Imprint severance drugs impose a tremendous burden on the body. This was far more lethal to guides than to Espers, who had superior physical abilities. It was also consistent with what the Research Director had mentioned before: ‘There are no proper cases because there are no intact guides.’ If an Esper and guide severed their relationship, the damage would absolutely be concentrated on the guide. In other words, what Seo Yuseok was saying was that his guide was currently committing an act of suicide.
“But even if the guide bears an additional amount of what the Esper should take, in the end, if the Esper doesn’t take it, imprint severance is difficult, right?”
I brought out the information I knew as calmly as possible.
From the flow of the conversation, it was clear that Seo Yuseok wasn’t simply requesting guiding from me right now, but requesting counseling.
Whatever the rumors were, I was at least someone who had imprinted with Do Ganghyun. It meant I was a suitable person to seek conversation with in a desperate, grasping-at-straws mindset.
“That’s right. The connected imprint would weaken as if it would break, but it wouldn’t break. The guiding efficiency would also temporarily drop to extremes.”
Seo Yuseok laughed self-deprecatingly.
“But, Guide. Do you know this? Most Espers can’t oppose what their imprinted guide wants to do, even if it means risking their life.”
“……”
“If a guide gambles like that—their own death versus severing the imprint with the Esper—ten out of ten would choose the latter.”
‘In the end, I’ll take the drug myself.’ Seo Yuseok added bitterly.
For a moment, I was at a loss for words and at the same time, Do Ganghyun’s face came to mind.
Would I be able to hear such words from Do Ganghyun in the same situation? Perhaps the reason Do Ganghyun hadn’t requested imprint severance was, as Seo Yuseok said, because he couldn’t put my life on the scales?
As soon as I had that idle thought, I strongly felt that I hoped Seo Yuseok’s problem would be smoothly resolved. It was because I couldn’t help but inevitably project myself and Do Ganghyun onto their relationship.
“Still, receiving guiding from me isn’t a solution. Why don’t you just ask the reason—”
“At least it can delay taking that damn drug. Since I’m the Esper and I don’t agree, taking all the drugs at once carries a high risk, so they’re dividing the doses. Only when I request guiding.”
In the end, what Seo Yuseok was saying was one thing. Every time he tried to receive guiding from his guide, the guide would take imprint severance drugs, so he was trying to keep the guiding cycle as long as possible.
“I already know the reason too. Hyeyeon’s body is very weak. Of course she can’t accompany me on overseas deployments or business trips, and she can’t even wait on standby in front of gates.”
Since they were imprinted, whether he received guiding from another guide or was prescribed medication, the effects were minimal. In the case of medication, the side effects were even greater. So there were frequent situations where he had to endure brief emergency situations, and the guide who cared for her Esper found this painful.
“I’m really okay though.”
I hesitated for a long while, not knowing what to say, before barely opening my mouth.
“Would it be enough if I just help with guiding?”
“…Just for a while. I need to resolve this quickly before her body breaks down more.”
Seo Yuseok bowed his head, asking for my help.
I slowly unfolded my waves with a faint smile. Rather than spreading them widely through the air, I set an imaginary space and made them concentrate in one place as much as possible. Contact guiding could be poison to an Esper who had an imprinted guide.
If he were unconscious it would be one thing, but if he received guiding from another guide with his consciousness this clear, a strong rejection reaction could unconsciously rise up. This was the representative reason why imprinted Espers had difficulty receiving guiding through a third party. So guiding had to be done through radiation guiding as much as possible.
“You know the effect will be really minimal, right? Especially since I’m—”
“Of course it’ll be better than not receiving any. Thank you.”
Before I could mention C-rank again, Seo Yuseok cut off his words and expressed his thanks. So I also didn’t continue speaking and focused on controlling my waves.
Seo Yuseok’s waves were on guard with thorns raised all over, but they weren’t aggressive.
‘With the thought of laying down the raised thorns as much as possible…’
I didn’t make pointless challenges like pulling out the thorns his waves had raised, wrapping around them, or crushing their form. I chose the method of acknowledging Seo Yuseok’s waves as they were but carefully approaching them in a direction that could lower his vigilance, reducing the momentum just a little. In my head, I imagined gently stroking a hedgehog’s quills and moved the guiding waves through the air following that texture.
Do Ganghyun evoked the sensation of sweeping like fierce waves or wind, or otherwise brought to mind the deep sea or swamplands whose bottom couldn’t be known, but Seo Yuseok was on the favorable side.
More than anything, this soothing method was a bit easier for me, who originally possessed a small total amount of guiding.
‘Since I’m not putting him completely to sleep.’
Just as Espers showed possessiveness toward guides, guides were the same. It just didn’t show normally like with Espers.
For guides, that aspect mainly showed when they were guiding. I didn’t know if others felt the movement of waves as clearly as I did, but usually guides wanted to place the Esper’s waves under their control while guiding them. Therefore, when guiding, the form often involved wrapping around the Esper’s waves. Even I sometimes unconsciously showed such behavior while guiding Do Ganghyun.
However, the difference in rank between Do Ganghyun and myself was clear, and it was difficult to rely only on matching rate unconsciously. There were times when I had to vary my guiding method depending on the situation.
The skills I learned while trying various methods like that became my abilities as they were. Honestly, I was confident that when it came to guiding technique alone, I wouldn’t fall behind anyone.
‘Like I did in the communal guiding room. But a bit more delicately, with the thought of reducing the flow speed…’
I calmly let my waves flow.
Certainly, perhaps because he had an imprinted guide, even though I was devoting my heart and soul to radiation guiding, the repulsive force was considerable. Rather than clumsily resisting and holding out or pushing through, I guided the flow to match Seo Yuseok’s waves so they could slowly permeate. Then I could see my guiding gradually taking effect.
Ssssssss……
The guiding that harmonized with Seo Yuseok’s waves emitted light and formed into small particles before scattering through the air. It was just like impurities being gathered from his waves and disappearing far away.
Feeling with my whole body the sensation that others couldn’t see or hear and realizing that the guiding was being completely accomplished, I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
“How is this… Guide Myeong Eunha?”
Then Seo Yuseok made a dumbfounded sound. Not understanding, I quietly tilted my head and waited for the next words, but he remained silent for a long while.
‘Does he want more guiding?’
Unfortunately, more than this was impossible. Not only was there not much remaining guiding in my body, but this level of control consumed too much mental energy. I had to guide Do Ganghyun afterward, and I couldn’t exhaust all my stamina for an Esper whose efficiency had dropped due to imprinting. His situation was pitiful, but the limit of what I as a C-rank could help with was clear.
“I’m sorry, but more than this is impossible. Since you have an imprinted guide and my rank is low, there probably won’t be any numerically significant change—”
“No! This much is enough!”
Seo Yuseok suddenly shouted loudly. His greatly flushed face looked like it had recovered its condition after a long time, and also like he had seen hope.
“Wow, Guide, can you see this?”
“…61%?”
“Yes! Until now, no matter how much medication I took and received guiding on site, it was hard to exceed the low 50% range, but to rise this much at once.”
“Still, you can’t say it’s in the safe zone yet.”
I muttered softly with a bewildered heart.
In reality, the guiding level called the safe zone starts from 75% and above. Below that required caution, and below 50% was classified as emergency, below 20% as rampage danger. In short, it meant Seo Yuseok was in a situation that required caution just the same, before and now.
“This much is enough. Honestly, I was about to be quarantined as an emergency case if I wasn’t careful. Today too, I took medication and barely made it to 53% before coming. But to bring this level of result with just radiation guiding.”
‘The Captain didn’t appoint you as team guide for nothing.’ Seo Yuseok joked around before bowing his head deeply.
“I’m truly grateful.”
I clearly felt his expression, which had been dark from being cornered, brighten. Although he hadn’t found a clear method to immediately improve the situation with his imprinted guide, it was a happy face from having bought some time.
