We walked in silence for a long time.
After about ten minutes, the sound of particles colliding disappeared, and Cha Sahyeon dismissed the shadow shield. We had exited the monster’s body.
I looked up at the monster, which was still shifting its form with each passing second, then turned toward the forest where the dungeon entrance was located.
Cha Sahyeon simply followed quietly behind me. He looked deeply hurt by my sarcasm earlier, so he probably didn’t want to speak.
Maybe he was angry with me. If so, then this was clearly my fault.
“How stupid...”
Cha Sahyeon, who puts on a fake smile so diligently in front of me, was still the Catastrophe in the end.
Just because the seed's progress hadn't changed since we met again at the church, didn't mean it wouldn't in the future.
Like now—what if my words had hurt him and caused the seed to progress further? I’d be the one responsible for cleaning up that mess.
And...
I glanced back.
Cha Sahyeon’s expression was blank, but judging from his slumped shoulders and the way he bit down on his lips, it wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly burst into tears.
“I really can’t bring myself to yell at him.”
It’s not like I’m some sociopathic asshole. How could I say more to a kid who looks that dejected? It would only make me feel worse.
As soon as I thought that, a bitter smile formed on my lips.
“If I couldn’t even hold out for an hour, I should’ve just kept my temper in the first place. Seriously, what a fucking idiot I am.”
Whenever memories of my past life surface, I turn especially stupid. But no matter how many times I feel disgusted with myself, it never gets better.
“Haah...”
When I let out a deep sigh, Cha Sahyeon, who was trailing behind me, flinched at his fingertips. He blinked several times, clearly not knowing what to do—he was obviously watching for my reaction.
Seeing that just made me even less inclined to lash out. I opened my mouth with a bitter feeling.
“Cha Sahyeon. Come here.”
I gestured toward him, as he was walking behind at a slight distance. His round green eyes wavered, and he quickly approached me with his long legs, as if afraid I’d take back my words.
“It was venting.”
“Huh?”
“I was just venting. I felt like shit after getting hit with a mind-type skill.”
Cha Sahyeon slightly parted his lips at my words, then quickly answered.
“It’s okay, hyung.”
“What part of that is okay?”
“With me... With me, it’s okay. You can take it out on me. As much as you want.”
“......”
He had said something like that earlier too.
You can tell me. It’s okay to vent on me.
I understood why he said that.
We shared secrets we hadn’t revealed to anyone else. Just as I knew a lot about Cha Sahyeon, he also knew a lot about me.
When he asked why I cried, that’s probably what he meant. We both knew too much about each other.
But just because he’d seen a lot of my weaknesses didn’t mean I was going to tell ➤ NоvеIight ➤ (Read more on our source) him everything.
“Cha Sahyeon.”
And that goes for him too.
“I’ve got a lot of questions for you.”
“......”
“Honestly, you’ve been avoiding it on purpose this whole time. You know exactly what I’m curious about.”
His black robe fluttered in the wind. In the darkness, his green eyes glimmered faintly as they looked at me.
“If you want attention from me, if you want to hear what I really think...”
I stopped in place and met Cha Sahyeon’s eyes.
“Then you go first. Tell me what’s in your head.”
I already knew the feeling in those eyes that only looked at me. Back in the district, Kwon Seoyul had looked at me with similar eyes.
Not quite the same—but the part that craved affection from me was especially similar.
“The one who wants something should make the first move and offer a gift.”
I smiled to lighten the mood, tapping Cha Sahyeon’s cheek lightly with my fingertips twice.
“That’s basic seduction.”
Cha Sahyeon, who’d been looking at me in shock, swallowed dryly. Once I confirmed he understood what I meant, I turned away.
As we neared the dungeon entrance, monsters began to show up—just as I expected.
Thankfully, there weren’t any tough ones like the knight monster that ambushed Eun Woojeong. But there were tricky ones like burrowing insect monsters and winged gargoyle-types that popped up now and then.
...Though they all died before even getting close.
SCREEEEE! KIIIIIIIIK!
With black shadow spears raining down like a bombardment and monster corpses piling up, I shook my head in disbelief.
This was exactly why I’d brought Cha Sahyeon with me, but still, watching these monsters get decimated without a fight was a little ridiculous.
This wasn’t hunting—it was a massacre. Then again, how could A-rank monsters possibly be a match for the oh-so-great Catastrophe?
Thanks to that, I arrived at the dungeon entrance without lifting a finger.
While surveying the overgrown area around the dungeon, I asked Cha Sahyeon:
“Where’s the source of the energy?”
“We still have to go further in. It’s probably deeper inside the dungeon.”
“Well, nothing we can do then. Let’s go.”
As I stepped through the portal, a blast of wind rushed past me. I felt the air shift and opened my eyes slowly to a dull gray dungeon interior.
Cha Sahyeon followed me in, and we started walking deeper. While he took care of the monsters rushing at us from all sides, I focused on inspecting the dungeon’s state.
“...This is weird.”
Was this really a dungeon where a break had occurred?
Usually, when a dungeon break happens, it’s a complete mess inside. With monsters going berserk and fighting each other, the place is supposed to be soaked in blood and littered with corpses.
But even a quick glance showed there were no corpses, no blood. Most of all, the number of monsters appearing was way too low. If a break really happened, there should be several times more than this.
Frowning from the unease, I saw Cha Sahyeon suddenly turn right.
“This way.”
It was a narrow path—barely wide enough for one person. Moss and weeds covered the ground, showing no one had walked here in a long time.
That made sense. The strike teams that clear dungeons usually don’t bother with tight side paths like this.
As long as you cleared 80% of the monsters inside, a dungeon break wouldn’t happen. So just clearing the ones along the main roads would’ve been enough.
After following the path with Cha Sahyeon, we soon arrived at a wide clearing.
A blank stone tablet stood in the center, and a shaft of light from a crack in the ceiling illuminated it.
To be honest, if it hadn’t been inside a dungeon, I might’ve called it beautiful. There was something sacred about the scene.
“Hyung, here.”
Unfazed, Cha Sahyeon walked straight in and pointed next to the stone.
“Just as I thought.”
A single flower bloomed at his fingertip.
A flower I’d seen many times before—one with dark green leaves.
The eerie aura it emitted made me grimace. This was definitely the flower shown to me by the monster in my dream.
Without hesitation, I stepped forward and plucked it.
As I pulled it from the earth, its roots came out, releasing a much stronger stench of energy.
Just holding it made me feel nauseous, so I quickly shoved it into my inventory.
Trying to settle my roiling stomach, I asked Cha Sahyeon:
“This flower. Do you know what it’s used for?”
Cha Sahyeon stared at me for a moment before answering obediently.
“It depends on the case. In this one... it amplifies a specific target’s power and makes them lose their sanity.”
“Ha...”
The “target” he meant was obvious.
Last time, it had driven King Seohwa into a frenzy. Now, it was being used to enrage the monsters inside this dungeon? The ones that had been lying low all this time?
Come to think of it, this flower showed up during the front gate of the Royal Palace incident too. Could it be... that the targets include the “rifts” themselves?
Fucking hell...
If my guess was right, then this wasn’t something I could handle on my own.
Is that why the system told me to build allies?
This time, everyone except Cha Sahyeon had been helpless against the mind-type skill. But in a different situation, we might have been able to fight back together.
I need to prepare countermeasures for mind-type skills.
I also needed to visit Circle Guild and confront the imposter.
First, let’s leave the dungeon and check if those three have regained consciousness.
Just in case, I glanced at Cha Sahyeon.
“This is the only one we needed to take care of, right?”
“Yeah. I don’t sense anything else.”
“Alright. Let’s head out.”
Cha Sahyeon had left shadow guards behind, but I was still worried about leaving unconscious people alone. I turned in a hurry—but before I could even take a step, my arm was grabbed.
“What?”
Cha Sahyeon looked down at me with an unreadable gaze. He pulled my arm toward him.
Wondering what he was trying to do, I let him.
Then he wrapped his arms around my waist. Still watching my face closely, he hesitated... then lowered his head.
A soft sensation touched my cheek. Even without looking, I knew his lips had brushed against me.
A silent kiss—so quiet I’d never experienced anything like it.
What the hell was that?
I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Cha Sahyeon, flustered and nervous, hesitated again—then leaned forward once more.
“Oh, come on.”
I turned my head to dodge Cha Sahyeon’s approaching face. No matter what, I wasn’t about to kiss him on the lips.
I nearly ended up kissing a kid because I let my guard down.
“What are you doing?”
At my question, Cha Sahyeon stammered, his ears and the corners of his eyes flushed pink.
“...Seduction.”

Comments

Loading...