* * *
That strangely weak voice made my conscience prickle.
‘Was I too cold to a kid who’s actually hurt?’
According to the medical team, it was a minor wound.
Strictly speaking, they said he didn’t even need to be hospitalized—just a few days of rest and he’d be fine.
Well, Espers do heal fast.
It’s a job where getting hurt is part of the daily routine, and this level of injury doesn’t even count as “serious.”
If a Guide got hurt, the whole team would be in an uproar, but for an Esper… well.
Well…
“……Does it really hurt?”
“Mhm.”
Why is he looking up at me with those pitiful puppy eyes?
A guy with a build that big…!
It definitely wasn’t a major wound, and there were no other injuries besides the one on his stomach.
I had grilled the medical team to confirm it.
If no one had stopped me, I would have stuck a finger in the wound myself to check.
But since the kid looks so drained, I can’t help but be concerned.
‘Doesn’t this kind of wound usually heal in half a day? Two days is a bit much.’
Is it just my imagination, or does he look a bit pale?
No, is he just naturally fair…?
I should have looked at him more closely on regular days.
Everything feels like a guessing game.
Including that ambiguity, my mind was a mess.
Maybe I should have paid more attention…
No matter how sturdy an Esper is, it makes sense he’d be in pain after overexerting himself like that.
He crushed hundreds of enemies alone and faced a boss inside a current that felt like a blender.
It was a massive battle that felt disjointed even to describe.
This was the first time I had seen Joo Youngha pour out energy to this extent.
A typical A-rank—no, even S-rank Espers wouldn’t even dream of it.
I wonder if even a group of them could mimic it.
Despite that, Joo Youngha’s necklace was still within the orange range.
Numerically, as always, it was far beyond what a normal Esper could withstand.
It was impressive the necklace hadn’t turned bright red.
“Should I…… give you some Guiding?”
Actually, I hadn’t been able to provide Guiding since the dungeon yesterday.
Since Seo Jaewon had also rolled around the dungeon, he had been forbidden from Guiding until his own condition stabilized.
Still, the quest had progressed steadily based on what I did yesterday.
!QUEST!
Guide Joo Youngha. (73/100)
“Really? You’re sweet today…….”
As if he’d been waiting for this, Joo Youngha took Seo Jaewon’s hand and rubbed it against his cheek.
Then, he naturally slid the hand down to rest on his neck.
The pulse beating there could be felt through the soft, thin skin.
‘I’m going to spoil him at this rate.’
Even as I thought that, I couldn’t heartlessly shake his hand off.
The kid says he’s in pain.
“Does your head hurt? Is your stomach okay?”
Those are common side effects when an Esper suddenly uses a lot of energy.
Novice Espers often vomit everything they’ve eaten as soon as they step out of a dungeon.
If it’s bad, it lingers like a hangover or motion sickness, which is quite annoying.
Joo Youngha tilted his head slightly, seemingly deep in thought for a moment.
“Mmm…… It hurts.”
“Really? Should I get you some medicine?”
“No, just Guide me. Come up here…….”
Joo Youngha shifted his body to make room for Seo Jaewon on the bed.
Seo Jaewon hesitantly moved his hips onto the mattress.
It was better than sitting with his back twisted at an awkward angle.
“A little more…….”
A hand as well-formed as a sculpture pulled Seo Jaewon down.
Coddled weight leaned in, and a warm body subtly burrowed into his embrace.
……Wait a minute, his energy feels a bit too good?
“Hey, hey!”
“But it hurts.”
Hurts, my foot! You can never act like this if you have a hole in your stomach.
Seo Jaewon sat up abruptly and hiked up Joo Youngha’s T-shirt.
‘And don’t look so happy about it!’
“You’re perfectly fine!”
As the bandage was peeled away, raw skin with a scab was revealed.
The contrast between the dark red and white skin looked gruesome at a glance, but when rubbed, the scab came off easily, leaving only smooth flesh behind.
The mouse was worrying about the cat.
Does this guy even experience hardships in his life?
“Hmm…….”
Joo Youngha rolled his eyes shamelessly.
Anyone could see he was thinking of an excuse.
“It really did hurt. In the dungeon, my head ached and I felt sick.”
What, you brat?
“Why are you only saying that now!”
“It hurt a lot when I got bitten, too. It was really hard…….”
“And now?!”
“I think I’m still a bit tired?”
“……”
“I think I’ll feel better if I get Guiding…….”
Ugh! Fine, I’ll do it just to stop the whining!
Quick as ever, Joo Youngha wrapped his arms around Jaewon’s waist again.
Seo Jaewon reluctantly lay back down on the bed.
He couldn’t exactly tell a patient to stand up for Guiding, so he lay down with him.
Besides, a larger contact area was better!
“I told you to say something immediately if it was hard.”
But he couldn’t hold back the nagging.
He had said it so many times before, yet the guy had kept his mouth shut like a stone wall—and now he’s playing the victim?
Joo Youngha burrowed into his chest with a beaming smile.
Their faces were so close that Seo Jaewon had to push Joo Youngha’s forehead away with his palm.
“People who don’t talk like you are the scariest. They say ‘I’m fine, I’m fine,’ and then one day they just collapse.”
From a team leader’s perspective, the talkative ones are easier to manage.
In that sense, Joo Youngha was the worst.
“Why are you worrying about me all of a sudden? And I talked a lot today.”
“If only you were as good at listening as you are at talking…….”
Still, it was progress of a sort.
Before, he wouldn’t even utter a peep before suddenly killing someone…
Whether he sensed Seo Jaewon’s complicated feelings or not, Joo Youngha went as far as subtly resting his head on Jaewon’s arm.
Seeing him smiling like an idiot was both exasperating and slightly funny, so Seo Jaewon just let him be.
“Am I pretty like this?”
He had mentioned it in the dungeon too; Joo Youngha seemed suddenly obsessed with being “pretty” or “favored.”
Does he like Guiding that much? I don’t know the reason, but it’s certainly convenient…
Thinking that he was part of the reason Joo Youngha overexerted himself made him feel a bit bad.
There were other factors, like the dungeon being on the verge of a Break, but still…
“……Was it very hard?”
“If it was hard, will you favor me more?”
Joo Youngha asked, tilting his head.
He didn’t seem to be joking; he looked like he genuinely didn’t know the answer.
“Don’t play games. Just tell me the truth. Facts only.”
“Then, a little?”
“Hmm.”
As Jaewon gently stroked his back, the guy relaxed and pressed his body close.
His eyes narrowed with pleasure, and his voice turned sweet.
He was like a kindergartener acting spoiled because he fell and it hurt.
Still, the fact that he was communicating at all was a positive sign.
“I was surprised because it was the first time I felt like vomiting.”
What? Then it wasn’t just “a little”!
“It was cold, dizzy…….”
“You, that…….”
What Joo Youngha was describing was the classic symptom of Esper overexertion.
Separate from energy overload, it happens when one uses a massive amount of power that their current capacity struggles to handle at once.
It’s the first wall one hits as a rookie who doesn’t know their own limits.
It’s a rite of passage that humbles Espers who were arrogant right after awakening.
However, an Esper’s ability is like a muscle; while there are individual differences, it is possible to become stronger than one’s initial rank through consistent training.
The reason academies are built to raise Espers from a young age is to increase their abilities through such training.
The “muscle pain” from that process was exactly what Joo Youngha was experiencing now.
In short, Joo Youngha had encountered his limit for the first time.
Well, he did kill a high-rank boss that had grown right up to the point of a Dungeon Break by himself.
It would be weirder if he hadn’t reached his limit.
It was a bit absurd, but if it was truly the first time in his life he had pushed past a limit, it could be quite shocking in its own way.
“Well, everyone goes through it once…… so you must have been very surprised.”
‘Right, Joo Youngha, you were human after all…….’
It was ridiculous, but he felt a sense of generosity.
Seo Jaewon had also come out of a dungeon vomiting a long time ago.
He felt like he could finally empathize with Joo Youngha’s feelings.
“But it got better while I was doing it.”
“……It got better?”
Does that kind of thing just “get better” while you’re doing it?
Usually, you’re out of commission for days with poor health and headaches.
“It hurt, but I ignored it, and then it went away.”
“……Ah, I see.”
So, you mean you surpassed your limit right then and there in that short moment…
Researchers of supernatural abilities would lose their minds if they heard this.
If they measured his levels with an energy meter right now, they might even come out higher.
Though there’s no higher rank to go to, since the term “EX-rank” was an exception created specifically for Joo Youngha.
Of course, Seo Jaewon was just slightly put off; he wasn’t particularly surprised.
He had long since realized there was no point in trying to fit Joo Youngha into a mold.
“Aren’t you going to praise me? I killed them all just as you wanted.”
Joo Youngha said this while staring intently down at Seo Jaewon.
In that stillness, there was a coldness that couldn’t be hidden even by his docile and beautiful face.
His mouth was asking for praise, but his gaze was as if he were evaluating Seo Jaewon’s reaction.
‘What is the right answer? What happens if I give the wrong one?’
Seo Jaewon looked back at him silently before opening his mouth.
* * *
