Chapter 164:
Baek Joo-won buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. The mix of her natural scent and the wine she had been drinking was intoxicating.
“I’ll fill you with my energy, so you can breeze through the dungeon. So much that you’ll wonder if it’s even possible.”
He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. The room, as expected of a luxury suite, was opulent and spacious.
But neither of them had the time or inclination to admire the decor.
“I need to do this to feel at ease while we’re apart, even for a little while.”
“Do whatever you want.”
Baek Joo-won laid her down on the plush bed and leaned over her. Seo Jae-yi gently caressed his face, her touch filled with affection.
“How can I refuse when you say you need this to feel at ease? Do whatever you want to me.”
“Where did you learn to say such tempting things?”
Baek Joo-won sighed, as if struggling to contain himself.
His eyes shifted, and his fangs lengthened, a stark reminder of his non-human nature. Seo Jae-yi’s gaze was drawn to his fangs.
“Ah, I had some questions about the gate after seeing it today.”
“It’s not dangerous. We can handle it, with Airok and me. So stop thinking about other dragons and focus on me.”
Baek Joo-won silenced her with a kiss, as if he didn’t even want her to mention other monsters.
Seo Jae-yi chuckled at his almost childish possessiveness.
A monster who had lived for hundreds of years, acting so cute…
“You got plenty of sleep in Korea, right? You won’t need sleep after a full charge of Guiding, so I’ll keep you… occupied until we leave tomorrow.”
For Espers, Guiding was better than sleep.
So instead of worrying about the lack of sleep, she was filled with anticipation at his promise of relentless Guiding.
She knew how good it felt.
Seeing her eager expression, Baek Joo-won smiled and began unbuttoning his shirt.
The sounds of their clothes rustling against the sheets grew louder, more intimate, with every discarded garment.
In this private sanctuary, undisturbed by the outside world, Baek Joo-won poured his energy into her, filling her to the brim, ensuring no dragon would dare threaten her.
He filled her so completely that she complained, worried she might burst.
And every time she did, Baek Joo-won couldn’t help but kiss her, silencing her protests with his lips.
The deserted cityscape of Las Vegas, visible through the window, held no threat for them, lost in their own world, sharing their energies throughout the night.
2 p.m.
Seo Jae-yi and Baek Joo-won went down to the hotel lobby.
Grayson, who was already there, was wearing his combat uniform, a rare sight. He exuded an aura of power as he checked his equipment.
“Oh, you’re here… Huh?”
Grayson, who had been waving at them, suddenly stopped, sensing something.
There was nothing wrong, but…
“Did you two spend the night in paradise or something? You’re glowing.”
He was right. Their skin was radiant, almost dazzling, as if they had consumed some mythical, energy-rich dragon elixir. They practically glowed in the dark.
“Paradise… Yes, it was paradise. I only slept for an hour or two, but I feel completely refreshed.”
Seo Jae-yi, her skin smoother than a boiled egg, nodded in agreement.
Baek Joo-won, his already striking features enhanced by his radiant complexion, also smiled brightly.
“You two have gotten awfully close…”
Grayson muttered, a hint of awkwardness in his voice.
He had known they had grown closer after becoming a Pair, but he hadn’t expected this.
They were practically soulmates. Even if he had separated them, they would have found their way back to each other.
“No wonder Airok came banging on my door, demanding to be let in. So you two were off on a grand adventure in paradise.”
Grayson sighed and showed them the bag he was carrying. Airok was curled up inside.
“Logi, did you sleep well?”
“Yes. I was kicked out, but I slept soundly, thanks to that.”
Airok answered honestly at Seo Jae-yi’s question.
Judging by their expressions, he would have witnessed something… inappropriate if he had stayed.
‘Ugh, even in the forest dungeon, I can’t go to the cave because of them… I miss the days when I could sleep alone in the flower shop.’
Airok swallowed a sigh.
“Let’s go, if you’re ready.”
Seo Jae-yi and Baek Joo-won got into the waiting limousine at Grayson’s words.
The subjugation was scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., but they were meeting with the raid team beforehand.
“It was eerie last night, but it’s even more so during the day.”
Seo Jae-yi couldn’t tear her eyes away from the deserted streets of Las Vegas as they drove towards the gate.
It was like a post-apocalyptic world.
But if a Rank 1 dungeon breakout occurred, this would seem like paradise compared to the hell that would be unleashed.
A true hell, where everything burned, screams echoed through the air, and dragons hunted humans.
They had to prevent that at all costs.
The car stopped near the gate. Unlike the previous night, which had been relatively quiet, the area was now swarming with armed Espers.
They were talking amongst themselves, their faces tense, and then they all turned to look as Grayson approached.
“It’s Mac Grayson.”
“He’s really going in. I’ve never seen him in a combat uniform before.”
“The situation must be dire. But who are those people with him? I don’t recognize them.”
“They can’t be ordinary if Grayson brought them personally…”
Their gazes settled on Seo Jae-yi and Baek Joo-won. They looked at them curiously, and then someone exclaimed,
“I knew I’d seen her somewhere! It’s that Korean S-rank! Jae-yi, was it? You know, Firestarter!”
Ah!
Those who had been struggling to place her immediately recognized her at the mention of her nickname.
There were countless fire-related Espers in the world, but only one went by the moniker “Firestarter.”
A veteran S-rank Esper with eleven years of experience.
Seo Jae-yi.
“I heard she accepted the US’s request for assistance. She actually came.”
“I heard she overloaded recently. Is she okay?”
“Well, it’s not so bad. If she overloads inside, she’ll take care of all the dragons for us.”
The Espers chuckled amongst themselves.
Firestarter might be a powerful Esper, but she was still just an Esper from a small Eastern country.
They were the elite S-ranks chosen for this Rank 1 dungeon subjugation; there was no reason for them to be impressed by Seo Jae-yi, who wasn’t even Grayson.
“Why are they looking at me like that? Are they captivated by my beauty?”
But their mocking words didn’t reach Seo Jae-yi, who didn’t understand a word of English.
“You still don’t speak English.”
“Why would I learn another language when I have the great Korean language?”
Seo Jae-yi asked Grayson, as if genuinely perplexed.
“I’m never leaving Korea anyway. There’s no need to waste time on useless things.”
“That’s harsh. I learned Korean to talk to you.”
“It’s only natural to learn Korean; it’s a great language.”
Who could argue with Seo Jae-yi?
Grayson shook his head, but…
‘Those comments are annoying.’
He glared at the Espers who were whispering about Seo Jae-yi. They coughed awkwardly and fell silent, meeting his gaze.
They were going to be working together; there was no need to create a hostile atmosphere.
And they were about to enter a Rank 1 dungeon, no less.
So Grayson, though feeling slightly bad for her, decided not to translate their words.
“They said it would be convenient if you overloaded inside and took care of all the dragons.”
…He hadn’t expected Baek Joo-won to translate, though.
“You speak English?”
Grayson asked, surprised, and Baek Joo-won replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world,
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t, considering I’m stateless?”
That was true. No one knew where he came from, or where he had been before appearing in Korea.
“Oh, you speak English?”
But why was Seo Jae-yi also surprised? He had assumed she knew everything about Baek Joo-won, considering how close they were.
“I speak Korean; why wouldn’t I speak English?”
“That’s true, I suppose.”
Grayson, who still believed Baek Joo-won was just a stateless individual, nodded in understanding.
But Seo Jae-yi, who knew everything about him, was dumbfounded.
Well, it wasn’t that strange, when she thought about it.
Monsters had their own languages. Baek Joo-won and Airok probably had their own as well.
And yet, they were both fluent in Korean, so they must have the ability to quickly acquire new languages.
“Overload, huh…”
Baek Joo-won’s eyes narrowed, a chilling aura emanating from him, so intense that even Grayson flinched.
“Yes, that’s… rather rude.”
Seo Jae-yi nodded in agreement with Baek Joo-won, and Grayson, flustered, was about to try and calm her down when she said,
“They think I’ll only kill the dragons if I overload? They think they’ll be spared? They think they can survive my overload?”
“…”
“…”
Both Grayson and Baek Joo-won were silenced by her words.
Now that she mentioned it…
“To think they believe they’ll survive… How amusing.”
Even Grayson’s survival wasn’t guaranteed; what chance did they have?
Seo Jae-yi’s overload was far more terrifying than a Rank 1 dungeon.
“You can’t overload, Jae-yi.”
“Of course not. That’s why I brought my Guide.”
“Yes, that’s… a relief. I feel much better now.”
“Of course, Baek Joo-won won’t be entering the dungeon right away.”
“…What?”
Grayson looked at her, confused.
“Baek Joo-won isn’t entering the dungeon?”
“Not with me. He’ll be entering later. He has… other things to do.”
“Other things?”