Chapter 106: [DON’T FEEL SO GOOD]

The group fanned out just enough to comb the cavern, beams of flashlights slicing across the black.

No one strayed too far—their movements stayed tight, connected, every step echoing across the drowned stone chamber.

Overhead, the drones buzzed faintly, red indicators blinking in rhythm like distant warning beacons.

Their light skimmed ripples over the dark water, bouncing shadows against walls that seemed to stretch forever.

Eli hugged close to Kairo’s side. His boots sank a fraction with every step, splashing softly, the icy water biting at his ankles despite the supposed waterproof fabric of his gear.

The air pressed heavy in his lungs, thick with moisture and the sharp tang of wet stone.

His gaze dropped. The water crept over uneven ground, slipping between jagged rocks that jutted out like broken fangs.

Slippery patches of algae clung to the edges, catching red light from the drones, making them gleam like veins.

’This whole place is submerged… if we didn’t have boots, every step would just drench us. Good thing Elione’s gear is… high end.’

The thought was fleeting, replaced as the cavern wall loomed up ahead. A broad face of slick, wet stone rose high, its surface glistening where faint rivulets traced their way down into the flooded floor.

He reached out before he thought better of it, brushing cold, damp rock with tentative fingers. A shiver ran up his arm.

“This…” His voice echoed softer than intended, swallowed by the chamber. “…this feels like a cave wall.”

Kairo’s head turned immediately, his black eyes fixing on him, sharp even in the weak red glow. “A cave wall?”

Eli nodded quickly, shifting under the weight of that gaze. “Yeah. Look—the stone’s wet, see how the water’s pooling from higher ground? The air’s got that mineral smell too. It feels like we’re underground, but at the same…”

His hand swept toward the dripping stalactites glinting faintly in the distance. “…this is different from the stone underground crypt me and, uhm, Caelen fell into.”

The cavern answered with silence. Only the steady rhythm of droplets filled the air.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Eli’s chest tightened. ’Why isn’t he saying anything? Was that stupid? Did I sound like a kid stating the obvious? Or… was it because I mentioned Caelen?’

The thought prickled his nerves. Kairo didn’t seem petty—he wasn’t the type to bristle like Caelen, all pride and posturing—but then again, Eli had already learned not to assume anything about S-Ranks.

The pause stretched too long. His throat bobbed, lips parting to backtrack—when Kairo finally spoke.

“Not bad.”

Eli blinked, the words knocking the breath from his chest. “H-Huh?”

Kairo’s gaze lingered on him, unreadable but steady, a weight pressing down harder than the stone overhead. “Your observation. I would not have figured we were inside a cave. That is important information.”

The faintest tremor ran through Eli. Not fear. Something else.

“Good job.”

’…He praised me?’

Eli’s face heated up instantly, warmth rushing all the way to the tips of his ears. “Uhm…” His voice cracked embarrassingly low, and he cleared his throat, fumbling for words that refused to come.

He didn’t know how to respond to that.

Being insulted? That, he could handle.

He’d lived his whole life with it as Lucien Kim. E-Class.

Average ability. Average face. Average life.

Hunters stronger than him had sneered at his weakness, and civilians had pitied him for it. It was easy to let their words roll off like rain, because after a while, he’d started to believe it too.

But praise?

That was different. That was rare.

So rare it always left him disarmed, scrambling, like someone had yanked the floor out from under him.

’I feel so… awkward now. More awkward than the fact that I know I have to eventually kiss Kairo’s cheek.’

His hands tightened against his sides, clammy inside his gloves. His lips tugged into an awkward, too-small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

He shifted, staring at the floor as if the rippling water could swallow him whole.

The cavern gave him no comfort. The steady drip… drip… drip… of falling water only magnified the awkward silence pressing at his ribs, each echo drilling deeper into his nerves.

And Kairo—Kairo just kept walking. His long strides were calm, unhurried, the weak glow of the drones painting sharp edges across his face.

He didn’t look back, didn’t offer reassurance, didn’t soften. As if what he’d said—that little acknowledgement—was nothing more than a passing fact. Not kindness. Not comfort. Just truth.

It made Eli’s chest ache worse.

’I have to get it together. There’s danger that’s probably still lurking.’

Eli drew in a shaky breath, forcing his gaze upward, forcing his thoughts back to the present. The dungeon was too quiet. Too still. The air pressed damp and heavy against his skin, and beneath it all… something felt wrong.

Every step sent ripples skittering across the water, but Eli swore he could hear other ripples—subtler, deeper ones—that didn’t belong to them.

’Now, I’m getting paranoid.’

Eli dragged his eyes away from the dripping walls, the steady trickle of water echoing like a clock that refused to stop ticking.

He forced himself to sweep his gaze across the cavern more carefully, his grip tightening on the flashlight.

A few meters off, Zaira prowled between the jagged rocks, her movements sharp, deliberate.

She carried herself like a predator, but Eli caught the flickers in her mask—the way her shoulders stiffened when shadows stretched too far, the twitch of her fingers around her blade.

She was scared, no matter how hard she tried to bury it under bravado.

Mio, in contrast, was quieter, every line of his body drawn tight. His flashlight carved a slower, steadier path through the darkness. His silence wasn’t nerves—Eli had seen enough of him to know it was calculation.

’Another S-Class… Kairo’s second-in-command. If even he’s this tense…’

And then there was Mel.

Mel wasn’t moving.

He stood stiff, his back to the group, water rippling faintly around his boots. The stillness gnawed at Eli.

’Come to think of it… he hasn’t spoken in quite some time.’

Kairo’s low voice cut across the cavern, grounding them all. “Anything?”

“Nope,” Zaira called back, her usual grin curling her lips—only this time, the edges were taut, brittle.

Mio shook his head once. “Nothing.”

But Mel… said nothing.

’Something’s off.’

Eli blinked, a faint chill crawling up his arms.

’He’s the one who usually won’t shut up during raids. He even said earlier he had a bad feeling. Did he—was he serious?’

The silence pressed harder, thick and suffocating. Eli’s pulse spiked. Before he realized it, his legs were already carrying him forward, splashing ripples across the dark water.

“Eli.”

The single word cracked like a whip. Kairo’s voice wasn’t loud, but the authority in it made the air feel like iron. Eli froze mid-step, snapping his head back. Those black eyes pinned him, sharp as blades.

“Where are you going? Why are you straying so far from me?”

Eli swallowed, throat bobbing. “I… I just—Mel’s not saying anything. I wanted to check if he’s okay.”

Kairo’s gaze lingered, heavy, searching. For a tense heartbeat, Eli thought he might be ordered back. But at last, the captain gave the faintest nod.

“Stay within reach.”

The words thrummed with command. Eli nodded quickly, relief barely slipping past his tight chest, and turned back. The cavern water sloshed as he closed the distance, stopping just a step behind Mel’s rigid frame. He hesitated, then raised his voice—careful, tentative.

“Mel? Hey… are you okay?”

The words echoed faintly, carried off by stone and dripping water.

That got Zaira’s attention. She pivoted with an exaggerated scoff, her grin snapping back into place like armor.

“What, you mean because he’s sulking? Don’t mind him—he’s just pouty I shoved him into the water earlier. Right, Mel?” Her teasing lilt rang false in the cavern, a brittle sound that didn’t quite carry.

Mio clicked his tongue, sharp, his expression tightening. “Zaira. Enough. This isn’t the place for jokes.”

The rebuke made her scoff again, but the grin faltered, just slightly.

And then—

Mel moved.

Slowly. Too slowly.

His head shifted first, as if it weighed too much. Then his shoulders rolled with a stiffness that scraped against the silence. At last his face tilted into the faint beam of Eli’s light.

Eli’s stomach plummeted. His breath hitched as his fingers whitened around the flashlight, the beam trembling with the shake of his hands—

And the sight froze his blood.

Mel’s face was drained of color, a sheen of sweat clinging to his skin. No cocky grin. No sly comment. His lips quivered like he was fighting to form words, and his eyes… His eyes looked dim, dulled, as though something vital inside him was flickering out.

“C-Captain…”

Mel’s voice cracked, rough and frail. He swayed on his feet, boots dragging ripples that spread wide across the cavern floor.

“…I… don’t feel good.”

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