Chapter 166:
“We’re here to cooperate with the US’s request, not to follow your orders. Know your place.”
It was an incredibly arrogant statement, but Taylor couldn’t object.
He wasn’t used to being intimidated, and yet, Baek Joo-won’s aura of authority was overwhelming.
“We’ll do what we promised, so don’t interfere.”
Baek Joo-won left those words as a final warning and walked away.
The surrounding Espers were taken aback, seeing Seo Jae-yi’s Guide leave alone.
But the most bewildered one was Taylor.
He could finally breathe again only after Baek Joo-won was out of sight.
“Huh, I thought Baek Joo-won had finally succumbed to Seo Jae-yi’s persistence and become her Pair…”
That wasn’t the case. He was a Guide powerful enough to handle Seo Jae-yi, whose power had awed even Taylor, and that was why they were paired.
Only a monster could stay by a monster’s side.
Taylor shook his head, thinking they were a well-matched couple.
He pointedly ignored the goosebumps rising on his arms.
“Ugh, it’s hot in here.”
The Espers entering the dungeon instinctively covered their mouths, the suffocating heat taking their breath away.
They had heard about the dungeon’s environment and structure from the previous raid team, but hearing about it and experiencing it firsthand were two different things.
The area near the gate was a vast plain. But in the distance, at least five or six volcanic mountains were spewing lava.
The sky was choked with red ash, and the air was thick with the smell of sulfur. Even the S-rank Espers struggled to breathe.
Fire-attribute dungeons were among the most dangerous.
And this one was Rank 1, filled with powerful monsters; it was a highly disadvantageous situation for them.
Except for one person.
“Wow, it’s so warm! I like the atmosphere!”
Seo Jae-yi, never one to lose her confidence, took a deep breath as soon as she entered the dungeon.
It felt like hot flames were clinging to her lungs.
Others would have been in agony, but not Seo Jae-yi.
She found the environment… rather pleasant.
‘This is strange. I’m usually not this comfortable in a fire dungeon.’
As a Heat Esper, she was more comfortable in fire-attribute dungeons than others.
But she was still human. It should feel better than other environments, but not this… welcoming.
Strangely, she felt no discomfort in this Rank 1 dungeon, only a sense of exhilaration, the same feeling she had experienced when she first saw the gate.
As she looked around, her eyes shining, almost intoxicated by the dungeon’s heat, Grayson whispered,
“Try to… tone it down a bit, Jae-yi. You’re making the others uncomfortable.”
The other Espers were indeed looking at her askance.
She was acting like she was on a picnic while they were risking their lives.
“Ah, right. I should. But Maggie,”
“Yes?”
“I have a real boyfriend now, so stop calling me ‘darling.’ Baek Joo-won will get jealous.”
Baek Joo-won was already showing signs of disliking Grayson, and if he kept calling her “darling”…
He might just punch him.
“Ah, right. Force of habit. I’ll be careful.”
Grayson nodded, chastened.
Seo Jae-yi stepped forward. The gazes of the other Espers, still skeptical of her abilities, were on her.
Of course, she didn’t care. Their scrutiny couldn’t faze her.
“…”
She closed her eyes and then opened them. She could sense the heat all around her, almost taste it.
She could see how intense the heat was, how long the Espers could endure it, and where the dragons, waiting to ambush them, were hiding.
“I sense about fifteen dragons. The temperature within a 20-kilometer radius from here is tolerable for S-ranks, though it’ll be difficult for Guides. I’ll lower the temperature, but try to stay within this area for now.”
Seo Jae-yi’s half-opened eyes pinpointed five locations.
“The five dragons closest to us will be the first to move. They’ll be here soon, so be prepared.”
Grayson translated her words and ordered everyone to prepare for battle. They quickly formed their ranks.
The support Espers and Elizer stayed near the gate with the Guides, while the others formed teams, as they had told Taylor.
“They’re coming!”
Seo Jae-yi shouted, and the ground trembled with the dragons’ roars. Dragons emerged from their hiding places.
They were still too far away to accurately gauge their size, but she could tell that several of them were breathing fire.
Seo Jae-yi made a mental note of the fire-breathing ones.
Thump, thump!
Just as she had predicted, the five closest dragons took to the sky.
They hadn’t attacked yet, just flying towards them.
But their power was palpable, an oppressive wave of energy that made even the US’s elite S-rank Espers gulp nervously.
Dragons were terrifying.
Their massive size, dwarfing most other monsters, their strength, capable of sending humans flying with a single swipe of their tails, their razor-sharp teeth and claws that could tear through any living creature.
And they ruled the skies, a realm inaccessible to humans, making them even more formidable.
But there was one person here who wasn’t afraid of the sky.
“As expected, a true S-rank Esper should have at least one dragon kill under their belt.”
Seo Jae-yi smiled, despite being at the forefront, bearing the brunt of the dragons’ oppressive aura.
It was a smile filled with a thrill that bordered on madness. The exhilarating anticipation she had felt since seeing the gate intensified, consuming her.
She was a battle maniac, born for combat. Not only had she awakened as an S-rank Esper at the young age of thirteen, but she was also incredibly competitive, driven to become the strongest in Korea.
And those foolish government officials, blinded by their delusions of control, had fueled her growth, sending her into countless dungeons, further honing her abilities.
Fear? Seo Jae-yi didn’t know the meaning of the word. She only craved the thrill of battle.
So she was exhilarated, facing the dragons.
There was no one she had to protect, no home she had to worry about. This was the perfect battlefield for her.
A fighting spirit, so intense that it startled even the surrounding Espers, erupted from her.
As if sensing her unwavering resolve, the approaching dragons roared, the air crackling with electricity. Seo Jae-yi’s smile widened as the tingling sensation spread through her body.
“Gasp.”
The dragons, now close enough for a proper assessment, beat their massive wings, creating a powerful gust of wind that made even the Guides behind them stagger.
They finally grasped the sheer size of their enemies.
Twenty-meter long bodies, radiating an intense heat that dwarfed even the dungeon’s temperature, their ferocious aura unrestrained.
They were truly the embodiment of despair.
<Those pathetic insects are crawling back for more, seeking death.>
One of the dragons spoke, but no one understood its words, as it was in the monster language.
“What is that overgrown lizard babbling about? If it wants to claim this planet, it should speak our language. How dare it use its barbaric tongue?”
Do they want to communicate, or not? Are their brains just for decoration?
Seo Jae-yi clicked her tongue, and the dragon, which had been muttering to itself, turned its gaze towards her.
More precisely, towards the bag she was carrying. As if sensing something within.
<And there’s that filthy traitor, groveling at the feet of humans, abandoning the pride of dragons.>
The other four dragons also turned their attention towards her bag at its cryptic words.
Five dragons’ gazes were on her, but Seo Jae-yi, instead of feeling intimidated, smiled, a predatory glint in her eyes.
She didn’t need to ask to understand what they meant.
“What do you think, seeing them up close?”
The S-rank Espers, who had been tense, looked at her curiously at her sudden question.
They thought she was about to say something about the battle strategy, but Grayson didn’t translate her words.
Seo Jae-yi, ignoring them, continued,
“Do you think you can handle one on your own?”
The bag she was holding twitched, and a small head popped out.
“Master, please. What do you take me for? Why would I be afraid of those fools who can’t even recognize you, their savior, and call you an insect, and me… filthy?”
The Espers, who hadn’t been able to see Airok from behind Seo Jae-yi, were startled by the sudden voice.
Grayson quickly reassured them.
Seo Jae-yi continued her conversation with Airok, ignoring the commotion behind her.
“So they called me an insect and you… filthy?”
Seo Jae-yi’s lips curled into a predatory smile. She had been itching for a fight with the dragons, and now they had practically poured gasoline on the fire.
She wouldn’t decline their challenge.
“Then shall we each take one? Come on, Logi.”
Seo Jae-yi grinned and opened her bag wide. Airok, emerging from the bag, was enveloped in a blue light.
And then…
ROAR!
A deafening roar, as powerful as the combined roars of the five dragons, echoed through the sky.
Airok, now massive, glared at the other dragons, radiating a menacing aura.
And beneath him, Seo Jae-yi, backed by the most reliable ally, smiled brightly at the startled dragons.