Chapter 159 – GOY 159

#159

“Then ​I’ll ​tell ​you.”

“Go ​ahead.”

“I ​received ​a strange proposal ​during ​the ​break.”

“A ​strange ​proposal?”

Kim Joon’s story went ​back ​to the summer ​vacation.

“Yes. I was ​heading ​home ​after ​exercising ​when ​a man in ​a ​black ​suit approached me. ​He said he was ​an employee ​of a ​newly formed ​guild and ​asked ​if ​we could talk ​for a ​moment. I followed him, ​thinking it was a ​scout offer, but he ​said something ​suspicious.”

“What ​did he say?”

“He asked if I ​wanted to increase my ​matching ​rate.”

“Matching ​rate?”

“Yes. ​He ​spouted all sorts ​of fancy ​words, ​saying he saw ​special ​potential visit our sitein me, and claimed ​that if ​I ​joined his guild, ​he ​could ​draw ​out ​my [unauthorized copy]hidden ​potential. ​He said ​he could make any Esper reach a ​matching rate of ​90%.”

Raising Kim Joon’s ​matching rate to 90%…?

“To ​be honest, ​if this had ​been ​a few months ​ago, I might ​have been ​tempted. ​Even after ​struggling ​to get ​into ​the Academy, ​I ​felt ​like I had ​hit ​a wall. ​If ​I ​had ​heard those words then, I probably would have clung to it like a drowning man grasping at a straw. But not now. As a Guide, I have a goal. So, I refused.”

Kim Joon’s eyes were filled with confident resolve. They were the steady eyes of someone running toward a dream.

“You did the right thing. You shouldn’t follow suspicious people like that.”

“Yes. But once I refused, his attitude suddenly changed, and he tried to kidnap me.”

“Kidnap?”

“We were talking in the car, so the moment I refused and tried to get out, he locked the doors and just drove off.”

“What? That really is a kidnapping.”

I thought he might be exaggerating, but this was an actual kidnapping.

“Yes. He was a complete fraud and part of a criminal organization. But Esper Do Hyuk-jin helped me.”

“Hyuk-jin hyung did?”

“It seems he happened to have business nearby. I was lucky to run into an S-Class Read on Read BL NovelsEsper there. At first, I didn’t even know it [unauthorized copy]was Esper Do Hyuk-jin. He had his hood [stolen content]pulled down low, so I couldn’t see his face clearly.”

Do Hyuk-jin tended to feel the heat easily. Yet, he was wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled deep over his face in the middle of summer? It was too suspicious to be a mere coincidence.

However, I didn’t let it show and continued to listen to Kim Joon’s story.

“That’s a relief.”

“It really was a stroke of luck. Moreover, he gave me a bodyguard, saying those bastards might come back. So, I spent the entire break with an Esper from the YL Guild, and I learned a lot about exercising from them. I really owe them a lot.”

“You didn’t report it?”

“Yes. Esper Do Hyuk-jin told me he would investigate it himself and suggested I not report it. He said that even if I did, the police would either ignore it or be a nuisance, and they wouldn’t take responsibility anyway. He also said I might just end up becoming a target for those guys.”

“That’s true.”

Do Hyuk-jin’s words were reasonable.

In reality, even if a crime involving ability users was reported, there was very little ordinary police could do. Unless it was a major incident, the Inspection Division or the Superpower Ministry prosecutors wouldn’t step in.

However, I had a feeling he didn’t stop Kim Joon from reporting it simply for that reason.

“But on the first day of the semester, Seonbae Joo walked me to the dormitory. At that time, while he was beating me—no, while we were just having a conversation regarding dropping a lecture…”

Kim Joon’s pupils suddenly trembled visit our siteviolently, and his stolen contentvoice trailed off. Surely Joo Seung-hyuk didn’t use violent means of conversation…

“A-anyway, he asked me about that kidnapper then.”

“How did Seung-hyeok know about that?”

“It seems Esper Do Hyuk-jin asked Seonbae Joo for help while searching for the culprit. Those two are rivals, aren’t they? So it was a bit unexpected, but it seems Seonbae Joo was also looking for that kidnapper. I guess they shared information.”

It wasn’t just a casual exchange of information. Do Hyuk-jin and Joo Seung-hyuk were likely close in reality and had been chasing that kidnapper together.

“After that, he kept coming by to ask various things, like if the kidnapper or any other suspicious people had approached me. And he strongly ur—no, he strongly urged me never to tell anyone else about this.”

So, the reason Joo Seung-hyuk kept disappearing during the second semester was to investigate that matter.

“Of course, that person seemed to be a simple fraud, but since I heard that Seonbae Joo is being investigated this time on charges related to matching rates, I’m telling you this in case it helps. I’m sorry if it was useless.”

“No, Joon. Thank you so much for telling me.”

A suspicious person who approached Kim Joon promising to raise his matching rate; Joo Seung-hyuk and Do Hyuk-jin chasing that person; and Joo Seung-hyuk being accused of matching rate manipulation.

There was no way all of this was a simple coincidence. There was definitely something going on.

Buzz.

Just then, Kim Joon’s phone vibrated. He checked the message.

“Ah, it looks like it’s almost our group’s turn.”

There were five gate halls for the mock battles. Although they were world-class facilities, they were far from enough for the entire student body to train at once, so it took some time for everyone to go through.

“Let’s go.”

“Are you coming too, Seonbae?”

“Yeah. I have some business at the KR Hall.”

Park Geon-woo would still be at the KR Hall. He got along well with the reporters.

Although their goal was me, on the surface, they had come to cover the mock battle training.

Even if only for formality, they would probably interview Park Geon-woo. They likely had questions about the Horaitron Gate as well.

“Seonbae, will you be alright? I think it would be better if you rested.”

“Don’t worry.”

I spoke with a smile, but in truth, I wasn’t alright at all.

My fever was rising rapidly. Hot air escaped every Read on Read BL Novelstime I breathed, my head felt dizzy, and my vision was blurring. My Read on Read BL Novelsstomach churned again, and I felt as if I might collapse at any moment.

I only stayed up for one night, but how could a body ache hit this hard…?

‘Red-Rune Side Effect.’

The words Park Geon-woo had said suddenly came to mind. Surely the Red-Rune Side Effect hadn’t actually occurred?

I quickly brushed the thought from my mind. There was no way Joo Seung-hyuk had done something bad to me. It was probably just because I was under too much stress…

When I arrived at the KR Hall, I saw quite a few students coming out after finishing their training. However, the students’ gazes were strange.

Many people looked at me blatantly, their eyes wide as if surprised.

Was it because of the articles about Joo Seung-hyuk? Or were they surprised to see me talking to reporters?

But the reaction was more intense than when I was in the auditorium earlier. While some students just passed by, a fair number of people stared at me intently.

There had always been people glancing at me, but this was the first time the gazes were so blatant. Moreover, everyone looked surprised.

“Joon, is there something on my face?”

“No. It’s not that, but your complexion is very poor. I think it would be best if you went to the infirmary.”

Is it really just because I look pale…?

“Lee Yeon-soo!”

“Yeon-soo!”

Just then, Kang In-ho and Ji-hee noona approached me from the opposite direction.

“Were you two together?”

It was a rare combination. When I asked out of curiosity, Ji-hee noona answered.

“Kang In-ho was looking for you, so I told him to wait since you’d be coming with Joon.”

“Ah, sorry, In-ho.”

Since I had disappeared suddenly, Kang In-ho must have been worried.

“It’s fine. More importantly, Lee Yeon-soo, why is your face so pale? Are you sick?”

“It’s nothing.”

Worry was etched on the face of Kang In-ho, who never lost his poker face regardless of the situation. I must really look terrible.

“But Yeon-soo.”

Ji-hee noona’s expression suddenly became serious. However, it wasn’t a look of worry. Rather, she looked surprised. Just like the other students who had been staring at me.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t be surprised, no matter what I say.”

Hearing her say that with such a serious face suddenly made me panic.

“What is it? You’re scaring me by acting like this.”

“It’s not a scary story…”

“Then…?”

“I think you’ve Manifested…”

“……”

Rather than surprising, it was an absurd statement.

“Noona, stop joking.”

Manifestation all of a sudden? It was nonsense. But her expression was earnest.

“I’m not joking. I can feel pheromones coming from you right now.”

“No way. Did someone get some on me?”

“No, it’s different from that. It’s definitely coming from you.”

She spoke firmly without a hint of hesitation. It didn’t seem like a joke.

Then, does it really mean pheromones are coming from me? Come to think of it, Park Geon-woo had also asked if I had Manifested.

Was he not making an excuse, but actually sensing my pheromones? If so, was the reason the students were staring also because of the pheromones…? They were surprised because they felt pheromones coming from me, a Beta.

“Are you sure these are Lee Yeon-soo’s pheromones?”

Kang In-ho, who was a Beta, asked Ji-hee noona again.

“Yes. It wasn’t like this in the auditorium earlier. But now, the pheromones are incredibly strong. It seems the Manifestation has just begun.”

She placed her hand on my forehead.

“Your fever is high, too. I think it’s Manifestation Fever.”

“Manifestation Fever…”

I really Manifested? It wasn’t a body ache from exhaustion, but Manifestation Fever…?

In the original story, Lee Yeon-soo was a Beta. And Ju Tae-han was a D-Class Guide. But now, I have Manifested, and Ju Tae-han has undergone Re-awakening to S-Class. Even if the story changes, a person’s trait or rank was determined from birth.

Then how did this happen?