Esper: A Foreign Entity in a Guide-less World

“Get that away from me.”

I glanced down at the metal bowl the bastard had shoved toward me.

Inside was a bubbling, unidentifiable mass—slick and slimy-looking, with a musty stench that churned my stomach.

For a moment, I thought it was some kind of sick joke, but then Ji Seon Woo came by to check on me and casually laughed, saying, “Yeah, the food here is hard to stomach.”

That’s when I realized—this was what everyone was eating.

I still had no idea what it was, but I’d rather starve than put that disgusting thing in my mouth.

[Oh? Playing the role of a spoiled brat, are we?]

The silver-haired bastard chuckled to himself as he scooped up a heaping spoonful of the slop.

[That’s right, our young master is still just a baby, after all. Now, open wide~ Aaaah.]

I was already holding myself back from tearing this whole place apart.

And these fucking bastards kept pushing my limits.

“Haah… Take it away.”

[It’s not even hot. I made sure to cool it down.]

“I said get lost!”

These idiots were seriously misunderstanding something.

I wasn’t refraining because I couldn’t kill them—I was holding back because Ji Seon Woo had begged me to.

Grinding my teeth, I smacked his hand away.

Clang!

The metal bowl clattered to the ground, spilling its foul contents all over the floor.

Finally, something satisfying.

“Eat it yourself.”

[Haha, Kaoru’s going to scold you for that.]

The silver-haired bastard narrowed his eyes.

[You know what you and stray dogs have in common, young master?]

“Get out.”

[You don’t listen. You only learn when you’re put in your place.]

He shrugged, clasping his hands together as he grinned.

[Alright, young master. Let’s give you a proper lesson.]

“I told you to leav—urk!”

Just as I was about to yell at him again, he suddenly moved—fast.

Before I could react, he pinned me down and grabbed my wrist, wrenching it back at an agonizing angle.

A fresh wave of pain shot through my half-healed arm.

An esper’s grip strength was far beyond that of a normal person’s, and the stronger their rank, the worse it got.

I wasn’t weak by any means, but physical enhancers—they were a nightmare to deal with.

“You… fucking piece of shit…!”

I almost unleashed my power right then and there, fully prepared to burn him to ash.

But then Ji Seon Woo’s voice echoed in my mind—his constant reminders to hold back, don’t kill, don’t make things worse.

I hesitated.

And that hesitation made my entire body tremble with frustration.

“Kgh… Get off me.”

[Unlike that little brat, you’re tougher. I don’t have to handle you so gently.]

My breathing grew heavy.

Sweat beaded at my temple.

The pain in my arm was bad, but the real problem was the stress.

The sheer, suffocating buildup of energy inside me, unable to be released, was pushing me to my breaking point.

If I had to compare it to anything… it was like being on the verge of an explosion.

I could feel the veins on my forehead bulging.

“Just… let me go.”

[Listen closely, young master. Food is precious here. Do you know how much effort it takes to gather what you just threw away?]

The grin was gone from his face now.

[If you have teeth, you chew. Food isn’t something you throw away.]

“Nngh—!”

[You’re old enough to know that, aren’t you?]

“Agh—urk!”

His fingers shoved into my mouth.

Rough. Forceful.

I gagged, a sickening crack echoing in my throat as his hand pressed against my tongue and the roof of my mouth.

Saliva dribbled down my chin.

I twisted my head in disgust, but he didn’t let up.

Instead, he mercilessly ran his fingers over my teeth, my gums, even scraping against the sensitive lining of my cheeks.

[Your canines are sharp.]

“Hah… ugh…!”

Finally, he pulled away and smirked.

[Next time, make sure to eat. You need to recover quickly, after all. That little brat of yours has been running around like a restless rat, poking his nose where it doesn’t belong. I need him strong enough to show me more of that mysterious power of his.]

“Cough! Cough, cough!”

I gasped as I finally managed to breathe again, hacking violently.

My head spun.

It took me a moment to regain enough composure to glare at him.

He had stepped back slightly, still wearing that insufferable grin.

“You filthy bastard—”

I spat on the floor, my stomach turning at the lingering sensation of his fingers inside my mouth.

It felt like I’d been force-fed a writhing mass of maggots.

My entire body burned with disgust.

[Ah… ha?]

He raised an eyebrow and muttered something under his breath.

[Guess you haven’t learned yet.]

He stepped forward again, hand reaching for me.

And then—

BAM!

The door burst open.

[Jayan.]

The person who walked in wasn’t Ji Seon Woo—it was the bespectacled man.

The one who clung to the silver-haired bastard like a damn parasite.

I wanted to see Seon Woo, but instead, all these irrelevant people kept appearing one after another, grating on my nerves.

[You shouldn’t be harassing a patient.]

[Mmm, this is discipline. A lesson from an adult.]

[You? Enough with the nonsense. There’s something more important happening. The situation outside is changing.]

[Did you just ignore me?]

[Hurry up and go.]

[You ignored me. I think my delicate heart just took a hit. Ow, my feelings.]

[Jayan. Enough games.]

[Ow.]

[Jayan.]

I had no idea what they were saying, but whatever it was, it made the silver-haired bastard’s grin vanish.

Without another glance in my direction, he walked out.

So much effort just to piss me off, and now he was gone in an instant.

Fine by me.

But something about his sudden exit made me uneasy—was it about Ji Seon Woo?

[Boy, I came to check on your arm.]

I was still staring at the door when the bespectacled man reached for my arm.

I instinctively recoiled, making it clear I didn’t appreciate the contact.

He sighed.

[Are you Jayan? I don’t have time for games. I have work to do.]

“…….”

[Cooperate. Don’t make me repeat myself.]

“Don’t touch me.”

Did these people not understand boundaries?

How many times did I have to say no before they got it?

I glared at him as he reached for my arm again.

Touch me one more time, and I’ll burn you alive.

I let out just enough hostile energy for him to get the message.

And he did—his fingers twitched midair before he hesitated.

Good.

He must’ve realized what would happen if he pushed his luck.

[You’re just as much of a beast as Jayan, aren’t you?]

The bespectacled man raised his hands in mock surrender, shaking his head slightly.

[Fine. I give up. Unlike Jayan, I don’t have the strength to force you. But don’t come complaining later. I tried to help, and you refused. That’s on you.]

Even back in Korea, I didn’t talk much to people besides Ji Seon Woo—probably because of my personality.

Yet, despite not even speaking the same language, these bastards wouldn’t stop talking at me.

And their speech—

It was strange.

It sounded vaguely like English, but also had Japanese-like tones.

A language I had never heard before.

How the hell was Ji Seon Woo planning to fix any of this?

Not that it mattered.

Once my arm fully healed, I was dragging him back—whether he liked it or not.

[Anyway…]

The bespectacled man’s gaze shifted to the spilled food on the floor, his brows furrowing.

[You’ve got some bad habits. If you were a Serbul child, you’d be getting whipped for that.]

I followed his gaze to the slimy mess.

Ji Seon Woo was really putting himself through hell here.

When we got back, I’d make sure he ate something decent for once.

[That was a special meal for patients. Jayan even added his portion to yours. And you just threw it away?]

He scooped the food back into the metal bowl, and just the sight of it made my stomach turn.

[The ‘Woo’ you came with eats just fine. But you, really… If Cheon had seen this, you would’ve gotten another lecture.]

Muttering something under his breath, he let out an exhausted sigh and left the room.

Did he just scold me?

Probably.

Not that I gave a damn.

Finally, the room fell silent.

Peace at last.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief and stretched, my stiff neck cracking.

Lying down all day was its own kind of torture.

What I really needed was a shower.

I was about to dismiss the thought when Ji Seon Woo’s voice rang in my head.

“Don’t cause any trouble. Just stay put.”

Hmm.

…Well.

…Hmm.

…Yeah, I was gonna do it anyway.

I hesitated—briefly.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.

But come on, this was reasonable.

Sure, Ji Seon Woo had a temper, and he would get pissed if I broke his rules.

But this?

This wasn’t breaking any rules.

He told me not to make a scene.

He never said anything about taking a shower.

Yeah.

This was fine.

I’d be quick.

No one would even notice.

Decision made, I got up and left the room for the first time.

Not that I was worried.

Even in this absolute shithole, there had to be a place to wash up.

As I wandered, I took in my surroundings properly for the first time.

This place was worse than I thought.

A complete wreck.

Why the hell were they living here?

Were there kids here? The elderly?

Questions filled my mind, but I shook them off.

Not my problem.

I just had to wait until my arm healed and then get the hell out of here.

That was the plan.

But as I kept walking—

I found nothing.

No showers.

No bathrooms.

Just endless filth, decay, and the overwhelming stench of rot.

This entire place might as well be a garbage dump.

“What a waste of time.”

Now I was sweating, and I felt even grosser.

Maybe I should just go back.

Taking off my shirt would be marginally better than this.

“…Ah.”

That’s when I realized something.

I had made a huge mistake.

…I was lost.

In Korea, I never had to worry about this.

I had my watch.

I had Ji Seon Woo constantly leading me around.

But now?

I was on my own.

“…Okay. I just need to turn around and walk straight back. Easy.”

Scratching my brow, I pivoted to retrace my steps—

Drip.

A soft sound.

A single drop of water.

Somewhere nearby.