Chapter 106: I’ll help you recover

Jake was experiencing the worst moment of his life.

His legs trembled with every step, his lungs felt as though they were on fire, and the darkness behind him was rapidly devouring everything in its path.

To make matters worse, he was carrying a Guide over his shoulder! Every step felt like an unbearable struggle, and his strength was rapidly dwindling.

He was going to die.

The realization struck him with terrifying clarity.

He was actually going to die here!

A breathless, almost hysterical laugh escaped him as he forced his legs to move faster.

Fuck!

He hadn’t even had a girlfriend yet!

The darkness crept closer.

"NO... I REFUSE TO DIE LIKE THIS!"

Summoning the last scraps of strength left in his body, Jake let out a desperate scream and lunged forward. Just as the darkness brushed against his body, he threw himself and the Guide over his shoulder through the portal.

They crashed onto the ground outside.

For several seconds, Jake lay motionless. Then he dragged in a desperate breath.

"I’m... alive..."

His voice was barely a whisper.

Several people hurried toward him.

"Don’t move! You’re completely exhausted!"

"Don’t... worry..."

Jake wheezed, each word scraping painfully out of his throat. His voice was so hoarse that he barely recognized it himself.

"I... wasn’t... planning to..."

He swallowed a breath, his chest heaving.

"...move... ever again."

Despite his words, Jake’s entire body continued to twitch and spasm from exhaustion. The Association’s support team immediately called for a healing-type Esper, who rushed over and began treating him.

The moment Jake was carried away, the enormous dungeon portal began to disintegrate.

Cracks spread across its surface, branching outward until the entire structure shattered into countless dark particles. They drifted through the air like ash, gradually thinning until the last trace of the portal vanished.

The crowd fell silent, staring at the empty space where the portal had stood moments ago.

"The portal... disappeared?"

"What does that mean?"

"Did they... clear the dungeon?"

Shock rippled through the crowd.

The most stunned were the S-rank Espers who had previously mocked Erick and challenged him to clear the dungeon alongside a blind Esper. They had expected him to fail, perhaps even suffer serious injuries. Yet the dungeon had collapsed before their eyes, and Erick had emerged alive.

Before anyone could process what had happened, a voice suddenly rang out from within the crowd.

"Wait! Gilbert hasn’t come out yet!"

The words silenced the surrounding chatter.

Those who knew Gilbert exchanged glances, their expressions gradually turning grim.

They all understood what his absence meant.

If Gilbert hadn’t emerged before the portal disappeared, there was only one likely explanation.

He was dead.

"What a pity..."

Someone murmured.

Gilbert might have been arrogant and difficult to get along with, but there was no denying his strength. As an S-rank Esper, he had been a valuable asset to the Association, someone whose abilities could not easily be replaced.

Meanwhile, through the ambulance window, Jake caught a glimpse of the dark sky.

He stared at it for a long moment.

’...Wow.’

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

’I never knew... B City’s night sky... was this beautiful.’

Then his eyes slowly closed, and he, too, lost consciousness.

As the ambulances carrying the exhausted Espers and Guides entered the safe zone, they were immediately swarmed by reporters. Cameras flashed, and microphones were thrust toward the Association’s personnel as journalists clamored for answers about the disaster.

Amid the chaos, the unconscious Espers and Guides were soon transported back to M City. However, the situation there was no better. An even larger crowd had gathered outside the Association’s headquarters.

Among them were numerous reporters and Erick’s fans, many of whom were furious.

"Why does Erick have to do everything?"

One reporter demanded.

"He cleared an S-rank dungeon just recently! Why was he sent into another dangerous dungeon so soon?"

"Exactly! Does the Association consider him their servant?"

"And why was a blind Esper sent with him? Was Erick supposed to babysit him while fighting monsters?"

Some people had heard rumors about Zephyr’s strength, including claims that he had killed numerous monsters. However, those rumors did little to appease the angry crowd.

"Even if that blind Esper is powerful, does that mean the Association can send him along to be a burden without a second thought?"

Someone shouted.

"How many people have died in these dungeon disasters? Is this how the Association intends to protect us?"

The accusations grew louder as reporters broadcast the controversy live, drawing even more public attention to the incident.

The heads of the Association tried desperately to calm the crowd and explain the circumstances surrounding the sudden dungeon break.

However, every explanation seemed to invite another accusation, and the situation continued to spiral out of control.

Eventually, the government was forced to intervene.

It took an entire day of negotiations, public statements, and repeated efforts to appease the angry public before the situation finally began to settle.

By then, the heads of the Association were utterly exhausted.

***

Unaware of everything that had unfolded outside, Zephyr was helped onto a sofa in one of the guiding rooms inside the Association building. Even after half the night and the following day spent receiving medical treatment, his body remained sluggish and unresponsive. He sank into the cushions, too exhausted to move.

His eyes were closed, but he wasn’t entirely unconscious. His body had been pushed far beyond its limits during the escape, leaving him utterly drained.

He could faintly register his surroundings, but his thoughts drifted in and out of focus, leaving him caught somewhere between wakefulness and unconsciousness.

Then he felt something touch his hand.

A faint frown appeared between his brows.

The touch was gentle at first, barely more than a brush against his fingers. Then it slowly traveled toward his wrist and along his arm.

Zephyr’s expression darkened.

Who is this?

An unfamiliar guiding wavelength entered his body, spreading through him in a slow, deliberate current.

It wasn’t Lucien’s.

Even in his current state, Zephyr could recognize Lucien’s guiding wavelength without difficulty.

This person was someone else.

Zephyr tried to withdraw his hand, but his exhausted body barely responded.

"D-Don’t... worry."

A soft, hesitant voice stammered beside him.

"I’ll help you recover."

Zephyr’s frown deepened.

He didn’t want this person’s help.

Unfortunately, he was too exhausted to make his displeasure clear. Meanwhile, the Guide sitting beside him was experiencing an entirely different problem.

The man had a soft, delicate appearance and an almost timid air about him. He had volunteered to guide Zephyr, expecting the process to be more pleasurable than guiding other Espers after hearing that Zephyr had one hundred percent compatibility with every Guide.

What he hadn’t anticipated was how overwhelming the sensation would be the moment his guiding wavelength entered Zephyr’s body.

His fingers trembled.

"U-Ugh..."

His voice faltered as a deep flush spread across his cheeks. An intense wave of pleasure washed over him, and he instinctively pressed his thighs together, his body growing embarrassingly tense as he realized he was hard.

He tried to steady his breathing and concentrate on the guiding, but the overwhelming sensation only made it harder to focus.

"Why is the pleasure so strong?"

The young Guide swallowed nervously.

So this is what one hundred percent compatibility feels like...