SOFTIE 32

It seemed they had decided to keep the person as they were, rather than specifically handpicking someone from the top for Softy’s lessons. In that sense, he might be someone who isn’t influenced by the higher-ups, but then again, Haeyoon wouldn’t have mentioned him if that were the case.

What displeased him even more was that, regardless of what the person was like, Softy liked the lessons themselves.

I don’t really like this.

“Softy-ah, do you like me? Or do you like the teacher?”

“Kkyuu?”

His gaze seemed to ask why he was even asking such a thing. For a moment, Yeonwoo found himself so absurd that a laugh escaped him.

What a pathetic sight. The fact that Softy is my pair Guide remains unchanged.

Even though this little one is an S-class Guide, other Espers will keep their distance because he is a magic beast. Therefore, I am the only one who can accept him. Or, they’ll just have to fight me to win him over.

It was a thing of the past when I found it hard to understand the tyranny of Espers who fought over Guides. Now, I felt like I could fully understand how those people felt.

Returning to the Esper Association, Yeonwoo hid Softy deep within his embrace so that no one could see him. A strange sense of fulfillment welled up. Even though it must have been suffocating, Softy clung to him even more tightly.

Arriving home with heavy steps, Yeonwoo set Softy down. There was still an A-class Gate raid remaining. Yeonwoo felt the heart of a parent who had to leave their child home alone.

“Softy-ah, I’m going to finish as fast as I can and come back, but I might be late, so eat and wait for me. I’ll contact Noona…”

Softy froze as if he had been struck. He grabbed Yeonwoo’s pant leg, asking where he was going. He couldn’t even perform guiding properly yet, and the contamination level was high. Orange—he hadn’t been able to change that color.

Yeonwoo gave a troubled smile. He also hated parting with Softy. But he couldn’t take him to a Gate.

No, why can’t I take him? I’ll protect Softy, so what does it matter?

Gunwoo was there anyway, so Softy wouldn’t be exposed to the outside world. Yeonwoo silently gazed into Softy’s eyes as he pleaded to be taken along.

Soon, the corners of Yeonwoo’s mouth lifted slightly.

“Shall we go for a walk?”

“Kkyuu!”

Patting Softy’s head, Yeonwoo picked up his phone.

“Gunwoo-ya, can you come to my house?”

He was in no position to tell his teammates not to think of Gunwoo as a mere shuttle.

˖°𓇼🌊⋆🐚🫧

His body felt scorched by a sun that was more than just hot—it was blazing. A vast desert stretched out, and scorpions popped out from the sand. Everyone was busy dodging the scorpion tails dripping with deadly venom.

“So, you brought a Guide to a place like this?!”

“What can I do when Softy said he wanted to come? But… I feel like I might have brought him for nothing. I hope he doesn’t evaporate because it’s too hot.”

Instead of worrying about the teammates who were hard at work raiding the Gate, Yeonwoo was worrying about a magic beast for whom a Gate was practically its own backyard. This was so annoying that Kang Hana’s brow furrowed. If he was here, he should be thinking about clearing it quickly; watching this romance play out was an eyesore.

“He’s made of mucus, not water! Do you think he’d evaporate?!”

“It’s hot. Control your fire.”

“Is no one on my side?”

As sparks flew, Shin Yoosung backed away. She let out deep sighs. She wanted to finish quickly, but the pace was slow because of the magic beasts hiding in the sand, waiting for an opening. Fearing that Softy might melt in the hot sunlight, Yeonwoo had wrapped him up in white cloth.

“Everyone, get back.”

At Yeonwoo’s words, everyone retreated. Electricity doesn’t conduct well through sand, but… they wouldn’t be able to avoid the currents passing between the sand particles. His targets were the scorpions hidden beneath the surface anyway.

‘And I’ve received guiding from Softy.’

He was in good condition. He would use his power to end it in one go, and if his condition worsened, he would just have Softy guide him. Softy had also seemed disappointed that the guiding ended so quickly. Thinking about receiving deep, long-term guiding gave him strength.

The electrical currents flowing through his body crackled enough to be visible on the outside. His skin stung, but it was bearable. This, too, was thanks to Softy being by his side. Even though he said he didn’t need it, Softy kept emitting guiding energy even from a distance.

A white and bluish light flashed as if a massive lightning bolt had struck. The desert was more than just gouged; a crater was formed.

“If you don’t come out, I’m coming for you.”

The scorpions hidden in the sand could not escape the electricity burrowing through the grains. A few managed to escape and crawl out, but they were hit by even stronger electricity and died instantly on the spot.

Kang Hana, watching from behind, clapped silently, while Park Gunwoo sent a look of admiration. As the currents, which had been too stinging to approach, subsided, Choi Minjae quickly held Softy out to Yeonwoo. Yeonwoo caught Softy as he lunged into his arms.

“Yeonwoo-ya, are you okay?”

“Yes. Because Softy is with me.”

The moment he held Softy, his stinging skin felt soothed. Yeonwoo checked the contamination level immediately. The level that had risen rapidly was now dropping just as fast.

“Softy-ah, aren’t you tired?”

“Kkyuu.”

Softy shook his head, saying he wasn’t tired. However, Yeonwoo was worried. Just as an Esper accumulated contamination when using abilities, a Guide had limits too. As guiding went on longer, they would experience headaches, stomachaches, and drowsiness. It was similar to the side effects Espers suffered.

“The contamination level… is fine.”

“Having a Guide definitely makes a difference.”

But as expected, the fluctuating contamination levels were strange. He had unleashed his abilities without restraint to end it quickly, and it had jumped by 5%, only to come back down once he received Softy’s guiding.

Is there really a problem? A precision exam was definitely in order. Going to the examination room after a Gate raid used to be a routine. Back then, Yeonwoo’s body had been like fragile glass.

“It’s over. Let’s go back.”

“Huh? Already?”

The teammates looked at Yeonwoo with bewildered eyes as he turned to leave.

“I killed them all.”

Yeonwoo said nonchalantly, the corners of his mouth curving upward. The teammates hadn’t realized that Yeonwoo had sent currents through the very depths of the sand. Then, seeing the Gate’s wavelength drop noticeably, their eyes went wide.

To finish it with just that one move. Shin Yoosung glanced at Yeonwoo. There was no sign of exhaustion. Many people would think it was far more beneficial to keep him alive than to kill him at this rate, but Aji would likely be different.

“Aji will be on guard if they find out the Gate wavelength dropped in an instant.”

“I was always under their guard. And even if they are, what changes? Don’t worry about it. There’s nothing they can do even if they want to. Especially if they try to solve it with force.”

Watching Yeonwoo speak as if they weren’t the slightest threat, Shin Yoosung nodded. Certainly, there was no one who could defeat him with force. However, Aji does a lot of dirty work behind the scenes. Especially if a weakness has been created. Her gaze briefly touched Softy before moving away.

Seo Yeonwoo isn’t someone who wouldn’t know that, so it should be fine.

“Shin Yoosung. You do what you want to do. If that person says something, move according to your own judgment. Tell me if you need help.”

As long as he was Shin Yoosung’s Aji, he couldn’t easily escape. And Yeonwoo had no intention of meddling in someone else’s family affairs. He would just take responsibility for what he needed to as her team leader and help where he could.

“I haven’t treated him like Aji in a long time. Whether that man dies or gets stoned, it has nothing to do with me.”

“Ah, stop talking about that man. It’s just annoying. Anyway, if you killed them, the magic beast corpses…”

“If you want to butcher them, I think you’ll have to dig through the sand.”

Gate raids are important, but the byproducts obtained inside are also vital. Especially the corpses of high-rank magic beasts have many uses. Since he had killed them solely with lightning without leaving wounds, the exteriors would be intact. They aren’t the type of people to miss an opportunity to get pristine byproducts.

“Hehe, they’re going to have a hard time.”

Kang Hana let out a satisfying laugh, as if recalling past struggles. In fact, Yeonwoo had aimed for that to some extent.

‘I wonder how you will act. Will you try to coax me, regretting the idea of killing your strongest weapon, or will you try to kill me because you can’t forgive a hound that has bared its teeth?’