Chapter 86: Now I’ll Attack

Su-ha carefully sent his energy toward Chaewon so as not to startle him with this unfamiliar method of guiding. Perhaps it was because Su-ha felt a special closeness toward Chaewon, but it definitely felt easier than when he had done it for other Espers before.

As the familiar energy slowly pressed in on him, Chaewon unconsciously clenched his fist. It felt as though a warm and comfortable space had enveloped him in an instant.

Afraid that he might lose consciousness like he did during contact guiding, Chaewon struggled not to be swept away by the sensation and checked his condition.

Sure enough, as the guiding began, the dizziness and nausea gradually eased. During contact guiding, Su-ha’s energy would crash over him like a tidal wave in a short burst, making it hard to stay rational. But now, it felt like warm water slowly rising from his feet.

“Are you alright?”

Su-ha asked Chaewon in a voice filled with concern. The moment he heard Su-ha’s voice, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over him. It felt as though he were being guided just by hearing it. The breath that had risen to his chin slowly settled.

Without taking his eyes off Gi-yoon, Chaewon gave a slight nod in response. He didn’t worry that Su-ha might be upset because he hadn’t answered out loud. A trust built up little by little without his noticing firmly supported Chaewon’s heart.

Watching him closely, Gi-yoon’s eyes briefly flashed. After observing Chaewon’s breathing even out, he spoke.

“No matter how much you tell me not to go easy on you, this place can’t help but be completely different from a real battlefield. No matter how real I try to make it, no one here will be seriously hurt.”

There was something subtly unsettling in his voice. While continuing to receive guiding, Chaewon forced tension back into his body and stared sharply at Gi-yoon. Something felt off.

Seeing Chaewon instantly pick up on the shift in atmosphere and grow wary, Gi-yoon let out a laugh. He certainly had the temperament of an Esper. So with the generous heart of a senior, Gi-yoon planned to make sure Chaewon could fully unleash that temperament today.

“If you truly understood how much damage a single moment of hesitation can cause, you wouldn’t have the luxury of wavering like this. Don’t you think?”

“What do you-”

At that moment, Chaewon saw Gi-yoon’s gaze slowly shift elsewhere. It landed on where Su-ha was standing. The instant he realized it, a chill ran down his spine. His blood seemed to freeze.

“Wait-!”

Before Chaewon could finish shouting, a sharp arrow Gi-yoon had formed shot toward Su-ha at incredible speed.

There was no time to think. A tremendous surge of power burst from Chaewon, and at the same time a thick blue wall appeared in front of Su-ha. With a loud crash, the arrow struck the wall, shattered it, and broke apart in midair.

The collision of two powerful forces sent violent waves of energy outward. Chaewon hurriedly checked Su-ha’s safety. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be injured.

Rarely, Chaewon shot Gi-yoon a razor-sharp glare. But he had no chance to demand what he was doing. Without giving him that time, Gi-yoon fired multiple smaller arrows at Su-ha.

Gritting his teeth, Chaewon created a barrier around Su-ha. Almost simultaneously, the arrows that attacked from all sides collided with it and shattered into sharp fragments.

Another low groan escaped Chaewon along with a thin stream of blood. This wasn’t a half-hearted attack. If Su-ha, who wasn’t an Esper, had taken it head-on, he would have been seriously injured.

The moment Chaewon realized that, a heat he had never felt before flared within him. He wasn’t angry at Gi-yoon. What truly angered him was himself, for still responding to all of this too complacently.

In that instant, Chaewon understood exactly what Gi-yoon was trying to say. Here in the training room, at worst Chaewon would bleed and lose consciousness. But in the field, others would pay the price.

Those who entrusted their safety to Espers. The comrades who would trust Chaewon with their backs. And Su-ha, who wouldn’t hesitate to stand in danger to guide him. They would be the ones hurt while Chaewon hesitated.

He had known it in his head, but only now, watching the attacks fly toward Su-ha, did it truly sink into his skin.

“How long do you think you can protect Jin Su-ha with that barrier?”

Gi-yoon sneered. He wasn’t wrong. Blocking one or two attacks meant nothing. If he couldn’t completely incapacitate his opponent, once Chaewon collapsed from backlash, what would follow was obvious.

Chaewon saw Gi-yoon fire another bullet-like surge of cold power toward Su-ha.

He bit down hard on his lip. He had to move forward. He couldn’t let Su-ha risk his life in front of him forever. It was his responsibility, as Su-ha’s Esper, to guard the front and attack the enemy.

Spreading one hand to cast another barrier around Su-ha, Chaewon compressed his power tightly in the other. Since the last battle, he had imagined forming this kind of offensive energy countless times while alone. But he had never dared to picture throwing it at a person.

Seeing this, Gi-yoon didn’t falter. Instead, he attacked Su-ha with even greater force. Each time the barrier was struck, Chaewon’s energy flickered weakly before strengthening again.

Blood flowed from Chaewon’s lips once more. The stability Su-ha’s guiding had given him crumbled as pain surged through his body. If this were a real battlefield, he wouldn’t last much longer. Su-ha would have to handle what came next alone.

The light in Chaewon’s eyes changed. The moment Gi-yoon felt the shift in the young Esper’s presence, Chaewon’s intensely blue power shot toward him at tremendous speed.

With a satisfied smile, Gi-yoon gathered ice in the same shape and hurled it forward to collide. A deafening explosion far greater than before rang out, and the shockwave swept through the training room like a storm.

The pain was far worse than simply using power, it felt as though his entire body were being torn apart. But Chaewon was more accustomed to enduring pain than anyone there.

Before Gi-yoon had even fully blocked his attack, Chaewon was already moving. One strike wouldn’t be enough to faze him; he had to prepare for the next.

As ice shards and light scattered in the air, Gi-yoon felt his wrists and ankles bind. Chaewon’s blue energy coiled around him like shackles. Just as Gi-yoon had done before, Chaewon split his power into dozens of fragments and surrounded him.

It was difficult to wield such power after already expending so much, but having resolved to push past his limits, he had to pour out everything. Meeting Gi-yoon’s gaze head-on, Chaewon flicked his fingers. Dozens of strikes bombarded Gi-yoon at once.

Gi-yoon moved faster, forming a sword to cut through the energy binding him. A sharp sensation like flesh being sliced pierced him; blood trickled from his fingertips.

At the same time, a massive wall of ice formed around him and expanded outward, colliding with Chaewon’s attacks.

Ultimately, unable to withstand Gi-yoon’s power, Chaewon’s body was flung back, flying through the air before crashing to the ground.

“Chaewon!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Su-ha ran to him. Gi-yoon no longer seemed intent on attacking. As Su-ha pulled the unconscious-looking Chaewon into his arms, Chaewon coughed violently and vomited a large amount of blood.

Making sure his airway stayed clear until he finished coughing it up, Su-ha shot Ye-seon a desperate look. It was too much to continue. Ye-seon nodded once.

“Training ends here for today.”

Gi-yoon, apparently in agreement, nodded as well and withdrew his power. Around them, the sound of held breaths being released filled the room.

Su-ha quickly gathered Chaewon in his arms and began guiding him carefully, checking his condition. As expected, his energy was completely twisted and tangled, a total mess.

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