Chapter 11
- My Younger Brother Ran Away
After declaring he was running away, Jaeyoon focused on hunting monsters.
He felt this activity was pushing his awakening forward, but he didn’t care. Originally, when normal people entered dungeons, they would suffer from addiction symptoms as time passed, but Jaeyoon felt comfortable. Even before his awakening, when he couldn’t use mana, he had no trouble accepting it.
“It’s about time I get out.”
Jaeyoon freely roamed the dungeon looking for monsters to show as proof to Jaeha.
It needed to be something that couldn’t be seen on Earth but wouldn’t be dangerous to Jaeha. It also had to be small enough to carry home without attracting attention. Lastly, it had to be something Jaeyoon could catch even before his awakening.
A monster meeting all these conditions existed in the forest at the center of the dungeon.
Red Mantis. In groups they were dangerous, but Jaeyoon could catch one even in his unawakened state. To do this safely, he needed to clear the surrounding minor monsters and then lure out a single one.
“This is easier than I thought.”
Despite days of hard marching, he strangely had energy to spare. Perhaps it was because he returned to the past with his future-experienced body. Far from feeling sleepy, his mind was clear. Thanks to this, after dealing with small monsters, Jaeyoon used his spare time to calmly assess his current situation.
‘My original plan was to hide my existence and support Hyung.’
Jaeyoon had planned to become Jaeha’s shadow and protect him even after awakening. Even if Jaeha awakened as a guide, he planned to keep it secret and maintain distance from other Espers.
But when the returned Jaeyoon faced Jaeha, he was overwhelmed by emotion, forgetting his resolve. The innocent, unhurt Jaeha looked just like in his old memories. Meeting his intact Hyung after longing for him for so long, Jaeyoon’s emotions took over. He grabbed Jaeha, sobbed, and swore to protect him. The plan to hide his identity and become his Hyung’s shadow was abandoned as soon as it began.
‘Those bastards live so close.’
In the future, Jaeyoon had only witnessed the terrible relationship between the Espers Joo Dojoon and Lee Youngwoo and his guide-awakened Hyung Jaeha. During his information gathering, he learned they had been friends or seniors and juniors, but that was just information. He never imagined their previous relationship was this close and warm. He felt disgusted by the unexpectedly affectionate relationship.
‘Hard to believe those friendly guys would manipulate and torture Hyung after awakening.’
In the current situation, so different from the future, no matter how much Jaeyoon warned him, Jaeha couldn’t understand. But Jaeyoon couldn’t be honest either.
He didn’t want to share those terrible memories with his Hyung, even after returning. Since it wouldn’t happen now, he wanted to bury it.
‘It would be better to awaken quickly and use the Association to protect Hyung.’
For now, things were fine. There was no need to be wary of the unawakened Joo Dojoon and Lee Youngwoo yet. Even knowing it was better to leave his Hyung alone while normal life continued, Jaeyoon couldn’t hide his anger and killing intent toward those near Jaeha.
Seeing Jaeha made him want to protect him. He felt anxious about being apart even for a moment.
‘Rather than making Hyung rebellious, it’s better to be away for a while.’
Stepping back allowed him to think more coldly. Right now, it was better to prepare countermeasures than to sharpen his blade.
He also needed to contact companies that were already hiding awakened Espers and monopolizing dungeons ahead of everyone else.
‘They’re dog-like companies that manipulate Espers as they please, but that makes them more useful.’
Protection couldn’t stop at just blocking direct threats. Otherwise, Jaeha would break again after manifesting as a guide.
With Jaeyoon’s return, the flow needed to change.
“Let’s do what needs to be done first.”
As he approached the forest where he came to find evidence to convince his Hyung, a damp wind blew.
Before facing the giant insect, Jaeyoon checked his condition. He hadn’t even been scratched while dealing with minor monsters on the way. His only preparation was roughly wiping the fluid from his metal pipe weapon with leaves.
Whoosh.
Just as Jaeyoon was about to step into the forest, flames shot up in front of his feet. He could feel the flow of mana in the sudden heat. Without showing surprise, Jaeyoon tapped the ground with his metal pipe and waited.
The chance of encountering other Espers in the dungeon was always there. The Association was already active even though it wasn’t public yet. Since Jaeyoon had trespassed in their dungeon, they wouldn’t just watch. If Daesung Group contacted him, he was willing to use them. It seemed a bit late, actually.
‘An Esper who uses fire. I hope it’s that person.’
Jaeyoon carefully watched the shadow appearing beyond the dancing flames. Seeing Jaeyoon’s calm attitude, the flames suddenly died down. The remaining heat crackled on the ground, but that was all.
“Sorry for the rough greeting.”
When the flames disappeared, a man wearing a black full-body suit was revealed. Jaeyoon recognized it as the basic armor that Daesung Group gave to early Espers.
“You’re not surprised.”
The man’s friendly smile seemed at odds with someone who had just set off flames.
Jaeyoon’s gaze carefully examined the serious face visible above the neck-protecting armor. His looks were so unreal he might have been on a movie set. The man with model-like good looks was someone the Daesung Group had put forward as their public face after officially announcing the Association.
Kwon Haeil. A high-grade Esper whose final expected grade was S-class.
He actually had excellent abilities and achieved outstanding results even in high-risk gates. Unlike some high-grade Espers who sought easy jobs, he was someone who always took the lead. Though Jaeyoon had rarely met him in person, his actions alone were enough to create a good impression.
In short, an ideal Esper. He was also the connection Jaeyoon most wanted. Even if he disliked the Association, he needed to join forces with them for his future plans. Even apart from that, Kwon Haeil was a card Jaeyoon couldn’t afford to lose.
“We both met in a dungeon, so there’s no reason to be surprised.”
“Mr. Seo Jaeyoon.”
Despite being called by name, Jaeyoon’s calm reaction made Haeil curious, though he maintained his smile.
“You seem very familiar with the dungeon. Even though these are Level F or lower monsters… the weapon in your hand looks like an ordinary metal pipe, but you handle it skillfully. You must still be pre-awakening.”
“Let’s stop beating around the bush. Speak plainly.”
Kwon Haeil, who had been complimenting Jaeyoon, closed his mouth and fell into thought for a moment. Soon, as if having made a decision, Haeil threw down the communication device on his wrist and burned it. Only after confirming the device had melted did Haeil approach Jaeyoon.
“I’ll be honest. I have some information about you, Seo Jaeyoon. I approached thinking you were an unregistered awakened person I needed to persuade, but you’re not even awakened – that’s surprising.”
“And?”
“No one is listening, so you can be honest. If you’ve contacted villains, I can help you.”
Even with the honorifics gone from Haeil’s speech, his voice, often heard on TV, was serious enough to inspire trust. Kwon Haeil was exactly the person his public image suggested.
“That’s an interesting idea, but if villain organizations were really grooming me, wouldn’t one of you be insufficient?”
“I don’t have much power myself. But I can use Daesung, so take advantage of that.”
The man with leadership qualities was spending time in chains, not yet knowing his own value. Jaeyoon had planned to seek out Kwon Haeil after awakening, but he realized this early encounter was an opportunity.
“The Association, or rather Daesung, might treat you like a consumable now, but soon cracks will appear nationwide and Espers will awaken simultaneously. They’ll need a central figure to put forward. That’s when you’ll become essential.”
Seeing Haeil’s expression change despite maintaining his smile until now, Jaeyoon remained calm.
“A gate will open at the Han River and be caught on video. Daesung won’t miss that chance and will send you, which was a huge success.”
“There’s no such thing as a Han River gate.”
“There will be. If cracks can suddenly appear, why would gates appearing in mid-air be surprising?”
Jaeyoon had no trouble talking about events that had already happened in his timeline.
“The edited video of that incident was amazing. I really thought an actor had jumped out to film a promotional video. Now I see you look impressive in person too.”
“…You speak as if you’ve seen the future.”
“Because I have.”
Jaeyoon intended to win over Kwon Haeil with this opportunity. He was someone who burned his communication device to keep Daesung from finding out, trying to protect Jaeyoon from consequences if he had contacted villains. Jaeyoon planned to draw this naturally considerate Haeil into his plans. For that, he didn’t hesitate to show his hand.
“Well, from Daesung’s perspective, the face they put forward is even more capable than expected, so they’ll send you to all sorts of gates and dungeons. In 2-3 years, you’ll be praised as a potential S-class. Your media exposure will be incredible, and thanks to that, the Association’s position will become solid.”
“Just because of one person like me?”
Haeil was more surprised that his existence would change Daesung’s standing than by being treated as S-class.
“Yes. Daesung may have pushed hard, but there was also no Esper as flawless as you. The other Esper bastards are all trash.”
“Trash?”
“Anyway, I’m going to hunt now, so think about whether to believe me or not.”
While Haeil pondered their conversation, Jaeyoon moved toward the forest he had been targeting. Haeil quickly caught up and tried to stop him.
“I know you’re skilled, Mr. Seo Jaeyoon – I’ve been watching since you entered the dungeon. But inside are monsters of a different level than what you’ve seen so far. If you’re doing this because you want to get stronger, I can help.”
“No, I need something that’s in there.”
“What? An artifact? A dungeon by-product? No, you wouldn’t carelessly reveal such important facts. If you need conditions, I’ll accommodate as much as possible – can you share information?”
“It’s nothing like that. The reason I came here is…”
Kieee.
The familiar monster sound came from inside the forest. Even outside the forest wasn’t completely safe. It was natural that their chatting near the entrance would disturb nearby monsters.
“What I need is…”
Jaeyoon adjusted the metal pipe in his hand.
“A mantis head.”
“What?”
Before Haeil could respond, Jaeyoon’s body shot forward quickly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
