Chapter 68: Can you run like this?

Jake noticed Lucien’s smirk and couldn’t help but think something was wrong with him... But considering how much he had hated Nana for constantly getting between him and Erick, it was understandable that he would take pleasure in her misery. Still, Jake couldn’t help feeling bad for Zephyr.

Hopefully... Lucien wasn’t pretending.

Not just to get Erick’s attention.

It was better if his feelings for Erick were truly gone. Otherwise, Zephyr would be truly pitiful, caught between the two of them and unknowingly being used by Lucien.

He would suffer a lot because of it.

And why did Jake think this?

Lucien’s past behavior had given Jake plenty of reasons to be suspicious. How could someone who had once been so obsessed with Erick for seven long years suddenly lose all his feelings for him? It was hard for Jake to accept that Lucien’s feelings had just disappeared overnight.

Moreover...

He had already noticed how much special attention Erick gave Zephyr, and he could tell that Erick also had feelings for Zephyr.

However, Zephyr seemed to be oblivious to Erick’s feelings, just as Lucien was unaware that Zephyr seemed to like him. Or perhaps Lucien had long sensed Zephyr’s feelings and simply refused to acknowledge them.

Sigh...

Why was all of this so complicated?

Sometimes, Jake really felt like he spent more time worrying about other people’s lives than they did themselves.

Suddenly, a thunderous tremor shook the ground somewhere in the distance, sending a large cloud of dust billowing into the sky.

Lucien’s gaze immediately shifted toward the source of the sound, and his expression gradually turned serious. The tremor had most likely originated near the Dungeon.

It was the second Disaster-Level Dungeon!

Even though Zephyr had killed the first Demon Servant, Slar, during his loss of control, the danger was far from over.

If Lucien remembered right, that Dungeon was home to countless S-Rank monsters.

The Demon Servant who was controlling them after entering their planet was now dead. Without Slar to restrain them, those powerful monsters had likely gone crazy.

Still, the Second Disaster-Level Dungeon also contained some treasures that Erick and Nana had obtained in the original story, just like the First Disaster-Level Dungeon.

It was a pity they had gotten nothing from the First Disaster-Level Dungeon because Zephyr had unknowingly wiped out all the monsters, causing the Dungeon to vanish.

But now that Nana was out of the picture, Lucien was the only guide left on the team!

More importantly, while he didn’t know the exact locations, Lucien had a good idea of where those treasures could be found!

That meant he had a chance to get his hands on them before anyone else!

The thought alone made Lucien’s eyes immediately light up with excitement.

He quickly turned toward Jake.

"What are we waiting for? Let’s go after them! I’m sure Erick could use our help!"

Jake was surprised by Lucien’s sudden enthusiasm. Usually, guides stayed in the safe zone and only ventured into dangerous areas or Dungeons during emergencies or when they were part of or accompanying a team, since the Espers could protect them.

Lucien, in particular, had never liked going anywhere near monsters. The only reason he had always obediently followed the team everywhere before was because of Erick.

And recently, he said he didn’t like Erick.

So why was he still so eager to go?

Before Erick left, he hadn’t said much, nor had he told Jake to send Lucien to the safe zone. Since Lucien was an A-rank guide and could be useful to the team, Jake saw no reason to stop him from coming along.

Besides, Lucien was already familiar with the dangers of the front lines. This wasn’t his first time accompanying the team into a dangerous situation. He had even gone into many dungeons with Erick and the others.

"Okay, but..."

Jake paused, his gaze suddenly shifting toward Zephyr, who had remained silent, standing beside Lucien all this time. Jake still remembered the skill Zephyr had used to kill that Demon. Although he hadn’t dared to mention it, the memory was still vivid in his mind. He had long guessed that Zephyr was far more powerful than his tested rank suggested after witnessing his healing skill.

The rank-testing machine at the Awakened Association had probably made a mistake while determining his Awakened Esper rank.

But he had never imagined that Zephyr could be this powerful!

"Is he completely fine now?"

Lucien glanced at Zephyr before nodding toward Jake, his expression unreadable.

He had even sacrificed his body!

Of course, Zephyr was fine!

"His mana is stable. But I haven’t fully recovered my guiding energy yet."

Jake sized Zephyr up and down, studying him for a moment. Surprisingly, even as an A-rank Esper, Jake couldn’t sense his mana.

To think... he never noticed this before.

Regardless, Zephyr did look stable.

Jake hesitated for a second, but eventually patted Zephyr on the shoulder with a smile. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

"That skill you used to kill that Demon was extremely powerful. Countless Espers have already headed to the Dungeon to help deal with the situation there. Since you can’t see, I will lead the way so you don’t fall behind."

Jake paused before adding firmly, his expression turning more serious.

"This time, stay close to Lucien and follow the team’s instructions. Don’t rush ahead, okay? I know you have powerful skills, but you can’t see what’s happening around you. If you get separated from the others or end up in danger, it’ll be hard for us to help you."

Zephyr didn’t say anything.

He understood Jake’s concern.

He was blind, after all. No matter how much he insisted he could manage on his own, the team would never truly trust him to fight without their help. They had seen how powerful his skill was, but that was all. To them, his blindness was still a weakness they couldn’t overlook.

So, he simply nodded.

He would follow Lucien.

As for following their instructions... that would depend entirely on the situation.

Seeing this, Jake could only step back helplessly.

"We have to hurry... Ugh."

He glanced at Lucien, then at Zephyr.

"Can you run while holding hands?"