I hurried over to the mirror in the room.
Standing before it, I clapped both hands over my mouth, overwhelmed.
If I didn’t, I felt like I’d accidentally let out a cheer.
“I’m human— I became human! Wh-what? I can even speak human language?”
It definitely didn’t work in the Dungeon… How did I suddenly manage to turn human?
Whatever. It didn’t matter.
What mattered was that I’d become human.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
'Beautiful…'
He was a strikingly beautiful man.
My skin was so white it bordered on pale, spotless and clear, and in contrast, black hair rippled down to my waist.
My eyes shone the same ruby red as when I was a dragon, strange and beautiful enough to draw the gaze.
I’d become a handsome man with a forlorn, mysterious air.
'With this look, I can walk around outside.'
Shin Biho wouldn’t recognize me either.
But I was naked. Could I manifest clothes too?
I closed my eyes again and invoked Polymorph.
Thankfully, my outfit changed into the black clothes I used to wear often back when I was a killer.
Since my looks stood out too much, I manifested a mask and a hat as well.
I looked back at the mirror.
A man who looked ordinary, wearing a black hat and mask, stood there.
This much shouldn’t draw attention.
It was nice to have a beautiful face, but what I needed to do now was something that must not stand out.
Alright, time to head out.
Everything was ready.
I looked out the window and spoke.
“Teleport.”
With the magic incantation, mana drained from my body.
When I opened my eyes wrapped in dazzling light, I had moved to the alleyway I’d seen from the window.
I clenched and unclenched my fist.
Using magic as a human felt different.
A strange sensation washed over me, like I could make everything bend to my will.
'What is this feeling?'
I couldn’t keep still.
While I was drunk on my own power like that, Shin Biho came out of a luxurious house across the way, chattering like any kid his age, his little hand tightly holding the hand of someone I assumed was his mother.
I quickly hid myself as I watched.
The obsession he showed me, the stubbornness that locked me in with a bolt on the door—gone. His eyes were filled with blind affection for his mother.
It was the same for Shin Biho’s mother.
She listened to him with eyes brimming with love and warmth.
'…I’m jealous.'
A peaceful, happy everyday life.
The protagonist’s family all love the protagonist madly.
To the point they’d gladly lay down their lives for him.
I stared blankly at Shin Biho’s back, enjoying so casually what I never had, then slowly started walking.
Enough useless thoughts.
First was rescuing Kim Wooju, who must be suffering right now.
'Wait for me, Kim Wooju. I’m coming soon…'
***
A Center for Espers and Guides.
'So this was here…'
Without Shin Biho to lead the way, I would’ve gotten seriously lost.
It was run directly by the government, and most Espers and Guides primarily lived here, received missions, and did their guiding.
Of course, some lived at home instead, but the government had set it so they had to come in once every cycle for a physical and mission assignment, so reporting to the Center was the same.
Gates kept appearing, and Espers who could close those Gates were precious, so the government tried to organize them and eventually established these policies.
In particular, S-ranks—whether Esper or Guide—were few and precious, so the government paid them great attention, and high-tier prodigies who awakened in childhood were educated early so they wouldn’t go astray.
I looked at the large buildings before me.
'This is the government’s Center.'
They were identical to the buildings I’d seen in the webtoon.
That building over there was probably for Espers, and the one on the other side for Guides.
Shin Biho had gone in and out of both many times in the webtoon, so I remembered them too.
And then there was one more building.
I turned my head toward it.
It sat set back behind the others, easy to miss at a glance, but I knew that one as well.
It was where criminals or those who’d committed offenses were confined.
Shin Biho had never gone there.
It had only appeared in Kim Wooju’s backstory.
The building where Kim Wooju had been locked up and tormented all through his childhood.
The first thing Kim Wooju did after becoming a villain was to bring that building down.
I started walking that way. Just then—
“Excuse me!”
Someone called out to me and hurried over.
'…Who?'
A face I’d never seen.
Since the webtoon’s events were still decades in the future, there were bound to be many faces I didn’t know.
But the plain features suggested he was an extra.
In this webtoon, anyone with even a little influence tended to be strikingly good-looking.
“Um, are you… a Guide, by any chance?”
“…Me?”
“…Yes. I really like your vibe—if you don’t already have an Esper paired with you, would you pair with me? I don’t normally ask so easily, but really, your energy is just so good… I may not look it, but I’m a B-rank, nature attribute Esper! I won’t be lacking at all!”
'Energy? What energy is he talking about?'
I knew what a pair meant from the webtoon.
An Esper and a Guide formed a pair—an Esper protected the Guide, and the Guide stabilized the Esper.
But why pair with me? Strictly speaking, I wasn’t an Esper or a Guide. And like this, out of nowhere?
Just then people started murmuring.
Since proposing a pair in public was practically a confession, I could feel gazes from all around, whispering while looking our way.
I wasn’t supposed to stand out, and thanks to this guy I was drawing eyes.
I furrowed my brow.
I was just about to refuse when—
“…My doll!”
“Oh my, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden!”
Shin Biho, walking ahead of me, turned at the commotion and looked my way.
Our eyes met.
His gaze seemed to waver, and the moment he saw me, he tried to run over.
His mother hastily blocked him.
Pointing at me, Shin Biho shouted,
“There’s my doll! He turned into a person! He’s mine! Mom, he’s mine. He’s right there!”
“What are you talking about? Your doll is at home!”
“No, he’s there! Let go for a sec. Mom! He’s going to run away!”
'…What the hell!? How did he even recognize me!?'
Was that also the protagonist’s buff?
No way…!
Staring straight at me and calling me a doll, Shin Biho made me involuntarily step back.
I’d covered my face completely and even changed my look—how did he know?
The look in that kid’s eyes was vicious.
What was in them was the certainty that I was that doll.
Luckily, his mother was stopping him from going, but maybe because the kid’s energy was strong, she was slowly being pushed back.
I’d drawn way too many eyes.
Retreat first.
“Where are you going! My doll! Come here!”
I ignored Shin Biho’s loud voice calling after me and ran.
I’d figured out where the Center was, so the objective was achieved.
If I got any more tangled up with Shin Biho, I really might end up with a ring through my nose. Without looking back, I bolted from the spot.
***
'Is it finally less crowded?'
By the time the sun set and darkness began to fall, I started moving again from my hiding spot.
Shin Biho had thrown a fit and got dragged off by his mother after circling around trying to catch me—that was just now.
Which meant I’d only wasted time.
Stubborn didn’t even begin to cover it…
For a kid, his stubbornness was ironclad.
From far away, out of his sight, I gave a little wave as he was dragged off, and wished never to get entangled with him again.
'…I’ve delayed more than I thought. Move fast.'
I took advantage of a lull, when there were fewer people around, and hurried on.