The X Guide-Chapter 154: Realm Core (2)
Khal and Devion quickly returned to the place where they left Ayen. The whole dungeon already showed signs of collapsing; they had to leave as soon as possible.
Returning to the surface was easier and shorter than when diving to the lowest depths.
Ayen, who was inside Aegi’s paradise, suddenly paused. He quickly sensed the difference around the space. Which meant only one thing.
Khal and Devion have already returned. They were not sure how to inform Ayen while inside the independent space, and so they could only rely on brute force.
It would not exactly damage the space where Ayen was, but it would definitely affect the surrounding area.
This would not work all the time, but they could only resort to this method for now.
"Big brothers are back?"
Ayen nodded. "Don’t worry. I’ll visit again."
Aegi grinned, his cute teeth showing.
With that answer and one last goodbye, Aegi’s power quickly withdrew, and Ayen was pulled out of the independent space.
Before his senses returned, he was immediately engulfed in an embrace. Smelling the familiar scent and presence, Ayen relaxed.
After a while, Devion withdrew and sighed. "As much as I want to continue hugging you, we need to leave!"
Ayen felt his body being carried again. Khal, who stood by Devion’s side, brushed Ayen’s hair. "We’ll talk later," he whispered.
He stared back at him and nodded. There was no need to say anything more. The urgency was palpable in the air. Ayen had no time to fully observe their surroundings, but one glance at it was enough to know that the whole dungeon was collapsing.
This was his first time seeing a dungeon being destroyed. Usually, the dungeon would remain after killing the boss, which everyone called a dungeon clear.
The current era could only repeatedly clear them and hope for its rank to decrease, just like with the first SS-class dungeon, which barely ranks S-class at present.
Ayen did not ask anything and let Devion and Khal run towards the exit. His curiosity would have to wait until they returned to the submarine.
Unlike when they entered the dungeon, which felt too long for Ayen, and almost drifted to sleep, they exited almost instantly. Ayen’s body was completely at Devion’s mercy until they finally went inside the submarine.
"That was intense." Devion finally breathed a sigh of relief. His whole chest was moving up and down, indicating the tension he had to endure during those last few moments before the dungeon was destroyed.
Ayen, who was now slumped over his body, might not feel the same exhaustion, but he also felt Khal and Devion’s urgency to leave so quickly.
Unlike them, who were sprawled on the ground, Khal quickly went to the control room despite his exhaustion. He was still operating intensely, and Ayen only felt the submarine moving at top speed.
While underwater for a few days, Ayen had not even felt the submarine moving at all. It was like they were only in one place, that was how comfortable the experience was.
Now, Ayen finally felt the submarine move at an incredible speed at that. Devion quickly stabilized Ayen by hugging him into his arms.
"Khal’s operating the submarine." As his words fell, both of them could not help but look outside and marvel at the sight of the dungeon gate spinning inauspiciously. The surrounding waters became increasingly chaotic, and Ayen noticed it immediately.
There was no need for Devion to explain. This must be a phenomenon before the dungeon completely collapsed. They were seeing the first-ever dungeon to be destroyed with their very own eyes.
Devion took a deep breath, inhaling Ayen’s scent to calm himself down. Their bodies were still drenched, and none of them commented on their current state.
"He’s truly amazing, isn’t he?"
Devion could trust his back completely to Khal. It was way beyond dependency at this point. He only knew that if Khal were there, everything would work out in the end.
Ayen shifted his gaze from the collapsing dungeon and leaned to Devion’s damp hair, kissing the crown of his head.
"He is. But so are you."
Devion took a deep breath and inhaled Ayen’s scent again; his hold on Ayen tightened. A few seconds later, he lifted his head and looked at Ayen.
"Let’s go."
There was no need to say where either. It was already obvious. Between the three of them, there could only be one destination.
When they entered the control room, Khal was already slumped to the chair but focusing on the screen before him.
"It already exploded. Did you record it?" Devion sat beside him, dampening another seat. Ayen followed and did the same.
Khal glanced at them, not surprised by their appearance. "I did. It’s still undergoing transformation."
The submarine was still moving, but the sensor could at least monitor it from this distance. The dungeon entrance had already collapsed, but the surrounding area was still having reactions, which might need some time to stabilize. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
"We’ll return to the area after things stabilize."
This was a kind phenomenon that humanity had not yet experienced. They definitely needed to observe the place, and Khal was already thinking of sending a team to fully examine the dungeon collapse phenomenon.
Ayen propped his chin and watched them discuss simple things regarding the phenomenon. He could not join, nor did he actually want to; just watching was enough.
Yet, the two always noticed him. The speed of the submarine had noticeably slowed down, and Ayen could not feel it as much as earlier. He needed to concentrate to even sense it moving underwater.
"Why don’t we take a shower?" Devion suggested. He looked at their state, which was now almost dry but still damp. "I feel sticky."
Most of the monster’s blood in Devion’s body was already washed off, but the stains were still visible.
Khal glanced at Ayen, seeking his opinion. Ayen could understand that gaze by now.
"We can shower together," Ayen agreed.
The two naturally smiled at the answer. Ayen rolled his eyes; these two always wanted him to say it.
They were weird because Ayen would not refuse such acts even if they were the ones who suggested it first.
