# Chapter 37
What would be the range? How far would they need to go?
There was no way to know such things. What mattered now was getting out of here as quickly as possible.
Jiwon turned his back to the Association employee and immediately grabbed Suhyun’s wrist.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
“I’ll explain once we get back. Let’s go for now. Quickly!”
“Wait…”
He couldn’t be more urgent. But Suhyun, not knowing the reason, couldn’t understand Jiwon’s feelings and seemed preoccupied with stopping the Espers.
Jiwon pulled Suhyun with such force that he seemed almost obstinate. In the meantime, Suhyun, who had simultaneously knocked out two Espers, was being dragged along with a puzzled expression. More precisely, he was moving his feet to be dragged along.
“What’s going on?”
But it seemed unreasonable to drag him without any explanation, so Suhyun asked again. Jiwon responded quickly.
“Ha… Don’t you find it strange that everyone’s trying to enter the dungeon? All the Espers are being enthralled.”
“Enthralled?”
“Yes. The cause is unclear, but from my perspective, it seems the dungeon entrance is the problem? Since the Espers are trying to enter the dungeon. We can’t let you be affected too, Esper-nim. That’s why we need to get away from here immediately.”
While watching the many Espers from other countries who died after entering to verify if it was an anomalous dungeon, Jiwon had thought it was remarkable, even if it was for the sake of the world.
How could they make such quick decisions? What were they thinking? They must have known they could lose their lives…
At that time, Jiwon only thought that there must be more Espers with a strong sense of mission or justice than expected, and why such people had to die first… That was the cause.
They were being controlled. Even though they knew that Espers who volunteered to enter might die, they accepted it because the rating wasn’t that high.
Those Espers were sacrificial lambs for the dungeon.
“Someone needs to stop the Espers.”
“It doesn’t have to be you, Esper Suhyun-nim.”
Suhyun abruptly stopped walking. An explanation was needed. Jiwon spilled words at a rapid pace as if rapping.
“For stopping Espers, Esper Suhyun-nim is the most suitable. Because you’re the strongest. But if even you get enthralled, it becomes more dangerous. There’s no one who can stop you.”
But why couldn’t he notice this before explaining it? Why was he making things like this?
Jiwon shuddered with frustration.
“What if I go in?”
“…What?”
“It’s probably not calling everyone. If I go in… the other Espers will calm down.”
But the moment he heard Suhyun’s words, Jiwon realized it was already too late. He was saying he could go in without any sense of crisis.
“No… you can’t go in.”
He had been convinced they would never enter and was completely unprepared mentally. And now suddenly they had to enter a problem dungeon?
“Doesn’t someone have to go?”
Jiwon couldn’t say anything.
I should have thought more. Should have analyzed the situation before coming here. Should have raised questions while looking at the deceased Espers from other countries. If so… Suhyun wouldn’t have had to come here.
“Guide-nim, you stay here.”
“So you can go alone and die alone?”
“I won’t die.”
“How? Will you take care of your wavelength well? Alone?”
Jiwon spoke with a sharp tone before biting his lip.
Calm down. Yes, perhaps it was right for Suhyun to come here. Hadn’t he been entering dungeons several times a day to face this problem dungeon?
Suhyun wanted to fight when confronted, and Jiwon tried to guide him somehow.
It was just a bit sudden, not a huge problem. …Yes, probably. Though the Association would be appalled.
“…You’re determined to go in?”
“Yes.”
“I guess there’s no choice then.”
Jiwon shook his head. To think the dungeon would lure Espers like this. Was it always like this? Or… has something changed? It was hard to know.
“Haah…”
Jiwon stood before the Association employee with a sigh. The employee looked at the two with surprised eyes and waved his hands widely.
“You can’t. You mustn’t go in. If you do…”
“It’s not your fault that we’re going in, since you just called us as instructed by your superiors. Just curse the stupid higher-ups for fucking things up.”
“Guide-nim…!”
“Once we go in, the Espers will likely calm down. If they don’t, send the unconscious Espers as far away as possible. There shouldn’t be any Espers nearby.”
“B-but…”
Jiwon shrugged and turned around. Suhyun, who had been held by Jiwon’s hand, walked too. Fortunately, he didn’t shake him off and go in alone.
“…This is ridiculous.”
As the two headed towards the dungeon, the atmosphere around the entrance became bizarre. All the Espers who had been desperately trying to enter the dungeon were standing still, watching Suhyun.
As if saying the Esper who would enter the dungeon had been decided, so they should all greet him.
‘Are they calling me too?’
Currently, Suhyun was enthralled by the dungeon. Yet he waited for Jiwon calmly. Perhaps it was a ploy to make him enter together?
All sorts of idle thoughts came to mind. Jiwon deliberately ignored the unsettling feeling.
This time too… they would return alive.
Jiwon looked at Suhyun with his mouth tightly closed. He would ensure that he would protect himself and escape this place this time too.
***
“……”
“Well, should I be relieved or…”
After Suhyun, who had been assessing the situation with a perplexed face, came to his senses, Jiwon laughed for a while, finding it too absurd for the situation.
He didn’t even remember how he came to enter the dungeon. He had truly been enthralled.
“I think I was trying to stop from entering…”
“Yes, and then Esper-nim said you should go in.”
“……”
“So that’s how logic can jump.”
It wasn’t particularly meant as a taunt. Just that Suhyun’s bewilderment was a bit amusing, so he teased him.
“Anyway… that’s what happened.”
But Jiwon soon stopped joking. Aside from the fact that it wasn’t the right situation, seeing Suhyun reminded him of other Espers who had been enthralled to enter dungeons and then regained their senses, making him uneasy.
“Shall we try our best to get out alive?”
Jiwon forced a smile. Honestly, from the moment he entered the dungeon, he became anxious as he was reminded of the deceased Kim Juyoung and his Guides, but he didn’t feel the need to talk about it.
Talking would only make them more anxious.
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I came in with you.”
“If I hadn’t come in, you wouldn’t have either.”
“That’s obvious… but anyway. We’re both already in, so what’s the point of saying such things?”
Jiwon waved his hand dismissively. Suhyun sighed heavily as if frustrated.
“I think what influenced me was the thought that we shouldn’t leave the dungeon unattended like this.”
Suhyun continued to ramble as if quite embarrassed. Jiwon nodded and asked.
“You had such thoughts?”
“I thought guarding the dungeon from outside was just a temporary measure, and that we’d eventually have to go in directly.”
“Ah.”
“So I wonder if that’s why I was more easily deceived.”
Jiwon nodded but didn’t agree with his words. Just that it didn’t seem like all the enthralled Espers had the same thought. By Jiwon’s standards, Suhyun was peculiar.
But if Suhyun’s thoughts really had an influence, it was a good sign. This time, he was easily deceived because his heart aligned with the enemy’s desire for him to enter the dungeon, but if it doesn’t align, he might regain his senses quickly.
“Haha…”
It was a gamble. So, could he regain his senses this time? Could they escape the dungeon safely without greatly disturbing his wavelength?
“Esper-nim.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t want to rampage, right?”
Suhyun’s face hardened before he nodded.
“Yes, I don’t want to rampage.”
The enemy wanted Suhyun to rampage, but since he didn’t, Jiwon sincerely hoped that Suhyun’s strong mental fortitude would have a significant impact.
“Let’s check your numbers first.”
Jiwon held Suhyun’s hand and checked his wavelength stability.
83.
It had dropped a bit from before, but it was still stable. That was somewhat reassuring.
