Chapter 20:
After the intense Guiding session, which lasted only a few minutes in reality but felt like hours, Seo Jae-yi fled the training room.
Her plan to lure Baek Joo-won back to the flower shop using the excuse of the ruined bouquet had long evaporated.
If she stayed with him any longer, she feared she wouldn’t be able to resist her primal urges and pounce on him.
“Aaaagh, I’m going to die.”
Seo Jae-yi walked unsteadily, her legs trembling like a newborn fawn, and finally stopped, unable to go any further.
Her heart pounded in her chest. It was only natural that her body was reacting so strongly; it was as if a vast ocean had been poured into her parched body, which had been suffering from a drought of Guiding.
‘This practice session is more dangerous for me than for Baek Joo-won.’
She glanced at her watch. It had only been a few minutes of Guiding, but…
【Overload Progress — 25%】
Her overload level had returned to normal in an instant.
Of course, it would increase again soon since it hadn’t been a long session, and her condition was still poor. But her lifespan must have been extended, even slightly.
“Wow, if I form a Pair with Baek Joo-won, I might die in a different sense.”
If they became a Pair, she might be able to maintain an optimal overload level in the 10% range.
The problem was, what if she lost control like Jo Won-jung, intoxicated by this overwhelming sense of fulfillment? Could she truly resist the craving for this fantastic sensation?
‘Some Espers fall asleep after receiving Guiding because it’s so relaxing. Sleep? Who can sleep?’
She was more alert than ever.
This wouldn’t do. She couldn’t stay here like this.
If she encountered Baek Joo-won again in this state, she might really attack him. She forced her heavy legs to move and quickly left the Center.
She couldn’t drive; she felt like she might rip the steering wheel off with her newfound energy. She had no choice but to take a taxi. As the Center disappeared from view, her trembling hands calmed down slightly.
“Ah.”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been leaning her forehead against the window, looked up at the bright sunlight.
Why couldn’t she remember what the weather had been like when she came to the Center?
The blue sky and the radiant sunshine suddenly seemed incredibly beautiful.
“I’m finally calming down.”
She returned to the flower shop, feeling like a boneless invertebrate, and collapsed onto the table, too exhausted to even flip the sign to “Customers Warmly Welcomed.”
No customers today. It was highly unlikely she would have any anyway, but she couldn’t handle it today.
“Wow, my senses are heightened because of the lower overload level.”
Seo Jae-yi’s nose twitched as she rested her cheek on the table. The flower shop always had a strong floral scent due to the greenhouse, but today it felt like the fragrance was permeating her brain. Her hearing was also more acute.
Perhaps that was why the day seemed so bright.
Crack.
Her heightened hearing picked up a faint cracking sound. It was incredibly subtle, but it sounded as loud as thunder to her now.
What was that?
It sounded like an eggshell cracking. But there was nothing like that in the greenhouse…
“Wait a minute!”
She remembered burying the egg in the greenhouse and bolted towards it, her previous lethargy forgotten.
‘Is something hatching from the egg?’
She had been expecting it to hatch soon, considering the increasing frequency of its pulsing!
Seo Jae-yi carefully removed the soil covering the egg. The egg, which had been perfectly fine when she checked it before leaving for the Center, now had cracks.
And it was moving!
“Gasp.”
It was really hatching! What should she do?!
She covered her mouth with both hands, stifling a scream, and stared intently at the miraculous sight.
Crack, crack, crack.
Her heart pounded along with the cracking of the eggshell.
What kind of creature would it be? What would it look like? Would it resemble the dungeon master, being his offspring? Or would it be different?
‘…My baby.’
Whatever it looked like, it was the creature she had raised.
The first life she had nurtured with her own hands, which had always destroyed, burned, and killed.
That was why she had opened the flower shop. She had wanted to nurture life, but she had never imagined she would raise a living creature, not just plants. Her heart ached with a strange emotion.
Bang!
The egg exploded with a loud crack. A large shard from the shattered eggshell struck Seo Jae-yi’s forehead.
“…”
She had envisioned a touching scene, like a baby bird hatching… But to be headbutted by a newborn? As expected of a monster’s offspring, its birth was quite extraordinary.
“Wow.”
Seo Jae-yi rubbed her forehead, then gasped in awe.
Amidst the scattered fragments of the shattered eggshell, a tiny creature, white with pale blue markings, was curled up.
Hard scales covering its body, small wings on its back, a long tail, and a round face, as befitting a hatchling.
It was…
“A lizard?”
It looked like a lizard with wings.
Strange. The dungeon master definitely wasn’t a lizard. Was this not his offspring after all?
‘Or is the dungeon master’s true form a lizard?’
The Fixed dungeon master she had encountered had taken a human form.
Of course, while he resembled a human, his sharp canines and reptilian slit pupils were distinct.
Perhaps his human form was a transformation, and his true form was a lizard monster. Some high-level dungeon masters could shapeshift.
“Hey, little lizard.”
Convinced that this was indeed the dungeon master’s offspring, Seo Jae-yi cautiously called out to the hatchling.
The lizard, which had so forcefully shattered its egg, only twitched its small wings in response to her call, remaining curled up.
“Little lizard?”
She raised her voice slightly, and the hatchling’s eyes snapped open. She met its gaze, a deep, mesmerizing blue, as if precious gems were embedded in its eyes.
It wasn’t the forest green of the dungeon master, but the blue of the lizard’s eyes was equally captivating.
But her heartwarming vision of their first encounter was shattered in an instant.
“Who dares! Who dares call this great dragon a lizard?!”
With a booming roar, a stream of water shot out of the lizard’s open mouth, aimed directly at Seo Jae-yi’s face.
Fizzle.
The powerful jet of water evaporated before it could reach her.
“Huh?”
The lizard blinked, confused as its attack vanished into thin air. Seo Jae-yi stared at it.
“Wow, you’re definitely not an ordinary lizard. You’re talking and spitting water right after hatching. Must be because you’re a monster’s offspring.”
“Not lizard, not, not, huh?”
Seo Jae-yi carefully picked up the lizard, which was babbling incoherently.
The strange water lizard, with its wings and ability to speak, was surprisingly warm. Considering that reptiles were usually cold-blooded, this further confirmed that it was a monster hatchling.
“Fortunately, you can talk, so we can introduce ourselves. Hello, little water lizard. I’m Seo Jae-yi.”
“Uh, huh, huh? Eh?”
“Huh? Why can’t you speak suddenly? Did you bite your tongue, little one?”
As Seo Jae-yi tried to open the lizard’s mouth, it hurriedly spoke.
“I’m not a little one!”
“I heard baby creatures always say they’re not babies. How cute.”
“I’m not a baby!”
“Okay, okay, I understand, little one. Oh, I’m sorry. Little water lizard. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”
“Listen to me, human!”
The lizard shot another stream of water at her, which instantly evaporated.
Only after its second failed attack did the lizard notice something strange.
“What, what’s this? Why do I sense Master’s energy from you?”
“Master?”
“Yes! Only Master possesses this vibrant life force! Why do you, a human, have Master’s power?”
“Master? Power? Ah, are you talking about the master of the forest dungeon?”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been contemplating whether to feed the hatchling milk, tilted her head. The lizard’s jaw dropped at her reaction.
“Really? You, you really possess Master’s… power?”
The water lizard, suddenly speaking politely, stopped thrashing.
“You sensed it correctly. I received it directly from the master of the Fixed forest dungeon. It’s extending my life.”
“Extending your life? Are you an Esper, then?”
“You figured it out quickly.”
“Master can influence Espers. It’s his unique ability.”
As expected. Seo Jae-yi wasn’t surprised; she had anticipated this.
If he could suppress the overload of an S-rank Esper, a ticking time bomb, it was only natural that he could influence other Espers.
It was a dangerous ability. If this information became public, all Espers would likely try to kill him.
But…
“Does your Master’s power affect Guides as well as Espers?”
That was her only concern. She had brought the egg back because she had gone to the dungeon to ask the master that very question.
“No, it can’t. Guides and Espers have completely different abilities.”
“Then there’s no problem if I receive Guiding while possessing his power?”
“No, there’s no problem.”
She had assumed it would be fine, considering nothing had happened during the Guiding practice today. But hearing his confirmation eased her mind.
‘I should keep it a secret that the dungeon master has the ability to influence Espers.’
Thanks to the dungeon master’s power, her lifespan had been extended, she had tasted freedom, and she had even opened a flower shop. Moreover, she had met Baek Joo-won, her potential savior.
Without his power, she would have died long ago. He had given her hope for a longer life.
Seo Jae-yi wasn’t ungrateful enough to discard her lifesaver.
“But why do you call him ‘Master’? Why not ‘Mother’? He’s the one who laid… I mean, the monster who laid you, right? Do monsters usually call their mothers ‘Master’?”
“How can you say something so horrifying?!”
The water lizard shrieked, jumping in fright.
Seo Jae-yi quickly extended her hand, fearing it might get hurt, but instead of falling, the lizard started flapping its wings.
Wow… She had thought the wings were just decorative because they were so small, but it could actually fly.
“Mother?! Mother?! Our mother is incredibly kind, incomparable to that terrifying individual! And he’s male, for goodness sake!”