Chapter 161:
The day after Haeil Guild announced that Seo Jae-yi had accepted the US’s request for assistance with the dungeon subjugation.
Seo Jae-yi decided to leave for the US that day.
Countless media outlets swarmed the airport and Haeil Guild, requesting an interview with Seo Jae-yi before her departure.
Unfortunately for them, Seo Jae-yi had no intention of flying to the US.
8:55 a.m.
The Haeil Guild headquarters lobby, usually bustling with activity at this hour, was eerily quiet. Only three people and two monsters were present.
“It’s almost time.”
Seo Jae-yi checked her watch, and Kim Yoo-sung, his face tense, nodded.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright, Seo Jae-yi? Are you sure I shouldn’t go with you?”
“Why would you go to the US, Guild Leader? You have to stay here and protect our country. I’ll be fine; don’t worry.”
“What about me?! Me?!”
Seo Won-yeong pushed past Kim Yoo-sung, who was still fretting.
“I want to go too!”
Seo Won-yeong had been begging to go with her ever since she decided to go to the US.
Seo Jae-yi had refused outright.
“Why won’t you take me?! I can definitely help!”
She was right. Seo Won-yeong was Korea’s strongest Enhancement Esper, her physical abilities unparalleled.
Even Seo Jae-yi would struggle to match her in pure strength.
She would undoubtedly be a valuable asset in the dungeon subjugation, but Seo Jae-yi didn’t want to put her younger sister in danger.
“What if something happens in Korea while we’re gone? What if a dungeon breakout occurs in your neighborhood?”
Seo Won-yeong lived in Pangyo with her mother, Seo Hye-ryeong.
The area, already expensive before the Cataclysm, had become even more so, thanks to Seo Won-yeong residing there.
With an S-rank Esper like Seo Won-yeong, who rarely left her house except for Seo Jae-yi’s matters, focusing solely on crafting equipment, the residents felt incredibly safe.
Just like the areas near major Guild headquarters, real estate prices in Pangyo had skyrocketed.
But conversely, it meant that Pangyo’s safety would be compromised if Seo Won-yeong left.
“You have to protect Aunt while I’m gone.”
Seo Won-yeong, unable to argue with that, pouted.
She cherished her mother as much as her sister, so she reluctantly agreed.
“It’s okay. You’ll be fine. You’re taking Airok with you this time.”
Seo Jae-yi pointed at Airok, who was perched on her head.
Airok’s tail had been wagging excitedly ever since she told him they were going to a dungeon to hunt dragons.
“Dragons! We’re going to hunt dragons! Master, I haven’t been this excited in ages!”
Kim Yoo-sung, looking at Airok with a dubious expression, asked,
“Are you sure about this? Isn’t it like… cannibalism?”
But Airok just scoffed.
“Have you never seen monsters resorting to cannibalism?”
Of course he had.
Killing the weak, devouring them when food was scarce.
He had seen countless monsters do it.
“Do you think dragons are somehow special? They’re not. I won’t hesitate to kill them, even if they’re my own kind. It’s the same for humans, isn’t it? Killing each other for spoils.”
Kim Yoo-sung, hearing Airok’s matter-of-fact explanation, nodded in agreement.
Seo Jae-yi, impressed by his flawless logic, exclaimed,
“Wow, that’s amazing. They say children become more eloquent as they grow; it’s so true. Logi, you’re so well-spoken.”
“I’m not a child!”
He had been mortified by being called a baby, and now, after regaining his full power, he was being called a child!
Airok grabbed her hair with his paws and tugged, but not a single strand came loose. Her hair follicles must be S-rank too.
“Yes, yes. I’ll catch a dragon, or maybe even two, for you and… him, so trust me.”
Seo Jae-yi, treating Airok’s hair-pulling as a sign of affection, looked at Baek Joo-won, who was standing beside her.
He had been looking excited since yesterday, just like Airok.
Seo Jae-yi chuckled, seeing his carefree expression, not a hint of nervousness.
She wasn’t nervous about going to a Rank 1 dungeon either, thanks to him.
And also because of the potent energy Baek Joo-won had poured into her before they left the forest dungeon.
She discreetly rubbed her stomach, filled with his refreshing energy.
She felt… full.
“It’s nine.”
9 a.m. sharp.
A beautiful purple light emanated from the center of the Haeil Guild lobby. It resembled a dungeon gate, but the energy flowing from the circular portal was much gentler.
Two men stepped through the portal.
Mac Grayson, with his blond hair and handsome features, and Elizer Lane, America’s only Spatial Manipulation Esper, his thin frame radiating exhaustion.
“Long time no see!”
Seo Jae-yi smiled brightly and opened her arms. Grayson’s face lit up.
“Wow, darling, such a warm welcome… I’m so…”
“Eli! You’re here!”
Seo Jae-yi brushed past Grayson and grabbed Elizer’s hands, swinging them excitedly.
“How have you been? Have you been eating well?”
“I’ve been well, except for him. And no, I haven’t been eating well.”
Elizer, passively allowing her to swing his hands, answered dryly. Seo Jae-yi’s smile faltered.
“How can you not eat? Food is essential for survival!”
“You’re so obsessed with food, like a true Korean.”
A faint smile touched Elizer’s usually expressionless face.
He wasn’t showing it, but he was happy to see her too.
“Hello, Haeil Guild Leader. It’s been a while. And hello, Seo Won-yeong.”
Elizer greeted the others after his reunion with Seo Jae-yi.
“You’re even thinner than the last time I saw you. You really need to eat more.”
Seo Won-yeong, unlike Kim Yoo-sung, who bowed politely, scrutinized Elizer from head to toe and clicked her tongue.
Elizer felt a bit wronged, being treated like a frail person, even though he was an S-rank Esper. Koreans seemed to have a vendetta against anyone who didn’t prioritize food.
“…Darling? I’m… I’m right here.”
Grayson, who had been completely ignored by Seo Jae-yi, spoke up, his voice slightly teary.
“Oh, right. Hi, Maggie.”
“That’s it? You’re not going to hold my hand?”
He held out his hand, but before Seo Jae-yi could take it, Baek Joo-won intervened.
“That’s enough.”
Baek Joo-won intertwined his fingers with hers and pulled her away from Elizer. He then wrapped his arm around her waist and stepped back.
“I told you not to touch other people’s hands so casually.”
“But I haven’t seen Eli in years; I was just happy to…”
Baek Joo-won, who had been scolding her, turned his gaze towards Elizer. Elizer flinched and instinctively stepped back.
Baek Joo-won’s eyes, which had been narrowed in suspicion, softened slightly.
“He’s… acceptable.”
He didn’t seem to harbor any romantic feelings for Seo Jae-yi.
Baek Joo-won muttered under his breath, his words meant only for himself,
“And what about me? Can’t I hold Jae-yi’s hand?”
Grayson asked Baek Joo-won longingly.
As if that would ever happen. While not as much as Kwon Yi-soo, he was still annoying.
Baek Joo-won ignored him, and Grayson’s face crumpled.
Elizer, watching the scene unfold, muttered,
“I’m glad I came. I get to see this side of you. I would never see this in the US.”
“He’s still acting all high and mighty in the US?”
“Yeah. It’s annoying.”
Seo Jae-yi sighed at Elizer’s answer.
“I’ll have to endure that when I go to the US… I shouldn’t have agreed to this.”
Mac Grayson, constantly ignored by Seo Jae-yi in Korea, was a powerful figure in the US, the next in line for the Association Head position.
Naturally, everyone treated him with respect, trying to curry favor with him.
It was a stark contrast to his behavior in Korea, almost unimaginable.
“Hey, you can’t back out now that you’ve agreed. So let’s go, Esper Seo Jae-yi. The US Association Head is waiting on the other side.”
Grayson, his previous sullenness forgotten, bowed politely and gestured towards the purple portal.
The US was treating Seo Jae-yi with utmost respect.
They had even sent a Spatial Manipulation Esper, instead of having her fly there, for her convenience.
“A Spatial Esper’s gate… This is a new experience.”
Elizer glanced at Baek Joo-won at his words. The moment their eyes met, Elizer quickly looked away.
He even subtly hid behind Grayson.
Baek Joo-won’s eyes narrowed.
‘He’s perceptive.’
It wasn’t just shyness. He was clearly wary of Baek Joo-won, almost… afraid.
Why would an S-rank Esper be wary of a Guide?
He must have sensed that Baek Joo-won was different from other Guides.
So this was why Spatial Manipulation Espers were treated differently, even among Espers.
“By the way, Jae-yi.”
Grayson, oblivious to the subtle tension between Elizer and Baek Joo-won, asked,
“Are you taking… that thing on your head with you?”
He looked at the top of Seo Jae-yi’s head.
Airok, who had been perched there, yelled,
“‘Thing’?! How dare you, human!”