DMG Episode 1

The Disaster Came Suddenly.

Without warning, gates and domes appeared, and from within them emerged terrifying monsters that drove people to helpless deaths. While everyone could do nothing but tremble in fear, watching death unfold with no solution in sight, those with the power to combat these monsters appeared.

They were called Espers.

Espers were individuals with various abilities to oppose the monsters. Some controlled the forces of nature, some possessed bodies stronger than steel, while others had psychic powers or could create barriers to fend off monster invasions.

Kang I-won was an Esper with the power of regeneration.

As a monster charged at him, Kang I-won extended one arm. The sharp teeth of the monster, fooled by the bait, quickly pierced through his arm. Despite the flesh being torn, Kang I-won, wearing an expression of indifference, swung his free arm, stabbing a dagger into the monster’s eye and, without hesitation, slashed downwards in one swift motion.

The monster screeched in agony as the weapon sliced through half of its eyeball. As the monster opened its mouth wide in pain, Kang I-won swiftly withdrew his arm from its jaws and leaped back, kicking off the monster’s body.

While Kang I-won retreated, a formless energy quickly surged toward the distracted monster, which was writhing in pain. The sharp energy burrowed into its open mouth, slicing through its innards like a blender’s blade, tearing apart its organs as it carved its way through the throat.

The horrifying scream of the monster echoed as its bear-like body slowly collapsed.

“Is it dead?”

Someone asked.

Han Kang-jin, examining the creature’s corpse, replied.

“It’s dead.”

“Man, that was disgustingly tough,”

Groaned Choi Soo-bin, who had been providing backup, as she sat down, exhausted.

Han Kang-jin shook the monster’s blood off his shield, while Kang I-won massaged the arm that had been pierced by the monster’s teeth. Although the arm was drenched in blood, it was now perfectly unscathed, thanks to his regenerative ability.

Watching Kang I-won tend to his arm, Han Kang-jin let out a sigh.

“I-won.”

“What?”

“I’ve told you countless times to be more efficient, haven’t I? Do you know how much you scare me every time you do that? You didn’t have to offer your arm like that. And yet—”

“It’s faster this way.”

Kang I-won interrupted calmly, cutting off Han Kang-jin’s words.

Han Kang-jin scowled at his indifferent response, while Choi Soo-bin, still exhausted, grumbled.

“Team leader, stop nagging. It’s Kang I-won who should be listening, but my ears are the ones suffering. It’s not like this is the first time he’s done this. More importantly, when is our designated guide arriving? I swear, I’m going to lose it soon.”

Choi Soo-bin complained as she whined.

Espers, after gaining the power to fight monsters, also developed a “core” within their bodies as they awakened their abilities.

This core, unlike the hard stone-like cores found in monsters, was more of an energy condensation that couldn’t be seen with the naked eye. Still, since it was the source of their power, it was also referred to as a core.

While Espers had gained the power to battle monsters and possessed these energy cores, they weren’t invincible.

Every Esper’s core emitted its own unique wavelength, and each time they used their powers, the wavelength fluctuated wildly. The more they used their abilities, the more violent the fluctuations became, which in turn agitated the core. This left Espers both mentally and physically unstable.

As the fluctuating wavelengths pierced their core, the Esper’s core gradually became more tattered. If the core reached a certain threshold, it would explode like a bomb, leaving only pure instinct and a desire for destruction behind. This phenomenon was called “rampage.”

An Esper in rampage mode was nothing short of a living disaster, and they were swiftly dealt with. By “dealt with,” it meant their death, and thus, rampage became synonymous with death.

However, there was a way to control the unstable wavelengths of an Esper’s core—Guiding.

Only the unique energy possessed by a Guide could stabilize the unstable wavelength of an Esper and restore a damaged Esper’s core to its original state. This process was called “Guiding.”

A Guide’s energy could be transmitted through physical contact with an Esper, and the more intimate the contact, the more effective the Guiding process was.

Although Guiding was the only way to control an Esper’s unstable wavelength, unfortunately, the number of Guides was significantly smaller than the number of Espers. As a result, Guiding drugs were continuously being developed to serve as substitutes for Guides’ direct guidance.

However, these drugs were known to cause numerous side effects, and many Espers were reluctant to use them. Thus, most Espers received Guiding from a designated team Guide rather than relying on the drugs. It was common for a team of four to five Espers to have one Guide.

However, Team 5, which Kang I-won belonged to, had no designated Guide.

It wasn’t always this way. Initially, an A-class Guide with an average matching rate of 70% was assigned to Team 5. But that Guide fell in love with an A-class Esper from another team and unexpectedly imprinted on them.

Once a Guide imprinted on an Esper, they could no longer Guide anyone else, leaving Team 5 without a Guide. This happened two months ago.

For the past two months, the team had been relying on the temporary guidance of a C-class Guide, who had an average matching rate of barely 48%, along with Guiding drugs. However, they were nearing their limits.

Choi Soo-bin, unable to hide her exasperation, continued.

“Team leader, I feel like my insides are twisting. I’m nauseous, and my head is killing me. I can’t even remember the last time I had proper Guiding! Kim Youngho, at least you’re a B-class, so it’s probably better for you, right?”

She poked Kim Youngho, the only B-class Esper in Team 5, with her finger. Kim Youngho’s face flushed red as he shouted back.

“Just because I’m B-class doesn’t mean it’s easier for me! Don’t you know my matching rate with the temporary Guide is only 41%? I’m the one having the hardest time! It’s the lowest!”

Choi Soo-bin slumped, her response lacking energy. “I don’t care… Just use the drugs if you hate it so much…”

“You know full well how horrible the side effects are, and you’re telling me to use them? How about you try them instead? Team leader, seriously, when is our new Guide coming? I can’t take it anymore. My rank is low, so even using a bit of power makes my wavelength go haywire. Honestly, I’m not feeling great either. My head’s starting to hurt.”

All the team members began expressing their frustration over the lack of proper Guiding. Even Kang I-won, who was wringing out his monster-blood-soaked clothes, turned his head to look at Han Kang-jin. Kang I-won, too, had been using his abilities without receiving proper Guiding, and it was becoming a bit dangerous.

With all three pairs of eyes on him, Han Kang-jin groaned and carefully spoke.

“A Guide from Seoul will be coming soon. Once they arrive, we’ll do a matching rate test, but don’t get your hopes up.”

“Wow!”

Choi Soo-bin clapped her hands in delight at Han Kang-jin’s words.

“Who is it? Who’s coming?”

“I said don’t get your hopes up.”

“But I’m curious!”

“Would you even know if I told you?”

“I probably would! I’ve got a pretty wide network, you know.”

Choi Soo-bin said proudly, causing Han Kang-jin to chuckle.

“It’s Heo Do-kyung. He seems to be pretty famous over there.”

“Heo Do-kyung? Heo Do-kyung… Where have I heard that name?”

Choi Soo-bin mumbled to herself, tilting her head in thought, repeating the name. Watching her, Han Kang-jin tapped her shoulder and said.

“Do you think you’ll remember by doing that? Let’s wrap up and head back.”

“Wait a minute, it’s on the tip of my tongue… Heo Do-kyung, Hur Do… Hurdo? Wait, team leader, don’t tell me it’s ‘that’ Hurdo?”

Kang I-won raised his head and asked, “Hurdo?”

“That guy! The one rumored to be a lunatic! That S-class Guide!”

Heo Do-kyung.

He was a rare S-class Guide, and rumors about him were rampant—especially about his obsession with cleanliness and his strong dislike of Espers. Choi Soo-bin continued.

“Haven’t you heard the latest gossip? There were rumors going around that a Guide actually subdued an Esper.”

“A Guide subdued an Esper? How? Is that even possible?”

Kim Youngho asked, astonished. Even Han Kang-jin, who had started tidying up, was intrigued and turned to listen to Choi Soo-bin.

She went on.

“You know Woo Young-seon, right? The S-class Esper from the Seoul branch.”

“Of course I know him. There’s probably no one in Korea who doesn’t. He’s famous overseas too…”

Kang I-won rolled his eyes, and Kim Youngho, noticing this keenly, asked cautiously.

Come on, no way…”

“…”

“Do you seriously not know?”

“…”

Kang I-won let out an awkward sigh. Why would he bother knowing someone else’s name? As he avoided eye contact, Kim Youngho added.

“He’s the Esper with the barrier ability.”

The barrier—a special shield that protected against monsters. Even just blocking monsters would make such an ability highly valuable, but Woo Young-seon was an S-class Esper. Not only did he block monsters, but he could also close gates, making him a force to be reckoned with.

“Oh, I know who you’re talking about.”

Kang I-won muttered.

“But I didn’t know his name.”

“So, what about him?”

Ignoring Kim Youngho, Kang I-won directed his question to Choi Soo-bin, who continued. “

Apparently, Woo Young-seon had a crush on Heo Do-kyung and was trailing after him. Rumor has it that Heo Do-kyung got fed up and reversed Woo Young-seon’s wavelength during Guiding.”

“Is that even possible? Wouldn’t that cause him to go berserk?”

Han Kang-jin asked, intrigued. Choi Soo-bin shrugged as she went on.

“I’m not sure exactly how it worked—I’m not a Guide, after all. But luckily, he didn’t go berserk. Instead, Woo Young-seon’s wavelength got all messed up, and he had to stay in the hospital for a while. I heard a few Guides with high matching rates are sticking with him now.”

“What about the barrier?” someone asked.