42.
Anyone well-versed in the physiology between Espers and Guides wouldn’t ridiculously flirt in front of someone’s pair who was clearly present. No matter how many times he reconsidered it, it still bothered him. In any case, the problem was that the person was too pretty and too impressive.
Even with night vision goggles covering half his face, Ryu Ho-yeon’s perfect sculptural beauty couldn’t be completely hidden. As his eyes gradually adjusted to the surrounding darkness, he could glimpse that pitifully well-defined jawline, the pointed yet adorably rounded nose bridge, and those plump lips.
Usually, his delicate eyes were such treasures that he hadn’t properly appreciated the other features, but with the eyes covered, the true value of the other parts stood out more clearly. And what about that smooth, sculpture-like thin neck that continued below his chin!
The love-struck goggles of a twenty-three-year-old who had fallen deeply into unrequited love had become much thicker and stronger than when he was twenty or twenty-one. If it were merely baseless infatuation, there might be a slight possibility that it would fade someday, but in this case, the problem was that even if he removed the filter of love from his corneas, Ryu Ho-yeon’s appearance wouldn’t change. At this rate, it would never fade away.
“Sigh… Why is Ho-yeon hyung so beautiful that he keeps making me anxious…”
Just as Choi Jae-won was floundering in his self-imposed tragedy that no one had ever encouraged…
“Idiot!!”
Suddenly, a strong angry voice erupted from the Chinese ship that was picking up Ryu Ho-yeon’s boat. The ears of the raid members who were finishing up their battle and preparing to rest perked up at once. Even without understanding the meaning, the emotion and tone were… too clearly an insult.
The evidently angry shout didn’t stop at once but was repeated several times. Who could be so mindlessly throwing a tantrum in the dungeon when they knew perfectly well it could attract monsters’ attention?
Choi Jae-won manipulated the view of his night vision goggles to examine the deck over there. It was that temperamental Esper that Han Ji-su had warned about before entering. No wonder there were no voices trying to stop it—the leader who should have been quieting the commotion was the one yelling the loudest.
Kim Ga-ram, who had slipped away somewhere, had somehow reappeared and was keenly observing the situation over there. He was assessing in advance whether any stray sparks might fly in their direction. Though he showed signs of inexperience, it seemed he wasn’t completely thoughtless. Perhaps he hadn’t passed the civil service exam for nothing.
Since the shouting was loud enough for even Choi Jae-won, who wasn’t an Esper, to hear clearly despite not understanding the words, Kim Ga-ram, a C-class Esper, could grasp the situation without any difficulty.
Soon after, Han Ji-su approached them. She seemed to have just surfaced after diving underwater. She asked what was going on while squeezing the soaked edges of her combat uniform.
“Ah. Well, it’s not a big deal…”
Kim Ga-ram continued with an expression that suggested he couldn’t understand why someone would raise their voice so much over such a matter. Other Espers who were equally curious about the situation also gathered around and listened attentively.
From what they heard, it seemed there was also a materialization ability user on the other side. The difference was that while the materialization ability user on this side was the world’s only S-class, the one on the other side was merely a B-class.
In reality, materialization ability users were extremely rare even within the special category, so there were almost no cases where “merely” was used as a modifier before “B-class.” A B-class materialization user with good operational skills was valued more highly than most A-class physical enhancement types who appeared relatively commonly. This meant that centers worldwide were desperate to recruit them, treating them like gold dust.
However, right now, the comparison was against the incredible S-class user who was probably resting comfortably in the lounge he had created, unaware of the situation—hence the “merely” B-class.
“It seems that their leader strongly pushed to bring in an Esper who was originally affiliated with another country, stretching their finances… The words he keeps repeating are basically… ‘Why can’t you do that?'”
“Geez, I thought they were going to be quiet for once.”
Han Ji-su shook her head while looking at the opposing leader who only seemed to know how to shout loudly.
“I guess they’re not that interested in just making boats or lounges. But since Esper Ryu Ho-yeon hunts monsters so easily… he’s asking why can’t you make things like that? He’s saying that as an Esper, you shouldn’t cowardly hide behind others but fight directly… I mean, you should compare comparable things…”
Choi Jae-won naturally agreed with Kim Ga-ram’s exasperated comments. At least comparing materialization ability users within this dungeon involved a difference in rank. He and Han Ji-su were both A-class with the same water attribute natural type, yet his actual combat ability was significantly below Han Ji-su’s. It’s hard to imagine how someone could appear so clueless.
And above all, it was too cruel to compare anyone with an exceptional person who had virtually no limits as long as there was sufficient guiding support.
Typically, materialization ability users—meaning everyone except Ryu Ho-yeon here—rightly didn’t participate in combat. Their main duty was to provide item support during dungeon raids.
From B-class Espers and above, they could freely materialize items within the dungeon according to their capabilities, just as they could outside. Dungeon raids weren’t completed in just an hour or two, and in difficult cases, they often had to live inside the Gate for up to a month. When such situations occurred, surprisingly, the biggest challenge was carrying supplies.
No matter how simplified the combat rations were or how sparingly they drank their allocated water, when you gathered spare combat boots, night vision goggles, various combat tools, sleeping bags, and first aid kits, even one person’s belongings weighed quite a lot.
There were limits to using physical enhancement types or telekinetic ability users from the special category for carrying loads. This was because all personnel, including Guides, had to carry their own gear in case they got separated from the group.
In this situation, an Esper who could enter empty-handed and, with well-managed guiding, produce needed items abundantly like a character from an old cartoon—wouldn’t every country be eager to recruit such a person? In fact, research had shown that when a B-class materialization ability user joined a group, the average weight of distributed supplies was reduced by 1/3.
This was already impressive enough. But Ryu Ho-yeon went a step further by easily and efficiently annihilating monsters with his materialized weapons.
When Ryu Ho-yeon’s achievements were first reported to the International Esper Association, countries and forces possessing materialization ability users were thrown into chaos. They optimistically thought that their own materialization ability users could at least somewhat imitate him, albeit with some differences due to rank disparities.
However, not a single one—from B-class users with confident guiding supply after completing imprinting with their Guides, to the so-called elite A-class users—could replicate Ryu Ho-yeon’s miraculous achievements.
The weapons materialized from their fingertips showed no difference from ordinary weapons. This meant they couldn’t even scratch the tough bodies of monsters.
Han Ji-su shuddered and quickly moved the waves. The boat without a motor rapidly distanced itself from the Chinese ship according to the Esper’s will. With no one stopping them, it was obvious that other monsters would be attracted if this continued, and being caught up in that was absolutely not an option.
* * *
“Ho-yeon! Did you come back safely this time too?”
“Oh, Mom… What brings you here? I thought you were busy.”
They had just left the scene thanks to Han Ji-su’s quick and accurate judgment of the situation. After verbally reporting the completion of the raid to the situation room and heading back to their quarters, he ran directly into the Research Director who was second only to the busiest person in the center.
How long had it been since they had last met? Ryu Ho-yeon quickly calculated. He remembered meeting once at the main building about two months ago. Even then, they had only exchanged brief greetings as they passed each other.
“Look at you, have you matured with age? You keep speaking formally to your mother. I feel hurt.”
“Well… at twenty-eight, it’s about time.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes. You also… I mean, Mother, you’re also respectful to Grandmother and Grandfather.”
“That’s true. Oh my, maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but the smallest things make me feel sad.”
The Research Director still had a pleasant face and gently smiled like a good person as she stroked her son’s cheek.
Ryu Ho-yeon accepted the gesture with an expression that suggested he was dying of awkwardness.
After a commotion two years ago, Ryu Ho-yeon had somehow become awkward around the person he cherished and was closest to. Choi Jae-won also felt awkward facing him, but living together in the same house and seeing each other every day whether they liked it or not, the awkwardness naturally dissolved at some point. However, with his mother, whom he saw at most once a month for a single meal, he still hadn’t been able to dilute that awkwardness.
