Chapter 28
Before my regression, I could say my school life was extremely ordinary.
Of course, the title of “someone who would become a Guide” might have made people who didn’t know me well think I was impressive.
But my close friends didn’t really care about that title.
They did tell me they were dying of envy when I said I didn’t have to worry much about my future career since what I’d do after becoming an adult was already determined, but that title didn’t put me on the so-called “popular kid” path.
For example, my position was like student number 3 or 4 in the class—those who gather in their own small groups chattering away near the noisy main characters you see in dramas. That was exactly my position.
Thanks to that, the current situation where everyone’s attention was focused on me was beyond awkward—it gave me goosebumps.
“I’d like to hear about what happened when the gate’s level increased.”
“Student, I understand you’re a middle school Guide student. Could you tell us which guild you’ll be joining? Is it already decided? Are you already a temporary member?”
“Would you look over here once?”
“Guide student!”
Most of the camera lenses were pointed at me.
Trying hard to ignore what looked like cannons of lenses, I walked surrounded by the adults from Calling Guild who were shielding me.
I could barely handle being popular in my class, but now I was on the verge of becoming a nationally famous middle schooler.
Would there ever be a reason for a Guide to become a star?
Usually, when a gate level increase phenomenon occurs and the raid succeeds, it’s the Espers who get the spotlight.
The reason I unexpectedly received all this attention was first because I was a rookie middle school Guide who entered a C-class gate, and second because I came out without any issues.
And the biggest reason was that I accurately determined the guiding priority order in a sudden situation without having been taught it.
I guess the Spiral Guide who closely observed me guiding earlier must have spread the word outside.
Even though I deliberately mentioned that I was close with Uncle Oh Chan-seok, they still called me a genius. He should have gotten credit for teaching me well!
People were making a fuss, calling me a genius S-class Guide.
Honestly, “genius” was going too far. I’m not a genius.
“We inform you that student Guides have the right to refuse interviews. We will not answer questions about this Guide.”
“I decline the interview.”
Going back to school today was out of the question. Given the situation, the school specially permitted us to stay out overnight.
My parents and Yoon Cheong’s parents were gathering at Ji Yeohoon’s house, so we were all heading there, but reporters kept following us and creating a commotion.
Of course, the people from Calling tried their best to block them, but they couldn’t use abilities against ordinary citizen reporters, and even Espers weren’t enough to stop all the pushy reporters barging in.
In reality, what I did was just the normal behavior of a Guide.
The Guide’s code of conduct: identify priorities, avoid intervening as much as possible, and stay calm in any situation.
Even though I was Moon Soo-young, a 15-year-old second-year middle school student who had regressed 11 years ago, the habits of Association Guide Moon Soo-young who worked regardless of weekday or weekend couldn’t just disappear.
I just acted naturally, but…
I guess it was a bit much for just a student Guide.
“Are you two feeling sick or anything?”
I asked the two guys. Since there was no reverse guiding, there shouldn’t be any issues, but still, just in case.
I’ve lived as a Guide all this time, so I don’t understand how Espers feel. This was also the first time these two received guiding after combat.
So throughout the car ride, I gave each of them one hand to hold quietly, just in case.
Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon nodded clearly, seeming okay physically.
“I’m fine.”
“But I’m a bit sleepy…”
It seems they couldn’t overcome mental fatigue though.
Even with free time now, the guys who would normally be shouting about eating out or discussing games to play at home just shook their heads.
Still, they had to eat, and I was worried seeing them just squeezing my hands while remaining quiet.
“We’ve arrived at the restaurant. You need to eat something. We’ve made reservations, so we can eat right after we go in.”
The uncle who got out first opened the door for us.
We had boarded the bus for gate practice in the morning, and with the chaotic situation of being trapped in a C-class gate, I had no idea how much time had passed.
Lunch had long passed, and by the time we came out, the sunset was already fading.
I definitely had packed emergency food and water in my item bag, but no one had thought of eating.
Plus, due to the time difference between inside the gate and outside, we couldn’t know what was happening outside.
I guessed there must have been a commotion because the major contributors were middle school Espers and there was a composed middle school Guide, but that thought was shattered during our meal.
“…Two days?!”
“Yes. You went in on Saturday morning, and now it’s Sunday evening.”
Usually, the time discrepancy between gates and the outside world isn’t large.
At most, it’s an hour or two difference.
But occasionally there are cases with significant differences, which happens when the gate level changes.
Sometimes gates are downgraded from higher to lower levels, and sometimes they’re upgraded like this time. In such cases, the time inside and outside the gate often becomes misaligned.
“The level was upgraded right after you entered. Our guild was originally scheduled to go in, but when it changed, something happened and everyone was confused. Still, what seemed fortunate was that even if an F-class gate is upgraded, it would at most go up to C. Calling always prioritizes safety above all, and that applies to temporary members like you too, so we had initially assigned two A-class Guides.”
So when Spiral asked to change the observing guild, they deliberately said, “We won’t trade unless there are at least two A-class or higher.”
Normally, when news articles reported that three middle schoolers had entered a gate practice full of high school students and couldn’t get out, the attention was inflated dozens of times more than usual. When it was adjusted to a C-class gate, not even D-class, the situation became even more heated.
The fact that I was one of those who entered the gate also contributed to the buzz.
S-class Guides are extremely rare, and have become even more so recently.
Few people are born with the Esper and Guide manifestation genes, and the probability of having high ability levels is even rarer.
Before my regression, I think there was some research on a broadcast about methods to increase the class of Guides and Espers, but since I was lying in the hospital pouring out resentment toward Ji Yeohoon at that time, I’m not sure if my memory is correct.
Anyway, when news swept through that this rare S-class student Guide was trapped along with the others, the Espers went crazy.
Since I was confined to school, I had no idea, but apparently my name was quite well-known because I had never had a low matching rate with anyone I had guided.
“So there was a commotion trying to find places with items that could forcibly open gates. Calling urgently brought out a dagger they had.”
“…Calling has one?”
“There are only three left in our country.”
An artifact that can forcibly open closed gates.
It’s a dagger that appeared 10 years ago, but it’s still unknown who made it or how it was made.
The dagger can open a closed gate once, but the recoil is so great that physically enhanced Espers use it.
No wonder so many people came from Calling—I was surprised.
Apparently, right before using the dagger, they saw that the gate gauge was very stable, indicating that the raid was progressing smoothly.
The gate gauge starts to rise if monsters inside the gate continue to live without being killed, but since the people inside were receiving guiding in turns without getting hurt and were stably killing monsters, there was no reason for the gauge to rise.
“By the way, Soo-young, when did you learn guiding methods?”
“…Pardon?”
“Reporters are really quick with such news.”
The uncle’s eyes gleamed.
I’m just a middle school kid who just came out of a gate and is extremely tired, you know.
“I learned it at school.”
“That can’t be true, right? No matter how theoretically you learn guiding order, properly understanding it is something you might barely manage after becoming an adult and starting to guide.”
This is why they say school-trained Guides are impossible to deal with.
I couldn’t just say “I’ve regressed!” so I frantically racked my brain.
“It’s because of these guys.”
“…What? Hyung?”
“Why me?”
So I decided to throw these middle school Esper guys under the bus, sorry.
“When these guys fight, I need to talk to them to help them cool down, right? But when I calm down the less angry one first and then go to the other, the first one gets over it quickly. If I always go to the angrier one first, the less angry one ends up getting even more upset later…”
“…?!”
“When did I ever!”
Though they appeared flustered, I looked at them very calmly.
Since the two often bickered, the uncle and aunt looked back and forth between Ji Yeohoon and Yoon Cheong.
After gazing at them intently for a while, the two adults firmly held the hands of these kids.
“You finished the gate well this time, right? From now on, fight a little less…”
“No, Dad, we don’t fight much…”
“Don’t lie. You get upset.”
“Ah, hyung…”
“Even though our Yeohoon is younger, since he’s a buff-type, you two need to get along well. Okay, Cheong?”
“Well, Auntie, we really are getting along well…”
Do people who get along well make a lot of noise at the slightest thing?
Of course, their bickering had increased as they entered puberty.
They did get along in their own way, but that’s from my perspective knowing these guys’ relationship before regression. Their parents’ thoughts would definitely be different.
I gently sent the guys onto the bus of parental nagging.
The meat I ate away from their gaze tasted really good.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
