Beyond The Control

Chapter 71

We resumed moving about 5 minutes later. As we went out into the still dark and gloomy corridor, Song Ji-hyeok spoke to me after just a few steps.

“What did you talk about with the team leader?”

“Nothing much. He just told me to focus more on your guiding.”

“For once, he said something right.”

“What do you mean ‘for once’? Is there anyone more righteous than our team leader?”

“Team leader! Ji-hyeok and Su-hyeon are talking behind your back right now!”

“Ah, Jae-young hyung. It’s not like that…”

“Wait a moment!”

Song Ji-hyeok suddenly grabbed my arm tightly. His voice was quite loud, causing even the team leader who was walking ahead to turn around.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked in a low voice about this sudden action. Song Ji-hyeok answered while staring ahead instead of at me.

“I think there’s something in front of us.”

At those words, my gaze also turned forward. But there was nothing in the empty corridor. Although the door to the next room was visible at the far end, it looked to be at least 50 meters away.

“Team leader, don’t you feel it?”

Although his unique way of speaking felt a bit mocking, the team leader didn’t get upset or shout. Instead, he gestured for the team members to stay still for a moment, then spoke after a few seconds.

“…I think you’re right. It feels like the space is very slightly distorted.”

Soon, a blue flame-like energy materialized in the team leader’s hand. Although small in size, the ball of considerable condensed power shot forward at a terrifying speed.

Bang-! Kwang-!

The result was surprising. Unbelievably, two explosion sounds rang out almost in succession. At that sound, I forgot about my headache and became dumbfounded.

Clearly, I couldn’t see anything with my eyes. Yet, the team leader’s attack caused two collision reactions. There was only one thing this meant.

‘There are traps even in the corridors.’

The moment I realized this, cold sweat ran down my spine.

The monsters in maze-type dungeons are known to only be able to use their powers in the rooms they belong to. So until now, we had passed through corridors without worry… If Song Ji-hyeok hadn’t felt that sense of unease, if the team leader had ignored those words and continued on, something unthinkable could have happened.

‘What is this absurd dungeon?’

In this astounding situation, my mind raced instinctively through the throbbing pain. In maze-type dungeons, only those creatures use traps.

“There’s a high probability that there are rhinoceroses in the room ahead too.”

And they’re likely to be much more intelligent than the ones we encountered at the entrance.

“It’s one difficulty after another.”

I could only silently agree with Han Song-i’s muttered words.

***

“Welcome, Team Leader.”

“Welcome.”

As Kim Kwang-in, the leader of Team 6, appeared, the team members sitting in the office immediately stood up and bowed at a 90-degree angle. Regardless of their actions, Kim Kwang-in headed straight for the team leader’s room without even glancing at them.

Bang! The sound of the door closing with enough force to break it was no different from the sound of a bomb exploding. The team members who were glancing sideways at that direction, after confirming that there was no sign of it opening again even after a few seconds, whispered in hushed voices.

“What happened? He looks angry enough to tear someone apart.”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t have come to the office today.”

The Esper who asked the question nodded at his colleague’s rhetorical answer.

Anyone who knew him would unanimously say that “the ‘Kwang’ in his name should mean ‘crazy’ rather than ‘light'” – that’s how terrible Kim Kwang-in’s temper was. But there was one reason why no one dared to rebel or talk back, even if the team leader acted like a jerk or humiliated them in front of everyone:

Because he was the strongest in Team 6. Because no one could beat him in strength.

Even with various clauses guaranteeing the human rights of the awakened, ultimately, the law of the strongest takes precedence among Espers. This atmosphere was especially prevalent in Team 6 of the Sunrise Guild, to the point where no one even thought of talking back to the team leader.

An incident that occurred about three years ago also contributed to this. A promising A-rank Esper was recruited into Team 6, but Team Leader Kim Kwang-in, as usual, carried out a “taming” process under the pretext of it being for the team’s benefit. He thoroughly trampled on the new member, demanding unconditional obedience to himself like the other team members.

But even a worm will turn when trodden on. The Esper, who had just turned twenty, endured the verbal and physical abuse that bordered on maltreatment, but eventually snapped and launched a surprise attack on the team leader.

The result was… sadly predictable. No matter how promising an Esper might be, it was nonsensical from the start to think they could defeat someone who had survived by killing countless monsters over a decade, sometimes even turning a blind eye to their comrades.

That day, that Esper suffered a severe injury with his left eyeball ruptured and was forcibly transferred to another team. On the other hand, Team Leader Kim Kwang-in only received a disciplinary action of a 3-month salary reduction. The reason was that inflicting a critical injury on a colleague was a mistake without malicious intent, and in a place where obedience to superiors was fundamental, the new Esper had first committed insubordination.

However, people who heard about this incident unanimously clicked their tongues and doubted the wording in the disciplinary reasons. Was there really no malicious intent?

This incident once again established Kim Kwang-in as an object of fear among his juniors. Team members didn’t dare to contradict or refute his words. Also, because guild policy made it rare for team assignments to change once made, it was mentally beneficial to conform whether they liked it or not.

Kim Kwang-in plopped down on the sofa and pressed his throbbing temples with his hand. As his team members had guessed, his mood was very unpleasant right now. More than unpleasant, his insides were boiling with anger.

“Ha, fuck…”

If he got angry all the time for no reason, that would make him mentally unstable. He might have a nasty personality, but he didn’t have mental issues. In other words, there was a reason for his fury.

It all started this morning when he met someone. Kim Kwang-in harbored grand ambitions of becoming the next Guild Master within a few years, and he had been maintaining close connections with people who could potentially help him.

Jung Chan-sung, the deputy director of the Planning and Coordination Office, was one of them. The Planning and Coordination Office is the most crucial part of the Management Headquarters, which is the core of the guild, and Deputy Director Jung Chan-sung particularly shared similar tendencies with Kim Kwang-in. Despite his slightly plump and mild appearance, he had a very strong desire for success. His ultimate goal was to gradually build up achievements and one day rise to the position of Management Director, surpassing the current director.

As like attracts like, Kim Kwang-in and Jung Chan-sung quickly became close after recognizing their similar ambitions. They maintained their exchange under the guise of “getting along well,” often having meals together. Especially after the monthly meetings that even the Guild Master attended, he always met with Jung Chan-sung to get early information about the key points discussed in the meeting.

Usually, they would have dinner together on such days, but today was different. While reviewing some accumulated reports, he received a text from Jung Chan-sung asking if they could meet right away. Sensing that something significant had happened, Kim Kwang-in immediately went down to the underground parking lot, avoiding people’s eyes.

10 minutes later, meeting in the car after a time gap, Jung Chan-sung quickly relayed the news.

‘Today, the agenda related to team system reorganization came up again. The content was about increasing the current 13 teams to 14 for more efficient management, and grouping them into two groups with overall management leaders. But… when asked who should take charge of each group, Yoon Hyun-tae was mentioned as the leader for Group A.’

‘What did you say?’

Kim Kwang-in’s head, which had been facing forward, whipped to the side. Jung Chan-sung flinched at the intensity, and that sight was enough to evoke a strange sense of displeasure. This pig is just a coward.

However, Kim Kwang-in managed to hide his true feelings. Suppressing the anger that surged momentarily, he spoke in a deliberately calm voice.

‘Who suggested it?’

‘Pardon?’

‘I asked whose idea it was to set up overall leaders.’

‘It was the Vice Guild Master, sir.’

His brow, which had just smoothed out, furrowed again.