As if realizing that my thorough coping plan wasn’t something I had brought up with excitement, August clicked his tongue in amazement.
“I thought you didn’t say anything about the dungeon when you came all the way here… You were such a figure. You didn’t bring the special unit with you because you were planning on going into the dungeon alone in the first place, right?”
“…they are sometimes more stubborn than Priest August.”
I laughed bitterly. If they were going to persuade me, it would have been better to deal with only one person.
“Really, sister…”
August sighed. The sigh mixed with deep fatigue clearly showed signs of defeat. August said, raising both hands.
“… Fine. But six hours. I’ll wait for exactly six hours. Six hours would be enough for you to reunite with His Excellency and talk. If you don’t come out after that, I’ll just go into the dungeon.”
“Thank you, August.”
Only then did I laugh quietly at August’s permission. August clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“If His Excellency tries to bully me, sister, stop him. If you have a conscience, please do so.”
“Of course. I’m such a conscientious person.”
“You’re the most brazen person in the world.”
August shook his head and stepped back. I bowed my head to him and stepped toward the gate that led to the demon world.
A dimensional wave engulfed me, and soon the familiar mana stung my skin.
It’s the first time I’ve ever entered this dungeon, but the structure of the dungeon is the same. I strode across the dungeon without hesitation.
I’m sure Meyer will be angry again when he meets me. He’ll ask me why I came in alone, why I don’t look after myself…
But this time I’ll be clear.
The reason I throw my body like this is that I trust completely in him.
I would also tell him about my feelings, which until now I had kept under wraps for the sake of my own face and the secret I had kept from him.
I care about you getting hurt. I complained about you taking care of me, but I secretly enjoyed it. You don’t know, but I’ve always looked forward to drinking with you…
Although I can’t compare it to the way you like me… I probably like you more than you think.
I will pour out all the words that have only lingered in my mouth so far, and from then on, our relationship will be re-established and started anew.
At that moment, I saw Meyer’s figure far away. As soon as he was surrounded by demons, his sword split the demons.
His sculpted face appeared clearly, an indifferent expression on his face while the demon’s blood stained the air.
The moment was like an eternity as if the dust in the air had stopped.
It was time to settle this. I shouted with all my might at Meyer.
“Meyer Knox!”
***
The dungeon was over 50 levels, but it was just not easy for Meyer alone to defeat all the demons that existed in the dungeon.
It was not easy, but it was not difficult either.
In fact, this was just the thing to help him forget his complicated thoughts. Meyer mindlessly cut down demons and then cut them down again.
Meyer had never trusted another person in his life.
No matter how kind they were, if they knew the truth about him, they would turn around and point fingers, and no matter how strong they were, they would die in the dungeon for something that wasn’t important more times than he could count.
If he didn’t expect anything, he wouldn’t get hurt. As such, Meyer locked his heart tightly.
But Jun’s straight gaze opened Meyer’s tightly locked door. Jun was different. She could be trusted…
But Jun didn’t trust Meyer. She always hid her danger and… Anyway, she drew the line at Meyer too.
Until now, he had deliberately turned a blind eye to the sweetness that she sometimes threw at him, but the events that had occurred while drilling through the mana circuit were a shock that could not be overlooked.
‘I’m not trusted by Jun.’
The fact almost drove Meyer crazy with shame. It made him feel like he was useless.
He wanted to forget. He chose to escape to a dungeon of all places.
That’s how he scraped his way through the corpses of demons. His footprints were red.
At first, the demons tried to flee in the face of his overwhelming force, but when they had nowhere else to run, they pounced on Meyer as if they were cornered rats making a last stand.
It made it a lot less complicated.
Just as Meyer silently muttered and sliced through the demon with his sweet sword, he heard a voice from afar that he wasn’t supposed to hear.
“Meyer Knox!”
Meyer raised his head toward the place where he heard the sound reflexively.
Jun, who couldn’t have been here, was staring at himself with a hard face.
Was this a dream?
Yes. It could be a dream.
She had never called him by his first name.
She called him Commander. He felt like she was saying over and over again that he was her leader, not Fabian.
But his greed was endless, and it quickly became too much for him.
Perhaps it was his inner desire that was manifesting itself in auditory and visual hallucinations.
But there were no demons in this dungeon to deceive people with illusions. Then maybe he had finally gone mad.
Thinking so calmly, Meyer smiled.
If it was an illusion, he would show her a smile.
It seemed that just because it was a dream didn’t mean it would listen to all his wishes.
But as the distant Jun drew nearer, Meyer realized that this was no illusion.
Aside from how Jun was here, he was devastated by the fact that Jun came in alone to the dungeon.
“Jun Karentia, you’re a human being who never gets tired!”
Meyer gritted his teeth. Every time he saw her not taking care of herself, it was as painful as stepping onto a hot griddle.
The remaining one of the demons took advantage of the opportunity and pounced on Meyer’s back.
But it was a futile attempt. Meyer swung his sword without turning around, and the demon fell to the floor in half as it was.
Jun looked up at Meyer with a fierce expression, both nervous and challenging. As if she hadn’t made a single mistake.
Meyer found her attractive, but at the same time, a corner of his heart went cold.
Meyer hurriedly approached her. But he couldn’t get close enough to her nose, and he stood three steps in front of her.
He asked, quickly scanning her to see whether she had any injuries.
“How did you get here… Are you here alone? August. Did he send you alone?”
“I asked for that on purpose. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“If that’s the case, we can go outside and do it! Why did you enter the dungeon alone?”
“I’m just around the corner of level 60. It’s not that dangerous. In addition… The Commander knows that I have the ability to figure out how much a dungeon attack has progressed. There was no room for danger.”
Jun was nonchalant.
Her demeanor made Meyer nervous because it seemed as if she was trying to draw a line in the sand.
Was she tired of him? Was this a sign that she was sick of him and wanted to reconsider their… relationship? Meyer’s heart was beating wildly.
He clenched his fist. He said quietly, suppressing his heart that sounded so loud that he felt like throwing up.
“But you shouldn’t have done that. You are… You make my worries useless.”
“That’s not the words of a Commander who came into the dungeon alone. If you don’t like me coming into the dungeon, you should attack it with seven people. So that no more people can come in.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it but I’m worried! And I’m not like you. I…”
“No. We’re the same.”
Jun shook her head firmly. Then she shot Meyer straight. Her bright red eyes shone like rubies containing life.
“I’m also worried whenever the leader acts alone like this. Do you get it? It has nothing to do with being weak and strong. It’s the same even if the Commander is the strongest.”
***
I couldn’t help but smile bitterly when I saw Meyer, who was surprised at the fact that I had come alone as soon as he saw me. It seemed that my concern was paramount to him.
Perhaps my answer was unexpected, but Meyer looked confused as if he had been hit once. I still had a lot left to say.
“What if your mana goes out of control, what if you’re eroded by your mana…”
“That won’t happen.”
“But I’m still worried. The possibility is not zero. But… I also trusted the Commander. That it won’t happen. That’s why I went into the dungeon alone.”
“…But you shouldn’t have done that.”
Meyer said quietly, trying to hide his boiling voice.
“Rather, don’t trust me. No, don’t trust anyone. You just… Just worry about your own safety. It’s for my own good.”
“You’re making me do something difficult.”
“… You would have worried if it had been someone else in the dungeon alone and not me. I’m well aware now that you’re like that… But you shouldn’t go in alone like this. No matter how safe it is. Do you understand?”
Meyer tried desperately to dissuade me. I’m not used to seeing him do this.
If I dared to worry about sacrifice, I would worry about Meyer. For he was a man who burned with fire, sparing no limits in the dungeon to defeat the Demon King.
But I didn’t know it would be the opposite. I took a step closer to Meyer. Meyer retreated.
I took two steps closer and grabbed his wrist, which was so thick I had to grab it with both hands.
It was impossible to hold him with my strength. But as soon as I grabbed Meyer’s hand, he just stood there.
I looked up at Meyer and spoke clearly.
“What do you mean? If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t have come in. I came in because the one in the dungeon is the Commander.”
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