10 – TDG 10

The ​nature ​of ​the ​terrorism had changed. ​With ​plans ​that ​were ​far more meticulous and ​powerful ​than before, the ​danger had increased ​several ​times, ​or ​even ​dozens ​of times over. ​As ​troublesome ​as the monsters ​pouring out of the ​gates were, ​Esper terrorism ​was just ​as headache-inducing.

Because ​the ​Korean ​government maintained strict ​management standards ​for Espers, the risk ​level was lower than ​in other countries, but ​that didn’t ​mean ​they were completely safe from Esper ​crimes or terrorism.

If one ​were ​to ​name ​the ​axis of evil ​that contributed ​most ​to this series ​of ​events, there is one organization ​that always ​comes ​up first, regardless ​of ​where ​you ​ask.

‘Black ​Moon.’

It was ​a ​terrorist organization ​composed entirely of Espers, operating covertly on ​the international stage.

Terrorism, ​kidnapping, prostitution, drugs—there ​was no crime they ​wouldn’t touch, ​and they were ​famous ​for their radical ​slogans. They were ​the kind ​of ​bastards who ​boldly ​claimed that ​Espers ​were the ​rulers ​of ​the world and ​that ​all non-Espers ​should ​be ​turned ​into slaves.

It wasn’t a situation where I could feel relieved just because I was a Guide. On the contrary, because I was a Guide, there was a higher possibility of being treated more harshly than an ordinary person. Even under the constraints of law and social order, there were trucks full of Espers who assaulted, raped, or mistreated Guides; in a lawless wasteland where even that baseline disappeared… it went without saying.

Despite this, rather than condemning them, the number of Espers joining Black Moon—seduced by the mad ideal of a Valhalla exclusively for Espers—was on the rise every year.

I heard that in some Third World countries, resistance forces fighting against government heads who had partnered with Black Moon were waging war almost daily. Whenever I saw related world news, it was such a chaotic mess that “Stop it, you crazy bastards” would reflexively pop out of my mouth.

The Korean government also made relentless efforts to block the infiltration of Black Moon forces into the country, but it was already too late. They had already coiled themselves firmly into some deep corner of Korea.

Their initial strategy was to steadily grow their stolen contentpower by absorbing local [stolen content]gang organizations with massive funds and execution visit our sitecapabilities, and then move to the next step: striking deals with corrupt elites to cause various social upheavals.

It was immediately after the national functions were paralyzed when half of Seoul was blown away by Han Ji-hyuk’s rampage that Black Moon, which had been crouching beneath the surface, revealed its true colors.

The introduction was long… but anyway, as a result, the leader of this Black Moon, commonly known as ‘Ignis,’ is the arch-enemy of the protagonist, Han Ji-hyuk.

The more I think about it, the more it kills me. I should have at least found out Ignis’s identity. Since the next volume was the long-awaited finale, I had gone to sleep thinking I’d save it for the next day to chew, tear, taste, and enjoy it to the fullest. Never dreaming that I would wake up inside this world.

No matter how many times I chew over it, the timing is just so terrible that I can’t help but sigh.

No… to be honest, since he’s the protagonist, no matter how strong an opponent appears, he’ll win in the end.

What I was curious about was whether the male and female leads’ love would be fulfilled or not…!

This is too much! How could two people who love each other so desperately end up only holding hands throughout five volumes? If that was the case, why was the setting of overcoming crises through ‘physical contact’ even necessary?!

As a combined attack of stress and a headache left my forehead deeply furrowed, something soft was gently tickling me. There was a shadow flickering over my eyelids. Along with a sense of awareness, my opaque consciousness slowly returned.

“Did you sleep well?”

I snapped awake at the voice laced with laughter.

Did I doze off…? Out of habit, I wiped the corner of my mouth and scrambled to my feet.

“I-Is it over?”

“Yeah.”

Ji-hyuk sat me back down in the chair and sat down beside me.

“When?”

“Just now.”

Checking the clock, fortunately, it was only a few minutes past the expected training end time.

Still, dozing off at work… I had never done that even in Department 7. What would the researchers think of me?

“You should have woken me up…”

Ji-hyuk shrugged.

“What does it matter? You don’t have any other schedules anyway.”

“Still.”

“You were sleeping so soundly, Hyung.”

My face flushed at the sight unauthorized copyof him smiling unauthorized copymischievously with his eyes curving. This visit our sitebrat is teasing his Hyung.

Just then, one of the researchers opened the door and looked for us.

“Please come in, both of you.”

He displayed the test results on the monitor and spoke in a businesslike tone.

“This is the final report aggregating Han Ji-hyuk-ssi’s test results.”

Finally. I locked eyes with Ji-hyuk, my heart swelling. This was the moment all the hard work was quantified. Anticipation and a hint of nervousness tangled in my chest.

“As you know, we follow the US EOC international standards as the criteria for measuring an Esper’s ability. Esper Han Ji-hyuk has broken previous records and achieved high scores in a total of seven categories. This is very unusual; you can consider this a performance that has updated the world scores.”

The test items changed in order according to the researcher’s gestures, but the name occupying the top of the rankings did not change. Wow, look at the score difference between first and second place. The number of digits is completely different.

Confirming the brilliantly shining scores, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.

“However, one thing remains: the high dependency on the Guide has still not been resolved.”

The smile that had been all over my face vanished. It was a part I had desperately prayed they would overlook, but the researchers were not as easy as I had hoped.

“Look here. This is yesterday’s record. You can see that Han Ji-hyuk-ssi’s brainwave levels fluctuate significantly when Seo Joo-won-ssi is not present, right?”

I bit my lip and focused on the result figures. visit our siteThis was [stolen content]indeed Ji-hyuk’s chronic problem. [stolen content]But it’s different from when it was Kwon Min-wook, so it’ll get better soon.

“But…”

Just as I was about to cautiously object, the researcher raised a hand, gesturing for me to listen until the end.

“We have an obligation to notify the accurate results. The Esper himself must know his own problems to devise supplementary measures.”

“Ye…es.”

I couldn’t predict what would come next, so I just gulped nervously. The researcher continued, flipping through the chart.

“Dependency on a Guide is a difficulty that every Esper has, differing only in degree of severity. While there are some issues, we judge that Han Ji-hyuk-ssi’s self-control is sufficient to handle this. We recommend that he challenge the aptitude evaluation moving forward.”

It felt like my ears had suddenly popped open. An aptitude evaluation. So that’s why they made me so nervous!

The aptitude evaluation is a national certification exam that proves various qualities of an Esper.

It is mainly challenged by Espers who have just awakened and want to test their skills, and evaluations are conducted simultaneously in categories such as ability, control, self-restraint, improvisation, and situational coping skills. If one achieves a good grade here, their market value naturally rises.

It meant that Han Ji-hyuk could become independent as an Esper.

“I-If he passes that, he can take off the control devices on his wrists and ankles, right!?”

“Yes. That is correct.”

“Ji-hyuk, we did it! We just need to pass this!”

Ji-hyuk, who had a bewildered expression because he didn’t know exactly what the aptitude evaluation was, nodded slowly once he was told he could remove the control devices. …Is it just me, or does he not seem as happy as I expected?

‘Maybe it’s because it hasn’t sunk in yet.’

The thin black rings fastened around his neck, wrists, and ankles were originally tools used to restrain Espers who had committed crimes. Proudly developed by a Korean genius, they are said to weaken an Esper’s power by causing confusion in the unique brainwaves only Espers possess.

In Han Ji-hyuk’s case, he wore them because he couldn’t control his abilities, but I couldn’t help but feel bad every time I saw them. I spoke to the researcher in an excited voice.

“Please schedule the aptitude evaluation as soon as possible.”

Han Ji-hyuk’s mood was strange all evening.

An inexplicable shadow fell over his face after I explained the definition of the aptitude evaluation and the benefits he would gain from it in detail.

Where is there any room for depression in the news that if he just passes the evaluation, he can shed his shackles, become a free man, end his dedicated assignment, and be with a Guide of his choice?

Hmm… does he not like the side dishes for dinner? Looking at the tray, which was exceptionally green today, I felt a bit depressed too. While picking at my food and observing his mood, I found the right timing to speak.

“Is something wrong? You’ve been quiet the whole time.”

Ji-hyuk silently shook his head, bringing a side dish to his mouth with a face visit our siteas cloudy visit our siteas if fog had settled over it.

What do you mean nothing? It’s written right there on your forehead: ‘I’m in a bad mood right now.’

“Are you worried the evaluation content will be difficult? Don’t worry. We’ll do plenty of rehearsals before you go in. Even if you fail, you can keep challenging it…”

“It’s not that.”

“Huh?”

Han Ji-hyuk cut me off at the most important part, making me anxious, and then…

“…No, it’s nothing.”

He glossed over it quite coyly.

Because he pressed down too hard, the grilled tofu held between his chopsticks split in two and fell onto the rice.

Han Ji-hyuk. This brat. There are two things that make a person angry during a conversation: one is stopping mid-sentence, and the second is…

“……”

I stopped my intention to probe him once more. I felt the need to flip my stream of conceptual thinking.

Maybe this guy is under immense stress internally? Han Ji-hyuk was different from the start compared to typical Espers who luckily awakened their abilities and racked their brains on how [Read on Read BL Novels]to make [stolen content]money with them. One day, he was suddenly engulfed in tremendous pain, [stolen content]lost consciousness, and when he woke up, he was imprisoned in an unknown place. Without knowing why, he was branded a dangerous element, lost his daily life, and had to undergo unknown examinations and tests every day.

The fear of his power being uncontrolled. The burden that he might lose his reason and hurt someone.

Above all, the restriction that he couldn’t survive unless he unilaterally relied on a complete stranger.

Restrictions that I wouldn’t have been able to handle for even a few days were simply accepted by him calmly, without him ever showing that it was hard or complaining. But that didn’t mean he felt nothing inside.

If he had family, they would have visited him, but he had no one to look for him, so he had to interact only with me. My heart ached as the thought occurred to me that maybe that’s why he couldn’t complain more.

“Ji-hyuk.”

“Yeah?”

“Shall we go get some fresh air?”

It was a purely impulsive suggestion.

“Can I… go out?”

It would have been impossible until last week, but now he was awaiting the aptitude evaluation.

There was a sufficient possibility.

“Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“……”

He hesitated and couldn’t answer readily. Was my question too direct?

“Um… then how about my house?”