DPGR 105

‘.…!’

Jiho’s consciousness stirred violently. Just like before, he struggled, twisted his body, and shook his head wildly.

‘Just a little more, just a little more…’

Only one minute and thirty seconds remained.

He could see the team members trying to attack the dream demon from behind, and the dream demon dragging Jiho’s body to respond to them.

As she watched Alpha Team hesitate because of Jiho, the dream demon delighted like a child.

“If you sacrifice just this one human, the rest of you can survive. How foolish.”

Scoffing that humans were always stupid, she mocked Alpha Team with a sneer.

Then, as if to rub it in, she dug her nails into Jiho’s wound again. The torn gash split wider, and the blood that poured out soaked the collar of his shirt.

The pain sharpened. And along with it, a bit more sensation returned.

‘I can do this.’

Holding his breath, Jiho once again forced strength into his body.

At last, he managed to move his eyes. Dojin, who was standing directly across from him, immediately noticed.

One minute remained.

Dojin threw aside his spear. He drew his sword and pointed it at his own throat.

“Captain!”

“Captain Baek!”

The team members, who had not yet realized Jiho’s condition, shouted in alarm.

“What are you doing!”

“Are you out of your mind?!”

Dojin paid them no attention. He only glared at the dream demon, whose expression had begun to twist.

“What are you doing?”

Her voice turned sharp. She was clearly displeased that the prey she had chosen was rebelling.

She wanted to finish her prey with her own hands. And she had planned to make it as painful as possible.

Only then could she suck out every drop of sweet vitality and energy at the moment of death.

To fulfill that plan, the dream demon made a quick decision.

“Being killed by the person you loved most won’t be so bad, will it?”

She pressed her finger firmly against Jiho’s back. At last, their bodies separated.

“Now. Shoot him.”

She had absolute faith that Jiho would obey her command. With a satisfied smile, she even waved as if to say goodbye.

But Jiho, having regained control of his body, did not follow the dream demon’s order.

He turned around immediately.

Click.

The barrel of Jiho’s gun pressed against the dream demon’s forehead. His finger, resting on the trigger, tightened.

There was no hesitation. The moment he aimed, the gun fired with a bang, and a hole opened in the center of the dream demon’s forehead.

“What… what is this…!”

The dream demon froze, her expression shocked. She staggered back several steps.

Twenty seconds remained.

Dojin shouted urgently.

“Her heart. Aim for her heart!”

To kill a monster, the magic stone must be destroyed. The dream demon’s magic stone was in her chest.

Understanding this, Jiho quickly turned the gun. But the dream demon had no intention of letting him strike again so easily.

“You think I’ll die alone?”

Grinning, she reached out toward Jiho.

Ten seconds.

Flame burst from Jiho’s gun just as the dream demon’s sharp claws pierced his chest.

The sound of flesh being torn rang out. Dark red blood flowed down her pale white arm.

Six seconds.

Jiho’s body slowly crumpled to the ground. Blood spilled from his mouth.

Four seconds.

With a cracking sound, the magic stone in the dream demon’s chest shattered. Her body collapsed backward.

Her face was still smiling. Her tear-bright eyes sparkled toward Dojin before fading away.

As if to say she would take the one he cherished most with her.

Three seconds. Time stopped.

The numbers above everyone’s heads vanished. So did the bands around their necks.

Rumble…

The ancient castle, now without a master, let out a low groan as if about to collapse.

Within that sound, Dojin screamed as if his throat would tear apart.

“Guide Jiho!”

He rushed forward and caught Jiho in his arms. Blood spread from Jiho’s chest, soaking through.

“No, no. Guide Jiho. You must not lose consciousness.”

His voice trembled. He tried desperately to hold onto Jiho’s awareness.

“Kh…!”

As if responding to Dojin’s plea, Jiho coughed up blood and barely managed to lift his hand.

His cold hand touched Dojin’s cheek. Through that contact, a faint guiding energy flowed.

“Guide Jiho!”

It was hopeless. The guiding energy Jiho was sending was weaker than ever.

It felt as though it might snap at any moment.

Dojin wanted to scream at him to stop, that now was not the time for guiding. But his body reacted in the opposite way, rejoicing in the guiding energy.

—Take the guiding energy.

Another voice, another Dojin, whispered in his mind. He had never felt the instinct of an Esper this strongly before.

‘No.’

Clenching his teeth, Dojin resisted. His inner voice sneered.

—He’s going to die anyway. You should be thinking about what comes after.

‘Shut up.’

—Absorb as much guiding energy as you can. There’s no reason for both of you to die.

‘I said shut up.’

Dojin’s jaw clenched hard. Unaware of the inner conflict raging inside him, the young guide lying in his arms only muttered softly, his breath ragged.

“Hyung, gui… ding…”

Tears welled up in Dojin’s eyes. He had told Jiho not to, had yelled that it wasn’t necessary, but Jiho smiled faintly and remained stubborn.

“You’re… having a hard time… if you don’t have enough… guiding, I can… help… I’m your guide… I should be useful… sorry… cough…”

His thoughts blurred, Jiho started rambling, then coughed up a mouthful of blood and slowly closed his eyes.

“Jiho… Jiho, wake up. Jiho!”

Dojin cried out his guide’s name in anguish.

The S-rank dungeon in Japan, though it claimed many lives, was successfully cleared.

This achievement came just one and a half days after Alpha Team was deployed.

***

After the dungeon raid, waves of mourning swept through Japan.

The Japanese government, faced with the condition of the bodies recovered, decided to forgo individual funerals.

Instead, they would remove the badges from the fallen’s uniforms and hold a large-scale memorial service.

“Captain Baek, are you sure you’re not coming with us?”

“Yes. I’ll return later. Please have a safe trip.”

Beta Team and Gamma Team were returning to Korea.

Thanks to Japan treating them as national heroes, they were even provided a luxury aircraft, and there were no issues with the return schedule.

However, Alpha Team, which had played a critical role in clearing the dungeon, chose to remain in Japan.

There were still matters related to the dungeon that required investigation, and the Japanese side had earnestly pleaded to allow them to treat Alpha Team’s injuries.

And so, they stayed at a hospital for ability users in Japan.

It was the largest facility in the country dedicated solely to Espers, and in one of its rooms lay a small guide.

[Seo Jiho (20) / Classification – Guide]

It was Seo Jiho.

***

When Jiho collapsed, Dojin couldn’t pull himself together.

“Jiho, Jiho, please…!”

It was the team members who stopped him. They grabbed his arms, called his name, and spoke urgently.

“Captain! If you keep this up, Guide Jiho will die…!”

That brought him back to his senses. Regaining his composure, Dojin carefully laid Jiho’s body down.

His hands trembling violently, he rummaged through his pocket in a panic.

Various items fell to the floor in a heap.

He grabbed a small bottle, no bigger than a finger.

It was a healing potion he had used on Jiho once before.

“Captain? Isn’t that…”

“Move.”

Dojin popped the cork and tore Jiho’s blood-soaked shirt open. The exposed wound was gruesome.

Though Dojin had seen worse injuries, this time he winced as if he couldn’t bear to look.

He poured the potion over the wound, his throat dry with tension.

Bubbling foam covered the injury. The blackish-red blood that had been flowing stopped at once.

But that was all. While the bleeding had ceased, the wound itself didn’t heal.

“Damn it…”

If he had one more potion, would things be different?

Full of regret over what could not be undone, Dojin lifted Jiho into his arms.

“Captain?”

“I have to get to the first floor.”

“What?”

“Yulchan, open a passage. Now.”

“Uh—yes, yes!”

Even though he was now an S-rank spatial ability user, using his power immediately after a battle wasn’t easy.

Still, Yulchan gathered magic from his core and forced open a portal.

He understood all too well what Dojin must be feeling, having nearly lost his paired guide.

“Captain! This way…”

“Thank you.”

Muttering softly, Dojin dashed into the passage.

The portal was so unstable that it closed immediately after he passed through.

Even so, he succeeded in reaching the first floor.

Those on the first floor had been panicking over the dungeon’s sudden clear signal, unaware of what had happened with the boss monster.

“Wait—isn’t that Baek Dojin?”

“Captain Baek!”

Everyone looked at him in shock.

“Where have you been?”

“The dungeon looks like it’s closing. Is this related to you, Esper Baek Dojin?”

“Can you explain what happened—?”

But Dojin had no time to answer.

“Healing Esper!”

“Y-Yes?”

“I heard there was a healer from Japan. Call them. Now!”

Only then did people notice the pale boy in Dojin’s arms. Faces turned ashen.

The Korean Espers who knew the relationship between Jiho and Dojin swallowed their shock.

“I… I’m afraid the Japanese healer died in the earlier battle.”

A man who appeared to be a Japanese Esper stepped forward, explaining with a gloomy expression.

Fortunately, not long after, the dungeon reopened.

Normally, Dojin would have waited for everyone to exit safely before being the last to leave. But this time, he passed through the dungeon faster than anyone.

“He’s coming out! Look!”

“Camera! Get the camera, hurry!”

“Baek Dojin! Just a word, please!”

“What happened inside the gate?”

“Who’s the hero of the S-rank gate?”

“What was Korea’s contribution to the mission?”

Outside, the press swarmed the scene.

It was only natural for the first person out of a cleared dungeon to be bombarded with questions.

Usually, even after surviving the harshest battles, Dojin remained calm and respectful.

But for the first time, he ignored every reporter.

“There’s a patient here!”

Pushing past the crowd, Dojin ran straight to the tent where the hospital staff were waiting.

“Please… please save my guide…”

His expression was desperate as he pleaded with the medics to save Jiho.

That marked the end of everything that had happened after the dungeon was cleared.