Chapter 8: A Future Without Guides

‘Time travel, seriously?’

It reminded him of that Anne X game.

Lee Juju tried to stretch his imagination as far as it would go.

Otherwise, he didn’t think he could accept this situation at all.

If time had suddenly reversed, the facility itself should have disappeared, so it was far more likely that he had come to the future.

It still didn’t feel real, but staring at the pitch-black-eyed Espers in front of him made his heart churn with unbearable anxiety.

Whether this place was another world or Earth in a different era reached through time travel, he felt that he couldn’t just leave the Espers in front of him like this.

That feeling was almost instinctual for a Guide.

Guides were fundamentally beings of universal affection.

There was even a saying that among all forms of love for humanity, those with the greatest capacity for unconditional compassion were chosen to become Guides.

Guides were people who couldn’t help but want to care for those steeped in pain.

That instinct became even stronger when it came to Espers, who unconditionally required Guides.

“But what are you all doing about Guides?”

“I don’t recall giving you permission to ask questions.”

“You all look like you’re in really bad shape.”

“Insolent brat!”

Colonel Shan Fei remained silent, but the officer seated beside him flew into a rage.

Lee Juju, however, didn’t even blink.

“The Guides you’re talking about couldn’t be found anywhere either.”

‘Yeah, figures.’

Lee Juju felt that one of his hypotheses had just been confirmed.

‘The reason the experimental equipment malfunctioned must be because these Espers’ lives, living without Guides, were so miserable.’

That must have been why it triggered time travel and dragged him, a Guide, into this era.

Lee Juju decided that he was the chosen Guide.

Honestly, if he didn’t rationalize it like that, he didn’t think he could endure this situation with a sane mind.

Lee Juju shrugged and continued.

“So there really aren’t any Guides here. Since when did your eyes turn black? If an Esper manifests and doesn’t receive Guiding, there’s no way they can live this long.”

Once again, Lee Juju asked boldly, ignoring the officers raging beside Colonel Shan Fei.

First, he needed to know why the Espers had ended up like this.

And how were they still alive.

Normally, an Esper dies without a Guide.

Most people manifest as Espers around the ages of twelve to fifteen, though some awaken as late as their early twenties.

Once someone becomes an Esper, it’s as if they gain an extra sense, allowing them to use their abilities as naturally as breathing.

The problem is that every use of those abilities places an overload on the body.

The one who relieves that overload is the Guide.

Guides also usually manifest between the ages of twelve and fifteen, but some are only identified as Guides right before death.

Unlike Espers, Guides cannot tell whether they have manifested or not.

They are no different from ordinary people, except for their ability to handle the energy known as Guiding.

As mentioned earlier, people with a strong sense of compassion become Guides.

That’s why most Guides rush to take Guide tests as soon as they learn about Espers’ suffering through TV, newspapers, SNS, or online communities.

Their desire to help rises naturally.

Of course, Guides want to help not only Espers but anyone in pain.

Lee Juju himself was a fairly typical S-class Guide, volunteering in his spare time and donating generously to starving refugees.

In other words, Espers die if they don’t receive Guiding, which to a Guide is little different from volunteer work.

They die even if they never use their abilities.

That’s because an Esper’s body is constantly aware of its newly acquired power.

At most, they last a year before going berserk, and the probability of death is ninety percent.

Even if they somehow survive the berserk state, they usually die within a year.

“All the Espers here have been injected with TCA-Induce. Haven’t you been injected with TCA-Induce as well?”

“What’s that?”

The unfamiliar term made Lee Juju frown.

Was it some kind of drug that replaced Guiding?

The officers who had been calling Lee Juju rude fell silent the moment the Colonel began to speak.

The Colonel suddenly gestured toward another officer.

That officer, who had been staring at Lee Juju with pitch-black eyes, opened his mouth.

“It’s true. Since he arrived, he hasn’t told a single lie.”

“What?”

“Hah, there’s an Esper who doesn’t even know TCA-Induce?”

“Captain Russell, are we sure he’s even an Esper?”

“Everyone, quiet!”

Captain Russell shouted loudly, and the room fell silent again.

‘Ah, so there’s a mental-type Esper who can discern truth.’

If that was the case, then things would go faster.

Lee Juju actually felt relieved knowing there was a mental-type Esper here.

“Captain Russell, explain it. If he’s an Esper who manifested recently, he’ll need to be injected immediately.”

Colonel Shan Fei spoke in a cold voice.

At that voice, every Esper standing or sitting in the room stiffened.

‘Just what is this thing?’

“TCA-Induce is an Esper-exclusive drug developed two hundred years ago. It continuously generates blood flow that allows the body to endure overload. It is typically administered immediately after an Esper manifests…”

Captain Russell explained with a grim expression.

Lee Juju listened silently.

It seemed that, lacking Guides, they had resorted to inventing drugs.

Normally, when an Esper went berserk, they would unleash their abilities indiscriminately before ultimately exploding and dying.

This drug, however, somehow allowed them to endure the overload caused by their abilities.

It didn’t solve the problem of the human body exploding upon death, though.

That explained why the Espers lived together in a place with absolutely no civilians.

It also explained why the scenery beyond the window was an empty plain rather than shops or houses.

No one would welcome people who were no different from walking bombs.

And judging by the grim expressions of the Espers, Lee Juju seemed to be treated as someone who had just manifested.

“The injection must hurt a lot. You all look pretty unhappy.”

At Lee Juju’s light joke, the officers fell into silence.

“The survival rate is only ten percent. If you wish to remain here, you must be injected with TCA-Induce. Will you accept it?”

Colonel Shan Fei asked in a flat voice.

“I’m not an Esper, though. Do I really have to?”

“Lieutenant Frank.”

“It’s true… at least, that’s what he genuinely believes.”

“Believe or not, I don’t have abilities, so why would I be an Esper?”

Lee Juju grumbled.

“Then what was that ability you used last night?”

Colonel Shan Fei sneered.

Lee Juju met his gaze directly and answered.

“That was Guiding, Esper. Didn’t I tell you that several times yesterday?”

Faced with Lee Juju’s defiant attitude, the Colonel stared back with equal pressure.

“Watch your insolence.”

“I’m being polite enough. I honestly don’t know what more you expect from me.”

Lee Juju shook his head.

Several officers glared at him with malice.

“How dare he…,” one of them muttered.

‘The Colonel must be pretty well respected.’

Just trading a few words was enough to earn murderous stares.

Others, having already seen Lee Juju’s reckless behavior the night before, simply looked away.

Those were the Espers who had personally experienced Lee Juju’s Radiation Guiding.

“Take him away. Inject him with TCA-Induce. If he survives, Captain Russell, keep him in your unit.”

“Yes, sir.”

Colonel Shan Pei likely thought that Lee Juju had lost his mind and believed himself to be something other than an Esper.

With only a ten percent survival rate, it was understandable to see Esper manifestation as a terrible misfortune rather than luck.

“I really don’t want to get injected with something like that.”

Lee Juju muttered.

Captain Russell, who had been walking toward him to grab him, stopped.

“Then leave this place.”

Colonel Shan Fei ordered coldly and firmly.

“That’s…”

‘Do I really need to stay where Espers don’t even want me? Tch. Idiots.’

Last night must have been their first time receiving Guiding, yet they were telling him to leave so decisively.

Lee Juju couldn’t understand it.

All he had ever seen were Espers who would stake their lives on Guiding.

He wouldn’t have been surprised if they had shackled and imprisoned him to demand it.

Instead, his entire understanding of Espers was collapsing.

After dragging out his silence, Lee Juju took a step toward them.

“I feel sorry for you all, this must be so difficult.”

“You little–!”

Most of the officers on the sofa leapt to their feet in fury.

Lee Juju stared at them blankly.

Then he released Guiding.