# Chapter 50
“Esper Baek Dohyun really doesn’t take care of his body.”
“Can’t be helped.”
From the beginning, Dohyun thought he could capture an Esper’s ability in a potion if he received their attack, and he wanted to verify many abilities. On the other hand, Haegang tried to dissuade him, saying he couldn’t understand where this idea of recklessly using one’s body came from.
While fighting monsters inside gates and completing conquests, Espers blossomed. They used their abilities even when injured, received Guiding from Guides, then headed back to gates. It wasn’t the kind of instinct a Guide could understand.
“If you’re going to do it, hurry up.”
“Wait, just a moment.”
Haegang looked ready to pour healing potion on the wound immediately, so Dohyun quickly tried to capture the energy he felt from the silver-haired Esper’s attack into water. But as if rejecting him, the water remained perfectly clear.
“It’s not working…”
As soon as this conclusion was reached, Haegang, with his displeased face, immediately poured potion generously over Dohyun’s wound. With a faint light, the wound gradually disappeared.
“So we’ve confirmed it. Energy that directly affects others or creates changes can be made into potions. But the power of close-range or tank-type Espers who only affect their own bodies can’t be made into potions.”
The silver-haired Esper’s ability wasn’t about affecting ‘the act of swinging a sword’ itself. Rather, he used energy surrounding his body to move the sword faster, more delicately, and stronger. Therefore, the attack itself didn’t carry energy. That’s why Dohyun couldn’t make it into a potion.
It was disappointing. If he could capture close-range abilities in potions, he could have gained power to escape from danger.
Seeing Dohyun’s disappointed expression, Haegang let out a small sigh. Then he leaned in slightly and whispered quietly in his ear.
“There are Espers who can grant Haste.”
“…!”
“If you want to become faster like a close-range dealer, it might be worth looking for that type of Esper later.”
Dohyun nodded vigorously.
❖ ❖ ❖
After the conquest ended, Haegang and Dohyun returned home and sat on the sofa to organize the hypotheses they had verified.
If he received an Esper’s attack, he could use that Esper’s ability by turning it into a potion. However, abilities from enhancement-type or close-combat Espers who strengthened their physical bodies were impossible.
“That’s probably because the energy those Espers possess interacts with their own bodies.”
“Interaction?”
“Tank-type Espers and close-range dealer-type Espers strengthen their own bodies.”
It meant you needed a body that could properly accept the energy. The bodies of tanks and close-range dealers changed to withstand attacks or handle rapid movements using energy. But Dohyun’s body couldn’t accept that energy. That’s why he couldn’t create potions from it.
“It’s the same for normal Espers too. They say they only use as much power as their bodies can handle. If they start using more than that, they can’t control the energy, and that’s when they enter an overloaded state.”
The second limitation was that an Esper couldn’t use the Awakener’s potion with the same ability. Additionally, when Handam threw the pink potion, no fireball was created. It only soaked the monster as if regular water had been splashed.
Dohyun suspected that the red healing potion couldn’t be used by healing Espers at the guild. And as he suspected, after the experiment, when they asked the Somyeong Guild who had just completed a high-rank gate conquest, they heard that while other Espers’ wounds healed when they drank or applied the potion, only the healing Esper couldn’t receive the potion’s effects.
“And the potion’s effect differs when Esper Baek Dohyun uses it compared to when others use it.”
Haegang’s help was significant here. Even if Haegang drank the pink potion, he couldn’t control the ability to use it directly. Conversely, he could cause an explosion by throwing and breaking the bottle. It was similar to the shield ability—it could be used by drinking or spraying, but the ability couldn’t be directly controlled.
“It was like a shield machine. It was similar to becoming an empty machine that couldn’t do anything once used.”
But unlike a device that could barely create a shield, Dohyun’s potions were quite useful. They could contain various abilities and were good for when protection or healing was needed. Haegang agreed that attack abilities like explosions, while one-time use as potions and therefore unnecessary for others, were abilities Dohyun needed.
“Then conquering gates alone might really be…”
“It should be possible. But for safety, someone would still be needed.”
Dohyun thought it would be better to create many abilities he could use even if not specifically for gate conquest.
‘See you later, Seonwoo. You’ll need to listen to hyung well then.’
He wouldn’t have said such things without reason. Dohyun predicted that Han Jiwhan would definitely appear again.
Seeing Dohyun’s face betraying anxiety, Haegang spoke.
“Just build up your strength. If Esper Baek Dohyun becomes stronger, whatever they’re thinking, they won’t be able to do as they please.”
Dohyun nodded slowly.
And one more thing. As Haegang added, Dohyun raised his head. When his red eyes held a question, Haegang spoke.
“Give up on finding a house for a while.”
“What?”
“That house. You liked it, didn’t you?”
“Yes… I did think I could buy it later.”
“They’re doing long-term repairs. Because of the gate incident. The garden is ruined, and the windows are cracked, so they’re not selling it now.”
“No way…!”
Although he hadn’t planned to buy it immediately, hearing that the peaceful house he liked was gone filled him with despair.
Looking at Dohyun, whose face resembled a raccoon whose cotton candy had been washed away, Haegang couldn’t help but smirk.
❖ ❖ ❖
The interior of the office with its lights off was dark despite it being afternoon. Only sunlight streaming through the window gaps dimly illuminated the table. A man in black clothes sitting on the table smiled, and the man kneeling hurriedly bowed his head and said:
“The target isn’t very strong, n-not at all.”
“Is that so…?”
“I’ve confirmed he’s a high-rank Esper. But it’s also certain he’s a non-combat Esper.”
“I suppose he would be.”
The blue-haired Esper answered with a voice tinged with amusement. The trembling man clasped his hands in supplication and squeezed his eyes shut.
“This time, really, there won’t be any mistakes…!”
“How can I believe you?”
You made mistakes last time too. The coldness in that smiling voice felt as if it would slice through his neck. The man gasped as if crying.
“Originally, originally it should have been a day he was h-home…”
“But he wasn’t, was he? Our youngest wasn’t home. You just burned the house.”
“R-really, really, I’m certain this time. I can do it properly this time!”
The Esper smiled. What should I do? Should I believe him? The kneeling man sensed that he needed to beg if necessary to gain trust. He already knew death was near. But he wanted to live a little longer. Although his life could disappear with just a wave of a hand, he wanted to struggle for his life at least. With his eyes tightly shut, the man finally declared:
“It’s true. If I make a mistake this time… I’ll truly give up my life!”
“I already took your life last time.”
“Please… please, please…!”
“Alright. I understand.”
Bring our youngest. Without mistakes this time.
The cold voice echoed eerily. When the man who had been prostrating himself and crying raised his head, the Esper was gone. In the Esper’s place, a single photograph remained.
The man picked up the photo with trembling hands. In it, a pretty child was smiling at the lens, raising two delicate fingers. The next life wouldn’t be his own. Understanding the meaning of the photo, the man clutched it and wept.
Having coldly left the place, Jiwhan soon headed to the next location. His face, moving deep black eyes to check his surroundings, looked bored.
One, two… Quite a few people had gathered around Jiwhan, who sat in the most prominent seat. The people surrounding him varied in gender and age. But one thing was certain—they were all Espers. People with beautiful features, diverse hair colors, and eye colors looked at Jiwhan with genuinely concerned expressions.
“Hyung.”
Another man called out to him as he approached. Jiwhan sat down without responding, but the man approached familiarly and made eye contact.
“The baby?”
“Well… he’s made other friends. Very close friends.”
“What…?”
This is bad. The people who heard Jiwhan’s words furrowed their brows elegantly. When murmuring sounds filled the room, Jiwhan snapped his fingers. Snap-. Attention returned to him.
“So it seems we can’t bring the baby back right away.”
“But he’s our youngest.”
“This is terrible. He’s been wandering outside too much.”
“I’m worried. We should have kept him firmly in our hands.”
“That’s right.”
“Hyung, were you perhaps scared too?”
“Yes.”
“You should have played fewer pranks.”
“Are you still talking about that?”
Surprisingly, a family-like atmosphere flowed through the interior filled with laughter. When Jiwhan extended his hand, a woman sitting nearby placed a photo in it. It was a picture of young Dohyun, without a trace of a smile, looking at the lens with eyes full of fear.
“He’s pretty too.”
“He’s our youngest after all.”
“Ah, I wish he would come back soon.”
His hyungs and noonas are waiting. The conversation continued as if family members were waiting at home for a sibling who had run away. Jiwhan smiled and placed the photo on the table.
The man sitting closest to Jiwhan looked at the photo and then, with a slightly dazed expression, opened his mouth.
“Hyung, then.”
Shouldn’t we just kill them all?
At the small voice, everyone’s eyes gleamed brightly. Yes, that would work. Wouldn’t that work? If we kill everyone… our youngest will come back.
“Our youngest can’t stay away from us for too long. He left before completion.”
“Ah…”
“He might die. Without properly returning to our arms.”
“That can’t happen.”
Looking at the dejected Espers, Jiwhan smiled with crescent eyes.
“It’s okay. We’ll do it little by little.”
I’ll hold him in my hand again. Jiwhan clenched his fist tightly. As if he were squeezing a thin neck in that hand.
“We’ll get him back again.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
