# Chapter 17
Bang! Boom!
“Grrr… Kuk…!”
A dungeon where the bright blue sky was visible between towering cliffs.
The massive monster was climbing all over the cliffs, relentlessly attacking the Espers.
Countless rocks fell from the cliff every time they moved. Though small in size, they were quite threatening due to the acceleration they gained falling from such heights.
“Hmm…”
But surprisingly, even Jiwon wasn’t afraid of them, let alone the Espers.
This was a dungeon he had studied beforehand, and he knew exactly what those monsters were.
Belkan.
Similar in appearance to gorillas but larger in size. They were skilled at climbing walls and possessed incredible jumping power and movement speed.
Their specialty was physical attacks. They would simply approach and punch you. Otherwise, they might throw rocks they broke off from above.
They weren’t considered unintelligent since they did more than just swing their fists, but their attack patterns were so monotonous that Espers generally regarded them as manageable monsters. Dungeons with Belkans were considered quite easy in terms of difficulty.
The Espers were mostly progressing comfortably. Naturally so, if even Jiwon, who could die from just one punch from a Belkan, was at ease.
“Don’t you get tired if you keep doing this for a long time?”
Of course, this was possible only because Suhyun was firmly protecting Jiwon by his side.
“Yes.”
An opaque barrier covered Jiwon and Suhyun from above.
It looked somewhat like a wide umbrella, but it was a protective barrier created by Suhyun. The barrier easily blocked not only falling rocks but also the attacking Belkans.
And that wasn’t all.
Boom boom! Whoosh!
“…Haah.”
It was also perfectly blocking Kim Juyoung’s wild attacks, which made Jiwon wonder if he really deserved to be an A-class Esper.
Liquid narrowly missed Jiwon and Suhyun, landing on a rock. There was a hissing sound as the rock began to dissolve.
Kim Juyoung was an Esper who could materialize liquids for attacks, and he claimed his attacks contained acid strong enough to dissolve any substance. Since Jiwon had heard this directly from Kim Juyoung, it was reliable information unless he had lied.
“Oh my…”
This was why Kim Juyoung needed to be more careful when attacking. There was a chance his attacks could hit other Espers.
But Kim Juyoung didn’t care at all. No, rather, he seemed to be deliberately directing his attacks toward Jiwon and Suhyun.
‘He must be pissed off.’
Still, being A-class, he couldn’t possibly be so stupid that he couldn’t aim properly. He was probably trying to give Suhyun and Jiwon a hard time after they had openly reprimanded him earlier.
Well, even thinking that seemed incredibly stupid.
His arrogance was sky-high. Until Suhyun appeared, he had been treated as precious for being an A-class Esper, so he might have been overflowing with confidence.
But one should know when to back down. It seemed his pride was even more hurt after seeing with his own eyes that he couldn’t inflict even the slightest injury on Suhyun, an S-class Esper.
“There aren’t many left.”
Suhyun spoke first, perhaps misinterpreting Jiwon’s look as he watched Kim Juyoung, clearly on the verge of clicking his tongue in annoyance.
Did he think Jiwon was afraid?
After making a fuss about how the very idea of entering a dungeon was wrong, Suhyun seemed quite concerned. Jiwon pressed his lips firmly together. It might look strange if he smiled while Suhyun was worried.
“Thank you.”
Jiwon swallowed his smile and replied. He was truly fortunate to have Suhyun. Without him, he might have been fearing for his life against the Belkans.
“For coming with me. And for protecting me by my side.”
It was embarrassing now to think he had worried about what he would do if Suhyun went ahead without him.
Well, if Suhyun had taken the initiative, this dungeon would have been cleared long ago. It would have ended faster if Kim Juyoung had ignored them and focused on clearing the path.
In any case, thanks to Suhyun focusing solely on protecting him despite being capable of doing more, Jiwon was able to pass through the dungeon without any threat. He couldn’t help but be grateful.
“…”
Instead of answering, Suhyun hurled an opaque sphere toward a Belkan that was charging at the two of them.
Bang!
With a thunderous sound, the Belkan was slammed into the cliff. It was dealt with in a single attack.
Jiwon swallowed dryly as he gazed at the Belkan that had lost its life in an instant. Kim Juyoung’s wild attacks were still flying around, but as long as he was beside Suhyun, nothing posed a threat.
***
The dungeon was cleared smoothly.
Hmm… actually, that needs correction.
This was because all the Espers except Suhyun, Jiwon, and Kim Juyoung were completely exhausted.
Since this was Jiwon’s first dungeon entry, only Espers of B-class or higher had participated. They were far above the level that should have struggled against Belkans.
Needless to say, the situation ended up this way because of Kim Juyoung. His attacks weren’t directed solely at Suhyun and Jiwon.
“Haah… I’m dying here.”
The main culprit who had exhausted everyone spoke shamelessly.
Jiwon made no effort to hide his contemptuous gaze. If not for the Association employee waiting to check if there had been anything unusual in the dungeon, he would have left immediately.
“So, did you feel anything?”
It was truly regrettable that because he couldn’t leave, Kim Juyoung addressed him again.
“Feel anything?”
Jiwon deliberately repeated his words. Soon, the corners of his mouth twisted upward.
“Yes, I did.”
Of course he did.
“I felt that Esper Kim Juyoung’s rank is wasted on you. You should train a lot more.”
“…What?”
“I understand your attacks are threatening… But shouldn’t you be more careful because of that? You were attacking so carelessly. Try to aim only at the monsters properly. Other Espers suffer because of you, you know?”
Jiwon helpfully gestured toward the other Espers whose wavelengths had been thrown into disarray.
“Then you’ll also be more comfortable, Esper Kim Juyoung. Your wavelength will be less distorted. Ah, and you won’t need to beg for Guiding either, so it’s killing two birds with one stone.”
Jiwon spoke eloquently, feeling it was worth it to say what he’d been thinking if the other man wasn’t going to give up, based on their conversation before entering the dungeon.
Kim Juyoung seemed flustered by Jiwon’s unhesitating, loud declaration and scanned his surroundings. Having finished saying what he wanted to say, Jiwon nodded slightly.
“Then I’ll go first. Esper Suhyun had to work too hard because of Esper Kim Juyoung. Guiding is rather urgent now.”
Jiwon immediately pulled Suhyun’s arm. Suhyun silently followed Jiwon. Feeling completely refreshed at having landed a verbal blow, Jiwon couldn’t help but smile a little.
Perhaps because of this, he seemed somewhat excited.
“You were amazing.”
As soon as Jiwon got into the car, he spoke to Suhyun. His excitement hadn’t subsided, and it made his mouth run on its own.
“How do you use your ability? What’s the principle? The barrier didn’t seem fixed but movable. Oh, and that transparent thing you threw when the Belkan approached to attack—what was that?”
Having been close to Suhyun and witnessing him use his abilities, Jiwon’s mind was full of curiosity.
What abilities each Esper has is usually not disclosed. There’s no need to reveal it since they aren’t targets for attacks, and it’s dangerous.
Because some groups with impure intentions attempt to kidnap or terrorize Espers, information about Esper abilities is only shared covertly among Espers who enter dungeons together.
As a result, even Jiwon, who had been a Guide for 10 years, had barely properly seen an Esper using their abilities.
Of course, this wasn’t the case with all Espers. Jiwon’s curiosity was solely focused on Suhyun.
“…”
“Ah. I shouldn’t ask about that, right?”
But it didn’t take long for Jiwon to realize he had asked the wrong question. He had essentially asked about something matter-of-factly while knowing that Espers preferred not to disclose such information since it was directly related to their survival.
Thinking that he must have been too excited, which was unlike him, and feeling regretful, Jiwon’s lips moved as he felt he should apologize.
“It’s air.”
But Suhyun casually gave a brief answer.
“Air?”
“I can condense it or change its flow. Both the barrier and the attack were done by changing the flow of air.”
“Ah…”
“It’s the easiest to handle, so I use it often. Most Espers know about it, so you don’t need to worry.”
Jiwon blinked blankly before belatedly nodding. His curiosity was satisfied, but he suddenly couldn’t think of what to say next.
Jiwon discreetly turned his gaze toward the car window. Somehow, he felt a strange sensation. Not good, not bad… just strange.
Yes, it was strange. Really strange.
How should he put it? Suhyun seemed… a bit… excessively kind.
Even if he stepped up to protect Jiwon in the dungeon because he was his dedicated Guide, there was his direct confrontation with Kim Juyoung, his effort to reassure Jiwon by making even one more remark in the dungeon, and finally, his forthright explanation of his ability, permitting Jiwon to ask about it.
All of this… was so unlike Seo Suhyun.
“…By any chance.”
At that thought, Jiwon took his eyes off the window and looked at Suhyun. His eyeballs rolled around with a somewhat uneasy feeling.
Suhyun was looking directly at Jiwon.
“Did you eat something bad?”
Jiwon abruptly asked Suhyun.
Unless that was the case, there was no way he could be this kind. Though Jiwon didn’t particularly like it, shouldn’t he have just stopped at protecting him since he was his dedicated Guide?
“Or are you sick somewhere?”
Jiwon was being extremely serious right now. He believed there was no proper explanation otherwise.
