* * *

I could feel all their attention centered solely on me.

Despite the overwhelming pain, I swallowed a dark smile, meeting their fury with quiet satisfaction.

‘I won’t let any of you go. Not now. Not ever.’

My gasps and tears only seemed to fuel their aggression.

Jihyuk, in particular, was relentless, his anger driving him further than the others.

His hold on me tightened, each movement harsh and unyielding.

He pulled me close, his fingers tangling roughly in my hair, yanking my head back with enough force to make my scalp burn.

“Ugh—!”

Jihyuk’s gaze bore into mine, fierce and predatory, sending a strange thrill through me despite the pain.

Even though they had already taken so much from me, it wasn’t enough.

After nearly a year of pent-up frustration, I craved more—more pain, more release.

I’d endured worse before. Beatings that left me bleeding, bruised, but never broken.

As long as I wasn’t left permanently damaged, I could take it.

My body had long since learned to twist pain into something else—something almost pleasurable.

“Bite down, and I’ll make sure you regret it,” Jihyuk warned darkly, his grip unrelenting.

He didn’t wait for an answer. His fury surged forward, seizing control of me completely.

Every movement left me breathless, gasping for air.

I barely had time to recover before Kang Taewon pressed closer, his hand forcing my gaze to meet his.

His hold was firm, almost bruising as he muttered threats under his breath, his eyes gleaming dangerously.

“Didn’t I tell you to keep your eyes open? Do you want me to take them out for you? Is that what you want?”

Instinctively, my eyes fluttered open, even as tears trailed down my face.

Taewon’s palm pressed against my cheek, his thumb grazing the corner of my eye with a mix of force and care.

There was no escape.

Every part of me felt stretched to the breaking point, held together only by thin threads of stubbornness.

Somewhere behind me, Dohoon and Heesung didn’t ease their hold either.

They took turns, their actions deliberate and calculated, as if punishing me was the only thing holding them together.

“Jiyoo is gone because of you. He should still be here, but you ruined everything. Everything!”

Heesung’s voice cracked, his usually calm demeanor shattered by grief and rage.

Heesung had always been the gentlest toward Jiyoo, unlike Taewon’s rough edges or Dohoon’s cold manipulation.

Even Jihyuk, with his sharp, unfeeling gaze, didn’t match the softness Heesung once had.

But that gentleness was gone now.

Even he was beyond reason.

I could feel him tremble, his actions driven by raw emotion as he poured his anger into me without restraint.

They weren’t like ordinary people.

As S-rank espers, they operated on a different wavelength, their emotions more intense, their actions more extreme.

Expecting rationality from espers who lived and died on the battlefield was foolish.

They killed monsters daily—was it any surprise that they, too, could become monsters themselves?

Heesung’s fury knew no bounds, his grip rough and unforgiving.

His breath came in ragged gasps as he pressed closer, overwhelming me with the sheer force of his presence.

Dohoon’s voice slipped in like silk, deceptively soft against the storm of rage.

“Yeonwoo, Heesung’s right. You could at least try harder, don’t you think? Why are you so loose? This isn’t fun for anyone.”

I looked up at him, barely able to focus through the haze of tears and exhaustion.

His lips curved into a smile, but his eyes remained cold and unforgiving.

“Even the cheapest whore wouldn’t be this sloppy. How do you expect to satisfy anyone like this?”

My chest heaved, a mixture of laughter and sobs caught in my throat.

There was no escape.

But maybe, just maybe, that was exactly what I wanted.

“You’re not even answering. Can’t even tighten properly. Our Yeonwoo is useless, isn’t he?”

Lee Dohoon’s smile deepened as he pushed his fingers into the space already filled tightly.

A sharp ache spread from the overstretched entrance, void of any resistance.

“Ugh… ngh…!”

As I twisted away in protest, his fingers took their place firmly.

The narrow gap was forced open, his fingers pressing insistently against the sensitive walls.

He moved deliberately, stretching further, disregarding the strain it caused.

Pain pulsed through the overstretched entrance.

“Agh… stop… it hurts…!”

Lee Dohoon didn’t care if it tore.

Even as I struggled and writhed, he pressed on.

When the tension eased just a little, his satisfied breath brushed over me.

“Ha… well, that’s nice. Loose as can be, but there’s something enjoyable about that too.”

“Stop… please… it feels like it’s going to…”

“If it hurts, relax, Yeonwoo. Do I have to teach you even the most basic things?”

His voice was soft yet scolding as he halted his movements.

His nails scraped lightly along the inside, sending a sudden, dizzying wave of sensation through me.

“Ahh… ugh…!”

My body trembled involuntarily, toes curling inward.

The relentless touch stirred something deep, and I felt warmth spill over uncontrollably.

“Look at this. Can’t even hold it back, huh?”

Taewon’s teasing voice drifted faintly from nearby, still obscured by the haze clouding my vision.

“Maybe we should cut it off altogether. Not like you’ll be using it again.”

“There’s something in storage I used with Jiyoo. I’ll fetch it later.”

“Since he’ll just be living as a toy, might as well bind his legs too. Less hassle that way.”

Their conversation overlapped, their voices mingling as if they weren’t talking about me.

My sight remained dark, but the sensations coursing through me felt vividly clear.

At this point, I couldn’t tell if my body had truly become nothing more than what they described.

I could sense it—the tension that had filled the room when I first opened my eyes had settled.

Perhaps it was the unique energy that espers naturally carried.

As a guide, newly awakened, I lacked the words to describe it fully.

But my body, hypersensitive, responded instinctively, picking up even the faintest ripples from their presence.

It was an ability only guides possessed.

Had I not awakened, I wouldn’t have recognized it.

Or maybe I was simply more attuned than most guides.

Though I hadn’t undergone official testing, I suspected I’d rank no lower than S-class.

I doubted there was anyone across the nation—perhaps even beyond—whose abilities surpassed mine.

A sense of superiority crept in, tugging faintly at the corners of my mouth.

Even in this haze of pain and pleasure, I found myself on the verge of laughing.

I wasn’t entirely sane, was I?

“…it’s annoying.”

A faint voice reached my ears.

Shin Heesung’s, barely audible and laced with irritation.

The words were unclear, but something told me this wouldn’t end lightly.

No, perhaps I was expecting it.

A large hand wrapped around my ankle and twisted sharply.

“Ah… agh!”

The bone creaked, the sound vivid against my ears.

Pain flared, but like before, it twisted into something else.

The sudden rush overwhelmed me, sending my senses spiraling.

My body couldn’t keep up with the intensity.

As consciousness began to fade, I thought I heard Heesung’s quiet, satisfied laugh.

And then—darkness.

* * *