* * *
Haegum donned his uniform for the first time in a while.
The uniform, with leather reinforcements around the neck and wrists, had no elasticity in the material, making it the worst in terms of mobility.
However, the crisp, sharp lines and the minimalistic design seemed to ignite certain fetishes in people.
Sometimes, espers and guides caught having outdoor sex were seen wearing these uniforms, even though they rarely needed to, except for special events.
Wearing his badges on the left side of his chest, which displayed his status as a guide, Haegum made his way to the conference room.
In front of the building, a banner, reused every year, was displayed.
-Welcome, new guides and espers!
Today was the orientation day for the new espers and guides who had recently joined the center.
After their powers manifested, espers and guides selected from across the country through tests were assigned specific ranks during basic training.
Only those with A-class abilities or higher were eligible to enter the headquarters of the Seoul Ability Center.
This year, the number of new recruits was noticeably smaller, likely due to the merger between the Ability Center and the combat units, which reduced the number of available spots.
These new recruits would have their assignments decided after a six-month probationary period.
-The rapid advancement of science and technology has made our lives more convenient and prosperous than ever before.
In the dark conference room, an educational video for the new recruits was playing.
-We were able to travel freely around the world, cure incurable diseases, and ensure there was no shortage of food. It seemed as though there were no more limits for humanity.
The video, which Haegum had seen since his first arrival, had been revised several times, now adorned with flashy computer graphics, but the content remained unchanged.
-But a great catastrophe struck humanity. It began with global warming and the resulting climate changes.
The screen soon shifted from glamorous and glorious scenes to show humanity suffering from typhoons, floods, and droughts.
Facing natural disasters that came far faster than scientists had predicted, humanity was powerless.
-Beast-like ghosts poured out from the black portals.
The documents left behind remind us of sinkholes, but the first modern sinkhole, as defined by Dr. Roger Epherson, appeared about 30 years ago in Ansan City.
The initial sinkhole had a diameter of only about 3 meters.
However, subsequent sinkholes, which appeared indiscriminately in various cities, grew much larger in size.
Someone approached Haegum, who was watching the video attentively.
“Guide Yeon Haegum.”
The person who greeted his in a soft voice was Na Minjun, a fire-type esper.
“Noona.”
Even though the orientation was more like a show for the newbies, Haegum was relieved that the esper he had to guide was Na Minjun.
Although he was an A-class esper, one of the strongest fire-type espers in the country, Na Minjun wasn’t much interested in power or politics, giving off a sense of freedom.
That made it easier for Haegum to deal with him.
“You’re guiding today?”
“Yes.”
“How come?”
“They said we need to show the MZ generation properly, so they stop running away.”
“Ah… Last year was quite the disaster.”
Na Minjun mumbled as he recalled how a large number of new espers had been caught trying to escape during training last year.
“If I’d known you’d be guiding today, I would’ve saved my strength.”
Na Minjun whispered so quietly that only Haegum could hear, as they continued to watch the video together.
-Creatures unlike anything seen before began emerging from sinkholes with a diameter of 3.5 meters or larger.
The new espers and guides, fully alert, focused intensely on the boring educational video.
-Scientists discovered that these creatures from the sinkholes do not share any genetic bases with any known humans or animals on Earth. These creatures exhibit extreme aggression, particularly toward humans, leading to significant casualties.
“It’s been five years since you last guided me, hasn’t it?”
“Already?”
Haegum nodded.
As the exclusive guide to S-class esper Seo Munhyun and a participant in radiation guiding research, he hadn’t guided anyone else.
Not only was there no esper highly compatible with Haegum, but some espers had even complained of side effects.
Exceptions were made only in emergencies.
The first and last time Haegum had guided Na Minjun was five years ago, shortly after Na Minjun had entered the center.
Back then, Na Minjun, who had barely shed his rookie status, had almost lost his life during a monster attack.
The energy he used as a defensive measure had caused his to reach dangerously high levels of overload.
-But humanity evolved to face these challenges. Ordinary citizens began to manifest as espers and guides. Thanks to all of you, we’ve been able to stop the monsters that have claimed countless lives every year.
“Did you all watch the educational video carefully? The combat scenes you saw are all real. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”
The head researcher in charge of training the new espers and guides pointed to a paused frame of the battle scenes that had just flashed by.
In the still image, a monster was coiled as if it would swallow a high-rise building whole.
Upon seeing that photo, Na Minjun shuddered and whispered to Haegum.
“Haegum, why do they still have that as a record? It’s so embarrassing.”
“It was a memorable battle.”
“I almost died after that battle and had to be guided by you.”
Haegum vividly remembered watching the battle unfold on the screens inside the center—the monster wrapped around the skyscraper, the terrified faces of the civilians, and the nervous glances of the espers who had used their powers almost to the point of overload.
“I thought I was just getting older, but I guess I’ve gained some experience. If it were now, I’d have knocked that thing out halfway to death.”
“Compared to the monsters we face these days, that one seems cute.”
Now, much larger monsters appeared regularly, and it wasn’t surprising anymore.
However, at the time, many espers had been injured, and the guides involved had also suffered short-term side effects from the intense guiding.
“You’ve only completed basic training, so you won’t be able to demonstrate that level of power just yet. If you were to face even a lower-level monster, you’d likely die immediately.”
The blunt explanation caused the new espers and guides to murmur in unease.
Their faces seemed to say, “Die? Really?”
“But with systematic training, you’ll be able to develop your abilities enough to participate in real combat.”
Despite the researcher’s attempts to reassure them, the newcomers remained visibly shocked.
The head researcher explained the classification of Esper abilities and effective guiding techniques through photographs.
As the theoretical explanation continued, the atmosphere in the conference room gradually began to loosen.
“I’m sure you’re all aware of the correlation between Espers and Guides, but instead of boring you with a long explanation, let me demonstrate it directly to wake everyone up.”
With that introduction, Na Minjun and Haegeum stood up and moved to the platform.
“These are the Esper and Guide who made time to show us a demonstration today despite their busy schedules. Please welcome them with applause.”
Even though he attended this event every year, it still felt awkward to meet the eager gazes of the audience.
“Hello, I’m Na Minjun, an A-rank Fire Esper. I heard there’s a new Fire Esper this year too, but I’ll skip the detailed explanations and just show you right away.”
After briefly introducing himself, Na Minjun placed his hand into the prepared transparent box.
Each time he moved his hand slightly, small flames flickered up.
Soon, the sand-covered bottom of the box was engulfed in a large fire.
“Ta-da.”
Some of the audience members stood up in surprise, staring at Na Minjun with wide eyes.
He shrugged and pulled his hand out of the box, showing both hands to prove he wasn’t hurt.
“If you look at the monitor connected to Na Minjun’s sensor, you can see that the number indicating his potential to go out of control rises as he uses his ability.”
A researcher standing in front of the connected laptop opened a program that monitored the abilities and physical conditions of Espers.
Upon clicking Na Minjun’s profile, data regarding his power exhaustion and the possibility of his going out of control were displayed.
“What Na Minjun just showed had very low attack power, so the change is minimal. Now, let’s see the role of guiding.”
The head researcher turned toward Haegeum.
“I’m Guide Yeon Haegeum.”
Normally, an Esper or Guide would introduce themselves with their rank, but Haegeum still felt burdened and embarrassed by it.
Even though he only said his name, the small group of ten in the conference room buzzed with whispers. he felt self-conscious.
“As you all know, Yeon Haegeum is the only S-rank Guide in the country. He’s also known for advancing the research on radiation guiding to a revolutionary level.”
With the additional introduction from the director, an impressed murmur spread throughout the room.
What was originally intended as a simple handshake demonstration now had to be more elaborate for the eager audience.
“I’ll show you the guiding process.”
Haegeum raised his hand and slowly released his guiding energy.
A fine thread of guiding light extended from his fingertip to Na Minjun.
It was a faint blue glow, almost imperceptible unless closely observed.
“Ah, isn’t this too much? Can you really afford to use that much guiding energy?”
Na Minjun immediately felt lighter as the guiding energy flowed through him.
While their compatibility wasn’t particularly high, the amount of guiding energy was substantial.
And since it was coming from an S-rank Guide, it was nothing short of exhilarating.
“The more guiding energy I release, the more it sparkles.”
Although wasting guiding energy seemed unfortunate, it was necessary to show such flair to the newcomers who had been frightened by the photos of monsters earlier.
“Thank you both for your hard work.”
The head researcher concluded, and the room erupted into applause.
Na Minjun and Haegeum bowed and left the conference room.
As they left, Haegeum sighed at the thought of the curious stares he’d be receiving from the newcomers for a while.
He still wasn’t used to the way people looked at his with such fascination, even after all these years.
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