The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 147: Main Attraction

Chapter 147: Main Attraction

Because of everything that happened - that is, him finally getting to bed Damien - Lane seemed to completely forget about Molzen. Well, the man’s presence was still somewhere at the back of his mind... But, the summit was going well, everything was so peaceful, and there were plenty of high-ranking Espers around, so what could even Molzen do? Probably not much!

So, Lane enjoyed his time, treating the trip as his little vacation with his boyfriend, and flirting with Damien whenever he could, causing the man to frequently turn red! Overall, he had a lot of time.

And on the fifth day, the main attraction of this year’s summit opened! Monster Arena and Monster Zoo, both located in one of the biggest S-rank dungeons in the world! Fully cleared and inactive dungeon, of course. Created by gathering and transporting monsters from all sorts of dungeons, it was like a dream theme park for Lane! As soon as he found out about it, he begged Damien to go!

Well, begged. There wasn’t much begging needed, actually, because with just one pleading look from Lane, Damien let out a sigh, and agreed to sign up. Under one condition, though: Lane wouldn’t participate in the battles on the first day, so that Damien could confirm it was safe before he’d have a go!

And so, they entered the S-rank dungeon.

The Gate leading to the dungeon was the same as always - just an irregular crack in space, black but with colorful hues flashing through. You couldn’t tell what was on the other side at all, you could only vaguely sense Mana, but not its density or amount, and therefore you couldn’t even estimate the dungeon’s rank. Every Gate was that way, and this one wasn’t an exception.

What was unique though, was the massive metal gate placed right in front of it, made from a special Mana-inforced alloy. It was built in such a way, that if anything or anyone tried to cross the Gate while it was closed, they would instantly hit the metal gate, unable to fully exit the dungeon. Similar construction could also be found on the other side, in the dungeon. With this, in case of a dungeon break, the gate could be closed, and while it wouldn’t entirely stop the monsters, it would hold them back for a while, so that country K’s government could dispatch the Awakened teams to deal with the incident.

...Of course, the cost of such a gate was enormous, and it wasn’t something country K could normally afford. It was specially constructed before the summit, to impress all the foreign visitors.

And it worked. Plenty of people from various delegations were observing it with awe. Even Damien muttered under his nose, "If we could build such gates..."

Lane couldn’t help but roll his eyes though. "Come on, the gates we have in Forbidden Zones are just as good!"

"Are they?" Damien glanced over at Lane. He knew, of course, that Forbidden Zones were surrounded by thick walls and had sturdy gates... But he wasn’t familiar with any specifics regarding their durability.

One thing was for sure - they were not infallible, which was why the government didn’t bother people living there, even though it was illegal, and a good chunk of them were criminals wanted by the law (and not just because they decided to move into one of the Forbidden Zones!). The Forbidden Zone residents had to hunt the monsters to make the space livable, and thus stopped them from trying to escape the contains of the walls.

Lane, however, understood Forbidden Zones better than anyone, at least as far as the Association’s members were concerned. And since Damien already knew that Lane had fled there once, he could at least say, "Mn. From what I’ve seen, they seem just as good... Although I don’t know exactly what they’re made of."

"Hmm." Damien paused for a moment, as it was their turn to cross the Gate, and they arrived on the other side, in a massive hall. Not an elegant and fancy one like back in the Eldenveil, but rather resembling a military hangar or a bunker - country K’s Awakened Agency tried to impress a completely different crowd from the Trailblazer Guild, so naturally, their focus regarding the infrastructure they developed in the dungeon was also different.

Following the crowd, they walked out of the hall and into the sunny plains, and only then did Damien continue. "Still, that’s just the Forbidden Zones. It would be good if we could have similar gates in front of the dungeons..."

"Can we afford it though?" Lane lifted his brows.

"Maybe if the Guilds would help..."

Lane couldn’t help but roll his eyes again. ’Dream on!’

He didn’t say his thoughts out loud though. Damien was, without a doubt, also aware that they couldn’t count much on the Guilds. There was a reason why they did so well financially, and that reason was certainly not being overly charitable! They helped with dungeon breaks, but that was about the extent of how they were willing to help the Association. After all, if dungeon breaks happened, it was the Association’s fault for not managing them well enough, right?

They continued to walk in silence, both busy observing their surroundings. Even Lane - while he wasn’t as impressed as some of the others, he was still curious about all the technologies and solutions country K developed. What they could see right now was the best country K had, so naturally, it was all very good! Worth at least a decent glance.

Sounds of squeaking, barking, hissing, howling, yelping, and plenty other, hard to describe animal - or, well, monster - noises were coming from the distance. Faint and faraway, but still made some, especially those lower-ranking, people flinch. Not that there were many Espers ranking lower than B, considering that it was a high-profile event, so only elites could attend. The monsters, of course, were all harmless, locked up in the highest-grade, Mana-inforced cages, but the mere sound could bring... unpleasant memories to some.

Naturally, Lane was not among them, still looking around with a smile. As for Damien... Well, he wasn’t afraid, but his brows furrowed deeply in disapproval. Monsters and dungeons were dangerous! How could anyone be mindless enough to treat them like a fun, tourist attraction?!

Well.

Damien couldn’t help but glance at his boyfriend.

There were people who genuinely enjoyed it, it seemed, for a reason Damien couldn’t quite comprehend...

"Hmm? What is it?" Lane arched his brows, noticing Damien’s gaze on him.

"...Nothing." Damien just shook his head with a sigh.

If his boyfriend liked it so much... Then maybe it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.