Chapter 110: [FEELING WEAK]

“B-But I’m not sure yet though!” Eli stammered, his words spilling fast, almost tripping over themselves.

“There are… there are a lot of gates, and different common monsters per class of dungeon, so we— I… I could just be overthinking things. No, I’m definitely just… overthinking things.”

But even as he said it, forcing the words like a shield, his chest tightened.

Some part of him knew he wasn’t.

Because as he’d told Midas, he had memorized every recorded monster catalogued by the Association. He knew them, inside and out. And these things—their bloated, pulsing bodies and that parasitic feeding—didn’t match anything.

Well… they did resemble monsters. But not quite. Not in the way they were supposed to.

Because leeches weren’t technically dangerous… not until someone tried to tear them off. They weren’t predators. They weren’t obstacles.

’Right? …Right.’

Kairo’s voice broke through, calm, steady, the sound like stone grounding the air.

“Eli’s right. Let’s not overthink this. We’ll fall back to the gate. Once we’re out, I’ll contact Midas Ryu directly. If this gate is different, he’ll have to know.”

The matter-of-fact tone steadied the cave, his voice cutting through the oppressive drip of water.

“Yeah… yeah.” Mio’s response came ragged, his breath harsh. The strain of carrying both Mel and Zaira was dragging on him, his boots crashing heavier against the water with each step. “That’s true. We should be close now, right? To the exit?”

Eli tilted his head faintly, lowering his voice to a whisper, unsure if Kairo would even answer. “…Kairo. I think it’s okay for me to walk now, right? Mio… he needs help. He’s still carrying them both.”

There was a beat of silence, then:

“No.”

Flat. Unwavering.

Eli blinked, confused. “…Why not?”

Kairo’s black eyes flicked toward him briefly, sharp under the drone light. His stride never faltered.

“There might still be leeches.” His tone was clinical, dissecting the situation with surgical precision. “And it seems they’re not attracted to me.”

His gaze slid back ahead, voice low but firm. “Mio’s an S-Class. His body can endure if he’s targeted again. But you—” His tone dipped lower, a faint edge to it. “You’re a B-Class. Even Mel’s body couldn’t withstand the leeches draining him. You wouldn’t last either.”

Oh.

Eli’s jaw clenched until it ached, his lips twitching into a thin, bitter line. The guilt gnawed at him worse than the steady throb in his stomach from being slung over Kairo’s shoulder like dead weight.

“…I can walk despite that, you know,” he muttered, the words rough, scraped raw by frustration. “I’m not useless. I am still a hunter.”

’The system… because of it I’ve already enhanced myself a bit… so I might be able to take it.’

Maybe.

Kairo didn’t slow. His grip never shifted. His voice rumbled from deep in his chest, steady and immovable, slicing through Eli’s fumbling attempt to prove himself.

“I know you’re a hunter.”

Eli’s breath caught. For half a second, relief flared in his chest—small, fragile—until Kairo added, blunt as stone:

“But even Zaira is bigger than you. And she’s unconscious. If she couldn’t handle it, why would you?”

The words hit harder than any monster’s strike.

Eli’s heart twisted. He knew

Elione’s body was weak. He knew he was the smallest, the lightest, the one least suited for combat. But hearing it out loud—brutally, without hesitation—cut deeper than he wanted to admit.

’Why… does that sting so much? I already knew. I know I’m weak. But hearing it… like that…’

He hated it.

He hated being useless.

He couldn’t even sense danger properly. Couldn’t walk on his own. Couldn’t do anything but hang here, nothing more than cargo on Kairo’s back. Quite literally deadweight.

“Stop arguing.” Kairo’s voice rolled forward, calm but absolute. Final. “We’re close. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.”

Eli bit his lip, frowning. His chest tightened, hot and suffocating. His lips pressed into a stubborn pout, childish and helpless all at once.

He wanted to argue more. To demand Kairo let him down. To prove himself.

But the sharp weight of Kairo’s words—and the brutal reminder of Zaira and Mel, limp and unconscious in Mio’s arms—shut him down before he could open his mouth.

“…Fine.” The word slipped out small, defeated. He didn’t want to push. Not now. Not when the wrong step could snap the fragile line they were walking.

So he stayed quiet.

The silence stretched. Boots splashed heavy against the water. Drones hummed overhead, their mechanical buzz low and constant.

Mio’s breathing dragged ragged and harsh, weighed down by the burden of two hunters in his arms.

Eli’s eyes drifted half-closed, his body swaying with each deliberate stride of Kairo’s steps. His thoughts blurred at the edges, slipping past the cavern walls into darker places.

’The system’s still waiting… I still need to kiss Kairo’s cheek. But when? How the hell am I supposed to pull that off? He’s already carrying me like luggage. If I lean in, he’ll think I’m insane. Or suicidal.’

The thought twisted his stomach in knots, but sharper images cut in, searing him harder.

His mom. Pale in that hospital bed, tubes in her arms.

His throat constricted. ’I haven’t done anything good today. Nothing.’

The guilt pressed heavier, dragging him down, pulling his mind into an undertow. The dungeon. The system. His mom. His brother. The weight of it all pressed against his ribs until he could barely breathe.

And then—

A sharp gasp.

The sound ripped through the cavern like a knife.

Eli’s head snapped up instantly. His heart slammed against his ribs so hard it hurt.

It had come from Mio.

“What is it, Mio—”

Kairo’s voice started low, steady as always—then it cut off.

Eli felt it instantly.

The iron wall of the man’s body stiffened beneath him, muscles locking tight. For the first time since they’d entered the dungeon, Kairo tensed.

Eli’s pulse spiked, his throat going dry.

“What is it? What’s… happening?” His voice cracked, desperate.

Mio’s reply came ragged, his breath uneven under the weight of two unconscious hunters.

“…The gate.”

The way he said it froze the air.

Eli’s stomach lurched. ’The gate?’

Then Kairo’s voice followed, low, heavy with a finality Eli had never heard before.

“It’s… closed.”

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