It would be fortunate if this dungeon merely ranked A-class.

The emotional state of such a catastrophic being made it even more troubling. Its unpredictable pace made its actions impossible to anticipate.

The incubus suddenly rolled its fierce blue eyes and grinned, seemingly recalling something pleasant. Its rising cheeks created a grotesque expression when it smiled.

“Heehee! It was worth putting more effort into the other one! Heeheeheek!”

The playful laughter gradually transformed into something sinister. Its voice sent chills that raised goosebumps across the skin.

The incubus twirled through the air, unable to contain its excitement.

“Heehee!”

Watching the incubus laugh breathlessly filled Ju-eon with an inexplicable anxiety. Just moments ago, it had been anxious itself. Its unsettling gaze fixed on empty space while laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“Curious? Curious? Curious?”

The incubus circled Ju-eon. He maintained a stern expression, careful not to betray any emotion. Showing signs of being affected would cause the incubus to lose interest, destroying even this chance to buy time. Ju-eon casually wiped his sweaty hands on his pants.

“…Yeah.”

The incubus giggled like a child at Ju-eon’s response, eagerly spilling words it seemed to have been holding back.

“I-it was ha-hard to control originally but he f-fell right into it on his own. Heehee, heeheeheek!”

Its excitement was palpable. The incubus boasted to Ju-eon with an arrogant voice.

“Heehee! He looks about to go berserk and if you get caught up in it too, heehee! It’ll be f-fun!”

The incubus clapped its hands while laughing breathlessly, declaring it was a brilliant idea before suddenly vanishing. The fog began to dissipate gradually. Ju-eon watched the smoke disperse of its own accord while wiping his sweaty neck.

Swish. Sensing something different from sweat, Ju-eon examined his hand.

“Ah, from earlier…”

What he thought was sweat turned out to be blood. The wound exceeded his expectations. It stemmed from when the fake Yun-jae had bitten his neck. The pain became apparent once he noticed the wound. He gently probed the injured area. The deep gash bled profusely, soaking his clothes.

His vision cleared with the dispersing fog. He realized he wasn’t in a cave at all.

“Even that was an illusion.”

Ju-eon clicked his tongue, his face pale. He stood before the Crystal Hall he thought he had just left. The venue that had moments ago resonated with laughter and music now lay silent.

The scene resembled a dead city. Upon flinging open the Crystal Hall doors and entering, Ju-eon froze at the sight before him.

Bodies were stacked like a tower in the hall’s center. His heart sank at the sight of the motionless figures. Though frightened, he couldn’t ignore it. After all, Ju-eon remained the only conscious person here. Clutching his heavy heart, he approached the bodies.

“Hey…!”

Ju-eon carefully neared the people. The sight of what looked like a mountain of corpses terrified him more than expected.

He cautiously reached out to check the breathing of the person at the very bottom.

Breathe. Breathe.

Despite their pale complexion, they breathed steadily. They weren’t dead, merely in deep sleep.

“Phew… thank goodness.”

Given the incubus’s earlier comments about focusing on just two people, he considered the possibility that it had simply dismissed the civilians without harm, having no interest in them.

‘Then the other person is…’

Ju-eon pushed aside his negative thoughts and first wrapped a large linen napkin from the Crystal Hall around his neck, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

He began arranging the overlapping people in rows. Color returned to the face of the palest man who had been at the bottom once the weight lifted. Sweat poured down. None of them stirred from their sleep despite being moved.

“Help will come soon.”

Ju-eon stretched his back while speaking words no one could hear. He wiped sweat from his forehead. The hall now stood empty.

The incubus wouldn’t have sent him here just to arrange people.

‘Then what remains is…’

Ju-eon’s gaze fell on the tightly closed door opposite his entrance. The VIP lounge exclusively attached to the Crystal Hall.

Though blood loss had weakened him and his strength waned from moving people, Ju-eon quickened his pace.

An ominous feeling crept over him.

Who else could the other person be, if not himself? By what criteria had the incubus chosen its targets? The powerful creature had spoken dismissively of most people.

The thought dissolved quickly. The answer proved simple. People who had been chosen to enter the dungeon. Among those invited to this Crystal Hall, only one person would catch the incubus’s eye.

Click.

The lounge door opened smoothly. Like a solitary king upon his throne, Myung-hwon sat in a chair.

Ju-eon’s eyes widened. The shock surpassed anything he’d felt before.

Tap tap tap!

He grasped the chair’s armrest and examined Myung-hwon. Myung-hwon lay unconscious, his energy fluctuating violently, ready to explode.

“Myung-hwon.”

Myung-hwon’s energy grew more violent with each pained expression. Simply being nearby brought pain that felt like needles piercing the skin.

It was terrifying. The memory of Myung-hwon’s energy thoroughly permeating his internal organs remained vivid. He had even fainted from the strain while guiding.

‘But still…’

Gulp. Ju-eon swallowed dryly, his grip tightening on the chair’s armrest.

This differed from before. Though guiding Myung-hwon had been overwhelming, watching someone else guide him would be even more unbearable.

Ju-eon slowly pressed his forehead against Myung-hwon’s and held his cheek.

“Come to think of it, this is the first time I’m seeing your face properly since recovering my memories.”

Under the bright light, Myung-hwon’s appearance had subtly changed from Ju-eon’s memories. He had matured further, enhancing his aura. His somewhat gaunt appearance lent him a more precarious look. Ju-eon held Myung-hwon’s slightly rough cheek. He had traveled such a long path to touch this warm cheek.

Though circumstances didn’t allow for such sentiments, Ju-eon briefly experienced the sensation of being completely alone with just the two of them. After that fleeting moment passed, Ju-eon pressed his lips against Myung-hwon’s. When he bit the lower lip, the mouth reflexively opened. Ju-eon didn’t hesitate to entwine their tongues.

Through their connected mouths, Myung-hwon’s raging energy burst into Ju-eon. The fierce energy flowed through his blood vessels, churning his insides.

“Hah.”

Crackle.

The energies collided and violently repelled each other. The body seemed to have forgotten how to guide after relying on medicine for so long. Guiding was crucial for espers. Without it, they never knew when their power might go berserk and drive them mad. Guiding meant survival.

‘If he disliked contact guiding, he would have at least received radiation guiding.’

Everything could be asked once he woke up. Resolving the current situation took priority. Instead of retreating, Ju-eon embraced Myung-hwon with all his strength. The magical energy was so concentrated, it defied comprehension how he had managed to handle this condensed energy alone.

Even a small leak of the suppressed energy could have proven dangerous.

‘How many years has it been since he properly received guiding?’

His skin tingled, and his insides churned with nausea. Every corner of his body felt like it was being gouged out.

“Ugh.”

Ju-eon unconsciously moaned while accepting him.

Heehee.

Once again, a presence and laughter emerged from behind.

“Did you th-think I’d just s-stay still?”

More time was needed to complete the guiding. In Ju-eon’s current physical state, guiding any faster proved impossible.

With the incubus’s words, the fog began to thicken again.

**

His vision gradually returned when he blinked. Ju-eon first checked what lay before him.

“Myung-hwon…?”

Myung-hwon, who should have been right in front of him, had vanished. Ju-eon stood before the Special Abilities Agency headquarters. His face hardened at the realistic scenery. Even the passing breeze felt too vivid.

Dungeons receive grades based on magical energy measurements. They typically contain multiple entities. But in this dungeon, there existed only one incubus. Usually, boss monsters appear at the very end, but now only this single incubus roamed the dungeon.

Therefore, even with an A-class rating, this incubus’s grade far exceeded regular A-class boss monsters.

‘It might be better to consider it at least equivalent to an S-class boss monster.’

Honk-!

Screech!

The loud horn sound snapped Ju-eon from his thoughts. Though the fog had cleared, his vision remained narrow, seeming to collect fog in his eyes.

“Watch where you’re going!”

A window opened on the car that had made an emergency stop, unleashing rough cursing.

“I’m sorry.”

Ju-eon quickly blinked and apologized reflexively, but the driver showed no signs of calming. Only then did Ju-eon realize he stood on the sidewalk. The driver directed his anger at someone else.