Chapter 15

“Young Master! You’re home? Hurry and wash your hands. I made the spicy braised chicken you like.”

“Wow, dak-bokkeum-tang!”

Ihyun tossed his bag aside and dashed to the bathroom. He grinned at his pretty reflection in the mirror, washed his hands, and took his seat at the dining table. The sight of the steaming braised chicken and neatly arranged side dishes drew an involuntary sigh of admiration.

Damn, being a rich young master really does have its perks.

In his previous life, Seunghyeon had been born into an ordinary family and had simply been lucky enough to awaken as an S-rank Esper. But his rise to the upper ranks of the Esper rankings had been entirely due to his own ability. He had no powerful backers and had received no special treatment.

His parents had died in a Gate accident when he was young, leaving him with nothing but his own body and his awakened ability. His salary had been astronomical, but he spent nearly every waking hour throwing himself into Gates and fighting for his life. He barely had any time to spend the money.

At most, ordering delivery on his way home from work had been his only luxury.

Leaving all that money sitting untouched in my bank account and then dying was the biggest regret of my entire life. Seriously.

Ihyun popped a chicken leg coated in rich red sauce into his mouth and narrowed his eyes in bliss. Whether Director Baek Seungho liked him or not, the living expenses he was being given—and this ridiculously luxurious house—were entirely his to enjoy.

This time around, I’m not saving a damn thing. I’m spending it all!

“Young Master, would you like some more?”

“Yes! It’s amazing! Give me another bowl of rice, please!”

After polishing off two bowls of rice that tasted like heaven, Ihyun patted his stomach and smiled in satisfaction.

Then he returned to his room, turned on his phone, and logged into an online shopping mall.

I’ve got money coming out of my ears. There’s no way I’m going to survive on nothing but that strawberry-flavored syrup.

Ihyun searched for the legendary mana alchemist he had frequently used in his days as Lee Seunghyeon: Master K.

She was an Esper capable of using alchemy to mold an Esper’s mana into physical substances. She was notorious for being extremely particular, but a single drop of medicine she refined was worth as much as a Gate core, so even high-ranking Espers would line up in front of her workshop just to buy her creations.

But Ihyun’s brow furrowed the moment he saw the search results.

[Notice (2023.01.01): Master K Alchemy Workshop—All sales of refined products suspended following its joining of ‘DUST’.]

“Ha. Seriously? Every big-shot out there has defected. What, are they trying to monopolize alchemy too?”

Clicking his tongue, Ihyun searched for the next-best option.

Fortunately, an elite disciple who had learned the art of refining mana-based substances under Master K was currently running a VIP-only alchemy pharmacy near the Ability Bureau.

Ihyun checked the number of zeros in Baek Ihyun’s bank account and filled out an order form without hesitation.

He wasn’t capable of creating something from nothing on the same level as his master, Master K, but he was reliable.

[Refined Product: Highly Concentrated Essence (Mana Supplement) — Mint Chocolate x50, Blueberry x50, Coffee x50]

The price was insane—each bottle cost roughly the equivalent of an ordinary Guide’s monthly salary.

Ihyun didn’t even blink as he immediately hit the payment button.

It’s not my money, so who cares? Baek Seungho, I’m going to live in luxury on your dime.

After completing the purchase, Ihyun clicked over to the weapons category while he was at it.

The sight of all the flashy longswords and greatswords filling the screen made the blood of his former life stir.

Many Espers used specialized weapons to draw out their abilities with maximum efficiency. The forms varied widely. Some used swords, some used guns, and, for reasons Ihyun could never understand, some even used whips.

“An Esper needs a sword, obviously. Should I buy something similar to Black Thunder?”

Ihyun was about to add a hefty steel greatsword to his cart when he suddenly glanced down at his slender wrist.

Baek Ihyun’s wrist looked even thinner than the grip of the greatsword he had wielded in his previous life.

……No. If I swing a greatsword with this arm, my wrist bones will snap before I even get the chance to cut off an enemy’s head.

Facing reality, Ihyun closed the greatsword page without a second thought.

Instead, he chose a cutting-edge mana pistol with a sleek silver sheen.

[Product Name: Silver Ghost — Guide-exclusive Wave Amplification Firearm]
[Features: Constructed with a special alloy frame produced from Gate materials. Fires bullets infused with the user’s wavelength. Minimal-recoil design allows users with low physical strength to fire with precision.]

“If you don’t have muscles, you might as well use a tool.”

Ihyun happily checked the payment-complete notification.

He could practically feel the scent of his newfound financial security wrapping around him.

With a satisfied grin, he waited eagerly for his packages to arrive.

It was time to put their heads together and figure things out.

Juwon had been summoned to a quiet bar near Ihyun’s home. He sat down, panting as though he had sprinted all the way there the moment his hyung called.

Ihyun sat across from him, idly turning his beer glass between his fingers before asking quietly,

“Hey. Did you bring what I asked for?”

Juwon glanced around before carefully pulling a security envelope from inside his coat and sliding it across the table.

Inside were the support team roster from the Gehena Gate five years ago, along with the command center communication records Ihyun had asked for earlier that day.

Without hesitation, Ihyun opened the envelope and skimmed through the documents.

But as he turned the pages, his hand soon came to a stop.

“……What the hell is this?”

More than half the documents had been painted over with black ink.

The support team leader’s information, the affiliations and names of key personnel, and even the critical lines from the communication logs exchanged with the command center at the time had all been completely blurred out.

This wasn’t ordinary redaction.

Someone had gone to great lengths to carve the information out of the record entirely.

“Hyung, even with my clearance level, I can’t access that stuff. I dug through the Ability Bureau’s entire system, but those sections were classified as being outside the normal clearance system altogether.”

Ihyun’s eyes narrowed sharply.

He ran a finger roughly across the ink-blackened paper.

“At this level, this wasn’t blocked by the Ability Bureau alone.”

Just then, a sharp beep announcing breaking news rang out from the large monitor mounted on one wall of the bar.

[Breaking News: A-03 Zone Engaged in Fierce Battle with Rebel Forces ‘DUST’]

Shaky drone footage of a restricted area was being broadcast remotely.

A city filled with gray smoke spread across the screen. In the middle of it, a flash of blue mana appeared—

And then a massive explosion swallowed the entire screen.

BOOM—!

The deafening blast broke through the speakers. The drone was caught in the shockwave and spun wildly before the footage crackled and cut out.

The screen soon switched to the news anchor in the studio.

“……We’ve just received this report. The World Alliance Army’s 7th Mobile Unit, under the direct command of the Allied Government, is currently engaged in combat with DUST in the A-03 Zone. The operation has deployed the Alliance Army’s renowned ‘Ideology Reinforcement Agents.’ Authorities have stated that these individuals, who have been trained to place the safety of the nation above all else, will uphold the justice of humanity without wavering in the face of rebel propaganda.”

Images of Espers standing rigidly at attention, their eyes emotionless as they stared across the battlefield, flashed across the screen.

“Not a single day goes by without some damn commotion.”

“You didn’t go there?”

Juwon was an S-rank asset who should have been standing on the front lines, so Ihyun asked him pointedly.

Juwon propped his chin on his hand and snorted.

“Why the hell would I go there and fight for someone else’s benefit? Those Ideology Reinforcement Agents…… There are even a few people from my junior ranks mixed in among them. They call it ‘reinforcement,’ but what it really means is that those mind-type Espers pressure them until they’re indoctrinated into following the Alliance Army’s orders as though they were their own beliefs.

“And on top of that, they make them dependent on the high-purity Guiding drugs monopolized by the Alliance Army. They’ve reached the point where even if they wanted to leave, they physically can’t.”

“High-purity Guiding drugs? Not Guiding ampoules?”

At Ihyun’s question, Juwon answered in a voice filled with both anger and pity.

“Don’t even get me started. They came up with it to distinguish themselves from those DUST bastards…… I was once forced to take a bottle myself, and I nearly died from my heart exploding. It’s basically no different from drugs. Your head gets all floaty, adrenaline goes absolutely fucking insane, and your heart starts pounding like crazy. It’s downright bizarre.”

Juwon clicked his tongue.

“But those idiots get so high on the drug that they actually think they’re true apostles of justice. They don’t even realize the people above them are treating them like disposable tools.”

“Juwon. Can you get your hands on it?”

“Why? Don’t even dream of selling me off and sending me there. Now that I’ve come back alive, you should be thinking about living a little more comfortably too, hyung!”

Ihyun’s eyes slowly turned cold as they followed the fading image of the explosion on the screen.

The Guiding waves that had been extorted from him at the research institute, the black ink covering the documents, and the red explosion on the news all seemed to overlap.

Five years ago, the World Alliance had abandoned them.

And now, it was binding the Espers who remained with drugs and brainwashing, using them until there was nothing left.

“I understand Han Taeyoon. If it were me, I’d…… Mmph!”

The moment Juwon heard the name of Han Taeyoon—the leader of DUST and the public enemy of humanity—he jumped in alarm and clamped a hand over Ihyun’s mouth.

Ihyun scowled and slapped his hand away, but Juwon was practically in tears as he whispered,

“Hyung, don’t casually say that name outside! Who knows where they’ve got spies planted…….”

“Why the hell should I care?”

“Hyung! You’re Baek Seungho’s son right now!”

At those words, Ihyun let out an irritated sigh.

Anyone who mattered already knew the truth.

Baek Ihyun was the hidden son of Ability Bureau Director Baek Seungho.

Which meant that the moment he uttered Han Taeyoon’s name while wearing this identity, even simple curiosity could be interpreted as a sign of treason.