# Chapter 78
If it hadn’t been proposed directly by the Center, and if a broadcasting station had tried to recruit them, it would have been difficult to succeed.
Starting with Center Director Kyun In and his supporters Byun Tae-young and Shim Woo-jin—the original three S-class Espers—along with Seo Eunwoo who became a new S-class Esper, and Lee Ha-min who was once an exclusive Guide for S-class Espers and became a high-level Esper.
Not only did each of them hold immense significance, but their unrealistically good looks had created countless topics of conversation.
And then there was Cha Yoon, the S-class Esper who was once identified as the perpetrator of Seo Eunwoo’s kidnapping but somehow survived.
The broadcasting world was turned upside down early on at the news that a program featuring them would be aired.
Other broadcasting stations also rushed to recruit S-class Espers, thinking they had finally agreed to appear on television, but the S-class Espers drew a line, saying it was just a one-time event.
As they refused other appearance requests, interest in the program to be aired on Black Fish grew even higher.
What Black Fish initially thought was that they would produce the broadcast with support from the Center.
They thought it would be profitable even if the Center didn’t provide any other support and just had the S-class Espers and Ha-min appear on the broadcast, but once it started, it was a series of groundbreaking moments.
<Center>
The title was simple but impactful.
They were able to capture footage of Espers, including S-class ones, preparing for conquest as they approached dungeons, and could even show them coming out afterward covered in monster fluid.
The scenes of Guides waiting on-site providing Guiding to exhausted Espers were also revealed, and everything was shocking.
Those who watched gained more accurate information about the activities of Espers and Guides that they had only vaguely understood before, and they empathized with each Esper and Guide.
Interviews were also possible throughout, and topics that ordinary people would be curious about were covered, increasing the level of immersion.
As <Center> generated tremendous buzz from the first broadcast, Black Fish wanted to space out the broadcasts and air them for as long as possible, but Cha Yoon flatly refused.
<Center> broadcast a new episode every day, and each episode covered completely different content.
Those who first watched <Center> thought it was a documentary about Espers and Guides conquering dungeons.
However, the next episode dealt with Center Espers, unregistered Espers, and Topaz-affiliated Espers.
People with only vague knowledge about Espers learned more accurate information by watching each broadcast.
After watching the broadcast, criticism poured in against the government for giving Topaz-affiliated Espers the same tax benefits as Center Espers.
But that was just the beginning of a small spark.
More and more people became interested in <Center> and encouraged those who hadn’t seen it to watch, causing viewership to increase exponentially with each episode.
Black Fish, which took the unconventional step of suspending regular programming and rebroadcasting <Center> during that time, benefited considerably.
In the next episode, the ugly connection between the former Center Director and the government was highlighted.
It was revealed that the Center Director had diverted Guides who should have been Guiding Espers to sexually service government officials, and the stories of Espers who died or suffered aftereffects from not receiving Guiding were broadcast.
The former Center Director was well-known to people, and the arrows of criticism were aimed at him.
There was a continuing atmosphere of condemnation against the government, and there were also stories that their favoritism toward Topaz Espers was done to tame the new Center Director.
Although they couldn’t have predicted <Center> would progress that way, people were now unable to escape from the program.
Black Fish’s message board was flooded with inquiries about whether the content broadcast on <Center> was true, and Black Fish officials revealed that <Center> was being produced under the responsibility of S-class Esper Cha Yoon from the Center.
Cha Yoon staked his name and took responsibility for it.
When Cha Yoon came forward like that, even those who had initially tried to deny it seemed to realize the seriousness of the matter.
Among government officials, some stepped down thinking it would be less damaging to withdraw now, while others consistently played dumb.
As time passed, <Center> gradually increased the intensity of its provocations.
Viewers clearly understood who they should consider as enemies and who they should be angry at, raising their voices daily against unregistered Espers, Topaz, and government officials.
<Center> continued afterward.
The episodes that followed mainly focused on newly created dungeons.
The content stated that the dungeons appearing now were different from those that appeared before and that conquering them had become more difficult.
Footage of Espers dedicating themselves to training day and night to conquer dungeons was also broadcast.
Kyun In also said that dungeon conquest was never easy, and that there could be dungeons that couldn’t be conquered even if all S-class Espers were deployed.
The shock felt by those who watched that broadcast was immense.
[Many people think that way. They say that our country has S-class Espers, and if all S-class Espers go out to conquer, there’s no dungeon that can’t be conquered. But that’s different from the truth. Everyone wants to believe that. That nothing will happen and tomorrow will be comfortable too. But that’s not the case. We also feel fear when entering dungeons, wondering if we’ll make it out alive. There have been countless crises where we almost died in dungeons.]
People didn’t want to hear such things, but Kyun In continued to tell shocking stories.
[I trust my colleagues, but I don’t think my colleagues and I are invincible. The Center’s Espers are very well-trained, and I believe our Center’s Espers are the best prepared in the world. But we aren’t omnipotent. Dungeons may appear that we can’t conquer, and at that time, your daily lives could be destroyed. Don’t carelessly feel safe. You must make efforts yourselves for your safety, for your family’s safety.]
We hoped that those who watched the broadcast would take action.
But the conclusion we expected didn’t happen.
People didn’t seem to like what was being said.
They would have been satisfied if we had said, ‘Our Espers are the best in the world. You can rest assured no matter what dungeons appear.’
Although that would have been unbelievable, we all knew that’s what they wanted to hear.
***
In the end, the government didn’t change, and there was no civil resistance.
Those who were initially shocked and angered by <Center> didn’t take further active action.
There was no central figure, and crucially, they didn’t seem to want to believe what we said.
We bought the buildings of Origin Central.
It was fortunate, if you could call it that, that not everyone turned their backs on us.
The Center’s Espers and most of the Guides followed us and resolved to move together according to our decision.
It was more meaningful because it was made by the free will of each individual.
Topaz mocked the Center’s Espers, and more and more Espers gathered in our Central.
We had only one thing to do to those who had become accustomed to freeloading.
“I’ve called you all here today to make a significant decision.”
Meetings with all Espers present were often held, but this time the meeting started in a different atmosphere from usual.
None of the Espers would have imagined what today’s agenda would be.
“I didn’t want to ask for opinions on this, but I’m sorry it has come to this. However, I want to stop being a pushover, and I don’t want you to risk your lives for people who aren’t even concerned about you.”
Starting with Kyun In’s words, each S-class Esper expressed their opinions.
The core of our message was that we would no longer be the umbrella for Central citizens.
The Espers easily accepted our decision.
“No one wants to be a pushover. I’m going.”
“I think the entire Special Task Force will go. We have to move together.”
“I think our team will be the same.”
Responses like these were heard one by one, and eventually everyone decided to move with us.
“But where are we going?”
That’s what people were curious about, and we told them Origin Central.
People looked at each other and eventually burst into laughter.
Some of them had left for Origin and then returned, and they laughed saying we had played a big trick on the government officials.
“Then will we conquer the existing dungeons and leave?”
The Espers seemed to think that was a given.
There weren’t many left anyway.
But the current dungeons had appeared recently, and just a few days ago, we had completed the conquest of all dungeons.
Now, even if we decided to leave, new dungeons appeared every time, and everyone agreed that if we decided to conquer all the current dungeons before leaving, we would never be able to leave.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
