29 – TDG 29

Once ​Song ​Hyun-ho ​found ​a safe spot ​and ​set ​the ​two ​of us down, Han ​Ji-hyuk ​also placed me ​nearby.

“Please stay in ​a ​safe ​place.”

He ​gave ​Ji-hyuk ​a light pat ​on ​the ​shoulder and dashed ​back the way they ​had come. ​Before disappearing, ​Ji-hyuk cupped ​my head ​with ​his ​large hand and ​kissed me ​near my temple.

“I’ll be ​back soon, Hyung.”

After he ​vanished, Seonbae Soo-jeong approached ​and placed ​a ​hand on my shoulder.

“Seonbae, I’m glad ​you’re safe.”

“I was just ​lucky ​to ​be ​near ​Esper Song Hyun-ho.”

She ​was right. ​Unlike ​other Espers, Song ​Hyun-ho ​wasn’t the type to abandon ​a Guide ​just ​because things got ​critical. ​That ​was ​also ​why a ​bastard ​like Kwon ​Min-wook survived and received salvation equally. Since ​we didn’t have ​the luxury of ​fighting in this situation, ​we intentionally ​ignored each other ​from ​a distance.

K-boom—!

A pillar ​of fire dozens ​of meters ​high ​erupted near ​the ​gate. Even ​from ​afar, I ​could ​recognize ​Han Ji-hyuk’s silhouette.

Leaping ​onto ​a three-story ​building ​in ​a ​single bound with weightless movements, he unleashed the red [Read on Read BL Novels]aura clenched stolen contentin his [unauthorized copy]hand. A massive, swelling wall of fire swallowed the charging monsters.

Wielding flames that split into dozens of directions, Ji-hyuk navigated through the monsters with ease. Those flames sometimes sliced through the creatures like blades, entangled and tore them apart like nets, or crashed over them like waves, burning them down to the last hair.

Watching that, I thought that Song Hyun-ho hadn’t become like that for nothing. To think the force of the flames pushing back was superior to the speed at which the monsters were crawling out of the gate—it was hard to believe even while seeing it with my own eyes.

Song Hyun-ho seemed energized by Han Ji-hyuk’s relentless offensive. Suddenly bursting into laughter, he leaped high, spun in a circle, and dove straight into the swarm of monsters. It was a movement that made it impossible to believe he was an injured person unable to use one arm.

“?!”

At the commander’s sudden action, I could feel the Esper team, who had been maintaining formation to support him, hesitate. It wasn’t a situation where one should be laughing childishly, so I bit the inside of my cheek to hold it back, but honestly, it was too funny. That man has gone crazy again. That diving motion just now was the pure essence of a rockstar throwing himself toward his fans. Quite grotesque fans, indeed.

I wondered how happy that man must have been when he awakened an ability that suited his aptitude. For a brief, meaningless moment, I imagined what he was like in the past.

While Song Hyun-ho tore and crushed monsters however he pleased, Ji-hyuk sliced and burned them with lightning speed. Before long, the area around them was thickly stained with scattering chunks of flesh and a purple spray of blood.

It was quite a sight to see the monsters, whose expected feast had been thwarted by the appearance of two out-of-spec humans, now being slaughtered instead, wandering aimlessly as they failed to accept reality.

Leaving the last attack for the end, Song Hyun-ho charged through the monsters like a bulldozer. Immediately after, dozens of streaks of fire spread across the ground. Having successfully sealed off the area, Ji-hyuk ramped up his power, and the blood-red energy flickering around his body turned black and expanded radially.

K-boom!!

A series of explosions occurred that shook the very axis of the earth. Along with the sudden release of pressure that had been tightened to the limit, a powerful aftershock followed, sending piles of rock and soil mixed with flames soaring nearly five or six meters high. The thick hides of the monsters were pierced and exploded, torn to shreds like rags.

-Kuaaaa!

Their struggles were brief; the monsters were swept away by the vast flames and collapsed one by one. Where the fire slowly subsided, charred and melted lumps—unrecognizable in form—lay tangled together, revealing their hideous shapes amidst the ash and sparks.

“…….”

Aside from the occasional crackle of sparks, the surroundings were deathly silent. Whether they were shocked or simply terrified, not a single Esper or Guide dared to speak. Suddenly, Seonbae Soo-jeong squeezed my hand tightly. Her palm was damp with tension and sweat.

Han Ji-hyuk stood there, absorbing the rain of awe-struck gazes. His pitch-black eyes, half-lowered, showed neither anger, hatred, nor joy; he was simply composed and calm, as if he had merely done what was expected of him.

The gruesome scene swept by the fire triggered an unexpected association in me.

Was this what Han Ji-hyuk’s great rampage looked like in the novel? In reality, it must have exploded on a scale hundreds of times larger than this… Just the thought of it sent a chill down my spine.

Even after burning a radius of about two hundred meters without leaving a single blade of grass, Ji-hyuk didn’t seem particularly exhausted. Then why did he suffer so much during the aptitude evaluation? If there was one difference between then and now… was it the control device…?

No way. To think there was such a difference just because of that one thing. If so, just how much power does he possess when he gives it his absolute all?

Perhaps in the novel, he couldn’t exert his full power because both his mind and body were pushed to their limits. If he set his mind to it, he might be able to burn not just half of Seoul, but half of the South Korean peninsula….

And on top of that, he also gains psychokinesis, right? Thanks to that, the concept of L-Rank was born, but still….

I think I understand why the author burdened him with unbearable hardships and broke him from the start. A heavy sense of guilt imprinted deep self-deprecation, a feeling of defeat, and a fear of losing control upon Han Ji-hyuk, making it so he could hardly draw out his full power unless there was a specific catalyst. Trapped by numerous psychological barriers, Han Ji-hyuk was only able to face the enemy after arming himself with the single-minded determination that he had to save the world.

I understand that because it is a power without end, it must be used more [stolen content]carefully. Seeing it with my Read on Read BL Novels[Read on Read BL Novels]own eyes, it’s true that I feel scared and afraid.

But did the author really have to create such an extreme conflict structure? I don’t think so. It might be a dramatic device when viewed as a novel, but seen up close, isn’t it just an unbearable tragedy for an individual?

Han Ji-hyuk just needs to learn how to restrain his abilities in a normal way, supported by his colleagues as he is now. That guy has lived a life painful and lonely enough. Let the author do what they want. I’m going to take Ji-hyuk to the land of happiness.

Ji-hyuk’s body shifted slightly toward me. The distance was too far to see his face clearly, but I could tell he was looking at me. I gave a small smile and waved my hand.

“Aaaagh!”

Yikes, you scared me.

That was Kwon Min-wook’s scream.

“H-heeek, save me!”

I thought they had all been burned to death, but it seemed one fellow had managed to escape the fire hell.

A monster with a grotesque appearance—a combination of a crocodile’s head and an elephant’s body—was opening its long snout, trying to swallow Kwon Min-wook, who had fallen over in a panic. Even though the middle of its waist was on fire and burning away, the creature was persistent.

“…Hey!”

Thwack.

The brick I threw hit the monster right on its protruding eyelid.

Seonbae Soo-jeong’s gaze, looking at me as if I were a lunatic, pierced through my left cheek.

Amidst the sense of failure creeping up my spine, I realized what I had done.

Oh, damn it. My body just reacted automatically. No, no matter how much of a piece of trash he is, I didn’t want to see a person torn apart alive right in front of me!

My intention wasn’t to hit it, but to drop the brick beside it to distract it. Why is my accuracy only good at times like this?!

Even that damn Kwon guy is looking at me with an absurd expression!

The monster, having been hit on the eyelid by the brick, rolled its eyeball—which had turned purple, perhaps from burst capillaries—and captured me in its bright yellow pupil.

Vrrrrt!

Fuming with rage, its nostrils flared, and it suddenly straightened its contracted body, kicking off with several pairs of legs on both sides and leaping forward like a flash of lightning.

“!”

Honestly, the best I could do was not scream pathetically like Kwon Min-wook.

Bang!

Just when I thought I was dead, a gust of wind shot out from somewhere. The stolen contentwhip-like wind struck my entire body, nearly lifting me off the ground. While I was dazed by the [Read on Read BL Novels]stinging sensation, a hole larger than a human head was punched through the monster’s flank.

-Grrr… gurgle…

Having lost its momentum, the monster flopped over halfway and writhed convulsively, spitting out bubbles of blood from its open mouth. On the opposite wall, I could see a long spear of flame embedded deep, its tip trembling—the thing that had likely put the creature in that state.

“……!”

Stretching my neck like a meerkat, I saw Han Ji-hyuk in the distance. He was slowly straightening up from a posture as if he had just fired something, with his arm and side extended. As expected, he was the one who threw it.

“Hup!”

Song Hyun-ho finished it off. While Ji-hyuk had thrown the spear, he had rushed in like a bullet and crushed the monster’s crown with his raised heel. Crack. After a dull sound of bone crushing, the creature died lifelessly.

“Guide Seo Joo-won. Are you alright?!”

“Joo-won, are you okay?!”

The two of them grabbed my hands simultaneously. Song Hyun-ho, in particular, looked deeply impressed.

“I, Song Hyun-ho, am deeply moved by Guide Seo Joo-won’s courage and character. To risk your life to save Guide Kwon Min-wook.”

…Excuse me?

No, that’s not it…?

It wasn’t really out of such a compassionate mindset….

Following Song Hyun-ho, Seonbae Soo-jeong smacked my back with a face that looked like she was about to cry. The sound was loud, but it didn’t hurt.

“What were you thinking, Seo Joo-won! That was dangerous!”

No, I mean… I told you it wasn’t like that.

“Honestly, you’re just way too kind for your own good!”

“I… I just did it instinctively….”

Song Hyun-ho let out an exclamation with a booming voice.

“Such an act came from instinct? That is even more surprising.”

Excuse me… let me speak too.

“Now, everyone, please give a round of applause for Guide Seo Joo-won’s brave and devoted act of risking his life to save a colleague!”

Song Hyun-ho squared his shoulders and raised his hand high to lead the applause, looking around at the team members gathering nearby. Swept up in the atmosphere, the team members began to clap along with him in a daze.