CHAPTER 50: [SOMETHING’S WRONG]

Oh.

Oh, right.

The realization hit him like a slow, sinking stone in his gut. In the chaos earlier, Eli hadn’t even considered it.

Unlike Kairo—who didn’t really know the ins and outs of his ability and therefore never questioned much—Caelen knew exactly what Eli could do.

His one and only skill: Danger Detection.

Which meant there was no logical reason for Eli to know how Caelen’s abilities worked. None—unless...

One: he’d been watching Caelen very closely. Too closely. The kind of attention that would only reinforce Caelen’s existing suspicion that Eli worked with, or worse, for Kairo.

Two: he was a hopeless super fan who had memorized every detail about Caelen and his skills.

"Uhm..."

Neither sounded like a good answer.

Unlike Kairo’s flashy, headline-worthy abilities, Caelen’s were less public—complicated, precise, and shrouded in mystery.

Most people only knew the broad strokes: he could store pain, transfer it to enemies, even take pain from his allies.

But Eli hadn’t just hinted at the ability. He’d told Caelen to use one of his most specific skills.

"Well?" Caelen’s tone was deceptively casual, but the slight narrowing of his eyes made Eli’s stomach twist tighter.

"Uhh..." His mind was an empty slate.

Ding.

A glowing interface flickered into existence right in front of him, the light casting faint shadows over Caelen’s profile.

Huh?

[SYSTEM TIP]

Player should tell the Target [CAELEN] that you are a fan of him.

Eli’s eyes widened. ’What?! No way! I’d rather just tell him I paid close attention to him or did research or something!’

That seemed... infinitely less humiliating.

Ding.

[SYSTEM WARNING]

If player chooses alternate explanation, Target [CAELEN]’s wariness will increase.

If wariness reaches 100%, result will be:

’Death. Of course. I expect no less from you.’

The panel blinked out, leaving him face-to-face with Caelen, who was now looking at him like he was a puzzle he planned to solve.

"Are you just going to keep staring at me?" Caelen asked, one hand resting lightly on his hip.

Eli stifled a groan. "...I’m sorry... it’s just... it’s embarrassing." His face was already uncomfortably warm.

One brow rose. "Embarrassing?"

"Well, you see..." Eli’s gaze dropped to the floor, refusing to meet Caelen’s eyes. "...I-I’m actually... a big fan of you..." The confession was barely more than a whisper.

Caelen tilted his head slightly. "Can you repeat that? I couldn’t hear."

Eli shut his eyes. ’I’m going to die of humiliation before any monster gets me.’

"I-I said... I’m actually a very big fan of you!"

The words burst out louder than he intended—much louder.

It was only after they bounced off the stone walls that he realized just how loud he’d been. He slapped a hand over his mouth, horrified, and instinctively looked up at Caelen.

The S-Class Hunter’s eyes were faintly wide, but his face stayed otherwise unreadable. They just... stared at each other. Long enough for Eli’s dread to thicken.

Until—

Ding.

[SYSTEM MISSION UPDATE]

Target’s wariness is lowered.

Once it reaches less than 50%, your mission will be considered a success.

Current wariness level: 76%

’What the hell? It dropped A LOT!’

"Ah. You’re... a fan." Caelen’s voice was calm, but Eli swore he caught the faintest flicker of satisfaction in his tone. "My, I didn’t expect this. Who would’ve thought someone such as yourself would be a fan of me. I’m flattered."

’Considering how much your wariness dropped, you seem more than flattered.’

Eli forced a laugh. "Yes, I’ve watched a lot of your dungeon raids. I... specifically enjoyed the one where you fought the sirens."

If he was already going to play the fan card, he might as well commit.

Though in truth, his admiration had dimmed considerably now that he’d met Caelen in person.

’Never meet your heroes, as they said.’

"That was two years ago." Caelen’s expression shifted faintly—genuine surprise. "You’ve been a fan for that long?"

Eli nodded.

If the system doesn’t kill me, this embarrassment will. He just wanted to find the boss of this dungeon, clear the raid, and go home.

But with the system’s main mission revolving around Caelen and Kairo, he knew this wouldn’t be the end—not today, not any day soon.

Caelen looked like he was about to press further, and Eli’s stomach sank.

But then—

A sharp, unnatural pulse slammed into his senses, cutting through the moment like a knife.

His eyes flew wide, his posture tensing. Caelen caught it instantly.

"Where?" the S-Class asked, his voice low, controlled.

Eli scanned the hall, searching for that telltale flicker of red outlines in his vision. But... nothing.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Usually, his ability painted threats in his mind—positions, speed, trajectory—so vividly it was impossible to miss. Now, it was like trying to grasp smoke. The danger was there, heavy and pressing, but it had no shape, no direction.

His gaze darted around, tracking shadows, ceiling beams, broken pillars—nothing. Not a single grotesque in sight.

"Elione, where is the danger—" Caelen started, but the words cut short as the floor trembled beneath their boots.

It wasn’t a subtle vibration. The marble shuddered violently, a deep, teeth-rattling rumble, like something massive was clawing its way up from beneath them.

"What the hell?" Caelen muttered, already shifting his stance for balance.

Eli staggered, knees buckling under the sudden quake. Instinct took over, and he moved closer to Caelen—close enough to feel the controlled tension in the man’s body.

"Where’s the danger?" Caelen asked again, sharper this time.

"I—I can’t see it," Eli admitted, breath uneven. "It’s... coming from nowhere... I—"

A hairline crack splintered the floor between them, glowing faintly before spiderwebbing outward with a sharp crack-crack-crack. The glow intensified, a pulse that beat in time with the danger screaming in Eli’s head.

His eyes widened. "Caelen, watch out!"

Caelen turned toward the sound just as the ground beneath them gave way with a deafening roar.

Marble and dust exploded upward, swallowing the light. In the same instant, Caelen’s arm locked around Eli, pulling him in tight.

There was no hesitation—no space between motion and intent.

"Elione!"

One second Eli was standing on solid ground, the next he was pressed against Caelen’s chest, the world dropping away beneath them.

Cold, rushing air tore past his ears as they fell into darkness.