This S-Class Esper is Not an Obsessive Maniac

16.

“Wow, it’s been a long time since we’ve been here too.”

“Yeah. Was this place always this small?”

“It’s just that there are more people now, that’s all.”

“True, back then it was just the four of us at most. You and Ho-yeon were still young.”

The space of about 20-25 square meters seemed to be completely filled just with six adult men entering. Ryu Ho-yeon quickly manifested a round table and chairs. Four out of the six sat down comfortably: Kim Jun-young, Lee Jung-hyuk, Lee Han-seo, and Ryu Ho-yeon.

Of the remaining two, Park Woo-jun, unfamiliar with the place he was visiting for the first time, was busy looking around with his shoulders tensed. Lee Han-seo interlaced his fingers with Park Woo-jun’s and pulled him to his side. “Woo-jun, is this your first time here?” “Yes, honey. I’ve only heard about it, but it’s my first time.” Their attempt at whispering was clearly audible to everyone else, filled with an irritatingly sweet affection.

Park Woo-jun shouldn’t have been called. Ryu Ho-yeon immediately frowned in displeasure and turned his head sharply to seek agreement from Lee Jung-hyuk, but alas! This side wasn’t much different.

“How many years has it been for us?”

“Well, we haven’t been here since Ho-yeon and Han-seo broke up, so it’s been about 5 years, I guess.”

“5 years… It’s been a long time, now that I think about it.”

“Yeah. Back then, I never thought we’d end up like this, hyung.”

“It was all my fault. I’ll do better.”

Kim Jun-young and Lee Jung-hyuk were also lost in their own trip down memory lane. Ryu Ho-yeon turned away from there too. Just as he was about to sigh, feeling like he had no one reliable on either side, his gaze fell on the last person still standing awkwardly by the door.

“What are you doing? Come here.”

Called without much thought, the young face suddenly lit up. He had always thought Choi Jae-won looked young, but today he seemed especially youthful compared to Kim Jun-young and Lee Jung-hyuk, who were in their mid-thirties.

“Um… Where is this place, hyung?”

“This? It’s a workshop.”

“A workshop? Is it a place where things are made? Or a studio?”

“Well, neither of those is wrong.”

This was the Manifestation Research Department located in a corner of the second-floor research lab in the main building. Its official name was the Special Division-Manifestation Research Department directly under the research lab, but no one used such a long and grand name. This ‘workshop’ was like a playground where Ryu Ho-yeon could experiment with his ability and create various objects, separate from his living space.

Until Lee Han-seo gave up his position as Ryu Ho-yeon’s provisional pair, Kim Jun-young and Lee Jung-hyuk, Ryu Ho-yeon and Lee Han-seo, as the only two S-class Espers in the Center and their Guides, would gather here whenever they had time, using it as their hideout, laughing and chatting about trivial things. Seventeen or eighteen-year-old Lee Han-seo would lie on the bed manifested by Ryu Ho-yeon, engrossed in mobile games, and when Lee Jung-hyuk came in late with snacks after finishing training, the two Espers would be napping lazily, only to wake up sluggishly. It was the most peaceful and happy time in Ryu Ho-yeon’s not-so-happy life.

Even then, Ryu Ho-yeon, already an accomplished media addict, would create things he found interesting from movies or dramas. Although there was a limitation that the more complex the concept of the manifested object, the shorter its duration, the sight of antique-style beds or rattan tables suddenly appearing out of thin air was enough to amaze anyone.

Whatever the object, Ryu Ho-yeon could create it effortlessly as long as he ‘understood’ the essence of the object he wanted to manifest. Although he hadn’t tried it yet due to lack of guiding, theoretically, he could even create things that had long disappeared from this world or things that never existed in the first place. No wonder the country was desperate to shackle Ryu Ho-yeon’s ankles.

No Guide could match Lee Han-seo’s guiding, even though it was insufficient due to significantly lower compatibility. Without Lee Han-seo, Ryu Ho-yeon couldn’t manifest even a simple cotton doll, let alone the weapons he now used in dungeons. The workshop had been locked, and even Ryu Ho-yeon himself hadn’t set foot in it for a long time. The reality of being able to gather familiar faces again with such a decent pair felt somewhat sentimental.

The detail and strength of the manifested table and chairs were also incomparably superior to before. Was it because of the high compatibility with his Guide? Controlling his ability felt much easier. He knew he should be grateful even for this much, but he felt a little, just a little bit regretful. If only Choi Jae-won’s total guiding capacity was a bit higher…

“Alright. Let’s end the reminiscing here.”

It was while Ryu Ho-yeon was lost in these thoughts. A clap sound was heard, and when he looked up, Kim Jun-young was smiling, scanning the table with his eyes. Everyone except Lee Jung-hyuk straightened their posture unnecessarily.

Although they often teased and disrespected Kim Jun-young casually, that was only when they knew he would tolerate it, indulging as much younger siblings would with a big age gap.

Choi Jae-won was an exception, but it was true that Ryu Ho-yeon, Lee Han-seo, and even Park Woo-jun, who had been thrown into combat without knowing anything, had grown up under the moderate care of Kim Jun-young and Lee Jung-hyuk. So when Kim Jun-young set the timing to discuss official business, they all seemed to tense up even though there was no real need for it.

“First, Esper Ryu Ho-yeon, Guide Choi Jae-won. Congratulations on successfully completing your practical training. I’ve been informed that your combat performance in the dungeon was excellent. On behalf of the Center, I express my deep gratitude to both of you.”

It’s hard to tell where the man who was just desperately clinging to his Guide, saying “It was all my fault, I’ll do better, really,” had gone. Just by composing his voice and changing his tone, Kim Jun-young transformed from a seemingly insignificant nobody to the former head of the Ability Management Agency that every Korean citizen knew well. Of course, to Choi Jae-won, who was still more familiar with Kim Jun-young from news interviews or social and political pages of daily newspapers than in private settings, this seemed more natural.

Although it was a small gathering, it was essentially an S-class Esper evaluation meeting. The higher-ups, including Kim Jun-young and Park Woo-jun, would have already decided on how to utilize Ryu Ho-yeon’s pair based on their combat performance. Ryu Ho-yeon and Choi Jae-won perked up their ears.

“From now on, you two will be in charge of tackling A-grade dungeons that occur across the country. Esper Ryu Ho-yeon’s average clear time for A-grade dungeons is about 5 hours, which is surprisingly fast compared to other Espers.”

There was no comparison with other A-grade or lower Espers. Even Kim Jun-young or Park Woo-jun, who were present here, couldn’t clear an A-grade dungeon in just half a day unless the dungeon area was very small or they had a very good compatibility with the appearing monsters. It wasn’t just empty praise; being able to quickly clear any type of dungeon in an average of about five hours was indeed a formidable strength in itself.

“However…”

Kim Jun-young glanced somewhere between Ryu Ho-yeon and Choi Jae-won with an expression that seemed to be contemplating whether to convey something or not. Choi Jae-won clenched his fist tightly under the table.

“No, it’s nothing. I think it’s sufficient to manage S-grade dungeons as we do now, with myself and Esper Park Woo-jun. If you two can clear A-grade dungeons across the country, it will be a great help to regions lacking combat personnel.”

Although Choi Jae-won was still young compared to Park Woo-jun, who became the youngest Esper General Team Leader, or Kim Jun-young, who served as the first head of the Center, being young didn’t mean being foolish. Choi Jae-won was at least sharp enough to discern the true meaning behind the momentary pause in speech, the gaze that vaguely wandered in the air, and the words that were naturally turned around as if in consideration.

In the end… Despite how strong Ryu Ho-yeon might be, since Choi Jae-won’s guiding couldn’t keep up with him, they would only be assigned to fields where they could be active for the short time that guiding allowed. A battery that drains after about five hours of use. One that could be replaced at any time if a better battery was found. That was the reality Choi Jae-won was facing.

“Is that all for the announcements?”

“Yes, that’s all.”

“Oh, what? I thought you were going to pair Woo-jun and Ho-yeon together for S-grade dungeons. The clear time becomes incredibly fast when Ho-yeon goes out together.”

Lee Han-seo, the only S-grade Guide among those gathered here, was also the only person who had never entered a dungeon. Thus, he didn’t notice the gap that other combat personnel quickly picked up on. He probably just thought that if two S-class Espers entered an S-grade dungeon together, wouldn’t it be that much safer and better? Choi Jae-won gritted his teeth, feeling upset even though he knew he would think the same if their positions were reversed. If he wasn’t going to enter dungeons anyway, he wanted to scream and demand that miraculous and brilliant guiding for himself. If it could be bought with money, he wanted to buy it even if it cost billions.