Chapter 55:
Uneventful days passed.
Seo Jae-yi and Grayson continued to compete for Baek Joo-won’s attention, vying for his time.
However, unlike before, Baek Joo-won didn’t grant them any more of his time. Seo Jae-yi and Grayson pouted, pointing fingers at each other, blaming the other for his lack of interest.
Joo Seon-min, who had been teaching Baek Joo-won firearms and hand-to-hand combat, declared that she was losing her touch from being outside the dungeon for too long and disappeared back into the depths of a dungeon.
And then, one day, as this routine continued…
【Emergent Dungeon Alert!】
An Emergent Dungeon, estimated to be Rank 3, has emerged near Cheonggyecheon-ro in Seoul. Espers in the vicinity, please subjugate the dungeon immediately!
An ominous alarm sounded, and the message appeared on all Awakened individuals’ receivers.
“Near here, of all places?”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been lounging at the Center with Baek Joo-won and Grayson, frowned at the message.
Cheonggyecheon in Seoul was close to cultural heritage sites like Gwanghwamun and Deoksugung Palace. And it was a densely populated area. An Emergent Dungeon emerging in such a place…
“And it’s a Rank 3 Emergent Dungeon. This is going to be a headache.”
Grayson, who had been reading the message on Seo Jae-yi’s receiver, clicked his tongue.
“But the Association and the Center are nearby, so they’ll handle it before a breakout occurs.”
He was right. The Esper Association and the Guiding Center headquarters were strategically located in this area, considering the high concentration of cultural heritage sites and population density.
Guild headquarters were also generally located nearby for easy access to Guiding, so the dungeon would be subjugated quickly, as long as nothing unexpected happened.
As long as nothing unexpected happened.
Beep!
A loud alarm sounded at that very moment.
【Dungeon Breakout Alert!】
A breakout has occurred in the Rank 3 dungeon near Cheonggyecheon-ro in Seoul! All Awakened individuals in the vicinity, please assemble immediately!
Beep, beep!
The alarm on all Awakened individuals’ receivers at the Center intensified, signaling a critical situation.
The faces of the Awakened individuals, who had been relaxed just moments ago, turned pale.
“All Espers with an overload level below 30%, deploy immediately!”
“All Guides with available Guiding for today, go now!”
After a brief moment of panic, everyone started moving swiftly, following their training. No one wasted time panicking or hesitating.
“Well-organized. The headquarters protected by the Center Head is different. I can’t find any fault with this.”
“Did you come here looking for faults?”
“It’s always good to find faults. That way, I can promote the US to Baek Joo-won.”
“Baek Joo-won, did you hear that? Americans are scary.”
They joked even in this urgent situation. Baek Joo-won, watching them, asked,
“Are you two going too?”
They were also moving hurriedly, as if they were about to rush to the scene, despite their lighthearted banter.
“A Rank 4 dungeon breakout is dangerous, let alone a Rank 3, especially in a crowded area.”
“I might be a foreigner, but I’m the next Esper Association Head. How can I ignore a dangerous situation?”
They finished their preparations and left the Center, their determination evident. Baek Joo-won, though told he didn’t have to follow, strapped on the gun Seo Won-yeong had made for him and followed them.
“Wait a moment.”
Seo Jae-yi opened the trunk of her car, parked in front of the Center. She opened the bag she always carried, just in case, and combat gear and firearms spilled out.
“Wow, that’s a lot of guns. Anyone would think you’re a terrorist.”
“Right. This is enough to attack the US Association.”
“Sorry, honey. My bad.”
Seo Jae-yi didn’t have time to change into her combat uniform, so she strapped on a harness and stuffed a few guns into it.
“You use guns too, Seo Jae-yi?”
“A certain kind younger sister, who worries about me losing sleep, made them for me. Using my ability excessively only increases my overload level.”
Seo Jae-yi grinned, saying she was prepared for that.
Baek Joo-won wondered if Seo Won-yeong had focused on equipment crafting because of her sister.
“You’re still a trainee, Baek Joo-won, so don’t get too involved.”
After warning Baek Joo-won, they rushed towards Cheonggyecheon. Running was faster than driving, as panicked people were fleeing in the opposite direction.
Baek Joo-won, unable to keep up with the S-rank Espers’ speed, fell behind, but Grayson and Seo Jae-yi didn’t wait for him.
The area around Cheonggyecheon was already in chaos.
Buildings were collapsing, and red bloodstains were scattered everywhere, indicating that many people had been injured.
Espers were fighting monsters amidst the debris.
“This is serious.”
“It is.”
The problem was the monster.
It was a giant, 3-meter tall monster, taking the form of a tree. It should have been easy to handle…
“Parasites.”
The withered trees were relentlessly destroying everything around them, including themselves, not caring for their surroundings or their own bodies. It was a typical characteristic of monsters infected with parasites.
“We have to eliminate them quickly before the host dies.”
What would parasites do when their host died? They would naturally seek a new, stronger host.
And Espers were the perfect prey for parasites.
“H-help me! Help me!”
A man, covered in blood, cried out, writhing in pain. A tree monster, felled by Espers’ attacks, lay near him.
Seo Jae-yi rushed towards him. A translucent-winged insect, the size of a human head, was clinging to his back.
She grabbed it and increased her body temperature.
Kyaaagh! The insect thrashed wildly, kicking the man’s body. It was a grotesque creature, resembling a cross between a bee and a fly.
Bang! She fired her gun, and the insect exploded, dying instantly. The man, who had narrowly escaped becoming a host, collapsed, gasping for breath. His back was soaked in blood.
“Are you an ordinary citizen?”
Seo Jae-yi asked, and the man, unable to speak, only nodded frantically, his face streaked with tears.
“Maggie, take this man to a nearby medical team.”
“What about you?”
“I have to deal with the insects. And I’m not good at rescuing people.”
She couldn’t bring herself to help after her recent experience of making two civilians vomit while trying to rescue them.
“And take Baek Joo-won and get out of here. It’s dangerous.”
“The parasites are dangerous, but he’s a Guide. Aren’t you being overprotective?”
Seo Jae-yi shook her head at Grayson’s words. He didn’t know one thing.
‘Baek Joo-won might affect monsters.’
She remembered how the Greenrolls had reacted to him during their dungeon practice run.
If even docile Greenrolls had been dangerous, what would happen if these parasites targeted him? Even she couldn’t guarantee his safety.
After Grayson left with the injured man, Seo Jae-yi checked her wrist receiver.
【Overload Progress — 26%】
Her level was stable, thanks to the recent Guiding session from Baek Joo-won, who had healed the bruise on her side.
‘I can’t use dungeon plants in the city, so I’ll have to use my ability.’
It was better to be cautious, even though the dungeon plants reacted more strongly to monsters than humans.
Seo Jae-yi spread her senses, searching for heat signatures. She had just held the insect in her hand, so it wasn’t difficult to find others with similar heat signatures.
She sensed a parasite emerging from a tree monster that a nearby group of Espers had just killed. She immediately aimed her gun at it.
Bang!
The bullet shot out of her custom-made gun with a deafening roar. Its range and speed were far superior to ordinary firearms, so the parasite exploded before it could even reach the Espers.
“Gasp, what was that?! Where did that bullet come from?”
“Over there, that way.”
The Espers, who had just noticed Seo Jae-yi, looked stunned.
“Parasites will emerge when you kill the monsters. They’re dangerous, so don’t let your guard down after killing the monsters. Eliminate all the parasites.”
“Parasites…?”
“Who are you?”
“…Grayson from the US Association told me.”
They readily accepted her explanation, as she couldn’t be bothered to explain further.
Seo Jae-yi moved to the next location where she sensed heat signatures.
The tree monsters could be handled by ordinary Espers, so she just observed and shot the parasites as they emerged.
As she moved around, firing her gun without wearing proper combat gear, people started asking who she was.
Someone finally recognized her when she approached the gate.
“Guild Leader Seon Ju-hee.”
Seon Ju-hee, with her long blue hair tied up high, was eliminating monsters with her signature blue flames.
She was the Sunghwa Guild Leader and another S-rank Esper in Korea.
Thanks to her intervention, the damage from the Rank 3 dungeon breakout wasn’t as severe.
“You came too? You should be resting in your condition.”
Seon Ju-hee frowned, seeing Seo Jae-yi.