"Yaaawn... When the hell are they coming back?"
Seungjun could do nothing but yawn widely out of sheer boredom.
Nearly three hours had passed since everyone had left.
He absentmindedly swung his water bottle back and forth, set it on the ground, tossed it into the air, caught it again, and repeated the pointless routine over and over. Nothing relieved the boredom.
Still...
Being bored was far better than accompanying the assault team.
As a defensive-type Esper, Seungjun possessed the rare ability to deploy a massive protective barrier. Because of that, in most dungeons he remained at base camp to protect the Guides.
Special dungeons like Dungeon 1178 made that role even more important.
Until every single monster inside was exterminated, the exit would never open.
There was no way to evacuate midway through the operation.
If someone suffered a serious injury, they couldn't be rushed to a hospital.
Protecting the Guides therefore became more important than anything else.
Seungjun stared absentmindedly at the tent where the Guides sat clustered together before shifting his gaze toward Huiyeong and Haram, who were sitting even farther away.
The two sat across from each other at a small folding table, continuing their lesson.
The moment Seungjun thought of Shinyul, goosebumps suddenly spread across his entire body.
He shivered.
Jeong Min, the team's original leader, had only gone out briefly to clear the area around base camp.
When he returned, his face was pale as a ghost.
Looking utterly exhausted, he lamented,
"Who the hell killed a hundred monsters while clearing around base camp?"
Every team member was horrified.
A hundred?
From the moment they left until Shinyul reappeared...
Had it even been ten minutes?
He killed one hundred monsters in ten minutes?
The thought alone filled Seungjun with fear.
Having awakened less than a year ago, Seungjun had never entered a dungeon alongside Shinyul—or any other S-rank.
Everything he knew about them came from rumors.
He had never truly understood just how terrifying S-ranks were.
Yet the team members told him they hadn't even had the chance to fight.
All they'd done was count the monsters Shinyul killed.
Watching him use his powers...
They said it had been nothing short of transcendent.
Dungeon 1178 required all 1,178 monsters to be eliminated before it could be cleared.
Keeping track of the kill count was essential.
The teammates who accompanied Shinyul hadn't fought a single monster.
They'd simply spent the whole time counting corpses.
Even so, every one of them came back looking completely drained.
After hurriedly counting the dead monsters, Jeong Min returned and saw that Shinyul had already finished Guiding with his Guide.
"As expected... S-ranks really are different."
He sighed in admiration.
The other team members silently nodded.
Remembering the reverent expressions on their faces made Seungjun scowl.
"Big fucking deal. Just because he awakened as an S-rank, his whole life got handed to him."
He slammed the water bottle into the ground.
There were only four S-ranks in existence.
Even A-ranks could be counted on one hand.
His own B-rank was already considered exceptionally high.
On top of that, wide-area defensive barriers were extremely rare.
Among defensive Espers, he was regarded as highly capable.
He had always been satisfied with his abilities.
He didn't have to risk his life on the front lines.
Teams actively preferred having him.
But seeing Shinyul again...
So relaxed even inside a dungeon everyone else feared.
So overwhelmingly powerful.
Receiving everyone's admiration.
Jealousy slowly crept into Seungjun's chest.
The only thing he had ever believed made him comparable to Shinyul—
No...
Perhaps even better—
Was Guiding.
Everyone knew about Han Shinyul's Guiding problem.
The Center had even requested assistance overseas.
Even then...
Not a single Guide with a matching rate above fifty percent had been found.
Whenever Seungjun saw the perpetually exhausted and irritable Shinyul around the Center, he'd secretly sneer.
What's the use of being an S-rank if nobody can Guide you?
He didn't have a paired Guide either.
But lacking a pair wasn't the same as being unable to receive Guiding.
Then suddenly...
Shinyul found a paired Guide.
The permanently cold, tense expression disappeared.
Now he always looked comfortable.
At ease.
That sight twisted something inside Seungjun.
His gaze drifted greedily toward Haram.
Among everyone, Haram had the highest matching rate with him.
Ever since Haram publicly declared he would never pair with any Esper, Seungjun could do nothing but watch from afar.
Like a dog chasing chickens only to lose them.
To make matters worse, even S-rank Seong Taeseong had already pursued Haram.
If even an S-rank had been rejected, there was nothing Seungjun could possibly do.
He stared at Haram and Huiyeong sitting together, diligently continuing their lesson.
Even from that distance, an Esper's enhanced vision allowed him to see their faces clearly.
Haram possessed an elegant, gentle beauty.
Huiyeong...
Even a passing glance was dazzling.
His breathtaking appearance combined with his fragile, pitiful aura made him impossible to ignore.
Seungjun gazed at him with naked greed.
It felt like staring at food he would never be allowed to taste.
The thought soured his mood.
Scowling, he abruptly stood and headed toward the Espers' shared tent.
Among the twenty-five team members, eighteen were paired.
Only two were Center Guides.
That meant just two Guides had to take care of five unpaired Espers.
One of those Guides was the veteran Haram.
But Haram never Guided anyone beyond the appropriate level.
That had always irritated Seungjun.
He discreetly looked around.
A hundred monsters had supposedly been wiped out around base camp.
Didn't that mean there wasn't a single magical beast left nearby?
Wouldn't it be fine...
Just for a little while...
To lower the barrier?
He looked down at the Guiding value displayed on his watch.
Since arriving at base camp, he'd been maintaining his ability continuously.
His whole body felt stiff and exhausted.
He could normally keep the barrier active for an entire day without resting.
But now he made excuses for himself.
He convinced himself it was reasonable.
Once the assault team returned, the Center Guides would naturally prioritize Guiding them.
Seungjun's Guiding value always dropped slowly.
Besides, he was always stationed near the Guides anyway.
His Guiding inevitably came last.
He could have simply walked over beforehand and asked for Guiding.
But his pride would never allow that.
Protecting base camp was critically important.
Once the urgent Guiding was finished, the Guides always came looking for him on their own.
For the first time, Seungjun resented them for always placing him last.
Other than human presences, he sensed nothing nearby.
He might not possess an S-rank's sensitivity...
But awakened Espers were practically a different species altogether.
Completely confident in his own abilities, Seungjun shot one last glance at Haram—
Then dismissed the barrier.
He shrugged, convincing himself it was merely a rational decision.
Just managing his condition.
With that, he entered the tent.
Throwing himself onto the bed, he stretched out comfortably.
For several peaceful minutes, he simply relaxed.
There really are perks to having an S-rank around.
If the other S-ranks cleaned up base camp like this too...
We should use them more often.
He chuckled to himself.
Then—
From somewhere in the distance—
"Huiyeong!"
Haram's scream tore through the camp.
The sharp cry, filled with absolute terror, made Seungjun freeze.
"...No way."
"Don't tell me..."
His face instantly turned deathly pale.
He hurriedly restored the barrier he'd just dismissed while trying to figure out what was happening outside.
No...
It couldn't be.
Come on.
They killed a hundred monsters.
But...
What if one really had broken through?
Even as the thought crossed his mind, his feet refused to move.
Outside, the commotion continued.
Intermittent screams still rang out.
Seungjun's hands trembled uncontrollably.
He had completely panicked.
He knew he should run outside immediately and protect the Guides.
Yet his body stood frozen like a statue.
He had never faced a monster alone without offensive-type Espers beside him.
More than that...
He was terrified to even see what awaited outside.
The responsibility for one brief moment of carelessness and selfishness...
Was unbearably heavy.
"Huiyeong! Stop!"
Haram screamed again.
Seungjun squeezed his eyes shut before finally forcing himself out of the tent.
He sprinted toward the gathering crowd.
Everyone had gathered near the outer edge of base camp, where Huiyeong and Haram had been conducting their lesson.
Thankfully...
No one appeared seriously injured.
But every face was as pale as if they'd witnessed something horrifying.
What happened?
It wasn't a monster attack?
Please...
Please...
Pushing desperately through the crowd, Seungjun finally reached the front.
The moment he saw the scene—
His face became just as pale as everyone else's.
"Hoo..."
"What are you all staring at?"
A young voice rang out together with the sickening sound of a kitchen knife being pulled from a monster's body.
"And you, teach... You're okay?"
"...Yes."
Huiyeong frowned as though his right hand hurt.
Even though it trembled violently, he refused to release the kitchen knife he gripped so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
He sharply scanned his surroundings.
When he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his free hand, dark green monster blood smeared across his face, leaving him looking even messier.
He didn't notice.
His nerves remained stretched to the breaking point.
Breathing heavily, he continued searching for danger in every direction.
Only after hearing Huiyeong speak did Seungjun notice Haram.
He was sitting on the ground, desperately pressing his bleeding left arm to stop the flow of blood.
Seungjun hurried over.
"W-What..."
"What the hell happened...?"
"..."
Haram couldn't answer.
He simply stared silently at Huiyeong.
Huiyeong's expression remained ice cold as he surveyed the area.
Then—
He drove the kitchen knife deep into the monster's corpse one last time.
Using the recoil to steady himself, he staggered upright.
Ignoring the murmuring crowd, Huiyeong stood tall.
He pulled the knife free and continued checking both sides without pause.
There was obvious exhaustion on his face.
But not even a trace of hesitation.
Whatever threatened him...
He looked ready to throw himself at it without a second thought.
The killing intent radiating from such a delicate-looking young man made the atmosphere even more terrifying.
Then...
Huiyeong looked beyond the crowd toward the distance.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Ah...
You bastard.
When I actually needed you, you took your sweet damn time.
At that instant, overwhelming relief washed over him.
The strength drained from his entire body.
His consciousness rapidly faded.
Ah...
Fuck.
Passing out again?
This goddamn useless body...
Still...
I handled things pretty damn well this time.
Even as that thought crossed his mind, he kept his eyes fixed on Shinyul, who was hurtling desperately toward him.
...At least he's here now.
Completely reassured, Huiyeong closed his eyes.
His body pitched forward as he collapsed.