# Chapter 25
Title: What the Hell Are These Ability Users Doing?
(evacuation_center_photo.jpg)
What kind of mess is this????
Is it normal for monsters to be rampaging everywhere??
In an instant, homes and schools all collapsed
Aren’t Espers supposed to enter dungeons to prevent monsters from coming out?
So why are they letting them out?
Why are they just watching?
What exactly are they checking??? Are they just too scared to go in?
How will people like me who’ve lost everything be compensated?
It’s so fucking frustrating
Useless bastards
If we keep running away every time a dungeon appears, where will we end up?
9999 comments
It’s chaos
I understand your anger, but there must be a reason
└What kind of thinking allows a city to collapse and just leaves it that way?
This is shit. I’m also in an evacuation center right now
└I’m scared too. We don’t know when monsters might burst in
└Are you sure they caught them all?
There are rumors that several civilians died but it’s being hushed up… Don’t tell me it’s just a rumor. With all this chaos, you think no one died?
└I think so too
└Same
└I agree
They should at least say something, but they’re just telling us to shut up and wait
You’re better off. Our internet was completely cut off. We just moved to another evacuation center so we can finally go online
They say they’re entering the gate that appeared in Seoul
└Are only Seoul people considered citizens?
└Seo Suhyun went in
The countryside is just abandoned land lol. We lost contact with grandma and only found out a dungeon had appeared after my dad rushed over there
└Is your grandma okay?
└Yeah, fortunately, but it was just luck. She was completely neglected
└Sigh
I’m scared. What’s happening?
They say the whole world is in the same state
└Just tell us the reason already
Is Seo Suhyun the only one going in? For the Seoul gate too?
└I heard a few other Espers are going in, and Moon Jiwon is going too
└Isn’t Moon Jiwon a Guide?
└Yeah, I’m confused. Why would a Guide enter?
Take care of rural areas too, damn it
Hey, I heard Russia’s S-class Esper Yenin died
└??????
└Isn’t Yenin an extremely powerful Esper? Why?
└Idk, no reason given
└Is everyone crazy? Why aren’t they telling us the reasons?
I heard quite a few other Espers died too. I’ll stay quiet..
└Do you live in Seoul?
└;
I just pray a dungeon entrance doesn’t appear in my neighborhood
└2222
└3333
└4..
I’m trying to call the Association. They need to tell us something so we can mentally prepare
└Me too.. but these bastards keep transferring calls
└Should we move to Seoul?
└All refugees will gather in Seoul lol
└What a spectacle that’ll be
**
His head was throbbing. It was frustrating to so clearly feel people’s confusion. It would be nice if he could do something…
“Shouldn’t have looked at this.”
Jiwon clicked his tongue and rubbed his forehead. After witnessing Suhyun’s fans, he had searched for Suhyun’s name and discovered a site filled with posts that, unlike before, were impossible to laugh at.
It must be frustrating to lose your home and have to evacuate without knowing anything. But any information shared now would be premature.
They needed to find at least a minimal solution before informing people. Ordinary people don’t understand ability users. If told that there’s a very low probability of Espers going berserk and dying, they would focus on the lower probability rather than death.
In the end, public outrage would only increase, with people demanding they enter dungeons, even mentioning civilian casualties that don’t exist.
For now, keeping it under wraps was the best option.
“It feels like it’s been a really long time.”
Before he knew it, the car Suhyun was driving had arrived in front of the house. Jiwon hid his sinking feelings and forced his voice to sound cheerful. Meanwhile, Suhyun was still maintaining his vow of silence.
“How long are you going to not talk?”
He must be embarrassed.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned the message. But what’s said is said and can’t be taken back now.
Until a moment ago, Suhyun’s awkward expression had made Jiwon smile slyly, but after seeing the raw reality of ordinary people’s situations, he couldn’t bring himself to smile.
This wasn’t the time to laugh and joke around casually.
“Let’s pretend that day never happened. I’ll forget about it too.”
“……”
“More importantly, there’s something I want to hear. I heard you saw something that day.”
Jiwon, who entered through the front door as if it were his own house, got straight to the point. After sitting down on the living room sofa, Suhyun, who had been standing still as if thinking about something, soon nodded.
He promptly sat across from Jiwon. However, it was noticeable that he was consciously trying not to make eye contact.
‘Cute…’
Worried that his thoughts might show on his face, Jiwon paid extra attention.
It was the best choice at that moment. The results speak for themselves, don’t they?
The rapidly declining stability had instantly found balance. It was still puzzling how it stabilized so much just from a kiss, but he could sort of accept that Suhyun might have clung more to that feeling of stability.
Jiwon doesn’t prefer this method of guiding. However, when life was in danger, they had to do everything possible. So there was no fault on either side, and no need for further discussion.
“What did you see?”
What’s important now is what he claimed to have seen.
“…Well.”
Though his tone was ambiguous, Suhyun somehow seemed certain.
“To explain it simply, I saw something like blood vessels.”
“…Blood vessels?”
Jiwon frowned, finding it difficult to understand the meaning.
“There was something crawling on the wall. It seemed to move inside the wall, so it looked like blood vessels.”
Jiwon nodded. He had never heard of monsters crawling inside walls.
“Do you think that’s the monster that disrupted the wavelength?”
“The moment I discovered it, I thought I needed to go inside. So I suspect there’s a connection. Whether it’s a monster that disrupts wavelengths or one that lures us into such dungeons needs to be verified.”
Perhaps due to the lack of definitive evidence, Suhyun added a lengthy explanation. Jiwon nodded for now. It was plausible.
There’s no common factor in the dungeons where Espers have been affected. If they all had been cave-type dungeons with such walls, it would have been known earlier. Among the dungeons where lives were lost, some were vast, open plains.
“…It’s hard to know.”
Does it lure Espers to places where wavelengths get tangled? Or does it have an ability that affects wavelengths?
Jiwon let out a sigh.
“We’ll have to keep entering dungeons to find out more.”
The clues are insufficient. Still, thanks to Suhyun, they’ve grasped a small thread. It was much better than starting from scratch.
“…Until the same phenomenon occurs again.”
To be honest, it was a bit worrying. The same phenomenon occurring again? This means Suhyun would once again lose his mind and attack until he’s driven to the brink of going berserk.
Repeating dangerous situations multiple times. How many times exactly? And even then, would they be able to find a solution?
“That’s why I plan to be in the advance party from now on.”
Suhyun’s voice cut through Jiwon’s complex thoughts.
“Since I’m the only one who has seen it and been entranced by it, I want to go first to check.”
“Hmm….”
“The rear party will enter about an hour later. That’ll be after I’ve checked the entire dungeon.”
Jiwon quietly listened to Suhyun, but his expression wasn’t particularly good. Suhyun glanced at Jiwon and then calmly continued.
“The wavelength won’t be an issue. I’ll aim to explore as much as possible without catching monsters. So, Guide-nim, you can wait outside…”
“I don’t want to.”
Just as I thought.
Jiwon, who had cut off Suhyun mid-sentence, crossed his arms and sat askew. Somehow, it felt fishy. It was worth rushing out of the hospital with the feeling that such an absurd plan might be devised.
“The Association didn’t approve this, did they?”
“…It was approved.”
Liar.
Jiwon shook his head. If the Association had approved, they would have gone in already.
“Even after I told them that you, as an Esper who had lost your mind, abandoned your Guide and rushed in alone?”
“……”
“At the point where I passed out while guiding and was brought outside, your claim to enter the dungeon without me wouldn’t have been persuasive. There’s no way the Association would have permitted it.”
Suhyun pressed his lips together. Now he’s even making blatant lies.
“Dividing into advance and rear parties is a good idea.”
Jiwon was about to shoot back a few words but held back. He didn’t have bad intentions after all… No, but still. Doesn’t he value his life?
“…Haa. Yes, if Esper-nim doesn’t catch many monsters, the wavelength shouldn’t be an issue, and the rear party will enter after safety is guaranteed.”
Though his insides were boiling, Jiwon held his patience.
“It all sounds good, but entering without me is impossible. You said it before, didn’t you? I can’t enter the dungeon without you. I’ll return those exact words to you. The same applies to you.”
Jiwon had clearly seen those eyes, clouded and hazy from the loss of reason. Having experienced it once, can he be confident it won’t happen again?
Even if there was a possibility, it was extremely small.
“If I don’t go, you can’t go. The Association would be saying the same thing. Even without me reporting the details of your condition at that time.”
Even if the Association had lost their minds and approved that plan, Jiwon could easily reverse their thinking.
Jiwon could prove that without a Guide, Suhyun would definitely die if he entered the dungeon alone. If the Association doesn’t want to lose Suhyun, they won’t make such a stupid choice.
“…The same thing could happen again.”
Jiwon scoffed and replied.
“Knowing it might happen again, you still want to go.”
Is he worried about me? He’s got the wrong address. Suhyun should be worried about himself.
“Esper-nim needs to live for everyone else to live. I’m going to ensure Esper-nim survives. Even if the same situation arises, I’ll do my best to prevent you from going berserk.”
He would slap his cheek if necessary to bring him to his senses. At the slightest sign.
An Esper’s senses are far more developed than an ordinary person’s. If he could maintain his sanity and rationally observe his surroundings, that would be ideal.
What’s concerning is…
“But is it possible to use minimal power, protect me, and check the dungeon all at once?”
The fact that I might hinder his examination of the dungeon. It can’t be helped, but there was anxiety about whether he could maintain his wavelength stability consistently.
“…Haa.”
Meanwhile, Suhyun let out a long sigh.
He seemed frustrated as Jiwon didn’t look like he would give up. Jiwon looked directly at Suhyun to remind him once again that it was absolutely not allowed.
Soon, a short answer escaped from between Suhyun’s teeth.
“That… won’t be a problem.”
