#35
‘So, to trade the profits of a mere B-rank gate for a chance to appeal to him… that’s a huge gain.’
At the time he heard those words, Jihyuk had asked, ‘Is that so? Is that guide really worth appealing to that extent?’ but Hyeonil had only laughed.
Because of that, Jihyuk had simply let it go, thinking, ‘Right, when has Gae-Hyeonil-ssi ever thought and acted logically?’
However, seeing the scene of dozens of clay soldiers being swept away by water from a gem the size of a grain of rice, he understood all of the strange behavior.
‘With that guide, gates and the like become nothing. A disaster that all of humanity couldn’t solve becomes just an ordinary news report like “it’s raining~”.’
‘His name was, Kim Wonwoo... right?'
Jihyuk cautiously took out his phone, and avoiding the eyes of Yonghyun and the other Bureau staff, sent a group message to the guild management team.
[The entire team needs to step up and investigate something.]
[We need to investigate a person named Kim Wonwoo, a party member in the gate the Guild Leader is currently raiding.]
[We need to gather as much information as possible, as quickly as possible.]
***
The menacingly charging clay soldiers were all swept away and melted down by the wave Hyeonil had created, as if they had never been there.
Watching the clear water, like a transplanted blue sapphire, mix with the clay of the soldiers and turn into muddy water as it flowed far away, Wonwoo couldn't help but hiccup at the sheer magnificence of it.
‘Th-this is insane….’
It was fascinating how the clay soldiers crumbled with just a single punch from Jinho, but it was also amazing to see a wave powerful enough to sweep the entire path created from a single small gem. It felt as if everything happening right now wasn't a story of this world.
What was an everyday occurrence for the two people here was nothing but unfamiliar to Wonwoo, who had been an ordinary civilian until just a few days ago.
But then, a question followed.
“That’s the path we came from, isn't it? Doesn't that mean the water will pour out through the entrance we came in?”
“Ah, you’re right. Hmm, well, if a problem arises over there, they’ll figure it out. Aren't they watching through the body cams anyway?”
“That’s true, but….”
However, the problem didn't occur at the gate entrance connected to the outside, but in the space where the three of them were. As if the sudden trampling of many feet at once wasn't enough, the surroundings began to shake as if an earthquake had struck, likely due to the aftermath of being swept by the wave Hyeonil had summoned.
“…Hyeonil-ssi, you didn’t press something weird again this time, did you?”
Jinho asked, looking at Hyeonil with a suspicious gaze.
“Hey. I might make a mistake once, but not twice.”
“Then why is the ground shaking again….”
Finding it difficult to keep his balance in the swaying situation, Wonwoo unconsciously leaned in close against Jinho.
“I think it’s because this path isn’t attached to the floor. Too much weight was applied at once, making it weak. It might collapse.”
“Th-then, isn't this a huge problem?”
Wonwoo looked back and forth between the two, his eyes trembling as much as his shaking body. I don’t know what’s going on, but they’ll handle it. Really, they will, right? Following his eyes, his faith in the two was now also shaking.
“Hmm…. Right? A huge one.”
“Why are you so carefree!”
Even as Jinho shouted in frustration, Hyeonil just shrugged his shoulders as if to ask what the problem was and said.
“Guide, no, no. As long as Wonwoo is here, everything is fine.”
Hyeonil hummed a tune and took out another sapphire from his case, just like the one before.
“Wh-what’s that for all of a sudden…?”
“Actually, normally a gem of this size wouldn’t be enough. But since Wonwoo is here, I think it’ll be okay.”
“Could it be….”
As Jinho trailed off, Hyeonil nodded his head.
“Yep. The clay soldiers were swept away and flew far into the distance, so couldn’t we do that too?”
At Hyeonil’s words, Wonwoo, who had been listening to their conversation blankly, snapped to his senses.
“Fly? Who’s flying? Us? With what?”
No. Don’t just talk with your eyes as if only you two understand, please explain it to me too? Before Wonwoo could even finish his thought, his body, which had barely touched the floor, was once again lifted up by Jinho.
‘My weight is at the level of an average adult male… but to lift me up so easily like this. Jinho-ssi, you’re so strong….’
“In the first place, it’s my fault for using my ability without considering the environment. So I’ll try to finish this myself somehow. I hope the body cams are waterproof.”
“N-no way….”
“Wonwoo hyung, hold on tight. You can’t let go of me. Got it?”
“N-no. No…!”
“Good, good. Let’s go quickly like this, before it collapses.”
Hyeonil shouted as if humming cheerfully, and then crushed the sapphire. Simultaneously, a massive stream of water erupted from Hyeonil's hand and began to envelop the three of them in the shape of a tube. In response, Jinho’s grip on Wonwoo tightened.
“Hyeonil Water Park, now open!”
‘Th-this crazy… The path is about to collapse, what is he doing!’
Wonwoo’s thoughts were buried by the torrent of water that Hyeonil summoned once more.
As the massive stream of water approached as if to swallow him, Wonwoo squeezed his eyes shut and burrowed into Jinho’s embrace. He prayed that his phone in his pocket, with its long-remaining contract, would somehow survive.
***
[It’s a really, really good thing that user ‘Wonwoo’s phone has a waterproof feature. >﹏<]
[Even if it had been completely submerged in water, I wouldn't have! worried! Because it has! a waterproof feature! 〒▽〒]
[However… the stream of water wielded by Esper Kim Hyeonil felt like the Jordan River Express…. X﹏X]
“Hmm, is your phone okay?”
“…Ah. Yes. It’s fine.”
“My body cam is fine too. I checked Wonwoo hyung’s as well.”
Although clay soldiers popped out here and there like jack-in-the-boxes, they were all swept away by Hyeonil’s water stream, allowing the three of them to reach their destination comfortably.
Furthermore, by a stroke of immense luck, the path the three had taken on the Hyeonil Water Park slide led to the exit of the long corridor. Although the exit was firmly sealed by a stone door, even that was shattered by a single punch from Jinho, just as he had easily smashed the heads of the clay soldiers.
As the door shattered, what the three of them faced was a stone chamber reminiscent of an ancient temple.
Thanks to the chamber being excessively wide compared to the corridor they had walked through, the water stream that had led them spread out and lost its force, and as a result, the three of them were able to safely set foot on the ground.
‘That was… one hell of a ride.’
To the point where his worries felt foolish, the water stream Hyeonil created moved as smoothly as a water slide at an amusement park. Perhaps thanks to Hyeonil crushing emeralds to create wind along the way, they didn't even get completely soaked, far from crashing into the walls, and thanks to his excellent control, the situation was better than riding a water slide at an amusement park.
“Oh, I think I did a really good job steering this time.”
Moreover, except for the butt and thigh areas that had been on the water tube, no other parts were significantly wet. Even the parts that did get wet, Hyeonil dried them by crushing a ruby, making them as fresh and fluffy as if they had just come out of a dryer.
“Originally, it’s not that I can’t do such delicate control… well, right. I didn’t do it. Using my abilities delicately just hurts. I lived with the thought of just going all out….”
Hyeonil said, patting Wonwoo’s shoulder. Anyone could hear the emotion of pure joy in his voice.
“Since it doesn’t hurt, I can do whatever I want.”
“Ah. Me too. The feeling of my power being exerted just as I unleash it is really… so good.”
As soon as Hyeonil’s words ended, Jinho smiled, meeting Wonwoo’s eyes. At the two’s successive praises of guiding, Wonwoo felt an unknown sense of embarrassment and awkwardness and avoided their gazes.
-Bbirong bbirong!
[Good! You’re doing well!]
[This is how you wrap the espers around your finger one by one! ლ(╹◡╹ლ)]
[If they’re this captivated by just hugs and hand-holding, what if you were to kiss them…!]
[Did you know that even a kiss on the cheek gives +1 heart?!]
['Heart-Pounding♥ Relationship with Espers’ GUIDE for user ‘Wonwoo’!]
[Depending on the favorability level between the esper and the guide, additional conditions to obtain hearts will be added! (≧∀≦)ゞ]
[For more details, check the ‘View Heart Acquisition Conditions’ command!]
“W-well then. Since our clothes are in order, shall we look around this place?”
Wonwoo turned off his phone screen without any lingering attachment. Hugs and hand-holding, he managed to do those somehow through the course of events, but a kiss was, in the current situation, completely impossible.
‘Did you like the guiding? Then try a kiss on the cheek too! It will present you with an even more amazing guiding experience!’
He couldn't just say something like that, and asking people he had just met a day or two ago for a kiss didn't seem right at all.
A person who suddenly shouts ‘Let’s kiss!’. He would surely be treated like a crazy person by anyone. Wonwoo shook his head from side to side, shaking off the wicked (?) thought.
Besides, just holding hands has this much effect… so ending it at just holding hands should be fine, right?
However, Wonwoo did not know.
That Jinho, Hyeonil, and Yonghyun, who was watching from afar, were already thinking, ‘If just making eye contact, just holding hands is this much….’
The assumption of what would happen if they were to engage in skinship more intimate than that was floating around in the minds of the three.
But Wonwoo, oblivious to this situation, cautiously followed Jinho, who took the lead, and walked into the stone chamber.
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