Chapter 5: Hyung, It Is So Warm
"You did very well. There is nothing to worry about."
I gently stroked Jo Hyun's soft hair, slightly stained with mud, and smiled sincerely at this underage teenager.
"You saved everyone. You are a true hero. You did great, Jo Hyun."
Jo Hyun stared at me with his eyes wide open, and his cheeks gradually turned red like ripe apples. His handsome face awkwardly responded to my words.
"Hyung, you are so bad, how can you be this beautiful…"
I wondered what he was muttering about, but Jo Hyun refused to open his mouth again.
Jena stepped forward to take a closer look at Jo Hyun. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized that Jo Hyun's condition had improved astonishingly.
"It is fine now. Continue, Kim Jun."
I did not complain to Jena. I always carried out my work professionally.
"They brought me back and measured my abilities. They said that I am an Esper rank S. Hyung, does that mean I am very strong?"
Jo Hyun asked shyly.
"That is right!"
I smiled at his cuteness.
"An Esper rank S is truly very rare. Within our Guide and Esper management headquarters of District D, there are only a few. And now there is one more, Jo Hyun."
Jo Hyun nodded vigorously with a proud expression. I understood clearly that at this age, any child would feel like this upon realizing they had awakened as one of the strongest among humanity.
I had experienced it myself before, only that the process had involved far greater loss.
"Hyung, you are a Guide, right?"
Jo Hyun suddenly asked me.
"Oh, that is right. I am a Guide rank S like you. Do you feel better now?"
I nodded slightly.
Jo Hyun suddenly grasped my hand tightly. The strength of his grip was extremely strong. He stared fixedly at our tightly clasped hands and murmured:
"Hyung, it is so warm…"
I laughed softly and gently patted Jo Hyun's shoulder.
"This is normal during Guiding. My energy is transmitted into your body through contact, making you feel warm."
Jo Hyun said, "But the people before did not make me feel like this at all?"
He looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"That is because your compatibility with them was too low. The efficiency of energy transmission was too little to produce an effective Guiding result."
I gently explained it to Jo Hyun.
"Then is it because Hyung and I are very compatible with each other?"
Jo Hyun's eyes lit up. I could feel his grip tightening further, revealing his excitement.
I also thought that the compatibility between us was quite high. I had a compatibility of forty four percent with Zero, yet it still did not feel this easy to Guide. That meant my compatibility with Jo Hyun had to be over fifty percent.
Jena, sitting beside us, recounted what had happened.
"The rift was very large and swallowed the entire school. Thanks to Jo Hyun awakening early and protecting the students, when the rescue team arrived, no one had died yet. Only a few were injured."
If that was all, there would not have been so many people so severely injured.
Jo Hyun continued the story in Jena's place.
"A gigantic monster suddenly appeared."
Jo Hyun and the other Espers only needed a brief glance to know that it was a completely different kind of monster, a Boss.
The rescue team sent out consisted of only two Esper rank S. Including the newly awakened Jo Hyun, there were only three Esper rank S in total.
"It was a Boss at rank S+ or close to rank SS. We cannot be completely certain. But according to the description from the captain of Team 3, that is the case."
Jena rubbed her chin.
The energy level measured earlier from the rift was only at A+ fluctuating toward S. A Boss exceeding the measured energy level by more than one rank had never happened before.
"And they still won?"
I was extremely surprised. Normally, with such a team and with so many civilians needing rescue, the team would certainly have been wiped out.
Jena nodded and looked at Jo Hyun with a complicated gaze.
"Thanks to this student, Jo Hyun's ability seems to surpass rank S and approach S+."
Or rather, Jo Hyun was as strong as Zero, one of the strongest rank S Espers in the District D management headquarters.
"Although there were a few moments where I almost died, I still defeated it!"
Jo Hyun raised his head proudly.
I was not stingy with a few words of praise for the kid.
"All right. Then the Guiding is finished now. Get some good rest and then return to school."