The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 118

‘I wonder what I should do…’

There were about three choices I could make in this situation.

I could ambush them and force some information out of them, secretly follow them and keep eavesdropping like I was now, or simply continue on my way.

Part of me wanted to steal one of their three bicycles, but they looked like they belonged to some kind of group.

If I messed with them, the rest of their gang might come swarming over here.

Of course, I could just run away, but those guys might end up taking the fall for it.

In a world where supplies were so scarce, a single bicycle was probably worth far more than I imagined.

In a world where it was easy to die, it was just as easy to kill. If something happened because of a bicycle, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth whether I knew about it or not.

‘Let’s act like a decent human being. A decent human being.’

No matter how tempting such a convenient means of transportation was, I couldn’t become a highway robber.

Either way, along with stealing a bicycle, the third option—just keep walking—was completely off the table.

They said they were heading toward the Association. If they were planning anything suspicious, I couldn’t just ignore it.

‘They don’t look very strong… Still, just in case, I’ll follow them quietly.’

Quickly putting aside my material desires, I began trailing the men as they rode their bicycles past me.

They weren’t riding very fast, making it easy to keep a comfortable distance.

And thanks to my enhanced hearing, I could clearly make out their voices.

Fortunately, their conversation was more than worth turning back for.

“Looks good here too. Same as last time, right?”

“Yeah. But I think someone passed through here recently. There’s still a pretty strong presence left behind.”

“Huh? Seriously? There are still survivors around here? I thought everyone had moved over near the supermarket. Ah, maybe someone came back from there?”

“No. That’s not it. This person’s trail is coming from… the Association. I’m sure of it.”

“The Association?!”

“W-Wait… don’t tell me something happened there…!”

“I don’t think so. I’m only sensing one person, and… I don’t know, their presence feels really stable. Someone who’d done something bad or was running from a Gate wouldn’t feel this calm.”

“So… maybe it’s just a survivor who escaped…?”

“Who knows. We can’t get inside the Association anyway, so we can’t check. But at least we’ve got something to report to the boss.”

First, just as I’d guessed, they belonged to some kind of organization.

Second, they regularly came to check on the area around the Association.

And third, they possessed special abilities just like Espers.

After thinking it over a little more, another possibility came to mind.

‘With those uniforms… and the way they call someone “Boss”… maybe that person used to be an Esper from the Association?’

Sure, people in the military also used the title “boss,” but no matter how I looked at them, these guys weren’t soldiers.

For me and most Guides, the Association had been a prison that was difficult to escape and costly to leave.

For Espers, though, it had simply been a somewhat suffocating home. And now that home had ended up in ruins, it wouldn’t be strange if they still cared about it.

Aside from that, all they talked about was meaningless banter—joking around with each other, complaining that they were hungry, and saying they wanted to eat something good.

Still, I managed to learn their names.

The quiet one with the ability to track traces of people was Han Yeonwoo.

The other two, who constantly bickered, were Nam Woojin and Park Minseok.

Just as I hadn’t recognized their faces, their names didn’t ring any bells either.

There was one more thing I’d learned.

‘They’re definitely weaker than I am.’

Whenever they reached a section of road that hadn’t been cleared, they had to get off their bicycles and push them, struggling the whole way.

At one point, one of them even groaned, “Ugh, this is exhausting!” making it painfully obvious he lacked stamina.

Even a D-rank Esper wouldn’t be that lacking in strength or endurance. Maybe they’d never received proper training.

Their senses weren’t particularly sharp either. Even when I quietly closed the distance between us, none of them noticed.

It looked like I could jump out right now and they’d only panic in confusion, but the Director and everyone else had repeatedly warned me to be careful.

So I decided to rely on my equipment instead.

I pulled a flashbang from my pocket and waited for the right moment.

After using them against monsters countless times, I knew exactly when and where to throw one.

As I quietly waited for the three men to get off their bicycles again—

“…Hey, wait… I’ve got a really bad feeling about this…”

Nam Woojin, whose cheerful smile hadn’t disappeared even once, suddenly went rigid.

Park Minseok and Han Yeonwoo, standing close beside him, also turned pale as they nervously scanned their surroundings.

This would’ve been the perfect moment to throw the flashbang.

But something felt… off.

I instinctively became more alert.

Then Nam Woojin suddenly whipped his head around and shouted.

“Run!”

Before his sharp cry had even finished, the empty air barely ten paces away from the three of them split apart with a loud crack.

A Rift.

“Ah, shit! I knew it! Things were way too quiet!”

Park Minseok cursed in a voice on the verge of tears as he was the first to swing his bicycle around.

Han Yeonwoo also hurriedly dragged his bicycle away from the Rift.

The problem was Nam Woojin.

The Rift suddenly expanded, and in an instant his arm was swallowed into it.

Just like a vacuum cleaner sucking up dust.

‘That…’

The unexpected turn of events froze me in place.

The Rift had been far enough away that they should’ve been completely safe.

And yet now it had enlarged as if it had a will of its own, deliberately reaching out to touch Nam Woojin’s arm.

I’d never heard of a Rift moving toward a person like that.

‘Come to think of it… when we cleared the Reclaimed Bizarre Paradise, the Rift pulled Shinra, Yeon Dogyeong, and Cha Eunhwi inside too.’

Maybe that change had started happening outside as well.

Still, judging by the fact that the Director had never mentioned anything like this, and by how utterly panicked those men were, it couldn’t be happening with every Gate.

Then terrified screams erupted all at once.

“Aaaah! Aah! Aah!”

“Gah! Shit! Hey!”

“No! No! No!”

None of the three could even form proper sentences anymore.

The Rift didn’t grow any larger.

But Nam Woojin kept being dragged inside.

By now, even his shoulder had disappeared.

Park Minseok and Han Yeonwoo grabbed hold of his arm as he flailed helplessly.

Park Minseok burst into tears.

“What do we do?! What do we do?! What are we supposed to do?! Pull yourself out!”

“I-I can’t! It… it feels like someone’s pulling me from the other side…!”

“Don’t tell me you can’t! Do something!”

“Sob… L-let go of my arm. You two… you’ll get dragged in too. Boss said… if something like this ever happened… to leave me behind…”

“You idiot! Shut up! How are we supposed to leave you behind?!”

Even after following them for only a short while, I’d already figured they were close friends.

And seeing them refuse to let go of his arm even in a life-or-death situation made it obvious they really cared about each other.

After hearing so many stories about how terrible the world had become, seeing something like this made my chest feel… just a tiny bit warmer.

I should help them.

Unlike how long I’d spent watching, reaching that decision was easy.

It wasn’t because I was some selfless saint who wanted to help for no reason.

‘If I save them now, they’ll see me as their lifesaver. That’ll make gathering information much easier… and maybe they’ll even give me one of those bicycles!’

Yeah.

That was definitely the reason.

Stuffing the flashbang back into my pocket, I sprinted toward the Rift in an instant.

The three men, who had been sobbing only moments ago, stared at me with wide eyes, their breaths catching in their throats.

Up close, they looked even younger than they had from a distance.

Keeping my expression deliberately cold so they wouldn’t underestimate me, I met their speechless gazes for only a moment before speaking.

“I’ll help you, so—”

I was about to tell them to wait somewhere safe.

But before I could finish, the Rift suddenly exploded outward, swallowing all of us whole.

“Aaaah!”

Listening to the screams—so tangled together that I couldn’t tell whose voice belonged to whom—I let out a long sigh.

Just like always…

Gates were the absolute worst.