Chapter 90
“Since I’m a paired Guide, I can’t provide full guiding for you. I can only help put out the urgent fire, so to speak… Would that be okay?”
“Of course! Thank you. Thank you so much.”
As I listened to his thanks being offered before we even started, I sat down facing him. When I took his hand and lightly checked the Esper’s condition, I could feel energy coagulated in various places. Still, filling about 30 percent would likely be enough for his pupils to return to normal.
“I’ll start now.”
I slowly let energy flow. I hoped it would be efficient since I was doing this favor, but unfortunately, I sensed the issue soon. The energy seemed to circulate on the surface without being absorbed, suggesting that the Esper in front of me and I weren’t compatible. It wasn’t just incompatibility—our matching rate seemed almost at rock bottom.
‘Of all times…’
I thought if things went efficiently with this person, I could help guide one or two more people, but now that plan was completely derailed. Even if I gave this Esper the share meant for the others, I doubted I could fill the 30 percent I had initially planned.
My prediction quickly became reality. Despite releasing a significant amount of energy, the rate at which the coagulated energy was being purified was extremely slow. At this rate, it was essentially like pouring water into a bottomless pot.
The Esper, who shared the same sensations, would surely know what state we were in. The best course of action in this situation would be for the Esper to request to end the guiding first, but he kept his head down, avoiding my gaze. The hand I was holding showed no sign of letting go first. Though my feelings were complicated, I had morally provided what I initially thought to give, yet he was asking for more.
“That’s enough.”
“Please, if you could just give a little more…”
“I’m sorry.”
This time, I had no choice but to refuse coldly. Though I understood his desperate feelings and didn’t want to blame him, asking for more at this point was clearly greedy.
“I’m going to wrap this up now.”
“Please. It’s still far from enough.”
“…I’m sorry. But the risk of going berserk is gone now…”
“I’m telling you it’s still not enough!”
Jung Hee-seon noona, who had been behind me, approached as if she’d heard the commotion.
“What’s going on?”
Despite the fatigue on her face, her charisma as the most senior member remained intact. Either the Esper had regained some sanity or realized he shouldn’t escalate the situation, because he finally let go of my hand.
“It’s nothing… Thank you.”
With that, he bowed his head to me and left. His suddenly changed attitude was both absurd and left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“What happened?”
Since there was no need to hide anything, I told the truth.
“Our guiding compatibility wasn’t good, but he kept asking for more.”
Jung Hee-seon noona let out a long sigh with an understanding expression.
“They do it instinctively so we can’t really blame them, but it’s sad and really difficult.”
But soon, with a slightly more composed face, she gave me sincere advice.
“Still, you can’t just be swayed completely. To be frank, your paired Esper should always be your top priority, and others come second. Don’t feel too sorry or guilty for refusing.”
“Yes, I know.”
“You didn’t use too much energy, did you?”
“No. I need to be ready to guide Ji-hyeok as soon as he returns.”
“Good, you did well. If something like this happens again, immediately alert those around you loudly. If you appear hesitant, some Espers might attempt reverse-guiding, and it will only get worse.”
I nodded with a heavy heart. Despite having seven years of experience and considering myself at least mid-level in terms of career, it seemed I still had a long way to go.
I stood up to clear my mind. As I was about to take a step absent-mindedly, I stopped and rubbed my face with my palm. Walking around would only make me more distressed seeing the devastating scenes up close.
But then, the defense team leader’s voice was heard loudly again from somewhere.
“Everyone except Team 1, go out to defend!”
I jerked in surprise and took my hands away from my face. A Two-Headed Serpent was slithering towards us from the opposite direction we had come from. I immediately sensed what we were dealing with when I saw its overwhelming size and gleaming yellow pupils.
‘A-rank. Maybe even higher.’
I got goosebumps as one pair of eyes on the left head seemed to lock gazes with me. Almost simultaneously, I felt the energy protecting the base camp significantly weaken. This was because most of the Espers operating the barrier had switched to attack mode.
Soon, energy sharply manifested like spears flew towards the serpent’s neck. Other Espers also concentrated their attacks on the same spot.
For a Two-Headed Serpent, a monster in the shape of a snake with two heads, cutting the neck is the most efficient attack method. This is because, like a snake, it has no limbs but spews deadly poison from its mouth. That’s why preemptive attacks are crucial, but given the monster’s massive size, a struggle was expected. Sure enough, they failed to subdue it in one go, and eventually, smoke-like poison spewed from both mouths.
“Everyone, step back!”
Seeing the poison that was spewing forward now spreading sideways, it seemed Espers with barrier skills and wind-type Espers had created barriers to push it back. They succeeded in defense, but the problem was the direction of the snake’s heads. With one spewing poison from above and one from below, it didn’t seem easy to find an opening to attack.
The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it was for us. The Espers surely knew this, and finally, someone stepped forward as if taking the bullet.
A golden wave-like energy characteristic of the electric type surged in their hands, and they attacked the serpent’s neck, which was oozing a liquid substance instead of blood from the torn areas.
Though it seemed like a normal attack, as a Dual awakened, I could understand. How difficult it was to create even a small gap while using full power to push back the poison, and how dangerous it would be for the Esper who just attacked due to the poison rushing through that gap.
“AAAARGH!”
As expected, an agonizing scream erupted from the Esper’s mouth as if unable to bear it. The pain was so palpable just from hearing it that I wanted to cover my ears.
The Espers’ sacrifices continued. Another Esper took the place of the incapacitated one, followed by yet another risking their life. In what would be the worst nightmare if this were a dream, after a desperate struggle, one of the serpent’s necks was completely disintegrated, and one head rolled to the ground.
Thanks to this, the situation became much more favorable. With only one head left now, the attack could be channeled more effectively.
However, an unexpected problem arose. The Espers who had been creating wind barriers seemed to be poisoned too, as one by one they were seen staggering. A Guide from another guild spoke in a terrified voice.
“Aren’t we in big trouble at this rate?”
“…Yeah, it’s very precarious.”
Though I didn’t show it, I was equally anxious. If the wind barrier collapsed before the serpent’s remaining neck was severed, the lives of the Espers who were still holding out would be in immediate danger. As I nervously bit my lip, a thought occurred to me.
‘If I… If I could at least help maintain the barrier…’
It’s cowardly, but I wouldn’t have had such thoughts if it seemed like we were winning. I came to the field as Song Ji-hyeok’s paired Guide, and no matter how much the serpent’s combat power had been reduced, it was absolutely not a level I could handle.
But what if they collapsed here?
It would only be a matter of time before the poison spread to this point, and in that case, everything would be over anyway. This helped me make my decision. I rummaged through my backpack and took the neutralizer I had brought for emergencies, dumping it in my mouth. After making the sign of the cross and praying with a desperate heart, I immediately ran towards the battlefield.
“Su-hyeon!”
I heard Jung Hee-seon noona’s shout, but I kept charging forward, afraid I might waver if I looked back. As the distance closed, a foul smell pierced my nose. I approached the Esper who was still holding up relatively well and said to him:
“I’ll maintain the barrier, so switch to attack.”
“What?”
“I said I’ll maintain the barrier, so please attack!”
Thinking it would be faster to show through action, I immediately raised energy in my hands. Upon my participation in the defense, the Esper’s eyes widened in surprise, but understanding my meaning, he switched to attack.
‘Please, please hurry…’
Sure enough, poison must have seeped through the gap because despite wearing protective clothing, it felt like my skin was burning. The terrible smell persisted, and the metallic sound made by the monster painfully pierced my ears. Moreover, being so close to the monster meant that the impact from the collision of forces was fully transmitted throughout my body.
‘Please. Please.’
I used all my strength and repeated ‘please’ countless times in my mind. Whether I wanted it or not, the Espers were also continuing to pour attacks with all their might.
After several instances of hearing the terrible sound of flesh tearing, the serpent, having received concentrated fire at the base of its mouth, could no longer make horrible sounds or spew poison. The cut surface, showing what looked like a notochord, was so damaged that it seemed the head would completely detach with just one or two more strikes.
“HYAAAH!”
Someone’s battle cry, drawn from deep within their core, was heard as if they were going to finish it. Hearing that sound, hope and joy naturally welled up.
Just as I was about to be filled with joy at the thought ‘It’s done now’…
THUD!
Due to a sudden impact from behind, I was thrown forward without understanding what had happened.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
