DPGR 126

Jiho’s face turned pale, and beside him, Geonwoo shot the guide a displeased glare.

People farther away started murmuring and craning their necks to look.

“Baek Dojin’s Pair? That S-rank guide?”

“Where? Where? Is it really Baek Dojin’s Pair?”

“I thought Baek Dojin went to Jeju today?”

All eyes turned toward them. Those nearby who recognized Jiho sighed in relief.

“So it’s true they’re short on Espers. Still, with an S-rank guide here, that’s something.”

“Here, take him quickly!”

Some people started pushing Jiho forward. It was as if they simply assumed he would head out into the field.

To them, Jiho was nothing short of a savior. Without him, untrained civilians like themselves would have to go out and risk their lives to guide.

“H-Hey, what’s going on! Stop pushing! I said don’t push!”

Cries of relief and shouts urging him to hurry and save the Espers outside rang loudly in his ears.

Sena tried to push their hands away with a growl, but with her injured leg, there was no way she could protect Jiho.

In the end, Jiho was half-shoved forward. In the scuffle, his hat, which had been shielding his face, came off and dropped to the ground.

The moment his hidden face was revealed, the reporters who had been uncertain rushed in, eyes gleaming.

“Are you really Esper Baek Dojin’s Pair Guide?”

“Baek Dojin is said to be currently engaging the Jeju dungeon! Why didn’t you go with him, Guide Seo Jiho?”

“Are you heading out now to guide the Espers?”

“Here! Just one look at the camera, please! Can we get a few words of determination?”

Reporters shoved people aside, and those people shoved back, pushing the person next to them. It was utter chaos.

Jiho swallowed dryly, his lips trembling.

“Just ignore all of them.”

“Huh? What?”

“What do you want to do? Do you want to go out there and help them?”

Geonwoo gestured toward the entrance with his chin. His tone suggested that Jiho didn’t have to go if he didn’t want to.

But… would it really be okay to stay?

If an Esper had come here bloodied, asking for help, the situation outside didn’t need to be seen to be understood.

At this rate, not only the people here, but even the citizens of Seoul might be in danger.

An Esper from the Beta Team stood at the entrance, gazing at Jiho with desperate eyes.

‘Ah…’

The moment their eyes met, Jiho realized he had no other choice.

Overlaying that gaze was an image of Dojin, battered and bloodied, suffering through countless hardships back when Jiho hadn’t been there.

In the end, Jiho nodded.

The moment he decided to go, a strange calm settled over him.

Maybe… he had wanted to go to that dangerous place all along.

Beside him, Sena slapped his forearm with a loud smack.

“Hey! What do you mean go? Were you even listening to me? I told you not to pity others and to value your own life!”

“I’ll be fine. And if I don’t go, things here will get worse. Maybe even the people in Seoul will be affected.”

“What are you, some kind of hero? What do you think you alone can possibly change?”

“There’s something called the butterfly effect. I read it in a book.”

“No, I mean-!”

“Sena.”

Geonwoo placed a hand on her shoulder. Sena glared at him.

Geonwoo leaned in and whispered low in her ear so no one else could hear.

“We’ve got a bigger fight ahead of us. If the Beta and Gamma Team Espers die here, it’ll hurt us in the long run.”

Truthfully, Geonwoo had already thought that far ahead.

If Jiho had refused, Geonwoo was prepared to go out alone.

Even now, he was still weighing whether it would be better to go by himself or to bring Jiho along.

‘Baek Dojin wouldn’t like this decision… but thinking of the future, it’s better to save as many Espers as possible.’

In the end, the scale in his heart tipped.

Bringing Jiho along would likely save more Espers than going alone.

“And what if we die out there?”

Sena muttered with a pout, clearly unhappy with Geonwoo’s reasoning.

“We’ll try to be as careful as possible. I mean, you’re a guide. The Espers will protect you, right?”

“Don’t be so damn carefree! Ugh, you’re so annoying!”

Though she said that, Sena no longer yelled for Jiho or Geonwoo to stay.

Instead, she straightened her clothes, reached toward her waist, and drew a pistol.

Gasps rippled through the crowd as a gun suddenly appeared from beneath her coat.

Most of them weren’t field agents, seeing a firearm was enough to scare them.

‘You’re scared of this, but you’re fine shoving us out to die?’

Sena pointed the gun, still with the safety on, at the people who had been pushing them earlier.

“I swear I could just… shoot you right now—ah!”

Geonwoo reached out and snatched the gun from her hand.

“What the hell! Give it back!”

“Stay here.”

“What?”

“You’re hurt.”

Geonwoo’s gaze dropped to Sena’s ankle. The twisted area was beginning to swell.

The pain hadn’t let up either, and at some point, Sena had unconsciously shifted her weight to one side.

She had thought it wouldn’t be noticeable.

Sena clicked her tongue at Geonwoo’s sharp eyes. Pretending not to notice her reaction, Geonwoo handed the gun over to Jiho.

“Let’s go. Lead the way.”

Once Jiho seemed somewhat ready, Geonwoo stepped forward and nodded toward the Esper.

He subtly shifted Jiho behind his back as if shielding him, and the Esper seemed to recognize that Geonwoo was acting as Jiho’s guardian.

“Th-thank you!”

The Esper bowed first to Geonwoo, then to Jiho with repeated nods.

Then, as if every second counted, he limped out of the bunker with surprising speed, and Geonwoo and Jiho followed behind him.

***

Meanwhile, unaware of the situation at the center, Dojin was making smoother progress through the Jeju dungeon than expected.

Contrary to his worries, the strategy he’d pieced together from memory was working perfectly.

They were thoroughly prepared for the other monsters, and since he already knew the boss monster’s location, there was no wasted time.

Thanks to the artifact shielding their breathing, the boss monster’s attacks were completely ineffective.

“The roots! Cut the roots!”

Boom—!

As promised to Jiho, Dojin stayed back due to his lower guiding ability, observing the flow of the battle.

He occasionally took care of small monsters, but nothing that strained his body.

“Um, Captain Baek.”

A few Beta team members approached Dojin as he was smashing the manastone of a plant-type monster creeping toward the Espers.

“Yes?”

“How did you find out all this information?”

The Espers’ eyes sparkled with curiosity as they looked at him.

They had been skeptical when they first heard his strategy, but as everything—environment, terrain, and monster patterns—matched what Dojin had said, they couldn’t help but be amazed.

Just then, the Espers up ahead crushed the manastone of the boss monster, the Great King Mushroom, and let out cheers.

Having landed the final blow and stepped back, the Beta team’s captain walked over to Dojin, joking as he did.

“Did you perhaps gain some kind of precognition skill? Like you had a prophetic dream or something?”

A smile crept across Dojin’s lips. The joke wasn’t entirely wrong.

“How did you guess? I saw it in a dream.”

“A-ha-ha! Good one!”

He had told the truth, but since it sounded so unrealistic, the Beta captain just laughed it off.

Dojin was slightly disappointed but shrugged and let it pass. He checked the time on his watch.

“Cleared it in four hours.”

There was a trace of relief in his voice.

In his previous life, this dungeon had tormented him so badly, now it had been cleared with hardly any effort. It felt almost funny.

Still, he didn’t feel regretful. If anything, he felt anticipation for the plans ahead.

‘That wrapped up faster than expected.’

He had no injuries, and his clothes were still neat. It would be perfect to stop by the department store and buy the ring now.

With plenty of time, he could carefully choose a design that suited Jiho.

‘Will Jiho like it…?’

Just imagining Jiho happy with the ring made his expression soften.

Jiho would probably be overjoyed just knowing Dojin had prepared something for him.

Maybe he’d even shed tears of joy or be the first to throw his arms around Dojin.

Then, he would kiss Jiho and confess properly.

All kinds of scenarios floated around in Dojin’s head. But every single one ended in a happy ending.

As he thought about Jiho, the dungeon exit opened up in midair.

“It’s really over now!”

“It wasn’t that bad, right?”

“Since we came all the way to Jeju, how about grabbing some black pork before we go? I know a great place. Anyone want to come?”

With the exit in sight, the Espers finally relaxed and began enjoying their victory. Chatter about post-dungeon plans could be heard here and there.

Dojin was in a hurry to get to his next task too, but he let the Beta team members exit first in appreciation for their effort.

Then, as he crossed the exit last with the Alpha team members.

“Huh…?”

The Alpha team, who had all been joking moments ago, suddenly paused, confused by the atmosphere outside. Dojin felt it too.

‘What… is this?’