HLSEBT - 86

She added a brief piece of information.

“Eunsu told me. He’s moving this way.”

“Is it already over on their side?”

“Apparently, it was simple.”

Yoon Taeha spoke with feigned nonchalance despite being in anything but a simple situation.

“The opposing team was stupider than expected and lost. By that logic, are there any students in the west who could beat him?”

The water level had already risen above their heads.

She floated like a sea otter, facing the ceiling with both hands tightly gripping her black breathing apparatus.

It looked so comfortable that Cheon Geonyoung eventually leaned back as well.

Their bodies slowly drifted upward toward the ceiling. Fortunately—or unfortunately—the water was pristine, free of impurities.

Yoon Taeha stretched out her hand to gauge the distance between them and the ceiling, then suddenly remembered something.

“What was the final stage of that escape training called?”

“Turning off the lights.”

“Not blindfolding, but turning off the lights is impressive. Did you pass it?”

“If I hadn’t, do you think I’d be floating here now?”

She chuckled briefly but went quiet, perhaps having swallowed some water while laughing. Cheon Geonyoung felt similarly surreal about the situation.

To think he’d end up in a life-or-death scenario at an Esper school while working alongside an S-rank Esper.

While he was lost in thought, Yoon Taeha swam over and placed her breathing apparatus on his chest.

“I’ll go check for the glowing spot.”

Before he could stop her, she dove down. Her calm demeanor disrupted the water, causing it to surge around him.

He focused intently on keeping water from entering the breathing apparatus she’d handed him.

A moment later, Yoon Taeha surfaced.

“Not yet.”

After exchanging a few more idle comments, the ceiling drew close enough to touch. Time was running out. Having retrieved her breathing apparatus, she prepared to dive again. Cheon Geonyoung also checked below.

Wiping her face with her ringless hand, Yoon Taeha spoke softly.

“I keep swimming.”

“You like water, don’t you?”

With one hand pressed against the now-close ceiling, she sighed.

“I don’t think you do.”

Cheon Geonyoung watched droplets of water slide down her eyelashes. It didn’t seem like she expected a response. Their abandoned belongings floated aimlessly in the submerged space.

“Breathe.”

With those three dry words, she bit into her breathing apparatus and dove first.

Floating expressionlessly on the surface, he quickly followed her.

As soon as they descended below the waterline, the room filled completely to the ceiling. Underwater, they opened their eyes and surveyed their respective areas.

Yoon Taeha tapped Cheon Geonyoung’s shoulder lightly.

A section of the wall, previously unlit, now glowed faintly. As he began swimming toward it, she firmly grabbed his hand.

Then, she showed him the ring on her opposite hand.

He swiftly acknowledged his own foolishness.

A blue light flickered from the tip of the ring. Underwater, it resembled the fluttering wings of a butterfly. She waved her hand, and a massive spear-like projectile appeared, torpedoing toward the wall.

BOOM!

The result of her “fluttering” seemed disproportionately powerful.

The entire space trembled as if struck by an earthquake.

A strong force began sucking the water downward. Before they could be swept away, Yoon Taeha swam toward the indentation she had created with her attack.

Upon reaching it, Cheon Geonyoung drew his dagger and embedded it into the wall.

With all protrusions gone, it was the only thing left to hold onto.

With his other hand, he firmly gripped Yoon Taeha’s hand. Without concern, she closed the gap between their palms, which had been slightly apart.

In the cold water, only their clasped hands felt warm.

________________________________________

Giving up on your opponent isn’t a good choice.

That was the official explanation provided by the shelter regarding this dungeon.

Kang Jin-ho chewed so hard that the flesh inside his mouth tore. He was acutely aware of it.

So, you really can’t clear this alone?

Dodging the node guardian, he had single-handedly destroyed thorns until he collapsed against the wall, exhausted. When he stopped attacking, the guardian lost interest in him.

The bizarre creature wandered aimlessly around the upper node.

“Damn it...”

The guardian paused before the single thorn Kang Jin-ho had destroyed.

Spreading its body, it cradled the broken protrusion.

Kang Jin-ho could only watch in shock. His eyes widened further when the guardian detached itself.

The destroyed thorn had regenerated perfectly.

“Why wasn’t this information disclosed?!”

No answer came, no matter how loudly he shouted. The guardian, seemingly pleased, danced its tentacles around.

It still showed no interest in Kang Jin-ho.

He felt treated like something less than a microbe. Enraged, he broke off a mineral and hurled it.

Glug.

The guardian consumed the mineral and resumed its leisurely stroll.

Not long after inspecting the thorns, the guardian shuddered violently.

Sensing danger, Kang Jin-ho crawled behind a thick mineral cluster.

His strength was nearly depleted, making it difficult to walk.

“Kiiik? Kiiiik?”

The crimson mass emitted a sharp sound. The thorns swayed up and down as if answering.

The guardian silently seeped into the floor. Following suit, the thorns disappeared instantly, like clams sinking into mud.

“What... what’s happening?!”

Kang Jin-ho scanned the now-barren space and began pounding on random spots.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Everything that had reacted sensitively just moments ago fell silent. A sound like sand pouring echoed.

No.

It wasn’t sand.

Focusing, Kang Jin-ho realized it was the sound of an enormous volume of water approaching.

“Water?”

He shouted briefly and leapt to his feet.

He sprinted madly toward the entrance he had come through, but he couldn’t outrun the water.

SWOOOSH.

The water slithered in like a snake, blocking the entrance. Liquid filled the node. Frustrated, he kicked at the water and minerals.

And screamed.

“AAAAH!”

Where the tentacles had touched his skin earlier, purple blotches began spreading upon contact with the water.

The pain felt like sharp metal scraping over inflamed wounds. The wounds he had dismissed as trivial began consuming him.

“No, higher ground!”

He scrambled atop the largest mineral.

“Help requested at Zone 4, Upper Node, Basement Level 1! Help me!”

He screamed into the communication device, just as Yeo Pil-joon had done earlier. But the only reply was the steady sound of rising water.

“There’s someone trapped in the whale’s heart!”

The pain intensified with every contact with the water.

Trapped like an insect in a collection jar, his arrogant eyes now filled with confusion and fear.

“Save me right now!”

Kang Jin-ho flailed as the water rose to his neck. His right arm bore the most tentacle marks, and he stretched it into the air to avoid contact.

But the water inevitably reached him. He let out a silent scream.

Finally, the cold water surged, swallowing its target.

________________________________________

When the principal arrived at the building, he rolled up his sleeves. Kim Doo-eon greeted him enthusiastically.

“Teacher! Have you come to help?”

“I’m heading to Zone 4.”

At the mention of Zone 4, he immediately launched into unnecessary explanations.

“Oh, Zone 4? You mean the testing ground where the cameras broke? Aside from that, there doesn’t seem to be any major issues.”

Kim Doo-eon stuck close to the principal, chattering incessantly as other teachers bustled about.

The principal felt extreme irritation and annoyance, suppressing the urge to strangle the man. He stopped Kim Doo-eon mid-sentence.

“Didn’t you say a path to the monster lab opened in Zone 6?”

Kim Doo-eon answered calmly.

“Yes. The other teachers have gone to handle that.”

“Leave Zone 4 to me. You should head there too.”

“Everyone’s already gone that way. Shouldn’t I stay and assist you? There are two B-rank telekinesis students in that simulation.”

He fussed over the principal with apparent concern.

“My body may be rusty compared to active agents, but I can handle this alone, Teacher Kim.”

Behind his affable demeanor, Kim Doo-eon’s eyes betrayed an attempt to read the principal’s intentions. But seeing the principal’s stubborn expression, he took a step back.

“I’m merely worried.”

“I understand, Teacher.”

“Aren’t they dangerous?”

“It seems you’re making them even more dangerous by sticking around.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Do you have some other intention?”

The principal’s voice was icy. Kim Doo-eon waved his hands emphatically, denying any such motive. The principal irritably instructed him to check another zone and hurried on his way. The sound of his heavy footsteps grew louder.

He was feeling anxious.

Descending to Basement Level 1, the principal entered the space connected to Zone 4’s exit without hesitation.

Entering the same way the students had would waste time. He intended to enter backward and inject the transfer student directly.

Entering a space resembling an underground parking lot, he glanced around.

And then, he spotted something delightful.

Had someone granted his wish?

His cheeks quivered with excitement. Through his murky, clouded eyes, he saw a girl.

A female student, soaked and lying prone, pounding her chest frantically. Her tangled hair revealed a pale face. Nearby lay a shattered ring.

The principal recalled she was the new transfer student from Class G. The one rumored to have caused minor issues in the east.

She had already touched amplifiers upon arriving at the new school!

There was no one around. Not even surveillance cameras. This space was typically used as a warehouse for useless items.

“Cough, cough!”

The student convulsed with coughs. She looked suffocated, perhaps suffering from a headache.

Side effects of the amplifier. Clearly.

Through Ko Myung-sung, the principal knew the transfer student had purchased a substantial amount.

If she had consumed it all at once?

There was no way she could be lucid. These students lacked immunity to potent substances.

Approaching like one would approach a difficult-to-capture animal, the principal spoke as calmly and slowly as possible.

“Jeon Seong-ha?”

The coughing student raised her head.

Her glasses were fogged with droplets, obscuring her eyes.