#066
The portal that suddenly sucked me in, Shin Haejun letting go of my hand to save Kim Sehyun, and my verification with an unknown outcome.
Why was it Shin Haejun who let me go and Hyun Dowoon who saved me? A rush of indescribable emotions, gratitude, and guilt washed over me.
My mind was in chaos, but I couldn’t just stay still. If I were alone, I might not have been able to maintain this calmness, but the warmth of contact helped me keep my reason.
‘This person just got caught up in my mess.’
So I had to make sure Hyun Dowoon could get out. Above all, my gamer instincts wouldn’t allow losing in a place like this.
“Are you saying the portal is the boss monster?”
Hyun Dowoon’s calm voice came from near my face. I nodded reflexively, then realizing he couldn’t see my face, I verbally confirmed.
“The reason the dungeon core didn’t appear is simple. The boss wasn’t defeated.”
“So you think this abnormally appearing entrance portal is the boss.”
Hyun Dowoon’s blue eyes sparkled in the darkness. I don’t know how they could sparkle in this pitch-black darkness where even jewels need light to shine, but seeing his clear, calm eyes made me feel a bit better.
“If we solve this portal issue, I think the dungeon core will appear and we’ll be able to escape the dungeon.”
That’s the hypothesis, but… I’m not sure what to do in this place with nothing.
I looked around. It was so dark I couldn’t tell if anything was there or how big the space was. I tried to bring my hand to my face but couldn’t judge the distance and almost smacked myself. Even that close, I couldn’t see my fingers.
“Ah…!”
Thinking I couldn’t stay in his arms like this, I tried to get up by touching the ground, but was startled when I touched something soft. It must have been some part of Hyun Dowoon’s body because a light groan escaped his lips.
‘I hope it wasn’t somewhere embarrassing.’
My eyes blinked rapidly from the surprise. I quickly removed my hand, thinking I shouldn’t move carelessly.
“I’m sorry…”
I quickly apologized to Hyun Dowoon. He cleared his throat with a “Ahem.” It seems I touched somewhere unpleasant, contrary to my hopes.
It seemed like further apologies would only make us both more embarrassed. I consciously pretended not to notice and looked at Hyun Dowoon’s face. His blue eyes seemed slightly hidden, as if he was looking down.
“It’s okay. Actually, you can touch more if you want.”
“…What?”
I thought Hyun Dowoon would just say “It’s okay,” but his sudden words made my eyes widen in surprise. As I froze in shock, he let out a light laugh.
“I mean there’s no need to apologize.”
Is… is this a joke? He must be joking, right?
I’ve often been told I’m bad at reading the atmosphere, so I couldn’t tell if I should just let this situation pass or apologize again.
“Despite the situation… I’m somewhat glad to have time to talk with you alone, Jaeha.”
“Uh… um…”
“I know you’re dating Esper Shin Haejun, so I don’t intend to make things difficult. Still, I’m glad I could keep you from being alone.”
“Th-thank you for saving me.”
I had been consciously trying not to think about Shin Haejun, but Hyun Dowoon’s words brought him back to mind.
I knew the pair guide was important and had to be saved. Still, I couldn’t help feeling hurt. Even though Hyun Dowoon had just comforted me saying that wasn’t Shin Haejun’s intention, I was clearly disappointed.
‘Oh right. Kim Sehyun.’
Come to think of it, Kim Sehyun was smiling, wasn’t he? Thinking about it without any ulterior motives, Kim Sehyun might have just been happy that Shin Haejun saved him.
But somehow, I instinctively felt that wasn’t it. What flashed through my mind was the author’s tweet. The words about a chance to make up for it.
‘What if they prepared more than just ruining my condition?’
My decision to get verified in the dungeon was my choice, but I didn’t decide which dungeon I would conquer.
‘The author moves the characters.’
Observing from the side, I often felt that Hyun Dowoon, Shin Haejun, and even Kim Sehyun were like 2D characters. Should I say their thought patterns for dealing with certain events were simple and standardized? At least for events I wasn’t involved in, their behavior patterns seemed to move according to the settings the author had determined.
In events involving me, things would twist a bit, but it often went too far, resulting in extreme reactions. It’s fortunate that Shin Haejun and Hyun Dowoon are just being nice to me; if I were in my original role of being hated, I think I would have been bullied to an insane degree.
From the start, the lives of all characters, including ‘Lee Jaeha,’ were as the author set them. Their past histories, current thoughts, all flowed according to the roles the author assigned.
So there was a high possibility that the author’s intentions were involved in voting for the dungeon I would conquer.
‘The dungeon contents are also created by the author.’
Everything that makes up this world is moved by the author. Whether consciously crafted or subconscious settings, it all came from the author’s mind. From what type of dungeon it is, what monsters appear, to how to conquer it, even the smallest details.
The fact that the dungeon I had to conquer was a particularly difficult type, and that this never-before-seen type of boss monster appeared, was clearly the author’s deliberate doing.
While even Hyun Dowoon seemed not to know how to solve this, suddenly a comment window popped up in front of my eyes.
Comments (58)
GG****: Is this finally the punishment of the villain? This feels a bit pushy… It’s like flat soda; Honestly, it seems like they’re trying to forcibly connect the offense and defense like this because only the sub-character’s part is growing. Is this an issue with the author’s ability? They’re S-rank but can’t show their abilities, and even the catharsis is given by the dungeon ㅋㅋ Is the main character just a bystander? At least the villain tries something, what does Sehyun do?
└I agree with some parts, but talking about the author’s ability seems to go too far..
Vh****: A portal you absolutely can’t escape from ㅋㅋ It’s great that Jaeha fell in, but what about Dowoon?
└He’s S-rank, so he’ll probably get out well. Is Jaeha finally dying?
The author put me in here thinking of killing me? Weren’t they unable to kill me as they pleased?
‘Ah… damn plausibility.’
My face hardened at the sudden thought. They can’t just kill me recklessly outside due to plausibility. But dying in an accident inside a dungeon would be natural. From the author’s perspective, it was perfect for easily getting rid of a character that doesn’t listen.
‘Was sending me to an S-rank dungeon from the start also to naturally create this situation?’
It might be a wild guess, but I suddenly had that thought. Putting me, an F-rank guide, into an S-rank dungeon, and the Center Director allowing it… It’s an artificial setting, but if this was for the author to easily get rid of me through a dungeon accident someday, it made sense.
The word ‘absolute’ bothered me. There was no way to escape from this space, no measures at all…
‘There’s no clue… Wait.’
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind. The fact that I could see the comment window… Doesn’t that mean I can still use the system?
I was worried Hyun Dowoon might see, but this was no time to be picky about the situation. I felt around and put my hand in my pocket.
“Jaeha?”
I must have brushed against Hyun Dowoon’s body while feeling around, as he called my name in a somewhat strained voice.
“Ah, Center Director. Have you checked your phone?”
“I tried to take it out to turn on the flashlight, but strangely it was dead. Besides, communication doesn’t work in dungeons anyway.”
“I’ll check mine too.”
I took out my phone from my pocket and fumbled to press the power button. The screen lit up with a flash.
“Oh! It turned on!”
I raised my face and smiled brightly in joy. Then I realized I was closer to Hyun Dowoon’s face than I thought and felt a bit awkward.
Why hadn’t I noticed until now? Our faces were close enough to feel each other’s breath…
‘Why… is he looking at me like that?’
Hyun Dowoon was looking at me with the most relieved and affectionate gaze I’d ever seen from him. It felt like some wall he had been maintaining had disappeared. His gaze was so sweet it made me wonder if he was trying to seduce me.
For a moment, I felt my heart skip a beat. My body stiffened with the tension of knowing this shouldn’t happen.
‘Let’s focus on the goal.’
It wasn’t the first time I’d felt frustrated watching movie protagonists kissing in dangerous situations. Above all, I was someone who shouldn’t feel these ‘skips’, ‘thumps’, ‘strange feelings’ because I had a partner. Although I was feeling incredibly disappointed in that partner who saved someone else instead of me, I had to get out and resolve this, even if it meant beating him up.
“I’ll check if the phone functions are working.”
“Please, go ahead.”
I carefully turned on Limitless Nine, making sure Hyun Dowoon couldn’t see. The familiar main screen popped up.
: Hello, Yeonsoo!
Here’s today’s quest notification! (NEW!)
Pet Dubu has filled the mine!
It was the first time Nine’s usual main message felt so welcome.
‘Huh? A new quest?’
Is it another sub-quest?
Nine’s quests always appeared at the right time and place. The rewards were also always exactly what was needed at the moment. There might be a way to overcome this situation.
I eagerly checked the quest window. A new sub-quest appeared, glowing below the main quest.
: *Crisis Approaches*
Quest Rank: Sub
The author has decided to eliminate the character ruining the story.
The guillotine approaches you! You must escape immediately.
Mission Impossible! Use a special skill!
Reward: ???
Huh…? Is this all there is?
No instructions on how to get out? What special skill?
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Hyun Dowoon looked at me with a worried face. Then, remembering there was a ‘tip’ menu, I said “Ah” and pressed the tip button.
And I couldn’t help but be surprised. It was because of a completely unexpected solution.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
