Esper: A Foreign Entity in a Guide-less World

[Ah-ha…? Hey, don’t ignore me. I’m more delicate than I look, you know. If you leave, Kaoru’s going to tear into me. I might even cry.]

I was scanning the room for an exit when the bastard grabbed my shoulder and started talking again.

Smack!

I immediately slapped his hand away and ran my fingers through my hair.

Both my bangs and that bastard were pissing me off beyond belief.

“Hey.”

[You keep saying ‘Ah?’ Is that your name or something? Huh, interesting name.]

My patience was wearing thin.

It had been a while since I had to teach an esper some manners.

Tilting my head slightly, I shifted my gaze toward the flickering candle beside him.

A single, small flame burning alone in this dark space.

Fire.

Jayan observed the silent boy.

An enigma—his age, his name, even his language were all unknown.

How was he supposed to break him? Jayan had been considering his options when he noticed the boy’s gaze fixated on something.

[…Ah. This little bastard.]

Jayan’s smirk twisted into a scowl.

Boom!

The tiny candle erupted into a massive inferno, swallowing him whole.

Like a lightning bolt tearing through the blackest sea, the darkness was instantly consumed by roaring flames.

Cursing, Jayan shielded his face with his robe and bolted for the door.

Bang! Bang!

The wooden door shattered as he burst through it, but the vortex of flames chased after him, swirling like a relentless predator.

[Jayan-nim!]

The guards standing watch shouted in shock.

“Hah, it’s hot as hell.”

I ran a hand through my hair as I strolled out of the underground prison.

Dressed in unfamiliar clothes, speaking an unknown language, I emerged from the inferno with a slow, almost lazy gait.

Behind me, the underground chamber had been reduced to blackened ruins—nothing but ashes remained.

My golden eyes gleamed like a beast’s as I locked onto the guards, who instinctively recoiled, their spears trembling in their hands.

“Move.”

[Stand down.]

Jayan and I spoke at the same time.

“This is going to be a hassle.”

[What, are you going through puberty all of a sudden?]

Neither of us broke eye contact.

Our hands tensed, veins bulging.

At that moment—

[Tell Kaoru to bring the little one!]

“I’ll make you regret this.”

With those final words, we clashed.

As long as I could find my guide, I didn’t care if I lost control.

I pushed my power to its absolute limit.

An unstoppable force meant to incinerate everything in its path—this was the raw power of the number one esper in the Association.

The temperature surged.

Red flames turned blue, then white-hot.

Drip.

Overwhelming heat coursed through my body, and blood dripped from my nose.

The sheer intensity of my focus made everything else fade into the background.

Watching my enemies melt and crumble beneath me—being the absolute force in control—had always given me a certain high.

Hah. Hah.

Only my own breathing filled my ears.

‘Just a little more. Stronger.’

Fwoooosh!

The silver-haired bastard was gone.

Even I couldn’t see clearly through the blinding white flames.

He had probably disintegrated, his very form erased by the fire.

It was over.

…Or so I thought.

[K-Khh… Za… vda…]

Whoosh!

Something hot and sticky coiled around my neck.

The moment I saw it, I let out a dry chuckle.

His skin was gone. His eyeballs, hair—everything had melted away.

Yet, through the pure white flames, that wretched, unrecognizable figure still grinned.

Thick, viscous droplets of something foul dripped from him as he pinned me down, his back rising and falling with ragged breaths.

“Persistent bastard.”

I grabbed his skull with one hand, gripping tightly.

This time, I was going to end him for good.

Just as I was about to unleash my power again—

“HEY! STOP! STOP IT, YOU IDIOT! HEY! NAK YUSEONG!”

[Turning into a slime was a new experience.]

[You should have just died.]

[Oof, getting angry like that is bad for your skin, Kaoru.]

I sat on the couch, arms crossed, glaring at the silver-haired bastard.

His body, which had been a melted wreck just moments ago, was already regenerating at an alarming rate.

Physical enhancement abilities were a pain to deal with.

And S-rank physical enhancers? Absolutely disgusting.

Regeneration? That was just plain cheating.

Damn cockroach of a bastard.

“Those kinds of things need to be killed in one go—ugh!”

“You just never know when to shut up, do you? Are you seriously not going to apologize?”

Ji Seon Woo smacked me hard on the head. Not a light tap—a full-force blow.

He might be slender, but when it came to scolding me, Ji Seon Woo practically turned into a physical enhancer himself.

Clutching my throbbing head, I scowled.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“You little—”

He raised his fist again, and I shot him a glare before turning away with a huff.

What the hell did I do wrong?

I pressed my lips together stubbornly, refusing to respond.

Instead, Ji Seon Woo sighed and turned toward the others, bowing his head slightly.

As if they even understood him.

“I’m really sorry. He’s just a bit sensitive. He was probably just worried that I might’ve been harmed.”

“Tch. Apologizing to kidnappers, really?”

“Nak Yuseong. Keep that up, I dare you.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bespectacled guy next to the silver-haired bastard waving his hand dismissively as he muttered something.

I had half a mind to snap at them for putting on this comedy act, but I’d already pissed off Ji Seon Woo enough for one day, so I kept my mouth shut.

Just as the awkward exchange continued, the door suddenly burst open, and a loudmouthed bastard with dark brown hair stomped in.

[You little shit! Why the hell are you just sitting there?!]

“Oh, great. Here we go.”

Before I could react, the bastard grabbed me by the collar and yanked me up roughly.

I furrowed my brows.

“I won’t say it twice. Let go.”

[Listen up. Laying a hand on the district boss means you’ve messed with Serbul.]

Unlike the silver-haired freak, this guy barely ranked as a B-class at best.

Meaning he was weak—too weak for me to bother using my strength on.

I could’ve crushed him easily, but with Ji Seon Woo glaring daggers at me, I was forced to restrain myself.

Suppressing my irritation, I grabbed the bastard’s wrist, exhaling sharply.

What a hassle.

It didn’t matter anymore.

I had found Ji Seon Woo. Now, we were leaving. That was all that mattered.

I swallowed down my anger and was about to tell Ji Seon Woo that it was time to go.

But then—

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing, grabbing him like that?!”

Out of nowhere, Ji Seon Woo grabbed the bastard’s wrist.

[Uh…]

“Let go! Why are you grabbing him when he’s just standing there? Stop bothering Yuseong!”

[Aagh!]

What the hell?

The bastard shrieked and stumbled back like he’d been electrocuted.

He was in full panic mode, gasping for breath, his face flushed red.

Something was… off.

The way his breathing hitched, the way his body trembled slightly—

It was the unmistakable reaction of an esper who had just experienced guiding.

Guiding, a process that only happened when an esper’s body or mind was overwhelmed and needed stabilization.

And the only person capable of guiding an esper was… their designated guide.

Wait.

“Ji Seon Woo.”

My voice dropped to a dangerously low tone.

Ji Seon Woo flinched.

Ah.

That reaction confirmed it.

“You—”

My jaw clenched.

“Did you just fucking guide him?”

Did I hear that right?

Did Ji Seon Woo—my guide—just guide another esper?

My mind blanked for a moment.

His pair was me.

His one and only esper was me.

And yet, he… guided someone else?

Fury surged up from the pit of my stomach, hot and uncontrollable.

At the same time, my vision blurred slightly.

A burning sensation spread through my eyes.

I was so angry I could die.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

I bit down on a curse, my voice rough.

Ji Seon Woo shrank back even further.

“Come with me.”

“Yu-Yuseong—”

“Shut up.”

I grabbed his wrist in a vice grip and stormed toward the door.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I needed to get out of this disgusting place.

He’s mine.

My guide.

He exists for me alone.

“Ah—wait—Yuseong, that hurts…! I’m sorry, I’m sorry—ah!”

Usually, I handled Ji Seon Woo like he was made of glass.

But not this time.

I didn’t care.

He stumbled behind me, struggling to keep up, but I couldn’t slow down.

If I did, my rage might consume me whole.

That’s when—

[What the hell do you think you’re doing?! He’s in pain!]

The bastard grabbed my wrist, trying to stop me.

I froze.

“……”

[Let go of him! You’re hurting him—ugh!”]

I had no idea what the hell he was saying.

I didn’t care.

I didn’t care about any of it anymore.

I was on the verge of losing my mind, and now, this piece of shit was trying to stop me?

This pathetic excuse of an esper who had the audacity to receive guiding from my guide?

How much more of this was I supposed to tolerate?

Without a word, I grabbed him by the throat.

“Hey.”

[Guh—kgh…!]

“Shut up.”

“Yuseong! Nak Yuseong! What are you doing?!”

“…Hyung.”

I looked down.

Ji Seon Woo was clutching my arm, his large, pretty eyes trembling violently.

“I didn’t get mad enough, did I?”

“Yuseong, please….”

“Why did you guide him?”

My voice cracked slightly.

“You never even guided me back in Korea. You said I was your only match. You said you’d only do it for me.

“And yet, you just fucking guided someone else?”

“I know. I know, I screwed up. I should’ve asked for your permission first. That was my mistake.”

Ji Seon Woo’s voice wavered.

“But the guy you’re holding—his energy was completely unstable. It was like he had never been guided before. If I hadn’t done it, he might’ve lost control—he could’ve gone berserk!”

I scoffed.

“And what the hell does that have to do with you?”