Chapter 33
“Are you going to apply for the follow-up team?”
Park Seohyun whispered softly as she gathered the team members after training.
When an exploration team discovers a gate, an extermination team is assembled. Once the deployed extermination team finds and paves the dungeon path, an attack team is sent in to annihilate the magic beasts. Afterward, the follow-up team enters to collect dungeon by-products, completing the operation.
Conversely, if a gate isn’t discovered, a dungeon break occurs, creating a danger zone. Dealing with the endless magic beasts crawling out of the damaged gate and purifying the contaminated land is not only complicated but also a thankless job that doesn’t receive proper recognition.
That’s why ability users wanted to be part of the dungeon follow-up team. However, they couldn’t easily decide and were watching each other cautiously because they couldn’t ignore the danger of dungeon mana. Meanwhile, the training instructor, after sending back the Mako parrot, clapped his hands.
The training instructor, who announced that a gate had been discovered, looked around at the ability users, saying he was recruiting volunteers for the follow-up team practical training. He added that they would conduct virtual dungeon training next week in preparation for entering the dungeon, so they should decide by then. Ability users gathered in teams exchanged words with complicated expressions.
Yeonwoo’s team was no different. The danger zone, commonly called the “garbage dump,” offers low hazard pay and poor treatment compared to the work involved. But volunteering for the follow-up team was also difficult, as many Espers experienced mana overloads from dungeon mana.
“Hmm. Since applying doesn’t guarantee acceptance, should we at least try applying?”
When Choi Dongwon, who had been contemplating, nodded, Jo Heeseo smiled brightly for the first time in a while. In contrast, Choi Dongwon’s face hardened. Although Guides were said to be unaffected by dungeon mana, Espers weren’t. Jo Heeseo, who didn’t even provide proper Guiding, insisted they must apply for the follow-up team and pushed forcefully. As soon as they decided to apply, Jo Heeseo, who had been clinging to Park Seohyun’s arm, ran to Bae Jaeyoung. Choi Dongwon, who had been gritting his teeth, let out a long sigh.
“What does Esper Han Yeonwoo think?”
“I’m fine with it.”
There was no need to think about it. Everyone had passed anyway.
The team members who passed the virtual dungeon training had done follow-up team work to the point of nausea, starting from this time until Jo Heeseo was accepted into the Muyeong Guild. They had earned some money from it, but now… Yeonwoo buried his face in his hands as he recalled his bank account, which was practically empty.
If I had known it would be like this, I should have spent it freely! The money he had saved bit by bit, resisting buying things he wanted to eat or buy, had been quite substantial. Though it couldn’t compare to what Yeonhwa earned… still, it had been enough to buy a small island…
Clicking his tongue, Yeonwoo patted Choi Dongwon’s shoulder, who looked a bit tense, then packed his belongings.
“Esper Han Yeonwoo.”
When he turned his head at being called, Seo Yujin was standing there with a worried face. Seo Yujin looked at Yeonwoo’s stomach, sighed, and extended her hand. Yeonwoo swallowed dryly, forced a smile, and took her hand filled with mana.
“Are you alright?”
“Of course. It’s just a hologram.”
Though he smiled and said he was fine, her gaze was filled with worry. Feeling guilty for no reason, he had no choice but to wave his hands, insisting that he was really fine.
During the training just now, Yeonwoo, who was hit by a swamp crocodile’s tail and sent flying, had avoided Seo Yujin’s hand as she tried to catch him. It was obvious to anyone watching, but instead of being displeased, Seo Yujin comforted him, saying he must not be familiar with mana.
Yeonwoo had unconsciously avoided Seo Yujin’s hand, fearing unwanted memories would surface upon contact. Yet Seo Yujin blamed herself, saying she failed to catch Yeonwoo due to her mistake. Her behavior pricked his conscience.
Not just his conscience, but his head also throbbed. His head ached whenever Seo Yujin approached. It felt like a warning not to get any closer, and whenever he tried to distance himself, Seo Yujin would approach and smile brightly.
After insisting he was really fine, Yeonwoo left the training hall almost as if fleeing. Seo Yujin, who followed behind, suggested visiting the treatment room just in case.
“Why the treatment room? Is hyung hurt somewhere?”
Perhaps it was from spending all day trying to get used to mana that was both familiar and unfamiliar, but a languid sigh escaped at the sensation of familiar mana behind him. As Yeonwoo unconsciously leaned against Chahun, Chahun, though looking puzzled, pulled him closer.
“What happened?”
After briefly leaning against the arm that embraced his shoulder, Yeonwoo came to his senses and greeted Seo Yujin. She awkwardly bowed her head at his “thank you for your hard work” and looked back and forth between Yeonwoo and Chahun with her mouth slightly open.
“What happened, he’s asking.”
Yeonwoo removed Chahun’s hand that was shaking his shoulder and pointed to his own stomach. Even when he pressed firmly here and there, there was no pain.
“I’m really, truly fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Before Yeonwoo, who had quickly greeted her, could take a step, he was caught by Chahun. Facing Seo Yujin’s expression asking if he was really okay and Chahun’s expression demanding an explanation, Yeonwoo touched his forehead and pulled up his training uniform.
“Hyung!”
Yeonwoo nearly fell over at the gesture of pulling down his training uniform but barely maintained his balance. For a brief moment, he smiled brightly at Seo Yujin, who had confirmed there were no bruises or injuries.
“I’m an Esper too, so don’t worry too much.”
Kindness feels like goodwill only once or twice. What Esper gets hurt from being hit by a hologram? Only then did Seo Yujin say “good work” and leave. Watching her retreating figure, Yeonwoo adjusted his training uniform with a deeply wrinkled face.
“Why are you taking off your clothes in the training hall corridor?”
“They keep disrespecting—”
Me. Swallowing the end of his sentence, Yeonwoo sighed instead. Sometimes there were Espers who overreacted to lower-ranked Espers. They acted as if they were elephants in front of ants, being careful with every action. This type was more tiring than those who looked down on lower ranks. Those others might sneer at insignificant abilities, but at least they treated them as Espers.
Conversely, people like Seo Yujin treated them like dandelion seeds that might fly away at the slightest breath, always trying to protect them. Just like ability users warning civilians lingering near gates. It means they don’t even consider lower-ranked abilities as real abilities.
Clicking his tongue, Yeonwoo rubbed his deeply furrowed brow. He wondered why his past, or rather future, self had become friendly enough with that annoying guy to even know his candy preferences.
“What happened during training?”
Recalling Seo Yujin’s back as she tried to protect him whenever a magic beast appeared, Yeonwoo let out a short, deep sigh. Chahun followed behind Yeonwoo, who was walking briskly forward. He had come to meet Yeonwoo because he wasn’t visible while waiting in front of the common area, and his expression was unusual.
He wanted to ask if the matter that needed to be resolved at home was settled, why he hadn’t trained on that side today, if that person was the new Esper he mentioned would join, and what exactly had happened, but instead, Chahun pulled Yeonwoo to his side and glanced toward a corner.
Employees holding documents were approaching, keeping an eye on Chahun. Chahun moved his fingertips after observing Yeonwoo’s still angry expression. The mana that flowed along the floor bloomed at the employees’ feet. With the expanding ice wall behind him, Chahun gently pulled the shoulder of Yeonwoo, who was walking in an unexpected direction. After glaring at the employees knocking on the ice wall, Chahun led Yeonwoo to the portal.
Yeonwoo, who had intended to look for more materials in the reference room, stopped Chahun when he saw the portal heading to A-zone. Although there was no place as comfortable for training as Chahun’s training hall, he remembered the training instructor’s warning prohibiting training in other zones. The training time was over, but just in case.
“Why?”
After explaining the situation, Chahun’s brow furrowed. Stopping midway through the iris recognition, Chahun looked back and forth between the door entering A-zone and the portal to exit. Leaving Chahun conflicted about which way to go, Yeonwoo exited through the portal and scratched his eyebrow.
Is there any need to go to A-zone now? From what he heard, there were people pretending to be friendly, and Chahun didn’t seem to be ostracized, and his mana seemed quite stable, so there was no need to associate with Chahun.
Yeonwoo abandoned his contemplation at the sight of Chahun’s expression as he rushed over immediately after Yeonwoo exited the portal. It’s not like he went far away; he just exited from the portal from there to here. So why the expression of a child who had lost his parents?
Even Yeonhwa never made such an expression.
“Why did you leave without saying anything?”
The A-zone training instructor, no, not just the training instructor. How much had the Center neglected this child for him to act this way toward an Esper from another zone? Swallowing a sigh, Yeonwoo pulled Chahun away from the front of the portal.
“Given the circumstances, we’ll need a decent excuse to come and go…”
“Why do we need an excuse? You’re teaching me how to handle mana.”
At those words, Yeonwoo just smiled with his lips. How many people would believe that a C-rank is teaching something to an S-rank? They’d just laugh the moment they heard it.
“If the training hall doesn’t work, what about doing it in the dormitory?”
That won’t work either. Yeonwoo touched his forehead and cursed at the A-zone training instructor. Didn’t they even tell him that abilities shouldn’t be used in the dormitories? Surely he didn’t forget if he was told. Looking up at Chahun with suspicious eyes, Yeonwoo shook his head, saying it wouldn’t work. Just to be safe, he warned Chahun again not to use abilities in the dormitory and tried to comfort him as he whined and pulled at his sleeve.
“Think about it, Esper Kang Chahun. How would it sound if someone who just picked up a bow for the first time said they were teaching an Olympic gold medalist how to shoot?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Exactly.”
Despite the relatable explanation, Chahun’s face was filled with questions as if he still didn’t understand.
“What do you mean by ‘exactly’? You and I are different. I awakened recently, and you didn’t.”
“I’m C-rank, and Esper Kang Chahun is S-rank.”
“So what?”
At the voice full of questions, Yeonwoo blinked slowly. No matter how much image-making other S-ranks did, many people thought S-ranks could handle abilities from birth. That’s why many people were shocked to learn that Chahun, who awakened late, didn’t know how to handle his ability.
It was clear that if it became known that Chahun was being taught by a C-rank, the pointing fingers of mockery would only increase. Despite the explicit explanation, Chahun didn’t understand.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
