HG | Chapter 37

Drip.

A bead of sweat hanging from the tip of his chin fell to the ground.

Whoosh—

The explosive burst of Hakyung’s energy. The force that had enveloped the two of them completely covered the ‘abnormal phenomenon’ that had approached right up to them.

Light.

There was light everywhere. Even Cheonghyeon found it difficult to distinguish anything in the intense brilliance that spread like waves. In the blinding light, he quickly grabbed Hakyung and held him close, not wanting to lose him.

And then, as if waiting, the esper energy surged. The immense power synchronized with his partner’s energy and roared like a wild wave.

Suddenly, an impulse surged within him. It felt like he should unleash even the long-suppressed power and let it run wild.

It was as if the force spreading in all directions had attached wings to his back and was pushing him forward. If Hakyung had been spreading the light from a somewhat safe place, he would have immediately rushed out to slaughter the monsters.

How long had they been like that?

“Huff… Hic…”

Amidst the light that still dominated his vision, Cheonghyeon faintly caught a groaning sound. The source was his chest. Though he couldn’t see, all his other senses were intact.

The body in his arms was as hot as an overheated light bulb.

He wrapped his arms around Hakyung’s head and shoulders, pulling him close, and whispered.

“That’s enough. Hakyung. That’s enough.”

Without being able to see, it was hard to gauge how long the light had been emanating. It felt like a few seconds, or maybe a few minutes. If it was only a few seconds, the monsters might rush in once the light was withdrawn.

Despite the mixed dangers, Cheonghyeon forcibly lifted Hakyung’s hands from the ground.

The reaction was immediate.

Until then, the guiding energy had been meeting his partner’s energy, extending limitlessly in the form of light. But as Hakyung’s energy supply was cut off, it began to recede rapidly.

His vision gradually returned. Hakyung seemed about to collapse, leaning against Cheonghyeon’s chest, gasping for breath.

“Hah, hah…”

T-This is hard. I feel like I’m going to die.

His entire body was drenched in cold sweat. The backlash from squeezing himself dry hit him belatedly. He felt incredibly hollow and strangely nauseous.

“D-Dad…”

Father. He didn’t even have the strength to fully utter those three syllables. As if understanding his state, the arms holding Hakyung were especially firm today.

Cheonghyeon pressed his lips to what he guessed was Hakyung’s forehead.

“My child, you did well. I’ll take care of the rest, so you can sleep.”

To mention the conclusion first, he wanted to keep that promise, but he couldn’t.

As his vision fully returned, the land was revealed. The place where the light from the F-rank guide had receded was astonishingly clean.

“……!”

Cheonghyeon’s eyes widened slightly. No matter where he looked on the vast land, there wasn’t a trace of monsters. If he wasn’t dreaming with his eyes open, it meant that the guiding energy had truly dealt with the monsters.

“…Huh.”

It was as if monsters had never existed in the first place, and the surroundings were silent. The land, covered by the flood of light, had naturally transformed into new soil and green sprouts.

No joke, even from Cheonghyeon’s distant perspective, the boundary of the green land was indistinct. Just moments ago, he thought he had changed quite a bit, but when he turned around, the black earth was faintly visible.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to see further. What he saw was nothing but vibrant green.

“Child, look over there.”

“Huh…?”

Half-asleep, Hakyung gazed at the place the man pointed to with blurry eyes.

‘What am I supposed to see…’

It was an empty space with nothing. Cheonghyeon leaned his jaw next to Hakyung’s head and explained.

“Don’t you see? You got rid of the monsters and changed all that.”

“Oh….”

“At least when you look back, there’s no contaminated land. You turned it all back.”

‘I turned it back.’

Hakyung slowly chewed over those words. Reading the excitement in Cheonghyeon’s voice, he realized the significance of what he had accomplished.

‘…I did it.’

He protected the old house his father wanted.

A faint smile finally appeared on Hakyung’s face. The pride of having accomplished something, the satisfaction of having performed well as a guide, the embarrassment of seeing his father happy…. Along with countless unnamed emotions, they swirled in the heart of the newly budding guide.

‘…It’s fun.’

That was the most important core. The fun of working in harmony with an esper as a guide.

His sweat-drenched face crinkled into a smile. His already bright face looked even more lively with the sweat.

“Mmm….”

As his partner and lover, there was no way Cheonghyeon would let that sight pass. He gently pressed down on his son’s chin and aligned their lips.

“Mmm, ah…!”

The kiss was rather rough. His thick tongue filled Hakyung’s mouth, rubbing against his tongue.

Gulp, Hakyung naturally swallowed the saliva pooling at the root of his tongue. In the position of receiving the lips descending from above while in his embrace, it felt like Cheonghyeon was pouring into him.

His breath, his heart, his emotions and senses, the entire existence of ‘Im Cheonghyeon.’

“Mmm, hngh…!”

Smooch, smack, slurp!

“Open your mouth more. Easy… Good, child.”

Was this the taste of a kiss shared after completing a mission? The breathlessness was the same as usual, but now he liked this breathlessness.

The feeling of being vividly alive.

Gulp, gulp, the constantly pooling saliva being swallowed was pleasant, and the sensation of the tongue licking up what he couldn’t swallow in time made him feel the life of this moment.

I am now, safely alive, sharing a kiss with my lover.

“Hah, hngh, ah…! D-Dad….”

He didn’t have the strength to utter another syllable, so it didn’t sound like ‘Dad.’ It was the ‘Dad’ in the sense he had defined as his lover.

“Huff, hngh….”

Cheonghyeon crumbled helplessly at that call. His young lover was seeking him. A human made of only the sweetest and most lovely things in the world. As if that existence was a sugar cookie, Cheonghyeon persistently licked and sucked the tender lips and tongue.

Hakyung, too, responded to the man’s lips without backing down. He pressed and rubbed the soft surface of his lips, opened his throat, and accepted the tongue.

Just as the esper’s lifeline was the guide, the guide’s nectar was also the esper.

While exchanging lips with Cheonghyeon, drinking his saliva, and inhaling his breath, Hakyung felt the fatigue gradually fading.

It was a somewhat unfamiliar feeling. A guide’s role was commonly to replenish the esper’s strength, wasn’t it? But in this situation, it seemed he had misunderstood.

Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around the back of his neck and pulled him closer. Cheonghyeon’s breath became rougher in response. Hearing the excited, beast-like breathing, the movements of the muscles twitching like an animal were vividly drawn in his mind.

While they were engrossed in stealing each other’s breath, the system window appeared again.

《 SYSTEM 》

The commander is enraged. The monster rush evolves into a monster wave. Prepare for the impending monster attack.

《 SYSTEM 》

To stop the monster wave, calm or defeat the commander.

The heat that had risen so intensely plummeted to freezing in an instant. Cheonghyeon’s eyes turned cold, and Hakyung gaped in shock.

‘There’s something worse than a monster rush?!’

It was fortunate that he had somewhat recovered his energy from the kiss; otherwise, he would have been a burden.

Experience is an asset, and even in his surprise, Hakyung naturally thought of going into battle. The experience of having done his part was that important.

Of course, Cheonghyeon’s role was significant in reaching that thought.

An esper who slashed monsters like a machine without a single failure. Hakyung had already changed his mind even before using his skill. Honestly, he felt confident enough to enter the monster lair now. No, he had gained the confidence not to back down or scream, no matter where it was.

If there was a human specialized in cutting, slicing, and killing monsters, look up and see Im Cheonghyeon.

Hakyung was convinced like a person indoctrinated. There would be no monsters left in Im Cheonghyeon’s hands.

“I’m curious about what this commander looks like.”

Cheonghyeon grumbled as he laid Hakyung on the ground. He seemed indifferent to the fact that something worse than a monster rush was coming.

‘Is it not that serious?’

Hakyung, observing Cheonghyeon’s demeanor, gradually relaxed. He felt embarrassed, thinking he had overreacted.

“But Dad… what is that?”

Cheonghyeon, grumbling as if annoyed, took out a bundle of strings from a bag connected to his belt. The tough fabric, as thick as two fingers combined, was connected to a round silver ring in several strands. However, there were so many connected fabrics and rings that it was impossible to guess its purpose.

“Child, your legs.”

“Lift my legs…?”

“Yes.”

As soon as he placed his fingers in the large hand, his upper body was swiftly pulled up. Cheonghyeon embraced Hakyung, who was awkwardly seated, and continued to arrange the strings.

Click, click.

He connected the joints and passed the remaining strings over Hakyung’s shoulders and latissimus dorsi. Then he twisted and hooked the rings at the intersecting points.

After a few connections, Hakyung fully understood the purpose of the strings. In fact, it was almost at the point of the last connection.

“D-Dad…!”

It was too late to refuse.

“Oh, child, just bear with it a little. It’s almost done, almost done.”

Cheonghyeon spoke as if soothing a whining baby. Unaware of how dizzying it felt.

He wasn’t lying when he said it was almost done. He had securely connected the rings to the front of his upper body, leaving only the thickest fabric. Cheonghyeon spread the strings wide to prevent them from tangling, then, without a word, lifted Hakyung onto his back.

“Ugh…!”

“Up we go.”

Click, click.

Startled by the sudden shift, Hakyung opened every hole in his face in shock.

“…! ……!”

Cheonghyeon, who had already straightened up, looked around his body like someone checking out a new outfit in front of a mirror.

“Hmm, the fit is better than I thought?”

“T-This, w-what is-.”

Hakyung barely managed to open his mouth, but unfortunately, he couldn’t form a complete sentence. However, Cheonghyeon was the one who had raised Hakyung, listening to his baby babble. He easily understood and wore a satisfied smile.

“Oh, this? Child, don’t you remember?”

He lightly patted Hakyung’s bottom, which was suspended in the air.

“It’s called a podaegi¹.”

“Ugh…!”

Hakyung’s face burned with embarrassment and shame.

Who wouldn’t know what a podaegi is…!

Of course, unlike the familiar podaegi made of wide fabric like a blanket, this was a novel form made of intertwined strings. But the important thing wasn’t that; it was the fact that he had brought a modified podaegi for use in the dungeon without a word to him.

‘Who uses something like this in a dungeon….’

Ah…. Dad….

Whether Hakyung buried his face in his palms out of embarrassment or not, Cheonghyeon lightly bounced on the spot and swung his back side to side.

“I wanted to try this at least once? Never had the chance, but I should thank that commander.”

“……”

He couldn’t bring himself to call his beloved father a lunatic, so Hakyung chose silence, having nothing to say.

“If you feel like you’re going to get motion sickness, just throw up. It’s only natural. Child, are you listening to Dad?”

“…Yes….”

His forced response was sullen. Trying to replenish his energy, Hakyung took out the remaining cookies and ate them.

Whistle, Cheonghyeon whistled.

“They’ve come quite a bit.”

The horde of monsters charged tirelessly. But there was something leading the pack ahead of them. Cheonghyeon’s eyes narrowed.

“Is that… the commander?”

“T-The commander?”

Hakyung, who hadn’t let go of his last thread of sanity, quickly raised his head. He gently held onto his father’s shoulder, trying not to exert any force on his body. No matter how much of a powerhouse his father was, lifting him like a snack bag, it would surely be a burden to fight like this.

“Child, relax.”

Cheonghyeon turned his hand back and tapped his son’s bottom. He even kneaded the plump flesh with both hands.

“Ugh… T-The commander’s coming….”

“Is that more important than my son’s bottom?”

The system window’s appearance was like a signal announcing the start of a game. It formalized the start of the game board and provided some preparation time before the enemy horde arrived. This tendency was especially pronounced when monsters moved in large numbers.

And Cheonghyeon always sensed and utilized that ‘waiting time.’

This time, he used that time to secure Hakyung on his back. Going into battle with someone to protect on his back. In a way, it was like receiving a new quest after a long time.

The combat sense from when he was actively exploring dungeons without rest was returning. Although he hadn’t stopped going to dungeons after his official retirement, it couldn’t compare to the sharp sense honed by killing different boss monsters in different dungeons every day.

‘It’s enjoyable.’

For the first time in a while, he found interest in dungeon conquest. Yes, fun. An emotion he could never experience in the dungeon.

The dungeon he once wanted to blow up out of frustration had transformed into a playground with his son. In a way, the current situation was like teaming up with his son and playing war games with other kids.

“Child, they’re nothing. You played war games with your friends at the playground when you were little, right? Think of it like that.”

“Huh…?”

“Dad is on our Hakyung’s side.”

Thud, thud, thud!

Just then, the waiting time ended. The monsters charged like bulls, shaking the entire ground.

“Hold on tight.”

With a short warning, Cheonghyeon ‘leaped’ out.

“Ahhhh!”

Could a person shoot out like a bullet? It was possible. Cheonghyeon shot out without a running start and landed precisely where he aimed.

Right in front of the commander.

“Hello?”

His canines showed between his widely grinning lips. Cheonghyeon, who greeted politely, clenched his right fist and swung it.

Thud!

It was a pure strike without using any skills. To Cheonghyeon, it was genuinely a greeting.

With a light punch, half of the commander’s face caved in. The ‘commander’ was peculiarly shaped with a human body on a giant monster’s head, and it was quite rare for a monster to take on a humanoid form, whether in face or body.

[You, damn, fucking…!]

“Oh? It talks?”

Cheonghyeon, who was contemplating whether to throw a second punch, paused. Hakyung, who was panting from motion sickness, also clearly heard the monster’s curse. But the strange familiarity in that voice… was it just his imagination?

Crack, crack, the sunken face, as if bitten into, began to restore itself. Cheonghyeon rubbed his chin with the hand he had punched with. He, too, was searching his memory for the familiar tone.

Then, as if revealing its identity, the pitch-black head began to change. Like a clump of black dust being sucked into a point, a human face appeared where it had seeped in.

If not for the corpse-like pale skin, it was a form believable as a living person.

The ‘monster’ grinned widely, splitting its lips.

[You damn, Im Hakyung. I was right. How long have you been sticking with your dad?]

That voice…!