Chapter 38:
“Well, you are quite handsome.”
“That’s not what I meant, but you’re not wrong.”
“You’re so confident. But even a flawed fruit has its uses.”
He might make Espers lose control, but his Guiding was exceptional otherwise.
“If someone is unconscious, they can’t lose control, no matter what you do.”
Severely injured Espers.
Those who couldn’t be saved by any Guide. Those whose only hope was to die peacefully without overloading.
Baek Joo-won was the only Guide who could save them.
“You’re not a flawed fruit, but a perfect one.”
“You’re already tempting to look at, and now you’re even perfect in taste? You’re still the best Guide.”
Despite her compliment, Baek Joo-won clicked his tongue, seeming displeased.
“Then I’ve done something unnecessary. I’ve just made things more troublesome.”
Seo Jae-yi heard his mutterings thanks to her sharp hearing, but she didn’t understand what he meant.
What was unnecessary, and what was troublesome?
“Your Guiding isn’t useless at all. Other Espers might be scared, but I’m not.”
She continued, looking at him intently.
“And there’s nothing useless in this world. Simply living and breathing gives meaning to life.”
A Guide who couldn’t Guide.
An Esper who couldn’t fight.
So what? They hadn’t chosen to awaken. It didn’t matter if they couldn’t use their abilities. They could just live as ordinary people.
They were human beings before they were Awakened. They could always choose to live an ordinary life if they wanted to.
“So stop thinking strange thoughts and focus on choosing where you want to go. And remember, you don’t have to enter dungeons if you join our Haeil Guild!”
“That’s your conclusion, as always.”
Baek Joo-won chuckled, and Seo Jae-yi smiled brightly.
“Of course. And I need to get healthier, so I’ll work even harder to win you over.”
Seo Jae-yi declared confidently.
***
They had reached the Center exit while talking.
Seo Jae-yi wanted to ask where he lived, but she refrained and said goodbye, getting into her car. As she started the engine, she muttered in a sinister voice.
“I’ll win you over, no matter what. And I’ll definitely seduce you during the upcoming dungeon practice run.”
A sly smile spread across Seo Jae-yi’s face. She couldn’t wait for that day.
***
Seo Jae-yi’s prediction was correct.
Despite the unsatisfactory results of the experiment, Baek Joo-won’s dungeon practice run wasn’t canceled.
‘They said they would form a raid team that wouldn’t require my Guiding. They told me to just observe the subjugation process.’
The news Baek Joo-won relayed was exactly as she had expected.
However, there was one thing she hadn’t anticipated.
“What? The Center requested our support?”
Seo Jae-yi was startled by the news Kim Yoo-sung brought as she was watering the dungeon plants with Airok.
“They’re entrusting Baek Joo-won’s dungeon practice run to Haeil?”
She couldn’t believe the Center, especially Kwon Yi-soo, would make such a request.
Guide dungeon practice runs were usually handled by the Center’s own raid teams. They were perfect for practice runs, as they consisted of Espers loyal to Kwon Yi-soo.
So why Haeil, instead of them?
“Even the best Center raid team is less skilled than a Guild raid team.”
Kim Yoo-sung answered, looking at the dungeon plants greedily absorbing the flames with a disgruntled expression.
The leader of the Center’s raid team was also an S-rank Esper, but they were mainly deployed for practice runs or emergencies, so their skills were inevitably inferior to those of a Guild.
“They probably want to ensure Baek Joo-won’s safety this time. It’s still unexpected, though.”
“Right, that’s the problem.”
Haeil’s elite raid team was the strongest in Korea.
How would Baek Joo-won react after witnessing their dungeon subjugation firsthand? He would undoubtedly realize the significant difference in skill compared to others.
His impression of Haeil would improve, which wouldn’t be good for the Center.
“It’s a rational decision, though. If something went wrong during a practice run handled by the Center, Baek Joo-won might leave Korea for good.”
Kim Yoo-sung agreed with Seo Jae-yi.
“Anyway, it’s a good opportunity for us to impress Baek Joo-won, so we accepted. I’ll be selecting our best Espers, including myself.”
“Ah, the best Espers.”
Seo Jae-yi smiled meaningfully as she continued watering the plants and checking for damaged branches.
Kim Yoo-sung flinched.
“Of course, of course. It’s his practice run. We have to send our best. I agree, Guild Master.”
He couldn’t get used to Seo Jae-yi’s eerie smile as she wielded the fire sprinkler.
So he couldn’t bring himself to ask what she meant.
It was a grave mistake.
***
Guide dungeon practice runs were usually conducted in Rank 4 or 5 dungeons.
Dungeons above Rank 3 were unsuitable for practice runs, as even Espers couldn’t guarantee their survival, while dungeons below Rank 6 could be subjugated without Guides.
They chose between Rank 4 and 5, specifically Predictive or Fixed dungeons, depending on the situation.
Emergent dungeons weren’t suitable for first practice runs because they required swift rescue and subjugation, as civilians often got caught in the gate emergence.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Baek Joo-won’s first dungeon practice run was scheduled for a Rank 4 Predictive dungeon in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, which had emerged two days prior.
It was a perfect choice, as it was an Earth-attribute dungeon, not a challenging Water or Fire-attribute one.
On the day of the practice run, the participants gathered near a warehouse in Hwaseong.
But…
‘…This isn’t what I expected.’
The Center staff, who had arrived with Baek Joo-won and two other Guides, were visibly shaken.
Haeil Guild’s elite raid team was there, as they had readily accepted the support request, but…
“What the…? Why is it so crowded?”
Why was Seo Jae-yi there?
“I know, right? Where did they even hear about this?”
And why was Seo Won-yeong there, who wasn’t a Haeil Guild member?
“We can’t let you have all the fun. Absolutely not.”
And why was Taesan Guild Leader Park Hyung-woo glaring at them?
‘This is an important day, the first practice run of an S-rank Guide…!’
The Center staff wanted to tear their hair out. It would be a disaster if the two rival Guilds started a fight.
And that wasn’t the only problem.
“It’s impressive to see so many S-ranks gathered for a single Guide’s practice run.”
The voice, devoid of any admiration, belonged to none other than Joo Seon-min, another S-rank Guide.
She had been appointed as the main Guide for the raid team and Baek Joo-won’s instructor for the practice run.
‘I was wondering why she wasn’t entering dungeons and was staying outside for so long…’
This must have been her intention all along.
How were they supposed to resolve this situation? Kang Ji-heon, the team leader of the Center’s dispatch team, wanted to scream.
“The Center d-i-r-e-c-t-l-y entrusted this dungeon subjugation to our Haeil Guild, so why don’t you Bean Mountain folks scram?”
Seo Jae-yi waved her hand dismissively at Taesan Guild Leader Park Hyung-woo, her face full of annoyance.
They were doomed. The rivalry had begun.
“How dare Bean Mountain interfere with this important task entrusted to the number one Guild! You still can’t tell where you belong, can you?”
Park Hyung-woo’s face contorted in anger at Seo Jae-yi’s provocation.
He had been demoted to second place after being overtaken by the rising star Haeil, and on top of that, he had earned the humiliating nickname “Bean Mountain.” There was no greater insult.
“You insolent brat! It’s because of your attitude that you’re dying so quickly. I heard you had less than a year left; I thought you were already dead. You’re surprisingly tenacious.”
A murderous aura spread among Haeil Guild members at his disrespectful words towards Seo Jae-yi. Seo Won-yeong was the most enraged.
“You talk big with your gaping hole of a mouth, but if you keep acting like that, I’ll punch a tunnel through your Bean Mountain body.”
Seo Won-yeong clenched her fists.
Park Hyung-woo was a powerful S-rank Esper, but Seo Won-yeong was an Enhancement Esper who strengthened her own body for combat. Even Park Hyung-woo wouldn’t be able to withstand her punch.
“We’ll see whose body gets a hole punched through it.”
But Park Hyung-woo wouldn’t back down so easily, even knowing that.
Taesan’s position had weakened even further since Seo Jae-yi joined Haeil. He had been trying to eliminate her, but she had not only survived but had even retaliated. And now her sister was challenging him as well?
And Seo Jae-yi… he had celebrated when he heard she was finally dying, but why was she still alive?!
Park Hyung-woo clenched his fists, seeing Seo Jae-yi sticking her tongue out at him from behind Seo Won-yeong. The ground beneath them started to shake.
The Center staff paled, seeing the imminent clash.
Why did Taesan have to show up when this was Haeil’s mission?!
“Can’t you guys just stop? If we get hurt because of your fight, you’ll regret it.”
But someone intervened in this dangerous fight, which no one dared to stop.