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“Esper Lee Ho-il from Seowol.”
The moment his name was called, the man’s energy suddenly dropped. His agitated waves became surprisingly calm, as if it was a lie. As Jihan had expected, he had been putting on an exaggerated act.
Lee Ho-il, an Esper from Seowol Guild. He had tried to hide his existence by pretending to be a fanatical beastkin hater. Even changing his face.
Jihan suddenly reached out and grabbed the man’s ear, tearing off his face in one go. The sound of skin tissue tearing was muffled by the man’s suppressed scream.
“As I thought. I was just guessing.”
Jihan threw the torn skin, which looked like a mask, onto the floor. Despite the flesh being torn off, not a single drop of blood appeared.
“I’ve always been curious about you, since you’re not as well-known as our maknae. It’s nice to finally meet you like this.”
He was the Esper who had joined Seowol Guild most recently. Jihan had been keeping an eye on him because he had many similarities with Seojun. He was also Seowol’s youngest, and like Seojun who hadn’t revealed his true form, his ability information wasn’t disclosed.
“You have an interesting ability. Even using invisibility.”
Invisibility followed by the ability to change into someone else’s appearance. Jihan understood without needing to ask why he hadn’t revealed his ability. It was perfectly suited for infiltrating other guilds.
“You’ve revealed the ability you’ve been hiding all this time, but it’s a shame you were caught by Geonho.”
Lee Ho-il, who had been screaming like a madman until his throat was torn, faced Jihan with a calm gaze. However, his words remained the same.
“Beastkin must disappear.”
“Let’s stop the nonsense and have a proper conversation.”
Jihan leaned towards Lee Ho-il’s real face that had been hidden behind the mask.
“It was your leader’s order, right? To extract something from Baekya?”
“Listen, Esper Yoo Jihan.”
Lee Ho-il called out to Jihan, opening his bloodshot eyes wide.
“Aren’t you frustrated? That Kang Geonho and Ha Seojun have superior powers just because they’re beastkin.”
He quickly spat out words before his mouth could be blocked again.
“What’s the use of handling dozens of abilities? No matter how many sleepless nights you spend or how many places you’re called to, people go wild when Kang Geonho just waves his arm once.”
He raised his arm, imitating Geonho using his psychic power. Jihan’s lowered gaze fell on his broken arm.
“You should have joined our Seowol. If you had come to us instead of being under Kang Taebeom who only cares for his beastkin brother, you would have spread your wings.”
A broken tooth rolled out of his rapidly moving mouth. He must have bitten his tongue while speaking, as blood trickled down. Despite this, he continued talking frantically as if he couldn’t feel the pain.
It was a side effect of the pill Jihan had given him. While dramatically maximizing recovery power, it dulled bodily sensations or made the mind hazy. Sometimes both symptoms appeared together.
“Baekya is ruining the Center.”
Jihan watched Lee Ho-il intently, resting his chin on his hand, wondering if this rambling was also a side effect of the drug.
“Do you think it makes sense for mere beastkin to stand above us humans? That shouldn’t happen.”
He sighed, saying the world was running abnormally. His tone was calm and his eyes were focused. He wasn’t ranting out of emotion.
So he’s in his right mind then.
“You’ll eventually be surpassed even by Ha Seojun. He’s still young and inexperienced, but he’s growing noticeably. Just because he’s a beastkin.”
Jihan’s eyes narrowed as he observed Lee Ho-il. What was his intention in showing such hostility? He surely knew they were being recorded inside the interrogation room. As if he was backed into a corner.
“That guide doesn’t seem to care about someone like you at all.”
The moment Siwoo was mentioned, Jihan’s body stiffened. Lee Ho-il didn’t miss that momentary opening.
He pushed the desk to strike Jihan’s abdomen and pulled out a knife he had hidden under his skin. Then he lunged at Jihan in an instant. The restraints that had bound his lower body were now on the floor.
He was an Esper with excellent combat skills, having subdued gates using only weapons while hiding his ability. Jihan avoided the knife aimed at his throat by striking the man’s wrist, but couldn’t block the man’s other hand that stabbed his side.
He tore at Jihan’s side with tremendous grip strength. Blood burst from Jihan’s body as he lost his balance.
“You should be on our side.”
Jihan immediately subdued the man with his psychic power and restrained him again. However, an ominous feeling that struck his spine soon unfolded before his eyes.
“Ha…”
Lee Ho-il had disappeared.
Jihan, leaning on the desk, stared at the restraints on the floor while clutching his side. He assessed the situation while firmly holding his side to prevent his organs from spilling out.
As he disappeared, all the blood that had stained the floor and walls vanished without a trace. This meant he wasn’t a real person, but a doppelganger.
Could he use doppelganger techniques too?
“Esper Yoo Jihan! Are you alright?”
The interrogation room attendant who had heard the commotion tried to support Jihan. Refusing this, Jihan immediately teleported.
His ominous feeling began to lean towards an even worse direction.
* * *
Kyaak! Kyaak!
Seojun faced the creature horde while holding Siwoo in his arms. Even with one arm supporting Siwoo’s waist, he skillfully killed the creatures.
Siwoo clung to Seojun, curling up like a pillbug to avoid interfering with him. Occasionally, he would stab the creatures’ eyes with his dagger.
“Esper Ha Seojun! Another gate has opened!”
An Esper reported the situation to Seojun, who had just finished dealing with the creature horde. As he said, a fairly large gate was flashing in the air. It was a warning that monsters would soon pour out.
“Guide-nim, hold on tight.”
Siwoo immediately clung more tightly to Seojun. Before monsters could burst out of the gate, Seojun quickly moved locations.
He ran so fast. Siwoo, in his arms, had to lower his head to avoid the stinging wind on his face.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at a safe zone far from the gate. It was where the guides who had come out for field guiding were gathered.
The evacuated guides stepped back as Seojun suddenly appeared. Some even openly showed their aversion. Seojun ignored them, not giving them a single glance.
“Guide-nim, stay here for a moment.”
Siwoo, his hair disheveled by the wind, looked around with a dazed expression.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible. It’s dangerous because more gates have opened than we expected.”
Siwoo opened and closed his mouth as if he had something to say, but eventually just nodded. Seojun briefly caressed Siwoo’s cheek. He also tidied his hair.
“Esper-nim, I leave him in your care.”
He bowed slightly to the barrier caster guarding the safe zone before turning back.
Watching Seojun disappear in an instant, Siwoo wore an anxious expression. The barrier caster guarding the entrance told him to sit comfortably, but he pretended not to hear.
Siwoo stood alone for a long time. His face was so deep in thought that no one dared to speak to him.
“Isn’t that the Baekya guide?”
“Yeah. I heard Ha Seojun brought him earlier.”
Even the whispering voices didn’t reach Siwoo’s ears. Each time a new guide entered, they would glance at Siwoo once, trying to make his acquaintance.
However, Siwoo remained silent until the end. He just stared at the numerous gates opening beyond the powerful barrier.
Something felt off. He couldn’t be certain because he wasn’t familiar with gate sites, but he kept getting an uneasy feeling.
“Excuse me.”
Siwoo, who had been standing alone in a corner for a long time, approached the barrier caster. The barrier caster, who had been secretly observing Siwoo, immediately responded with a “Yes?”
“Is it… normal for the site to smell like this?”
“Smell?”
The barrier caster tilted his head and asked back. Siwoo thought his question was vague, even as he asked it. Such a reaction was natural.
“I mean, it’s like… I think I smell something like grass.”
His uncertain voice uttered ambiguous words. But there was no other way to express it.
The smell of grass.
While being held by Seojun, Siwoo had caught a very faint scent of plants. A strange grassy smell was mixed in between the stench of monsters and the smell of blood.
“Well, I’ve never smelled anything like that.”
The barrier caster asked his colleague standing opposite the entrance if he had ever smelled grass. He just shrugged, tilting his head.
“Could it be coming from Guide-nim’s wrist?”
The curious barrier caster’s gaze turned to Siwoo’s hand. Siwoo looked down at the clover adorning his wrist.
It wasn’t the smell of clover. It was a grass smell with a much more distinct presence and an added sharp scent.
Siwoo shook his head and returned to his original spot. Due to his lack of information and experience, he couldn’t say anything with certainty.
It was most likely just his imagination. He might have mistaken the unfamiliar stench of monsters for a peculiar grass smell. That’s why he couldn’t tell Seojun.
I want to smell it properly just one more time. Siwoo, his nose twitching, rested his fingertips on the reinforced wall. He felt he could confirm if it really was a grass smell if he could get closer to the gate.
If Kang Geonho were here, he could have gone right away.
“Esper Yoo Jihan?”
It was when Siwoo was observing the gate with a frustrated expression. A surprised voice of the barrier caster was heard from the entrance.
Siwoo immediately turned towards the entrance, thinking Jihan had arrived. And at the same time, he was embraced by Jihan who had come right up to him.
“Guide-nim, are you okay?”
The gazes of everyone in the safe zone were fixed on Siwoo and Jihan. Surprised by Jihan’s sudden action, Siwoo just blinked.
“You’re really okay, right? You’re not hurt anywhere?”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
Siwoo nodded along and stroked Jihan’s back. His back was damp with sweat. Moreover, his heart was pounding loudly. His waves were unstable, perhaps from using his ability a lot.
“What’s going on?”
Siwoo asked him as he immediately started guiding. Jihan just buried his face in Siwoo’s shoulder and hugged him tightly.
“The situation is bad. Let’s get out of here first.”
Jihan raised his head and gripped Siwoo’s shoulders. At the same time, Siwoo’s hand that had been patting Jihan’s back stopped.
Siwoo looked up at Jihan, who was holding him with excessive force, for a moment.
“Let’s go together when Ha Seojun comes back.”
And he gently pushed away Jihan’s chest.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
