Kim Minsu, and even other Espers who had once come looking for Nabin, had occasionally let slip traces of killing intent. But never like this. The moment Nabin took a step forward to enter, his body froze solid. It was pure survival instinct.
Every fiber of him screamed to turn and run. But before he could, a hand clamped tightly around his wrist and yanked him inside.
When he didn’t move on his own, it was Kim Su-ryeon who seized his wrist and dragged him forward. As the door clicked shut behind him, Nabin lowered his head, shoulders hunched.
The fleeting stares from the men were all cold, without exception. Afraid of locking eyes with them, he stared desperately at the floor’s patterns instead. He could feel it in his bones—everyone in this room loathed him.
It felt like a blade was pressed against the back of his neck. No—something really had brushed across his pale skin.
Their killing intent had taken shape, enough to physically wound him. A faint red line appeared, and beads of blood swelled like blossoms. They burst a moment later, trickling down the slender line of his neck.
“Ah…”
Nabin’s trembling hand shot up to his throat. The aura was so chilling it felt like his head might actually fall off. He’d been beaten more times than he could count, but never had terror gripped him this hard.
The sticky warmth smeared across his fingertips froze him in place, as though he’d forgotten how to breathe. The checkered floor he’d been staring at just moments ago writhed like worms.
“Hhic, hhk…”
Seeing Nabin’s alarming state, Kim Su-ryeon bit down on her crimson lips. Even as an A-rank Esper, she wanted nothing more than to bolt out of this room—the killing aura pouring off the three S-rank Espers was sharp enough to cut.
Guides possessed only Guiding Mana, their physical ability no different from an ordinary human’s. A rare few might display slightly better strength, but still only by comparison to regular people.
Espers and Guides had never been equals. The saving grace was that Espers usually weakened in front of Guides.
Even the wildest, most untamed Espers would, before a Guide, roll over like obedient hunting dogs. The foulest-tempered would turn meek as lambs. And yet, even knowing Nabin was just a D-rank Guide, these Espers alone bared killing intent at him.
The thought of facing Espers who had lost their minds made Nabin’s vision go dim. Kim Su-ryeon exhaled sharply and spread an invisible barrier around them.
If they unleashed their powers in earnest, her head would be gone in an instant, but at least she could block the oppressive aura.
Only then did Nabin’s legs finally give out. He collapsed in place, trembling. But the fear didn’t leave. The terror clung like afterburn, and a small puddle spread beneath him.
“Ah, fuck, disgusting. Did the Center Director seriously tell us to bring trash like this as our Guide?”
The voice hit his ears as he panicked, urine soaking the floor. It was the same rough voice that had dragged him out of a wrecked car when he’d been too dazed to think.
The husky tenor was unforgettable, snapping the memory back instantly. Even then, the man’s grip had been laced with irritation, frightening him even in his half-conscious state.
Han Jigang, the one who’d been sent to retrieve him, now looked down at Nabin’s terrified figure and voiced his disgust plainly. His furrowed brow made it clear he found sharing the same room revolting.
His scornful gaze stabbed into Nabin like knives. If he could, Nabin would have hidden somewhere unseen. But he couldn’t leave without permission. All he could do was let silent tears fall.
Afraid his sobs might escape, he bit his lip until it bled. His legs shook as he squirmed, trying desperately to cover the spreading puddle and hide his shame.
Han Jigang brushed back his rose-tinted hair and slouched into the sofa as if burying himself in it. The eyes that had been coldly glaring at Nabin just moments ago now turned elsewhere.
“Esper Kim Su-ryeon. Don’t you think this is too much? Just look at him—he doesn’t seem capable of Guiding at all.”
Another man, who had been quietly watching, finally spoke, smiling faintly at Kim Su-ryeon. His narrow eyes curved elegantly, and the sea-like depths of his gaze gleamed with an unsettling light.
Kim Su-ryeon swallowed hard, heat rising in her chest at the smile of Tae Yishin, an S-rank Special-type—Control Esper. His looks were her type, but he was infamous for flings with both men and women.
He never pursued real relationships, only drained partners of their sweetness before discarding them. Just like Kim Su-ryeon herself.
His striking beauty stirred her body instinctively, yet at the same time, revulsion crawled across her skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. She rubbed her arms to shake it off.
Tae Yishin wasn’t interested in her either. That smile was nothing but a reflex against the stifling, irritating atmosphere.
His gaze slid past her to the Guide collapsed on the floor. Half out of his mind, Nabin was weeping soundlessly, gasping for air, pitiful enough to stir a flicker of pity.
Thinking of the Center Director who had caused this situation, annoyance shadowed Tae Yishin’s handsome face. The man’s real nature was the opposite of his polished public image.
He knew exactly how much they hated Guides, yet tossed this one at them regardless. Sure, he’d assigned Kim Su-ryeon to accompany him, but if he’d truly cared, he would have at least armed the Guide with an artifact for protection.
From the look of it, the Guide didn’t even know who they were. If he had, he would never have walked in here—he’d have done anything to run.
Or at the very least, he could’ve demanded an artifact from the Center Director to defend himself. Coming here empty-handed? As stupid as he looked.
Word was, he’d been working in an illegal Guiding parlor. No one went there willingly. Tae Yishin figured maybe he’d been sold off for loan shark debts. But seeing the pathetic way he fumbled now, it was just as possible he’d gone of his own accord.
The entire situation was pitiful enough to draw a sigh. The Center Director only wanted to keep up appearances. Each mission the S-rank Espers went on earned astronomical sums, yet the Center still couldn’t even provide them with a proper Guide.
It was true that Tae Yishin and the others despised Guides, but it wasn’t Guiding itself they rejected. What they hated was the agony it brought.
Trying to connect with a Guide whose match rate was under 20% was torture for both sides. Even the faintest brush of skin brought stinging pain, unbearable migraines, and a wave of disgust crawling through every inch of contact.
Once that revulsion set in, it was only a matter of time before they began to hate Guides entirely. Compared to that, relying on a Guiding machine was far preferable.
And for a while, the machines were enough. But gradually, their effectiveness dulled. Right now, Tae Yishin and the others in the room hovered at an Outbreak Risk Index of 50 to 60.
If it ever passed 90, the self-destruct chip implanted in their bodies would activate, melting their organs from the inside. The chip’s toxin had been crafted by an S-rank Special-type—Poison Esper, designed to kill instantly.
Even an S-rank Esper with superior regeneration would die instantly if his insides dissolved. Most Espers kept their Outbreak Index below 40.
Not only was Outbreak itself dangerous, but as the Index climbed, the pain specific to their ability type grew unbearable. For that reason, Tae Yishin had initially relied on the machines to keep his level under 40.
But starting last year, the machines’ effect dropped drastically. His Index crept over 40, and this year, it had surged past 50, climbing faster and faster.
Two S-rank dungeons had opened back-to-back as the year began, forcing him and the others to overuse their powers.
The Center Director had put on a show of scouring the world for a high-match Guide. In the end, what he produced was a D-rank Guide right here in Korea.
Tae Yishin had been stunned when he first heard the numbers. This Guide had a 90% match rate with all three of them. For a D-rank, it made sense to assign him exclusively.
Logically, he understood. But instinctively, he rejected it. And neither he nor the others were the type to tolerate discomfort.
Their already difficult personalities had only worsened after awakening as S-rank Espers. Everyone catered to them, and even the arrogant Center Director couldn’t bring himself to abandon them. He always covered for them, no matter what.
