FTE 022

I gritted my teeth. Chae Won-u was slowly pushing away the dirt and advancing forward. I focused all five senses on listening while repeatedly clenching my fists. For now, it seemed possible to prevent Chae Won-u from dying due to heart paralysis or ruptured blood vessels.

Let’s concentrate immediately. It was obvious, and there was no other way. The path we were creating right now was the only viable option.

The arm broke instantly.

“Ah…”

Sometimes, extreme pain isn’t felt at first. Unfortunately, the last bullet slightly missed the monster’s vital point. It was one mistake out of 10 attempts.

Fortunately, the confused monster couldn’t reach my neck but it was unfortunate that it was already too close to me. I lost strength and tried to prevent its proboscis from hitting my body with my arm, which collided with the much heavier monster’s body. Something about falling energy… Anyway, didn’t it make it even heavier? To avoid being knocked back, I braced myself by pressing down on my heels, barely managing to stand. In an instant, cold sweat poured like rain. It wasn’t pleasant to see my own arm twisted strangely.

I gritted my teeth belatedly to suppress a scream while my mind raced. Approximately 27 seconds ago, Chae Won-u’s vital signs weren’t good. This turn, I had to guide him for sure.

However, my ability to provide cover was greatly reduced due to the injury, and I couldn’t create any more time. Based on the attacks so far, there were four or five monsters each time. The one I just killed was the fourth, so if we were lucky…

‘8 seconds, 9 seconds, 10 seconds…’

Fortunately, no monsters approached while counting up to 15 seconds. Finally, I called out to Chae Won-u.

“Hunter Chae…”

Chae Won-u was concentrating all his abilities as instructed. That was fortunate. If he had known about my injury earlier, it might have affected his concentration, potentially causing issues for him. In the worst-case scenario, the displaced earth could have rushed back towards us.

“Don’t look back now. Absolutely not… Okay. Take a brief pause and glance at me.”

I felt my vision flickering repeatedly due to the intense pain. I needed to stay focused. Using medication was truly undesirable, but it couldn’t be helped now. I took out a morphine-based analgesic from my utility belt and injected it into my thigh. Along with a dull ache, I could feel the drug spreading through me. Almost simultaneously after removing the needle, I leaned against a nearby tree that was tilted towards us, barely rooted in the ground. Just then, Chae Won-u retracted his ability and turned to look at me.

“H-Hyung!”

Chae Won-u removed his goggles and bandana, quickly sitting beside me.

“Listen carefully.”

Chae Won-u nodded, even as his hand reached for his belt. He produced a folding splint and bandages. Fortunately—or rather, unsurprisingly—Chae Won-u wasn’t the type to panic when things didn’t go according to plan.

“We haven’t stopped coming here. So far, four or five monsters have arrived at intervals of two to three minutes. It seems like sporadic spawns.”

“Yes. And what do I need to know?”

“Ugh…” The splint touched my arm. Chae Won-u skillfully applied the bandage. He held it with his mouth while wrapping it around. Even slightly adjusting the position caused terrible pain. For a moment, the agony was so intense that I felt close to losing consciousness. I tightly closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, Chae Won-u had removed the bandage from my mouth and started unwrapping it. Fortunately, the painkillers began to take effect.

“My mind might not be as clear as before.”

“And?”

After wrapping the bandage around my shoulder, Chae Won-u tied a knot. I bowed my head. Damn this bandana! It was frustrating. Using my uninjured hand, I pulled it off. The tip of the knife narrowly missed Chae Won-u’s chest, but he didn’t defend himself at all.

“Chae Won-u, you have already reached your limit.”

I brought my knees together and withdrew the blade. From now on, relying on the gun would be better.

“My limit…”

“Yes, your limit.”

Even amidst this situation, there was a countdown bustling in my mind: 59, 58, 57…

“You know we don’t have much time left?”

In my drowsy state due to morphine, I managed a smile. It might’ve looked peculiar. We were even illuminating each other with searchlights—brutal angles, drenched in sweat, and feeling the effects of painkillers. It couldn’t get more perfect.

“Just understand that I’m not as good as usual…”

Then I grabbed Chae Won-u’s neck. Worried about causing strain on my arm if our bodies touched, he hastily braced himself against the ground. The muddy surface felt like a giant sponge. Under the influence of the drugs, it seemed as though we were sinking into that sponge. Our wet and slippery tongues intertwined.

“Mmm…” 

I couldn’t tell if this moan came from me or Chae Won-u. Our hearts were beating at the same pace, both of us severely worn out. Despite feeling utterly exhausted, our survival instincts kicked in, overriding our mental fatigue and heightening our physical arousal. It was likely the same for Chae Won-u; probably even more so.

“Ah…!”

Just as I tried to step back for a breath, he grabbed me and pulled me closer instead. Chae Won-u kissed me deeply, like there was a well inside my mouth. He was terribly clumsy. Compared to him, even when I wasn’t fully conscious, my kisses were on another level. Still, we couldn’t part our lips.

My heart rate wouldn’t slow down. Damn, is this excitement also due to reproductive instincts? 17, 16, 15…

“Good.” Chae Won-u murmured huskily.

“Good…” He kept whispering without pause. Even during brief moments of separation, I didn’t want to waste time talking; I licked his lips gently. The delicate skin around the mouth felt almost akin to inner mucous membranes, being both sensitive and fragile.

Suddenly, a heavy explosion sounded behind us. 3, 2, 1…

We parted our lips.

“Your expression is amazing.”

“…..”

“It’s like your first kiss.”

“You’re right.”

I meant it as a joke.

“Yes, it is my first kiss.”

The spotlight bathed Chae Won-u’s face with yellow light. His sparkling eyes made me inadvertently nervous.

“Isn’t your first kiss supposed to be with someone you love? Then hyung has taken away my first kiss.”

“Well… it feels fucking thrilling.”

I decided to understand only half of what Chae Won-u said. I pretended not to hear about ‘liking’ and assumed he wasn’t fully conscious due to the drug effect.

I felt intoxicated by the drug and my body seemed to have turned to mud due to the guiding effect. Meanwhile, the rustling sound was approaching madly. Chae Won-u grabbed me by the collar and instantly pulled me upright.

As soon as I looked back, I saw torn tree roots. It wasn’t small roots but large ones resembling snakes that had been ripped out. This was the source of the cracking sounds heard earlier. Chae Won-u lowered his hands shaped like a rake before swiftly raising them again. An earth wall emerged, blocking the incoming monsters. However, Chae Won-u’s gaze remained fixed on me rather than ahead.

Ignoring the splashes of mud hitting our legs from the collapsing earth wall, I checked Vital without hesitation.

“Your attempt at looking cool undermined the stability achieved through my guidance.”

His condition wasn’t as close to the limit as before. However, it wasn’t good either. It wasn’t bad but rather strange. Considering our compatibility rate, this level was insufficient. After such a kiss, Chae Won-u’s state should’ve been better than this. The effect was nullified, like hitting against a wall.

“I already said I’m sorry, hyung.” Chae Won-u grinned. His pale face looked weak and on the verge of collapse, yet he exuded intense sensuality. It was amazing. With a forced smile, I raised my gun, supporting my wrist with my other hand, and shot at a monster approaching behind Chae Won-u. Maybe his ears would hurt a bit.

“Let’s go outside.”

Naturally, these words were directed at Chae Won-u, not the rat-like mob.

***

We advanced steadily, maintaining a safe distance. The operation seemed well-planned; the staggered entry of teams effectively dispersed the monster attacks.

But the intervals between encounters were growing longer, and each monster, burrowed underground, became harder to handle. This could only mean one thing—we were getting closer to the ‘core’.

I kept a constant eye on Chae Won-u’s vital signs, kissing him whenever his body temperature reached 39 degrees. The turns were short, and Chae Won-u was getting more tired. This was inevitable. Not only had the recovery speed of the monsters increased but also that of the dungeon terrain. Consequently, the scope of my abilities needed to be expanded accordingly.

“Look here.”

The effect of the drugs was wearing off. My body felt weak. The problem was that not only were our feet sinking into the wet soil as we tried to remove the roots, but it also absorbed us further. Chae Won-u turned his pale face towards me. I placed my arm around Chae Won-u and pulled him. It hurt dully, causing frustration to surge within me. This uncontrollable body and this damn dungeon…

I bit down on Chae Won-u’s lower lip like venting my anger. Then I slightly tilted his chin and kissed him. Our tongues entwined with each other. How many times had we done this already? My lips felt swollen, while Chae Won-u’s remained perfectly fine.

“…Hyung is good at kissing.”

“Of course. Do you know how many times I’ve practiced just with Hunter Chae?”

“Then am I doing well too?”

“No,” I replied honestly, lacking both the physical strength and mental energy to lie.