Chapter 115: Connection

Having been contacted by Seung Ho, Team Leader Kim first tried to assess the situation that no one was explaining to him.

“I just… I just have to make it rain, right?”

A first-time Esper, who looked as if he’d been forcibly summoned, stood awkwardly among the members of Attack Team 1 gathered on the small rooftop.

With dyed blond hair and a plump build, he seemed to be an ability user who controlled the weather.

The Esper, extending his arms toward the vast sky, was overly nervous, perhaps because everyone’s eyes were on him.

Surrounded by none other than Attack Team 1, his mouth was dry enough to crack.

“Who the hell is that? Who called him?”

The bald man scowled and became wary upon seeing Team Leader Kim, who had appeared without a sound in a place where only attack-types were gathered.

It was a power struggle between the utterly useless attack-types and the barrier users.

Team Leader Kim ignored the bald man and approached Seung Ho and Bodam.

Bodam was unaware of Team Leader Kim’s approach, only looking up at the sky.

He had tilted his head back so far that Seung Ho, standing right behind him, was supporting the back of his head with his hand to keep it from falling back, but he didn’t even seem to notice that.

Team Leader Kim glanced at Bodam’s serious expression and whispered to Seung Ho so as not to break his concentration.

“Is he stargazing?”

After getting a silent “stay quiet for now” look from Seung Ho, Team Leader Kim gave an okay sign and also stared up at the sky.

Just as he was wondering what on earth they were looking at, “Shit,” the bald man’s deflated curse burst out.

All the members of Attack Team 1 who had been searching for the gate had a similar reaction.

A smile hung on Team Leader Baek’s lips.

Swoosh—.

“No, why is this…”

The Esper who had manipulated the atmosphere to make it rain broke out in a cold sweat with a completely baffled face.

He had certainly summoned the rain over the widest area as commanded, but no rain clouds formed, as if a round hole had been punched in the sky centered on where they were standing.

Even though a downpour was already falling far away beyond the hole.

The dark clouds bypassed the area as if an invisible obstacle were blocking the sky.

Team Leader Baek’s clones flew up into the sky and circled the perimeter of the rainless circle.

“It’s the same size as the gate Esper Lee Tae Hwan handled last time.”

One of the team members standing next to Team Leader Baek spoke up.

It was even identical in shape to the gate from which the giant monster that had ravaged the alley had emerged.

Even its position in the sky was similar.

After confirming through her clones that there was still no sign of the gate opening, Team Leader Baek sent her team members back.

After ordering them to stand by until she gave the signal, she headed toward Bodam, who was stuck close to Seung Ho.

“We found the gate quickly thanks to Guide Yoon.”

Everyone had gathered because of a single word from Bodam.

Bodam, who had heard Yi Jun’s voice from the sky, had unconsciously kept his eyes on the night sky and then asked Seung Ho.

Could he make it rain?

“How did you think of making it rain?”

Team Leader Baek chuckled and clapped her hands as if praising a child.

She, too, had been watching the sky.

She had only been gauging the location of the new gate, waiting for the downpour that would soon fall according to the rainfall amount she had checked beforehand.

“You’ve taught me something. I’d forgotten an ability like this even existed.”

It was an ability so lacking in presence and numbers that it was understandable Team Leader Baek wouldn’t know about it.

Bodam, too, wouldn’t have known if not for the past experience of being held by Kang Yi Jun at a gate site and ending up looking like a drowned rat in the rain.

It was a memory that made his blood boil just thinking about it again.

“Thanks to you, the gate’s location has been identified in advance. Now we just have to wait for it to open.”

“Let’s eliminate it before it opens.”

Seung Ho said, blocking Bodam and facing Team Leader Baek.

“Team Leader Han. Did your brain get damaged along with your regenerative ability?”

Team Leader Baek, who glared at Seung Ho with a displeased expression, laughed and told him not to say such out-of-touch things.

“How would Guide Yoon have known there was a gate in the sky? He sensed it because Kang Yi Jun is inside. You don’t know that?”

If they were lucky, it was a chance to catch the rare ability user who creates gates and even the Crow, all at once along with Kang Yi Jun.

At Seung Ho’s remark, which he couldn’t possibly have made in ignorance, Team Leader Baek’s gaze dropped toward Bodam.

‘His judgment has been clouded because of that one.’

“Your guide will only be safe once Kang Yi Jun is caught quickly. Think carefully.”

Team Leader Baek detached her wrist and placed her hand on Seung Ho’s left shoulder, patting it.

She even subtly touched his un-regenerated left arm.

Then, a white hand suddenly appeared and brushed Team Leader Baek’s hand away like dust.

“Ah, I… I thought it was a bug.”

From Bodam’s perspective, hidden behind Seung Ho’s back, all he could see was a long fingertip, so he really thought it was a bug.

It looked even more so because Team Leader Baek was wearing a black glove.

He had just brushed off what he thought was a wiggling bug on an already injured shoulder.

Reattaching her wrist, Team Leader Baek smiled with gentle eyes.

As Bodam timidly mumbled that he really thought it was a bug, Team Leader Kim, standing next to him, chimed in that it looked that way to him too.

“Oh, and if you think the connection with Kang Yi Jun is broken, report it immediately.”

Team Leader Baek left one last remark as she prepared to return to her post, checking the barrier Seung Ho had erected.

“Because if he dies, Guide Yoon will be the first to know.”

Stiffening at the chilling words, Bodam gripped Seung Ho’s empty sleeve.

The gravity of the situation, where someone might die, finally hit him.

“And keep a close eye on Tae Hwan’s wavelength readings. He’s facing Aram alone, so he’s in the most danger.”

Team Leader Baek, who had disappeared and returned, left Bodam with a warning and vanished again.

Bodam, left with Seung Ho and Team Leader Kim, pondered her words and then asked.

“Is Aram dangerous?”

She was the unregistered Esper that Tae Hwan had boasted he would catch.

For her to be as dangerous as the Crow.

What kind of ability could she possibly have?

***

‘That bastard Lee Tae Hwan better not get excited.’

Ji Oh, putting distance between himself and Tae Hwan who had restrained one of the twin brothers, kept his nerves on edge and observed his surroundings.

He had knocked out the unregistered Esper who was struggling at the sound of his brother’s screams and was now searching for Aram’s presence.

She was invisible, but she was definitely there.

“Let me see your face.”

Tae Hwan said menacingly as he used his psychokinesis to constrict the brother’s airway, suffocating him.

An Esper’s energy, surpassing the wavelengths of the twin brothers, was swirling around.

It wasn’t quite S-class, but he could feel a presence that was among the top tier.

Having no choice, Tae Hwan widely unfurled his psychokinesis, crushing every being in the vicinity to the ground.

“Ack!”

Even Ji Oh had his head slammed into the ground by Tae Hwan’s psychokinesis.

Glaring with his eyes, Ji Oh spat out a string of curses at the force that would have crushed Yoon Bodam to death.

He was sure that Tae Hwan, who could have easily controlled his power, had deliberately slammed him down too.

‘So she knows how to hide her wavelength.’

Tae Hwan’s eyes narrowed at Aram’s energy, which had vanished in an instant.

He had to catch Aram using only his psychokinesis, avoiding contact as much as possible.

‘Should I take care of the annoying invisible bastard first?’

“Let him go.”

Just as the murderous Tae Hwan was about to snap the invisible Esper’s neck, a woman’s voice came from somewhere on the ground, where she was being crushed just like Ji Oh.

Her voice trembled as if she was struggling to even breathe under Tae Hwan’s psychokinesis, which she was experiencing for the first time.

“Then I’ll let you go too.”

“Ha.”

A scoffing laugh escaped Tae Hwan at Aram’s attitude of doing him a favor.

“Come out. You seem confident.”

‘It’s actually a relief that Yoon Bodam isn’t here.’

It was unsettling that she was invisible, but this was a side of himself he didn’t want to show him.

The things Tae Hwan was about to do to Aram.

“I said, come out.”

‘It would destroy whatever affection he has left.’

Simultaneously with Tae Hwan’s short warning, the surrounding buildings sank about 10 centimeters into the ground.

Ji Oh and the twin brothers were also completely embedded in the cracked ground.

The lower-ranked twins already had bones broken all over their bodies, piercing their internal organs.

“Hey! Lee Tae Hwan, you f*cking bastard, I’m here too!”

Ji Oh, unable to withstand the pressure and even coughing up blood, shouted.

Tae Hwan ignored Ji Oh and continued to apply force.

He was physically paying him back for all the curses he’d taken from him.

Including for bullying Yoon Bodam in the past.

Tae Hwan’s expression, having smashed the noisy Ji Oh’s face into the ground, suddenly brightened.

“Is it you?”

As the unconscious invisible Esper’s ability vanished, Aram could be seen curled up on the ground.

Just as Bodam had described, she had messy long hair and was wearing thick winter clothes.

Tae Hwan first got rid of the dagger in her hand, then lifted her long, thin body into the air.

“Lee Tae Hwan, cover her eyes!”

Ji Oh, who had lifted his head with all his might, spat out the words and then sank back into the ground.

Seung Ho’s orders had been to keep a distance from Aram after catching her and to cover her eyes first.

It was to block all possibilities of her rare ability activating.

Tae Hwan had already burst her eyeballs.

He wasn’t the type to carry around a black cloth, but it wasn’t an ability that a restraint would work on anyway.

Not after she made a barrier user rampage.

“You listen well. You actually came out when I told you to.”

“There was something I was curious about.”

Aram replied to Tae Hwan’s words, which were laced with mockery.

She didn’t show any sign of pain even as blood streamed from both her eyes.

Tae Hwan didn’t like that lukewarm reaction.

He wanted to make it as painful as possible.

First, by crushing the hand that had touched Yoon Bodam’s face.

“But…”

Aram’s lips parted as she cried tears of blood.

Tae Hwan, who had been aiming for her hand, paused for a moment and then pulled Aram in front of him.

He had spotted the red blood smeared on the fingertips of the hand that had been holding the dagger.

“I don’t think you’ll answer.”

It was Tae Hwan’s blood.