Chapter 62
“The waiting time is longer than expected.”
The awakened ones waiting nodded at Lee Subin’s words. It had already been a week since the advance team entered the dungeon. Though they had anticipated it would take longer because many new awakened ones were participating in this subjugation, it was taking even longer than expected.
“I hope nothing has happened inside?”
Choi Dongwon asked worriedly, concerned about what might have happened to Seo Yujin, who was participating in the attack team. I comforted Choi Dongwon, who had been waiting anxiously, saying it probably wasn’t the rear team.
“Either a dungeon of higher rank than the predictor’s result appeared, or they might have discovered a magical beast nest. With two S-ranks entering, there’s also a possibility that magical beasts swarmed them.”
At Park Seohyun’s words, Yeonwoo bit his lip. If his inference was correct, Chahun would have met the Round Guild Master in the dungeon. With three S-ranks gathered in one dungeon, it must have looked like a well-set table to magical beasts.
Imagining the three of them together, worry washed over him like waves. Even though he tried to tell himself not to worry, the image of Chahun’s blood-covered face kept appearing. Finally, Yeonwoo put down his training tool and headed to the square. He lurked around the square several times a day like this, but the medical staff waiting there just shook their heads as always.
Whenever he waited blankly for Chahun in the square, it seemed like a sarcastic voice was coming from somewhere. “You’re not interested anyway, hyung.” The voice of Chahun, who had been grumbling, had changed to a cold voice saying, “What does it matter to you, hyung?” Yeonwoo looked down at his bracelet with sunken eyes.
“Hey?”
As he whispered softly, a sleepy voice echoed in his mind. After mumbling that it would let him know when it sensed mana, it now scolded him to stop asking and fell asleep. He was on his way back to the training ground after ending what had become his daily square-walking routine.
Staff members who spotted Yeonwoo exchanged glances with each other. An employee approaching with visibly tense demeanor bowed to Yeonwoo.
“Han Yeonwoo Esper. We’re sorry about everything.”
Following that, typical apologies continued, such as “Sorry for causing trouble,” “We were rude,” and so on. Yeonwoo moved on without answering. It seemed that Yeonhwa had finally said something. She already seemed to have a lot on her mind, and now I’ve made her worry unnecessarily.
“Come on, claiming to protect and whatnot.”
At the sharp voice, Yeonwoo’s steps came to a halt. Turning around, he saw an employee who had stepped forward looking down at him provocatively, despite other employees trying to stop him.
“Aren’t you ashamed? Being an older brother, not only failing to protect your sister but also tattling to her.”
“I never thought about tattling, but now I’ll consider it.”
When Yeonwoo smiled brightly to indicate that they should stop now, the employee who had shaken off restraining hands also smiled sweetly.
“If Han Yeonwoo Esper didn’t say anything, how does Han Yeonhwa Esper know about this? Does Han Yeonwoo Esper know?”
“I wonder. Maybe she saw this scene right now?”
At Yeonwoo’s words, the employee looked around. Such people weren’t worth dealing with. Yeonwoo clicked his tongue as he returned to the training ground. They want to contract with Yeonhwa without knowing even this much? Many people mistakenly think that because all the book’s protagonists are S-rank, Yeonhwa’s vision of the future is limited to S-ranks, but that’s not true. There was no future Yeonhwa couldn’t see.
He sighed as soon as he entered the training ground. Jung Eunyoung was looking Yeonwoo up and down while whispering something to the person next to her. Both these people and those people saw Yeonwoo as a fox in tiger’s clothing, but Yeonwoo had never once wielded power by riding on Yeonhwa’s back.
He had refused all sorts of gifts because he didn’t want to burden her when she was already struggling to live alone. He didn’t feel sorry for the people who were sad after being rejected. After all, those people didn’t treat Yeonwoo well because they liked him; they approached Yeonwoo to curry favor with Yeonhwa, not knowing when or where she might be watching. The only person who wasn’t like that was Chahun.
Kang Chahun again. His brow furrowed involuntarily at Chahun’s face popping up in his mind. Yeonwoo sighed and put down his training tool. Perhaps it was time to prepare mentally, as his ability was fluctuating more strongly than before.
“Is something not working well?”
As Lee Subin approached and took a seat next to Yeonwoo, Jo Heeseo suddenly interjected.
“Aren’t you going to take the ability test?”
“Jo Heeseo.”
Jo Heeseo shut her mouth at Lee Subin’s sharp voice, but she didn’t hide her impure gaze toward Yeonwoo. It was an unbelievably arrogant look to be directed at a team member.
Better to be hit first, they say, so Yeonwoo had gone to the training director himself, saying he would take the ability test. The more Chahun’s future changed, the more inevitable it seemed that his ability would eventually become uncontrollable. Since he might leave this world before then, he had planned to start the procedure to withdraw from the team, but…
“Go back.”
However, the training director had coldly sent Yeonwoo away, as if he had never recommended an ability test. Yeonwoo wanted to leave the Center before being labeled as an ability instability case and expelled, so he sought out the training director several times, but the training director wouldn’t even meet him. The Center treated ability instability cases like time bombs that could explode at any moment. Yet, there was only one reason they didn’t expel Yeonwoo despite his unstable ability.
Yeonhwa.
If Yeonwoo remained at the Center, they probably had the absurd delusion that adult Yeonhwa would contract with the Center. Even though Yeonhwa would contract with Round Guild anyway. Yeonwoo scoffed, but the Center seemed serious. The training director rejected all of Jo Heeseo’s demands and didn’t grant Yeonwoo’s requests either. When her demands weren’t met, Jo Heeseo refused to participate in training.
Park Seohyun didn’t even scoff at Jo Heeseo’s boycott. She declared her freedom, saying that whether or not there was a Guide, they couldn’t receive Guiding anyway, so why bother training without a Guide?
Yet Yeonwoo continued training. It wasn’t training to regain his senses like before, but rather to say, “My ability is fluctuating, please notice.” Even though training tools were flying around chaotically right before his eyes, the training director pretended not to see until the end.
“Do you think you can handle missions with this ability?”
I think not, which is why I’m trying to get kicked out. If you’re so dissatisfied, why don’t you expel me yourself? Yeonwoo sighed, then startled, looked around. He just felt Chahun’s mana. Had he returned? Just as Yeonwoo jumped up, the ground shook violently.
[Yeonwoo! To the square!]
At the dragon’s shout, he tried to run to the square, but the floor was shaking so much that he couldn’t move at all. As Yeonwoo staggered, leaning against the wall for support, the emergency lights flashed and warning sounds echoed.
[Warning Code 1. Warning Code 1. Informing all staff in the Center. Once again, informing all Espers, Guides, and staff in the Center.]
Park Seohyun pushed through people who didn’t know what to do at the warning sound and found Yeonwoo. After finding Choi Dongwon as well, she shouted something toward the two of them. Park Seohyun kept shouting, but her voice couldn’t be heard due to the warning sounds coming from all directions.
[They’re saying to go to the square!]
At the dragon’s words, Yeonwoo grabbed Choi Dongwon’s hand. But he was afraid to use his ability. What if they fell in a strange place while moving? As he hesitated, Park Seohyun pushed Yeonwoo’s back and gestured toward the door.
Going outside with Choi Dongwon’s hand in his, Yeonwoo saw people gathered around the portal. While calmly waiting for their turn, Chahun’s vibrations pounded against Yeonwoo’s heart: thud, thud.
[He’s going to die at this rate.]
Yeonwoo looked down at his bracelet at the dragon’s words. What do you mean? When he silently mouthed the question, the dragon evaded by saying it was hungry.
It’s not Kang Chahun, right? Even when pressed, the dragon continued to evade. Yeonwoo was looking down at his feet when he folded space while holding Choi Dongwon’s hand.
“Han Yeonwoo Esper, are you alright?”
The moment his feet touched the ground, his heart began to race. Yeonwoo shuddered at the unpleasant feeling of his heart being squeezed. Choi Dongwon, who supported Yeonwoo, stood against one side of the corridor. Auxiliary and defense-type Espers were running around frantically. A defense-type who was running checked Choi Dongwon’s employee ID and urgently gestured. Choi Dongwon immediately left Yeonwoo and ran to help build barriers.
Yeonwoo dry heaved at the radiating Guiding and looked around the square. Defense-type Espers surrounded the square in a circle, building barriers, and Guides stood behind them, radiating Guiding. In the center, a human figure was visible.
“…Kang Chahun?”
Despite being surrounded by several layers of opaque barriers, he was clearly recognizable.
It was Kang Chahun. Chahun was crouched on the ground, suffering, with hair that had turned white as if frost had settled on it.
“Lee Sangwon! What the hell is going on!”
The owner of the erupting shout was the Center Director. The Center Director, who seemed to have rushed out in just a shirt, was gripping Lee Sangwon’s collar. Lee Sangwon merely smiled with a nonchalant face while watching people rushing around and others suffering from frostbite.
“Here! Help please!”
An auxiliary who was using telekinesis to lift a wall asked Yeonwoo for help. Without taking his eyes off the two, Yeonwoo grabbed the floating debris and used his ability. Whether due to the boomerang or simply lack of Guiding, his ability worked fine. While clearing the wall with the now-behaved ability alongside other auxiliaries, Yeonwoo waited for Lee Sangwon to open his mouth.
“Hmm, put this down. And why are you suspecting me? Other people will misunderstand if they see this.”
Lee Sangwon removed the Center Director with a gentle voice and then looked at Kang Chahun.
“Kang Chahun Esper has been acting alone since entering the dungeon. I understand he was excited about getting a mission, but I kept warning him to be careful. Why are you blaming me for Kang Chahun Esper going berserk? I went through hell bringing back a berserk Esper, and instead of praise, I get grabbed by the collar.”
Lee Sangwon took off his crumpled training uniform and burned it right there. Just as Yeonwoo flinched at the sight of the flames, a loud boom echoed.
“Reinforcing on three. One, two, three!”
Chahun, who had been crouched down, was now pounding on the barrier. With each strike from Chahun, one or two lower-ranked defense-types began to collapse.
“He’s not accepting Guiding!”
At the Zone A Guide’s shout from the front line, Yeonwoo bit his lip. Chahun had always been resistant to Guiding, but he didn’t expect him to reject it even while berserk. Jo Heeseo, who had arrived late, rushed past the fallen Choi Dongwon toward Kang Chahun. As the pounding sounds grew louder, the barrier thickness increased, and the concentration of radiating Guiding intensified.
“Han Yeonwoo Esper, he’s looking at you.”
As Park Seohyun said, pale blue eyes that had lost their usual color were staring at Yeonwoo. There was much to do, but because Chahun wouldn’t take his eyes off him, Yeonwoo couldn’t move. Though he knew it was a crazy thought, he wanted to run over and hold Chahun’s hand. If he did that, Yeonwoo could also be endangered by getting caught up with the berserk Chahun. After barely suppressing the urge, Yeonwoo carefully stepped backward.
Chahun swung his fist wide, and with a loud bang, defense-types fell, coughing up blood. At that moment of confusion due to the thinned barrier…
Someone pushed Yeonwoo’s back.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
