Guide to the Fallen World - Chapter 13

#13. The Helper

***

A one-sided imprint is disadvantageous. This has been a long-standing principle among those with abilities.

It’s generally seen as a situation that’s completely unfavorable to one side, so normally, no one would take the initiative to offer an imprint. Even if they did, they would always ask for something in return, and trust between both parties is also a crucial issue.

That’s what happened about 300 years ago.

After the guides disappeared, imprints between ability users no longer took place. Since Esper couldn’t imprint with each other, it was only natural that the concept of imprinting became a rare and outdated idea.

These days, most Espers don’t even know what an imprint is. They only know about it through records, not as something they’ve experienced or understood.

On the other hand, Do-hyeok was different. Thanks to his mother being a guide.

Regardless of the pros and cons of a one-sided imprint, if the guide does not allow it, even attempting it is impossible. This was Do-hyeok’s understanding. His perspective aligned closely with Yeowon’s way of thinking.

And with such a person, it’s easy to let down your guard.

Still, knowing that the other person was an Esper, wasn’t leaving the panic room the wrong choice?

Yeowon greeted Do-hyeok, who had just returned after washing up, with a tense expression. It seemed that the tension was mutual. His walk, his expression, his eyes—nothing about him was relaxed.

“I’ll introduce myself properly. I’m Guide Jeong Ye-won. Thank you for your help.”

The hand extended for a handshake was small, but the determination in its owner was genuine.

“I’m Esper Kang Do-hyeok from Shelter Noah.”

“This is the first time we’re meeting face-to-face. The ark is a bit damaged here and there, so it’s a bit chaotic, but shall we start with a meal? If a meal feels too much, we can have tea instead.”

“I’ll go with tea.”

At that answer, Jay clicked his tongue, pointing out that the response was wrong.

“Tsk tsk. You should’ve had a meal and some tea. That way, you could sit and talk with the guide longer.”

“A meal is fine too.”

Ye-won thought to herself, wondering why the embarrassment always seemed to be hers alone.

***

Since the location of the ark has been exposed, the hideout needs to be moved.

Fearing that something like this might happen one day, a guide drug production facility had been set up in multiple locations across various regions. It’s common sense not to put all your eggs in one basket.

However, the issue has always been the relocation. The attacks from monsters and encounters with Espers—each one is a serious problem on its own.

That’s not all. The entire world is searching for her, and the eyes of Espers are watching every corner. And what they’re searching for is the guide.

That’s why Ye-won hasn’t left the ark until now. More precisely, she couldn’t leave.

But now, she must abandon the nest and flee elsewhere.

To do that, the key is to move without drawing the attention of the Espers.

For this reason, Yeowon found herself standing in front of the tunnel that Do-hyeok had forcefully broken through. The destination was Shelter Noah—a ruin that had been abandoned for 15 years.

However, unlike other fallen shelters, Shelter Noah was a safe place without even common monsters inside. It was thanks to Do-hyeok, who had made the ruined shelter his home and had thoroughly cleared out the monsters over time.

Once they arrive at Shelter Noah through the tunnel, they would wait for peddlers who occasionally pass by the area.

The peddlers, diplomats, and Espers, known as “merchants,” are responsible for facilitating trade between shelters. By pretending to flee from a monster attack and preparing a meeting under the guise of that, they could easily blend in with them without much trouble.

This is why Do-hyeok’s role becomes even more crucial. It’s simply illogical for a non-Espter to be wandering outside the shelter, getting chased by monsters.

In such cases, they are likely to be labeled as an outcast, someone who has been banished from the shelter.

However, if they are accompanied by an Esper for protection, the situation changes. They could easily forge an identity as the wife, sister, or associate of a high-ranking official from the shelter without raising suspicion.

Each shelter can easily create forged ID cards. The problem is that there’s no Esper to vouch for them.

If it were up to her, she would load the panic room onto a tank and comfortably head to the nearby volcanic production facility hidden beneath the ground. But that would go beyond being noticeable—it would be like advertising her presence.

By the time the discussion had reached this point, Yeowon began to noticeably limp.

It wasn’t unreasonable. The distance between the Ark and Shelter Noah was roughly between 10 to 20 km. For an athlete, it might not be a problem, but for an ordinary person, it would be quite a burden to walk that distance.

For this reason, Yeowon had been carried by the android from the middle of the journey.

It wasn’t because there was no vehicle available. The problem lay elsewhere.

“I shouldn’t have blown up the tunnel.”

“Exactly. If we’d just left it, we could have traveled comfortably by car. What is all this suffering?”

“Yeah. My fault.”

It was the price she paid for blowing up five sections of the tunnel, just in case Dohyeok might move the rocks and infiltrate the Ark.

Yeowon had to pay for that mistake with her own two feet.

Even if an Esper came forward to move the rocks, widening the path enough for a vehicle to pass through the already unstable tunnel was too risky.

As a result, her feet hurt so much she could no longer walk. It was a case of reaping what she had sown.

Jay clicked her tongue in annoyance as she removed Yeowon’s shoes.

“You’ve got blisters on your feet. Why didn’t you say you couldn’t walk?”

“I had too much on my mind and missed the timing.”

“That’s what happens when you’re tense. You won’t sleep well tonight. Take some sleeping pills and get some rest.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Want to take a sedative now?”

“Yeah. Give me some painkillers too.”

“I didn’t expect you to ask for both. Were you really that shocked today?”

“I was. A person died.”

“You seemed pretty calm about it, though.”

The hesitant Yeowon glanced back at Dohyeok and said.

“I’ve accepted it. This is going to be my life.”

“…..”

“Someone even brought up the responsibility of being a guide every other day.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry. I’m a sinner.”

“Forget it. I didn’t say that to hear those words. It’s just… now that it’s actually like this, it’s… scary. Everything.”

At Yeowon’s words, Dohyeok’s heart sank with a thud.

A guide afraid of espers. An esper terrified by a guide’s words. The tragedy he had witnessed as a child was repeating itself.

***

Shelter Noah. It had already been three days since Yeowon stayed at the home of the esper, who was supposedly the son of Baek Seoyeon, the guide. Yeowon was slowly becoming accustomed to the stillness of the esper.

Three days might be short, but it’s more than enough time to get a rough sense of someone’s demeanor and character.

In other words, the true nature of the esper named Kang Dohyeok had been roughly revealed.

Contrary to Yeowon’s concerns, the esper Kang Dohyeok did not attempt to make contact recklessly. He would linger about 10 meters away, and only when asked if there was something he needed would he finally approach.

Even then, he always made sure to maintain a certain distance while speaking.

Jay would brush it off, saying it was because he is well-educated, but to Yeowon, it seemed like there was another reason behind it.

“Does he hate me?”

“Yeah, right. If he disliked you, would he have volunteered for a unilateral imprint? He still seems to be waiting for your permission, watching for the right moment.”

“That’s strange too. He’s willingly putting himself at a disadvantage. Didn’t they say he grew up alone in the Ark without adults? Maybe he’s just bad at weighing benefits and losses. Or perhaps he’s not fully socialized.”

“I was worried about that too, so I tested him with consent, and he’s smart. Smarter than most average people, actually.”

“Hmm.”

“I told you, it’s natural for an esper to want a guide. Imagine meeting a guide for the first time in his life, aside from his mom. Can you blame him? Especially after 15 years without a guide. Even I’d lose my mind.”

“Is that the whole reason? No matter how much of an esper he is, isn’t it strange to act so submissive just because the matching rate is a bit high? I mean, those espers who infiltrated the Ark were like complete thugs.”

“To be precise, they were desperate. Don’t you remember how they got even more aggressive after being hit with reverse guiding bullets? The thirst felt by espers who have brushed close to a rampage isn’t something that can just be suppressed.”

“There’s guiding medication.”

“And there’s something even better than that.”

Jay retorted with a sly tone, emphasizing firmly:

“A guide.”

It was as if he was saying, You, I mean you.

“Everyone instinctively knows it. That they need a guide. Guiding medication is enough to simply survive, but it’s not the same. What they truly crave is a guide.”

“Is it really that much?”

“It is. That’s why they constantly nag us to avoid encountering espers altogether, and to always wear guiding blockers. You can imagine how serious it is if I even told Dohyeok never to provide him with radiating guiding under any circumstances.”

That had already puzzled her. Considering she owed him a lot, she thought radiating guiding or even hand guiding would be fine, but Jay had unexpectedly stopped her, so she ended up doing nothing at all.

“Since he helped you a lot, it’s only fair to return the favor with radiating guiding at least once. But once an Esper starts obsessing over a guide they’ve been directly guided by, it can be pretty terrifying. Though, it seems like it’s already started.”

“Started, you say?”

“That day, you opened the panic room hatch and released your guiding to lure the Espers, remember? Even though you quickly reversed it with reverse guiding, he’ll still remember how it felt. That’s why he’s behaving so obediently now.”

“Hmm. If that’s true, wouldn’t it have been more effective to properly use radiation guiding to win over the Espers who infiltrated the Ark, rather than relying on reverse guiding?”

“Maybe so. But in that case, an obsession that wouldn’t end until someone died would have begun. Why do you think I made sure to personally finish them off one by one?”

Yeowon subtly furrowed their brow. It was an answer that could be understood logically but was impossible to sympathize with emotionally. However, Yeowon also knew that it wasn’t just baseless nonsense.

“I understand. It’s a relief they’re all dead, then.”

“Yeah, indeed.”