There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 539

Chapter 539: Chapter 532. Defenders Role

As soon as Nyx had enough energy to create another portal out of the Deathzone, Bassena had to bid Zein goodbye.

It would be the first time they separated since they entered the Deathzone, and Bassena did not really take it well, no matter how much Zein spoiled him the night before. Too bad for the Saint Class, but his friend and subordinates--who had been separated from their lovers for more than two years already--were smirking in satisfaction behind him.

And too bad for him; Zein’s separation anxiety seemed to not be activated outside of dangerous situations.

Zein was fine about it though, since it was for a job. He simply gave Bassena a pat on the cheek before stepping into the portal. They arrived at the Mortix headquarters closest to the northern border. From there, he boarded a helicopter with Han Joon and Nyx while Radia returned to Athrea in a jet.

Zein had thought they were going straight to the top of the mountain, but Han Joon stopped the heli on a hill area, before handing the control over to Nyx. Afterward, Zein got to experience going down to the ground with a rope--which was surprisingly exciting.

"Sorry for the not smooth ride," Han Joon said as they went down the hill to hike the mountain where the Saint Class lived. "I don’t have multiple people teleportation."

"It’s fine, I need exercise."

Han Joon glanced at the guide, whose eyes were actually got a bit brighter. He had heard about it, but Zein truly had no difficulty following him through the rough path. From the report Radia had been showing him after the honeymoon, it seemed the other guides under him also had a pretty good constitution.

"I heard about your school," Han Joon smiled. "Seems like the military wants to make a contract with your school?"

Zein paused briefly with an arched brow. "You still keep in touch with them?"

"The soldiers are not all bad," Han Joon answered lightly. Most of them knew nothing of what the higher-ups were scheming, and were only trained to receive orders.

Han Joon knew a lot of good, honest soldiers who really wanted to keep people safe from the miasmic beasts, so it wasn’t really fair for him to hate the whole institution. In fact, he was still in touch with his former Mobius subordinates, who sometimes visited him in prison.

"True," Zein nodded, humming in contemplation. The school administration was still waiting for his reply about the military’s proposal. "I guess I’ll think about it."

"Just make a tight-knit contract and don’t let them treat the guides as a soldier."

"I’ll make sure to tell my management."

Han Joon chuckled for a bit. Who would have thought the guide he met at the park that day would become a Patriarch of an Old House and own an academy?

Their nonchalant conversation met a halt when they had to traverse through a steep cliff and climb a stone formation instead of hiking on a calm trail. Han Joon had to pull Zein up the cliff and they ended up taking a brief stop for some water.

"How did you get to know the Iron Mountain?" Zein asked while letting the water settle in his thirst. _{freewebnøvel.com}

"I was on my investigation journey, and I stumbled upon this place," Han Joon swept his gaze across the mountain with a subtle smile of nostalgia. It might be hard to believe, but even this hard terrain he took Zein through was the easiest path he knew after spending quite some time there in the past. "I had thought it was suspicious because the whole place was unmarked, but--"

"Turned out it was private property?" Zein raised his brow, looking at the huge mountain, and wondered how much it cost.

"I was lucky I have the Goddess’ brand on me," Han Joon chuckled at the memory.

Zein raised his brow. A deity brand meant an esper was one of the deity’s favorites, just like the black scales under Bassena’s eyes. It could be anything from a visible tattoo to an invisible sigil. It was rude to ask someone to show the brand, however, so Zein kept his curiosity inside.

"But you seemed to be close enough with him to hear about his relationship with my father," Zein crunched his water bottle and threw it inside his storage ring before standing up.

"Well, since I was here anyway, I asked for a training session," Han Joon smirked as they started to move again.

Zein blinked and tilted his head. "Training?"

An assassin type asked for training from a defender? Zein’s confusion was palpable, but Han Joon merely smiled and asked a question that did not seem to be answering Zein’s curiosity.

"What do you think is an important skill for a defender?"

Confused as he was, Zein still answered the quiz-like question. "Shielding?"

"That’s for tankers."

"Are they different?"

"To defend yourself," Han Joon finalized his point. "He’s so good because he could defend the others before the threat even got close."