I Wish They’d Just Leave Me Alone 26

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Chapter 26

Is there nothing I can do?

As a Guide, is there really nothing I can do besides watching and guiding those who return?

The guys in front no longer hid their moving hands.

Yoon Cheong, whose eyes had turned blue since awakening, finally had that color fixed.

His pupils, which until just now had been a deep blue, brightened as if emitting light.

Ji Yeohoon, who was using his ability next to him, was the same.

Ji Yeohoon, who had dark brown hair and eyes of the same color, was gradually changing in both his hair and pupils.

The colors would slowly change until his body fully matured and his abilities stabilized.

“Opposite side.”

“Hyung, right side.”

“Got it.”

The two communicated efficiently with just a few words.

Now they moved without hesitation.

Having played games together every day, they coordinated like they were clearing a gate as if it were just another game.

“These kids are really something.”

“Right?”

“They’re amazing. No wonder Calling is managing them specially.”

“Special management?”

I turned my head toward the Spiral Guides, hearing something new.

Since Ji Yeohoon’s parents knew us and we were close, plus I was going to manifest as a Guide, they must have kept us as prospective guild members.

The Spiral Guides looked at me as if surprised I didn’t know, and spoke.

“You might not know since you’re students. Your learning attitudes, class progress, and ability manifestation details are stored at school. You guys are always at the top, so our guild and others want to ask if you’d consider joining us, but whenever we try to contact through school, Calling immediately sends an official document.”

“That’s probably because they’re friendly with the people at Calling.”

“Really? It doesn’t seem like just that. The same goes for you, Moon Soo-young. Even for an S-class Guide, it’s unusual that your matching rate has been low with everyone so far. We once sent a request to visit your school to check, but it was rejected. Actually, let me ask you now. Will you properly join Calling after graduation? We’re a really good place too. Would you consider us?”

It seems they had been blocking all potentially annoying offers, even for temporary guild members.

I immediately declined the offer.

If I showed even the slightest interest, those two guys who were focusing on the battle but still keeping their ears open would likely waver.

I must have been right, as they briefly turned their heads with relieved expressions before focusing forward again. It was cute, funny, and somehow embarrassing all at once. I went up beside them, putting my arm around Ji Yeohoon’s shoulder and holding Yoon Cheong’s waist since he was tall.

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

“Um… at the rate we’re going, we might be able to finish right away?”

“…It looked a bit difficult earlier?”

“It just got better now.”

Right after Yoon Cheong spoke briefly, the blood slimes were quickly pressed to the ground.

It looked as if a giant hammer, no, an invisible giant was stomping and running around.

The Spiral Espers and high school seniors who had been continuing the battle calmly watched us.

They cheered and then broke into applause.

What’s this all about?

“The little ones are doing well~”

They wanted a break.

This area was filled with Guides, making it comfortable for Espers, plus there was a protective barrier in front. With Ji Yeohoon supporting and Yoon Cheong handling everything, the situation was well under control.

The sweaty Espers were only defending moderately while driving the slimes toward where Yoon Cheong was overpowering them.

Those with freezing abilities were using their powers on the gathered slimes, and the rest seemed to be wrapping things up.

“Those who are tired should go get guiding right away, and at this rate… the biggest one might appear, so prepare properly.”

Their gate debut was quite spectacular.

Since Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon were doing so well, the people at the front were taking it easy.

With the gate upgraded to C-class, it was important to recover energy even briefly to prepare for what came next. They seemed to plan on letting the young duo handle regular monsters as much as possible while the adults would take care of the boss monster.

Most Espers’ first gate experience was an F-class or E-class gate.

Since F and E-class gates don’t have bosses, everyone’s first clear tends to be easy.

Even so, since students were involved, the conditions for forming practice teams were strict.

There must be a protection/defense/healing type Esper among the team. If that’s not possible, there must be at least one A-class or higher Esper.

Fortunately, this time there was no problem even with a C-class gate, as we had a high school senior capable of activating barriers and two A-class guild Espers.

Apparently, Calling was originally scheduled to participate in this practice.

“Then why did you come?”

“There are many prospective Spiral guild members among the high school Espers this time. Like those kids using ice and fire abilities up front. So we talked to Calling, and they said they had to come because their prospective guild members got approved for their first gate entry. But our prospective kids are third-year high schoolers, so this is their last school entry. We insisted that the guild should attend. Then they said that since there’s an S-class Guide involved in the gate practice, it must be absolutely safe, and required at least two A-class Espers.”

They said it was good they sent two, and I agreed.

In the gate that Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon entered next year before my regression, there were many injuries.

Back then, most participants were B to C-class Espers, and in middle school, both Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon were still classified as B-class since their bodies weren’t fully developed.

Ji Yeohoon would have enhanced Yoon Cheong’s abilities and Yoon Cheong would have handled the situation like now, but the content mentioned that despite being the biggest contributors, they both received hospital treatment for a while.

This gate entry had been complicated in my plans, but thanks to those guys including my name, the guild sent higher-ranked Espers, making everything safer.

I don’t know whether to call this good or bad.

The situation had improved so much that I felt embarrassed about getting angry at these two earlier as they diligently cleared slimes in front of me.

“Has everyone rested?”

A guild Esper approached and asked the high school seniors after they returned from receiving guiding.

Thanks to everyone taking turns getting guiding, their energy seemed to have returned, judging by their expressions.

The last remaining slime was frozen and then shattered by Yoon Cheong’s strike.

“Then you kids take a rest now. Trust your hyungs.”

I thought they’d be fine with continued guiding, but Ji Yeohoon and Yoon Cheong seemed to be struggling, trying not to show their strained expressions.

Ji Yeohoon, who had been focusing solely on Yoon Cheong for a while, immediately embraced my waist as soon as he stopped using his ability.

Unlike him, Yoon Cheong, who had to control his telekinesis to avoid affecting others while managing multiple areas, was just breathing heavily without the energy to move.

One of the common mistakes rookie Guides make here is guiding the Esper who appears to be struggling more first.

While Yoon Cheong might look like he needed guiding more urgently, from my perspective as an Association Guide who had done many emergency guidings, Ji Yeohoon was actually more urgent.

Espers normally carry pain with them, no matter how good their physical condition is.

When they use their abilities, the pain increases dramatically, and the threshold for when the pain intensifies further is always clear.

The pain doesn’t increase proportionally with usage time or power, but rather in steps. So if an Esper doesn’t appear about to go berserk, it’s better to guide those who can finish quickly first, then thoroughly guide the Esper in more severe pain.

“Kid, guide this one first…”

“I’m already doing that.”

“Oh, really?”

The guild Guide who was about to tell me to guide Ji Yeohoon first looked surprised when I said I was already doing so.

“Yoon Cheong, hang in there a little bit.”

“…Okay.”

I patted Yoon Cheong’s shoulder briefly and focused on Ji Yeohoon.

As I hugged him and held his hand, thinking of blowing the wind from inside my body to him, Ji Yeohoon’s expression relaxed considerably.

At school, he didn’t cling to me this much after ability usage classes, but it seems his unstable ability was actually quite difficult despite his attempts to appear fine. The amount of my Vigor flowing to Ji Yeohoon was more than usual.

Vigor, a word meaning strength and vitality, referred to a Guide’s “guiding capacity.”

The reason an S-class Guide is better than a D-class is primarily because they have more Vigor for guiding. Perhaps that’s why I didn’t feel tired despite giving more guiding than usual.

I thought there should be some difference after dying in an explosion and regressing, but I didn’t expect it to be this easy. I felt somewhat cheated.

“Are you okay now?”

I asked as I felt the flowing power subside, but Ji Yeohoon met my eyes with a look of disappointment.

I hadn’t really thought about it since we were always together, but he was now almost my height and would soon overtake me.

“Can’t we do a little more?”

“I know exactly how much guiding I gave you. Let go, you punk.”

“Aah…”

After patting the shoulder of the grumbling Ji Yeohoon as he released his arms, I approached Yoon Cheong.

Though he looked exhausted, he was still standing firm as if he were more mature than Ji Yeohoon.

“Come here, you punk,” I said, spreading my arms, though with his much taller height, it felt more like I was being enveloped in his embrace.

Damn, I’m jealous… I want to be tall too.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“I haven’t done anything?”