Chapter 41: The Battlefield’s True Nature

‘I wonder if Han Do-hoon is receiving his guiding properly.’

Sa-yoon generally received guiding in a straightforward manner. While there were occasional times their bodies aligned, such instances were rare. Furthermore, after meeting Han Do-hoon, there had been no personal physical contact whatsoever.

In contrast to Sa-yoon, Han Do-hoon, in the past, would always summon guides to his quarters for sexual encounters. He would spend days indulging, heavily reliant on suppressors.

Lately, however, Sa-yoon often slept in Han Do-hoon’s room, and there was no sign of anyone else having been invited in. Perhaps he was receiving guiding elsewhere…

Still, it was none of Sa-yoon’s concern with whom Han Do-hoon chose to be intimate. For an Esper, guiding was a matter of survival.

It wasn’t something one could interfere with, even if they were true lovers. Moreover, Han Do-hoon and Sa-yoon were merely bound by a contractual agreement.

Therefore, Han Do-hoon had no obligation to inform Sa-yoon about anyone he met.

Dismissing the intrusive, unnecessary thoughts, Sa-yoon shook his head. ‘This is all because of that philanderer, who promiscuously flirts with everyone he meets.’

Aspects he had never cared about before were now, strangely, starting to bother him.

Another foreigner sprinted down the corridor outside, this time shouting in an unintelligible dialect. Snapping out of his reverie, Sa-yoon looked out.

“I truly don’t understand it.”

‘What on earth is the reason for such behavior?’

“It’s because there’s no combat,” Han Do-hoon explained.

“Do people go mad from not being able to fight?”

“The battlefield deploys twice a day, sometimes more. There’s never a break for more than two days. Living in an extremely tense environment, then suddenly relaxing, causes peculiar symptoms for several days.”

The reason was even more absurd than Sa-yoon had anticipated. If their tension was relieved, shouldn’t they simply rest quietly in their rooms? Why bother running around, acting so erratically?

“It’s a common symptom. That’s why we rotate personnel who have served on the battlefield for over a year.”

“Ah, I see…”

Though it was difficult to fully grasp, he now understood the cause. It was a situation where, after escaping extreme stress, a period of readjustment to reality was needed.

However, people usually described such a state as ‘tension being relieved,’ not ‘a lack of combat.’

“But Han Do-hoon, you were on the battlefield for a long time, and you never showed such symptoms.”

Han Do-hoon gently brushed the hair from Sa-yoon’s forehead, his still-damp strands falling to the side. Sa-yoon had just showered after an intense session, utterly drained and sprawled across the bed.

‘He really does love touching my hair,’ Sa-yoon thought, turning to face Han Do-hoon. Han Do-hoon, who had just emerged from the shower and was perched on the edge of the bed, smiled with a relaxed expression.

“Because I never had anything to be tense about on the battlefield.”

Han Do-hoon uttered words that could easily sound arrogant, yet he said them with an air of nonchalance. It was even more irritating that his statement was undeniably true.

Among S-rank Espers, those with nature-based abilities like Han Do-hoon truly had nothing to fear. The battlefield was an environment perfectly suited for them.

The battlefield was a lawless zone where civilization had already crumbled. Every day, millions of Rains were born anew, drenching the earth like rain and overflowing.

With no civilians to protect and no facilities to safeguard, they were free to rampage as they pleased.

“But isn’t an A-rank Esper capable enough to endure it? At that level, they should be able to protect themselves. Well, I suppose the mortality rate there is quite high…”

“The Rains found on the battlefield are usually only a few months old. Many are newly born. The mission of the dispatch team is to reduce their numbers, so it’s not particularly dangerous. It’s not a difficult task even for an A-rank Esper.”

“What?”

“Do you know why the mortality rate on the battlefield is so high?”

Han Do-hoon, having introduced a seemingly contradictory point, retrieved a fluffy towel and began drying Sa-yoon’s hair once more.

“More often than not, they die from being caught in the attacks of other Espers. Of course, many of those instances involve malicious intent.”

“……”

Sa-yoon stared wide-eyed at Han Do-hoon, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. Han Do-hoon gently rubbed Sa-yoon’s earlobe with the towel.

“The missions received on the battlefield are simple: massacre. It ends when a set number of Rains are eliminated each day. Whether or not there are other people in the attack zone is irrelevant. If you’re unlucky enough to get caught, it can’t be helped.”

“So, they kill comrades they fought alongside? Are they insane?”

“The Espers there are not comrades. They are rivals.”

On the day he guided Levian, Levian had said:

‘That place, if you don’t take, you’ll be taken from.’

‘Was that what he meant?’ Sa-yoon wondered. ‘No, even if performance is at stake, they casually kill their own kind?’

“…Isn’t that a legal issue? The families of the affected Espers would protest.”

“No one who comes to the battlefield is without a story. On the battlefield, bonuses are paid based on the number of Rains killed. Death compensation is also substantial.”

At his words, Sa-yoon immediately grasped how the battlefield system operated. It was more akin to mercenary work than military service.

They dealt with Rains and received performance-based pay. Even if they died, their families received a hefty death benefit, so there were no protests.

The battlefield was euphemistically called the ‘front line for controlling Rains.’ However, its most blunt designation was ‘place of exile.’

It was the final resting place chosen by Espers who, due to economic or other circumstances, could no longer remain in their home countries.

When such individuals discovered hundreds of Rain colonies, and if there was one Esper among them, what choice would they make? They would undoubtedly choose the bonus without hesitation.

“It sounds like a truly desolate place.”

“For the weak, it is.”

This implied that those who were not weak—individuals like Han Do-hoon or Levian, who were immune to harm—could remain sane there. If one could even call that ‘sanity.’

Han Do-hoon was one of the few Espers who had volunteered for deployment to the battlefield. Because of this, rumors had circulated that he might be eccentric or harbor some secret madness before his return to Korea.

“You seem unusually interested in the battlefield today. Are you considering joining?”

“No. Absolutely not. I should probably avoid eating if I even look in the direction of the battlefield.”

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

Han Do-hoon had previously suggested that Sa-yoon accompany him to the battlefield. Indeed, Sa-yoon would likely manage without much difficulty there, as evidenced by Han Do-hoon and Levian.

Nevertheless, Sa-yoon had no desire whatsoever to live among people who casually murdered their comrades.

“Looking at you and Levian, it doesn’t seem like a great place to be, even as an S-rank.”

He shook his head, thinking of the two men who seemed subtly off-kilter. Of course, neither Han Do-hoon’s suppressor side effects nor Levian’s perverse tendencies were necessarily due to the battlefield, but there was an undeniable unconventional aspect to them.

“Levian Christine, you mean?”

For the first time today, Han Do-hoon’s voice dropped. It was an uncharacteristic reaction from Han Do-hoon, who had remained composed even while discussing the grim realities of the battlefield.

“Why? Are you two on bad terms?”

“It’s not that. I was aware of his arrival, but I was surprised you were interested enough to memorize his name, Sa-yoon.”

‘Is that so?’ Sa-yoon scratched his head. To say he memorized the name because they were both S-rank Espers felt a bit disingenuous.

Before Levian’s arrival this time, Sa-yoon hadn’t even known there was an S-rank Esper named Levian. He likely would have lived his entire life without knowing.

Aside from Levian, no other foreign Esper names came to mind. All those ‘foreigners’ strange, convoluted names tended to blur together. So, the real reason he remembered Levian, he mused, must have been that odd flirting from their first encounter.

“He’s just a bit peculiar.”

“Did he say anything else out of the ordinary?”

“We only met for a tour, so what could he have said? Just things like, ‘The dorm is here,’ ‘The dining hall is next door.’ We parted ways quickly.”

“That brief encounter must have been quite memorable, it seems.”

Han Do-hoon was unusually focused on the incident with Levian. It was strange for someone who usually just brushed off whatever Sa-yoon said with a simple ‘Is that so?’ Perhaps he and Levian truly were on bad terms.

Indeed, it was unlikely two S-rank Espers wouldn’t clash in a situation like the battlefield.

“He did make a move on me a bit. He just seems like a rather frivolous person.”

“You are his type, Sa-yoon.”

“Huh?”

‘I… was?’ He had just assumed Levian hit on any Esper he fancied, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. Knowing this changed nothing, so Sa-yoon simply rolled over in bed, pulling the soft duvet closer as he mumbled,

“He clung to me, saying even a 3P would be fine, so I thought he was a real oddball. Guess he has a type after all.”

“……”

Behind him, Han Do-hoon stirred. He rose from where he had been leaning against the bed, placing an arm beside Sa-yoon’s head and looking down at him. The soft ambient light was obscured by his back.

“So, did you refuse?”

“Refuse what?”

“The 3P, of course.”

“Of course I refused. Why would I be crazy enough to…”

Sa-yoon clamped his mouth shut mid-sentence. Han Do-hoon, right in front of him, had also requested a 3P before. If he used harsh words now, it would be an insult to Han Do-hoon, so he swallowed his impulsive temper and refrained.