DPGR 99

“Jiho. Let me see your face. I missed you.”

Suppressing the urge to destroy everything and kill everyone around him, Dojin gently whispered into Jiho’s ear.

At last, Jiho lifted his head. From afar, it hadn’t been noticeable, but up close, the handprints and bruises all over Jiho’s face made Dojin’s heart ache even more.

“…U…uh, hhh…”

Tears welled up again in Jiho’s caramel-colored eyes, already damp. Recognizing Dojin, Jiho seemed to collapse, his entire body trembling with sobs.

His tiny, emaciated hand clung desperately to Dojin’s coat.

His knuckles had turned white with the strength of his grip, as if refusing to ever let go.

“I’m sorry. I came too late.”

If only he’d come a bit sooner. If only he’d somehow found Jiho and dragged him out of the nightmare. No—he shouldn’t have brought Jiho to such a dangerous place in the first place.

Blaming himself, Dojin gently kissed the corner of Jiho’s eye. Though it was a dream, a salty taste spread across his lips.

“Shall we get out of here now?”

As if he’d been waiting for those very words, Jiho quickly nodded. Dojin clenched his fist once, then forced a smile as he scooped up his fragile guide.

“Get some good sleep. When you wake up next, we’ll be outside the dungeon.”

To end the nightmare, he needed Jiho’s cooperation—because he had to destroy anything or anyone that didn’t belong in the memory the nightmare was built from.

But judging from Jiho’s current state, he probably wasn’t aware of what that was.

And Dojin didn’t want to pressure someone so clearly exhausted into trying to recall it either.

“Ha…”

At last, the small body in his arms went limp. The soft sound of breathing suggested Jiho had lost consciousness and fallen asleep.

Dojin finally let out the breath he’d been holding and wrapped Jiho tightly in his outer coat before gently laying him down on the ground.

Then, gripping his spear again, he looked around.

The men—undoubtedly the ones who had tormented Jiho—were frozen in place, shocked expressions on their faces, as if time had stopped.

They’d been like that ever since Dojin, an ‘outsider’ to the nightmare, had intervened.

‘Good. That makes it easier.’

Dojin glanced at Jiho, who was sleeping with ragged breaths.

He needed someone to take it out on anyway.

Whoosh—

He swung his spear lightly.

The wrist of the man who had been roughly yanking Jiho’s arm just moments ago was severed and went flying.

Blood, dark red, spattered and soaked into the pure white snow.

‘If I erase everything in here, the nightmare should end too.’

As Dojin surveyed the stiffened faces of the frozen men, a chilling gleam flickered in his eyes.

Until he found the key to escape the nightmare, he exacted a brutal, almost ritualistic vengeance on every person who had hurt Jiho.

And finally, when his body was soaked in blood—

Thwack—!

His spear pierced through the heart of a monster. As if that had been the correct answer, the world around them began to dissolve, one piece at a time, into darkness.

“Jiho, my guide.”

Dojin held Jiho tightly in his arms, a candy melting on his tongue until it nearly disappeared.

The moment the candy in his mouth fully melted, leaving no trace—

As the last bit of candy vanished, a dizzying sense of floating overtook him.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, Dojin was back in his own body.

“Ugh…”

A bit of dizziness remained, like a side effect. As Dojin pressed a hand to his throbbing head and rose from Jiho’s body—

“Captain! Captain…!”

Voices shouting his name rang from a distance. When Dojin turned his head, he saw his team members rushing toward him in a panic.

As if they were being chased—or had just seen a ghost.

He briefly wondered if something had gone wrong, but among the group running over were Sena and Geonwoo.

Though both looked pale, they didn’t appear to be injured.

“Then what on earth…”

Just as Dojin opened his mouth to ask what was going on—

“Ugh, nnng…”

A soft groan came from Jiho, who was still lying on the ground. Dojin quickly checked on him.

The black marks that had covered most of Jiho’s face were rapidly fading, and the thin eyelids, veins visible beneath, were trembling as if about to open.

“Jiho.”

“……”

At last, Jiho’s eyes flew open. Dojin’s reflection shone in his caramel-colored eyes.

Tears welled up instantly the moment Jiho saw him.

“Ugh, hhh…”

“Shh. Don’t cry. You’re okay now.”

“Hic! Cough, cough!”

Jiho opened his mouth as if to say something but instead let out a dry cough.

It seemed his throat had been choked and his vocal cords were damaged.

Hearing Jiho’s worsening cough, Dojin let out a pained breath and gently helped him sit up, supporting his back.

“Your throat is injured. Try not to speak too much for now.”

Just then, the team arrived in front of them.

Panting and rambling, they spoke in a rush.

“Jiho! You’re safe! Thank god!”

“No, Captain—huff—Captain! Just now over there, uh, a ghost! A ghost!”

“Not a ghost, it was a monster!”

“No, it was a ghost!”

“…Haa.”

A sigh escaped Dojin’s lips.

It wasn’t the first time Kijoon and Jihye bickered in front of him, but to be so childish even in a situation like this…

Leaving the two, who looked moments away from grabbing each other by the hair, behind, Dojin turned to Sehun.

“Vice-Captain. What are you talking about all of a sudden? Ghosts, monsters…”

But before Sehun could even open his mouth to respond—

—To think you’d win the game we prepared. As expected of a guest invited by our master.

The cause of the chaos that had thrown the team into a frenzy appeared before Dojin’s eyes.

A face pale as if powdered, eyes with no whites, a mouth torn up to the ears lined with sharp teeth—

And a pitch-black formal suit.

“…Butler?”

The word slipped from Dojin’s mouth without thinking. Sehun quickly explained.

“It appeared not long after Guides Sena and Geonwoo regained consciousness and joined us.”

“In front of you?”

“Yes. It suddenly started praising us and talking about some kind of invitation…”

Before Sehun could finish, the butler continued speaking.

—You possess truly remarkable skills. The second floor’s trial is one our master put great effort into crafting.

The butler shook his head theatrically, as if performing on a stage.

—How was it? Did you enjoy the game our master prepared?

“……”

—Only one entertainment remains now. I shall personally escort you, so that the final pleasure may be delightful. Let us go—to the third floor.

He gestured for them to follow. It was a familiar movement.

Dojin recalled the ‘butler’ he had seen in the videos.

Just like before, not everyone necessarily had to follow him.

“…Let’s split up.”

Dojin decided to send the guides back to the first floor.

The espers were exhausted too, but taking the guides further wasn’t an option.

“Yulchan, go to the first floor with the guides. Brief the espers there on the situation and ask them to come support us on the third floor.”

“Y-Yes! I’ll open a spatial link to the first floor right away—”

—To think you’d win the game we prepared. As expected of a guest invited by our master.

Just then, the butler cut off Yulchan and repeated the exact same words as before.

—You possess truly remarkable skills. The second floor’s trial is one our master put great effort into crafting.

His expression and tone didn’t change in the slightest.

Still, since he wasn’t actively attacking, Dojin ignored him and signaled Yulchan with a glance.

“Hurry.”

“R-Right… okay!”

Yulchan began channeling his magic again. But the butler acted even faster.

—You possess truly remarkable skills. The second floor’s trial is one our ma—ma—master, master’s, trial, tri—tri—crafted.

The butler split his mouth wide into a grin, revealing rows of densely packed teeth.

Then, like a broken machine, he glitched and shoved his face right in front of Yulchan’s.

His grotesque face abruptly closing in made Yulchan shudder and stumble back.

“Ack! Wh-what is that?!”

But the butler, as if with another goal, leaned in even closer, following Yulchan’s movements.

—Master… ma… craft… ha, hee, haak!

“Ugh! Captain! Captain Baek!”

Yulchan, his face pale, ran and hid behind Dojin.

Dojin stepped in front of him and Jiho, raising his spear protectively.

With a slicing sound, the spear cut through the butler’s neck.

But just like in the videos, physical attacks were useless.

The spear passed clean through the butler’s neck, hitting nothing but air.

Even so, it was enough to halt his actions.

The butler straightened up like nothing had happened, then resumed speaking in his usual refined manner.

—Forgive me, dear guests. I bear a message from our master.

He didn’t repeat the previous lines but spoke something new.

—All guests who have passed the second floor’s trial are now qualified to enjoy the third floor. Our master has ordered that not a single one be excluded from the fun.

“Chan. Just open the passage right now and—”

—Oh, my. It seems you need help making a decision. In that case, allow me to assist.

The butler smiled again.

His dark eyes gleamed as he looked around at each of them—then snapped his fingers.

A thin black band appeared around everyone’s neck.

“Wh-what is this?”

“Huh? Captain, above your head…!”

“Gah! You too! There’s a number floating above your head!”

At the same time, numbers appeared above all their heads:

[59:59]

The last two digits began to tick down one by one.

A countdown had begun.