HLSEBT - 53

53. Fire 1

Shin Jae-il held his breath, blinking only his eyes as he waited for the students to pass by.  

“Lately, the school vibe feels kind of down, doesn’t it?”  

“Isn’t it because exams are coming up? I don’t get why they’re happening so often.”  

“You idiot, why’d you remind me of that? Now I’ll never forget!”  

“So you were planning to forget forever?”  

“I still haven’t found a Guide. The kids in my assigned class are all duds…”  

“Didn’t G Class fight against T Class recently?”  

“The worst versus the best. So Kang Jin-ho’s going to take first place again, huh?”  

The students passed right by Shin Jae-il, who was within arm’s reach, without noticing him at all.  

Shin Jae-il remained frozen in place, blinking only his eyes until the students cleared the corridor.  

“Some kid in T Class supposedly likes Kang Jin-ho… That bastard’s done for now. Woo Joo Han openly hates him, and Hwang Sungbin already has a partner.”  

“So that’s why he’s throwing a tantrum. He’s hogging the training grounds all to himself?”  

Despite his weak physical abilities, the principal had entrusted Shin Jae-il with this task for one clear reason: he was an Esper capable of invisibility.  

Of course, there was a fatal drawback—if he used invisibility for too long at once, he wouldn’t be able to use his ability again for an extended period.  

“Phew.”  

Once the students passed, Shin Jae-il resumed moving.  

At the end of the passage, he was supposed to meet a collaborator and hand over the unconscious student.  

The principal had emphasized that everything needed to be completed before the sleeping drug wore off.  

If the student regained consciousness, he would try to escape.  

Because of the delay caused by waiting for the students to pass, Shin Jae-il had only made it halfway to his destination.  

Thud.  

An ominous sound began emanating from inside the reinforced box.  

Shin Jae-il picked up the pace. Since his ability couldn’t eliminate sound, the louder the noise from inside the box became, the faster he had to push the cart.  

Thud. Thud. Boom.  

As the sounds grew louder, Shin Jae-il stopped in his tracks. He felt the cart’s handle growing hotter and let go of it.  

“Ahh…”  

A faint groan signaled the start. The lid of the box, which the principal had assured would hold, began melting. Shin Jae-il backed away. After the lid melted, the cart started dissolving next.  

With a pale face, Shin Jae-il turned around before the cart fully melted and ran back the way he came—all while keeping his invisibility active.  

Taptaptap. At full speed. Unaware that a single ember had clung to his back.  

Beeeeep.  

Flames erupted in the middle of the empty underground corridor. The fire alarm blared. From where Shin Jae-il had fled, a fiery humanoid figure began to move.  

---

Yoon Taeha had been motionlessly watching the passage of H Building for four hours straight.  

Since the basement had no windows, teleportation wasn’t easy. It was only natural that she took the surface while Cheon Geonyoung handled the underground.  

After unscrewing the cap of a small water bottle to quench her thirst, she rolled the half-empty bottle in her hand.  

Yoon Taeha was hiding among the branches of the tree closest to H Building.  

It was a spot where she could observe all directions.  

There was only one entrance to H Building from the outside, and only two paths leading to the main gate. She focused intently on those routes.  

“My eyes hurt. The night vision mode still needs improvement. The colors look a bit off.”  

- Would you like to switch back to normal vision mode?  

“No. I need to keep monitoring heat signatures.”  

- Shin Jae-il’s invisibility ability is mid-tier among low, medium, and high levels. You don’t need to be overly tense.  

“Why are you trying to calm me down?”  

- Jet has objective eyes.  

“Don’t let your guard down. Invisibility is a tricky ability. It’s rare, too.”  

- Isn’t it one of the things you hate the most?  

“If you can’t see them, you can’t do anything about it. Not just me—most people hate it.”  

- Why is the development of auxiliary weapons to detect invisibility taking so long?  

“Imagine if you were an Esper with invisibility. Would you just sit idly by and watch someone develop something to counter it?”  

- Are you competing with machines now?  

“Technically, it’s about losing your spot…”  

- Jet doesn’t want to take your place.  

“It’s fine if you take it sometimes. Just help with surveillance duties and deal with the kids’ nonsense.”  

- Doesn’t interest me.  

“You only want to do what you like…”  

- Jet is your artificial intelligence, after all.  

Yoon Taeha massaged her stiff neck.  

“When will mine finally be repaired?”  

- Are you referring to your weapon?  

Weapons used by third-generation Espers typically amplified abilities, enabled control, or maximized attack potential.  

Yoon Taeha had a decent weapon. Actually, it was more than decent—it was a continental-level weapon coveted by telekinetic Espers, even if it meant risking their lives for it.  

“The promised repair period has passed.”  

- According to the research lab, the current restoration progress is at 89.32%.  

Her weapon had been severely damaged during an overseas mission and sent for repairs.  

- Are you feeling frustrated?  

“Do you even need to ask?”  

- Your weapon is a masterpiece combining technologies from multiple worlds, so repairs are bound to take time.  

- Didn’t Doctor Blue send a message saying they’re doing their best and asking for a little more patience?  

“Send greetings to our alien friends.”  

- What should I convey?  

“Tell them we’ll meet up after the mission.”  

- Should I include Cheon Geonyoung? Many people are curious about your partner. You know that, right?  

“On our side, aliens might get kidnapped due to security concerns.”  

- CH has also been mass-producing incredible items lately.  

“We could go on a picnic later, each bringing an alien along. Share technology and all.”  

An amusing image popped into her head: herself and Cheon Geonyoung sitting at a negotiation table, holding hands with aliens sporting colorful hair.  

That would be fun.  

She was deeply interested in the technology and manpower CH possessed.  

- That statement was quite risky.  

“Are you going to report me?”  

- Jet doesn’t transmit anything except your biometric data without permission.  

Hearing Jet’s words, Yoon Taeha nodded. As the conversation continued, she realized she’d already been on surveillance for five hours.  

Which also meant Cheon Geonyoung had been stuck underground for five hours.  

Casually, Yoon Taeha muttered, “I wonder how he’s doing.”  

- Are you worried about your partner?  

“Not exactly worry…”  

- Then what?  

She rolled her eyes, searching for the right word.  

Something less intimate than concern but lighter than worry. A word that wouldn’t make the AI smirk. Something that conveyed trust in Cheon Geonyoung’s abilities.  

What could that be?  

Yoon Taeha’s eyes sparkled under the streetlight, reflecting her futile passion for useless things. But even that didn’t last long.  

“…Let’s call it worry.”  

- How amusing. Do you know how much the Korean government invests annually in agent academies?  

“Probably a lot.”  

- Money, talent, and technology are converging. Rumors are circulating that the government is establishing a new confidential organization.  

“For Espers?”  

- Likely a comprehensive agency including Espers, Guides, and regular humans.  

“Why not just expand the Protection Bureau?”  

- You know why. The Protection Bureau is required to disclose information. There’s a limit to what can be done with Espers whose identities are public. You understand that better than anyone.  

Yoon Taeha sighed lightly.  

“So?”  

- Reports say some top talents from various academies have disappeared from the market after graduation. Too much investment for them to simply do nothing.  

“Just because they received that education doesn’t mean they have to join such organizations.”  

- Even with rumors of mutants being gathered?  

Fiddling absently with leaves swaying in the wind, she said indifferently, “What do you want me to do? Stop beating around the bush, Jet.”  

- Was I being awkward?  

Looks like it had learned to evade questions.  

“You’re implying Cheon Geonyoung is from there, aren’t you?”  

- Sharp as always.  

“What do you want to know?”  

- The Audit Bureau wants to know who’s backing Cheon Geonyoung.  

- It’s your new mission.  

“Those old-timers are relentless… Can’t they give me one task at a time?”  

- No other requests. Just gather information about the organization Cheon Geonyoung is working with.  

“Aren’t you already finding that out on your own?”  

- There are still many things I can’t do yet.  

Should she consider that fortunate? Mocking herself, she rubbed her dry eyes.  

“I’ll try.”  

- Shall I report that to the higher-ups?  

“Tell them I’ll only try. If they don’t like it, they can come catch me themselves. Anyone can sit around and yap.”  

- Should I relay that too?  

“Relay everything.”  

Maybe she should’ve added harsher words.  

Regretting her rebellion, Yoon Taeha suddenly spotted suspicious movement. A heat signature far hotter than a normal person’s appeared near the entrance of the underground passage in the distance.  

She teleported to a streetlamp near the source of light.  

“…Shin Jae-il?”  

There he was, running in a shirt with a hole burned in the back. Whatever had frightened him so much, he didn’t even notice his bizarre appearance. His invisibility had worn off, but he seemed oblivious.  

“Ah.”  

Before she could think rationally, her nape went cold. A brief ringing sounded in her ears. The rustling of leaves overhead felt eerie.  

Without fully predicting what had happened, Yoon Taeha dashed into the passage Shin Jae-il had fled from.  

A beat later, Jet reported detecting unnatural heat within the underground corridor.  

Just a few steps in, the acrid smell of smoke began assaulting her senses.  

Espers relied not only on their five senses but also on strong intuition.  

Something felt wrong. Uneasy. Why had she been assigned to the surface? How long was this underground passage again?  

Running through the sturdy gray corridor, built to withstand dungeon generation shocks and earthquakes, she called for headquarters.  

“Mast 3-1, Situation 9 occurring during infiltration.”  

- Anchor 2 responding. Mast 3-1, the boss is in the situation room. Immediate connection requested?  

“Hurry!”  

She didn’t slow down once, even as black soot began appearing on the gray walls.