Zephyr's mind raced uncontrollably, overwhelmed by desperation.
The vast knowledge Gaya had bestowed upon him about his skills surged through his mind. He scanned it so rapidly that, if someone had told him before that he was capable of such a feat with his intelligence, which was even lower than average, Zephyr would have laughed. Ultimately, his mind found a healing skill within the knowledge.
Immediately, he activated the skill, and a golden glow radiated from his hands. He touched Lucien, attempting to heal him—but the process was extremely slow, and the body in his arms stayed motionless.
So, he rummaged through his mind and, eventually, discovered that more physical contact could accelerate the process.
He barely noticed the faint flicker of Lucien's eyelashes as he stirred slightly.
Lucien's hazy blue eyes, which had barely opened in a daze because of the soothing feeling that had eased the pain in his body, went wide in extreme shock as they took in the sight of a familiar face smudged with some blood, drawing dangerously closer.
His mind went blank. In that moment, he forgot everything—even the fear and relief that should have followed after narrowly escaping being eaten by a large monster.
An electric current coursed through his body as he followed Zephyr's searching lips, which brushed against his cheek.
Then his chin.
And finally, they found his lips.
Lucien's first instinct wasn't to stop the man, but to think... 'how soft'—and what was this warm, comfortable sensation?
Then Lucien's mind exploded.
What the fuck?!
The curse had barely echoed in his mind before he felt a wet, searing sensation on his lips and gasped in shock. Immediately, the unruly tongue that had just tentatively licked his lips slipped in. A powerful hand gripped his head, gently threading through his hair to deepen the kiss. Lucien forgot to resist, aghast at the audacity of the man!
He could do nothing but clutch Zephyr's arm as the tongue that had just slipped in glided against his teeth, tracing the roof of his mouth before entangling with his own.
The movements were hesitant and a bit clumsy at first, but feeling no resistance, they soon grew bold, ecstatic, and more intense, leaving him unable to fight back.
Dizziness washed over him, his body growing weak as he forgot to breathe.
So, he couldn't help but curse—when the hell would this man stop kissing him?!
How could he continue for so long??
Doesn't he need to fucking breathe?!
To make matters even worse, the weird, comforting energy pouring into his body from the other actually made him hard!
It wasn't clear whether it was due to pure anger, embarrassment, or simply a lack of oxygen—but Lucien fainted once more.
Fortunately, amidst the kiss, Zephyr's muddled mind regained some clarity.
He could tell that Lucien was fine now.
Although Zephyr wanted to continue, he reluctantly pulled back, a thin, glistening thread of saliva still connecting their lips.
He felt a flicker of guilt—but his mind conveniently gave a justification: he had kissed him to tend to Lucien's wounds.
Yes, to save him.
That thought eased his conscience.
Even if Lucien questioned him when he woke up, he was confident that what had just happened wouldn't have any effect on their friendship. It absolutely would not. He would make sure to prove his intentions.
Lucien was kind—he would surely believe that he was innocent. He truly hadn't taken advantage of him after the first half of the kiss, which had sobered his mind a little.
If only Lucien could hear his thoughts—he would be yelling that this jerk of a man had abso-damn-lutely taken advantage of him!
Calming himself, Zephyr finally picked up Lucien and carefully laid his unconscious body next to a rock. Amidst the silence, he straightened Lucien's collar and whispered near his ear, even knowing he couldn't hear.
"Sleep for a while. I will…"
His eyes revealed a hint of madness.
"Obliterate everything in this place..."
"...that could pose harm to you."
Zephyr didn't know how or which skill he had used earlier to unleash such strong energy, swiftly killing a powerful monster.
Nor did he know the consequences of wielding such a devastating power.
All he knew instinctively was that, in this moment, this power was slowly spreading throughout the entire dungeon. He felt that within its domain, he could do anything he wanted—but this state would not last long, as his mana was running dangerously low.
Also, he could feel the fluctuations in his wavelength. He had used too much mana, so his energy was highly contaminated.
It seemed he needed guiding. The thought was fleeting as he looked at Lucien with a meaningful glance and ignored the matter.
Earlier, when they had kissed, he hadn't received any guiding from Lucien—it had been purely physical contact with nothing else. Perhaps they could do it again when Lucien woke up and saw his condition?
After enveloping Lucien in energy, he stepped back and stood at a distance.
In the next moment, a massive surge of corrosive power erupted from his body as he activated his SSS-rank skill: Corrosion Manipulation. A powerful ability to erase everything of lower rank from existence.
That was how, by the time Lucien finally regained awareness, no living creature remained in the vast dungeon—the very same dungeon that had been labeled the first Disaster-Level dungeon in the novel!
But that wasn't all—
He nearly fainted again at the sight of a lone, familiar figure of a handsome man shrouded in darkness—kneeling far away. Surrounded by dangerous, electricity-like currents, clearly on the verge of rampage.
This insane piece of shit—!