# Chapter 7
“……”
“Don’t get hurt.”
Don’t get hurt. Don’t get hurt. Don’t get hurt…
How could these five syllables cause such ripples deep in his heart?
Yeo Dowoon, who had been standing dumbfounded, came to his senses and felt the barrier curtain.
After thoroughly checking it one last time, he glanced sideways at Cha Haseong, who smiled with his eyes again while pointing at his lips. He playfully moved his lips.
‘Again?’
The rounded lip shape clearly conveyed its meaning, so Dowoon had no choice but to hastily wave his hand.
He wanted to tell him there was no need for that, but the bizarre howls of monsters approaching from a distance meant he had to move right away.
“Well then… I’ll be going.”
Cha Haseong quietly watched Dowoon’s retreating figure as he left with his timid farewell. Really, getting so excited over just one kiss.
Unconsciously smiling, he repeatedly rubbed the ice barrier that, despite being in contact with human skin, not only refused to melt but actually became even more formidable and sturdy.
The cloudy ice mass appearing behind the transparent surface further fanned his already unsettled heart. Leaning his back against the cave wall with displeasure, he muttered fiercely to himself.
Ah, damn it.
“Why do my hands keep tingling whenever I focus on that kid…”
***
As the fishy metallic smell emanating from the monster’s nest spread more eerily, Dowoon frowned deeply with perplexity.
<Kiriririk, kirik!>
Some obscene high-pitched sound bounced in all directions, painfully constricting his ears. A mild pain that ruined one’s mood poured in waves, centered around his temples.
Kwon Jeonghoo, seeming to respond to that pain, spoke in a voice that was clearly annoyed.
-Did you see a human corpse? Control your breathing and relax as much as possible. You need to lower the possibility of going berserk before entering.
“It’s not human… Captain. Have you ever seen monsters hatching?”
The slimy-skinned creature that was first to break its shell and emerge rammed into a nearby egg with a crack, moving its beak up and down.
He had wondered why there was such an overwhelming stench of blood, but it seemed a grand feast had begun with the hatching of the baby monsters, taking the form of sibling murder.
The sound of one chewing on another’s thin neck stem that couldn’t even properly stand upright yet pierced his eardrums. Dowoon shuddered and reported.
“I don’t think I can collect any eggs. Crazy… there should be eggs left to collect. It’s eating them all.”
-I didn’t expect you to, just escape safely. The mother must already be desperate to find protein for her babies, so don’t stir things up and attract her.
“The place where we first landed, that was supposed to be like a food storage concept, right?”
-In theory, yes.
At Jeonghoo’s confirmation, Dowoon drooped his shoulders.
“I think it was a hunting ground.”
-What?
Gurururuk! The young monster, having cleanly devoured all the eggs except one with spotted patterns, spread its wings wide as if roaring.
Although not fully matured and only capable of running a few times, that alone was enough to make Dowoon’s feet lose balance and stagger unsteadily. Bang! Bang!
-What’s that noise?
Despite Jeonghoo’s demand for an explanation, Dowoon didn’t readily open his mouth. He simply took in the tragedy unfolding before him.
The apex predator, which had been trampling over a pool of blood, prowled around the remaining egg and then lazily extended its elongated neck.
<Guruk, gururuk…>
The only weakness of these pterosaur-type monsters, unusually large and fierce-looking compared to others, was precisely that long, extended neck.
Once it became an adult, it would protect its neck by swinging its thick wings, so if one wanted to eliminate these monsters, now was the perfect time to attack while they were defenseless.
Just as he was gathering strength in each joint of his fingertips, waiting for the perfect timing.
-…Just find an escape route, Dowoon.
As if sensing his intention, Jeonghoo quickly spoke.
-Have you thought about how the mother will rampage if you kill her babies there?
“When it grows up, it’ll eat hundreds of people. It’s easier to eliminate it now.”
-A mother who’s lost her babies won’t tear apart hundreds, but thousands.
Crack, it was the moment the spotted egg’s shell split. The pale yellow beak of the last baby that somehow managed to survive shot out with fierce momentum.
Even the monster that had already hatched was sitting quietly with folded wings, watching the scene. To Dowoon, it felt like the dual mercy of a predator.
-It could destroy an entire city and still have energy left.
Keeek! The youngest monster, crying painfully as it escaped from inside the egg, fluttered about. It was around this time that its large, completely black pupils flashed powerfully as if noticing Dowoon’s hiding spot.
The firstborn monster approached with long strides, its beak torn vertically, and bit firmly into the body that didn’t have a single hair growing on it.
Kirururuk! A scream filled with pain rose disgustingly.
<Kweeeeek…!>
For one, it was a fierce struggle for survival; for the other, it was merely a territorial fight to develop hunting instincts. So it could be called a tragedy in itself.
Dowoon was momentarily lost in thought, watching the bright red blood splatter. In truth, freezing and shattering these monsters to pieces wasn’t even difficult for him.
“…The exit is towards the end of the cave. To get out, damn it, I think we need to break through this mess first. Captain, do you have any strategy in mind? If not, I’ll just kill them.”
-You didn’t listen to a word I said about the mother, did you?
“I can kill that one too.”
When Dowoon asserted this, Jeonghoo let out a hollow laugh with a “haah.” The brief sigh was condensed with countless meanings. He scolded the Esper’s arrogance, telling him not to talk nonsense.
-I understand you’re anxious because you’re with Cha Haseong, but be patient. If you wait, the time will come.
“That’s easy for you to say since you’re not here. This cave isn’t a food storage but a hunting ground, I’m telling you. They’ve thrown in a few humans along with it to use for training the babies.”
But as permission continued to be withheld, Dowoon stamped his feet impatiently.
Perhaps due to the unfamiliar vibrations coming from the floor, the apex predator that had been mocking its later-born counterpart by peeling its skin with its beak suddenly twisted its stiff neck.
Suddenly, a chilly wind began to flutter around Dowoon as well.
-I said no, Dowoon.
“Haha, it’s over. I’ve been spotted anyway.”
-Then just knock them out and…!
But Dowoon couldn’t receive the end of Jeonghoo’s order as he covered his ears. An intense bursting sound, unimaginable in its intensity, struck his eardrums.
Kwaaaaang!
The dirt wind spewed out as the cave walls nearly shattered, stinging his eyes.
But what tormented Dowoon the most was the unceasing wailing that followed. A thick stream of blood gushed spectacularly like a spring right before his eyes.
-Dowoon!
“Crazy…”
Dowoon covered his mouth with the back of his hand, as if dumbfounded. Pieces of monster flesh, dismembered and scattered in every corner of the cave, filled his vision in all directions.
A-class? No, that can’t be. To be able to cause an explosion with such precise positioning in this narrow space…
Dowoon threw out a voice full of expectation, saying, “Captain.”
“You said you’d let me retire if you brought in an S-class, right?”
He wasn’t sure what was happening, but his instincts as an Esper were whispering excitedly. There’s an S-class Esper with abilities like yours waiting at the end of that cave.
Kuuuung!
Worried that his nose might become numb from the metallic blood smell, Dowoon placed his hand on the ground and rapidly cooled the entire cave.
-…Explain the situation after you return. Since you’ve touched the babies, the mother will arrive soon.
With all the monsters dead and sprawled out, there was no reason to be careful anymore. Bang, bang bang! Dowoon broke the exit that had frozen with his touch, creating a wide passage.
Then, the back of someone who had been struggling with their feet tied by ice stems protruding from the icy floor also clearly revealed itself.
A well-built young man who noticed Dowoon’s presence kicked the ground roughly.
Kwang!
One of the puzzle-like ice fragments that burst out grazed Dowoon’s cheek. The moment their eyes interlocked was very brief. But even that was enough for Dowoon to deeply realize.
An S-class Esper. And one with extraordinary abilities at that.
Dowoon spoke with a grin, as if unable to contain his joy.
“Whoa… Captain, do you know? This is the first unregistered Esper I’ve seen since joining the base.”
Jeonghoo, vicariously experiencing Dowoon’s excitement through his senses, retorted gruffly.
-Yes. It’s my first one since you too.
“You don’t need to prepare a separate farewell party for my retirement. I’ll go quietly.”
-Isn’t that something you can say only after you’ve caught him?
A fair point. Dowoon countered blandly.
“I can say it because I’ve caught him.”
