Chapter 42: Want to hear my guess?

Lucien chuckled at Sylvia’s words.

He could feel his head spinning.

It seemed the weakness that should have followed after his guiding wavelength was drained dry was finally catching up to him.

Earlier, his body had been running on pure adrenaline after realizing that he had not only gone down and dirty as a Guide with Zephyr but had also been seen in such an embarrassing state by countless people.

But now, he had reached his limit.

He didn’t bother fighting the weakness.

And just as Sylvia and the others thought he would answer her question, he fainted.

His head fell softly against the cool body under him, startling everyone around them.

Monica was the first to react. Her loud voice became a blur in Lucien’s ears.

"Healing-type Espers! Check these two immediately! Quick! Nana, examine the Esper and see if Zephyr needs guiding!"

Sylvia immediately tried to rouse Lucien with her power. But before she could do anything, Monica stepped forward and intervened, her expression turning cold.

"Stop. I’ve followed your orders because you were the only S-rank Esper around. But they are members of the Association. We’ll take them back first. They can be properly questioned once we return. Esper Sylvia, you’ve done enough. You may leave now."

Sylvia’s expression darkened. She was clearly displeased, but Monica was right.

She wasn’t affiliated with the Association, so she had no right to interfere any further.

Besides, with so many people watching, she couldn’t afford to lose her composure.

Without another word, she withdrew her power and left the group. But she didn’t leave the dungeon. Instead, she chose to continue exploring it on her own. After all, she intended to find out why this dungeon was devoid of monsters. Something was clearly amiss, and Sylvia wasn’t willing to leave without discovering the reason.

As Sylvia left, Monica turned around to survey the situation, only to find everyone around her staring at her with disapproval, as though she had just committed a grave mistake. One of the Espers she was close to on her team even leaned in to whisper.

"The higher-ups are going to make a huge fuss if they find out you spoke to someone from the famous Wales family so bluntly."

Monica clicked her tongue.

"I know. But I’ll deal with that later."

She knew she would have to endure an earful from her superiors soon. However, Monica didn’t regret what she had done.

After all, these Espers from the powerful families were all the same. No matter how warm and amiable they appeared on the outside, they were arrogant deep down.

Someone had to keep their arrogance in check, or they’d eventually start believing they could do whatever they pleased.

The Esper chuckled and, under Monica’s sharp gaze, left the area with a few others to check the surroundings and make sure they hadn’t overlooked anything perilous.

With that, Monica turned her attention to Zephyr and Lucien as the Espers carefully carried them out of the dungeon. For the time being, the two would likely be taken to a hospital affiliated with the Association.

Nearby, Nana stood wiping her hands, a forced smile plastered across her face.

Monica looked at her, and Nana replied.

"That Esper doesn’t need guiding."

The people around her nodded, accepting her words without question, unaware that her words were superficial. After all, she hadn’t even examined Zephyr’s condition.

A strange sourness filled Nana’s heart.

To think Lucien and Zephyr had actually survived after being dragged away by a monster declared as S-rank by Sylvia.

Truly, they were like cockroaches! Even when she thought they had died, they had somehow managed to crawl back alive.

Eleven let out a quiet sigh of relief.

His gaze lingered on Zephyr for a few seconds before he looked away.

"He’s not dead. That’s good, I suppose."

Eleven’s whispered words were very faint, so faint that even Monica failed to hear them.

Yet, Zephyr’s ear twitched. His fingers curled ever so slightly before relaxing again.

Most people’s attention was focused on Lucien. After all, unlike Zephyr, who had several injuries, Lucien had no apparent wounds on his exposed skin, despite his clothes being soaked in so much blood.

Moreover, Lucien O’Connell already had a bad reputation and was conscious when they first arrived. So, naturally, everyone’s attention was mostly focused on him. No one noticed that the Esper under him was actually awake. He wasn’t unconscious.

Zephyr’s breathing was so steady and natural that even Sylvia, an S-rank Esper, had failed to sense anything unusual.

Once Zephyr and Lucien were both taken away, most of the Guides and Espers who had entered the dungeon left as well. Only Monica, Nana, and five other A-rank Espers remained behind. They continued to scour the vast dungeon for any signs of monsters or other living creatures. Yet, even after an entire day of searching, they found nothing.

Not a single monster.

What unsettled them even more was that the dungeon didn’t contain a single natural treasure or any object imbued with mana.

It was almost as if something had swept through the entire dungeon, consuming or erasing every trace of mana in its wake.

Eventually, Monica’s group caught up with Sylvia, who had left earlier. She stood atop a massive, charred boulder, gazing out at the lightless sky and barren expanse. The dungeon stretched endlessly before them, yet it was silent, devoid of any signs of life.

Hearing the footsteps behind her, Sylvia looked back, her eyes meeting Monica’s.

"What actually happened in this vast dungeon? Only those two can tell us."

Her gaze swept across the desolate dungeon before she continued.

"Even if we assume there truly were no other monsters here besides the one that dragged Lucien and that blind Esper away... where did that big tentacled monster go?"

Monica had no answer.

Seeing the tension on everyone’s faces, Sylvia chuckled and crouched down. She ran her fingers over the charred surface of the boulder she was standing on, studying the scorched surface beneath her hand.

"Want to hear my guess?"

She didn’t wait for an answer. Interest flickered in her eyes as she continued.

"Something extremely powerful swept through this whole dungeon and wiped them all out before we arrived. Something powerful enough to leave nothing behind."

Her words left everyone stunned.

Sylvia paused, rubbing the dark residue between her fingertips as she examined it.

"So..."

Sylvia’s voice sharpened, an extremely dangerous edge creeping into her tone.

"I won’t be leaving until I pay those two a visit and find out exactly what happened here after they were dragged inside."