Chapter 19
“Are you coming home today too?”
After answering Yeonhwa’s question that he would, Yeonwoo hung up the phone. She seems to be asking me to come home a lot lately. Could she be feeling separation anxiety since I joined the Center…?
I’m not sure whether to feel proud or worried that her childish dependency has increased. After pondering these conflicting emotions, Yeonwoo concluded, It would be nice to eat together, and packed up his things.
“Did you practice today too?”
Yeonwoo nodded at Park Seohyun’s question. Seohyun repeatedly sent a mana ball flying into the air with wind-infused power and caught it, then gave a look to Choi Dongwon. As Dongwon, who had been taking out his shield, approached, Seohyun looked around for the invisible Jo Heeseo and gathered the team members.
“I think we need to practice coordinating with each other at least…”
Letting her words trail off, Seohyun crouched down beside Yeonwoo.
“Does he still come? You know…”
Yeonwoo shook his head slightly at Seohyun’s gesture toward where Chahun’s nest had been. Watching Seohyun sigh in relief and stroke her chest, Yeonwoo bit his lip.
I did the right thing telling him not to come anymore.
“What did you say to him?”
Last night. When Yeonwoo asked if it was time for Chahun to start training in Section A, ice suddenly shot up. Chahun, startled by the ice surrounding them, recalled the ice with a sullen face. After watching him handle his ability somewhat competently, though not perfectly, Yeonwoo spoke again.
“Don’t come to Section C anymore.”
“Why?”
Meeting Chahun’s eyes, which were shooting daggers at him with a look of betrayal, Yeonwoo checked the time. He needed to send Chahun away before training started.
Right now, most people are bored with the same training routines and not paying attention, and everyone rushes out of the chaotic training grounds as soon as the bell rings to avoid getting stuck with cleanup. But once serious training begins, Kang Chahun would become a hindrance.
When team members need to sense and accept each other’s mana, anyone would become sensitive if an S-class’s mana was floating around. Fights break out even among people from the same section, and Kang Chahun, without teammates to back him up, would be verbally torn apart.
It would be awkward to say it’s because he’s annoying, so I need to package it nicely…
Looking around, Yeonwoo pointed to the letters written in the middle of the training grounds.
“This is Section C. In principle, it’s not a space for Espers from other sections to wander in and out of, but we’ve made an exception for Esper Kang Chahun. Until now, we’ve only been doing basic training, but now we’re going to start proper training, and if Esper Kang Chahun’s mana remains here, we won’t be able to properly sense our teammates’ mana, right?”
At those words, Chahun, who had been kicking the floor, turned to look at Yeonwoo.
“Then…”
Chahun’s lips trembled as if he wanted to say something, but after staring at Yeonwoo for a moment, he left the training grounds, creating ice with each step.
And he hasn’t been seen since this morning.
Yeonwoo glanced at the chunk of ice that had risen in the corner of the training grounds as he finished organizing his pins.
“Excuse me, Esper Han Yeonwoo.”
When he turned around, an offensive-type Esper was pointing at the ice chunk with an annoyed expression.
“Aren’t you going to clean that up?”
The audacity of this world…
Yeonwoo’s mouth opened slightly as he looked around at the ability users who were urging him with their eyes, as if he should obviously be the one to clean it up. Wouldn’t it be faster for them to clean it up themselves in the time it takes to come talk to me about it?
Slowly rising to his feet, Yeonwoo looked at the ice chunk and smiled brightly.
“I believe the Training Director told me to clean up Esper Kang Chahun’s ice, but this doesn’t seem to be his?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Aren’t you going to clean it up?”
At the grumbling that training was about to start and he should have taken care of it earlier, Yeonwoo lowered his eyebrows. There’s no point in arguing here—it would just lead to a fight. I need to make them realize their mistake and back down on their own.
“That’s not Kang Chahun’s ice, though?”
Yeonwoo turned his head at the sneering voice. Park Seohyun, who was floating a mana ball with wind, had an obvious sneer on her lips.
“Wow. Don’t tell me you can’t tell the difference?”
The offensive-type Esper who had been pressuring Yeonwoo frowned at Seohyun’s voice, which sounded like she was reading from a textbook with deliberate precision. I didn’t want to fight, but… I can’t back down here either. Biting his lip, Yeonwoo stepped back behind Seohyun.
“Wow. If you can’t understand this, there’s a problem. If you can’t even distinguish Esper Kang Chahun’s mana, how do you expect to recognize your teammate’s mana standing right next to you?”
Just as the offensive-type Esper was about to argue with an agitated expression at Seohyun’s unmistakably sarcastic voice, voices of agreement could be heard from the entrance.
“First of all, isn’t the color different?”
“That’s right. And the wave pattern feels different too.”
The offensive-type Esper’s ears turned red at the statements implying, “Unlike you, we knew this wasn’t Kang Chahun’s ice; we could tell the difference, even if you couldn’t.”
“So… you’re not going to clean this up?”
“Shouldn’t the person who made the mess clean it up? I understand that Esper Kang Chahun might be an exception, but I don’t think Esper Han Yeonwoo has any obligation to clean up ice created by someone else.”
After Choi Dongwon added his opinion, the offensive-type Esper replied with a strained “Fine” and returned to his teammates.
They’ll clean it up on their way out. Yeonwoo shook his head slightly as he looked at the ice chunk.
“By the way, who made it?”
At Dongwon’s question, Yeonwoo shrugged. That ice chunk had been there for quite a while, but he had never encountered the Esper who made it. Sometimes when natural-type Espers from neighboring sections practiced, Section C would be affected, so this was probably one of those cases. If people hadn’t been glaring at the ice chunk, saying it was bothering them because of Chahun, Yeonwoo wouldn’t have even thought about cleaning it up.
Well, today, since Chahun isn’t here, I’m not cleaning it up.
“Everyone gather, please.”
As the training start bell rang, the Training Director opened the door and tapped on a chart to draw attention. Though not as orderly as in the beginning, once the ability users gathered, the Training Director checked the headcount visually and gestured toward the back of the training grounds.
“What’s going on?”
Unfamiliar people were entering the training grounds. No, they weren’t unfamiliar. Yeonwoo’s pupils trembled slightly when he saw the third person entering, wearing an employee ID with a green lanyard.
“Do you know who that is?”
At Seohyun’s quiet question, Yeonwoo briefly struggled with whether to shake or nod his head. After some deliberation, Yeonwoo shook his head, and the Training Director introduced the newcomers.
“Now, let me introduce you. From today, Esper Bae Jaeyoung, an offensive-type from the Common Section, will be training with us.”
“What’s the Common Section?”
At Dongwon’s question, Yeonwoo explained in a lowered voice. People whose mana cores weren’t large enough to belong to Section B, but who were too skilled in handling their abilities to be in Section C, belonged to the Common Section. These people worked like mercenaries, without fixed teammates.
“Ah, thank you.”
Each time the Training Director introduced an Esper one by one, confused applause rang out. As the introduction of the third Esper began, Yeonwoo’s breath caught.
“Defensive-type Esper Seo Yujin.”
Seo Yujin. With that name, his mind became complicated.
‘So you’re alive.’
Yeonwoo was holding his forehead due to the tinnitus and headache that had suddenly appeared, when he jumped at the sound of his name being called and raised his hand.
“Please come forward.”
Why? Yeonwoo looked around at the Training Director’s gesture. Park Seohyun was watching him with a suspicious face. Did they catch my ability misfiring? But I haven’t had any incidents lately… As he stepped forward with cautious steps, an Esper with her long hair tied up high extended her hand.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Red lanyard ID. A-class offensive-type Esper, Bae Jaeyoung.
After confirming her name, Yeonwoo shook her hand and felt discomfort. It was a natural reaction when one Esper’s mana rejected another’s. Suppressing the queasiness, Yeonwoo smiled slightly.
“I look forward to working with you too.”
“Team Han Yeonwoo will train with Esper Bae Jaeyoung in the first week, Esper Seo Yujin in the second week, Esper Lee Subin in the third week, and then enter virtual dungeon training in the fourth week.”
Ah, so that’s why they called me. As he was quietly sighing in relief, Park Seohyun approached and gave a small cheer. Watching Choi Dongwon hold back Seohyun, who was jumping around excitedly, Yeonwoo swallowed dryly, bowed respectfully to Seo Yujin, and waved his hand slightly at Lee Subin.
Looking at Seo Yujin, who didn’t have a single scratch, Yeonwoo turned his gaze and looked down at his feet. Cold sweat had pooled on Yeonwoo’s forehead as he looked down at his shoes, which were similarly immaculate.
“What’s wrong?”
Park Seohyun noticed Yeonwoo’s condition and asked. Choi Dongwon was also examining Yeonwoo with a worried face. After wiping away the cold sweat, Yeonwoo deliberately furrowed his eyebrows and smiled.
“Just mana nausea.”
At those words, Seohyun made an “ah” sound and nodded. It was a plausible excuse since people often felt nauseous after encountering incompatible mana. After smiling like that, Yeonwoo placed his hand on his chest to shake off the inexplicable anxiety and looked at Bae Jaeyoung.
“I look forward to working with you. I’m B-class Guide Jo Heeseo.”
Park Seohyun, who had let out a dry laugh at the gentle voice, looked at Yeonwoo and shrugged her shoulders. It might be inevitable for a guide to be drawn to a higher-ranked Esper, but only Jo Heeseo would show it so blatantly in front of her teammates.
Biting the tip of his tongue, Yeonwoo fixed his gaze on Bae Jaeyoung, fighting the urge to look elsewhere. Bae Jaeyoung, who had returned after greeting the teammates for weeks two and three, was holding a mana ball in her hand.
“Is everyone done with introductions? There are no specifically designated training locations, so practice freely, but obviously don’t enter prohibited areas—that’s just common sense. If you’re curious about a place, I recommend getting proper permission to visit. If you’re caught in a restricted area, you’ll receive 20 penalty points. Now then, dismissed.”
As soon as the Training Director clapped, hands shot up from all around.
“What is it?”
“What about us? Will we participate in virtual dungeon training in week five after the other teams finish their practice?”
The Training Director stared at the guide who had asked the question with a voice full of anxiety and doubt, then flipped through his chart.
“Guide Jung Juntae.”
“…Yes.”
“Esper Kim Seohee, Esper Lee Jeongwook, Esper Ahn Junwoo, Esper Hong Hyungyu. None of you five, nor any of the ability users whose names weren’t called, will be participating in virtual dungeon training.”
“What?!”
Section C became agitated at the Training Director’s words. After ability users who sensed the ominous atmosphere tried to stop teammates from rushing toward the Training Director, restraining them and covering their mouths, a heavy silence finally settled.
“I clearly told you all on the first day. How do you expect to enter a dungeon where you need to follow every little rule meticulously when you can’t even follow basic regulations?”
Sounds of incredulous laughter, sharp intakes of breath, and gasping to hold back tears erupted from all around, but no one could refute the Training Director’s words.
“You are no longer Section C Espers. You will be reassigned directly to the hazardous zone sanitation team, so go pack your belongings. Now, for real this time, dismissed.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
