# Chapter 76
After continuing to cross that dangerous line, he finally released me when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore.
“I think that’s done now. The mucous membrane Guiding works well.”
Ha…!!
Before I could say anything, he smiled brightly and handed me my shirt.
As I put on my shirt, he began putting on his own.
I shook my head and chuckled.
“It’s reassuring to have a Guide. Really.”
“Thank you for saying…”
Is that really something to be thankful for?
I stopped speaking because I wasn’t sure, and he laughed.
“It’s okay to say that much, isn’t it?”
Then he nodded his head.
As if to say let’s go.
His wavelength had stabilized to near perfection.
As if nothing had happened.
I found myself genuinely happy about Shim Woo-jin’s stability.
I hoped all the S-class Espers at the Center would be the same and that none of them would get hurt.
Needless to say, that included Ha-min, and even Cha Yoon.
He would probably throw a fit if he knew I thought of him as “even Cha Yoon,” but that was exactly how I felt right now.
Looking out the window as we left Shim Woo-jin’s office, the red sun was close to the ground, coloring the sky crimson.
What are we racing toward?
What kind of time is approaching?
Such thoughts suddenly crossed my mind, but I wasn’t just anxious.
It was amazing how the fact that I wasn’t alone made me so strong and solid.
***
All four remaining dungeons had been conquered.
This was done by Espers belonging to the Center.
Topaz refused to participate in the conquering, and the Center proceeded with the plan we had discussed earlier.
However, we were just the Center and didn’t have governance over Central, so the government needed to step in to implement this plan.
It wasn’t that Byun Tae-young or we didn’t know this from the beginning; we just didn’t expect the government to interfere with our work.
It seemed we had been too cooperative with conquering dungeons until now.
The government’s response was delayed without any particular reason, and when we finally received a negative answer, we were wrapped in contemplation for a while.
All the S-class Espers present, including Cha Yoon, were outraged and suggested leaving Central immediately, and I was thinking about how to transport our belongings.
“Do they think we became S-class Espers to be pushovers?”
But it wasn’t just the government officials we should blame.
“It’s our fault for making them think they could treat us this way.”
However, Ha-min alone didn’t join in our radical actions.
On the contrary, he was peacefully lost in thought as if he hadn’t heard anything.
Byun Tae-young, unable to watch any longer, said something to Ha-min.
“Ha-min. Aren’t you angry?”
“I am angry.”
It seemed he had been listening to our conversation after all.
“Then why? Aren’t you going to leave?”
“No.”
“You said you’re angry. Then why not leave? Because people will die if we leave? Because you feel sorry for them? How long are you going to live like a pushover?”
Byun Tae-young spoke as if he was at his wit’s end, and Kyun In and Shim Woo-jin also tried to persuade Ha-min, saying he shouldn’t act this way.
If Ha-min insisted to the end, they seemed unsure of what to do.
Thinking about it, it was a remarkable change.
That Ha-min’s position within the Center had become so powerful.
Ha-min was no longer the exclusive Guide for S-class Espers, couldn’t perform Guiding, and it wasn’t even certain if he still had any Guiding ability left. Yet, his presence had become much stronger than when he was a Guide.
His amplification ability had made possible many things that S-class Espers couldn’t have dreamed of before, and they relied on Ha-min more than ever.
Although he was younger than the S-class Espers, this dynamic occurred more frequently as time passed.
It was no longer surprising to see the three, or including Cha Yoon, four S-class Espers standing around Ha-min, contemplating current issues and sharing opinions.
This arrangement had naturally formed since they went to dungeons together to conquer monsters.
Since it was easier to receive his amplification ability when standing next to him, the S-class Espers always centered around him.
Whether because they were accustomed to the formation in dungeons or not, this scene was occasionally recreated at the Center, where Ha-min’s role was significantly reduced.
And his role seemed to be expanding to a broader range.
In this situation, when Ha-min implied that he wouldn’t leave the Center or Central, the S-class Espers became anxious.
“Ha-min, are you saying we should just let this go? What about our position then? We’ve already warned Topaz and declared our intentions, and now we’re supposed to back down? No one will take our words seriously anymore.”
When Kyun In spoke in a regretful voice, Ha-min looked at him.
“We’ve been protecting Central all this time, so why would we leave? If we can’t live together, we should expel the government officials.”
“…Huh?”
We looked at Ha-min, wondering what he meant.
After all, this was a liberal democratic country.
In the early days, when dungeons emerged and unconquered dungeons opened, monsters came out and killed many people, many areas became desolate, and now only parts of Central, a planned city, remained habitable for humans. But the political system hadn’t changed.
Even though the Center, where Espers resided, had gained immense influence, the government still ruled Central.
That’s why the previous Center Director had gone so far as to mobilize Guides for sexual favors to please government officials.
I wondered if I needed to explain this to Ha-min again.
If he didn’t know, I should explain and help him understand, but I didn’t think he was unaware.
“Elections haven’t been properly held because of the dungeons anyway. Every time there’s a call for new elections, this government has continued its term using dungeons as an excuse. I can’t acknowledge this government’s legitimacy. They’re actually hindering Central’s maintenance and development.”
“Are you thinking of overthrowing them?”
“That’s for the citizens of Central to do. If we reveal the government officials’ corruption and make public the current situation, wouldn’t there be civil resistance?”
“…”
We stared at Ha-min for a while, unable to say anything.
Thinking about it, he was right.
If we left Central in anger, we would have to find a new Central and go through all sorts of hardships to adapt. Why should we suffer when the government is at fault?
For an action taken in anger, the hardship afterward would be too great.
“That makes sense. It doesn’t seem necessary to go through such hardship.”
When I quickly took Ha-min’s side, others nodded too.
“He’s right. It’s easy to say, but to create a new Central… ugh.”
“Even though Espers and Guides would likely follow us, it would still be an immense struggle.”
“True. I’ve heard there were tremendous hardships when Central was first established.”
The S-class Espers agreed with Ha-min one by one, and I nodded as well.
Cha Yoon laughed as if finding it amusing.
It seemed like he hadn’t expected Ha-min to drastically change the direction of things like this.
“So how should we proceed?”
When Kyun In asked, Ha-min looked at Cha Yoon.
“Do you know any broadcasting companies? It would be good if we could use one of their channels. We can inform people about what’s happening through that channel.”
Cha Yoon liked that sort of thing.
Being given tasks that were slightly beyond his ability.
And what Ha-min just suggested was exactly that level of difficulty.
“I can do it.”
“Then please do. Edit footage of Espers in action, and cover their coordination with Guides. It would be good to include videos of us conquering dungeons. Show both successful and failed attempts, and highlight injured Espers. Show how hard we train, what risks we take every moment. Can you make it touching?”
“I can.”
“Then compare Center-affiliated Espers with unregistered ones, and then place Topaz after that. Topaz isn’t unregistered, but they form groups for their own benefit and operate highly individually. A private Esper company that conquers dungeons for profit. They receive tax benefits but give nothing back to society, and clearly show that they completely refused this conquest request.”
We were all listening attentively to Ha-min’s words.
The narrative was clear, and the distinction between allies and enemies was distinct.
The target for empathy was certain, and people would be outraged at unregistered Espers and those affiliated with Topaz.
The anger toward Topaz-affiliated Espers would be greater than toward unregistered ones, and that now depended on Cha Yoon’s planning ability.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
