Chapter 28
“Come to think of it, today is already the last day.”
At Bae Jaeyoung’s words, Jo Heeseo made a tearful face. When asked what she would do because she was so sad, Park Seohyun barely managed to nod. The expressions of regret and disappointment coming from someone who had just been squeezing the Espers dry didn’t even register in her ears.
Looking at the collapsed Choi Dongwon and the slumped Han Yeonwoo, Park Seohyun tensed her shoulders and raised her head. She had expected that Bae Jaeyoung, as an A-class, would look down on the C-class Espers of Zone C to some extent. But seeing how she squeezed out mana without discrimination, Park Seohyun realized she had been viewing Bae Jaeyoung with the prejudice that all A-class were like that.
I probably wouldn’t have received such practical training no matter which Esper I was matched with. Park Seohyun, who sat down heavily next to Yeonwoo, started to request guiding from Jo Heeseo but stopped. Being rejected by the team guide in front of other Espers once or twice was enough. Instead of begging for guiding, Park Seohyun opted for rest, and Jo Heeseo’s voice reached her ears.
“We match so well together, can’t we just be on the same team?”
At those words, Park Seohyun’s lips formed a smile. Her pride crumpled as Bae Jaeyoung just smiled without answering. Jo Heeseo, who had been yelling angrily that she couldn’t provide guiding just moments ago, was now guiding Bae Jaeyoung, asking if it was difficult to train with “those ones.”
I thought I had suppressed my sigh. At the faint sound of a sigh, Park Seohyun met Choi Dongwon’s eyes and forced a smile.
“Are you feeling a bit better? Hmm. Shall we try to match a little more? I’m worried you might forget my mana after training with other Espers.”
No way.
Yeonwoo got up with a hollow laugh as he was pulled along. While Park Seohyun skillfully delivered mana through contact, Bae Jaeyoung pushed it in. Even when your stomach was about to burst, she would hold a spoon to your mouth saying, “Just one more bite. You can eat more. Have some more,” and forcefully feed you until you felt nauseated at the end of the mana adaptation training.
Conversely, when it was their turn to give mana, she would say, “Is that all? You can give a little more, right? Come on. You can do it,” and wring the mana out of them. After repeating such training, there was no way he could forget Bae Jaeyoung’s mana.
Yeonwoo looked at his finely trembling fingertips after receiving the magical beast bead infused with Bae Jaeyoung’s mana. Bae Jaeyoung only ended training when Choi Dongwon was so strained he had to retch. There was no way she would stop training just because his hands were shaking.
Yeonwoo, who handed over the bead with a faint smile, supported the trembling Choi Dongwon. After Park Seohyun and then Jo Heeseo infused mana, the air rippled and a magical beast appeared.
“Ah. A crab again.”
Park Seohyun sighed as she saw the magical beast taking form. It seemed each magical beast bead was set to produce specific beasts, and all the beasts that had appeared were marine species. It was natural to feel tired since crustaceans had appeared continuously. Hearing the clicking sound of pincers, Yeonwoo grabbed the sighing Park Seohyun and folded space.
“How should we approach this time?”
No one answered Bae Jaeyoung’s question. The key to defeating crustacean magical beasts was to peel off their carapace, but their hard shells were impervious to most attacks, and the sharp pincers made it difficult to approach.
The standard approach was to methodically remove the lower legs to prevent escape, then peel off the carapace. This required getting close… but Choi Dongwon, who would block the pincer attacks, was severely fatigued. All eyes naturally focused on Jo Heeseo.
“Where did I put that…”
Jo Heeseo pouted her lips, sighed heavily for all to hear, and provided guiding before sticking close to Bae Jaeyoung. Choi Dongwon, who had regained some color, gestured to Yeonwoo.
“Can we do like before? I want to time it properly.”
Park Seohyun nodded at Choi Dongwon’s words. The plan was for Choi Dongwon to grab the pincers while Bae Jaeyoung and Park Seohyun cut the swimming legs during the moment when the defense was weakened. Yeonwoo, who had checked Choi Dongwon’s complexion, folded space. Just as the Harpnid Crab’s black eyes faced Choi Dongwon, its pincers clicked.
With a “thunk” sound, the pincers stopped in midair. The Harpnid Crab, looking at its suspended pincers, alternately brought down its pincers on both sides. As the crab twitched its pincers in the air as if trying to cut through the transparent barrier, it suddenly spat out transparent bubbles.
“Got one leg!”
With that shout, Yeonwoo grabbed Choi Dongwon and shifted space. The Harpnid Crab, which had been spewing frothy bubbles, began to dig into the sand to hide.
“Over here.”
Park Seohyun blew wind into the spot Yeonwoo pointed to after expanding his senses to search the space. When the blue carapace became visible, Choi Dongwon grasped Yeonwoo’s wrist. Now. At the same time as the murmur, Yeonwoo folded space. Choi Dongwon’s complexion rapidly deteriorated as he blocked the pincer that came flying with a “swoosh” sound, cutting through the air.
When Yeonwoo confirmed that Choi Dongwon was covering his mouth, he used his ability toward the outside of the hologram.
“Ugh…”
“Are you okay?”
After checking Choi Dongwon’s eyes, Yeonwoo bit his lip. Choi Dongwon’s pupils were turning olive green. Restraining Choi Dongwon, who was showing early symptoms of a seizure, Yeonwoo looked for Jo Heeseo.
Jo Heeseo, who had been admiring the way Bae Jaeyoung was cutting off the Harpnid Crab’s legs, glanced at Yeonwoo’s gesture and then ignored it. Why not use a potion instead?
“Shall we stop here?”
Park Seohyun, who had retrieved her mana, wiped away the sweat pooled on her chin. As the magical beast’s form blurred, Bae Jaeyoung retrieved the ice floating in the air and only then noticed the collapsed Choi Dongwon after seeing Park Seohyun running away.
“What are you doing?”
Bae Jaeyoung’s gaze was cold as she looked at Jo Heeseo approaching her side. Despite the cold stare, Jo Heeseo smiled with crinkled eyes and radiated guiding to Bae Jaeyoung. Then she slowly walked toward Choi Dongwon.
“Maybe it’s because he’s C-class, but the guiding efficiency is just…”
Jo Heeseo placed the back of her hand on Choi Dongwon’s forehead and let out a long, deliberate sigh for everyone to hear.
“Han Yeonwoo. Remember? During the guiding class at the military academy. The teacher scolded C-classes so severely for impatiently begging for guiding.”
And that’s why there were quite a few Espers who had seizures. Clicking his tongue, Yeonwoo pressed down on Choi Dongwon’s struggling shoulders. While Espers normally craved a guide’s mana, the level of obsession was different during a seizure. Despite Choi Dongwon reaching out toward her, Jo Heeseo was just sighing and looking only at Bae Jaeyoung.
She seemed to have no interest in why her team member was having a seizure or how the other team members were restraining him.
“The eye color has returned to normal.”
After confirming that Choi Dongwon’s pupils had returned to a deep brown, Jo Heeseo removed her hand without lingering. Park Seohyun let out a hollow laugh at the gesture that clearly showed she didn’t want to be near him. Still, Jo Heeseo paid no attention and gracefully walked toward Bae Jaeyoung.
“Let’s take a break.”
When Park Seohyun was kicked by the struggling Choi Dongwon and fell flat, Yeonwoo, who had been drinking water, also lay down. Yeonwoo, who had fallen into a light sleep, startled awake at the sound of the training end signal, and Park Seohyun also got up, stretching.
“I need to go get some proper sleep.”
While Park Seohyun helped Choi Dongwon, who had dark circles under his eyes, Yeonwoo packed his belongings.
“Thank you for all your hard work. I don’t know how the teams will be arranged, but after all the training is done, let’s have a meal together.”
Anyone could tell it was just a formality. Unlike Zone C, which had no decision-making power, Espers from other zones could choose which team to join. Suppressing both the joy of not having to train with this person again and the helplessness of not even being able to be a candidate, Yeonwoo smiled brightly.
“Thank you for all your hard work. I’ve learned a lot.”
Choi Dongwon, who was doing well not to collapse, staggered as he gave his farewell, and Park Seohyun, who seemed to have assessed the situation, smiled bitterly while saying goodbye. Meanwhile, Jo Heeseo was observing the team members as if this all had nothing to do with her.
“Are you staying to practice today too? I’ll help you!”
Leaving Jo Heeseo’s cheerful voice behind, Yeonwoo grabbed Choi Dongwon, who was walking in a zigzag pattern, as they exited the training ground.
“I shouldn’t use my ability, right?”
After checking their surroundings at Yeonwoo’s whispered question, Park Seohyun nodded with a regretful expression. I’m a bit uneasy since this isn’t our zone, after all. Park Seohyun, who answered in a similarly whispered tone, opened the door while supporting Choi Dongwon.
“Huh? That…”
“Why is that here?”
Exactly, why? While Choi Dongwon and Park Seohyun looked this way asking for a reason, Yeonwoo examined the nest that had risen up. Both the color of the mana and the waves it emitted clearly indicated it was Chahun’s nest. It’s been a while… No, why is this here?
“Hyung.”
As Yeonwoo stepped outside to examine the ice nest, he backed up a step at the approaching shadow. Wait, why are you getting so close? Despite backing away from the approaching Chahun, Chahun narrowed the distance as if about to envelop Yeonwoo.
“Um, could you…”
“Those people are outside.”
Yeonwoo, who was about to ask Chahun to back off, instead grabbed and pulled Chahun close. Despite being used as a shield, Chahun didn’t mind and concealed Yeonwoo with his bulk.
“I was heading back to the dorm when suddenly they ran away from me. They looked like the same people from before, so I followed them and found them waiting for you here.”
Good job. Yeonwoo patted Chahun’s shoulder and then slipped back into the training ground.
“What do you mean? Those people from before?”
At Park Seohyun’s question, Yeonwoo avoided eye contact with a troubled expression. He was reluctant to explain the situation because of concerns about Yeonhwa. Though the rules stated that everything should be shared with team members…
“Esper Kang Chahun!”
Jo Heeseo came running with a lively voice. Ignoring her, Chahun stood behind Yeonwoo, who was biting his lip.
“Esper Kang Chahun seems to be aware of the situation.”
At Choi Dongwon’s muttering, which contained a hint of disappointment, Yeonwoo, who had been deliberating, explained the situation concisely. Everyone knew that Yeonwoo was Yeonhwa’s brother anyway. As he continued speaking, selecting only the main points, when he mentioned that the Center was forcing a contract for minors, Park Seohyun sighed. Choi Dongwon also patted Yeonwoo’s shoulder with a displeased expression.
“But can’t you just tell them that?”
Yeonwoo smiled weakly at the question. Chahun, who had been an ordinary person until recently, would know nothing about “that incident,” which is why he could ask such an innocent question.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
