EVS Chapter 65

He stood guard all through the night.

When small fries approached, he drove them away with his aura. If S-rank monsters, excited by that aura, charged in, he took them far away and beat them to dust so as not to wake Geon-joo. Having relieved all the stiffness from not moving for a while as he watched over Geon-joo’s training, Sa-yoon tapped Geon-joo’s cheek to wake him as the sun began to rise.

The sixth day had dawned.

It was time to leave the forest they had grown attached to and move on.

“How long are you going to sleep? Get up, pretty boy.”

Tap, tap.

Having been warned several times not to wake him with frost energy, he woke him by hand without using his skill. As he kept touching his cheek, Geon-joo, who at first frowned and ignored it, buried his face in his clothes to avoid Sa-yoon’s touch, but then sat up when Sa-yoon started hitting the back of his head.

It was fascinating how he didn’t look ugly even with a drowsy face. When Jongsik occasionally said he felt existential dread seeing Sa-yoon after oversleeping, Sa-yoon wondered why, but seeing Geon-joo now, he somewhat understood what that meant.

Sa-yoon dragged the 22-year-old rookie awakened one, who had managed to sit up but couldn’t open his eyes, to the pond.

“Should I throw you in, or will you wash up?”

When he said this after bringing him to the pond, Geon-joo finally sat down properly and washed his face. The first time Sa-yoon had said this, Geon-joo had complained, asking if he was crazy and why he was so violent, but now he didn’t even whine. Perhaps he had gotten used to it, or maybe he had given up, thinking this person was beyond repair.

Whichever it was, it wasn’t particularly worth worrying about, so Sa-yoon waited until Geon-joo finished washing and then told him to pack up. There wasn’t much to pack anyway. It was just a matter of putting the items left on the ground back into the inventory.

Geon-joo, who had diligently gathered the items as told to pack up, asked in a hoarse voice.

“Where are we going?”

“We can’t keep sticking to this forest now that the special training is over, can we?”

“I asked for the destination, not the reason.”

He seemed more sensitive than usual, probably because he had just woken up. Sa-yoon was about to habitually tell him to shut up and follow, but realizing his counterpart was Geon-joo, he swallowed his words. He hoped that the disillusionment in their relationship would soon fade and be replaced with liking or intimacy. Then, at least, he could say such things comfortably.

Controlling one’s temper is a job too, indeed it is.

After doing a final check to ensure nothing was being left behind, Sa-yoon confirmed there were no issues and started moving.

“We’re going up.”

“Up? You mean where I fell from?”

“Yes. Most bases are up there, so it’s easier to go up if we want to get a base.”

“Base?”

“I explained it on the first day. There are safe zones.”

“Ah.”

Geon-joo let out a small exclamation. As he seemed to be recalling their conversation from the first day, Sa-yoon checked the wind direction to find the way. After walking for about an hour, they were finally able to leave the forest where they had spent most of their time in the field. As they emerged from the densely wooded area, the sunlight beat down intensely. Sa-yoon frowned once and then spotted a cliff in the distance.

“Found it.”

“What kind of place is a base?”

“What kind of place? It’s like a castle. Built to keep monsters out.”

Sa-yoon replied nonchalantly as he grabbed Geon-joo’s arm. The man was startled by the sudden contact. Without giving him a chance to raise questions, Sa-yoon lifted Geon-joo’s arm and embraced him before kicking off from the ground.

Huh! Geon-joo inhaled sharply in surprise and reflexively clung to Sa-yoon. Sa-yoon leaped into the air, heading towards the cliff where Geon-joo had fallen.

“…Couldn’t you say something before doing this?”

“You’d hate it if I told you.”

“I hate it even when you don’t tell me, so isn’t it better to say something?”

“Why should I when it hurts my mouth?”

When Sa-yoon asked shamelessly, the man wrinkled his nose bridge and closed his mouth. This time, he seemed to have rebutted quite logically, but his pretty boy’s expression looked like it was saying, “This is utterly pathetic. To think this person is my guild master.” It seemed that in the five days they had been together, the only thing he had learned was how to read Han Geon-joo’s expressions.

Thinking he could win first place if there was ever a Han Geon-joo expression reading contest, Sa-yoon moved the hand holding Geon-joo’s arm to press the back of his pretty boy’s head firmly against his shoulder.

“If you’re going to make that face, just don’t show it. It’s disheartening.”

If I lose strength, you’re the one who’s going to fall, pretty boy.

At the warning, Geon-joo tilted his head back to avoid Sa-yoon’s hand and resumed his usual expressionless face. Come to think of it, since entering the field, he hadn’t seen Geon-joo smile except for a few wry laughs. He used to smile quite often when they were at the villa, but now that he was more comfortable, his smiles had become rare.

Although the expressionless face was better than seeing him act in front of him, not seeing him smile was a bit disappointing. Wondering why he wasn’t smiling, Sa-yoon abruptly told him to smile, to which Geon-joo frowned and gave him a look that said, “Are you crazy?” Seeing an expression opposite to what he had requested, Sa-yoon realized it was a statement better left unsaid and quietly continued walking on air.

“Where did you get a skill like this?”

As they were quickly ascending the cliff, Geon-joo asked. Though he tried to hide it, both disappointment and expectation were evident in his voice.

“Why, do you need it?”

“It would be nice to have a flight skill, wouldn’t it?”

“It’s expensive, you know.”

“…How much?”

“I think you could learn a D-rank growth type for about 2 billion.”

Of course, Sa-yoon hadn’t paid that money to learn it. He had grabbed the Myeongrang Guild Master by the collar and intimidated him into handing over the skill, obtaining it at the highest rank. As he recalled that memory, Geon-joo tightly closed his mouth. He looked like he had lost his words at the 2 billion figure.

Seeing him like this, he seemed quite cute, and Sa-yoon let out a chuckle. He hugged Geon-joo a bit tighter and increased his speed.

“If you want it, I’ll buy it for you.”

When he said this casually as if it were nothing, Geon-joo’s eyes widened. Sa-yoon glanced incredulously at Geon-joo, who was surprised at the offer to buy him a skill even though he had been using the potions Sa-yoon had given him without hesitation. He looked like he might faint from shock if he knew how much the potions he had used cost.

It would be fun to see his expression if I billed him for the potions.

While imagining his dumbfounded expression, they finally arrived at the top of the cliff. For safety, Sa-yoon moved far from the edge of the cliff before descending to the ground.

“Will you really buy it for me?”

“I’ll give it to you as a congratulatory gift for clearing your first S-rank gate after we clear this gate and get out.”

As the Night Rat Guild Master, can’t I even do that much?

He was willing to even buy a guild for Han Geon-joo if he asked. Ever since learning about the “One Who Resists” disposition and hearing that he needed to find someone with a specific disposition, he had decided to treat them well, and this was a manifestation of that decision.

It was difficult to treat them well in terms of personality, like not getting angry, enduring their arrogance, and not using violence, but treating them well with money? That much he could do.

Thinking that if Jongsik heard this, he would lament, “That’s why you can’t succeed, hyung,” Sa-yoon pressed his fingers against Geon-joo’s furrowed brow as the latter looked at him suspiciously.

“Why are you frowning again? I’m telling you I’ll really buy it for you. Have you only been deceived in life?”

“At least by you, Guild Master.”

When he came at him like that, there wasn’t much to say. Sa-yoon told him not to be so suspicious because he really would buy it for him, then expanded his detection range. Activating all his senses, including those he had deliberately dulled to avoid being bothered by unnecessary things, his pupils, which had momentarily contracted, expanded again, bringing distant scenery into his view.

Utilizing his S-rank vision to the fullest to search for a base, Sa-yoon spotted a towering building at the southern end and closed his eyes again.

Opening and closing his eyelids once, his sharpened senses returned to normal.

“I’ll decide whether to really buy you the flight skill or not based on how you do this time, so let’s move.”

“Where to?”

“To the south. There’s a base over there.”

“Where?”

“Over there. You probably can’t see it.”

Sa-yoon pointed to where he had seen the base and spoke. It was a distance invisible to B-rank eyes.

Geon-joo, who indeed couldn’t see it, replied that he understood and started walking. Sa-yoon watched with mild exasperation as Geon-joo, who had said he understood, just walked aimlessly, then stretched his neck.

“At that speed, you won’t reach it even if you walk all day, pretty boy. Get ready to run.”

“What?”

“Think of it as increasing your stamina and keep up without falling behind. If you lag, you’re the only one who’ll suffer, remember that.”

This isn’t the forest, so S-ranks are everywhere, you know.

Geon-joo was flustered by the ominous warning. Sa-yoon, regardless, tapped the ground twice with his toes to adjust his shoes, then said “Let’s go” and kicked off the ground to run.

Geon-joo, belatedly surprised by Sa-yoon moving like lightning, followed behind him. The gap between them kept widening. Sa-yoon, who had been running with some consideration, clicked his tongue as he saw Geon-joo become a small dot in the distance in just a moment. Even though he had slowed down, it seemed he was still moving at a speed only an A-rank could keep up with.

Realizing this wouldn’t work, he stopped in his tracks. He was in the middle of urging Geon-joo, asking how long it would take him to arrive at this rate.

—Peeee!

Suddenly, an S-rank flying species spotted Geon-joo from the sky and swooped down. Surprised by this, Geon-joo rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the attack. Seeing this from afar, Sa-yoon cursed and shot forward.

Although he had luckily dodged once, it would be impossible to avoid a second attack. Saeaek! As the flying species flapped its wings with a cry, a strong wind rushed in, pushing Geon-joo’s body back little by little. Having secured an opening from its prey, the flying species swooped down again. At that moment, Sa-yoon, who had arrived just in time, pulled out a longsword from his inventory and beheaded the attacking flying species in one stroke.

“Such rotten luck.”

He wondered how an attack could happen so soon after they had just left the ground. Sa-yoon looked at Geon-joo, who was dazed by the sudden attack, and made a decision.

“This won’t do, pretty boy. Let’s go to the base with me carrying you.”

The top of the cliff was an empty plain. With nothing to hide behind, Geon-joo would continue to be easily spotted by flying species and attacked. To prevent this, the only option was for him to carry Geon-joo. When he said this, Geon-joo once again responded with “What?” Sa-yoon, ignoring his pretty boy who pretended not to understand even though he clearly did, unhesitatingly picked him up and took flight again.

“You’re probably the only person who uses their guild master as a private jet.”

When he casually threw out this joke, Geon-joo, seemingly embarrassed, retorted with a grumpy face that he wouldn’t ride such a private jet even if given 1 billion. Amused by this statement, Sa-yoon snorted once and suddenly released Geon-joo from his arms.

“……!”

Geon-joo, frozen in shock, began to fall. Sa-yoon swiftly flew down and caught him in his arms just before he hit the ground, then smiled at his pale face.

“Well, you couldn’t buy a private jet with such thrills even for 1 billion.”

At this nonchalant remark, Geon-joo’s mouth gaped open. He seemed to have lost his words from the shock. Sa-yoon, holding Geon-joo tightly again, shamelessly flew towards the base as if nothing had happened. The arms that had been full of grumbling became quiet. The flight, now free of Geon-joo’s complaints, was quite peaceful.