Chapter 92:
“Since when…?”
“Since when? Since the first time I appeared before you as Baek Joo-won.”
“You crazy bastard.”
A dungeon master casually walking around in front of S-rank Espers? She couldn’t think of any other words to describe him.
“You can curse me all you want later. Just focus on getting better. There’s no point in me coming all the way out here if you die now.”
Baek Joo-won’s lips touched her forehead again. Seo Jae-yi hurriedly grabbed his arm as the Guiding intensified.
“Wait, ugh…!”
Refreshing life force filled her chest. Her body started to recover rapidly, the Guiding and the dungeon master’s power within her creating synergy.
It was so fast that even Seo Jae-yi could barely handle it.
The surrounding air, which had been thick with ash and heat, felt a bit clearer.
“No, stop…!”
“No, I can’t stop. You have to endure it.”
Baek Joo-won whispered, his lips still pressed against her forehead.
“I’m not an ordinary Guide, and I’m not human. Don’t worry; I won’t die just because you put some effort into it. Cling to me.”
That was why he had revealed his identity.
Seo Jae-yi gritted her teeth, his words tickling her forehead.
She still didn’t want to hurt him, regardless of who he was. But perhaps her mind had eased a bit. She unconsciously tightened her grip on his arm.
“Yes, cling to me. I’m right here.”
Baek Joo-won felt a surge of elation. He was pleased to see the desire for a Guide slowly filling her eyes.
Ah, he had wanted to possess this gaze, this look of Seo Jae-yi desiring him, from the moment he first saw her.
“S-stop it!”
But his thoughts were cut short. Seo Jae-yi, grabbing his collar, headbutted him.
“Ugh, Seo Jae, ugh.”
He might be a dungeon master, capable of withstanding an S-rank Esper’s power, but his nose was still a weak point. Baek Joo-won had no choice but to release her, clutching his nose, and step back.
“You, ah, damn it…”
Seo Jae-yi glared at him, clutching her forehead, as if she was the one who had been headbutted.
But it was short-lived.
“I’m going to ask what happened, so you…”
Her eyes, which had barely regained focus, started to lose their clarity again, perhaps due to the excessive use of her ability and the sudden surge of Guiding.
“Don’t run away, stay by my side…”
She pointed at him, but her words were cut short as she lost consciousness.
Baek Joo-won quickly caught her as she collapsed.
Her breathing was steady and even. He was relieved to see her sleeping peacefully, not in pain.
‘Her level is stable.’
Her receiver displayed 30%. The energy within her was also stable.
The heat that was still coiled deep within her hadn’t been resolved yet, but they could deal with it now that she knew his true identity.
“Run away? Where would I go?”
Baek Joo-won stroked her forehead, watching her sleep. He realized this was the first time he had seen her sleeping.
“I haven’t obtained what I want yet; I can’t leave.”
He had come out of the dungeon, he was here, all because of Seo Jae-yi. He wasn’t going to return just because she knew his identity.
So Baek Joo-won planned to stay by her side for a while, even if she didn’t like it.
He carefully lifted her into his arms and started descending the mountain. Kwon Yi-soo and the others were gone.
“Ah, the fire is extinguished.”
He felt the heat that had been consuming the vegetation disappear as he reached the middle of the mountain. It seemed Kim Yoo-sung and Airok had taken care of it.
But the wildfire being extinguished didn’t mean everything was over.
Those who had caused this were still out there.
Jang Woo-seok, Chu Sung-won, and Gong Ju-hyun.
They would pay for their actions.
A year ago.
A Rank 2 Emergent Dungeon had suddenly appeared off the coast of Incheon.
The Guild that had been initially dispatched had failed to subjugate it, and the number of monsters increased rapidly. The risk of a breakout was high, so the government directly ordered Haeil Guild to handle it.
It was a fire-type dungeon, so Guild Leader Kim Yoo-sung was excluded, and a raid team led by Seo Jae-yi, who could manipulate heat, and Moon Soo-hyun, the next most skilled Esper, was dispatched.
However, the danger level had increased significantly due to the sheer number of monsters, so Haeil Guild requested more support from the government.
But the government, receiving reports that it wasn’t an immediate breakout threat, was slow to respond.
Their misjudgment led to Seo Jae-yi overloading, as she had pushed her powers to the limit to save the Guild members.
If Center Head Kwon Yi-soo hadn’t accepted their support request and rushed to Incheon with Sunghwa Guild, which had also been contacted, they would have faced a catastrophic situation – a dungeon breakout and an S-rank Esper overloading.
Fortunately, thanks to Kwon Yi-soo’s quick action, the situation hadn’t escalated, but Seo Jae-yi’s body was severely damaged, her ability uncontrollable, and she was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
She entered an empty dungeon alone to prevent further harm to those around her.
And she spent six lonely months there, forgotten by the world.
“Gasp, gasp…”
Seo Jae-yi, having barely regained consciousness after another outburst, wiped her sweat-drenched chin with the back of her hand. It came away stained red, perhaps mixed with blood.
She was in a pathetic state, half-collapsed on the ground.
Her combat uniform, made by Seo Won-yeong to withstand heat, was scorched and torn in several places, and the exposed skin was red and inflamed.
Her black hair was tangled with blood and sweat, and her tough fingertips were covered in scratches.
The ground around her was stained with her blood, and crimson flames were raging.
The lush, beautiful forest, like an Amazon, was slowly crumbling, unable to withstand the uncontrolled power of an S-rank Esper.
It was enduring thanks to the dungeon’s regenerative ability, but in another six months, it would become a barren wasteland where nothing could grow.
“…I’m a bit sorry about that.”
Seo Jae-yi, having finally regained her senses after another outburst, looked around with a dazed expression.
The ground was burning, the sky was burning, her body was burning.
The heat that had kept her alive was now consuming her life.
But Seo Jae-yi thought it couldn’t be helped. She had taken countless lives with this ability, even if they were monsters, so it was only natural for her to die like this, consumed by flames.
But there was one thing.
“I might die before I can even say goodbye.”
She had entered this dungeon to control her uncontrollable ability, but it was only becoming more wild and uncontrollable.
She was still somewhat lucid now, but if even that became difficult, she planned to end her life here.
She wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to her family and friends, but it would be better than letting Korea burn down.
“Cough!”
A bitter lump rose in her throat. It wasn’t stale blood from internal injuries; it was bright red.
She realized instinctively.
Her time was truly running out.
Her vision blurred. As her mind clouded, her suppressed ability started leaking again.
Crackle. She heard the sound of footsteps on the ash-covered leaves as the temperature around her spiked.
Seo Jae-yi looked up, startled.
Had someone come to subjugate the monsters? But it wasn’t time yet. She had heard this dungeon only needed to be subjugated once every two years.
She struggled to control her ability, and then…
“Please stop burning down the forest.”
A man appeared, speaking those pathetic words.
He was incredibly tall, with long brown hair that reached his waist. His face was etched with fatigue, but his expression was hidden behind his striking features.
Long fangs peeking through his parted lips, transparent green eyes that seemed to have absorbed all the life force of the forest, and long pupils that clearly indicated he wasn’t human.
A monster?
Her body moved before her mind could even process it.