# Chapter 107
The monster trapped in the sphere struggled continuously to escape.
But Suhyun paid no attention to what the monster was doing. It wouldn’t be able to get out anyway.
Suhyun’s focus was solely on something that seemed to be watching him.
“……”
There was something attempting a covert attack. Suhyun thought it was Riska, but it was too early to declare that as fact.
For now, this was an ordinary dungeon. Like the one he had entered with Jungyeom, it was a dungeon where Riska’s wavelength had not been detected.
If that was the case, perhaps it wasn’t Riska, but something else.
‘…It is Riska.’
But Suhyun was convinced his opponent was Riska.
That the numerous Espers who died after going berserk due to Guiding rejection reactions, including Choi Young, were actually victims of Riska.
Evidence could be found. Suhyun trusted his instinct that he had become their target now.
‘It’s coming.’
Suhyun, who had been tracking Riska’s attack with heightened senses, raised his sword, his eyes gleaming sharply.
His translucent sword roughly grated against the dungeon wall that had risen fiercely, targeting him.
Bang!
Though the whitish dust raised by his powerful attack obscured his vision, it was no hindrance to Suhyun.
“…Tsk.”
Suhyun frowned as he glared at the dented wall.
‘So this approach doesn’t work either.’
His reason for entering this dungeon was clear. He needed to make contact with Riska again to confirm something.
First, he wanted to verify if Riska would target him again when his stability level remained high. That was something he confirmed as soon as he entered the dungeon.
And second.
Suhyun needed to check if he could inflict damage on them by counterattacking when Riska revealed itself slightly for an attack.
He couldn’t just keep avoiding, and if he could damage them, it meant contact was possible. Therefore, he thought he might find a way to enter Riska’s stronghold without taking the risk of becoming a medium.
‘Assuming Riska is not a simple monster…’
Until just recently, he had considered Riska to be a creature from another dimension, like the monsters in dungeons.
Having seen them escape through dungeon exits, he thought they entered and exited through dungeon gates, just like humans.
That’s why they had named it ‘Riska dungeon’ to distinguish it from ordinary dungeons.
But if he was being attacked even though Riska’s wavelength hadn’t been detected, that changed things. At least, that’s what Suhyun thought, being confident that it was Riska attacking him.
‘The Riska dungeon is where empowered Riska uses its abilities to control Espers and lead them to go berserk. The ordinary dungeon is where it just absorbs wavelengths appropriately without using abilities.’
Ultimately, this led to the conclusion that Riska might not be a living organism at all.
‘They’ve been accumulating Esper wavelengths over a long time.’
Once enough power was gathered, they would have started targeting Espers with high stability levels. It’s highly likely that they developed intelligence from that point.
“……”
The attacks directed at Suhyun now were too monotonous to be from the Riska that had shouted through Jungyeom’s mouth about evolving.
Suhyun had already counterattacked after waiting for Riska’s attack several times. If Riska had evolved, it would have found another method long ago.
‘Is it a special case when a dungeon uses enough power for wavelengths to leak out?’
When Riska dungeons first appeared, many Espers were sacrificed without knowing anything. And at that time, the number of Riska dungeons increased rapidly.
If his speculation was correct, that too was no coincidence.
They created more dungeons with the power accumulated by making Espers go berserk, increasing the number of victims.
Subsequently, as awareness of Riska’s existence spread and people started avoiding those dungeons, the number of Riska dungeons decreased somewhat inversely. Considering this, it was a fairly credible conjecture.
‘If not a living organism, what should Riska be considered?’
Suhyun’s face, which had been questioning Riska’s identity for a moment, suddenly hardened. The presence targeting him was rapidly approaching again.
There was no need to understand its identity right now. Suhyun’s current task was clearly defined. He needed to find Riska’s stronghold. And there, he had to destroy the reddish-black ore created with Espers’ lives, taking away their power.
To prevent them from creating more Riska dungeons, to ensure Espers weren’t sacrificed simply for having high stability levels.
So, what should he do?
The way to reach the place where their power resided was still…
“……”
Suhyun bit his lower lip. It was because at that moment, the face of Jiwon, who would still be asleep, came to mind.
***
At the entrance of the dungeon where Suhyun had entered.
Jungyeom and Jiwon were standing there together.
Jungyeom, looking as if he didn’t know what to do, kept watching Jiwon’s expression. Jiwon’s face was hardened like stone.
“…Sorry.”
Jiwon didn’t respond to Jungyeom’s apology.
The hand firmly gripping his arm couldn’t have felt more resentful.
He knew it wasn’t something to blame. Jungyeom had to stop him, even by force, from following Suhyun into the dungeon.
“……”
Though he understood intellectually, Jiwon couldn’t easily say it was okay, so he just kept his mouth shut.
‘You could have at least said something before leaving.’
The resentful feelings naturally shifted toward Suhyun, who would be in the dungeon. But this too was unnecessary resentment.
If Suhyun had mentioned entering the dungeon, Jiwon would have stopped him. Knowing this, he left without a word. Before the stability level dropped.
‘I’m a fool for believing him so simply.’
He had underestimated Suhyun’s sense of responsibility. No, he just hadn’t thought it through. If he put himself in Suhyun’s position, the answer was obvious.
If he were in Suhyun’s place, would he have held back?
No, Jiwon’s choice would have been no different from Suhyun’s. Rather than trying to persuade a Guide not to raise the stability level to avoid being targeted, he would have thought it necessary to check directly when he could.
In the end, it was Jiwon himself who made Suhyun hasty. He should have said he would do the Guiding. He shouldn’t have let him enter the dungeon so unprepared.
“Haah….”
Jiwon had awakened less than 10 minutes after Suhyun disappeared. From then until now, he had been continuously anxious.
There was nothing else he could do.
‘How good it would have been if I were an Esper who could fight alongside him.’
While harboring this meaningless wish, Jiwon unconsciously bit his nails, and Jungyeom patted his shoulder.
At that, Jiwon lowered his hand and finally opened his mouth with a brief sigh.
“If you keep touching me like this, Esper Suhyun will get angry.”
It was an attempt to forcibly lighten the increasingly heavy atmosphere.
But unfortunately, Jungyeom couldn’t laugh cheerfully as usual. The corners of his mouth, twisted with difficulty, only made Jiwon feel more anxious.
“If you’re going to stop me from going in, at least try to smile as if nothing is wrong. I’m dying of anxiety.”
“…Will that really ease your mind?”
Nothing would really change. Only Suhyun’s appearance would calm this anxiety.
“So I won’t do it.”
Though Jiwon hadn’t even responded, Jungyeom shrugged as if he had heard an answer. Since his face was also clouded with anxiety, Jiwon didn’t add anything more.
Jiwon closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
‘Why is he taking so long?’
Nothing should go wrong. As the waiting time lengthened, all kinds of negative thoughts filled his mind.
“Esper Suhyun!”
It was then that Jungyeom, who had been holding Jiwon tightly, called out the name of the long-awaited Suhyun.
“Esper-nim!”
Jiwon, opening his closed eyes, immediately dashed toward Suhyun, who appeared at the dungeon exit.
Suhyun, who seemed somewhat surprised as if he hadn’t expected Jiwon to be waiting, caught him as he staggered forward in his rushed approach.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Why did it take so long!”
Jiwon examined Suhyun’s body as if checking for injuries. Suhyun grabbed his hands. Only then did Jiwon realize that his own hands were uncontrollably trembling.
“Guide-nim.”
But that was not an important issue. His anxious heart sank at Suhyun calling him with an awkward smile.
“…I failed. I’m sorry.”
“Ah….”
Suddenly, the strength left his legs and his vision blurred. Suhyun’s words about failing sounded so cruel.
