There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Chapter 10. Encounter

Zein frowned and looked at the man inquisitively. From the way he had no mask on, and the stealthy way he approached the guide, Zein knew this man was an esper.

But the man clearly wasn't a member of the Unit, or from any other Unit, because there was no way a borderland's esper would dress in something as cumbersome as a whole three-piece suit. Normal clothes would get damaged if they were touching miasma too much, so everyone here wore a combat uniform made from a corrosion-resistant material.

Unless, of course, the suit itself was made from resistant material, which actually looked possible, from the persistent luster on said suit. Zein knew nothing about the fashion of the safer zone, but he knew enough that such material wasn't cheap.

So his immediate impression was 'Who the hell is this rich esper?'

From the aura emanating from the tall and imposing figure, Zein knew he was faced with a 5-star esper. And so his next thought was about why a 5-star esper hanging around in the borderland. Not to mention the posh type like this one.

It was only after he was done with scrutinizing the esper's overbearing fashion that he started to look at the face.

Adhering to the neat clothes, the platinum blonde hair was arranged neatly, the color contrasted with the copper complexion underneath. It framed a handsome, just slightly mature face adorned with eyes akin to liquid amber, glowing in a reddish-golden hue even inside the murky air of the black field. There was a small tattoo of three black scales beneath the man's left eye that reminded Zein of a snake.

The constricted feeling from the amber eyes gazing at him just accentuated this image.

Zein had no interest in getting acquainted with this man. He looked like all the typical esper that he hated—overbearing, elitist, and overall a pain in the ass. So rather than asking something that would incite an infuriating exchange, he just answered the man's earlier question nonchalantly.

"It's a job. Not supposed to be fun," he turned his head to the marsh again.

And it wasn't as if it was empty; there was a whole field of bubbling liquid miasma that could generate a wraith any time. Zein didn't understand why an esper didn't think about that.

"Still as curt as ever, huh?" suddenly, the voice was beside Zein, and the man had already leaned into the railing in front if him, amber eyes looking keenly at the guide.

At this, Zein frowned and turned his gaze toward the man again. "Have we met before?"

The outpost was a 3 x 3 rectangular sentry box with a roof and chest-high metal railing. It stood ten meters above the ground and was equipped with a shield generator as well as a low-level mana railgun, which took a quarter of the room's space. Half of the room was stuffed with a table set and a pantry, which left only a quarter for an observation spot.

So it couldn't be helped that they stood close to each other in the remaining space that got invaded by the esper. But even under such proximity, Zein couldn't remember this man, despite the appearance that shouted 'flashy' from every angle.

"You don't remember me?" the man frowned, looking quite insulted at the fact that Zein didn't recognize him.

It had to be pointed out that Zein had poor memory regarding faces or names that he didn't encounter often. And based on this man's appearance, he surely wasn't a red-zone dweller. So how could Zein manage to remember him?

"I can't remember every esper I had guided," Zein shrugged.

It was especially true because Zein was a mercenary guide. There were countless espers he had guided since he awakened as guide seventeen years ago. Even in the red-zone, he'd secretly guided people other than Umbra's espers. Ever since he turned into a non-affiliated mercenary guide, the number of espers he guided ballooned along five sections of borderland he had traversed through in four years.

An esper might easily remember a guide, especially the one that was extremely good or extremely bad. Most esper also had their own regular go-to guide, including the one that belonged to their guild.

But guides who did guiding as much as Zein, due to his extraordinary capacity, couldn't recall every passing esper. Because this man was surely that—a passing esper that he only guided once.

After all, where and on what occasion would Zein ever cross paths with an elite member of society like this? He tilted his head in pondering. It was also possible that they didn't meet during guiding. Could it be during a guild's newbie excursion? Some guild would bring their fresh recruit to the borderland to show them the frontline condition, sometimes going as far as entering the deathzone for practical trial. He remembered seeing one or two 5-star espers there, although he didn't bother to remember their name, thinking that they wouldn't meet again.

"Every esper...you guided, huh?" the man repeated Zein's words slowly, with a hiss and pressure in every syllable. It was followed by a low muttering accompanied by sneering lips. "He really just treats me like any other esper, huh?"

Zein gave the esper a cold, sideway glance. 'High-rank espers are conceited like always, thinking everyone in the whole world should know about them,' he sighed inwardly, choosing to focus on his sentry duty again.

"You really have no idea who I am?" the man tilted his head, peering curiously at the blue eyes.

"Am I supposed to?" Zein only replied curtly. 5-star espers were inherently the hero of humanity, so the man was supposedly a known figure, at least in Eastern Federation—this much, Zein could infer. But even if he was famous, that had nothing to do with someone who lived in the borderland like Zein.

If anything, he quite loathed these high-rank espers. Shouldn't these people, who had so much power, be the ones stationed in a place like the red-zone and the borderland to increase safety? But those elites were enjoying their lavish nobility in the comfort of the green-zone instead.

The world sure operated in a funny way.

Suddenly, Zein heard a chuckling sound. "Ha...haha..." the man was laughing now, covering his face with his gloved hands, amber eyes glinting like twilight's sun. "Oh, this is interesting."

He sounded frustrated before, but now he seemed more amused at the situation. Not that Zein particularly cared to cater to an esper's mood.

Zein could care less about who this esper was. But he did have a little bit of curiousity about why this esper was here in the first place. So he finally asked the man for the first time. "What is an outsider doing here?"

There was a glint in that amber eyes that almost made Zein feel as if he was being tied by something. The stare the man gave him was akin to a slithering snake, circling his body slowly. The answer came in a light voice, as if he had been waiting to let it out. "To see you."

It took Zein a few seconds to be able to respond. "What?"

"I come here to see you," the man repeated, even clearer than before.

They stared at each other for a while, wordlessly, before Zein sighed heavily and turned his head, muttering "Another one," softly, which made the esper's eyes twitch and frowned.