TSCEIAB Ch.1 The First S-Class Guide! (1)

 

A rural town in Ohio, USA.

“Yi-seo, it’s okay. Look at mom. Hmm? It’ll be fine. Don’t sleep, you should look at mom. You’re doing great, our daughter.”

“Doctor! Her fever is 40°C! Please, do something…!”

In the emergency room of a small hospital, an Asian couple was pacing anxiously.

There was a bed placed in front of them.

On it lay a young Asian girl who looked around five or six years old.

“Please… someone, anyone, help our Yi-seo…”

The girl’s father, unable to control his anxiety, bit his nails.

“I’ll take a look for a moment!”

The doctor rushed through the chaotic emergency room and approached the girl. As he checked her consciousness, a nurse began briefing him.

“…There’s an energy reaction along with the sudden high fever?”

“Yes. There are no signs of infection or other symptoms. It seems like…”

A faint smile spread across the doctor’s face as he listened to the nurse’s words. It was not an expression you would make in front of a sick child.

“What do you mean…!”

Just as the girl’s father was about to throw a fit.

“It seems like a manifestation fever! I’ll immediately call the center for urgent help!”

The doctor shouted, filled with excitement, and tried to rush out of the emergency room. But before he could, a small hand grabbed the hem of his coat.

“Doctor…”

“Oh, little one. Are you awake?”

“Did… did you say manifestation fever?”

Manifestation fever.

It was the fever that occurred when an Esper with psychic abilities, or a Guide who purifies their energy, awakened their powers.

This fever happened when a normal person’s body was being restructured into the body of an Esper or a Guide.

It is said that the higher the fever, the higher the rank, and the greater the probability of awakening as an Esper.

“Yes. Don’t worry too much. If the manifestation fever is this severe, it seems like you’re going to be a high-level Esper.”

This child, her life is changing now. A high-level Esper at that age.

The doctor mumbled to himself, gently removing the girl’s hand and left the room.

The girl, Kang Yi-seo, murmured as she looked up at the hospital ceiling through her blurred vision.

“…I guess I wasn’t an extra…”

In the girl’s voice was a faint sense of despair and exhaustion that didn’t seem to fit her age.

 

***

There was once a novel that became a huge hit among the girls of my generation.

“Surviving as the S-Class Guide of an Obsessive Male Lead.”

Or “Jipgasal”¹ for short.

This novel was a high teen story set in a fictional university in the United States, where the worldview was a guide bus.

Gates exploding in the air. The monstrous creatures emerging from those gates.

And those who hunt these creatures, the Espers.

Espers experience the contamination of energy the more they use their powers.

If this worsens, their wounds don’t heal easily, and they can go into a rampage. When a rampage occurs, the rule is to either trap and isolate them or, if that’s not possible, to kill them.

‘That’s why Espers were afraid to use their powers.’

But there’s no rule saying they had to die, and one by one, individuals capable of helping Espers began to appear. They were called “Guides.”

Also known as the trainers of Espers.

Guides purify the energy of Espers through physical contact with them. It starts with something simple like holding hands, then progresses to hugs, kisses, and eventually, more intimate acts.

Naturally, the protagonists of “Jipgasal” were an S-class Esper and an S-class guide.

The story unfolded as the protagonists, who met on a university campus, teamed up to fight monsters and used the excuse of guiding to engage in intimate acts, creating a sexual atmosphere from start to finish—this was the appeal of the novel.

‘It was a bit childish, but the writer’s skill in capturing the tastes of the younger generation and the sexual atmosphere made it a word-of-mouth success.’

I, too, read it casually on the recommendation of a friend.

It was quite enjoyable to read how the protagonists overcame many trials and difficulties, and finally got married.

‘…But I never expected to reincarnate into this world.’

That’s right.

After dying in a car accident, I opened my eyes again.

I had reincarnated into this chaotic world filled with monsters and superhumans.

‘But since I’ve never heard of this world before, I thought I was just an extra.’

I rolled my eyes and looked at the patient wristband fastened to my arm.

 

 

 

[Sophia Kang (6 years old) – Visited with fever/ suspected manifestation fever]

 

 

“Phew…”

My new name is Sophia Kang… no, it’s Kang Yi-seo.

When I was two, I immigrated to the United States with my Korean parents.

Until then, no… just a moment ago, neither the name “Kang Yi-seo” nor “Sophia” had appeared in the original story, so I thought my family and I were just extras.

But then…

Knock!

The sudden knock snapped me out of my thoughts. My dad, who had been pacing back and forth in the hospital room, hurriedly opened the door.

“Hello! We’re from the Ohio Awakening Center. My name is Logan.”

“I’m Ellie.”

Through the open door, a man and woman in stiff uniforms appeared.

My dad, seeing the unfamiliar faces of the center’s staff, looked a bit tense as he introduced himself.

“Ah, n-nice to meet you. I’m Kang Eui-chan, or… Harry Kang.”

“Mr. Kang. We came on an emergency call.”

“Yes, my daughter has manifestation fever… Ah! Please, come this way. It’s better if you see for yourselves.”

Dad led them inside. In fact, the hospital room was so small that there wasn’t much to guide them through.

“Oh, my goodness… I was told she’s six years old, is that correct?”

“Yes. Her birthday was just a few days ago, so she’s just turned six.”

“Her name is… Sophia? Hello, Sophia. Your face is so red. Are you feeling very unwell?”

The man with brown hair greeted me with a friendly face. I, feeling feverish, nodded while panting hot breaths.

“Don’t worry too much. Normally, when manifestation fever is this severe, it means you’re awakening as a high-level Esper.”

High-level is S~A rank, mid-level is B~C rank. The lower level below that, D~F rank.

As a side note, becoming a high-level Esper means you would never have to worry about a job or money for your entire life. It was truly a dream ability.

But I didn’t find those words very pleasant.

‘What’s this? I want my extra role back…’

I would rather live as an extra than fight monsters.

“Now, let’s start with the energy classification. Anyone can tell she’s an Esper, but it’s the protocol, you know. I’m a public servant, so I have to do what the higher-ups tell me…”

“Logan. Stop with the useless talk.”

“Ah, yes! Ellie.”

The man, having been reprimanded by the woman named Ellie, quickly shut his mouth. It seemed that Ellie held a higher rank.

“Just place your finger here.”

Ellie snatched the small device from Logan’s hand and held it out to me.

It was a square device about the size of an adult’s palm. From what I heard, it was used to measure my energy and determine whether I had the energy of an Esper or a Guide.

Ignoring Logan’s expectant gaze, I reached out my hand.

When my arm fell short to reach it, Ellie paused and moved the device closer to me.

Ding- ding- ding-

• Measurement starting.

The stiff mechanical sound filled the room. After a moment,  I withdrew my hand from the device when I heard it was complete.

“Let’s see…”

Ellie’s expression faltered for a moment as she checked the device’s screen. She raised one eyebrow and looked back and forth between the screen and me.

“Ellie? What’s wrong?”

Logan, curious, peeked at the screen. His expression soon mirrored Ellie’s.

“Uh… She’s not an Esper…”

“She’s a Guide.”

Ellie murmured. At her words, I widened my eyes in surprise.

Wait, hold on.

‘A Guide?’

“Sophia is six years old. So, that means…”

“Yes. She’s the youngest guide ever.”

“Gasp!”

It was my dad who let out a gasp. My mom was gently brushing my hair with a stiff expression.

“If… if she’s a guide, isn’t that dangerous? Our Yi-seo is still so young. What if she gets kidnapped by a guide trafficker…?”

“Mr. Kang. Please calm down! If she becomes a guide affiliated with the center, she’ll have personal protection. Even if not, there are programs to protect minor guides.”

Guide kidnapping was a popular topic in the media. However, such crimes didn’t happen as often as people thought.

Espers instinctively tended to behave well toward Guides.

If an Esper offended a Guide and couldn’t receive guidance, the Esper would have to face the risk of going on a rampage alone.

Even if that weren’t the case, Espers were always thirsty for guidance, so they often tried hard to get on a guide’s good side to receive guidance, even if just once more.

‘Of course, there are occasionally idiots who try to kidnap guides when they go mad from lack of guidance.’

“We’ll begin the rank test now. Sophia, please place your hand again…”

While Logan tried to calm Dad, Ellie took out another device from her bag and held it out to me.

It looked like the previous device, except the color was different.

Ding- ding- ding-

• Measurement starting.

The mechanical sound rang out again. My dad, who had been fidgeting nervously, shut his mouth and focused on the device. My mom tightly held my other hand.

And finally…

Beep- beep- beep-

A warning sound rang out,

“…?”

“W-why is this happening? It says ‘unmeasurable’…”

On the screen, the words “Unmeasurable” were displayed in large letters.

…Huh. Wait a minute.

‘I think I’ve seen this scene before.’

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. As I tried to remember, Ellie’s voice reached my ears.

“It could just be a device malfunction. It would be better to go to the center for a measurement…”

Ah. I remembered.

‘This is exactly how the female lead’s awakening as the first S-Class guide happened.’

“Ugh…”

“Sophia?”

At that moment, I felt a rush of heat in my head. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe properly, and it became difficult to think about anything else.

“Sophia? Are you okay?”

“P-physician, no, a healing Esper…”

“Yi-seo! Are you alright? Yi-seo!”

With the ringing in my ears, I heard Ellie, Logan, and my dad’s voices.

But I didn’t have the strength to respond.

I looked at my dad’s face, pale and frantic, and then blacked out.