I couldn’t tell what was happening. An unfamiliar dread crept up on me, trying to consume me too.
Hissss…
Thick, black energy slithered up from beneath the once-transparent dome.
Like a fish trap closing around its prey, the Dungeon Dome coated its inner walls with venom, making sure no one inside could even think of escaping.
Ssshhhkk.
Some of the people pounding desperately at the dome’s walls cried out and fell back, hands scorched.
“AAAGH!
“It burns!
“Don’t touch it! It’s toxic! Get away from the black substance!”
Only when I screamed loud enough to shred my throat did people finally start listening.
“W-Who…?
“Isn’t that Yeon Yu-jin? From that washed-up group, Secreti…?”
“Wait, he’s a Guide, right? Now that I think about it!”
“That’s right! They’re Ability Users, aren’t they?”
“…But aren’t they just Ability Users in name? I heard they were high-ranked, but none of them ever actually worked as Espers…”
“What would they know? Especially Yeon Yu-jin…”
Whispers swirled around me, and dozens of doubtful eyes zeroed in.
They didn’t believe a word I said.
“And what do you know, anyway?
“You’re not some famous Esper like Jin Eutteum.”
Even in this critical situation, people found the time to criticize me.
Up above, the Balrogs stretched their wings and ascended toward the dome’s ceiling, entertained by the bickering humans.
–Is this infighting among the humans? Delightful.
–It’ll make killing them easier.
–I sense the aura of Ability Users, yet they seem clueless. What a shame.
Their gleaming red eyes swept over the huddled masses like predators sizing up their next meal.
–So weak. Let’s wipe them out all at once.
–Die.
Fiery energy spheres formed in their mouths.
Firestorm!
A condensed blast of pure infernal energy.
If those hit, everyone inside the dome would be obliterated.
–You should be grateful for such merciful extinction.
“The fuck did you freaks just say?!”
I couldn’t take it anymore—I shouted in rage.
–…What was that?
“You’re the ones who’ll die here, you goddamn half-breed monstrosities!”
Potato chimed in above me.
[Are you going to intervene?]
I have to.
I couldn’t just let people die.
Besides, the toxic layer coating the dome meant no one outside could see in, and nothing I did here would reach the government’s ears.
And that manager who seemed like a government mole? Not inside the dome.
Even better.
Time to kill every single one of these bastards.
I remembered those eyes.
How could I forget? The arrogant gaze that looked down on humans like dirt beneath their hooves.
I’d gouged out those very eyes thousands of times in my past life.
…There aren’t any other Espers in here.
The only Ability Users trapped inside the dome were me and those four insufferable little shits from Secreti.
They were untrained rookies with barely any experience, but even so—I could still use their power. And with me here, we had more than enough chance of winning.
It took me only a few seconds to work all that out. My past-life instincts were still razor sharp.
I can do this.
Seo Yoon-chae, who’d been frozen in place trying to process what was happening, finally stammered out,
“W-What’s going on? Why are you acting like a real Hunter?”
The others standing near him started chirping too, flustered and panicking.
“Yeon Yu-jin, were you… secretly training to be a Hunter or something? You’ve been weirdly competent since earlier…”
I didn’t have time to explain.
–This arrogant human. I should kill him before he becomes a nuisance.
Shit. The Firestorm orbs had grown even larger.
No time.
I stormed up to the four bastards and grabbed them by their collars.
“Wh-What the hell are you doing?!”
Seo Yoon-chae, who’d already gotten burned by my reverse guiding earlier, looked absolutely terrified.
Tch. And you call yourself an Esper?
So fragile. Pathetic.
“Hey. You guys. You’re gonna help me take those bastards down.”
“WHAT?!”
Seo Yoon-chae practically screamed. Ra Ho-yeon, Shin Tae-boem, and Cha Si-yoon all shouted back, eyes wide in disbelief.
“What are you trying to do?!”
“I’m gonna supercharge you with a guide buff. Then you just aim everything you’ve got at those monsters and unload it all.”
At my words, Seo Yoon-chae went pale.
“Are you nuts?! We’ll die! Yeah, we’re Ability Users, but we’ve never even fought in a real battle! We’re just civilians!”
“You won’t die. You’re A-rank Espers. No way you’ll go down that easy.”
Besides, I’m the strongest Guide there ever was—You’re not going to lose while I’m here.
“Once I guide you, I’ll count to three, and then we launch. I won’t repeat myself. You want to live, then use everything you’ve got and explode with it.”
“…Do you even know what abilities we have?”
“Water, fire, light, wind.”
“……”
What is this, the Four Elemental Kings?
Still, elemental powers were versatile. I could work with that.
“No time. Just trust me.”
“Trust what—what are you even trying to do…!”
The four bastards flailed and tried to back away from me in unison. Too bad for them—my physical abilities were nearly restored, so I yanked them all close with force.
Crack.
My lip tore open, blood streaming.
“I’ll apologize now.”
“W-What…?”
“No choice. We’re out of time.”
I grabbed Ra Ho-yeon—and kissed him.
Yeah, he’s an idol, and yeah, it’s crazy—but better alive than dead. This was an emergency. I couldn’t afford pride.
“……!”
The entire area fell silent. Ra Ho-yeon looked like he was about to faint from shock.
Blood slid from my lips to his, and the guiding process kicked in—amplifying his light-based ability in seconds.
Perfect.
Still got it. Efficiency was off the charts.
Thank god I’m in good condition today.
Satisfied, I didn’t even count to three—just launched Ra Ho-yeon like a missile.
“AAAAAHHH!”
He screamed as he flew. Eh, he’d figure it out.
“Wh… What… what…”
The other three were too stunned to scream. Good—didn’t want to give them time to panic and bolt.
I immediately shoved my mouth on the next one.
“Next.”
“Wai—!”
“Shut up and drink my blood.”
“MMPH!”
One after the other—Seo Yoon-chae, Shin Tae-boem, and Cha Si-yoon—I kissed them and transferred guiding energy via blood.
Mucosal contact is the most efficient method in this situation.
It all happened so fast it couldn’t even be called a real kiss.
They better not bitch later saying this was a kiss…
Surely they weren’t that petty.
Shaking off the pointless thoughts, I fed guiding energy into each of them and launched all four.
“AAAHHH!”
“ARGH!”
“WHAT THE FUCK?!”
Their screams echoed as the Espers shot skyward, safely reaching the dome’s ceiling.
Home run.
Throb. Ngh!
Shit. Even if my body was recovering, that push was still way too much.
[That was with my support, too. You’ve probably torn a few muscles already.]
Potato glowed brightly above my head.
Ah. So that’s how they made it to the top—thanks to the glowing potato rocket booster.
A clear sign that the secondary ability Resurrection was functioning properly.
Thanks, buddy.
Now it was all up to the four bastards.
With wind powers, Cha Si-yoon should be able to keep the others from falling.
Even if they hadn’t learned advanced control, it didn’t matter. In my experience, Espers could always use their powers when their lives were on the line.
“That crazy bastard, Yeon Yu-jin…!”
“He’s doing pretty well.”
Sure enough, I heard Seo Yoon-chae shrieking, while Cha Si-yoon floated the group midair with sheer focus. They were fine.
Only two minutes had passed since all this started.
Wiping the blood from my mouth, I shouted:
“What are you waiting for?! Blast them with everything you’ve got!”
–It’s no use.
The Firestorm orbs in the Balrogs’ mouths flared even brighter.
–Die.
And then—they lunged at the airborne Espers.
They’re about to fire!
“NOW!”
I didn’t even need to shout again—they could feel the danger. Each of them released an uncontrolled burst of raw energy at the monsters.
KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING—
The resonance of their powers echoed in my ears.
Fire, water, light, wind. Four elemental energies, raw and unrefined, amplified by the guide buff, streaked toward the Balrogs.
“DIE!!”
A brilliant blue column of flames. Thousands of ice spears. A blinding pillar of lightning. A raging storm— All converged into one and swallowed the monsters’ Firestorms whole.
The Balrogs tried to flee. Too late.
–W-What is this… GRAAAAGH!
A blinding flash.
“Told you… I could do it…”
K-K-K-KRAKBOOOM!
The Balrogs disintegrated on the spot. The energy storm consumed them completely, not even ashes remained.
The smoke billowed…and finally cleared.
That’s when the stunned civilians finally looked up and saw something.
“L-Look!”
Cracks appeared above the four bastards, who now looked like tattered dolls.
Crack. CRACK. CR-CR-CRUNCH.
“The dome…!”
“It’s collapsing!”
Like eggshells breaking, the toxin-coated dome shattered. With the Balrogs gone, the dome had dissolved into dust as well.
I slumped sideways.
“Hhhhk… haaah…”
[I knew it. You pushed too far. Your heart nearly exploded.]
“Still saved people… didn’t I…”
I panted through the pain, enduring it.
This? This was nothing. Compared to dying with a hole punched through your torso, this was just a scratch.
“Kuhk.”
A clot of blood surged up my throat. And now I was coughing up blood. Great.
My vision spun and blurred.
What the hell… Reverse guiding didn’t do this…
I must’ve forcefully pulled too much energy from within.
Through my flickering vision, I saw the four of them plummeting.
You idiots…
Hopefully just broken bones. Or maybe, being Espers, they’d only end up with some bruises.
Even as I started to lose consciousness, I could still hear the civilians shrieking.
“Oh no!”
“Dear god!”
“Catch them! Hurry!”
“Someone call an ambulance! The Espers passed out!”
So damn noisy…
Leave them alone. They’ll be fine.
That was the last thought in my head as my eyelids drooped and I felt someone approaching.
Shit… If it’s Lee Ha-ram, I’m screwed.
Wait, no. I probably looked like a helpless, bloodied victim. Maybe he’d ignore me.
Ugh…
My thoughts were all tangled up. I couldn’t hold on any longer.
Just as my mind slipped…
“…You’re not just some ordinary D-rank Guide, are you?”
Who—?
A voice. One I knew. One I missed.
“Why did you even have to copy this part of him, too…”
The voice was cold, but the scolding was full of affection. I couldn’t help but smile.
Thank god…
This person… would take me to the hospital.
I let go and passed out, completely at ease.
