BCGWR Chapter 5 Part 1

004.

The Cataclysm 4

The instructor invited for this session was a very cheerful person. Thanks to their bright voice and occasional jokes interspersed throughout the lecture, thankfully, it wasn’t as sleepy as the previous session.

The lecture content itself wasn’t difficult, as it was something any Awakened person—no, anyone with common sense—would know. It generally followed this flow:

“Everyone! Let’s imagine a situation where a Guide refuses Guiding because they’re not feeling well or due to personal circumstances. Alright! I’ll show you some options~!”

Perhaps due to the nature of the lecture, where Espers often openly showed discomfort or irritation, the presentation style was almost at the level of coddling and placating kindergarteners.

“Shall we look at option number one here?”

As the instructor spoke, the PPT screen changed, and popped up.

“Alright, when I see this, I don’t think it’s forcing Guiding! I think this much is fine! Those who think ‘O’ (agree) out of O and X, raise your hands!”

As the instructor asked with a bright smile, some people raised their hands.

And the Esper sitting diagonally in front of Han Ji-su also slowly raised their hand. It was the Esper who had, at least somewhat politely, coerced Guiding from Han Ji-su in the dungeon just yesterday.

In truth, only their words were polite; the look in their eyes, suggesting physical contact beyond holding hands despite Han Ji-su’s not-so-high matching rate, was so repulsive that just thinking about it now made Han Ji-su’s stomach churn.

Han Ji-su didn’t raise his hand in response to the instructor’s question, and neither did Kang Jae-yoon. The instructor surveyed the classroom, nodded, and then, with a brighter tone, advanced the PPT screen and spoke.

“Alright, then what’s the answer? The answer is! X.”

None of the Guides had raised their hands, and only the Espers who had chosen O looked awkwardly embarrassed. Some Espers rebelliously cracked their necks or stretched their shoulders, deliberately tilting their heads in a gesture that silently asked, “Why on earth???”

The instructor explained that according to the Guide Protection Law, refusal of Guiding due to a Guide’s condition or physiological reasons must be accepted. They also emphasized that unnecessary physical contact requests beyond holding hands should not be made.

At those words, discontented murmurs could be heard here and there. Most of the complaints were along the lines of, “Isn’t it obvious we’re asking because holding hands isn’t enough?” or “What are we supposed to do if there are no other Guides around? Are Espers just supposed to go Berserk and die?” or “There are countless Guides who barely Guide and refuse because they’re ‘tired’ at the drop of a hat, yet still collect their basic salary just fine. Why not crack down on those people, instead of…” These were the predominant complaints.

The instructor, having waited patiently for the noise among the trainees to rise and then subside, skillfully and calmly explained that they would tell them why.

It was perhaps an obvious explanation: that the act of Guiding itself consumes a great deal of a Guide’s mental energy, so externally, others cannot tell what a Guide’s condition truly is. However, once the instructor’s explanation finished, the Espers who had seemed displeased scoffed, reacting as if to say, “As if that’s true.”

Perhaps because the instructor had seen the same reaction everywhere when lecturing on this topic, there was no sign of agitation. Instead, with an even stronger tone, they stated that if a designated Guide finds it difficult to perform Guiding, the solution is to receive Guiding from another Guide.

“That’s why the Guild always manages Espers’ stats, right? And it’s also why there’s an Esper protection system in place where Espers aren’t allowed into dungeons if their Berserk Gauge is precariously high.”

In fact, it was the policy of all guilds that if an Esper’s Berserk Gauge reached a dangerous level, they would be excluded from the dungeon raid team.

The Peace Guild, in particular, was known for its excellent welfare for Awakened individuals, so it was common for Espers to be replaced by standby members just before entering a dungeon if their condition deteriorated.

Despite these systems clearly being in place for Espers, the Espers in the training room still seemed displeased. The instructor, sensing their discomfort but remaining completely unfazed and professional despite being a non-Awakened, continued speaking.

“From the Guild’s perspective, to prevent such issues preemptively, they recruit many Guides regardless of rank, so that someone can always provide Guiding, right? And what you all need to know is that while Guides cannot check a Berserk Gauge like Espers, Guides also reach physical limits. Research to prove this is ongoing.”

Then, murmurs could be heard from various directions, asking if that hadn’t been definitively proven yet.

The instructor waited until the grumbling of some Espers had sufficiently subsided, then nodded and continued speaking.

“As you’ve just mentioned, there are no definitive research results or medically proven facts yet. However, I believe you all know that a great many Guides experience mental health issues or, in extreme cases, choose death.”

This was true. Nevertheless, the Espers’ discomfort did not seem to abate. The instructor, seemingly accustomed to such reactions from Espers, continued speaking naturally.

“In the past, these symptoms were simply dismissed as depression, but now it’s largely accepted that they are symptoms of a Guide’s Berserk state, and experts are working hard to prove this. Until a Guide’s Berserk state can be quantified, the Guide Protection Law was created to minimize the Guide mortality rate.”

Han Ji-su, who had been listening casually, found himself concentrating on the lecture at some point. As a result, he wasn’t properly Guiding Kang Jae-yoon, but he unconsciously tightened his grip on their clasped hands.

『Guide’s Berserk state』

Although it hasn’t yet been quantified or proven to exist in a visually measurable way like an Esper’s Berserk state, Guides experienced mental side effects when they used their power to its limit without rest, continuously provided Guiding, or were forcibly exploited for Guiding by an Esper.