Chapter 110:
Baek Joo-won looked around, but he couldn’t pinpoint the source of the scent.
It seemed like the scent wasn’t coming from something present, but rather something that had come into contact with it. Even with his keen instincts, it was difficult to track down the source in such a situation.
“… “
After a moment of contemplation, Baek Joo-won approached the Association staff who were controlling the area around the gate. They looked at him warily, as he hadn’t revealed his face.
But their vigilance eased slightly when he smiled charmingly, his handsome face accentuating the effect.
“Hello. You’re working hard.”
“This area is restricted, so I suggest you go elsewhere.”
“Ah, I’m the paired Guide of an Esper who received a support request from Guide Joo Seon-min. I’m from Haeil Guild.”
Baek Joo-won tapped the screen of his receiver, worn on his left wrist. The Haeil Guild emblem appeared.
The staff’s wariness vanished, seeing the symbol that indicated he was a Guild member’s Guide.
“I see. But why is your Guide outside?”
“I sustained a minor injury a few days ago. My paired Esper insisted I wait outside, as it’s dangerous. She’s very protective of me.”
Baek Joo-won smiled shyly. It was a bit excessive for a tall man like him, but persuasion was all about appearances.
The Association staff nodded unconsciously.
Now that he mentioned it, he did seem a bit fragile. They would probably dote on such a handsome Guide if he was injured…
“An injury, that’s terrible. I heard the dungeon inside this gate is quite dangerous. The monsters are crocodile-shaped, and their teeth are as sharp as a shark’s.”
Having completely lost their wariness towards Baek Joo-won, the staff started chattering.
Baek Joo-won maintained his smile and listened patiently, though he was ignoring everything they said.
‘Whatever that scent is, it doesn’t feel good.’
His instincts warned him that it was a threatening scent. Even though he was pretending to be human, his true nature was a monster. He never ignored his instincts.
That was why he was surrounded by these humans who were rambling about things he didn’t care about. They might be trying to kidnap him.
Whether it was the desperate government or another faction coveting an S-rank Guide.
Baek Joo-won glanced at the gate.
It had been two hours since Seo Jae-yi entered. If anyone tried to kidnap him before she came out, he would jump into the gate.
He hoped that wouldn’t happen.
Drip, drip.
Water dripped onto the floor.
It was a common sound in a humid cave, but the people listening to it were pale.
Anyone would make the same face if they knew it wasn’t water dripping, but blood from a monster’s body.
“Hmm, good.”
Seo Jae-yi, who had just butchered the Gatekeeper, checked her receiver with a calm expression.
【Overload Progress — 23%】
As expected, using her power through a weapon put less strain on her body than using her ability directly.
The downside was the lower destructive power, but it was enough for a Rank 3 dungeon Gatekeeper.
Seo Jae-yi rolled up the cooled flexible swords and put them in her pocket, then turned around. The Sunghwa Guild members, meeting her gaze, flinched.
“I took this one down alone, so the magic stone is mine. No objections, right?”
In Emergent dungeons, the spoils were usually distributed equally among all raid team members, but in Fixed dungeons, where multiple Guilds participated, it was finder’s keepers.
So Seo Jae-yi, who had single-handedly defeated the Gatekeeper without any help, had every right to claim its magic stone.
“Ah, of course, I’ll share the Gatekeeper’s hide and stuff with Seon-min Unnie and Sunghwa Guild. For the information.”
“Okay.”
“We agree.”
The monster’s corpse, though not as valuable as the magic stone, was still incredibly valuable. The hide and teeth of such a strong Gatekeeper would fetch a high price, so Joo Seon-min and Lee Hae-min readily agreed.
They wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Gatekeeper so easily without Seo Jae-yi.
“Then where’s the magic stone? In its head? Or near its heart?”
Having reached an agreement, Seo Jae-yi hummed a tune as she started searching the Gatekeeper’s corpse.
One of the Sunghwa Guild members cautiously asked Lee Hae-min,
“Deputy Guild Leader, is that person… Esper Seo Jae-yi?”
She had single-handedly slaughtered a Gatekeeper they would have struggled to defeat and even used fire abilities.
They couldn’t have missed her identity after seeing that.
“Don’t say anything about it anywhere if you want to live. She has a worse temper than you think.”
Lee Hae-min whispered to the Guild members, her voice barely audible.
Their faces changed, realizing Seo Jae-yi’s identity. Some turned even paler, while others looked at her with admiration.
An Esper whose name alone could change people’s expressions.
That was Seo Jae-yi.
There were eight S-rank Espers in Korea, but only she could do that. This was the reputation she had built over eleven years.
At least, among those who didn’t know her face.
Lee Hae-min clicked her tongue, seeing the Guild members staring at Seo Jae-yi.
They were “admiring” her because they hadn’t experienced her temper. They would want to avoid her if they saw her beating up the Taesan Guild Leader like a rag doll.
“Wow, this magic stone is high-quality!”
Seo Jae-yi exclaimed, having found the magic stone near the Gatekeeper’s head.
The brilliant purple magic stone was clearly high-purity, even at a glance.
“If the Gatekeeper’s is this good, the boss monster’s must be even better, right?”
She looked at the door the Gatekeeper had been guarding. A deafening roar echoed from beyond the massive stone door.
It seemed like the boss monster had sensed the Gatekeeper’s defeat and its magic stone being extracted.
“Are you planning on taking down the boss monster alone too?”
“Wouldn’t that be difficult?”
Lee Hae-min and Joo Seon-min, surprised by her words, tried to dissuade her. Seo Jae-yi shook her head, as she had no such intention.
“I won’t. Baek Joo-won will come after me if I try to fight the boss monster alone.”
“That’s right. I’ll report it to him immediately.”
Kwon Gyu-yeon agreed, her eyes constantly monitoring Seo Jae-yi’s condition. She was a diligent worker, motivated by the promise of payment.
“Then let’s go get the boss monster.”
Seo Jae-yi tossed the magic stone to Kwon Gyu-yeon and headed towards the boss room with the Sunghwa Guild and Joo Seon-min.
Lee Hae-min asked if she wanted to receive Guiding or rest, but she shook her head.
It wouldn’t be effective unless it was Baek Joo-won’s Guiding, and she didn’t want to leave him alone for too long.
There were still many who were after him. She was worried because he wouldn’t be able to use his abilities in front of humans. She felt safer with him by her side.
So she had to finish off the boss monster quickly.
And that day, the Sunghwa Guild members finally understood why Seo Jae-yi was called the Firestarter, even though there were countless fire ability users.
The boss room, unlike the Gatekeeper’s chamber, had an open ceiling.
Seo Jae-yi immediately raised the temperature inside the boss room, evaporating all the water.
The dryness, like a desert, wasn’t a problem for Espers, but it was the worst environment for the aquatic crocodile monster.
While the Sunghwa Guild members restrained the gasping monster, Seo Jae-yi created a giant pillar of fire and plunged it into its mouth.
Her perfect control over the boss room’s temperature, the precise control of the flames to avoid damaging the valuable magic stone and hide, it was truly masterful.
Her ability finally shone, thanks to the paired Guide she had found after eleven years.
“Good work, everyone!”
Seo Jae-yi exclaimed cheerfully after they defeated the boss monster.
“Yes, ma’am! Good work!”
The Sunghwa Guild members, who now knew her identity and had witnessed her overwhelming power, bowed deeply. Their eyes were filled with admiration.
“Seon-min Unnie, send my share of the boss monster reward to my account later. I’m leaving now.”
Seo Jae-yi waved goodbye and headed towards the gate, eager to see Baek Joo-won.
“Wow, my legs feel so light.”
She exclaimed, running quickly.
She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this light after defeating a boss monster. She wasn’t even tired, despite using her ability quite a bit; she still had plenty of energy left.
“My body really has recovered.”
She could feel it clearly after using her power.
Seo Jae-yi smiled happily and sped up. She wanted to see Baek Joo-won.
As if sensing her feelings, Baek Joo-won was waiting for her right outside the gate with the Association staff.
“I’m back!”
Baek Joo-won, who had been half-heartedly listening to the staff’s chatter, immediately reacted to her cheerful call.
“I thought Kwon Gyu-yeon would come out first. This is unexpected.”
“Don’t you trust your Esper?”
Baek Joo-won looked her up and down.
Her entire body, bearing the traces of battle, smelled of fishy water, monster blood, and smoke.
It was the scent of Seo Jae-yi, the Esper.
“Let me see.”
He pulled her into an embrace, ignoring her messy appearance.
He didn’t care if the dirt and grime on her combat uniform stained his clothes. He only focused on her energy.
The hot, scorching heat, capable of consuming even him, was still coiled within her.
It was the main cause of her shortened lifespan, a tumor he had to remove.
But other than that, her condition was quite good. A pleasant warmth filled her body.
“You fought, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“But why is your condition so good?”
“You feel it too?”
Seo Jae-yi, leaning comfortably against him, smiled brightly.
“I used my power, but I feel strangely refreshed. I thought it was just my imagination, but it wasn’t.”
Baek Joo-won, intertwining his fingers with hers, checked the number displayed on her receiver.
【Overload Progress — 32%】
【Caution: Maintain below 30%.】
Her condition was this good, even though her level was in the caution zone, slightly above normal.
“Not bad.”
“I feel relieved hearing you say that.”
Seo Jae-yi hugged Baek Joo-won tightly.
Her life had changed completely since meeting Baek Joo-won, no, Hae-wi, in the forest dungeon.
Her lifespan had increased, she could now be with beautiful flowers instead of bloody battlefields, and she was even becoming healthy.
What would she have done without him?
“This is bad. I don’t think I can let you go now, even if you want to leave.”
She confessed her true feelings, something she had never said before.