* * *
Raon, who had been checking the dungeon occurrence report in his hand, lifted his head to check the current time. E-rank, huh… It doesn’t seem like it’ll naturally dissipate. Since a lot of personnel were deployed to the simultaneously occurring A and B-rank dungeons, this one was pushed to a lower priority.
With no risk of an outbreak, there was also the possibility of it becoming a regen dungeon.
The absurd argument with Jaehwi about whether to go to the dungeon alone or together had already been several days ago. When he came out of the shower, Jay had arrived, and Raon left the place after only leaving a perfunctory thank you.
In the meantime, Jaehwi had signed a contract with MK Center. He’d bought a country house in the suburbs and even bought a car. Jaehwi was now doing for himself what Jay used to do for him before. He maintained his condition regularly—no, whenever necessary—with radiative guiding from the guides at the center. Thanks to that, he didn’t have to be called to the research lab to have his blood drawn constantly.
Unlike when the needle marks had been piling up one after another instead of disappearing, Raon’s arms now only showed faint traces if he deliberately tried to find them.
Raon put down the dungeon occurrence report and picked up the guide list he’d pushed to one side. At first they said there was no response, but as soon as it became known that Nox had signed an official contract, an official answer came from Aiden Jung.
Looking at Aiden Jung’s ID photo that now occupied the top of the list, Raon let out a short sigh. Min Jaehwi. Our Hwi. He’ll really be flying high now. With an official guide too.
Jaehwi’s condition definitely looked better than back when they were stuck together and proper guiding wasn’t happening. Though I say proper guiding. Back then there was no guiding at all, and it would be more accurate to say he relied on stabilizers.
After the official contract with MK Center, Jaehwi started wearing a watch to check his physical condition frequently as the center wanted. Recalling Hyukjin’s face gleefully saying the average exceeded 50 left a bitter taste in his mouth. That’s how he could once again learn of his own inadequacy.
What C-rank to S-rank… What on earth had he believed in to think they’d have good compatibility? Everything had stemmed from delusion.
Looking at the gloomy sky that seemed ready to pour rain at any moment, his mood plummeted to the floor as well. When they happened to meet at the center, they exchanged light nods as greetings. That was about it. He knew that was the most ideal relationship… Raon had to suppress the desire to go to the underground training room where he would be, even now.
Raon, who when it came to exercise wasn’t even a three-day resolution but a one-day resolution, hadn’t skipped his morning workout today either. In the morning he also called Jiwon, the guiding coach, for guiding practice. Since it was a report, he just took a bit more time checking the situation and assigning teams according to the dungeon’s condition.
Since an A-rank dungeon had just occurred, he could send Jaehwi with the A-Alpha team. It was a perfect schedule to look around the E-rank dungeon while he was at that dungeon.
Raon recalled Jiwon’s words and circulated energy within his left palm as he began quickly taking notes in the corner of the dungeon occurrence report. Raon, who had been enjoying the unique feel transmitted from the fountain pen and the scratching sound, suddenly looked at his left hand with a strange feeling.
It was energy he’d been playing with like a small ball. Since he rarely had anyone to transfer it to, the size of the energy had grown a bit larger over the past few days. The saying that you could improve the quality and quantity of energy to some degree through training and practice was true. The energy he’d been playing with whenever he thought of it literally escaped from his palm.
Raon could clearly see that thing, invisible and intangible to others’ eyes, rolling toward the door. Why is it rolling away when I didn’t even let go of it? It’s not like there’s wind in the office. Raon, who had just witnessed the energy he’d condensed over several days running away on its own, jumped up from his seat.
Then he tried to catch that energy. Can energy run away and get lost like this? While Raon walked a few steps, the energy went through the door gap and escaped outside.
“What the… Is this even possible?”
He clenched and unclenched his left hand, but the completely vanished energy didn’t gather again. Absurdly, Raon flung open the door and went out, looking around the empty corridor before looking down at something black that caught his eye.
“……”
A large black existence from head to toe was sitting on the corridor floor. Comfortably leaning against the wall on his office side, one leg stretched out long, the other leg raised with one arm loosely draped over it. Since his head was lightly tilted back and leaning, his handsome face was fully revealed.
Raon couldn’t readily move at the sight of him seemingly resting comfortably with his eyes closed. Why is he sitting here, and where did my energy go? With one hand on his waist, Raon swept back his hair and looked around the corridor.
“Why did you come out?”
Raon, who had been lightly gripping the hair he’d swept up, lowered his gaze at the low voice.
“Why is Esper Min here? Do you have business with me?”
“I did, but not anymore.”
Raon’s head, which had been looking down, moved following Jaehwi until it was tilted all the way back. At the same time as Jaehwi, who had stood up, chuckled, Raon looked at the window at the end of the corridor at a flashing light. At the thunder that followed, Raon involuntarily flinched.
Why did thunder and lightning have to strike at the exact moment Jaehwi laughed?
“It’s not me today. The weather’s bad too, so let’s leave early today, Team Leader Kang. Then. I’ll be going.”
Without giving him time to speak, Jaehwi turned around and gradually grew distant. Unlike him, leisurely even raising just one arm in greeting, Raon couldn’t return the greeting. Thunder and lightning stimulated his eyes and ears once more, as if the rain wouldn’t stop easily.
If his own ears hurt this much, what about Jaehwi?
Raon, who had been following him though he was no longer visible, clicked his tongue and turned around. He’ll be fine. Jaehwi was much more of an adult than he thought. By the way, where did this energy he lost go? He belatedly searched for the vanished energy, but it didn’t seem like something he could find just by looking.
“Oh, why are you out here?”
At Hyukjin’s words, appearing from where Jaehwi had disappeared, Raon vaguely deflected with “No. Just because.”
“Did something happen with Esper Min?”
“Why Esper Min?”
“I just ran into him getting off the elevator. He sometimes comes to this floor and I’ve met him like this before, so I wondered if you two were talking.”
“No.”
“If not you, what business does Esper Min have coming to this floor?”
“Then why did you come?”
Raon followed Hyukjin, who lightly grasped his arm and led him to his office, moving his feet.
“I heard two dungeons, A and B-rank, occurred.”
“Ah, I was just organizing the teams to send. I was about to hand it over.”
Before closing the office door, Raon glanced briefly at the spot where Jaehwi had been sitting. Someone on this floor besides himself that Jaehwi would personally meet…
“Is Esper Min finally deploying?”
Raon, who had been thinking of the people on this floor, shook his head at Hyukjin’s words as he looked through the files before him. What kind of person has such an impatient personality?
The first time is hard for anything, the second time is easy.
As planned, Jaehwi deployed to the A-rank dungeon with the team members, and the rain accompanied by thunder and lightning that had disturbed his mind had completely stopped as if it had never happened.
Only the damp earth soaked with moisture and the humidity remaining in the air indicated that it had rained. It was a quiet night with a few clouds floating in a sky where a large, round moon hung, close to full. And today too, Raon stood in front of the E-rank dungeon, fully prepared.
Since a lot of ore was expected, today he’d brought equipment suited for that as well. With a short sword on his thigh and the gun that had suited him best during training safely worn at his waist as always, Raon unhesitatingly stepped into the rippling space.
Last time it felt like jelly, but today it felt like breaking a thin biscuit.
“Each dungeon definitely has its own character.”
After adjusting the brightness with the lantern on his forehead and checking the tablet, the corners of Raon’s mouth rose up high and his cheekbones protruded roundly.
“This is jackpot?”
Materials absolutely necessary for making weapons or improving quality were scattered everywhere. Since all of this would lead to the center’s profits, how could he not be happy? These days, Raon was collecting good things from dungeons even with his own money whenever they appeared.
“I can make proper weapons and armor for our Hwi.”
Raon took out the pickaxe he’d prepared from his backpack. The pickaxe manufactured to mine dungeon rocks, not ordinary rocks, was quite expensive just by itself. This too was something he’d brought from the center by abusing his authority, but it was as light as a hand axe and the grip was perfect.
“Now now. Don’t get excited from the start, first go to the end of the dungeon and see what’s there, then just collect a few of the most necessary things on the way out. Kang Raon. If you get greedy, you’ll be buried here.”
For Raon, who liked sparkling, pretty, and precious things, this place was no different from heaven. Is there a law saying you can only pick things for Espers or Guides? If there are jewels worth using for his own accessories, he’ll mine those too. A whistle naturally flowed from Raon’s mouth as he entered the dungeon.
