“Kang Raon!”
Neither Hyukjin’s expression, unable to hide his bewilderment, nor the gazes of the center staff looking at him in surprise, caught Raon’s attention.
“Fuck. Are you really not going to bring it right now because it’s so fucking shitty?”
If it had been a different dungeon instead of an illusion dungeon, would he not be this anxious and uneasy? In a space where everything seemed frozen still, it felt like he was the only thing alive and moving. Raon, who glanced briefly at Jay, who was at least trying to manage the situation, turned his body and left the situation room. Then he headed for the dungeon entrance.
“Team Leader Kang!”
Not stopping his walking even at the urgent calls of those following him, Raon only stopped when Hyukjin grabbed his arm.
“Why are you so worked up, unlike yourself? It’s not like it’s the first or second time Nox has entered a dungeon alone, and if you’re going to go in, go with A Beta Team. Wear your protective gear properly.”
“Choi Hyukjin.”
Raon grasped Hyukjin’s wrist that held his arm and called him in a low voice.
“It’s Nox, not someone else. What are you worried about? And Nox said he’d go first because his condition was fine. I told him he needed your permission. He said it was fine…”
“Does saying it’s fine make everything fine?”
“……”
While briefly held by Hyukjin, Raon saw the protective gear Jay was carrying as he followed, and silently received Jay’s help while quickly gathering his equipment.
“Just tell me the dungeon situation.”
“Kang Raon.”
“I don’t need anyone’s permission to enter a dungeon. If you don’t tell me, I’ll go in like this. Jay, whether you report to my parents or not, handle that yourself.”
“It’s a fire-attribute dungeon, and from about the middle, illusions appear. What each person sees is different.”
“The beginning was getting that bastard out when he was trapped alone in a pit of fire, but I didn’t know the end would also be a pit of fire. Anyway, saving him from the flames is my job.”
Having always worn protective gear that fit perfectly, Raon, wearing protective gear slightly large for him, moved his body around while speaking and ended up laughing alone. Is this really the end?
Staring at the dungeon entrance rippling in red, Raon put on the watch someone handed him.
“Jaehwi. You’re sure he’s not wearing a watch, right?”
“The watch is in the contract terms.”
“This time I can definitely speak loudly.”
Even after putting on the watch, Raon grabbed a tablet and entered the dungeon without looking back. When he first entered a dungeon, he had been full of curiosity and excited about what would happen, but now he was calm. Does Jaehwi feel this way too?
Passing through the dungeon entrance, Raon, who felt for a moment as if enveloped in intense heat, stared blankly at the ash-gray world spread before his eyes.
Everything visible was ash heaps left after the flames had already swept through. Red embers scattered through the space filled with deep gray. Am I crazy if those embers look beautiful in this situation? Raon reached his hand toward the embers.
One ember lightly touched the tip of his index finger wearing thick gloves and then died out. This time, he held his palm facing the sky and watched the embers falling onto his palm. Despite the extremely dangerous situation where pillars of fire moved around complexly, sucking in surrounding things or bouncing them away, Raon was peaceful.
“Hwi.”
[Why did you come?]
When he called the name quietly, a calm voice returned through the headset.
“I opened my eyes and you weren’t there. That really feels bad. Don’t do that anymore.”
[I really didn’t think you’d come looking for me.]
“I told you I’d follow you to every dungeon you go to from now on.”
Raon’s stride gradually grew larger as he walked inside while conversing with Jaehwi. The dangerous pillars of fire didn’t approach him, and small embers floated around him. He recalled the monsters that had stood there blankly while looking at him in the metal-attribute dungeon where he’d met the golem.
“Do you know who the master here is?”
[A phoenix.]
“You already met it? Then, shall we bring the phoenix out today?”
[That’s up to hyung. When have you ever been someone who listens to others? You do whatever you want.]
“That’s true. I’m thinking of becoming a dungeon master collector at this rate. It helps the center too. Oh right. It seemed like Bbobbo and the golem weren’t at home.”
[I brought them. To train them a bit.]
“Really? Then send Bbobbo to me. That way it’ll be easier to find you.”
Walking carefully on the bumpy ground, Raon touched his headset when no answer came back.
“Hwi.”
In the space where only pillars of fire had been moving around until just now, a giant wall of fire had formed. Just like that day when he reunited with Jaehwi. At first, he had entered following the path opened by the Espers who were there to prevent the dungeon from going out of control, but at some point he recalled walking along the path Jaehwi created for him.
That meant this barrier also required someone’s help to cross, and the only person who could help him right now was Jaehwi.
“Jaehwi!”
The peaceful conversation like the one they’d had over dinner last night disappeared. Urgently calling Jaehwi and approaching closer to the pillar of fire, Raon moistened his dry lips with the tip of his tongue at the heat that suddenly struck him.
If Jaehwi didn’t open it, could he really not enter? Hesitating only briefly, Raon put his hand into the pillar of fire. Along with the pain of his hand seeming to burn up, a narrow path just wide enough for him to pass through formed in the wall of fire. And a drop of sweat ran down the forehead of Raon, who looked at the hand he’d withdrawn.
That day. When he misstepped and his hand went into and came out of the pillar of fire, it’s too similar. When he thought that far and raised his head, he saw Jaehwi.
A black doll with its head lowered, feet buried in the ground up to about the ankles.
How was Jaehwi back then? He seemed to have looked at him with exactly that appearance? Although there was cloth covering the lower part of his face, his eyes were definitely looking at him. But the current Jaehwi was looking at the ground.
At the extreme fear that suddenly struck him, Raon opened his mouth to call him. At the same time, one pillar of fire shaped like a sharp blade flew from somewhere and pierced through the black doll’s chest.
“No!”
A sound close to a scream flowed from Raon’s mouth at the unbearable situation he witnessed. Jaehwi’s knees buckled as he stood with his feet buried in the ground and his arms hanging down, and he collapsed powerlessly.
[Kang Raon. Can you hear my voice?]
Raon, who had been about to run forward while calling his name with all his might, closed and opened his eyes at Hyukjin’s voice. Then he hastily drew in a breath. He had been in the pillar of fire until just now, but at some point he was underwater.
“Choi Hyukjin?”
[Ah. Now it works. There must have been a communication error. How’s the situation? Did you find Jaehwi?]
Watching a giant shark rapidly charging toward him, Raon only blinked his eyes. Illusion dungeon. The situation in the pillar of fire just now was an illusion? The image of Jaehwi collapsing powerlessly overlapped with the shark with its mouth wide open.
“Not yet. Jaehwi is still connected to this channel, right?”
Raon spoke in a dazed state.
[Of course. We were worried because neither of you answered. Esper Min.]
[Yes.]
Even while hearing Jaehwi’s voice answering Hyukjin’s call, Raon couldn’t be certain. What kind of illusion is this now? The first illusion was related to Jaehwi. But what’s with suddenly being underwater out of nowhere? He wasn’t suffocating, and it wasn’t difficult to control his body. Just a shark that seemed about to swallow him in one bite was gradually getting closer.
There didn’t seem to be anything related to water among the things involving Jaehwi.
[Have you confirmed each other’s locations?]
Hearing Hyukjin, who had been speaking comfortably until just now, speak in a businesslike tone, Raon checked his watch.
[Yes. I’ve confirmed it.]
Jaehwi answered before he could.
Confirming that Jaehwi was beyond the shark, Raon reached for the pistol equipped on his thigh. He couldn’t see him because he was blocked by the shark, but Jaehwi seemed to be looking at him. Before that, do guns even fire underwater? Even if they fire, their power will obviously be weakened. Then what about a knife instead of a gun? Even if eaten by the shark, couldn’t he at least inflict internal damage from inside?
Recalling countless scenarios, Raon ultimately grasped the knife instead of the pistol. Even if he ran somewhere, he wouldn’t be able to escape the shark underwater. But he also had no intention of being docilely eaten by the shark charging at him. In the worst case, even if his limbs were torn by those terrifying teeth, he had to do his best to resist and counterattack.
The moment the shark’s countless teeth and red mouth filled his vision as it got closer, a black silhouette appeared.
Startled by the large black silhouette that appeared so instantly, Raon’s hand moved on its own. And Raon’s knife grazed the other person’s arm, and red blood began spreading through the water.
“No…”
The black silhouette that had only shown its back turned to look at him, and Raon, confirming it was Jaehwi, urgently reached out his arm. But in the blink of an eye, the black silhouette was eaten into the giant shark’s mouth. The shark that had been charging to swallow him leisurely turned its body after catching and eating Jaehwi instead of him.
“…Hwi. Jaehwi… Min… Jae… Uh…”
The shark ate Jaehwi, what should… No. Why? Jaehwi. As if his brain had stopped working, and proper words didn’t flow from Raon’s mouth.
