Declaration of Extra Strike

Those who had exchanged a few words with each other left the room, and I was left alone in the interrogation room with a single desk.

There was nothing I could do in a room without a clock.

Loosen the gag and go, you bastards.

‘Status window.’

「You are not eligible to view.」

‘Status window.’

「You are not eligible to view.」

‘Status window, Status window, Status window, Status window!!’

As I shouted in anger, several windows passed by so quickly that I couldn’t read the words.

「You are not eligible to view.」

「You are not eligible to view.」

「You are not eligible to view.」

ZAC SYSTEM error!

Access denied. GEM Crashed.

「Kang Eui_??00000000_000(0) Hyo-hyun」

「You are not eligible to view.」

***

After struggling with the system window for a long time, the door opened. I looked up and saw a woman entering the room and a man following her. It was the first time meeting them as well.

A woman wearing glasses greeted me with a smile, as if she could see the puzzled expression on my face.

“Hello. I’m Go Eun-young, who is in charge of training new guides.  Please take good care of me.”

‘A new guide?’

As I tilted my head at the words I heard for the first time, Go Eun-young, who was looking at the things that restrained me with pity, put the luggage she had brought on the table and approached me.

“Are you uncomfortable? Before viewing the audio-visual material, let me break you from the bonds. However, according to the regulations, new awakeners are required to wear the minimum control device.…………. Please note that you must wear the device during training.”

A machine, the size of a coin, shook in my small hand.

“If you move beyond the permitted range, the control device will operate, so do not move hastily.”

Go Eun-young went behind me and put a band around my neck. As I felt awkward at the feeling of the machine right under the cage, the man who came in with Go Eun-young began to loosen my restraints.

The belts that bound my body and legs were untied, but my hands were pulled forward and lightly handcuffed to prepare for the unexpected.  The man who let go of the gag I had been biting on for the last time took a step back.

Slowly stretching the corners of his tattered mouth, he asked Go Eun-young, who was preparing something in front of him.

“What the heck is this………… Arghhhh!!”

I straightened up my body, struggling with the pain that started with my neck, which was in contact with the machine, spreading throughout my body. 

Go Eun-young’s startled voice rang in my ears as I couldn’t come to my senses from the exhilarating pain.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I haven’t unlocked the voice limit..”

‘This crazy!!’

I heard a thump and then the pain stopped.  He looked at me, saying that the operation of the tablet he was holding was all done.

“Umm. We’re done. You can talk now.”

I’m not even an asshole yet just went through the pain just because I opened my mouth.

I kept my mouth shut and glared at her, but Go Eun-young paid no attention and pulled a chair across from me and sat down.

“I’ll greet you again, Mr. Hohyun. My name is Go Eun-young, who is in charge of educating new guides. I urgently received a call from Team manager Tae-hyun. He said you have amnesia. I was told you don’t remember anything about your teammates. Could you tell me if there are any parts that remain in your memory, such as your responsibilities as a center or guide?”

My memory is fine, of course.  However, it was impossible to openly confide in a group of unknown psychos. And I don’t understand what Go Eun-young is saying.……………….

I kept my mouth shut and shook my head.

“Not even one?”

“Yes.”

“Then, about monsters, dungeons, and awakened people….”

“I know that.”

“That’s a relief. If you didn’t know this, it would have been more complicated. Team leader Tae-heon asked me to put you on a mission as quickly as possible. I will make a separate training schedule and contact you.  For now, just watch the promotional audio-visual materials that new trainees need to watch.”

Go Eun-young, who spoke alone and decided alone, opened the tablet and waved her hand at the man standing behind her.

“Oh, Seong-hoon-ssi, give it to me. Here are the files containing the personal information of Ho-hyun-ssi and his team members. I thought it would be better to take it separately and familiarize yourself with it, so I brought it..”

I felt a sense of déjà vu at the Mugung Hwa pattern drawn in the center of Go Un-yeong’s tablet screen. That………….

While the man put down the paper bag containing the files on the chair next to me, Go Eun-young, who stood up the tablet and adjusted the screen so that I could see it better from my side, took my belongings and stood up again.

“I came in a hurry so I can’t stay for long.  The training schedule will be delivered through Hohyun’s team members. You can just watch this and go home today! Then I’ll get going first. Seong-hoon-ssi, please take care of him.”

“Yes!”

A man named Seong-hoon nodded at Go Eun-young’s words. The door closed and Seong-hoon came to me and clicked on the screen.

‘No matter how I look at it, that symbol………’

Unable to contain my curiosity, I opened my mouth.

“That by any chance….”

“Do not talk during the lecture!”

As soon as the man’s gaze reached the machine stuffed around my neck, I fell silent.

“Then I apologize.”

“Whatever.”

As the man clicked on the screen, a public service announcement-like video started.

[Kim Cheol-su, a college student, is an Awakener. Lee Young-hee, who lives in Jeju, is also an Awakener.………….]

The video shows where monsters and awakeners first appeared.

Starting with the first dungeon break in the chapter, he explained the history of how the current system, peace, and safety were maintained. It was so obvious that I wondered if there was anyone who didn’t know this.

I stared blankly at the ever-changing screen, but I straightened up at the upcoming content about ‘Psychic’ and ‘Guide’. The guide started to talk about what Go Eun-young mentioned over and over again……..

[ Those who are specially selected among the Awakened can enjoy the honour of belonging to the country and protecting it. ‘Esper’, an awakened person who uses this ability without skill, and ‘Guide’ who supports them……..]

That’s right, state institutions! There was a reason why the Mugung Hwa pattern on the tablet was familiar. I jumped up in surprise.

“Crazy, then Esper and Guide were talking about slave hunters and the blood bag…..”

And I was immediately punished by the machine.

“Arggggh!!”

“Do not talk during the lecture!”

“You physco bastard! Fuck, turn it off quickly…………”

“Do not swear!”

“Keuk………. Argggggh!”

The psycho stopped the machine only after I endured for a few more seconds and waved my hand up to raise the imaginary white flag.

“There are parts that you have overlooked, so I’ll go back and play them again.”

[Our Guide and Esper Center realizes world-leading Awoken Welfare. Human Rights Protection and Awoken First…….]

‘What protection….’

A snarky sarcasm leaked out in my mind, but it didn’t come out. It was because of the pain that I didn’t want to experience again, like a phantom pain.  I just stuck out my lips and fixed my eyes on the screen where the video was being broadcast.

Awakeners who are given skills by the system at the moment of awakening are naturally divided into combat type, auxiliary type, and production type according to the skill given randomly.  Unless they were in the production world like me, most Awakeners worked as hunters.

Most of them join guilds, but sometimes they move solo if they don’t feel the need. Unlike hunters who have such autonomy, Awakeners belonging to the country were completely different in type.

They were not limited by skills, but were able to use supernatural powers according to their potential. However, psychic powers have a higher degree of freedom and attack power than skills, but carry a great risk of runaway.

When the risk of runaway, increasing with each use of the ability, reaches its peak, the person completely turns into a runaway, causing great loss of life and severe financial damage to those around it, and eventually leading to the death of the Esper himself. 

Because they could not be released into society, Muskill Awakeners work in government agencies in their respective countries.

Fortunately, there was an auxiliary skill that lowered their runaway level. It’s a skill that happens so randomly, so if you have this skill, the country will immediately catch it. And they are the very blood………was a guide.

‘They called me a guide. So, are they slave hunters?”

The Hunters mockingly called the awakened people belonging to the country and moved without free will, slave hunters and the ones they carry along [as guides], the blood bags.  

It was only now that I realized that this was a state-affiliated institution, as I had never been called by the tickling names of Espany or Guide.

With a sudden thought, I reached for the paper bag Go Eun-young had given me. My handcuffed hands were not free, but when I grabbed it by the handle and knocked the bag over, files with ⟨ Esper Guide Center ⟩ written on the outside spilled out.

The psycho guy raised his eyebrows at my movement for a moment, but he didn’t stop it like before, probably judging that I wasn’t doing anything strange.

As soon as I opened the file as I could get my hands on it, I saw a piece of paper with personal information written on it.  At the top, there was a picture of me and the name Joo Ho-hyun.