HIDDEN CARD: Hidden Card

ESPER: Psychic [07]

단미래

"Hey lady!!!!"

Suddenly, the training room door burst open and Mirae came in. Judging by her anxious expression, something seemed to be bothering her.

김여주

“…Why, Sister? We’re a bit busy right now.”

Yeoju flicked her hand from an angle unseen by Jeong-guk and Mirae, dispersing particles of electricity. Truthfully, she had no intention of taking this fight seriously.

That kid made me feel uneasy for no reason… The female protagonist glared at Jeong-guk’s frighteningly calm face, then turned around immediately after hearing Mirae’s words.

단미래

"It looks like students have entered Control Area S-3. We need to get there quickly!!!"

김여주

"…what?"

There aren't enough soldiers, so why are students going in there?! I haven't even met that soldier yet!!! The female protagonist completely removed the electricity from her hands and quickly headed to Control Area S-3.

Arriving at the entrance to Control Area S-3, Yeoju easily jumped over the barbed wire and entered the control area.

Control Area S-3 had been a village before it was designated as a controlled area, so there were still a few houses that hadn't been torn down. The woman felt the murderous atmosphere around it, so she felt her hand on the ground and slowed down her running pace.

한서준

— Ah. Kim Yeo-ju, Dan Mi-rae. Can you hear my voice?

단미래

— Hear me.

한서준

— Yeoju? You haven't found her yet?

김여주

"I'm with Mirae Unnie."

Fooddeuk–

I heard the sound of wings flapping in the sky. Not one, but many. I lowered my posture and raised my head to the sky, and saw a flock of black birds, their talons outstretched, fluttering in unison.

김여주

“…Sister, how many students are here?”

단미래

“I haven’t seen it yet. Just a moment….”

한서준

"Oh, Namjoon, thank you. Kim Yeo-joo, Dan Mi-rae. I found out who went in there. Two high school freshmen. One is Jin Ha-jun, the other is Park Byeong-il."

김여주

“The teachers must have told you not to leave the school, so why did you come in? Sigh….”

Yeoju roughly ran her hand through her hair to cool down. Sometimes, students would break school rules out of a little curiosity, and each time, it only made things harder for Yeoju. She had to hide her abilities as much as possible, but she had to save the children.

Every time she saved students, the heroine wanted to ask them: Do they know that their small curiosity could lead to someone's death? Do they know that their small curiosity is truly selfish? Of course, she never put it into practice.

단미래

— …Han Seo-jun. There are two people who came here?

한서준

—Uh. Jin Ha-jun and Park Byeong-il. Two people in total. Why?

단미래

— Two… No.

김여주

“…? What do you mean, Sister?”

Mirae, who had been resting her hands on the floor and her eyes closed for a long time, rose from her seat. Judging by her shaky expression, something seemed off.

단미래

— …There are four people in total who came here.

한서준

- what?

김여주

"yes?"

Fooddeuk–

It was then. As the heroine looked back at the future with a surprised expression, the birds, as if they had been waiting for this moment, swooped toward her.

Unlike ordinary birds, the Yeoju birds' talons, which were as large as a human's, made it difficult for Yeoju to attack, even though her arms were scratched. Even though she tried to hide her face and lower her posture as much as possible, she was helplessly pushed back.

김여주

"Ugh... Can you check where they are?! They look like Voltas,"

단미래

"What, what the heck!!!!!!"

It was a split second. Chains suddenly shot out from the empty floor, binding Mirae's arms and feet. Hearing Mirae's screams, the birds turned their attention from the heroine to Mirae.

Once again, flapping their wings, the five birds flew towards the future with their beaks open,

Passus–

김여주

"Sister is inside that house!!!!!"

The heroine used her powers to kill the birds. Perhaps she had used them too weakly, claiming to be controlling them. The five birds that had been flying in the sky fell helplessly to the ground, their skin and bones remaining.

I didn't have the luxury of screaming in disgust at the sight of these. There were far more birds left than I could have been distracted by just five. Roughly, I'd caught about… thirty? And even that was the minimum price.

As soon as Mirae heard the heroine's words, she went into a nearby house. Since she lacked offensive abilities, staying with the heroine would only cause harm.

한서준

—Hey, lady. Namjoon and Hoseok are here. Should I send them over?

김여주

“…Okay. Just figure out where the kids are.”

한서준

— …Okay. I'll give you the radio as soon as I find it. Don't push yourself too hard, Kim Yeo-ju.

Knowing that Yeo-ju didn't want others to know about her abilities, Seo-jun took a step back. He knew that even if he shouted out his concern, Yeo-ju wouldn't listen.

The heroine removed her hands from the earpiece and fixed her gaze on the sky. Perhaps because Mirae had completely swept away all the birds surrounding her before entering the house, the birds seemed more alert than before.

Seven birds, fluttering their wings in the sky, descended upon the skin and bones of the birds. I watched them intently, wondering what they were doing.

Wahduk–

He devours the bird he had just flown with. The female protagonist had already absorbed every ounce of moisture from its body, leaving nothing but skin and bones, yet he devours it, leaving nothing behind.

It wasn't a pleasant experience to see someone devouring their own kind. The female protagonist scrunched her face and covered her mouth. Even though she hadn't eaten anything, her stomach churned.

The bird, having devoured its own kind, changed in appearance. Its once black eyes turned red, and its body, once similar to the female protagonist's, grew to the size of a house.

It was clearly daylight, but seven large birds spread their wings, turning the surroundings pitch black. It was almost as if night had fallen.

김여주

"……shit."

A flock of birds came rushing in.

Phew–!!!

I tried to reach out, trying to use my power, but before I could fully extend my reach, I was struck by a wing and thrown into a tree right in front of the bars. The bars nearly impaled my entire body.

단미래

"Hey, lady! There are two girls in this house. I think they're two of the four I mentioned earlier. You thought we couldn't find them because they were hiding in a box, you guys!!!"

김여주

"Cough... The other kids, ugh... Ask them where the other kids are."

단미래

—What's wrong, why does your voice sound like that? Are you hurt somewhere?!?

한서준

— What? Kim Yeo-ju is hurt?! Hey, Kim Yeo-ju. Are you really okay?!?! So listen to me when I say I'll let you go!!!

김여주

"...It's noisy."

In an instant, a chain rose quickly from the ground and bound the body of the bird that had just attacked the heroine.

The more the heroine clutched her hand, the tighter the chain wrapped around the bird's body, and the bird struggled, screaming in pain as if it was suffocating.

The heroine touched her forehead at the shattering sound that was ringing in her head, and reached out her hand towards the bird that was still crying loudly.

Passus–

김여주

"after…."

As if it had never been there, it vanished without a trace. Not a trace of ash remained.

김여주

"I'm fine, so just find the kids quickly."

한서준

— Hey, you,

김여주

"What are you talking about so much? Have you forgotten, Senior?"

Seojun shut his mouth at the voice that showed no trace of impatience.

김여주

"I'm the Joker."

Yes, Joker. She was the Guardian's 'hidden card.'

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