Churu for the Angry Guide

50

After Seojun returned to his room, Siwoo was left alone with his thoughts.

Even after finishing his shower and lying back on the bed, he still had a contemplative look on his face. What filled his small mind was, of course, Geonho.

He leaned his body deeply into the soft mattress, rubbing his face vigorously. The cushioning was so good that it made him feel as if he was floating in the sky. Siwoo rolled back and forth on the wide bed, emptying his complicated thoughts. He felt that no answers would come even if he kept dwelling on them.

“What’s this?”

After rolling around to his heart’s content, Siwoo buried his face in the pillow and wrinkled his nose. There was an unfamiliar skincare scent on the pillow. He sniffed the blanket too, and a subtle fragrance clung to the tip of his nose.

It was Seojun’s scent. The young guy gave off a mature fragrance that didn’t match his age. He must use expensive skincare products.

“That young brat. Tch.”

He hit the pillow once for no reason and smelled it a bit more. The scent was so good that he wanted to ask what skincare product Seojun used. Come to think of it, Yoo Jihan had smelled good too.

“That idiot…”

What did he smell like again?

“Grass.”

After rolling his eyes in deep thought, he suddenly muttered.

Perhaps because he often roamed through grass fields, the idiot smelled of damp earth. It was a scent that suited his rough nature.

Siwoo chewed on his thoughts of Geonho that resurfaced, then sniffed his own body. Soon after, his eyelids grew heavy. Thanks to his full stomach, sleep came even faster.

Perhaps because he had guided three people in a row after a long time, he fell into a sleep twice as deep as usual. He sank into such a distant unconsciousness that he might have transformed into his animal form while sleeping.

That’s how tired he was. Both body and mind, completely.

* * *

Past 2 AM. This was the time the night shift Espers assigned to the gate site found the most difficult.

Kiyaaak!

It was because this was when the intelligent monsters, goblins, which were tricky to handle, appeared. Unlike ordinary monsters incapable of thought, they had intelligence close to that of young children.

Kyaak! Kiyaak!

They communicated with each other and, going further, even used cunning tricks to tease the Espers.

“Filth-throwing attack incoming! Everyone be careful!”

Kwak Seokjin, the guild leader of Seowol Guild in charge of the northern management of Area A10, ordered.

Area A10 had a relatively low danger rating, but a high number of monster appearances. While life-threatening situations were rare, there was no time to rest in this area. As such, it required many personnel.

“Leader! A new gate has opened at 12 o’clock!”

Following the group of goblins who enjoyed tormenting humans, a horde of creatures began to pour out. Seokjin wiped his sweat-soaked face and scanned the surroundings. His guild members were also drenched in sweat as if they had taken a shower.

There were no injuries, but everyone showed clear signs of fatigue. It was natural to be tired when they had to handle increased gates with half the manpower.

Even Seokjin, the leader, had a slight tremor in his hand holding the heavy sword. He bit back a curse while hiding his shaking hand.

“Request support from Baekya Guild!”

He didn’t want to reach out to them, but there was no other choice. Seokjin spat a thick glob of saliva on the ground, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

Fortunately, the support request was quickly accepted. The Espers led by Seowol Guild visibly relaxed at this. The Seowol Guild members had similar reactions. Expressions that said they could finally breathe.

“Happy to get help, you bastards!”

Seokjin’s eyes twisted as he looked at his guild members. His shout was loud enough to make even those not from Seowol Guild wary.

Just then, someone called out to the guild leader, pointing at the sky. Seokjin immediately looked up and gritted his teeth.

“These fucking…”

An unusually large gate was forming in the sky. It was the kind of gate that should only appear in Area A13.

“I’ll handle that one! You quickly get rid of the small fry!”

Seokjin shouted, taking a deep breath and puffing up his body. As he exhaled the air filling his lungs, his doppelgangers appeared in mid-air.

Ten doppelgangers simultaneously watched the gate forming in the sky while slicing through the bodies of creatures flying around. Then, one doppelganger disappeared after taking a hit from merely a creature’s attack.

Seeing this, Seokjin’s pupils began to shake violently.

“Leader! It’s opened!”

Winged monsters poured out like a waterfall from the gate that opened in an instant. They rampaged, breathing fire and searching for prey.

“Leader!”

Despite the shouts of guild members calling him, Seokjin stood frozen.

He gripped his sword with trembling hands, staring at the empty space where his doppelganger had disappeared. He looked very flustered. What could be the problem?

At that moment, a fire-breathing monster flapped its large wings and charged at him. The panicked guild members shouted at each other to protect the leader. However, they were all surrounded by hordes of creatures, their feet tied down.

Kiiiiik!

The flames spewed by the monster were about to reach Seokjin. In his dazed state, he didn’t hear his subordinates’ shouts. His legs seemed to lose strength, his body tilting to one side. The hot flames flew towards his face.

Kiyaak!

At that moment, a goblin suddenly rushed at Seokjin and blocked the flames with its entire body. Other goblins joined in, attacking the winged monster instead of Seokjin.

Kyaaak! Kyaak!

After killing the monster, they began to bite each other. Their pupils were all dilated as if possessed by ghosts. The guild members, whose attention had been on their leader, immediately understood the situation upon seeing the goblins drooling.

They were being controlled by a mental ability. It meant that Kang Taebeom from Baekya Guild had arrived.

“Esper Kang Taebeom!”

An Esper who had been looking around was the first to spot Taebeom and shouted loudly. At the same time, the faces of those at the scene lit up.

Taebeom had removed the control bracelet he always wore on his right hand. He was controlling the monsters’ brains, making them attack each other.

All of them, over hundreds of monsters. He had bound every single one with his ability.

“All guild members, withdraw!”

The teleport Esper assisting Taebeom’s movement waved his arms widely, relaying the order.

The Seowol Guild members quickly ran to their leader, supporting his staggering body. Seokjin, with a pale face, glared at Taebeom, who had instantly changed the atmosphere of the scene.

Though they were both guild leaders, the difference in skill between Taebeom and him was like heaven and earth. There was no way he could beat this genius who skillfully handled mental abilities, which were as rare as they were difficult to manage. Although Taebeom was much younger, his achievements were incomparably greater than those of Seokjin, who had years of experience.

“Leader, are you alright?”

It was nonsensical to even compare a genius with an ordinary person.

Seokjin left without a word, supported by his guild members. Only the sound of bones cracking could be heard from his clenched fist.

* * *

Taebeom went around all gate areas except for Jihan’s assigned sector. The Espers, who had been exhausted due to reduced deployment, warmly welcomed Taebeom with open arms whenever he arrived. Right after his visits, the atmosphere at the gates became eerily calm.

‘As expected of the leader of Baekya Guild.’ Everyone unanimously praised him. That’s who Taebeom was. A being for whom victory was a given.

Time was now approaching 5 AM. The sun had not yet risen.

Unlike usual, Taebeom headed to the dormitory instead of his office. It was to meet Seojun. He had something separate to convey to him.

After entering the passcode for the front door lock, he opened the door. It was almost the first time this year that he had set foot in the dormitory.

“…”

Taebeom’s black pupils scanned the floor as he stood at the entrance. Instead of entering right away, he stared at the shoes placed on the entrance floor.

Next to Seojun’s shoes, whose owner could be guessed just by their size, was a pair of canvas shoes he had never seen before. They were far too small for anyone staying in this dormitory to wear. Moreover, they were worn out.

Taebeom first passed through the inner door of the entrance and walked down the long corridor.

As he entered the living room, he saw Seojun asleep on the sofa. Seeing him sleeping with his arms crossed while sitting, it seemed he had dozed off while nodding.

Instead of waking him, Taebeom quietly looked around the dormitory. Nothing was noticeably different. Everything was the same.

His feet in slippers moved silently towards the stairs.

However, he didn’t climb the stairs but walked past them. His gaze fell on the tightly closed door behind the stairs. The door to an empty room that should have nothing in it.