Chapter 133:
‘But he said it was Airok’s energy…?’
Why was this energy emanating from Baek Joo-won? Why?
How could an ordinary Guide…?
“Are you going to stand there all day? Didn’t you hear me tell you to move?”
Baek Joo-won snapped, irritated by Kim Yoo-sung’s hesitation. He had dropped the polite speech. Kim Yoo-sung couldn’t even point out his rudeness, overwhelmed by his unfamiliar aura.
“Haeil Guild members, retreat! Keep your distance! As far back as possible!”
The Haeil Guild members, who had been trying to recover, were startled by their Guild Leader’s sudden command, especially Moon Soo-hyun, her face filled with concern.
“Hurry! Don’t provoke Seo Jae-yi any further! Baek Joo-won needs to get close to her!”
But they had no choice but to retreat, supporting each other, when Kim Yoo-sung shouted again.
After Moon Soo-hyun, the last one, left, Kim Yoo-sung turned to Baek Joo-won.
“I’ll stay here. Just in case.”
“Fine. But don’t interfere. No matter what happens, even if something happens to me, don’t interfere. Both of us will die if you do.”
Kim Yoo-sung couldn’t even ask what he was planning.
Baek Joo-won strode towards Seo Jae-yi.
‘You foolish girl.’
He had left the dungeon the moment he sensed the fragment of his power within Seo Jae-yi shatter and encountered the Haeil Guild members who had come to fetch him.
And he had heard what had happened.
A Rank 2 dungeon breakout had occurred nearby, and Seo Jae-yi, trying to stop it alone, had overloaded.
She had fought alone, even though she knew he was in the forest dungeon, probably because she was worried the monsters would be agitated by his energy.
Or perhaps she hadn’t been able to stand by and watch the villagers die.
Knowing Seo Jae-yi’s personality, the latter was more likely.
‘Foolish Seo Jae-yi.’
She was a mess. Worse than when he had seen her on Mount Taebaek.
Her hair was disheveled, her body was covered in burns and lacerations, her pale skin was flushed with heat, her heart pounded loud enough for him to hear, and her eyes, fixed on him, were as red as blood.
Baek Joo-won was displeased by her wounds, but he was most enraged by her eyes.
Her eyes, which were always bright and radiant like the sun, were now empty. They had always been filled with warmth and affection for him, but now they were devoid of any emotion.
He hated those empty eyes staring at him indifferently.
What suited Seo Jae-yi wasn’t those empty eyes, but the look of wanting him, desiring him.
‘My foolish Esper.’
Baek Joo-won started walking towards Seo Jae-yi.
He sensed Kim Yoo-sung’s anxiety behind him, wanting to stop him, but he ignored it.
He felt the intense heat. It was even hotter than when he had appeared before Seo Jae-yi as she was burning down the forest dungeon. It made it hard to breathe, and his eyes burned.
But Baek Joo-won endured. His regenerative power, more active than ever, protected him from Seo Jae-yi’s heat.
This was nothing. His Esper was right there. What did this trivial pain matter when his precious one was dying?
The flames burned his skin, scorching his flesh, but his steps didn’t falter.
“Seo Jae-yi.”
He called out to her. But she didn’t react, didn’t greet him with her usual bright smile. He wasn’t reflected in her empty eyes.
Baek Joo-won gritted his teeth and called out to her again, his voice louder.
“Jae-yi.”
He reached out his hand. Seo Jae-yi’s heat burned his fingers. His skin blackened, and the underlying muscles were exposed, but Baek Joo-won didn’t even flinch.
His regenerative power struggled against her destructive heat.
He had to save her before he succumbed.
“Jae-yi.”
He smiled at her, even as he felt the agonizing pain of his body burning alive. He smiled at her, just like she always smiled at him.
“I told you before. I possess you. You’re mine now.”
Every part of her, from head to toe, every strand of hair, every breath, belonged to him.
“So don’t be angry, no matter what I do. I’m just claiming what’s mine.”
And at the same time, he would give himself to her.
Baek Joo-won snapped his fingers. Seo Jae-yi’s body, which had been consumed by flames, twitched.
His gaze shifted to her stomach.
His power, residing within her, had shattered when she overloaded, but it hadn’t disappeared.
It was almost all he had, so it still flowed within her, quietly.
He guided his power to spread throughout her body, to every corner, to her fingertips and toes, to her hair, even deep within her veins.
His body was almost torn apart, enduring Seo Jae-yi’s heat and guiding his own power within her.
But his mind was clearer than ever.
‘It’s done.’
After a period of agonizing endurance, the moment his power filled her body, he felt her condition improve slightly, even though her eyes remained unfocused.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
【Overload Progress — 97%】
Her overload level, which had reached 99%, had dropped slightly. He wished he could lower it completely, but that was impossible. He didn’t expect that much.
It was enough for him to get a bit closer to her.
Baek Joo-won walked towards her again. The scorching heat lessened slightly, perhaps because he was now exuding the same energy that filled her body.
He smiled, pleased by her immediate reaction. She recognized him, even though she had been attacking her own comrades indiscriminately. It stirred his possessive instincts as a monster.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Jae-yi.”
He reached her and cupped her cheeks in his hands. His palms were burned again by her inhumanly high temperature.
Crack!
And then, Seo Jae-yi’s hands shot up, grabbing his and breaking them. Baek Joo-won couldn’t help but groan, his burned hands now broken and mangled.
But he didn’t retreat. He pressed closer to Seo Jae-yi, ignoring his hands.
He looked into her unseeing eyes and whispered,
“I told you before. I don’t mind if you hurt me. So you can cling to me more.”
Even now, it didn’t feel like she was attacking him, but rather clinging to him desperately, begging him to save her.
Baek Joo-won truly felt that way, even as his broken hands burned.
“See? I’m really fine. I’m still here, even though your comrades ran away.”
He smiled at her, shamelessly taking credit for sending them away.
He had once wanted to kill Seo Jae-yi, terrified by the heat that had burned down his forest, but he couldn’t even remember those days now.
He just wanted to save her from the flames that were consuming her.
“It’s okay, as long as I’m by your side.”
He kissed her, a heartfelt whisper escaping his lips.
Their lips touched, and it felt like they were burning.
Their skin peeled, blood flowed, evaporated by the heat, and new wounds formed.
It should have been agonizing, but Baek Joo-won focused solely on soothing Seo Jae-yi.
He poured all his life force and regenerative power into her, desperately, so she wouldn’t suffer anymore, so she wouldn’t be alone anymore.
Crunch!
Seo Jae-yi bit his lip hard, drawing blood.
“You told me to drink your blood, and now you’re drinking mine.”
Baek Joo-won smiled, satisfied, despite his burns, his broken bones, and his bleeding lip.
He was in a worse state than Seo Jae-yi, but he ignored it and deepened the kiss.
The smell of sulfur from the flames, the acrid scent of smoke, the metallic tang of blood, and their mingled scents, stronger than ever.
It was an intense, desperate kiss, a mixture of countless sensations.
Beep!
【Overload Progress — 89%】
How long had it been?
Baek Joo-won glanced at Seo Jae-yi’s hand, which was gripping his broken hand, alerted by the beeping.
Her overload level was decreasing as he kissed her deeper, as he poured his life force into her, as his power resonated with hers within her body.
The heat that had threatened to consume the world began to subside.
“Ugh, cough!”
And the moment her overload level reached 80%, Seo Jae-yi vomited blood. A large amount, staining both of them crimson.
She staggered and collapsed, weakened by the blood loss, gasping for breath. She looked terrible.
“Seo Jae-yi!”
Kim Yoo-sung, who had been anxiously pacing nearby, unable to intervene because Baek Joo-won had ordered him to stay back, rushed towards her.
Her overload had stopped. But her true suffering was about to begin.
The backlash from pushing her ability to its limit would hit her like a tsunami.
“I’ll leave the aftermath to you, Kim Yoo-sung. I’ll focus on helping Seo Jae-yi recover.”
Baek Joo-won, switching back to polite speech, lifted Seo Jae-yi into his arms.
Kim Yoo-sung was flustered.
“Where are you…!”
“The forest dungeon where I reside. There’s no safer place for Seo Jae-yi right now. It’s a place where her ability can run wild without causing harm.”
“A dungeon is certainly better than here, but still…!”
“Step aside if you don’t know anything. Do you think I would endanger Seo Jae-yi?”
Baek Joo-won glared at him, annoyed by the interruption. He had to leave now.
“She’s my Esper. And I’m the only one who can save her. So move.”
He pushed past Kim Yoo-sung and strode towards the forest dungeon gate.
He stopped and turned to look at Kim Yoo-sung, who was staring at him with a bewildered expression.
“I’ll send Airok. He should be able to extinguish the remaining flames.”
He should be awake by now.
Airok, having fully recovered his power, should be able to handle the remaining fire.
With those words, Baek Joo-won left, not looking back.
And in the spot where he and Seo Jae-yi had disappeared…
Kim Yoo-sung stared blankly at Baek Joo-won’s retreating figure.
He saw Baek Joo-won approaching the overloading Seo Jae-yi, superimposed on his fading image.
‘This is strange.’
How had he been able to get through Seo Jae-yi’s heat, a heat even he couldn’t withstand?
Because he was her Guide? No, an Esper in an uncontrolled overload couldn’t even recognize their own Guide.
And yet, he had walked away unscathed, carrying Seo Jae-yi.
‘And their conversation…’
He couldn’t have missed what Baek Joo-won had whispered to Seo Jae-yi, despite the distance.
Words he couldn’t understand.
Kim Yoo-sung’s confusion grew.
Who was Baek Joo-won? Who was he, to exert pressure even on an S-rank Esper like him, to say those strange things to Seo Jae-yi?
What was his true identity?