Chapter 9
Once again, everyone gathered over the weekend, including Yoon Cheong’s mother who couldn’t come last time due to a business trip.
Before my regression, after receiving the Guide manifestation prediction from the physical examination, I used to visit the hospital about once a month for all kinds of tests.
However, this time the situation was a little different. Our parents agreed that until we fully manifested, they would prevent the Association or Guilds from bothering us. Ji Yeohoon’s parents had registered me and Yoon Cheong as temporary affiliated trainee Espers and Guides with their guild.
Of course, it wasn’t an official affiliation, just a temporary measure to avoid trouble, but since we were registered with the guild, they said we only needed to get tested at the guild once every 2-3 months.
The manifestation prediction comes from the national examination, but other details, like ranking, usually come from separate tests.
“Hello?”
A stylish career woman with a bob cut and a business suit greeted us with a warm smile, breaking her otherwise dignified expression.
It was Yoon Cheong’s mother.
Somehow, Yoon Cheong didn’t resemble his father much, so he must take after his mother.
Yoon Cheong’s mother worked at a large corporation, and considering her age, she seemed to be in quite a high position.
Even on her day off, her phone kept ringing.
When I hesitantly greeted her with, “Hello,” Yoon Cheong’s mother seemed very pleased.
“Even in kindergarten, he rarely talked about friends, but he talks a lot about Soo-young. And you must be Yeohoon? I’m happy to meet you too, Yeohoon.”
“Hello…”
Ji Yeohoon, who’s usually sharp-tongued with Yoon Cheong, greeted her politely, apparently not feeling hostile even though she resembled Yoon Cheong.
While the adults were talking to each other and discussing the day’s plans, Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon somehow had gleaming eyes as they stood on either side of me.
“It’s nicer meeting outside of school.”
“We met at his house too.”
“That’s different.”
“I’m also happy to meet outside of our house and school.”
“You two find joy in the strangest things.”
I don’t see much difference between meeting at school, Ji Yeohoon’s house, or the guild where Ji Yeohoon’s parents work, but I guess the kids feel differently.
I’m too tired to keep up with children’s sensibilities.
“Buzz buzz…”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. I think our parents are going in?”
The children immediately turned their heads at my words after looking at me strangely for mumbling my thoughts out loud.
They were still too young and innocent… well, not innocent, but naive to understand such humor.
As we entered the guild holding our parents’ hands, a glamorously dressed woman approached us.
“Hello, future members of our guild!”
“Not happening,” Ji Yeohoon’s father said.
This woman, who was almost like an older aunt to me, was the Guild Master of “Calling,” the most famous guild in Korea.
Ji Yeohoon’s uncle coolly dismissed her words and led us straight to the examination room.
He left us in the exam room and went to talk with the Guild Master. Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon seemed a bit nervous about the unfamiliar machines, as they moved closer to me.
These kids were naturally nervous since this was their first additional examination, but I simply stood still, already too familiar with these machines.
Ji Yeohoon, being a kindergartner, didn’t have to do this now, but they said it would be less scary for him to try it when I and Yoon Cheong were there.
“Soo-young is so well-behaved in an unfamiliar place? Should I call it courage, or is he just mature for a child…”
“Son, aren’t you scared?”
How old do they think I am?
Since I was being misunderstood as brave, I rolled my eyes for a moment, wondering if I should appear a bit scared.
“I’m a little, um, scared.”
Since it wouldn’t make sense for a previously calm child to suddenly be frightened, I acted like an elementary schooler pretending to be brave, taking cues from the kids beside me.
The little ones who had been hiding behind me suddenly stared at me and then came out from behind.
Then they stood protectively in front of me, which left me wondering what they were doing.
“Are these little ones already acting like Espers protecting a Guide, even before manifesting?”
The researchers or doctors in white coats holding charts looked at us with amusement.
As the adults’ attention focused on us, the boys seemed to grow more determined despite their nervousness.
I shook my head at the sight of them and sighed, then grabbed their arms and positioned them on either side of me.
“I won’t be scared, so both of you stay still. We need to get tested, and we shouldn’t make things difficult for the adults.”
The adults found my words even more amusing and laughed.
From the researcher’s comment about “just as Chan-seok said,” it seemed I was already known as an old soul here too.
I’ve already given up on that.
We took the examination gowns and went to the changing room together. Even in the changing room, they didn’t want to be near each other, so they opened locker doors at opposite ends.
“Hyung, over here.”
“Hey, over here.”
What are they trying to do?
They waved their hands, urging me to change next to them. I calmly opened the door exactly in the middle.
The two stunned boys glared at each other, then pouted and came over to change clothes beside me.
“Which way does this go?”
“Here, the slightly pointed side goes in front.”
“Hyung, can you tie this string for me?”
“Turn around.”
After taking care of them, I ended up changing later.
But kindly, the two didn’t leave first and waited patiently for me to change. I found it a bit funny and smirked, which made Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon look up at me questioningly.
“Shall we go?”
“Why were you smiling? You’re not telling us?”
“No reason.”
I thought it was cute how the little ones waited, but since they disliked being called small, little, or young, I just silently went outside.
The examination wasn’t long.
We were scanned like a CT scan, and they attached some unknown devices to our arms.
Some kind of graph appeared on the screen that we couldn’t understand at all, but the researchers looked at it with interest.
“Yeohoon seems similar to Seon-young, but might manifest as a different type? They say genetics don’t apply to Esper abilities, but once he manifests, he’ll definitely be a research subject. It doesn’t seem like physical enhancement or physical type… judging by how the gauge accumulates… buffer type?”
Before my regression, Ji Yeohoon was a buffer-type Esper who could enhance other Espers’ abilities.
He tended to enhance barrier or healing Espers for safe gate conquests, and during boss monster appearances, he would enhance attack-type Espers for quick conquests.
That was one of the reasons his first gate training session was successful with the boss conquest.
“It’s not exact, but we estimate B to C class or higher. Since it’s pre-manifestation, we can’t confirm exactly. Even after manifestation, it’s difficult to determine until the ability stabilizes. If you look at the paper we handed out, this yellow line will keep fluctuating. When this becomes fixed, that’s the stabilization period when an accurate assessment can be made. From manifestation, this graph starts to rise, and with these figures, when stabilized, it’s likely to reach around here. Since this is a pre-manifestation test, it’s not exact, but that’s the estimated value. Even after manifestation, the figures will keep changing until the ability stabilizes.”
“Then what about our Cheong…?”
“The data compilation will be done soon, so please wait a bit. And, um, about Soo-young…”
Judging by how quiet the words became, I must still be D-class.
While Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon are quite high-ranked, I’m rather ordinary, which explains such a reaction.
My results seemed ambiguous, as the researcher spent a long time examining my paper, then received another paper, contemplated, and finally spoke.
“I’ll start with Yoon Cheong. Cheong is also estimated to be B to D class or higher. His figures are quite unstable now. Usually, such readings appear in delicate abilities that require direct control or manipulation of various things. We estimate telekinesis or mental manipulation. Cheong’s figures will continue to change until they stabilize, and they’ll fluctuate. Typically, telekinesis doesn’t stabilize until late teens to early twenties. After manifestation, will he need frequent guiding?”
“Guiding?”
“Yes. To explain with telekinesis, you need to move things delicately with the desired force, but right after manifestation, it’s not stable. So you might need the strength to lift an apple but end up with enough force to lift a car, or you might need the strength to lift a bag but only exert enough to lift a pencil. Control is difficult, so people often get tired from using too much power, and the exact class can’t be confirmed. That’s why accurate confirmation is needed during the manifestation period, so let’s wait until then.”
“Yes…”
“Then, um, about Soo-young…”
Everyone focused on the researcher.
I suppose that’s natural since I’m an (from adults’ perspective) little Guide next to these Esper kids.
Before my regression, after receiving the manifestation prediction notice, I went to the Association with my parents that week.
A bit scary, but after the examination, my assigned class was…
‘The manifestation class is F-class or higher. As I mentioned, this is the minimum estimate. Well, the child seems stable. With these figures, there’s a high probability of manifesting as D-class in reality.’
‘That’s a relief. We wanted him to go to a regular school…’
Thanks to that, my parents were extremely pleased.
Probably now too, if they mention F-class or higher, D-class manifestation, my parents and I would be relieved, but Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon, and their families might be a bit disappointed.
Still, even with a low rank, if we’re quite close, I’d be good at stabilizing Espers with a high matching rate. I thought, I’ll occasionally guide you guys well.
“The figures come out a bit unusual.”
“Unusual?”
“Yes… two figures are showing. This is my first time seeing such a case…”
Two? Why?
I went forward and took my examination paper.
Unlike Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon’s papers, which had yellow lines fluctuating and graphs of expected manifestation periods and class-related figures, my paper had graphs drawn in blue.
Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon’s graphs had a single yellow line drawn according to the expected figures, with red coloring above indicating a high probability of manifesting higher, but I had two blue lines.
“Since Esper and Guide tests are different, Esper figures are usually displayed in yellow, and Guide figures are displayed in blue. So it’s normal for the yellow line to be shown as 0 here. If you look at this blue line, this graph confirms F to D class manifestation. Plus, it’s a stable figure, and Guides with such figures typically have a high probability of manifesting as D-class. Does Soo-young have any negative feelings or bad memories about Espers?”
“No, nothing like that. Plus, Cheong and Yeohoon, who live with him, are Espers, so I doubt he would.”
“If there’s no rejection or negative feelings toward Espers, with this stability figure, D-class manifestation is common. Plus, based on the expected figures and examination, he doesn’t seem likely to show rejection reactions to Espers, and the probability of reverse guiding seems low. But you see…”
The researcher points to the upper graph, seemingly confused.
“This figure is at least A-class.”
What does that mean?
I looked at the researcher, thinking I misheard. Mom and Dad did the same.
“…Pardon?”
“A-class. This is the first time I’ve seen a Guide graph show two readings, so I thought it might be an anomalous reaction and retested. But it still shows two. And one of them is A-class.”
“Uh, what does that mean…?”
“For now, I don’t know the cause, but we should consider two possibilities. From D-class to A-class. If he manifests according to this upper figure instead of the lower one, it would be at least A-class, which means our guild would definitely want Soo-young as an exclusive. Soo-young? You’re not joining the Association, right? Absolutely not?”
No matter how positively I tried to interpret it, it was a statement that drew a red line across my peaceful life.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
