DPGR 73

“Taean was an A-rank, large-scale, underwater dungeon….”

But Jiho didn’t actually know much beyond that.

All he knew was that the dungeon had been A-rank and large-scale, and that it had formed underwater. They’d missed the timing to clear it, and a Break had occurred.

“So it must’ve formed deep in the sea.”

“Yes…”

If the dungeon had appeared somewhere like Incheon, near a beach with human activity and relatively shallow waters, it would’ve been noticed.

But if no one had known about the dungeon until after the Break, then it must have formed in deep water.

‘Since the Center didn’t get any reports, they must’ve missed it.’

Dojin furrowed his brows, organizing his thoughts. Meanwhile, Jiho’s slow words continued.

“Animals. Animal-type monsters…”

“Ah. So animal-type monsters appeared?”

“Yes. And, um… the boss monster was a Kraken.”

“A Kraken? Given its traits, it wouldn’t have been able to stay out of the water for long.”

“Rain… it was during the autumn monsoon season.”

“Ah…”

The Kraken. It could only survive in water.

If its body dried out, it lost attack power and could even die.

But the Kraken just had to come out during the autumn monsoon season.

“It rained a lot…”

The nonstop rain helped the Kraken. Thanks to the heavy rainfall, it could rise above the surface and move freely as it attacked the city center.

Listening to the story, Dojin unknowingly clenched his fist.

“Uh, it’s oka–uhm, hyung…”

Jiho flailed, trying to comfort him. He poked Dojin’s arm with a finger, then patted his shoulder with his small hand.

Seeing Jiho trying so hard to comfort him, thinking it through in his own way, Dojin gave a faint smile.

“Thank you for telling me, Guide Jiho.”

“Mm.”

“Thanks to you, we’ve got time to prepare.”

Even though the timeline of events had been pulled forward due to regression, the order itself hadn’t changed yet.

Most likely, the dungeon would form first, followed by the Taean Gate.

‘I need to figure out a countermeasure before then.’

In the life he didn’t remember, he had probably just stood by and lost everything.

But this time, Dojin was determined—he wouldn’t lose anyone, or anything.

The countermeasure Dojin came up with wasn’t complicated.

It was simply to locate the dungeon before it broke and clear it ahead of time.

But actually putting that plan into action was far from easy.

‘We’ll need to search the sea.’

If they knew exactly where the dungeon had formed, it wouldn’t be so hard.

But both Jiho and Dojin had very little information about the Taean Dungeon.

All they knew was that it had appeared deep in the ocean. Nothing more. And that left Dojin stuck.

‘If I want the Center to search the sea, I’ll need a reason.’

Who would agree to comb the wide-open sea without any evidence?

Even as the Alpha Team captain, his authority didn’t extend to the Dungeon Search Unit.

The only real way he could back it up… was by revealing the regression.

‘…No. That’s not an option.’

Dojin himself didn’t even have his past-life memories.

If he started talking about the future and the regression, it would inevitably put Jiho—who did have those memories—through all kinds of scrutiny and rumors.

Sure, Jiho would probably say he didn’t mind. He was sweet and kind like that.

But to Dojin, Jiho was just as important as stopping what happened in Taean.

‘In the end, the only way is to recruit someone with influence inside the Center.’

Someone with power inside the Center. Someone who favored Dojin. Someone who, even if they learned the truth, wouldn’t try to use Jiho and could keep a secret.

There was one person who fit every condition perfectly.

The former Esper Director—and Dojin’s mentor—Kwak Jiheon.

He was the one who had given Dojin the resurrection artifact. He’d known about Dojin’s regression early on and had proven himself trustworthy.

On top of that, the current Esper Director respected Kwak Jiheon. If Kwak Jiheon stood by Dojin, the Esper Director wouldn’t be able to oppose it too strongly.

‘The Esper Director’s probably going to hate it, though.’

There was a good chance he’d get dragged off again and scolded.

But Dojin wasn’t afraid of that.

What truly scared him was what had happened in Taean—

The death of his parents.

***

“Guide Jiho.”

“Mm?”

After a night spent deep in thought, Dojin, having reached a conclusion, gently woke Jiho.

Jiho, fast asleep until that moment, cracked open his eyes with a face puffed up like a steamed bun.

He looked exhausted, his features soft and swollen from sleep.

Seeing him like that—drowsy and adorably helpless—Dojin couldn’t help but press a few kisses to the corners of Jiho’s eyes.

“I don’t think we’ll be going to work first today. We’ve got somewhere else to stop by.”

“Mm…?”

“I think we need to go see my teacher.”

Teacher? Jiho blinked slowly, his swollen eyelids fluttering. Then finally—

“Grandpa?”

“Yes. Grandpa. You remember him, don’t you?”

“Yeees…”

“We should get going soon. I need to stop by the Center this afternoon, so it’d be best to finish this in the morning.”

“Mmm…”

Jiho glanced at the clock. 7 a.m.

For someone like Jiho, who loved his sleep, it was still deep in dreamland hours.

“You can nap on the way. Let’s just get ready first.”

Dojin already knew Jiho wasn’t a morning person. So he coaxed and coddled him, lifting him up in his arms.

Even as Dojin carried him to the bathroom, Jiho yawned long and rubbed his face into Dojin’s shoulder the whole way.

***

“Well now. What’s this sudden visit about?”

Kwak Jiheon welcomed them warmly, glad to see Dojin and Jiho again after a long time.

Dojin placed the hastily bought box of fruit on the table and greeted him politely.

“Have you been well, sir?”

“Of course. If I didn’t have my health, I’d be a corpse.”

Kwak Jiheon laughed heartily, clearly in a good mood. He’d been feeling lonely lately, and the unexpected visit helped lift that mood.

Jiho, who had become noticeably more shy around people recently, peeked out from behind Dojin with a hesitant look.

Dojin placed a hand on Jiho’s shoulder and gently nudged him forward.

“Say hello, Guide Jiho.”

“Mm… Hello….”

Kwak Jiheon looked surprised for a moment when Jiho spoke, but quickly accepted the greeting with a smile.

“Well, alright. The trip wasn’t too hard on you, was it?”

“Nooo…”

“Haha, you answer so well. It’s chilly—come inside. Let’s talk more comfortably.”

They moved to the detached room, the same one they had visited once before.

Each of them—Kawk Jiheon, Dojin, and Jiho—was served a small table with tea and traditional snacks.

Jiho, who hadn’t eaten yet due to the early hour, immediately zeroed in on the glutinous rice sweets and yakgwa.

“You go ahead and eat those, little one. Let me know if you want more.”

“Okay, thank you…”

Noticing Jiho’s gaze, Jiheon offered the treats first. Jiho, a little hungry, gratefully accepted and picked up a sweet.

“Haha. So, Dojin—you’ve been well?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve been doing alright.”

“I heard you went to Gangwon Province recently. I heard the dungeon was a big one—any injuries?”

“I’m fine. Not injured at all…”

Dojin glanced sideways at Jiho, who was focused entirely on gnawing at the snack and not really listening.

“No injuries. It ended without incident.”

“That’s good to hear.”

The two men continued chatting—casual talk, recent updates, a bit of this and that.

By the time Jiho had finished his treat—

“So, Dojin. What brings you here today?”

Kwak Jiheon’s eyes sharpened, narrowing as he studied Dojin carefully.

“From the look of you, it seems like you’ve come to ask me for something again.”

“……”

The pointed question made Dojin smile awkwardly. Kwak Jiheon leaned back, tilting his chin upward in an almost arrogant gesture.

As expected, nothing gets past him, Dojin thought with a wry look as he opened his mouth.

“Yes, sir. That’s right. The truth is…”

As Dojin’s explanation continued, Kwak Jiheon’s expression grew darker and darker.

It wasn’t surprising—everything Dojin said was grim and serious.

“The final… dungeon, you say.”

“Yes. It’s assumed to be at least SS-rank and extra-large scale. Maybe even more dangerous than that.”

“…Good grief…”

Kwak Jiheon let out a low sigh. Then, turning to Jiho, he asked:

“Kid.”

“Yes?”

Jiho, still licking his lips from the rice snack, quickly put it down.

The shift in the atmosphere was impossible to ignore.

“You said you returned with your memories because of Dojin’s death.”

“……”

“Was that death… from this ‘Final Dungeon’ you’re talking about?”

Of course. The question Kwak Jiheon asked carried a heavy weight.

Jiho’s face clouded immediately. His shoulders drooped, and he shook his head.

Then, for the first time, he began softly telling the story—something he had never even told Dojin before.

“Dojin-hyung… it was a Dual Dungeon…”