Goal: Removing the First Obstacle (9)
Hyung made eye contact with each team member in turn. It was as if he was offering silent encouragement through his gaze. After observing us for a moment, hyung spoke again.
“No need to overthink this. We just need to follow the plan. Even if variables arise, we can readjust accordingly, so don’t be too tense.”
“Yes, Team Leader!”
The team members answered while trying to suppress their rising excitement. The faces that had been filled with tension and faint fear just moments ago now showed excitement. Hyung Jong-hyeok’s words seemed to have stimulated the Espers’ characteristic competitive spirit.
I carefully held Sa Hae-geon’s hand who was sitting next to me. Like the other Espers, he was strangely excited and glanced at me. His eyes, resembling the deep sea, were rippling. Sa Hae-geon stared at me with a persistent gaze before squeezing my hand.
“By the way, something’s bothering me. Is it just me?”
Esper Hwang Ji-hyun, who had been deeply thinking about something, looked around the car as if seeking agreement.
“I mean, there’s supposedly an Esper who uses the ground like me. Depending on the grade and experience, it would differ… but I suddenly think they might have already sensed our presence. Surely… not, right?”
“I’m not sure. The documents state they’re B-grade, but who knows.”
It’s difficult to accurately measure the grade of unaffiliated Espers. Unless traces of their ability use remain. Most ability users affiliated with guilds or centers are graduates of training schools. These schools measure grades upon admission and remeasure them every three months for potential changes.
Therefore, ability users operating in the open can neither deceive about nor hide their grade. But it’s different for those who conceal their awakening and wander around as unaffiliated in the shadows. Unless there’s an expensive ability tracker, they can hide or deceive about their grade as they wish.
This means they can manipulate their appearance to seem much lower than their actual grade by being aware of their surroundings. Moreover, due to the anticipated S-grade dungeon occurrence, the manpower and cost invested in arresting Shin Woo-jun are minimal. So, it’s unlikely the Ability Department used an expensive ability tracker to accurately measure the grade of the illegal group working with Shin Woo-jun.
The fortunate thing was that apart from Shin Woo-jun, there weren’t stories about S-grade unaffiliated Espers. But wasn’t the guy sitting right next to me an S-grade Esper who was unaffiliated until recently? Of course, he had unavoidable circumstances…
Thinking about it, it might be too early to completely relax. Sa Hae-geon, perhaps sensing something from the way I was looking at him, asked in a sulky voice:
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…Huh? How am I looking at you?”
“Like you’re looking at an illegal group occupying an abandoned building.”
Unnecessarily sharp. But if I agreed with his words right away, he’d surely get deeply offended. I shook my head, deciding to deny his opinion.
“I’m not. I was just checking if you were listening well.”
“It doesn’t seem that way at all, but I’ll believe you for now.”
I almost burst into a laugh at Sa Hae-geon’s generous-sounding response but managed to swallow it. Meanwhile, Hyung Jong-hyeok gave instructions to Esper Hwang Ji-hyun.
“Ji-hyun, do you sense any presence nearby? It doesn’t have to be in the direction of the abandoned building, just check around.”
“Yes.”
Esper Hwang Ji-hyun answered, opened the door, and got out of the car. She then crouched down and placed her hand on the road. Frowning in concentration, Esper Hwang Ji-hyun soon rose and got back into the car.
“I can sense something from the abandoned building area, but nothing particular from other directions. Ah, there’s a residential area nearby where civilians live, right?”
“Yes. But there are few residents, and they’ve already been evacuated, so you don’t need to worry about that side.”
“Right? But it’s strange.”
When Esper Hwang Ji-hyun tilted her head, Hyung Jong-hyeok asked with a serious face:
“Did you sense something suspicious?”
“It seems like there are still people in the residential complex. The backup team surely hasn’t departed yet, so it can’t be them… Surely there aren’t any civilians left behind?”
“That’s impossible. The support team evacuated everyone last evening, and we received confirmation that no resident remained.”
“Then what’s the presence I sensed…? I definitely felt it from the residential area.”
The more Esper Hwang Ji-hyun spoke, the more Hyung Jong-hyeok’s expression hardened.
“How about what you sensed from the abandoned building direction? How many people were confirmed?”
“There were ten in the abandoned building. And three in the residential area.”
Hyung pondered Esper Hwang Ji-hyun’s words and frowned. He seemed to have imagined the worst-case scenario among various possibilities filling his mind. Soon, Hyung Jong-hyeok spoke:
“The group might have hostages.”
“Ah, those lunatics even took hostages… Well, it’s entirely possible for that jerk Shin Woo-jun. So what do we do, Team Leader?”
“First, it would be best to rescue the hostages. The question is, who’s wandering around the residential area?”
It wasn’t a situation where they could recklessly split their forces. Dealing with illegal groups always required caution. Plus, Shin Woo-jun was part of this illegal group. There would surely be dozens of variables.
And although team members were reluctant to admit it, Shin Woo-jun was quite smart in a negative way. There were evaluations saying that if his personality had been just a bit better, he would have made great contributions to Korea.
This game of strategy was probably Shin Woo-jun’s intention. If they carelessly divided the team for a diversion tactic, they could be counterattacked. Hyung Jong-hyeok must be pondering this deeply, being well aware of that fact.
That’s when Esper Myeong Woo-seok, who had been deep in thought, suddenly raised his hand and called out to Hyung Jong-hyeok.
“Team Leader.”
“Ah, Esper Myeong Woo-seok.”
“I’ll go.”
“…What?”
The atmosphere inside the car instantly sank at Esper Myeong Woo-seok’s abrupt statement. Esper Lee Seong-rok, watching the mood, asked in an exaggeratedly dramatic tone:
“What? Where do you suddenly want to go? Ah, don’t tell me… Hyung Woo-seok, do you need to use the bathroom?”
“Hey, Seong-rok. Can’t you read the room? This isn’t the time for jokes, so shut up.”
But his effort was in vain. Esper Hwang Ji-hyun, sitting beside him, pinched Esper Lee Seong-rok’s thigh hard while warning him in a low voice. Esper Lee Seong-rok let out a silent scream and frantically rubbed his thigh with his palm.
Meanwhile, Esper Myeong Woo-seok spoke again:
“As you all know, I’m a mental Esper. I excel at controlling others’ minds or reading thoughts. So, I might not be suitable for an S-grade dungeon, but for this kind of mission, I should be the most appropriate.”
“So, exactly where do you want to go and what do you plan to do?”
“I want to approach the abandoned building. I don’t necessarily plan to enter the building. I can resolve this from a nearby building. Um, it doesn’t seem like a very dangerous plan, or am I wrong?”
Hyung Jong-hyeok’s face crumpled at Esper Myeong Woo-seok’s words, which were accompanied by a faint smile. That’s when Esper Hwang Ji-hyun demanded in an angry voice:
“No, Senior Woo-seok. That means a mental Esper wants to go to enemy territory alone. What are you saying when you’re as fragile as a healing Esper? What if you get caught? You’re asking us to choose between ignoring the plan to rescue you or ignoring you to proceed with the plan. Am I wrong?”
“That’s not what I meant, Ji-hyun.”
Esper Myeong Woo-seok glanced around with a troubled face before finally heaving a deep sigh. Then, in a hushed voice, he spoke:
“…can.”
“What? I can’t hear you at all.”
“Hyung Woo-seok, could you speak a bit louder? I couldn’t hear because Ji-hyun noona’s voice was too loud.”
“What? Do you really want to die?”
“Ack! Ugh… my thigh…!”
As Esper Lee Seong-rok, who had his thigh pinched again by Esper Hwang Ji-hyun, bent forward in pain, Esper Myeong Woo-seok explained in a louder voice:
“I can… temporarily put people under suggestion.”
“…Suggestion?”
“Suggestion?”
Suggestion? My eyes widened at this completely unexpected information. But at the same time, I understood why Esper Myeong Woo-seok had hesitated. How many people would respond positively to the idea of being able to put others under suggestion? Given the situation, it seemed Esper Myeong Woo-seok had summoned the courage to bring it up.
“Ow, it really hurts…! Is my thigh flesh torn off? Huuh… But hyung, what did you say? I didn’t hear.”
Ignoring Esper Lee Seong-rok, who was looking around in confusion, Esper Hwang Ji-hyun asked:
“Senior, you can do that too? Since when? Why didn’t we know? Did you know about this, Team Leader?”
But Hyung Jong-hyeok remained silent, apparently hearing this for the first time as well.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
