DPGR 64

‘Can’t be helped…’

Though Jiho felt a pang of disappointment and concern, he understood the situation well.

There were only two days allotted for the dungeon raid. In such a tight timeline, a forced march was inevitable, and in that kind of situation, having the weaker members retreat to the back was more helpful.

“Chan-ah, just in case, make sure to conserve your strength.”

“Y-yeah…”

Yulchan was the only esper from Alpha Team who stayed behind. It was a logical decision, and he seemed to understand that himself, but that didn’t stop the energy from draining out of him.

“Haa…”

After the Alpha Team left, Yulchan crouched in a corner and let out heavy sighs. He looked so downcast.

Even that Sena seemed to be tiptoeing around him.

‘Still… it’s a relief. Looks like Sena’s going to comfort him, even if she pretends not to.’

Jiho caught sight of Sena quietly inching over and poking Yulchan in the side. She was pretending like it was nothing, but it was obvious she was worried about her pair esper.

Jiho smiled to himself without realizing, then turned his head—only to catch sight of Geonwoo, who was more silent and stony-faced than usual.

“……?”

Sensing Jiho’s gaze, Geonwoo looked over at him, then gave a sheepish smile.

“Guide Jiho. This way, please.”

As Jiho quickly trotted over at his gesture, Heendungi followed closely behind. Jiho patted Heendungi’s head, thinking Dojin must’ve given him strict instructions.

“This is your second raid, right?”

Geonwoo’s question reached him, and Jiho gave a small nod.

“Are you nervous?”

“……”

“I’m a little… shaky. Haha. You’d think I’d be used to these by now, but every time I step into a dungeon, I get tense.”

Apparently, he was nervous too, even if it didn’t show on his face.

Jiho silently mouthed that he was the same, rubbing at his cheek. Aside from the heat making him sweat, his fingertips and face were cold.

Geonwoo seemed no different—he rubbed his hands together to warm them and stared off into the distance.

Looking in the direction Alpha Team had gone, he murmured,

“…I’m worried about Jihye. I always am, whenever we enter a dungeon.”

“……”

“If I were an esper, things might’ve been easier. I’m older than Jihye and have a sturdier build too…”

Understanding his feelings, Jiho patted Geonwoo’s back.

—I’m worried about Baek Dojin too.

He mouthed the words, but Geonwoo, his gaze still fixed on empty space, didn’t notice.

Even so, Jiho followed his line of sight. Beyond the entrance to the safe zone, golden sand swirled in the wind.

It looked like a scene straight out of a TV show—and the unease in Jiho’s heart grew.

Grrrrr—

Suddenly, Heendungi, who had been lying down beside Jiho with his eyes closed, shot to his feet.

With his fur standing on end, Heendungi bared his teeth at the entrance to the safe zone.

—Heendungi

Startled, Jiho called out, as did Geonwoo beside him.

“Huh? H-Hey…?”

“What the hell is that?”

“Crap! Monsters! It’s monsters!”

“Everyone quiet! Gather to the center, now!”

Dust clouds were rising from far, far off—so far they were nearly at the horizon.

Thud— Thud—

The sound struck Jiho’s ears like thunder. He couldn’t tell if it was the earth shaking or his own heart.

‘Ah…’

Beyond the semi-transparent wall of the safe zone, the cloud of dust surged toward them. And soon, Jiho could see their shapes clearly.

A herd of bison monsters, with fur the color of golden sand.

“Guide Jiho!”

Frozen in shock at the sight, Jiho felt someone grab him and pull. When he turned around, he saw Geonwoo, his face grim, gesturing urgently.

“This way.”

Inside the safe zone, people were moving quickly and in unison. The guides gathered at the center, surrounded by support-type espers and some combat-types.

With Geonwoo’s help, Jiho made his way to the middle. His fine hairs stood on end, and his limbs felt icy as the monsters drew closer.

Oooooo— ooo—

A deep, unfamiliar noise echoed through the air—presumably the monsters’ cries—shaking the air and intensifying the fear.

“Damn it, of all things, why beast-types?”

Someone near Jiho muttered in dismay.

Thinking about what that meant, Jiho remembered something from a monster compendium.

‘Beast-type monsters are especially good at sniffing out human scent…’

And right on cue—

Thud! A massive impact rang out.

The semi-transparent wall of the safe zone shuddered violently from the collision.

“Ah!”

“Ugh…”

Startled, the guides flinched and gasped. The monsters, reacting to the noise, grew more aggressive.

Ooooooo— Ooooooo—

Their cries now carried an unmistakable excitement—like they had caught the scent of prey.

Heendungi, pressed against Jiho’s side the entire time, bared his teeth and growled. It looked like he wanted to bolt out and fight but was restraining himself for Jiho’s sake.

Grrrr…

Jiho gently stroked his forehead in an attempt to calm him. Then he checked where the others were.

‘Guide Geonwoo is next to me. Esper Yulchan and Guide Sena are… ah.’

Not far away, Sena was supporting Yulchan, who looked pale as a ghost. He must have been bearing the full brunt of the spatial strain.

“Esper So Yulchan! Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah…”

“How much longer can you hold out?”

“I-I’m not sure… at this rate, not long… ugh.”

Thud!

A massive bison monster stomped and rammed the wall again. A thunderous roar tore through the air.

The entire side of the safe zone shook, and Yulchan bent over, gasping. His face had turned deathly pale, like he could collapse any moment.

“Combat-types, outside! Get ready for battle!”

Finally, the combat espers grabbed their weapons and exited the safe zone.

In their absence, silence and unease settled heavily around those who remained.

Ooooooo—!

KWA-GWANG!

Sounds of battle began to echo from beyond the backs of the gathered people.

Support-type espers hurriedly pulled out their radios, sending urgent requests to their respective teams.

Cold sweat soaked Jiho’s tightly clenched hands, clenched from tension.

***

A dry wind mixed with sand swept by. Dojin frowned, raising his arm to shield his face.

Ever since his Awakening as an esper, he’d grown more resistant to heat, so the desert’s swelter wasn’t unbearable—but the soft sand that swallowed his every step, and the occasional gusts of sandy wind, were getting on his nerves.

Still, he couldn’t afford to show any complaints.

Not when he was doing better than the person walking ahead of him.

“Kijoon. You okay?”

He glanced sideways at Kijoon, who was clearly wilting.

It had only been about thirty minutes since they started walking, yet he looked like he was about to keel over from the heat.

Even his usual nonstop chatter had long dried up.

“I’m… still hanging in there!”

The reply was as spirited as it could be, but the weak, cracking tone at the end was anything but reassuring.

Sure enough—

“Ah.”

“Careful.”

Whether it was dizziness or something else, Kijoon suddenly staggered where he walked.

Dojin caught him, then turned to call out to the person following behind.

“Vice-Captain.”

He felt bad for Kijoon, but their pace was slowing more and more, and at this rate, they’d be in serious trouble even before encountering any monsters—heatstroke was a real possibility.

“Yes, just a moment.”

Sehun, who had been supplied with a heat-resistance artifact due to his ice affinity, stepped up.

Compared to the others, he was holding up pretty well—and as if he’d been waiting for it, he raised his staff.

“Oh.”

“Snow?”

The magic Sehun cast was a low-cost ice spell.

A small, fluffy cloud formed above Kijoon’s head, and delicate snowflakes began to drift down.

“Wow!”

The temperature was too high for the snow to accumulate, but even just melting on contact was enough to cool Kijoon’s overheated body.

Soon revived, Kijoon bounced around in joy.

“It won’t last long—maybe thirty minutes at best with this much mana.”

“Eee! That’s more than enough for me~!”

The excitement at the front of the group drew the attention of Delta Team’s other members, who began drifting closer.

Most were tank-types like Kijoon, clad in heavy armor and carrying massive shields.

“I’ll get to everyone. Please wait your turn.”

It wasn’t ideal to be using mana before even facing any monsters.

But if they delayed the raid due to heat, that could cause bigger problems down the line.

Smiling kindly, Sehun carefully rationed his mana to share the spell one by one.

Meanwhile, the other espers continued to keep a sharp lookout on the barren surroundings—a habit they didn’t easily break.

Dojin was no exception.

As he briefly checked the loosened formation and swept his gaze across the area—

“…?”

He suddenly froze, brow twitching as he locked eyes on a particular spot.

Kijoon, who had been playfully teasing Jihye, was the first to notice and called out:

“Captain? What’s wrong~?”

“It’s just… something’s…”

Right as Dojin began to speak—

Ruuumble—

The ground shook. All the espers nearby, including Dojin, flinched and began stepping back.

And then, the sand beneath their feet began to collapse inward.

“Back! Fall back! Keep going!”

“It’s a pit trap!”

Thick layers of sand were being sucked down into the earth, as if funneled into a massive sinkhole.

And the area affected was rapidly growing.

The espers, quick to catch on, widened the distance without hesitation.

Then again—

Ruuumble—!

An even stronger tremor rippled through the ground.

Moments later, the sand that had been pulled into the pit shot up like a geyser—and from within it burst forth a gigantic ant-like monster.