Chapter 117 : I Won’t Let You Go Alone

While the team ran, lightning struck, flames flared, and massive waterfalls cascaded around them. However, each time an obstacle appeared, the Espers specializing in those attributes stepped forward to neutralize them, ensuring Lee Chae didn’t sustain a single scratch.

“Dambo is too slow; this won’t do. I’ll transform into a dragon, so Dambo can ride on my back!”

With a loud poof, a massive dragon appeared and crouched down in front of Lee Chae. Hae-jin picked Lee Chae up, hopped onto Yong-yong’s back to seat him safely, and then jumped back down.

With Lee Chae pointing out the direction, Yong-yong began to sprint. The speed was tripled; Lee Chae felt nauseous and dizzy, but an unknown force kept his mind steady. Thanks to the necklace, he felt Jae-hyung’s presence most strongly, but beneath that, he could also sense the intense, collective desire of the Espers to ensure no one died or got hurt.

“There!”

Screech! As Yong-yong skidded to a halt, Lee Chae pointed to a wall next to the second-floor service desk. An excited Yong-yong was about to hurl himself headlong into the wall, but Hae-jin blocked him.

“Leader, what are you doing!”

“You’re carrying Lee Chae right now. If you ram it like that, he’ll get hurt.”

“Ah, I was in such a hurry I didn’t realize. I’m sorry.”

“I’ll handle this part. Everyone, stand back!”

Once the group retreated, Hae-jin triggered his explosives.

Bang! Boom! Crack-boom!

With a series of deafening noises, the wall crumbled. Dust billowed from the scattered debris. However, moments later, the fragments gathered back together, forming a wall even larger than before. Even after several more attempts, the result was the same.

“Shit, what is this?”

“It’s not a physical object; it’s a Cyclops hallucination, so it won’t break.”

“Even if it’s an illusion, the skills worked. Let’s freeze the fragments when they break so they can’t reassemble.”

Hae-jin nodded at the Ice Esper’s suggestion.

“Once Esper Cha Hae-jin breaks it, I’ll freeze it immediately.”

As soon as the words were out, Hae-jin shattered the wall. The Ice Esper instantly froze the crumbling debris. The wall, which had seemed to possess infinite regeneration, stopped moving, leaving a massive hole in its center.

“It worked!”

At Lee Chae’s shout, Yong-yong was the first to dive inside. Some Espers stayed outside to guard against emergencies, while Lee Chae, Hae-jin, and the rest of Legion followed Yong-yong.

Inside the wall, Jae-hyung and Kang-wook lay collapsed. Yong-yong rushed to Jae-hyung’s side and slumped down after checking his condition.

“Jae-hyung… wake up. Jae-hyung.”

“Uuugh…”

Lee Chae approached to check on Jae-hyung. Behind half-closed lids, his eyes were moving. Fortunately, he hadn’t lost consciousness. Lee Chae turned to Jin-woo, who was checking on Kang-wook.

“How is he?”

“He seems okay. How did this happen? The person who was with us the whole time turned into a Humanoid, while the real body was here…”

“That’s the terrifying thing about the Cyclops. Every word we hear and every action we take could be an illusion. Even time and space are distorted.”

Jae-hyung managed to sit up and pulled Yong-yong into a fierce hug. “I knew you’d come for me.”

“Sniff…”

After sobbing in Jae-hyung’s arms for a while, Yong-yong pulled back to inspect him for injuries. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No.”

“B-but I’m not the one who saved you. Dambo found you.”

“Hyung-soo-nim?”

Jae-hyung turned to Lee Chae and grabbed his hand. “Thank you. I really thought I was going to be eaten by the Cyclops. I was walking with everyone, then suddenly I was alone. It was just endless darkness no matter how far I went. I couldn’t sense anything through my scouting… I was so scared.”

Lee Chae replied with a weary smile. “You were likely trapped in the Cyclops’ consciousness. It traps someone in its mind and replaces them with a Humanoid. It’s a terrifying technique. Let’s stay alert.”

“Yoon Jae-hyung. Let go of the hand while you talk,” Hae-jin said, prying their hands apart.

“I’m just saying thank you! I’m not interested in any hands other than Yong-yong’s! You’re a truly strange Representative.”

“Fine, then hold Yong-yong’s hand tight and don’t let go. It drives me crazy when you’re always hugging Lee Chae.”

Lee Chae glared at Hae-jin. “Is this the time for that? We need to find the exit. Who knows what will happen next? How can you be so relaxed!”

At that moment, Kang-wook stood up and approached the wall. He placed a hand on it. A strange vibration, like an electric current, hummed through the air.

“This wall was the boundary between hallucination and reality. When it broke, we woke from the illusion. If we don’t leave quickly, the wall will seal again. Let’s move.”

Everyone filed out through the breach.

“Jae-hyung, you can’t walk right after collapsing. Get on my back,” Yong-yong insisted.

Jae-hyung took Yong-yong’s chin, turned his head to kiss him, and grinned. “Didn’t you hear the Guide? The hallucination is over. I’m fine. I should be the one carrying our Yong-yong.”

“Don’t say such nonsense. You’re smaller than me, yet you always talk about carrying me or having me ride on your—mmp.”

Jae-hyung laughed awkwardly and covered Yong-yong’s mouth. “Yong-yong, don’t say those things in front of people. Your uncle is right there…”

“Why not? It’s fine between mates. It’s natur—mmpf.”

Jae-hyung covered his mouth even more firmly. “I’m sorry. Our kid is a dragon, so he doesn’t know much about human society. Haha!”

The Legion Espers laughed first, and the others soon joined in. Inside the Cyclops’ hallucination, where everything could vanish at any moment, the Espers held onto hope instead of despair.

The group reorganized their ranks. Now that the wall of illusion had fallen, it was time to face the real Cyclops.

Lee Chae had tried to struggle and insist on walking, but the rapidly changing environment made it impossible to keep his footing. He was forced to travel in Hae-jin’s arms once again.

Seeing them, Jin-woo threw a joke at Kang-wook. “Hey, Guide Lee Kang-wook, are you okay? Don’t you need to be carried like a bundle of glass? I can hold you if you want.”

Kang-wook looked absolutely revolted. “Don’t say such horrifying things. I’ve worked just as hard on physical training as I have on guiding. I can handle this much.”

Lee Chae giggled and whispered to Hae-jin, “Those two seem like a good match.”

“Right? Our Jin-woo should probably find an exclusive guide soon. Can that guy do healing too?”

“He’s much better at it than a D-rank like me. Sometimes the Leader would step in for emergency patients.”

Hae-jin smirked. “I was already worried about him; maybe I should just set them up.”

“Huh? Why were you worried?”

“Just because. Kids don’t need to know.”

Despite being a hastily formed team, the coalition’s skill was formidable. Between the second floor and the first, they encountered blizzards and giant cliffs, but the high-ranking Espers swept everything away. They reached the first-floor iron door with ease.

Kang-wook, Seo-geon, and Jae-hyung surveyed the door. Their gazes met in the air.

“Something’s strange.” “I agree. It’s too quiet.” “Wait… hold on a second.”

Kang-wook, sensing something, pressed his palm against the door and closed his eyes. He broke into a cold sweat, concentrating all his power on whatever lay beyond.

“Gasp!”

Kang-wook’s body was thrown backward as if pushed by an invisible force. Jin-woo moved quickly to catch him.

“Are you okay? Why were you suddenly attacked?”

Kang-wook cleared his throat awkwardly and pulled away from Jin-woo’s arms. “It felt like it was rejecting my skill. I’m sorry, but it seems we’ll just have to crash through.”

“No need to apologize. Knowing something is there is already a help. Good work.”

Hae-jin stepped forward.

Bang! Bang!

Hae-jin raised and lowered his hands twice, and the door swung open. Lee Chae opened his eyes, which he had squeezed shut in anticipation of the explosion. Contrary to the expectation of something terrifying lunging at them, there was only pitch-black darkness inside. But no one dared to take a step forward.

“I’ll go check first. Wait here,” Hae-jin said, moving to set Lee Chae down. Lee Chae gripped his shoulders and shook his head.

“I’m going with you.”

“It could be dangerous.”

“I said I’m going! If you want to keep me alive, you’ll find a way to get us both out.”

Lee Chae clung to him desperately, terrified that Hae-jin would leave him behind. Three years of separation was enough. He didn’t want to go back to waiting and wondering.

“If you leave me behind, I’ll hate you for the rest of my life.”

Hae-jin spoke firmly. “Hate me, then. It’s better to live hating someone than to be dead. And Jung Lee Chae.”

“What? Why?”

“You have to guide me. Why are you trying to follow me in? If we both get hurt, who’s going to guide me?”

Lee Chae glared at him, unable to find a counter-argument. A Guide’s duty was to stay back and save the Esper when they were hurt. Hae-jin’s request was logical.

But still, Lee Chae couldn’t bring himself to let him go alone.