the wall.
‘It wouldn’t be difficult to break it down, but I wonder if I’d be messing with something I shouldn’t?’
I looked back at the path I had come through once and then at the blocked wall, quickly making a decision.
‘I just need to melt enough of the wall for me to pass through without affecting the cave structure, right?’
Although this was my first dormant dungeon, I planned to quietly create a hole, thinking there was no benefit in making a big commotion. I tapped the bottom of the wall with my foot, looking for the spot where the foundation seemed most solid.
‘This spot should work.’
I placed my hand on the edge of the bottom of the wall. Concentrated heat gathered at my fingertips, and with a sizzling sound, the wall began to melt like a viscous substance.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
