BCGWR Chapter 3 Part 1

002.

The Cataclysm 2

People arbitrarily called those who had undergone a species transformation by various names. In some regions, they were called psychics or super-powered individuals, while in others, they were known as superhumans, hunters, superheroes, or special ability users.

It was essentially a chaotic, anarchic world, but even amidst this, the South Korean government stubbornly persisted, gathering those who had awakened their abilities. They referred to those who had undergone the species transformation as .

Among the Awakened, those who gained lethal abilities that could inflict physical harm with their power were defined as , and those with healing abilities were called .

For nearly half a year thereafter, Espers and Healers were revered as the hope and light of each nation… no, of humanity, the pinnacle of human evolution.

That is, until it was discovered that when they overused their powers, their bodies and minds would overload, eventually leading to a Berserk state.

Furthermore, an Esper’s Berserk state was unpredictable, turning them into ticking time bombs that could detonate at any moment.

Symptoms of the Berserk state also varied; some Espers would take their own lives before losing reason due to uncontrolled power, while others would enter a Berserk mode without warning, laying waste to their surroundings.

The latter was more common, and the damage caused by a Berserk outbreak was so severe that leaders of various nations grappled with how to manage Espers on the verge of Berserk and how to prevent their rampages.

Then, by chance, someone with the ability to calm an Esper on the verge of Berserk was first discovered in the United States. He was a doctor at a facility where they were virtually imprisoning and studying Espers on the verge of Berserk, under the guise of treatment.

In a later interview, the Esper who first overcame his Berserk state stated, “I merely held his hand, and the path I didn’t even know was shrouded in fog became clear. He guided me to the light.” He then added that he could no longer imagine life without him.

After this announcement, various nations conducted extensive investigations and found that there were quite a few people with such abilities, more than initially thought.

Unlike Espers, these were ordinary people who hadn’t manifested physical or special abilities, and therefore didn’t even realize they were Awakened. Yet, they possessed the power to take the hand of a lost Esper and show them the right path. These people came to be called .

“…Currently, five years after The Cataclysm, with various technologies secured, Awakened individuals are meticulously managed by rank, creating a world where both Awakened and non-Awakened can live safely…”

‘Ugh, when will this end…’

Han Ji-su half-closed his eyes, pretending to watch the boring video playing on the large screen at the front of the dimly lit training hall.

Just when he thought it should be over, the screen changed. The video, which had briefly raised his hopes, soon played a gentle voice explaining that Espers, Healers, and Guides were all equally precious beings, and though they had gained power by chance, they were still ‘people.’

It continued with the message that humanity had adapted to The Cataclysm and overcome hardships by working together, showing scenes of Awakened individuals receiving commendations from the President.

With an epic OST, the kindly smiling President, and a husband holding a child in the front row, kissing the child’s cheek and saying, “That’s your mom up there who received the award,” it was a touching production, but Han Ji-su felt more exhaustion than emotion.

His eyelids were heavy, and he wanted to bolt from his seat immediately, but he couldn’t. If he failed to complete this ‘Awakened Mandatory Training,’ he wouldn’t be able to offset the penalty points he received for yesterday’s incident.

“Ugh…”

He deliberately changed his posture, idly rolled a pen he wasn’t using, and poked his temples, but his eyes faithfully kept closing.

‘Should I just poke my eyes out and ask a Healer to treat me…?’

As he fiercely battled sleep to the point of having absurd thoughts, the man sitting upright next to him whispered in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the screen.

“Ji-su, it’ll be break time soon, just bear with it a little longer.”

“Ugh… I’m at my limit.”

Then the man next to him tilted his head slightly and added in a pleasant, gentle tone,

“If you don’t pay proper attention today, you’ll have a one-on-one meeting with the department head. And you’ll have to write a letter of apology. You don’t want that, do you?”

“…No…”

A letter of apology was one thing, but a one-on-one meeting with the department head? He’d rather take the penalty of collecting Magic Stones from monster corpses.

Ji-su shivered at the thought of the gruesome sight of rummaging through the internal organs oozing from a giant monster’s body to extract Magic Stones. Kang Jae-yoon chuckled and whispered softly.

“Just a little longer.”

“…Okay…”

Today’s training wasn’t just a simple quarterly mandatory education; it was a penalty training, so he had to show absolute concentration and absolutely not fall asleep.

If he was caught messing around or dozing off, he wouldn’t receive the certificate of completion from the administrator standing at the front.

‘Instead of this training, I wish Kang Jae-yoon Hyung would just beat those Espers until sincere remorse came out of their mouths, and then be done with it.’

Thinking a thought that would shock anyone who heard it, Han Ji-su rubbed his eyes firmly and glanced sideways at Kang Jae-yoon sitting beside him. Even with the lights off in the training hall for video viewing, his bright silver hair seemed to glow on its own, and his clear gray eyes stood out.

Sensing Ji-su’s gaze, Kang Jae-yoon turned his head slightly toward Han Ji-su, his eyes curving gently as he smiled. He whispered again to bear with it a little longer before looking forward again.

Despite listening to the same boring training, he sat perfectly upright, without a single lapse in posture. Han Ji-su thought, ‘As expected of an S-rank Esper, unlike me, a B-rank Guide,’ and narrowed his eyes.

Kang Jae-yoon, whom he had known since before they Awakened, used to be as restless as he was, but seeing him sit so properly now, he seemed trustworthy in a new way.