“Ow!”
A voice cried out in pain from the empty air.
But it didn’t sound like the attack had really landed.
“Whoa, you’re seriously fast! I thought I was dead for a second.”
Either it had been blocked or only grazed him.
Judging from the voice of the invisible man, it didn’t seem like he’d taken much damage.
With a grim expression, Ah-young gripped Han-gyeom’s hand tightly behind her back.
“You can’t let go of me, Han-gyeom.”
She had considered sending Han-gyeom out alone for a moment but quickly abandoned the idea. If the opponent were clearly visible, maybe she’d risk it—but with someone whose presence couldn’t even be sensed, she couldn’t afford to drop her guard for even a second.
“Do you always throw punches when someone passes by? That still hurt, even though I blocked it.”
The invisible man grumbled.
Ah-young, unsure exactly what kind of person the opponent was, gave a slight nod out of formality.
“I apologize for attacking so suddenly, but you’re not completely blameless either. If someone speaks to you out of nowhere while invisible, anyone would be startled.”
Her tone was icy—so different from when she spoke to Han-gyeom, it was like night and day. In this moment, her cold demeanor mirrored that of Seo Won.
“If you’re just passing by, then keep moving.”
Ah-young motioned with her eyes toward the end of the hallway. It was almost time for the fireworks show, so he might be heading to the deck.
Though the cruise was said to be limited to carefully selected businesspeople and their associates, not everyone aboard was an ordinary civilian. Just like Seo Won, who turned out to be an unregistered S-rank Esper, there were sometimes others who used their status to avoid registering with the Esper Association.
He could be one of those.
With that possibility in mind, Ah-young chose not to attack any further. Instead, she shielded Han-gyeom with her body and stepped aside to clear the way. She created a space wide enough for both of them to pass comfortably, but the man didn’t move. He just kept grumbling, muttering things like how unfair it was and how hard her punch had been.
“You from the Association?”
Han-gyeom spoke casually, addressing the invisible man in banmal. Judging from the voice, he seemed to be about the same age, but even beyond that, the guy was clearly an Esper—Han-gyeom had no intention of being polite.
“Do I look like it?”
The man’s tone shifted sharply.
“What a goddamn insult.”
If his face had been visible, it would probably have been twisted in disgust.
Just from his voice, it was obvious how much he hated the Esper Association.
If he’s not from the Association, then he’s an unregistered Esper…
The moment it became clear the man wasn’t affiliated with the Association, Ah-young’s face grew even more tense.
She’d suspected it.
The moment the alliance had fallen apart, she wondered if the Association might try something strange with Seo Won. But considering he played such a pivotal role in the Korean economy, they wouldn’t dare point a blade at him so recklessly. That was the whole reason she’d made ties with him—to prepare for the worst in case Han-gyeom had an episode while she was away.
She hadn’t stayed connected to Seo Won out of distrust toward the Association—it was simply to make sure they’d know if Han-gyeom had an episode while she was away.
The Association would never want to make an enemy out of Seo Won.
“If you’re an unregistered Esper, shouldn’t you at least act like one and keep your powers under wraps? What if someone reports you…?”
“Why the hell would I?”
The invisible man suddenly snapped at Ah-young’s words.
“Is it a crime for an Esper to use their ability?”
Ah-young couldn’t respond right away. The man’s tone had shifted into something volatile—dangerously so.
“Fuck it, go ahead and report me! I’ll slaughter every last bastard in that goddamn Association!”
Rage blazed in his voice. It wasn’t just a flare of temper—there was real murderous intent behind it.
Ah-young tightened her grip on Han-gyeom’s hand and whispered, barely audible.
“Han-gyeom, let’s move slowly and head outside.”
She didn’t want to get entangled with a man this dangerous any longer than necessary. They needed to get out, meet up with Lim Du-hyuk and the other guards, and also check on the status of the meeting.
In that instant—
“And where the hell do you think you’re going? You’re really starting to piss me off.”
The man’s annoyed voice rang out right next to Ah-young’s face—interrupting her whisper to Han-gyeom.
She had thought he was still standing at a distance in front of her, maintaining a tense standoff. But somehow, he’d closed the gap completely without a sound—and heard every word she said.
The fact that he was invisible was one thing, but his presence… it was disturbingly non-existent.
“If you’re going, go alone.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Ah-young’s body was lifted off the ground.
WHAM!
With a brutal impact, her arm was struck by a massive force, sending her flying as she let out a short, sharp scream.
“Ack!”
The blow sent Ah-young crashing to the floor, thrown like a ragdoll.
Because she had been holding onto Han-gyeom’s hand so tightly, he was nearly dragged along with her. But the invisible man caught him midair—effortlessly wrapping one arm around his waist while also gripping his wrist to support him.
Even as Han-gyeom turned toward the fallen Ah-young in concern, he quickly analyzed the man holding him.
His build’s about the same as Du-hyuk’s. Strong, too.
The arm wrapped around his waist and the grip on his wrist were rough and solid. Judging by the hardness of the forearm muscle—nearly as firm as Seo Won’s—the guy clearly worked out, and wasn’t just some thug with powers.
As Han-gyeom’s mind raced under the tension, the man rubbed his wrist with a pitying click of the tongue.
“Damn, you’re all bones. That bastard not even feeding you? What a fucking psycho.”
That bastard?
Han-gyeom flinched and turned instinctively toward the voice. Of course, he couldn’t see him—but he was so caught off guard, he reacted anyway.
“If you come with us—!”
“Han-gyeom, get your head down!”
Ah-young sprang to her feet and swung her leg in a sharp arc as if attacking Han-gyeom. Her target wasn’t him, though—it was aimed just above his head, toward the temple of the invisible man.
Unfortunately, her kick came to an abrupt halt near Han-gyeom’s shoulder. The man had quickly released his grip on Han-gyeom’s waist to block her strike.
Ah-young had never intended to take the man down in the first place. She had used the wrinkles in Han-gyeom’s shirt as a reference point to deduce how the man’s arms were holding him. Then, calculating the angle, she deliberately launched an attack that had to be blocked—just to force him to release one of his arms.
As she’d hoped, the man had let go of Han-gyeom’s waist. Now, if she could just break the grip on his wrist, Han-gyeom could escape.
She quickly targeted the spot near Han-gyeom’s hand where the man’s pressure had pushed in his skin, and aimed her next move at the unseen arm.
“Get out of here—now!”
But before she could finish shouting, her body was flung back once again. It had been a good attempt, but predicting an attack from someone who was completely invisible and left no trace of presence was nearly impossible.
This time, she seemed to have been kicked—her face twisted in pain as she clutched her side.
Han-gyeom couldn’t take it anymore.
“Stay back, Ah-young.”
“But Han-gyeom—!”
She couldn’t finish her sentence.
The wall behind Han-gyeom began to ripple. It didn’t just waver—it slowly began to take form, color bleeding into it.
“Wh-what the…? Urgh!”
A grunt escaped from the man.
The shimmering air solidified into the shape of a man—broad-shouldered, wearing a black hoodie, and with a face that looked about Han-gyeom’s age, just as his voice had suggested.
The now-visible man recoiled, his body convulsing before he collapsed with a heavy thud.
“Ugh…”
Groaning, he twitched on the ground as though electricity were coursing through him. His wide-open eyes locked onto Han-gyeom with a furious glare.
Han-gyeom stood over him, and his eyes gleamed with a brilliant crimson light.
“Y-you…?!”
The man wasn’t shocked because Han-gyeom was a Guide. What horrified him was that Han-gyeom had just done something other than guiding.
Without a word, Han-gyeom turned away from the man and moved toward Ah-young.
“Han-gyeom, what just happened?”
“It’ll only buy us a little time. We need to get outside now.”
There was no time—and no intention—to explain further.
“That guy… I heard him say ‘we.’ I think he has others with him.”
At Han-gyeom’s words, Ah-young’s face tensed again.
“Got it. Then let’s get out of here and regroup with the others.”
She quickly took Han-gyeom’s hand again, which she’d briefly let go of, and began walking briskly—but cautiously—toward the exit.
Even as she moved, Ah-young reached for the radio attached to her waistband, the in-ear receiver still connected, intending to report to Du-hyuk as quickly as possible.
“I need to check in with the seniors. Can I report exactly what I saw?”
“No… if possible, could you keep my ability a secret?”
Han-gyeom looked visibly troubled.
Seo Won already knew about this, but no one else did. It was an ability even the others around them had no idea existed.
The power to nullify an Esper’s ability upon contact—and even paralyze them to the point of total immobility.
If the Esper Association ever found out, it would have caused an immediate uproar.
I only used it because I was certain he wasn’t from the Association…
