“Look, it’s Kim Seohyeon and Lee Yesol!”
Something was wrong.
“Hey, film it first!”
This shouldn’t be happening.
“Deobuk.”
“……”
“Get it together, Deobuk.”
I was floundering trying to find something among the people crowding around when my collar was grabbed.
“Uh, Seohyeon-ah.”
“Are you okay?”
Lee Chaseok was busy controlling the surroundings that had become urgent with a face that wanted to slap my cheek.
“I think they’re going to guide!”
“Kiss! Kiss!”
The voices around me became clear then distant. When I properly came to my senses, I was thrown into a corner of some convenience store.
“Deobuk.”
A silent space with the lights off and blinds closed.
Kim Seohyeon’s face came closer. At the timing when our lips would touch, I pushed the guy away.
“Guiding is fine. I’m perfectly fine, and.”
I couldn’t cause any more trouble. Right, it’s not like this was unexpected. In the end, I have to go to the very last.
“I think the evacuation support team should be sent to Siheung, not Ilsan.”
“What do you mean?”
“There won’t be any injuries or property damage in Ilsan. Actually, it seems like many have already been injured.”
There were three refugee contact accidents I saw on the road coming into Ilsan. Except for those.
“You can leave this land alone. I’m certain.”
“You say it’ll be okay, but why is your condition like this.”
I’m having a mental breakdown, that’s why, a mental breakdown.
Actually, the ‘Territory Game transformation’ of Ilsan Seo-gu had already started right after the earth preheating occurred.
Everyone was trembling in fear because the shock of the second game was great, but the difficulty of the Territory Game rides a flow of plop-plop, that is, strong-weak-strong-weak-moderately weak.
Since the second game was super strong, the third was essentially a reward round.
“Then should we leave Ilsan for now and go to Siheung?”
At Lee Chaseok’s words, I shook my head. Inside the quiet convenience store, only the sound of the refrigerator running could be heard.
“Working-level Manager-nim.”
“Please speak.”
“You trust me, right?”
“For now, Esper Lee Yesol-nim is the only one to trust.”
“I’ll organize it for you. People with offensive traits must go to Siheung. The Guides who will protect them too.”
“What’s happening there?”
“Among the three lands, that’s the only battlefield. The other two places are fakes.”
“…Gasp!”
“They’re fakes, but they’re lands that function. Send all ordinary people who hope to become Espers or Guides to Taean.”
“What on earth are you thinking?”
“There will be an awakening event in Taean. Like in Cheorwon.”
“…You’re saying people could die like in Cheorwon?”
“Yes. Only those who seize the opportunity will live. But the difficulty will be significantly easier.”
“……”
“Working-level Manager Lee Chaseok-nim can also visit Taean if you have time……”
The event that would occur in Taean was [Catching Crabs]. If you boiled, raw-sliced, or stewed the crabs caught there—consumed them in any way, you could germinate traits.
I’ve told everything up to this point.
“More than that, right now… there are many foreign countries requesting cooperation, right?”
“Yes, many. Especially Japan made a strong request from what I know. They’re close, and they asked to borrow Esper Lee Yesol-nim for just one day, but of course we refused.”
“By any chance, will the content I spoke about today be shared on the world table?”
“Yes, there’s nothing bad about international cooperation. The games worldwide are also played on similar tracks. Since detection-types like Lee Yesol-nim are rare… you’re a precious resource.”
That meant I was being overestimated excessively. But today of all days, I absolutely needed this overestimation.
“In our country, how many Espers haven’t germinated their traits yet?”
“I don’t go around memorizing numbers. Why do you ask?”
“I think you need to return now and compile the exact number of people and a list. It’s important.”
“Understood.”
“And it would be good if the Minister of Foreign Affairs also comes.”
Kim Seohyeon, who had been listening to my words carefully, raised an objection.
“Why the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
“Because I need to go abroad urgently.”
The Working-level Manager and Kim Seohyeon simultaneously made surprised expressions.
“Abroad?”
“No.”
Wait, who does Kim Seohyeon think he is to say no?
“What do you mean no?”
“You’ve done enough. Now you’re going to spoon-feed other countries too?”
“I’m not spoon-feeding them, I’m going to spoon-feed myself.”
“So why on earth.”
“If I don’t eat this meal, I’ll die, Seohyeon-ah.”
“What do you mean, Esper-nim?”
I sighed and brought Kim Seohyeon’s hand to my side.
“Can you feel it? Wave clumping.”
As soon as Kim Seohyeon’s hand touched, it unraveled smoothly like untangling a tangled thread, but as time passed it would clump up again.
“Why is this?”
“I need to absorb an energy source that will permanently unravel this. Working-level Manager Lee Chaseok-nim will also know. My wave level is rock bottom.”
“Yes, don’t tell me……”
“Yes, it’s because I’m suffering from wave clumping disorder. Right now it’s the early stage so it unravels with just a bit of guiding, but when it becomes late stage, my body probably won’t be able to endure. I’ll die.”
Kim Seohyeon looked at me in shock. Lee Chaseok also turned pale.
I continued speaking calmly.
“The energy source that can unravel this doesn’t exist in Korea. The reason I was discouraged and couldn’t get it together earlier was also that.”
Still, I hoped against hope, but I didn’t think it really wouldn’t exist.
“I need to find the energy source and go abroad. But it’s a first-come-first-served loot system. If someone gobbles it all up, I can’t eat it. So this matter is an information war.”
“I understand. It seems we’ll also need data research on which country has what.”
“When you know where what is, it’s already too late.”
“Then……”
“We just need to obtain cooperation from one country. Thailand.”
“Understood.”
“The list I asked for earlier is also in the same context. Espers who haven’t found their traits yet can only find their proper traits by going there. A ‘trait’ is something that, when it reaches the germination critical point, sprouts somehow by its own will even if it doesn’t match the body’s compatibility, so there are many cases where it doesn’t fit one’s aptitude. The ability gets nerfed. But if they go there, they can find a perfect match. You can think of it as a huge aptitude testing ground and evolution ground.”
“If that happens, our country’s power will greatly increase. I should return immediately and put in a cooperation request.”
Kim Seohyeon was silent.
“Relax your expression, you bastard.”
I patted the guy who had gotten serious alone and grinned, but the guy didn’t return a smile. Anyway, such an expensive bastard.
Lee Chaseok moved immediately without delay. As expected, he was domestic tier 1 for working well.
While a secret exchange agreement was being made between Korea and Thailand, domestic Espers who hadn’t found their traits yet were urgently summoned.
Even there, they were divided among wave grades into middle, lower and upper, highest.
Those classified as middle and lower immediately moved to Ilsan Seo-gu, and those classified as upper and highest received emergency passports and headed to the airport.
The problem was Kim Seohyeon. I had a hard time persuading the guy who insisted on following me to Thailand.
This guy had to stay.
The Siheung battlefield was an easy course thanks to flame-type Esper Kim Seohyeon before the regression, but since this guy suddenly became a Guide, the difficulty shot up vertically.
There’s no one who can properly fight, so the Guide should at least heal well, right?
“You know, Seohyeon-ah. Guard our land well, and we’ll see each other in a few days?”
“Contact me when you arrive, even if you’re busy.”
“Got it, got it.”
After pacifying the guy well, I boarded the chartered plane.
The news that Lee Yesol and other Korean Espers had been discovered in Thailand only spread worldwide the next afternoon.
[Korea seems to be hiding something.]
[Why on earth did Korea’s Espers go to Thailand at this point?]
[Simple training camp? That doesn’t make sense.]
[There’s something in Thailand!]
[Japan’s J1-Espers also want to do their training camp in Thailand!]
Japan, who caught on to the signs first, chartered a plane after emergency negotiations with the Thai government.
These movements were broadcast as real-time front-page articles.
[(Article) Following Japan… US Espers’ training camp also decided on Thailand?]
[(Article) Belatedly following Lee Yesol]
[(Article) China expresses regret over Korea’s information monopoly……]
[(Article) Chinese Esper delegation, emergency training camp to Thailand]
The United States and several friendly nations also sent chartered planes in succession, but no matter how fast, they were a day behind Korea.
* * *
[Title: Thailand dumbfounded (331)]
Lee Yesol – Global neighborhood association president
Meeting place – Thailand
└Neighborhood association president upvote
└This is Schuss
└I heard they call Deobuk ‘Buckie’ overseas lol whoever exported Deobuk come out lol leaving behind the cool nickname yessir ㅡㅡ
└Why the hell did he go to Thailand???
[Title: Speculation on why Deobuk went to Thailand (33)]
These rock chunks suddenly appeared near Ilsan Seo-gu Lake Park a few days ago? ㅇㅇ I thought it was just landscaping…
But starting this morning, lower rigger unknowns swarmed and sucked on them hard…
To ordinary people’s eyes they’re just rocks, but to unknowns’ eyes they look colorful depending on attributes ㅇㅇ like crystal balls
And if you touch those rocks, traits are generated
The problem is those rocks ㅇㅇ are resource-limited like minerals, so they went to Thailand to build a nat double
└What’s that last part? Nat double?
└└Old-timer game term ㅇㅇ second house! Understand it as dividing and extracting resources
└Korean team is seriously so cunning lol
└The training camp joke was too much lolololol
└What’s unknown<<?
└└Espers whose traits haven’t developed
└To summarize, our country has few resources needed for Espers and Thailand has fucking tons of resources, so they went to share them?
└└ㅇㅇ
* * *
Near Doi Phu Nang National Park where earth preheating had started, a [K-Esper Happy Training Camp] picket was swaying in the wind.
Along with that, the ‘Leader’ badge on my chest also sparkled brightly.
<Unknown>, the international designation attached to Espers before trait germination.
Surprisingly, <Unknown> Kim Jaei, classified as ‘Highest’ grade, was shuffling along beside me.
“Hey, the air is insane. *sniff sniff*”
“Our Jaei, you came to play, right?”
“Then did I come to die, Leader-nim?”
We joined with Thailand’s unknown Espers. Our side was about 50, their side was about 40 in number. As they say, even Mount Geumgang is better after a meal. At the outdoor dining area, all kinds of delicacies were spread out and a Thai performance team was preparing for us.
“Wow, the table’s breaking under the weight. This is Last Supper-level.”
“Let’s eat our fill. We have to go hiking all day.”
It was so nice to be treated to good food. But since two days had already been eaten up while cooperation between both countries was established and we passed through the movement section within Thailand to get here, I felt rushed.
We finished eating while the performance proceeded, and just when we were finally about to move, a Thai council member who suddenly appeared started conducting a thank-you ceremony. I tried to half-listen and let it pass but it was endless. Say a few words, induce applause, say a few more words. I ultimately had to cut off his words.
“I apologize for interrupting, but please convey that we don’t have time.”
“Yes, Leader-nim……”
The mood suddenly turned awkward but there seemed to be understanding. Right, I’m dying from urgency. I have to search through all this land within the next 3 days.
I clapped twice through the unsettled gap to draw everyone’s attention.
“The food was very delicious. We ate our fill. Thank you for the hospitality.”
“……”
“Okay, okay. I’ll explain what we need to do here. Everyone’s played games at least once when you were young, right?”
Nod.
“When you clear stage 1, a bonus stage appears. Where you eat tons of money or gain a skill each. This is that kind of place. We’re going to find ‘skills’ that match each individual’s attributes.”
Good. Since it’s information everyone already knows, I’ll explain up to this point.
“Then let’s depart… Whoa!”
Just then, tremendous light sparked down like lightning from the clear sky in the distance.
My ear holes tingled. Everyone crouched down thinking a missile had fallen, but… I think I know who that is.
“Should we go take a look over there?”
<Unknowns> are Espers but since they’re steamed buns without filling with no abilities loaded, they were generally scaredy-cats.
“Hey, hey. Is it okay to just go like this?”
“Uh, seems like it’ll be okay?”
“Ah, our leader has no fear.”
I walked very slowly. The clear sound of a waterfall grew closer. At the spring, a crystal ball that had lost its light was *crack* split in half.
Between that split gap, one person could be seen.
“Sawatdee kha.”
I greeted him in Thai. He also looked at me.
Power enough to suck in all the resources the giant crystal ball possessed.
Thailand’s first S-rank, and who would later be reputed as the best among hydro-type Espers worldwide, Diyau.
