# Chapter 32
A momentary silence fell.
“Would you like to stay here for a while?”
Suhyun, who was supporting Jiwon, asked carefully. Jiwon forced his eyes open with all his strength. Another crazy suggestion…
“Please stop saying you’re going alone.”
To move alone at a scene where an A-class Esper was running wild—
Jiwon put all his strength into his weakening legs and stood up by himself. He knew Suhyun wasn’t suggesting it because he wanted to go alone. But it was a dangerous idea.
“…We need to go together.”
The wavelength that had been writhing in pain was weakening. It would be nice if it was calming down, but that possibility didn’t exist.
It was dying after running wild and unleashing a barrage of attacks.
“…Let’s go.”
As always, the other Espers would only enter the dungeon an hour later. There was no way to contact the outside from inside the dungeon.
Then there was only one option. They couldn’t just wait for Kim Juyoung to lose his life. Going together to Kim Juyoung was equally dangerous, but there was no other way.
When Jiwon staggered, Suhyun grabbed his arm. Jiwon shook his head, indicating he was fine. As the wavelength weakened, Jiwon was able to regain his senses to some extent.
Soon, the two of them ran toward the source of the wavelength. The dungeon was known as a mirror terrain, appearing almost identical to the reality where the entrance had formed.
High-rise buildings all around. Alleyways tangled like spider webs.
It would be easy to get lost, but that didn’t apply to the two of them. Kim Juyoung’s wavelength was telling them where he was.
As they got closer to Kim Juyoung, more monster corpses that had fallen to him piled up. Jiwon ran, gritting his teeth. He couldn’t gauge where his wavelength had started to collapse.
Boom!
After running for some time.
Suddenly, a loud noise erupted, shaking the ground. The strong light from an explosion pierced their eyes. When Jiwon instinctively covered his eyes and stopped, Suhyun immediately moved closer. At the same time, some liquid fell from the sky like rain.
Suhyun quickly put up a barrier. Jiwon clearly saw everything around them melting except for the area under the barrier.
It was Kim Juyoung’s attack. Acidic liquid was falling from the sky.
“Ah….”
The moment he realized it, strength drained from Jiwon’s body. Suhyun must have felt it too. That with this explosion and attack, the flame of life had been extinguished.
“……”
Even the thought of needing to move evaporated. Jiwon just stood there blankly.
Kim Juyoung died? From going wild?
Despite directly feeling his wavelength, it was hard to believe. It felt like something impossible.
“…Guide-nim.”
Suhyun broke the momentary silence. Unlike Jiwon who was in shock, Suhyun’s tone was calm.
“That’s it.”
He gestured ahead. Before Jiwon could understand what he was talking about, something caught his eye.
“…!”
Something moving at high speed.
Jiwon knew what it was. It was “that thing” Suhyun had mentioned before.
The solid ground was bulging out. It really looked like a blood vessel as Suhyun had described. It resembled a blood vessel under the skin, creating its own path and moving freely.
Jiwon grabbed Suhyun’s hand. He was afraid Suhyun might run after it.
“It’s escaping from this dungeon.”
Suhyun looked like he wanted to catch it, but he quietly remained by Jiwon’s side, who was trembling. Meanwhile, “that thing” quickly disappeared from sight.
Where “it” had disappeared, an exit had been created, indicating that no monsters remained in the dungeon.
“……”
The dungeon was cleared.
Then how should they explain what had just disappeared alive?
Shock and confusion kept Jiwon’s mouth tightly shut.
The feeling of defeat weighed on his shoulders—unable to save Kim Juyoung or catch “that thing.”
***
The second team entered the dungeon an hour later as promised. And they faced the terrible tragedy of A-class Esper Kim Juyoung’s death.
‘All deceased.’
The Guides who had entered with Kim Juyoung were nowhere to be seen, so they believed they were alive and searched the dungeon, but all they found were cold corpses.
The second team seemed shocked by the bodies of Kim Juyoung and three Guides laid side by side. However, Suhyun, after a brief explanation of the situation, immediately left the dungeon with Jiwon. This was because Jiwon was half out of his mind.
His expression, which revealed his distant state of mind, spread everywhere through the eyes and mouths of those still outside the dungeon, and through photos and videos.
That expression, clearly showing his sense of loss, was enough to ignite anxiety across the entire nation.
The chairman of Hwashin Group collapsed upon hearing the news of his son’s death. Word came that he would be unable to leave his sickbed for a while. News also spread that his eldest son, Kim Jupyeong, who was vice chairman, was strongly protesting to the Association on his behalf.
“……”
And today.
After a brief press conference by the Association’s president, a long meeting was scheduled.
They had been hiding the explanation about unusual dungeons from the general public all along, but now that A-class Esper Kim Juyoung’s body being carried out of the dungeon had been broadcast live, they could no longer do so.
There was no reason to, either.
The Association would now officially try to prevent ability users from entering dungeons. What they needed for that was the understanding of ordinary people.
Why Espers shouldn’t enter dungeons.
The sight of an A-class Esper dying so futilely would be convincing evidence for them.
After the shocking incident, the Association’s entrance was packed with people for the first official press conference. Journalists, knowing that a meeting about this incident would begin after the press conference, had gathered early to interview the officials who would attend.
Officials entering the Association were stopped by journalists. Jiwon and Suhyun were no exception.
‘Couldn’t you have entered a little earlier?’
One of the questions stood out clearly in his memory.
The journalist probably thought that if Suhyun and Jiwon had joined forces, Kim Juyoung could have returned alive. They wouldn’t know. That ordinary journalist wouldn’t know.
Ordinary people don’t understand ability users. They have no reason to. Jiwon knew this well.
Nevertheless, anger came first. Forgetting the Association’s request not to answer anything, he almost asked if they would be satisfied only if both Suhyun and himself had died too.
He couldn’t think positively about anything. His mind was a mess.
“Are you okay?”
Jo Wooyeon, who had been staring at Jiwon, asked. Jiwon nodded slowly, but couldn’t hide his darkened expression.
“…Yes, well.”
How could he be okay? He felt only frustration and uncertainty about what to do.
“Don’t try to shoulder too much.”
Jo Wooyeon said quietly to Jiwon. His face showed that he had noticed Jiwon feeling excessive responsibility for this incident.
It was clear that Jiwon was needed for this matter. But there was no need for him to take on all the responsibility. There was no reason for him to do so.
“…It’s not particularly like that.”
“Yeah, right.”
Jiwon let out a short sigh.
The images of the Guides who had died from Kim Juyoung’s attacks wouldn’t leave his mind. They were scattered quite far from Kim Juyoung.
They had used all their strength to escape from the rampaging Kim Juyoung, to survive.
…If only they had gone a little earlier.
Perhaps his sudden anger at the journalist’s question was self-blame for having been reluctant to enter without Suhyun, ignoring their danger.
“Why do Guides… have no power at all?”
Jiwon muttered unconsciously.
Beings that need protection from Espers. Yet weak beings who could be killed by Espers.
“…We agreed to believe that we’re stronger, didn’t we?”
Jo Wooyeon answered calmly to Jiwon. Jiwon twisted the corner of his mouth and then nodded.
He had asked the same question long ago. Tired of always being pushed around by Espers, finding it hard to endure their condescending treatment of Guides. After suffering internally for a long time, when he asked, Jo Wooyeon had said:
‘We are stronger. They’re nothing without us.’
To be honest, he couldn’t accept it. The Espers were too proud for that. Rather, it seemed closer to the truth that they would be useless without Espers.
He was probably too young then. At an age where he would believe whatever older Espers said.
His thinking changed after directly guiding and calming an Esper on the verge of going wild. From the moment he realized that even the most arrogant Esper would die instantly without guiding, Jiwon agreed with Jo Wooyeon’s words.
That Espers, too, are nothing without Guides.
