Chapter 27
I may have pulled him over without thinking, but I couldn’t understand why everyone’s expressions suddenly changed.
Especially when I ignored Ji Yeohoon who was calling out “Hyung,” and pulled Yoon Cheong closer to press my cheek against his.
Before my regression, I never particularly favored guiding that involved kissing or physical intimacy, and that habit wouldn’t have disappeared just because I died and was reborn.
Pressing cheeks together was one of the alternative guiding methods that substituted for more intimate guiding. Though it didn’t involve direct contact, the strong sensation of connection made it an efficient guiding technique that both guides and Espers at the Association used without much awkwardness.
“I didn’t know there was such a method.”
The guild guides looked at me with curiosity.
In truth, this guiding method only became popular about three years after I joined the Association.
It was probably discovered by Association guides who had to guide unfamiliar Espers. For situations when kissing would be embarrassing but a hug wouldn’t be enough.
Actually, I was the one who discovered it. That’s why I shared it with the guides around me.
Since it didn’t require deep contact but was still effective for guiding, it quickly spread among guides, and later many guild guides used it too.
“No matter how I look at it, I want to bring him to our guild. He’s calm, and though he probably hasn’t been taught yet, he’s quick at prioritizing guiding.”
“Should we send a trade request to Calling?”
“Who could we trade him for? He’s an S-class Guide who’s that good at guiding too—they’d never let him go.”
“We don’t even have an S-class Guide.”
While I was concentrating on guiding, everyone else seemed relaxed.
During this time, when the boss monster appeared, the Espers who had been waiting at the front rushed forward, and Ji Yeohoon prepared to use his ability.
“Ji Yeohoon, don’t overuse your ability. The seniors are here, and people from the guild too, so it’s better not to push yourself.”
“…Hyung.”
“What?”
“Can you guide me like that too when I need guiding later?”
“Like what?”
“Like you just did.”
Seeing Ji Yeohoon looking envious, I couldn’t help but make an incredulous expression.
You guys get jealous and envious over the strangest things.
“If you use your ability too intensely, I’m going to ask the guild teachers to handle you. You little Esper brat…”
After I spoke to him calmly, Ji Yeohoon, who had been about to power up significantly, turned his head with composure.
How dare you try to hurt yourself.
Yoon Cheong, who had been pressing his cheek against mine and just breathing for a while, finally seemed to be feeling better and pulled away.
The energy flowing to Yoon Cheong had weakened slightly, but since guiding needed more time to complete, I hugged him and patted his back, which made him relax again.
Ji Yeohoon was trying to assist in the outside battle, and Yoon Cheong wanted to join quickly too.
No, be patient, I thought as I gripped his clothes tightly, and Yoon Cheong obediently stayed in my arms.
“Does your head hurt?”
“No, I’m fine now. I was struggling earlier because I had ringing in my ears.”
“That’s good.”
While holding Yoon Cheong, I confirmed that the normal amount of energy was flowing and then released him.
After checking his physical condition by moving his hands a bit, Yoon Cheong quietly stood next to Ji Yeohoon.
“Hyung, just rest. Don’t receive guiding again for no reason.”
You’re the one who’s using your ability just to get guiding, aren’t you?
I stared at him intently, and Ji Yeohoon pretended not to notice as he looked ahead and smiled.
“Take it easy. All the seniors up front are fine, so if you collapse unnecessarily, I’ll call your parents. And I’ll do it without guiding you.”
“…”
“I can already see how much Guide Oh Chan-seok will scold me.”
“My dad wouldn’t scold you, Hyung.”
“He would. I have no intention of guiding you after you push yourself that hard.”
What’s he trying so hard for when everyone up front is doing fine?
Is receiving guiding that enjoyable? Receiving guiding means you’re in pain. Isn’t it better not to need guiding at all?
My guiding is ultimately just to send both Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon back to that battle, but why are these kids so ready to prepare for pain?
Don’t get hurt, you stupid little ones. What’s so good about fighting? What makes you think you can endure the pain of using your abilities?
I gently stroked their heads and then lowered my hand.
“Go to the front. The seniors and guild guides will be here backing you up. Just don’t get hurt. I don’t want to be scolded by your aunt and uncle.”
“I definitely won’t get hurt.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
The two Espers ran off at high speed.
I never believed the saying that Espers are aggressive, or that even if they weren’t aggressive before, they become so after manifesting.
But seeing these kids who feel free to use their abilities to their fullest despite enduring pain, I wondered if it was right for me to try to stop that power as I pleased.
Ji Yeohoon applied enhancement to his own hands, then did the same for Yoon Cheong.
I couldn’t tell if it was instinct or a technique they learned while taking classes at school.
But it looked so much like how they attacked each other before my regression.
The difference was that they now had young bodies, young faces, and somewhat awkward movements, and they were attacking the same target instead of each other.
“You look really worried.”
“I’ve raised those kids since they were little. They shouldn’t get hurt.”
“You really are like an old man.”
“I hear that a lot.”
“But hey, why did you guide the smaller kid first before the bigger one earlier?”
“You should start with the person who can finish things quickly, right?”
“You know well? Haven’t they taught you that at school yet?”
“Uh… I read it in a book. I read a lot of books before going to school. Plus, I know an S-class Guide who told me a lot about it.”
Though I hadn’t learned it at school, I somehow managed to find a reason to explain.
After vaguely brushing it off, I turned my head to look at the kids.
The Blood Slime King, so red it seemed like red blood would flow if you tapped it, was extraordinary in size.
It was literally as big as a house, and even I felt pressure watching from a distance, but the Espers at the front didn’t seem to feel it as they continued attacking.
The difference was that while fighting regular slimes, they tended to attack individually, but with the Slime King, they were attacking different areas under the direct command of the guild Esper.
“Why are they attacking like that? Weren’t they just blasting and crushing things before?”
“It’s because the Slime King’s density keeps changing. If you look closely, the liquid-like density on the side being attacked gets thinner while the opposite side gets thicker. So freezing attacks have a harder time freezing the denser part, which means they should attack the thicker side, while fire-type attacks should target the thinner side for more impact.”
The same applied to close-range Espers.
They needed to deliver direct hits, but the squishy texture made it difficult, so attacking the higher density areas made it somewhat easier to burst through.
In reality, I couldn’t see any of this from a distance.
I could only see flashes of light, one corner freezing then melting again, and Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon running around like crazy.
Despite the pain and the aftereffects of using their abilities that would surely bring suffering, they looked even more energetic.
Any memory of them furrowing their brows in pain had disappeared—they had somehow become accustomed to rushing in, supporting others, and dodging attacks.
“What makes Espers so eager to charge in?”
“I wonder…”
From a young age, they’re bound to schools and can’t go outside.
When they become adults, they seem to find freedom, but in the end, they just move between gates, home, and the Association.
If they misuse their power around regular people they meet, the other person could get injured or, in severe cases, die.
They continue living while hiding everything, only going to the places they’re allowed to go.
Perhaps gates are the only places where they don’t have to hide.
Maybe the guides who make them hurt less still think of them as beings who get injured with just a little exertion.
It’s not that they become aggressive—perhaps they lack freedom because of their overwhelming power.
“For the finishing blow, ah…”
Yoon Cheong, boosted by Ji Yeohoon’s buff, moved his hand.
It was such a powerful force that the distortion in the air was visible even from afar, and it struck down directly on the Blood Slime King’s head.
The boss monster, which had been partially frozen, crumbled immediately, leaving the seniors and guild Espers with blank expressions.
“The little ones got the finishing blow, huh?”
It seems like they wanted to do something cool, but they were inevitably pushed back because of the strength of those two.
Well, even the strongest here is probably only A-class, while those two will eventually rise to become remarkable S-class…
In the end, just like before my regression, those kids defeated the boss and got the highest contribution.
The gate entrance/exit through which we had entered began to faintly regenerate, as if the gate had recognized that the boss monster was gone.
As a wound-like tear appeared in the empty space, people who looked like they were from the Association, dressed in suits, were standing in large numbers beyond the exit gap, and I saw familiar faces.
Since it was near a gate, regular people couldn’t come, so the aunt and uncle seemed to have been there the whole time.
“Yeohoon! Cheong, Soo-young!”
And behind them were Espers from the Calling guild whom I’d seen coming and going.
They had faces that seemed to say “We told you we should have gone!” but since we were all perfectly fine and not a single person—Esper or Guide—who had entered was injured, their expressions changed to something more awkward.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?”
With an urgent voice, I was showered with healing from the aunt.
The only “injuries” were pressure marks on my hands from sitting on the ground briefly, or slight scratches from the sand, but even those disappeared.
While healing couldn’t remove the pain caused by using abilities, it could heal tired bodies, and the tired-looking eyes of the two quickly became round and bright again.
“Auntie, I have a question.”
“Yes? Do you want more healing?”
“No. About the healing…”
“Yes?”
“…Would it also relieve fatigue for high school seniors preparing for college entrance exams?”
“…”
I muttered that it seemed like something that could make money, and received another storm of healing showers as she said I must be very tired.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
