* * *

When I began to regain consciousness, the first sensation that struck me was suffocation.

It felt as though something was tightly constraining my entire body.

The sensation of being unable to move a single part of my body was simultaneously familiar and new.

“…Mmm.”

As I came to my senses, I instinctively blinked.

However, everything remained pitch black—no matter how many times I blinked, my vision did not return.

I couldn’t make any clear sounds either.

Something stuffed in my mouth allowed only muffled noises to escape.

And my body refused to move.

My arms were crossed and tied behind my back, while my legs were bound with my ankles pressed against my thighs.

In other words, I was strung up like a frog dangling in midair.

‘Is this some kind of bondage play?’

With an oddly calm thought, I attempted to shift my body slightly.

Bondage play was one of my favorite so I was quite excited.

Sure enough, as I suspected, I was suspended in midair.

My body swayed back and forth like a pendulum, and there was no sensation of the ground beneath me.

‘Whoever did this, they really went all out.’

My limbs were bound so tightly that I couldn’t budge, a gag was firmly in place, and I could feel the distinct intrusion of what seemed to be a dildo inserted behind me.

“Mm, mmph, mm.”

I intentionally made noises to gauge my surroundings.

There was no sign of anyone—no footsteps, no breathing. It appeared I was alone in the room.

‘Bondage and abandonment, huh? They certainly know their stuff.’

I vaguely recalled fainting after my ankle broke, which must have been when all this was set up.

Testing the source of my earlier collapse, I wiggled my right ankle slightly to assess its condition.

‘Classic A-class Esper resilience.’

The pain was minimal—just a faint twinge.

It seemed to have almost fully healed.

While I’d already experienced rapid recovery, such as the healing of a split lip, this body continued to amaze me.

‘But how much time has passed? It feels like at least two or three hours…’

With nothing better to do in this state, my mind wandered.

Whoever had set this up must have been interrupted.

Maybe the Ability Control Center had urgently summoned them.

It was a plausible theory.

After all, the person responsible for temporarily promoting Woo Jiyoo to an A-class Guide was none other than Koo Hyukjun, the center’s director.

Koo Hyukjun, an A-class Esper, was a man of boundless ambition.

He derived immense satisfaction from controlling ability users as though they were pawns under his rule. He sought to reign like a king, overseeing and subjugating Espers.

For someone like him, S-class Espers such as Han Jihyuk, Kang Taewon, Lee Dohoon, and Shin Heesung were particularly irksome.

Not only were they extremely powerful and hard to control, but they also harbored a deep-seated defiance toward the center.

Koo Hyukjun detested their independent and unruly ways.

To subdue these wild beasts, he devised the Guide experiment.

The experiment, which involved extracting Guiding Energy and injecting it into test subjects, had numerous failures.

But eventually, a success emerged—Woo Jiyoo, who fully absorbed the energy and rose in rank.

To Koo Hyukjun, Woo Jiyoo was nothing short of a miracle.

Even though maintaining that rank required medication, it was a partial success nonetheless.

Moreover, Woo Jiyoo’s elevated rank and high compatibility with the S-class Espers delighted Koo Hyukjun.

Given this, it was no surprise that Koo Hyukjun treasured Woo Jiyoo, who had become a leash for those arrogant S-class Espers.

Now that Woo Jiyoo was dead—completely eradicated by me, Go Yeonwoo, in this new body—Koo Hyukjun must be seething with rage.

Recalling the image of Koo Hyukjun from the memories imprinted on this body, I pictured his unnaturally smooth face, devoid of wrinkles despite his age, past forty.

His looks were decent—good, even, by general standards.

Of course, he couldn’t compare to my Espers, but he was attractive enough in his own right.

His menacingly muscular physique was almost appetizing.

‘With that kind of build, his dick must be massive.’

Having killed Woo Jiyoo, whom Koo Hyukjun so cherished, I had no doubt he would come after me.

And if he learned I had awakened as a high-ranking Guide, his greedy gaze would inevitably fall upon me.

‘Sometimes, you’ve got to indulge in a little delicacy to spice up life.’

The thought of eventually savoring Koo Hyukjun’s massive physique stirred something within me.

A dull ache blossomed in my lower abdomen, intensifying until it bordered on pain.

That’s when I realized my urethra was also plugged.

‘This is quite the thorough bondage play.’

Just as I was feeling oddly amused, faint footsteps echoed from outside the room.

I made no effort to hide my consciousness, shaking my body more violently and letting out muffled cries.

The motion caused chains to jingle discordantly throughout the room.

“Mm, mmph, mm!”

Thud.

* * *