Episode 21: A Rough Start (2)

 

“Y-Yes? W-Wait, aren’t you supposed to go help? I just assumed that was what you were planning to do.”

“Haha, thank you for thinking so highly of me, but my abilities and Juyul’s don’t mix well. If I went, I’d only get in the way. Besides, the reason I’m here is…”

Ping—!

Ssss—

“…to deal with things like this.”

“Holy crap…”

Even after hearing her muttered curse right in his face, Seonghwa’s gentle smile remained unchanged. Although they hadn’t talked much, a surprising range of emotions had been exchanged in a short time, making Sodam feel unexpectedly comfortable with him.

Moreover, seeing her trembling at just a single shard of ice made him feel a bit foolish for even briefly regarding her with caution.

With a slight tilt of his eyes, he chuckled.

“Haha, you curse in a funny way.”

Seonghwa was laughing as if it was nothing, but Sodam couldn’t laugh at all. After all, she’d just seen the shard of ice that had nearly reached her nose melt away in his hand. And not only that—the ice fragments that had splattered onto the stunned employees around them were all melting away in contact with Seonghwa’s power, turning into harmless water.

Thanks to his abilities, the temperature had noticeably risen, and the employees’ faces had flushed slightly red. Unfortunately, Seonghwa wasn’t immune to the effects of the heat himself, and beads of sweat were trickling down his face and collarbone. As Sodam watched him, he suddenly let out a short sigh.

“Isn’t it hot for you? Even those standing farther away are finding it too warm…”

“Not at all. If anything, I’d encourage you to go even further. It’s just the right warmth for me.”

Sodam edged a step closer, as if she genuinely meant it, and Seonghwa barely held back a chuckle. But despite his effort to contain it, his smile remained as he looked at her, warmer and more genuine than before.

“It’s about to get even more dangerous, so you should find a safe place to wait.”

“What? Why?”

“Um… well, as far as I know, Guide Maeng Sodam, your rank is… low, and if you get too close, you could get seriously hurt. The employees will be pulling back soon, so it would be wise for you to go with them.”

Though his initial point wasn’t incorrect, the rest of his comment undermined the very effort Sodam had made to get here. She’d spent good money on transportation only to be told to go back. It was beyond frustrating—it was absurd.

She couldn’t understand why the employees were already pulling out before the subjugation was fully complete. Sure, no one wanted to stick around with their lives on the line, but wasn’t Seonghwa here to protect them? Frowning slightly, Sodam asked in confusion.

“If Esper Cha Seonghwa is here, isn’t that enough? Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“That’s true, but usually, my role is to protect the surrounding buildings. …Wait, you know my name?”

“Oh…”

Realizing her slip, she was momentarily flustered, but she hadn’t revealed anything major—just a name. Though a bit embarrassed, she casually rubbed her ear and muttered.

“You’re rather famous. So then, staying close to Esper Cha Seonghwa would suffice… Oh, is it because it’s summer?”

“Exactly. Even in the dead of winter, it gets warm, so in summer, dehydration becomes a real risk.”

“Oh… Well, that’s perfect for me, then. I actually enjoy it when Esper Cha Seonghwa warms things up.”

For an ordinary Guide, maybe not, but for Sodam, who bore a heavy burden of Juyul’s pollution, it was a blessing. Standing by this ‘human heater’ turned the chill of the seaside breeze into a warm draft, and the incoming ice shards melted before they reached her. Besides, once everything was over, she’d even have the chance to check in with him.

Satisfied with her conclusion, she smiled—only for Seonghwa to shoot it down.

“No matter how much Guide Maeng Sodam wants to help Juyul, it’s pointless if you get hurt first.”

“But that’s what Esper Cha Seonghwa is here for, isn’t it?”

“It’s just common sense not to approach an Esper right after a subjugation. If it were an ordinary Esper, you might manage, but Juyul is different.”

She wanted to retort that common sense was clearly not in her playbook, but Seonghwa’s face was so earnest that she restrained herself.

Perhaps taking her silence as agreement, he went on with even more enthusiasm.

“All the Guiding Juyul has received doesn’t even amount to a tenth of the pollution in his body. …Forgive me, but I doubt Guide Maeng Sodam’s Guiding would make much of a difference.”

“…”

“Please don’t worry too much. He’s endured well so far, so there’s little chance of him losing control. But if it still bothers you, I’ll let him know afterward, so heading back to the Association would…”

Twenty seconds. That was how long it took for Sodam’s patience to snap.

“So, because he’s endured well so far, you’re saying he’ll just have to keep enduring?”

“…Excuse me?”

“That’s what it sounds like. Just because everything’s been fine until now, you’re certain it’ll be fine this time, too?”

“Well, that’s…”

“There’s a Guide right here who came to help. Why make such a fuss about common sense? I said I’m willing to risk it.”

The only reason Sodam could make such bold statements was that she knew Juyul wouldn’t lose control today. If she hadn’t had prior knowledge from the original story, she would have immediately headed to the Association with the staff. But as someone who had reincarnated into this world, that wasn’t a concern.

Forget SSS-class; Juyul could easily handle S-class creatures without breaking a sweat. The original story even mentioned that his exhaustion from fighting the Leviathan was due to a lack of Guiding, so she was already confident of his victory.

Though she spoke with conviction, Seonghwa’s expression was still unreadable. Just looking at him, she couldn’t tell if he even understood her.

With a deep sigh, Sodam glanced over at Juyul in the distance. The Leviathan, which had been attacking him with ice shards, was now exposed, its seaweed covering gone, revealing its crustacean body beneath. It looked like he still had the upper hand.

‘If I just keep talking, this will never end. I’ve got the time, so let’s consider this a practice round.’

With a calm resolve, Sodam turned back toward Seonghwa and, without hesitation, reached out to place her hand lightly on his shoulder.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Talking in circles will get us nowhere. I’ll just show you directly.”

“Show me…what?”

“Just to be honest, I’m only an F-class. I still need to save some energy for Esper Baek Juyul later, so I can’t give you too much. Your designated Guide should be around here somewhere anyway, so think of this as, hmm, a taste test—just a sliver of energy, like a small ice chip. Not even a chip, more like a crumb…”

As she rambled on, her confidence in her own Guiding abilities was clearly dwindling.

It had only been two days since she’d entered this world, and her sole experience with Guiding was with Juyul. She hadn’t even had a chance to hear proper feedback on her abilities. If Seonghwa were at least a B-class, she might have bluffed a bit, but alas, here she was.

“Alright, I’ll start transferring energy. I’ll cut it off if it gets too much.”

“But…”

“Oh, come on, just let me handle this, okay?”

Whether it was because of his kind personality or his lack of faith in her abilities, Seonghwa was reluctant. Ignoring his hesitation, she pulled energy from him forcefully.

Unbeknownst to her, what she was doing was a subtle breach of protocol—a faux pas so severe it bordered on an insult, like telling someone, “You’re so trashy you don’t even deserve proper Guiding.” She was blissfully unaware of the implications.

While Seonghwa froze from the sudden Guiding session, Sodam, now fully focused, started the process with surprising intensity.

‘Wow, his energy feels like fire itself. And the pollution… let’s just say it’s like logs on a fire. Gosh, my imagination skills are lacking.’

Perhaps due to her low rank, the energy coming from Seonghwa was faint and gentle.

In truth, Seonghwa wasn’t intentionally transferring his energy at all; Sodam was forcibly drawing it from him. The amount was limited by her F-class rank, but she had no way of knowing that.

The energy came in just the right quantity for her to manage, making the process surprisingly smooth. Compared to the grueling “boss fight” that was Juyul, this felt more like a beginner’s training ground, with logs floating gently in her mind’s eye. She reached into the energy, trying to pluck out these metaphorical logs.

‘…Huh? This isn’t so bad. It’s like soaking in a hot bath, just a little warm.’

Though she’d initially been nervous, picturing a daunting scene, the actual experience was surprisingly manageable. Compared to Guiding Juyul, this was practically a relaxing experience.

As she continued “scooping up logs” with imagined splashes, she felt herself nearing her limit. Fortunately, this was a lighter contact than yesterday, and she knew her boundaries well enough to end the session smoothly without overextending herself.