There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 177 - 171. Perhaps Someday

Chapter 177: Chapter 171. Perhaps Someday

After talking more about what they should do with the cores, Radia told Zein to go home and have ample rest.

Which, he might do. Probably. But not before he saw Bassena leaning against his office door, arms crossed and staring his way. There was no question as to why the esper was there, but Zein asked anyway.

"Why are you here?"

"He said not to follow," Bassena shrugged and gave him a little grin. "Nothing about waiting in front of my own office."

Zein looked at Bassena; his heart and his mind having an intense battle inside. It killed him...it really did, the way he wanted to step forward and run away at the same time. But as he gazed into the warm ambers, his defense was crumbling.

He craved that warmth, and so, even though he knew it would corrode his mind even more, Zein let out a chuckle. "Heh..."

Yeah...he couldn’t burden Bassena with his corroded mind, but to avoid the esper just because he felt like he was getting stabbed repeatedly in the gut didn’t sound fair for the younger man.

Bassena smiled at the reaction, and after looking in the direction of Radia’s office for a while, he carefully asked the guide. "What you’re talking about with Radia...does it have something to do with why you’re looking pale earlier?"

Zein glanced at the esper, who still looked at him with concern. Zein couldn’t blame him, because he knew he did look terrible, and if he saw Bassena looking like that, he would act the same. "Somewhat," he answered hesitatingly while starting to walk away.

Bassena turned to follow the guide, and when Zein didn’t tell him off, he matched the step to walk beside the older man. "Will I ever come to know what it is?"

Zein didn’t reply immediately, and Bassena almost thought he wouldn’t get any answer. But Zein managed to answer as they waited for the elevator to come up. "I hope so," the guide said earnestly, eyes staring hard at nothing and lips stretched into a rueful smile.

And for now, it was enough for Bassena.

"Are you going to follow me back?" Zein asked as they stepped inside the elevator.

"Don’t you know it’s dangerous to walk on your own in the night?"

Zein narrowed his eyes at the serious tone that the esper used. "We’re inside the guild’s compound,"

And it was as safe as the world could be. If the fortress of Trinity could be breached that easily, people might as well start to live in the bunker.

Bassena, however, replied in a rather unconventional answer. "There could be a ghost!"

Honestly, Zein was impressed at the swift reasoning. He raised his brow amusedly while answering dryly. "I’m not scared of one."

"Have you even seen one?" Bassena insisted while rolling his eyes, which was actually pretty cute.

Still, Zein shrugged and replied nonchalantly. "I saw plenty worse on the borderland, and I feel like we’ll still be able to reason with ghosts, so they’re kinda better,"

"Oh, you’re right..."

Bassena actually nodded his head and contemplate that with a serious expression. Whether it was acting or a genuine reaction, the esper still looked adorable doing it.

Ah--this wouldn’t be easy...

Zein chewed hard on the inside of his cheek, swallowing his groan and sigh as he spoke while the elevator door hissed open. "But you can still walk me home," and as Bassena looked at him with pleasant surprise and a raised brow, Zein raised his arm. "Give me your hand."

Bassena stared at the stretch-out palm and gasped dramatically, putting his hands against his chest like some kind of ancient-time maiden. "Wow...we’re in the holding-hand phase now?"

"I’m cleansing you," Zein responded with a scoff, to the esper’s dismay. Bassena clicked his tongue while taking the guide’s hand begrudgingly, prompting Zein to chuckle amusedly. "We’ve been holding hand plenty, what are you even fussing about?"

"Well...there’s a certain vibe you know, doing it while walking through the dark of night," Bassena spread his other hand at the quiet, dark lobby. As usual, except for some people on the administrative floors, other members had already got back home, and the lighting was pretty dim.

Not exactly ’dark’, however, and Zein looked at the esper in confusion. "What vibe?"

With a shrugged, Bassena replied simply. "Romantic one?"

Zein almost stopped walking as he stared into the esper with narrowed eyes. "Did you read that somewhere?"

"My mom’s romance collection," Bassena grinned. "There are some at home."

No matter how muddled his mind was, Zein couldn’t help but laugh at that. He had no idea which one sounded funnier; Bassena used his free time to read some romance books, or that he used the...knowledge...he gained in this moment.

Haa...it was so weird. His gut was churning, but his heart was fluttering. Zein didn’t even know anymore.

"Oh, you have time tomorrow, right?" Bassena suddenly asked.

"I’m cleansing Shin tomorrow, but otherwise..." Zein shrugged. "Why?"

"We made something for you," Bassena smiled widely, the delightful tone in his voice tickling the corner of Zein’s heart.

"...we?"

* * *

By ’we’, it was the academia trio of Bassena, Han Shin, and Reina, apparently.

After cleansing Han Shin in the morning, the healer and Bassena took him down to the arsenal, which official name was simply [Equipment Room].

It wasn’t just a room, though. It was a mix of a store, a storage, and an auction hall. It was where the guild members put the artifact they got for sale, and provided a catalog of Mortix’s sold equipment for purchase. There was also free equipment for rent using guild points and repair center. Those who wanted to custom made their equipment could also do it from here instead of going all the way to Mortix’s store.

The ones who visited the arsenal were mostly the espers, but Zein had come here once before with Bassena to pick up his gloves and knife. This time, they went straight to the customization room.

And Zein was greeted by Reina on the screen.

This was the moment that he found out Reina wasn’t just a creative director of SavAsh. She was also a professional enchanter that put enhancement spells on the custom-made equipment from Mortix and SavAsh. As a clothing line designer, her enchantment specialized in garments and fabrics rather than weapons or accessories.

With processed materials from Han Shin’s lab, and the fund from Bassena, Reina had made a set of long coat and boots. Dark grey in color, they were made of drake’s leather and enhanced with protection against magic damage.

[It’s not as good as the dragon leather that Bassena used, but it’s lighter than wyvern and had the same durability, so...]

Zein stared wordlessly at the coat hanging beautifully in front of him. Not as good as dragon leather...who the fuck even dared to expect clothes made of freaking dragon leather in their inventory? It was an ultimate rare material that could only be gained from rare dungeon boss drop of red level gate or above. It wasn’t like corrupted dragons easily popped up in a dungeon. Espers didn’t even dare to dream about owning one, because it was just that rare.

What high star espers turned to was the leather of wyvern and drake, which was the downgrade version of the dragon skin--in a way that they had the properties of reducing magic damage and delaying miasma corrosion. But those were still beasts that only came in high-level dungeons, so the leather of those beasts was still categorized as luxury goods.

Zein remembered that the espers in the red-zone or the borderland always talked about owning equipment made of that materials, because in a way, it was the mark of a successful esper. Of course, the fact that the equipment also increased their survivability was great too. And while listening to those espers talking, Zein would think about how nice it was to have one so he could take it easier when going into a dungeon--before he slapped himself for uselessly dreaming about the impossible.

Because how could a guide get one when ninety-seven percent of espers couldn’t?

Of course, at that time, Zein never thought he would join Trinity.

"Is drake leather always in store, nowadays?" Zein asked blankly as Bassena helped him put the coat on.

"No," Han Shin laughed. "But we have the insider advantage. All we had to do is called the Chairman."

For a while, Zein had forgotten that Mortix was the leading corporation in dungeon material processing, which meant they had suppliers from all over the Federation, and not just from Trinity.

"When did you start making this?" Zein looked down and rubbed the coat; it was light, simple in design and easy to move in, as well as tailored perfectly for his size. Reina even fashioned a detachable hood, just like Zein’s old combat outfit.

"After you got dragged into that dungeon anomaly," Bassena answered easily, stepping back to look at Zein with a smile. "This will provide you with double protection alongside the black uniform. Minions-level beasts wouldn’t be able to rip the coat, and medium-level magic would disperse in contact."

"It will also give you a slightly different look from the other guides," Han Shin added with a grin. "Because, come on...you’re the Captain, right?"

[Lemme see, lemme see! Turn this way, Zein!]

In his overwhelmed state, the guide just turned toward the screen as requested, letting the audience clap and exclaimed in delight. He still marveled at the unexpected gift that was created in accordance with his taste and in regard to his safety.

[So...do you like it?] Reina asked eagerly, eyes sparkling as she waited for a positive response.

Zein could tell she was working hard on this, and so did Bassena and Han Shin. And it was translated well on the item itself. However, it wasn’t the quality of the goods that affected him. Even if this was some tacky, useless outfit, just looking at their earnest faces filled Zein with warmth.

Even if it also uncomfortably churned his guts.

"Yeah, I like them," he said genuinely, with a subtle smile and a rare, tender gaze.

[...really?] Reina tilted her head on the screen, and Zein chuckled briefly in response.

"You want me to raise my hands and yelled delightfully or something?"

The three espers paused to stare at the aloof face and calm blue eyes. Wordlessly, they imagined Zein doing just that; pumping his hands into the air and yelling ’Oh my God, thank you so much, this is amazing, I’m so happy!’ and they felt instantaneous goosebumps.

Han Shin shuddered and tapped the guide’s shoulder. "You know what? You’re right, you look plenty happy already."

Zein shrugged, but as his eyes caught his reflection in the mirror, the corner of his lips curled slightly. Well...their affection felt heavy, but he also couldn’t deny the way his heart tickled with joy. And he truly liked it; the fact that he could wear equipment like espers was something that he had always dreamed of in the past while trying to survive in a meager combat jacket.

Now, he dreamed of the day he could convey his happiness better--especially toward those who mattered most; his friends, his...Esper. Zein caught the amber eyes staring at him through the mirror, and the tender smile carved on the lips below. Yeah...perhaps someday.

Perhaps someday.