IDESGI Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The closer the man came, the clearer his features became. The first thing that caught Yeoul’s eye was the long scar running beneath his left cheek. Looking closely, he had a fairly handsome face, but the scar gave him a menacing impression. His swaggering gait added to it.

Sensing danger, Yeoul instinctively stepped back, but his throbbing ankle slowed him.

What do I do?

An Esper outside the zones—that alone meant he was no ordinary threat.

Those banished beyond the zones were called exiles, criminals cast out for serious offenses. Especially for Espers—since their numbers were few—they wouldn’t be exiled unless the crime was severe. This man was without a doubt dangerous.

Before he knew it, the man was right in front of him, looking down at him with a crooked gaze.

“You a Guide?”

If he said yes, he’d probably get dragged off. In a place like this, a Guide would be far too valuable.

Yeoul quickly made his judgment and denied it.

“No. I’m just a civilian.”

The man’s lips twisted into a mocking grin.

“So you are a Guide.”

Grabbing Yeoul by the collar, the man yanked him upright and leaned his face in close.

“In a situation like this, most people say they’re a Guide—truth or lie—because latching onto an Esper is the only way to survive out here. Anyone who says ‘civilian’ without hesitation falls into one of two categories.”

The man raised two fingers in a V-shape, then folded one down.

“One, some clueless rich kid who thinks Espers are obliged to protect civilians.”

Pressing his remaining middle finger against Yeoul’s cheek, he continued,

“Two, a Guide with a story.”

The man’s eyes swept Yeoul up and down before he snorted.

“You don’t look like you grew up spoiled. But you do look like you’ve got a story.”

Yeoul tried to wrench free the man’s grip on his collar, but the shirt was held tight, showing no sign of release. Narrowing his eyes coldly, Yeoul snapped,

“Let go of me.”

“Can’t do that. I can’t let a Guide I found just slip away.”

The man’s predatory gaze crawled over him, thick with lust that made Yeoul’s skin crawl.

He reached out again to shove the man away, but the man was faster. Catching his arm, he twisted it sharply, sending a wave of pain through him. A groan escaped his lips.

“Ugh…”

“Making sounds like that turns me on.”

The man pressed his leg suggestively against Yeoul’s groin. Yeoul flinched, trying to pull away, but was quickly stopped.

“I don’t care what your story is. Give me guiding, and I’ll let you live.”

“…I don’t care. Kill me or not.”

“Wow, so you really were planning to die? Too bad. Then you picked the wrong place to do it. You shouldn’t have caught my eye. And besides—”

The man gripped Yeoul’s chin and turned his head side to side, then smirked in satisfaction.

“Your face is my type too. No way I’m letting you go.”

He’d barely escaped Ihan, only to get caught by some nameless Esper. He’d rather be killed outright. But something told him this man wasn’t going to let him off that easily.

“…Is guiding all you want?”

“Do you only make rice with grain?”

“What?”

At the cryptic remark, Yeoul frowned in confusion. The man grinned.

“You’ve got to have something on the side if you want a full meal.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”

“Are you playing innocent, or are you just stupid?”

The man pressed against him again, this time slower, tilting Yeoul’s chin upward.

“Sleep with me.”

It was only after he realized the meaning that Yeoul tried to resist, but the man’s strength kept him firmly in place. He could also feel his ankle swelling more and more. Even if he tried to run now, he’d be caught quickly. After a brief moment of thought, Yeoul made an offer.

“I’ll guide you. But no mucous membrane guiding. If you lay a hand on my body, there’ll be no guiding at all.”

“Tch, that’s boring.”

“Then let go. I’ve got nothing to lose.”

At the cold reply, the man raised one eyebrow.

“You keep half-speaking informally to me. Is this some kind of half-respect talk? It’s kind of exciting…”

Before he even finished speaking, the man drove his fist into Yeoul’s stomach. With a choked groan, Yeoul staggered and collapsed to the floor.

“My mindset’s a little Confucian, you know. I get offended if I’m not treated with proper respect.”

Coughing up bile, Yeoul glared at the man with bloodshot eyes. The man exaggeratedly pretended to be frightened.

“Wow, that’s a pretty fierce look. Gonna eat me alive? How am I supposed to live with fear like that?”

Grinning, he suddenly slammed Yeoul’s head into the floor. The impact was so hard it sent shockwaves through his skull, turning his vision white. His stomach churned, his insides twisting painfully.

“If you’re wishing to be eaten by a monster, you must be quite the masochist. I’m pretty knowledgeable about that myself. Back when I was in Zone 2, I trained plenty of Guides. Killed a few, too. Well, that was just because they were weak.”

Yeoul struggled to keep his senses, but his vision grew hazy. Through his heavy eyelids, the man’s snake-like face swam into view.

“I wonder how long you’ll last.”

The long, thin scar on the man’s face almost looked like a serpent.

Maybe it would’ve been better to be eaten earlier.

That was Yeoul’s last thought before he lost consciousness.

* * *

“I’m back.”

The man kicked open the door to a shabby house, Yeoul slung over his shoulder like luggage. A large man shot up from his seat and bent at the waist ninety degrees.

“You’re back, Boss!”

“Where are the others?”

“They went hunting. What’s that? Don’t tell me… you brought back a Guide?”

“Yeah. Tell the others not to come upstairs when they get back.”

“Yes, sir!”

Before the man even finished speaking, the other was already heading up the creaking wooden stairs, which looked ready to collapse at any moment.

He tossed Yeoul onto an old mattress in the corner, sending up a cloud of dust as the worn springs groaned. Yeoul’s face hit the hard mattress before he finally regained consciousness.

“Ugh…”

“Oh, good. You’re awake.”

Yeoul slowly sat up, pressing a hand to his throbbing head as he looked around. The stuffy room smelled musty and held only a chair and a mattress. Judging by the light, the sun hadn’t set yet.

This isn’t far from where we were before.

Unless he could teleport, it wasn’t possible to get here so fast if it were far away.

He’s not a spatial Esper—he used electricity earlier.

Most Espers didn’t have sub-abilities, and even if they did, they were far weaker than their main powers. That Yoo Ihan could travel 10 km using his secondary ability was extraordinary.

Yeoul’s eyes roamed the room until he noticed something.

The electricity’s on.

The light wasn’t from the sun through the window but from the bulb hanging from the ceiling. The man, catching Yeoul’s surprise, smirked.

“What? Thought we lived without electricity in a place like this?”

Yeoul couldn’t deny it—he hadn’t imagined they’d waste energy to light a room without a Guide. He chose silence, which the man took as confirmation, then sat down heavily in front of him.

“I’m an A-Class electric Esper. Powering a single light bulb doesn’t even make a dent in my energy.”

Pulling a knife from his pocket, he tapped the flat side against Yeoul’s cheek.

“But if I keep using my ability, I’ll lose control eventually. Unlike you, I’m not ready to die yet. Since you’re throwing your life away anyway, I’ll make good use of it.”

Yeoul had no desire to cling to life under such treatment. He just wanted to die without disgrace, but this rotten world wouldn’t even allow that. A dry laugh escaped his lips.

“This is exhausting…”

Murmuring softly, he spat in the man’s face, deliberately provoking him.

“Wake up from your dream. I’m not giving you a shred of guiding energy.”

“Wow, you really are desperate to die. You’re just begging for it, huh?”

Wiping his face with his sleeve, the man pressed the blade to Yeoul’s neck. A thin cut opened, and drops of blood fell.

“I can’t kill you like you want, but I can make you wish you were dead.”

“Disgusting bastard.”

Yeoul spat again. The man’s brow twitched, the vein on his forehead standing out as the grin faded from his lips.

“You’ve been talking down to me, cursing, too… Is it because you’re young? Don’t you know how to respect your elders, kid?”

“You keep calling me a kid, but I’m not as young as you think.”

“Please. You look barely twenty. What, are you still in high school? If you’re underage, maybe I’ll go easy on you. I have that much conscience.”

“It’s been years since I graduated.”

Finding Yeoul’s insistence ridiculous, the man asked anyway.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-eight.”

“What?”

The man’s eyes went wide.

“You’re three years older than me?”

Yeoul was just as surprised. The same age as Ihan? He’d thought the man was over thirty at least.

“Twenty-eight, with that face? Even if I ate collagen by the bowl, I wouldn’t look like you.”

Pulling the knife away from Yeoul’s face, the man narrowed his eyes.

“You don’t seem like you’re lying.”

After studying him a moment longer, the man clicked his tongue.

“Tch. That’s a letdown. Older types don’t do it for me.”

He beckoned to Yeoul.

“Do some hand guiding.”

Before Yeoul could refuse, the man added a threat.

“Do it right. If the efficiency’s low, I might just shove something into that little mouth of yours.”

It wasn’t a threat Yeoul could ignore. For now, it was safer to step back than face something worse.

Reluctantly, he let his guiding energy flow—but then sparks flew, and the point of contact burned hot, as if seared. The pain was sharp, like a burn, and the man jerked his hand away.

“Damn it. What kind of crap did I end up with?”

Staring blankly at his palm, Yeoul was stunned.

The guiding energy bounced back.

It wasn’t guiding at all—if anything, it felt like he was stealing the man’s energy instead.