55

“Don’t even think about leaving this room until I return. From now on, any actions you take without me are strictly forbidden. I’ll have Tae-seong stationed outside, so if you need anything, tell him.”

Ha-gyeom’s frustration was bubbling up to his throat, but he knew there was no point in voicing it. Baek Sa wouldn’t listen anyway. Instead, Ha-gyeom opted to make a show of it by climbing onto the bed. He loosened the collar of his combat uniform, which had been bothering him, and leaned back comfortably against the headboard.

Baek Sa approached, watching him with a strange look in his eyes for a moment.

“I’m doing as you said. What now?”

When Baek Sa suddenly reached out his hand, Ha-gyeom flinched. Despite his resistance, Baek Sa rubbed the exposed part of his neck. The touch was so warm that it felt overwhelming, and then Baek Sa’s hand slid up to trace along his jawline and caress the wounded earlobe.

“It’s better to rest now. Once we arrive, it’ll be a relentless march.”

His words were gentle, but the way his hand pressed against the wound was more of a firm reminder not to forget why it was there.

Ha-gyeom, who had been staring almost entranced at Baek Sa’s lowered gaze, nodded slowly. Following Baek Sa’s cold stare, Ha-gyeom felt as though the heavy weight on his chest was tightening even more. He licked his parched lips and looked away first.

He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks.

Soon, Baek Sa withdrew his hand and left the room without hesitation. Ha-gyeom buried himself in the bed and pulled the blanket over his head.

He hated how his body reacted so automatically, as if he had already been tamed. It drove him mad.

---

As Ha-gyeom stepped onto the deck with Tae-seong, a shadow loomed overhead. He looked up to see Baek Sa on the stern, changing his magazine, with the dark forms of monsters hovering above him. Between the monsters and Baek Sa, the waves of energy created by Yeo Jin-joo and himself were rippling.

“When did this start?” Ha-gyeom asked.

“About 30 minutes after we set off,” Tae-seong replied lazily. The monsters circled the ship as if they were hunting prey. Though they were similar in shape to those that often appeared near the center, these mid-level monsters were three to four times larger.

If it had been someone like Yang Ga-eun or Han Young-jae, who loved to show off, they would have made a noisy display, trying to break through the waves. But Baek Sa stood rooted in place, completely still. As soon as the new magazine clicked into place, he held his rifle steady and aimed at the monsters above.

Despite the relatively small size of the bullets compared to the monsters, an esper could easily pierce the most vital part of the monster’s heart with a single shot. Baek Sa, as if guided by an inner eye, carefully pulled the trigger.

Bang, bang, bang!

Three shots rang out in quick succession. Three monsters plummeted into the sea. With a massive splash, the enormous blue bodies collided with the bow of the ship before disappearing beneath the waves.

Ha-gyeom glanced down at his hands, feeling tense. Maintaining the wave was not difficult, but detecting and managing such powerful energy was unfamiliar to him.

Everyone on the ship, including Baek Sa, was within his wave. The responsibility weighed on him.

“How long do you plan to keep playing around like this?” Park Ha shouted as he sprinted across the deck toward Baek Sa. In each of his hands, he held a heavy-looking machine gun. Despite being modified and collected over time, they showed no signs of wear.

“Stop messing around and finish it. We’ll be docking soon!”

With ease, Park Ha tossed the massive guns to Baek Sa, who caught them effortlessly in each hand.

Ha-gyeom clenched his whole body and gritted his teeth. If it had been him, his shoulders or elbows would have been dislocated. Just watching made him break out in a cold sweat, but Baek Sa merely smiled slightly and lifted the guns with ease.

Sensing the danger, the monsters circling above began to lower their altitude. The air between them swirled with a force that sucked everything toward the dark center, radiating a lethal level of radiation. Anything caught in it would dissolve without a trace.

“How much time until we dock?” Baek Sa asked.

“Fifteen minutes!” Park Ha responded cheerfully. Ha-gyeom knew that mid-level monsters were mere toys for S-rank espers, but he couldn’t shake his nervousness, not being accustomed to combat.

Without realizing it, Ha-gyeom stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Baek Sa.

“Don’t get in the way, get back here,” Tae-seong grumbled, pulling Ha-gyeom by the arm. Ha-gyeom was soon dragged under the eaves of the deck’s entrance, confused as to why he was being taken to a place where his view was obstructed.

As the monsters drew closer, the noise, reminiscent of a black hole, grew so loud it felt like it might tear his eardrums apart. Ha-gyeom patted Tae-seong’s shoulder, shouting, “What if he gets hurt?”

“Who? Baek Sa?” Tae-seong asked, incredulous. Park Ha, catching on to their conversation, shook his head along with Tae-seong.

“Hurt? Baek Sa? You really don’t know what you’re talking about….”

An esper who had entrusted all the monsters to Baek Sa, Park Ha stood by casually with his arms crossed. Ha-gyeom, frustrated, wanted to headbutt him, but Tae-seong’s firm grip kept him rooted under the eaves.

A loud, resonant hum filled the air.

“Damn it! My ears are going to bleed, Baek Sa!” Park Ha shouted again, and only then did Baek Sa take aim.

Although it was difficult to see with the naked eye, Ha-gyeom, as a guide, could clearly sense the strange energy coursing through Baek Sa’s entire body.

He could also see it.

The energy controlled, causing muscles and veins to bulge, a heart beating rapidly, but with a breath and consciousness that remained calm and focused, his eyes locked sharply on the enemy.

Bang!

The first shot sliced through the air, followed by an explosive volley of gunfire. Even before the modifications, these guns were capable of firing over a thousand rounds per minute. Once Baek Sa pulled the trigger, the bullets shot into the sky like a torrential downpour in reverse.

Not a single bullet was wasted.

As the smell of burning filled the air, a grayish smoke spread around Baek Sa. The monsters screamed as they fell into the sea, some crashing onto the deck, others colliding with the ship’s chimney or structures before tumbling away.

Woo-woooo!

The monsters’ blue blood surged like a wave, reaching Ha-gyeom’s feet. Watching Baek Sa with frenzied eyes, Park Ha gagged, his body coated in the blood. Ha-gyeom could only imagine the stench that would have filled the air had they been outside his wave.

In slow motion, Ha-gyeom’s eyes took in the chaotic scene, his mouth hanging open. He never thought he’d be grateful to Tae-seong, but thanks to him, he narrowly avoided ending up like Park Ha.

As he stared at the broken bodies of the monsters falling around him, he returned his gaze to Baek Sa. Even though Baek Sa was just as drenched in the sticky blood as Park Ha, he was still focused on firing his guns. Despite his earlier playfulness, he never lost concentration, continuing until every last bullet was spent and the trigger clicked empty.

Though he was undeniably strong, Ha-gyeom couldn’t ignore Baek Sa’s characteristic sense of ennui. It didn’t match at all with the righteous and clean image of Baek Seung-woo that Ha-gyeom knew.

“……”

When the shooting stopped, an eerie silence fell over them. If not for the sound of the waves, they might have desperately plugged their ears.

Steam rose from the monsters, whose bodies had not yet cooled. Everyone watched the aftermath of the carnage with grim expressions. At least half the ship was in shambles. There were even a few workers who had ended up covered in blood.

Ha-gyeom pressed himself against the doorway, trying to distance himself from the blood that had inched closer.

“Damn it! No consideration whatsoever!”

Park Ha, who had been standing under the monsters, shouted in frustration. With a swish, Baek Sa leaped down onto the deck, glanced up at the sky one last time, and closed the distance between them.

It was a clear, sunny spring day. Despite the chaos, Baek Sa hadn’t even broken a sweat. He tossed the boiling-hot guns at Park Ha’s feet. His handsome face and tight-fitting combat uniform were both stained with monster blood.

“Consideration, you say.”

He replied to Park Ha before glancing at Ha-gyeom. The waves were still strong, and Ha-gyeom, just as when he first stepped onto the deck, remained clean—except for his still gaping mouth.

“I’m going to clean up. Wait at the pier when we dock.”

Baek Sa ordered. Park Ha and Tae-seong nodded briskly.

Ha-gyeom, still in a daze, watched as Baek Sa approached him. Baek Sa habitually reached for Ha-gyeom’s wrist but hesitated, looking at his sticky hand.

Not a drop of blood had touched Ha-gyeom’s sleeve; it was as clean as before.

“You, come with me.”