Chapter 86: You have a storage space?

Within the clearing, Erick and the others rested for a while before setting off again.

This time, however, something in the atmosphere felt different.

Lucien obediently followed along at the back of the group with the other Guides, unusually quiet and keeping to himself.

Almost as if he was thinking about something important or struggling to make a difficult decision.

Zephyr, who wanted to walk with him, was instead pulled to the front by Oreon and Jake, leaving the two of them separated.

They continued through the twisted, withered trees in silence. Every so often, Erick would signal for everyone to stop after sensing monsters nearby, and the group would prepare for another fight.

Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any more S-Rank monsters over the next few hours.

The only monsters they came across were lower-ranked ones, which Jake, Oreon, and the burly Esper eagerly stepped forward to handle. After watching Erick and Zephyr dominate the battlefield earlier, they finally had a chance to show off their own strength, unleashing their abilities with renewed enthusiasm as if determined to prove that they were powerful Espers too.

By the time they finally emerged from the twisted, withered trees, the crimson sun hanging overhead had deepened in color.

For the first time in hours, patches of green grass appeared beneath their feet, replacing the dry leaves and scattered bones that had covered the otherwise barren ground.

A short distance ahead, a narrow, straight body of water stretched across their path, its glistening, clear surface separating two completely different landscapes. Behind them lay the endless stretch of withered trees, while the land across the water was dotted with patches of healthy green trees.

Jake’s eyes lit up the moment he spotted the water. The air had grown hotter with every passing hour, and there was still no sign of nightfall. The relentless heat had left everyone feeling slightly dizzy, making the sight of the water a welcome relief.

Without wasting another second, Jake hurried toward the narrow stream. He crouched at the edge and carefully examined the water, checking its clarity and looking for anything unusual floating beneath the surface. He then scooped up a small amount in his hand and brought it close to his nose, checking for any strange smell.

Finding none, he dipped his fingers into the water, feeling its coolness against his skin. After a moment of hesitation, he brought a small amount to his lips and took a cautious sip.

A relieved smile spread across his face.

"It’s clean!"

Jake immediately turned around and looked back at the others, raising his voice so everyone could hear.

"Finally, something to drink! The water is clean, guys!"

Then, he couldn’t help but complain.

"We really should have brought some food and water before entering this dungeon."

Oreon immediately rushed over, shoved him aside, and began scooping up handfuls of water to drink as though he had been wandering through a desert for days. Unlike the two of them, the others remained much more restrained, approaching the water cautiously rather than rushing in.

Zephyr, however, didn’t approach right away. He first spread his mana across the surface and into the depths of the water, carefully checking for anything unusual. Once he confirmed that the water was safe, he knelt down, scooped up some water, and drank. He then splashed some onto his face, enjoying the coolness against his heated skin.

As his mana continued to spread through the water, he suddenly sensed several small creatures swimming beneath the surface.

Fish.

Zephyr blinked in surprise before turning toward Jake and Oreon, who had already started bickering after Oreon shoved Jake.

"Can someone check whether the fish in this water are normal?"

He asked calmly.

"We can light a fire and eat them."

Jake and Oreon immediately stopped bickering and rushed over at the mention of food. Starting a fire was easy enough, and although they had no spices or seasonings, they could still roast the fish.

However, the moment Jake got a closer look at the fish, his excitement faded. He hesitated, staring at them with uncertainty.

"Although these little fish look perfectly normal, food found in a dungeon is never something you can take for granted. What if they’re poisonous or dangerous? Are we really sure it’s safe to eat them?"

Oreon also stopped reaching for the fish, his hand hovering over the water.

Everyone fell silent for a moment before their attention shifted toward Erick, who had remained completely uninvolved in the discussion. He was the only one who could reliably determine whether the fish were safe to eat. After all, he was the strongest person there after Zephyr and had the most experience clearing high-level dungeons.

Unlike the others, Erick hadn’t even bothered to approach the water.

Only then did they notice Erick leaning casually against the trunk of a withered tree behind them, calmly drinking from a plastic bottle of clean water.

Yes, a plastic bottle.

Everyone stared at him, stunned.

Where had he even gotten that bottle from?!

Those who had previously seen Erick pull an exquisite sword out of thin air immediately understood what was going on.

Oreon was the first to react. He pointed toward Erick, his eyes widening slightly.

"You have a storage space?!"

Erick paused mid-sip. He lowered the bottle slightly and looked at them, completely unfazed by their reactions.

"I do."

Jake’s expression twisted in disbelief.

"How many bottles of water do you have?"

Erick’s answer was casual.

"Quite a lot. I didn’t count."

Jake gritted his teeth.

"And you didn’t think to take out even one while we were all dying of thirst?! None of us have a water-related skill! Could you be any more heartless?"

Erick merely blinked before calmly continuing to drink. Once he finished, the empty bottle vanished from his hand.

Seeing how completely unfazed he was, Jake and Oreon were so furious that they nearly rushed over to beat him up. However, Erick was far stronger than them, so they could only swallow their anger.

Even Eleven and the usually composed A-Rank female Guides accompanying them looked at Erick with clear resentment. Only the burly Esper remained calm, seemingly unconcerned by the whole situation.

After all, the water belonged to Erick. He had no obligation to share it with them, even if his complete lack of consideration was enough to make them furious.

While everyone was focused on Erick, Lucien quietly sat down beside Zephyr. After a moment, as though he had finally made up his mind about something, he reached out and gently brushed his fingers against Zephyr’s arm.

No one else noticed the subtle gesture, but Zephyr immediately froze. He slowly turned his head toward Lucien, his expression slightly dazed.

Then Lucien’s quiet voice reached his ears.

"Do you need guiding? You used so much mana earlier. It would be better to get some guiding before your condition gets worse."

He paused briefly before adding.

"And... thank you for giving me the fruits."

Zephyr lowered his eyes, and Lucien’s heart gave a tiny thump. For a moment, it felt as though Zephyr could see straight through all his schemes, as though nothing he tried to hide could ever escape those gray eyes.

Yet Zephyr said nothing.

Instead, he quietly reached out and took Lucien’s hand, his fingers gently curling around it.

"I don’t need guiding for now. I’m fine."

His voice was soft, almost indulgent.

"And you don’t need to thank me either. I wanted to give those fruits to you."

Lucien didn’t pull his hand away, feeling the slightly cool fingers curled around his own.

He swallowed and stared at Zephyr. Seeing the affection in his gaze, he knew he could no longer ignore what he had been ignoring until now. Zephyr liked him. He did. In the end, Lucien could only squeeze out a quiet.

"Okay."

At that moment, a chilling voice sounded above their heads.

"What are you two doing?"

Lucien immediately snapped his head up, only to meet a familiar pair of golden eyes staring down at him gloomily, almost as if Erick wanted to kill him right then and there.

If looks could kill, Lucien was certain he would have died many times over by now.

Erick’s gaze dropped to their clasped hands before he coldly questioned Lucien.

"You’re guiding him?"

Zephyr finally looked up as well. The softness he had shown Lucien moments ago had vanished, replaced by his usual calm expression as he turned toward Erick.

"No. And even if he were, you shouldn’t interrupt when two people are talking."

His tone remained composed, but there was a faint, impatient edge to his words.

Erick’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

However, he didn’t argue.

Instead, he simply smiled. After all, he had already understood how to handle Zephyr.

"I’m sorry about that. I have some food in my storage space. Since everyone is hungry, I thought I would take it out. It’s not much, but it’s safer than those fish in the water."

He paused, his gaze briefly shifting between them.

"I only came to ask if you two wanted to join us."

Behind Erick, Jake, Oreon, and the others were shocked by his two-faced behavior!

This guy hadn’t even bothered to take out a single bottle of water to help them earlier, yet now, he suddenly remembered he had food in his storage space?! Damn it!

Why hadn’t he mentioned that when they were all asking him if the fish were edible?!