There was only one path to take. East, where the Boss awaited.
To escape this place, they had to go there and kill the Boss. But whenever they tried to head that way, monsters trailed after them like ghosts.
'F-finally made it….'
He had no idea how many days had passed.
After fighting monsters day and night, throwing themselves into desperate battles, they finally reached the door of the Boss’s chamber.
Kang Cheon looked around.
The cost of reaching this point had been too high.
Out of more than fifty, fewer than ten remained, including himself, and only a single Guide was still alive.
The only fortunate part was that once they reached the Boss’s door, no more monsters appeared.
Thanks to that, they could at least catch their breath for a short moment. But even this reprieve had its limits.
Now he had to think of a way.
A way to survive….
“Cough, cough….”
At that moment, the sound of coughing reached his ears.
When he turned his head, Kim Wooju was hacking up blood, looking half-dead.
'…Useless.'
He had dragged Wooju in front of him at every critical moment as a shield.
Thanks to Wooju drawing the monsters’ attention, he had survived more than once, but it seemed Wooju had finally reached his limit and was on the verge of death.
With such a low guiding compatibility rate, even if he received guiding, he couldn’t fully manifest an Esper’s abilities.
This would be his last—he’d either lose control and die, or bleed out and die. One or the other.
'In that case… die for me instead….'
It would be your honor, too.
Kang Cheon’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Wooju.
The condition of the Espers as a whole was poor.
If they tried to fight the Boss like this, they’d all be annihilated.
Which meant there was only one method left.
'…I’ll use Kim Wooju.'
Throw him out as bait, then rush in together from behind.
That was the best chance they had to survive.
“…Kim Wooju.”
Kang Cheon called him more gently than ever before.
From a distance, Wooju frowned at the sound of his name.
He looked dazed, but the fear in his eyes was plain.
Kang Cheon gazed at him with satisfaction.
Wooju was a dog of the government, yes, but also his dog.
A dog he had raised well since childhood. So terrified that he obeyed every command.
Losing such a dog was unfortunate, but what could be done? He had to live.
Hiding his vile smile, Kang Cheon beckoned him over with the gentlest wave.
Wooju’s body trembled.
As expected, this sharp little dog seemed to realize his role without needing it said aloud.
Kang Cheon kindly pointed toward the Boss’s door and gave the order.
“…You go first.”
“…Me?”
“That’s right. While you hold off the Boss monster, the rest of us will charge in and finish it off. You won’t die because of your outstanding regeneration, but we’d be at risk. Can you do it?”
'That lunatic….'
So he finally crossed the line.
To think I’d see this very scene from the webtoon with my own eyes.
Not that I wanted to.
I clenched my teeth so hard that the metallic taste of blood seeped at my lips. If I didn’t, I might have burst out of the pocket and killed Kang Cheon right then.
Again and again, Kang Cheon had pushed Wooju to the brink.
If it hadn’t been for me, Wooju would already be crippled or worse. And still, Kang Cheon was driving him against the wall.
“…Alright.”
Wooju staggered and stood before the door.
The surviving Espers, including Kang Cheon, looked at him with eyes full of contempt.
Not one of them showed pity or guilt for the sacrifice he was making on their behalf.
Wooju’s sacrifice was nothing but natural in their eyes.
I studied them closely.
Now I had no reason to hesitate.
I steeled my heart.
Wooju put his strength into pushing the door. But he had no power left to move such a heavy thing.
Kang Cheon sighed as he watched.
Then he stepped forward, swung the door open, and shoved Wooju inside.
“Ugh.”
Wooju tumbled into the chamber where the Boss awaited.
Kang Cheon looked at him through the door, smiling.
That merciless grin was as if Wooju’s life was worth less than a mutt in the street.
“Kiiiooooooo!”
That’s…!
At the ear-splitting roar, I no longer had the luxury of focusing on Kang Cheon.
The moment Wooju entered, the Boss of this desert Dungeon revealed itself: a giant made of earth charged at him.
I hastily reinforced the shield around Wooju.
He was buried beneath the mass of earth, but survived thanks to my barrier.
As Wooju tried to rise—
“…Don’t move. Play dead. Kuoo.”
I warned him quietly.
Why throw yourself back into being their shield?
Wooju seemed to understand and froze.
The giant of earth lunged at him again.
Seeing the chance, Kang Cheon must have assumed Wooju was dead. He burst through the door, conjured a massive fireball, and hurled it into the giant’s back.
“Everyone, attack!”
“Kiiiooooooo!”
Caught off guard, the giant faltered slightly.
But true to being the Boss of an S-rank Dungeon, it did not fall easily.
The giant ignored Wooju and instead lashed out at those who attacked, mercilessly dragging them into the ground with its earth.
Yet Kang Cheon and the others who had survived were formidable too.
They threw everything they had into pushing the giant back.
A struggle to the death.
To outsiders it might have looked heroic. To me, it was just another fight.
All of it possible only because of Wooju’s sacrifice.
The giant had exposed its flank by striking at Wooju, giving them their chance. But none of them would spare a thought for him.
“…How long do I have to lie here, Aru?”
“Stay down. Kuoo. I’ll handle it from here. Kuoo.”
“You will?”
“Yeah. Kuoo. Close your eyes and count to ten. Kuoo. By then it’ll all be over. Kuoo.”
“…Alright.”
Like a well-behaved child, Wooju obediently closed his eyes.
Even now, in this mess, I found myself thinking—his eyelashes were absurdly long and fine.
I slipped out of his pocket and watched the fierce battle unfold.
In the brief moment my eyes shifted, the giant had already collapsed onto the ground.
As the final attacks rained down on it, I narrowed my eyes and cast a massive shield over its body.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“What the—what’s happening? Why isn’t it working?”
Seeing their powers fail, the Espers stared at the giant in confusion.
I stepped out before them.
“I did it. Kuoo.”
All eyes turned to me.
“…What are you? A lizard?”
“Who the hell are you calling a lizard! Kuoo!”
As my figure came into view, Kang Cheon and the Espers’ expressions twisted in shock. They clearly couldn’t make sense of the situation.
I looked at them, chuckling darkly like the villain I was.
I had waited so long for this moment.
This exact instant—just before the Boss died!
If the Boss fell, the Dungeon would close. But it wasn’t dead yet.
They thought they’d won, their hopes rising. Which was precisely why I would crush those hopes now.
“Up until now, you’ve dared to torment Kim Wooju without my permission. Kuoo. You’ll pay for it, just as much as you made him suffer. Kuoo. Especially you. Kuoo.”
I pointed a foreclaw at Kang Cheon.
He stared at me in disbelief, then scoffed.
At my small form, no bigger than a dog, he felt no threat at all.
He laughed at me.
“What the hell? You’re barely worth a punch—”