Chapter 13:
“I need to reconsider the offer we’ll make to Baek Joo-won,” Kim Yoo-sung said as he returned to the Guild headquarters.
After seeing him off, Seo Won-yeong, who had followed Seo Jae-yi back to the flower shop, continued to lament.
“Stateless, of all things.”
If they were going to be granted a miracle, why couldn’t it be easier to grasp? It was like a carrot dangling on a stick, constantly being offered and then snatched away. Of course, they hadn’t even held the carrot yet.
“No wonder he looked so cheerful. It must have been because he didn’t have to do mandatory service.”
Seo Jae-yi also sighed.
Newly awakened Espers and Guides were usually pale-faced, burdened by the shackles of mandatory service. But Baek Joo-won had been strangely radiant, like a polished boiled egg.
‘That was the glow of freedom.’
Seo Jae-yi, who had yet to experience true freedom, could only envy him.
“Anyway, you’re not giving up and will continue to pursue him, right, Unnie?”
“It sounds weird when you say ‘pursue,’ but you’re not wrong.”
“Good. Then I can’t just sit idly by either.”
Seo Won-yeong clenched her fists with a serious expression, her thoughts unknown.
“But Unnie, I’ve been meaning to ask, what are you doing?”
Upon arriving at the greenhouse, Seo Jae-yi crouched down in front of an empty flowerbed and started breathing fire.
Seo Won-yeong anxiously watched, worried that her overload level would increase again.
“Ah, I found this.”
Seo Jae-yi stopped breathing fire and dug through the pile of soil. A shiny white egg emerged.
“What’s with the egg?”
“It’s an abandoned egg. I thought it might hatch if I kept it warm, so I’ve been warming it with fire every day.”
If it had been Kim Yoo-sung, he would have immediately rescued the egg, exclaiming, “What are you doing, trying to roast it like a baked potato?!”
However, Seo Won-yeong, who adored her sister…
“You even picked up an abandoned egg and are taking care of it. You’re so kind, Unnie.”
…clapped her hands, touched by the gesture. Seo Jae-yi smiled shyly, saying it was nothing special.
It was truly fortunate that Kim Yoo-sung wasn’t present to witness this.
Of course, the egg didn’t turn into a baked potato. As it had for the past few days, the egg pulsed strongly, seemingly enjoying the warmth of Seo Jae-yi’s flames.
“Wow, how is this possible? Are all monster eggs like this? It’s fascinating.”
“Right?”
Seo Jae-yi carefully reburied the egg in the soil. After patting the ground gently, wishing it well, she grabbed her bag, which she had tossed aside.
“What’s that?”
Seo Won-yeong looked at her curiously as she took something out of the bag.
“It looks like a… flower, but something’s strange about it.”
Seo Jae-yi had pulled out a flower that was a more vibrant red than any rose.
Normally, Seo Won-yeong would have simply wondered where she had obtained a new flower, but even she, who knew little about flowers, could tell that this one looked unusual.
While most flower stems were green, this one was vermilion. And crimson flowers were tightly coiled around the long stem.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?”
“It is. I’m not sure if ‘exotic’ is the right word, but it’s certainly unique.”
“Making a bouquet with this would be amazing!”
Pleased with her sister’s positive feedback, Seo Jae-yi smiled brightly and carefully planted the flower, which she had pulled out roots and all, in an empty flowerbed.
She wasn’t sure if a dungeon flower could survive here. She could only hope that Kim Yoo-sung’s life force, infused in the soil, would work its magic on the dungeon flower as well.
“But where did you get this flower? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Seo Jae-yi, who was covering the roots with soil, flinched.
‘I didn’t expect her to ask about that.’
She couldn’t tell the truth – that she had plucked it while she was in the dungeon – because Seo Won-yeong would be furious. She had no choice.
“I found it. It was growing near the egg. I think it might be the egg of a monster that escaped from the Gate.”
“Hmm.”
It wasn’t uncommon for monsters that escaped from dungeons to be found in other areas. And some monsters could alter their surroundings to resemble their native dungeons. Fortunately, Seo Won-yeong didn’t question her further.
Seo Jae-yi sighed in relief.
***
Kim Yoo-sung reappeared a few hours later.
His face was etched with fatigue, showing how much he had been agonizing over Baek Joo-won.
“Uh… I was going to ask for a favor, but seeing your face, I feel too guilty.”
“You have a conscience?”
Kim Yoo-sung’s eyes widened as if he had heard something unbelievable.
“I was trying to be considerate, and this is how you react?”
“It’s just so shocking… Anyway, what’s the favor?”
“Ah, I was going to ask you to infuse this flowerbed with more life force. But it’s not urgent, so it’s fine if you don’t.”
Seo Jae-yi pointed to a flowerbed where a strange red flower had been planted. Kim Yoo-sung tilted his head curiously.
He had always been interested in plants. He loved them so much that it might have even contributed to his awakening as a life force Esper.
He was quite knowledgeable about plants, but he had never seen this kind of flower before.
“What kind of flower is this?”
“This? A dungeon flower.”
“…”
What was she talking about? Had he heard correctly?
“What kind of flower? A dungeon flower?”
“Yeah! I happened to get a dungeon flower, and it’s really pretty. I checked, and it’s not dangerous, so I thought about selling it.”
Even Kim Yoo-sung had to admit that the unique red flower was beautiful.
“Selling a dungeon flower. That’s an interesting idea. Well, it’s fine as long as it’s not dangerous.”
“Right? But there’s one problem. I don’t know if a dungeon flower can survive on Earth.”
“So you want me to infuse it with more life force.”
“Yeah. But it’s not urgent. If the soil isn’t suitable, it’ll die anyway, so I’ll just observe it for now.”
Kim Yoo-sung nodded.
“But Seo Jae-yi, I have one question. If this flower thrives and sells well, you’re not planning on going into the dungeon to pluck more, are you?”
“…”
Silence.
Seo Jae-yi just rolled her eyes, and both Kim Yoo-sung and Seo Won-yeong’s expressions turned frosty.
“I-I’m not saying I’ll go right away. I’ll assess the situation…”
“So you’re saying you’ll go and pluck more if it seems okay.”
“…”
Seo Jae-yi closed her mouth again.
Kim Yoo-sung, glaring at her, made a decision.
“You’re forbidden from selling dungeon flowers. If you disobey me, I’ll withdraw all the life force from the flowerbeds.”
“How can you say something so cruel?!”
Seo Jae-yi whimpered, but Kim Yoo-sung was firm.
“Sorry, Unnie. I can’t side with you on this one.”
Even Seo Won-yeong, whom she had trusted, sided with Kim Yoo-sung.
Seo Jae-yi slumped to the ground, feeling like she had been cast down from heaven to hell.
Damn it. She shouldn’t have been so greedy, even if she was blinded by potential profit.
In the end, she had no choice but to promise that she would only sell the red flower she had brought this time.
***
Today, Baek Joo-won was scheduled to undergo Matching Rate assessments with other S-rank Espers who lacked paired Guides.
They had tested with Seo Jae-yi first because she urgently needed a Guide, but they were obligated to conduct assessments with all eligible Espers.
“Do we need to do another precision assessment if his Matching Rate with another Esper is high, like with Ms. Seo Jae-yi?”
Researcher Kim Hyun-hee, once again in charge of the assessment, shook her head at Baek Joo-won’s question.
“We conducted another test with Esper Seo Jae-yi because her Matching Rate was so incredibly high. We wanted to rule out any errors in the Awakening factor sample. We don’t usually do that.”
“Usually.”
“Yes. Usually, if the Matching Rate is that high with one Esper, it’s significantly lower with others.”
“I see.”
After her explanation, Kim Hyun-hee started the assessment, using the Awakening factor of an S-rank Esper from the Center’s database who didn’t have a paired Guide.
Her expression was relaxed.
After the unbelievable 93% Matching Rate with Seo Jae-yi, she assumed the rates with other Espers would be in the 30% range at most. This rule had never been broken before.
…Or so she thought.
“…Huh?”
Kim Hyun-hee stared at the results on the display in disbelief.
【S-rank Esper Yoon Ji-hyun — S-rank Guide Baek Joo-won
Matching Rate 56%】
“…Fifty?”
56%? It wasn’t high enough to form a Pair, but considering they were both S-rank, the Guiding efficiency would be much higher than the actual number.
This was unheard of.
“…I’ll test with a different sample.”
Kim Hyun-hee retrieved the Awakening factor of another S-rank Esper who lacked a paired Guide and conducted the assessment.
The result was shocking.
‘This time it’s 52%!’
She even tested with the last remaining sample, just in case, and the Matching Rate was 57%.
Kim Hyun-hee looked at Baek Joo-won with trembling eyes.
He had already recorded an unbelievable 93% initial Matching Rate with Seo Jae-yi, and now his rates with other S-rank Espers were at least 50%?
‘Has there ever been a Guide like this?’
Not that she knew of. Even Center Head Kwon Yi-soo, the most capable Guide in Korea, couldn’t achieve this.
‘If his Matching Rate is above 50% with all Espers, not just S-ranks… and if this applies not just to Korean Espers…’
Kim Hyun-hee gulped.
If this information became public, it would trigger a global scramble for Guide Baek Joo-won.
***
Espers could pierce the thick hides of monsters with their bare hands, but their power wasn’t eternal.
The exertion of superhuman strength took a toll on their bodies, and if they didn’t receive timely Guiding, their lifespans dwindled, leading to death.
The same applied to Guides, the only ones who could heal Espers.
Slowly sharing their energy through Guiding was safe, but exceeding their limits in a single session could result in instant death.
Perhaps due to this risk, no Guide had ever been found to have high Matching Rates with all Espers. Especially when an Esper with an exceptionally high Matching Rate existed, their rates with other Espers were significantly lower than average.
This had been the case for all Guides.
Until Baek Joo-won appeared.
It was as if a goose that laid golden eggs had fallen into their laps, and this news quickly reached the ears of high-ranking Korean government officials.
“Not only is he an S-rank Guide, but his Matching Rate with all Espers is over 50%.”
Guiding Center conference room.
Kwon Yi-soo observed the assembled individuals with a cold gaze.
The Prime Minister, the Minister of National Defense, the President and Vice President of the Esper Management Association, and the Guild Leaders of Korea’s top three Esper Guilds.
While the President wasn’t present, the people gathered here represented the current leadership of Korea.
However, their interests rarely aligned, so a meeting like this was rare. The goose that laid golden eggs must be truly extraordinary.
“Even China, which possesses the largest number of Guides, doesn’t have a Guide with such an ability, as far as I know.”
The Prime Minister tapped a document containing Baek Joo-won’s profile.