After that, the Center Director remained silent, and I also didn’t want to say any more unnecessary words.
That is, until the Center Director’s steps halted at the pedal boat dock.
“You’re not thinking of riding a duck boat, are you?”
I anxiously asked as I watched the Center Director staring intently at the duck boats lined up along the dock.
“What if I am?”
At his immediate response, I unconsciously took a step back. It was because a terrible future I didn’t even want to imagine flashed before my eyes.
“What does a duck boat have to do with the dungeon? Is the dungeon going to open in the air above the reservoir?”
I tried to maintain my composure as I asked the Center Director. The clock hand was still closer to 1 o’clock than 2 o’clock, but if the dungeon was opening in the middle of the reservoir, I thought I could understand the current situation.
“Your perception has improved a lot, Esper Woo Jeongjae.”
The Center Director spoke in a dry voice that didn’t sound like a compliment at all, then pointed to a spot with his hand.
“You’re right about it being above the reservoir, but the problem is the location.”
The place he pointed to was an amusement ride where swings hung like mobiles at the edge of the reservoir, spinning with centrifugal force.
“Most of the injuries from people caught in the dungeon wave come from there. If we set up a barricade on the reservoir before the dungeon opens, riding duck boats, there might not be any injuries.”
The Center Director, who had seemed like a sly fox until just now, suddenly appeared in a new light.
His heart might be a bit dark, but he does care about public safety in his own way.
“Where do you think the mysterious man will appear?”
I casually brought up the famous person who had single-handedly blocked the S-class dungeon in the past. I now knew his identity, but I was curious if the Center Director knew as well.
“Who knows. I heard he suddenly appeared in the middle of the reservoir, so maybe he came to ride a duck boat.”
After saying that, the Center Director went to the ticket booth to rent a duck boat, and I stood there blankly watching his back before looking around.
‘Isn’t that Peter?’
And then I spotted Peter wearing an animal headband and holding an ice cream. He devoured what remained of his ice cream cone in almost one bite before starting to take photos of the duck boats floating on the reservoir.
‘This guy who was worried about not having a place to stay is now doing this.’
I inwardly clicked my tongue as I watched him fully enjoying the amusement park like someone obsessed with tourism. His face still showed the dark circles under his eyes and signs of chronic fatigue, but he looked much happier than when I had met him before. Peter, who had been staring at his phone for a while after photographing the duck boats, seemingly satisfied, turned his head in my direction.
‘Ah, we made eye contact.’
Perhaps because we had agreed not to acknowledge each other if we met early, Peter’s gaze quickly left me, and I also turned away, judging it dangerous to keep watching him.
“Oh, when did you get here?”
I clutched my heart in surprise as I noticed the Center Director standing right beside me, not knowing when he had returned.
“What were you looking at so intently?”
He was holding two life vests and two tickets. Feeling preemptively guilty under his gaze, I quickly lowered my eyes.
“Do I just put this on?”
As I took my life vest and changed the subject, the Center Director’s eyes changed subtly.
“Are you doing this on purpose?”
The Center Director muttered softly, making it unclear whether he was talking to himself or asking me, then stared at me before putting on his own life vest. We boarded the duck boat labeled number 6 and pedaled side by side.
“…”
My initial excitement about riding a duck boat for the first time didn’t even last 10 minutes before it crashed to the ground. As we pedaled forward, I began to wonder whether it was the duck boat or my stomach that was swaying with the waves.
“You don’t look well. Are you alright?”
Things must have been bad if even the Center Director was concerned.
Out of politeness, I said I was fine and pedaled more vigorously. But my queasy stomach showed no signs of improvement, and when cold sweat started to break out, the Center Director stopped pedaling.
“It seems the duck boat was too much for you after all.”
The location where the dungeon would open was at the edge of the reservoir, opposite to the dock. We had already passed more than halfway, so it was awkward to turn back now. Thinking we just needed to go a little further, I took a deep breath and said to the Center Director:
“I can endure it. Let’s continue.”
Despite my determination and courage in saying this, the Center Director resumed pedaling with an expressionless face. The duck boat started moving slowly again, and after a desperate struggle with seasickness, I was finally able to reach the edge of the reservoir.
‘It’s almost 2 o’clock, I wonder when the gate will open.’
I checked the time as I gathered my tired body and mind. Thinking about the S-class dungeon I had faced on Quardo Island, the tension increased as time passed. Back then, it was a dormant dungeon that activated midway when Serubi woke up, but the dungeon that would appear now would be crawling with monsters drawn by the core.
‘But how was Peter able to seal the dungeon entrance before the gate was even completed and suppress the monsters inside?’
The time it takes for a gate to complete varies depending on the dungeon, but generally, the lower the grade, the faster it completes, and the higher the grade, the longer it takes. But even if it takes longer, it doesn’t exceed 30 minutes. That’s why gate sealing has to be done first, followed by the deployment of Espers suitable for the dungeon grade.
‘I’ll find out when I see it.’
My heart was pounding even though I already knew the future. And when there was 1 minute left until 2 o’clock, I detected the waves subtly trembling. The Center Director must have felt it too, as our eyes met simultaneously, and the moment I created a fire barricade, the dungeon wave swept the surroundings.
The calm waters flipped as if hit by a typhoon, and the impact struck our duck boat directly. Then, in an instant, all the water in the reservoir froze. It happened just as the Center Director used telekinesis to lift our duck boat.
“…!”
Come to think of it, it was strange from the beginning. If a dungeon appeared in the reservoir, the first to be hit should have been the duck boats floating on the water, not the amusement rides adjacent to the reservoir. I jumped off the duck boat and looked around the completely frozen reservoir. The scenery was early summer, but a cold that would normally be felt in the middle of winter crept up from my ankles.
The duck boats that had been leisurely floating around the reservoir were also frozen in place along with the reservoir water. As if time had stopped. And between them, a man was running quickly toward us.
“So it was Peter Gray after all.”
The Center Director’s face hardened. It seemed like he had vaguely guessed Peter’s existence, but for some reason, his expression upon seeing Peter was not good.
“Fancy meeting you here, Center Director.”
Having quickly reached us, Peter nodded lightly as if he and the Center Director were acquaintances. Peter then looked at me and extended his hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Peter…”
“I don’t think we have the luxury of introductions in this situation.”
The Center Director interrupted Peter and drew attention to our surroundings. People who had learned of the dungeon’s appearance were evacuating from around the reservoir, creating spreading chaos.
“Shall we deal with that first together?”
The Center Director pointed to the reservoir and the frozen gate. It’s difficult for a gate connecting space and time to be physically affected, yet he froze the entire thing—I wasn’t sure whether to call it crude or befitting an S-class Esper. I had once completely blown away a B-class dungeon near the river by the Center, but it was child’s play compared to Peter. At the same time, I felt envious of him for being able to use his abilities so freely without a guide.
“You’re also an S-class Esper, right?”
“Yes.”
“Since it’s an emergency, will you cooperate?”
Instead of answering, I looked at the Center Director. I was ready to jump into the dungeon as soon as he nodded.
“I’ll give you one hour.”
The Center Director gave me my mission.
“Destroy the core within that time.”
As soon as permission was granted, I took the lead and hurled myself toward the gate. Peter followed closely behind. The Center Director, probably intending to handle the entrance sealing, did not follow us.
Beyond the gate, a sea full of saltiness spread out, different from the reservoir.
“The dungeon’s core must be in the ocean.”
Peter was right.
There was ground only where the gate was, and everything around us was ocean. I was momentarily confused as I had never seen such a dungeon before, but the context was the same. Caves and underground spaces exist in the sea as well.
“How are we going to enter the ocean? I can’t swim.”
“I can swim, but we can’t just dive into the sea without knowing what monsters are there.”
“Then what do you plan to do?”
“Freeze it all. Or evaporate it all. Should we do half and half?”
I was astounded by his nonchalance, as if he was ordering half seasoned, half fried chicken.
“If you use your ability so crudely, you’ll go berserk before even finding the core.”
In a situation where we couldn’t even gauge the size of the dungeon, Peter’s suggested method was too reckless. But the problem was that there was no other way.
‘If we at least knew the core’s location, it might be doable.’
Using abilities over a wide range puts a lot of burden on an Esper. Especially since this wasn’t just water but seawater. The salt content lowers its freezing point and raises its boiling point. It was disadvantageous for both of us.
“A guide would be nice at a time like this.”
Perhaps because I had brought up going berserk, Peter mentioned something completely impossible in the current situation.
“That’s truly a pipe dream.”
No sooner had the words left my mouth than the waves around the gate distorted. It was a signal that someone was coming through the gate.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
