HIDDEN CARD: Hidden Card

ESPER: Psychic [02]

The homeroom teacher and assistant teacher entered together. As the students, oblivious to their presence, continued their conversation, the assistant teacher raised her hand toward the homeroom teacher.

"Don't be quiet!!!!!!!!"

김태형

"Ahh! Ah, my ears…."

전정국

"……."

In an instant, the homeroom teacher's voice grew louder, echoing throughout the classroom. At the same time, all the students covered their ears and looked straight ahead. Oh, except for Jungkook, who was still playing on his phone.

"Now, today we've decided to have all students take the ability test again. I'll only explain it once, so everyone, listen carefully."

The homeroom teacher, confirming that all the students' eyes (except Jungkook) were on him, began explaining the test. Unlike the bored students, the transfer students listened intently, their eyes shining.

The testing location is the mountain behind the school. He'll teleport you through the iron bars there, so you just have to deal with the animals running wild nearby.

The girl, who had been listening to the explanation absentmindedly, immediately raised her head and looked into her homeroom teacher's eyes upon hearing the location. The teacher must have been looking at her too, as their eyes met in mid-air.

"It's a very simple test, right? Your class results will be determined based on the range of abilities you use within it, so everyone, don't get hurt and do your best."

김여주

“…That’s it, really.”

He muttered softly, too loud for anyone to hear. Behind the school, on the mountain, behind the iron bars. It was the restricted area, S-1, where Yeoju had been yesterday.

It wasn't like the teacher, a school official, didn't know that. Seeing that face smiling brightly made it even more so.

This is clearly… a blatant rip-off. Hide what the Guardians are doing, but protect the students. This is fucking bullshit.

The students, who arrived at the back mountain via their homeroom teacher's teleport, huddled together in one place and waited for the teacher to speak. After checking the last number, the teacher began a countdown, giving them exactly one hour.

김여주

“…Teacher, could you talk to me for a moment?”

After seeing the children disperse, Yeoju quietly approached the homeroom teacher. The three S-Class students were still nearby, but it was obvious they wouldn't be able to hear their conversations from this distance.

"What are you doing, heroine? Aren't you going to go save the kids quickly?"

김여주

"What are you doing with me right now? Have you forgotten that no students other than guardians are allowed into the restricted area for any reason?"

"Instead of talking like that, I'd rather save one more child. Can't you hear the children screaming?"

"Eww!!! Aww, aww, aww, a monster!!!!!!"

김여주

"……."

Ugh, my teeth ground out. It was like this every time. The teachers in charge of Yeoju tested her abilities during every class, and in the process, some of the kids who didn't know anything about it got hurt.

This must have been an order from the government. I was becoming disillusioned with the government, which couldn't leave the S-Class alone.

But arguing with the teacher, or even the government, here wouldn't make a difference. It would only lead to the innocent children being left to die.

Finally, Yeoju glared at her homeroom teacher and ran toward the scream. In her hands, she held a black mask and a black hoodie to hide her face.

The further we went into the mountain, the thicker the fog became. With the mountain behind us being so vast, it wouldn't be easy to find the kids... I was getting increasingly worried.

The heroine let out a short sigh, rubbed her eyes, and stared intently at the floor. Occasionally, when a person or animal stepped on a leaf, it would break or snap. She wanted to observe the shape of the leaf.

김여주

“I think this is right….”

I walked quickly, making as little noise as possible, not missing even the slightest trace. As I stared intently at the ground, I noticed something strange.

The leaves weren't rustling, but rather flattened in the center. Following the trail, I saw something large ahead.

A cobra. It was ten, no, twenty times larger than a human.

It was this student who had screamed earlier, his jaw trembling as he opened his mouth in a hoarse voice. His voice was so quiet I almost missed it.

“Please… please save me….”

Perhaps he was thinking about not provoking the cobra, so he made a small noise. The cobra, aware of the heroine, tightened its grip around the student, and a groan of pain could be heard.

As the student reached out to the cobra, feeling that he might suffocate if things continued like this, the cobra stretched its body out and suddenly made a sound with its mouth.

Sseuusseuk– sseuusseuk–

Unable to make out what was being said, I remained still. Suddenly, I heard the sound of something approaching. The small grasses swayed violently, and within them… countless snakes emerged.

김여주

“Haa… I really hate not having legs.”

All the gazes directed at the heroine were red. Even when she reached out, touched another blade of grass, and tossed a small pebble, she didn't look away. It was as if she was under a spell.

Then, suddenly, I remembered the conversation I had with Seojun yesterday. The school in the north had been blown up, and the reason for the explosion was…

'They say the animals used their powers to attack students at a special school in the North, as if they were secretly experimenting on animals.'

Vivisection. Yes. That cobra was a mutant created by anti-government forces through vivisection.

김여주

“…Are we already all the way south?”

The anti-government forces were faster than I expected. If I hesitated without being able to defend myself in this situation, I would be pushed back.

While he was lost in thought for a moment, the cobra must have used its powers to suddenly leap at the heroine, as the snakes that had been crawling across the ground and trees leaped at her. Suddenly, the legless creatures pounced upon her, and her face turned pale. She reached out to the snakes.

Pass. At the same time, the spot where the heroine had stretched out her hand was completely empty, as if nothing had ever existed. The student gasped in surprise at the snakes vanishing in an instant, and the cobra responded with even more force.

"Huh, huh. Sa, sa, save me."

김여주

“…Just stay still. If you aim wrong, you’ll be gone too.”

The student struggled and gasped for breath, while the cobra yawned and grunted at the heroine. But that was only for a moment.

The heroine lifted her hand, which had been on the ground, and placed it squarely on the cobra's head. And when the cobra lowered its jaws once more,

Passus–

"Cough...!! Cough, cough!! Huh, huh!! Huh, huh...."

The cobra's head vanished. The student, free from the cobra's body as it fell limply to the ground, gasped for air. The heroine approached the student, but quickly hid herself when she sensed a presence behind her.

"Ah, Younghoon!! Are you okay?! Teacher!! I found Younghoon!!!!"

Students gathered one by one and surrounded them, and Taehyung, who had been grumbling that it wasn't fun, was startled when he saw the cobra's body in front of him and hit Jimin's arm.

김태형

"Crazy!!! Hey, Park Jimin. Do you see that?! There's nothing but the cobra's body!!"

박지민

"Ouch, oh my!!! Hey, it hurts!!! I can see it clearly, so stop hitting me?!?"

김태형

"This is crazy. I came all the way to the South and I can't believe I'm seeing this again. The only time I saw that weird eagle was when the school was being bombed. Right, Jeon Jungkook?"

전정국

"……."

김태형

"Oh, so what do I want from you? Hey, let's go over there."

Taehyung grabbed Jimin's wrist with one hand and Jungkook's scruff with the other, rushing to the cobra's body lying on the ground. Up close, the cobra was even more impressive.

The head wasn't cut cleanly enough to be considered severed, and there wasn't enough debris to suggest it had been blown up. It seemed Taehyung wasn't the only one curious, as Jimin also let out a gasp of admiration as he scanned the cobra's body.

박지민

"Hey, Jeon Jungkook. What does it look like to you? Does it look cut or burst?"

김태형

"It looks like it's burst. If it's been cut, there shouldn't be any small things like this."

박지민

"I didn't ask you, you little Kim Taetris?"

김태형

"Oh, Jeon Jungkook isn't talking!!!"

박지민

"So, Jeon Jungkook. What do you think?"

전정국

"……."

박지민

"Jeon Jungkook doesn't think his head was cut off either. It must have exploded, right?"

김태형

"What the hell? He didn't say anything, you little brat!!!"

Amidst the bickering between Jimin and Taehyung, the tree right next to Jungkook swayed slightly. He flinched. The heroine, dazed, lost her balance.

The tree shook, sending a leaf crashing to the ground. Fortunately, none of them raised their heads to look at Yeoju. Yeoju, momentarily startled, clutched her heart, reduced her presence, and hopped to another tree.

"……."

Jeongguk's gaze was blankly staring at the place where Yeoju had been, completely oblivious to it.

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