A century ago, portals appeared all over the world. An ominous fissure that crackled with unnatural energy, splitting the fabric that people all know as reality.

The portals shimmered with dark, crimson hue, like the blood of countless dead creatures gathering and forming an entrance to haunt down the living.

It was filled with malice, growing larger with wisps of shadow seeping out, various creatures coming out in tides as they extend their ferocious mouths and claws to tore apart the humans.

After a year of struggles and desperate fights for survival, someone managed to awaken.

The very first Esper.

Starting from Country A and spreading all over the world like the ominous portals were the Espers.

They started out small in population but gradually surged in numbers.

But unlike the monsters who could fight continuously, Espers have a flaw.

They overclock, their powers going astray with too much usage of their abilities.

After a few years of Espers sacrificing themselves while fighting with the monsters, it was like God finally granted humanity a little favor; The first batch of Guides appeared.

A guide. They have the ability to calm down the overclock state of Espers through physical and intimate touch.

But like God's big joke, they only appeared in few numbers. And not all Espers could be granted their touch as they have to be compatible.

An Esper getting guidance from a low compatible Guide is like a person shoving shards of glass down their throats.

It was painful, grueling even, for some Espers.

The World Espers' Association, to take care of their suffering Espers, did their best in research. It bore fruit in the form of Guiding Drugs. But such is only a temporary solution.

The World Espers' Association, seeing the few numbers of Guides and the numerous Esper, decided to adapt a system in where a Guide should take care of several teams of Espers.

The higher the guiding compatibility with others and the guiding quality, the more teams a Guide would need to take care of.

Facing the danger of overclocking Espers and their hunger for touch, Guides were paid handsomely for their service with high wages and great benefits given by the Espers' Association.

It was once said in a famous magazine that being a Guide, even with lower guiding quality, is the most profitable job ever. Not only could you be intimate with handsome and beautiful Espers, you would also be paid while guiding them.

---

Maelynn glanced at the crowd gathered at the spacious lounge, numbered white cards pasted on their right chests, eyes gleaming with excitement as they chattered, guessing what the examination would be like for Guides such as themselves.

Maelynn looked down on her own number. 06. A number close at the start. Her favorite number.

She sat down on the soft plush of the velvety seat, closing her eyes for rest, her mind wandering to the very start of her transmigration.

Mae was originally her name. She opened her eyes to this world at the age of 10 and realized that this world was from a novel at 11.

It was a sudden realization when she met her maternal Aunt for the first time in her 11th birthday party.

The familiar name of her aunt (a guide), and the names of her Espers haunted her for a few days, until she remembered why they're so familiar with her.

Those were the names of the sub-villains in an R-19 BL novel her bestfriend made her proofread. It was saved on her laptop, a draft to be proofread and edited for errors.

Her bestriend, a person who starts anew and abandoned the old, did the same to Imprisoned White Rose.

Mae, who was so annoyed at the discontinued draft, only read the first 20 chapters of the story and stopped bothering after that.

The R-19 BL Novel was then abandoned to back of their minds just like that.

Who would have thought that the novel's idle proofreader would suddenly wake up in this melting pot of BL cliches and all kind of cliches as a side character in the faction of the sub-villains?

'But then again... I don't really need to give a fuck since Maelynn is a character crafted by my image, with all the things I wished was true back then. If the bottom male protagonist dares to fight with me and my maternal Aunt, I'll let him know what power, connections, and wealth can do.' Maelynn thought with humor.

She didn't know if her bestfriend loves her because the character who was inspired after her had everything or hated her to make this character to be repeatedly stepped on by the bottom male protagonist.

"Examinees numbered 1-10, please proceed to Testing Room #3"

The announcement from the lounge's speakers echoed and the newly awakened Guides slowly quitened.

Maelynn's eyes slowly opened and she sighed. She stood up from the comfort of her seat and followed the personnel gesturing for the called examinees.

After a few minutes of walking down several twisting corridors, the personnel led Maelynn and the new Guides to a spacious medical room; and there, a veteran Guide stood waiting, smiling beautifully at them with...weird emotions.

'He's looking at us like we're poor souls or something.' Maelynn's brows twitch.

"Hello, dear first batch of examinees. I'm Henry, a B-Level Guide. Today is the day you'll find out what your Guide Grade will be, how many Espers are your limit, and how high your compatibility with them are." Henry, a well-known Guide for female Espers, mischievously winked.

Maelynn merely stood in line with boredom. She already knew what her Grade is, she's just here for the formality, and also because her Maternal Aunt was being mysterious and persistent about her taking this test.

"Actually, 10 years ago, the World Espers' Association decided that their current technology is not enough to exactly grade the ability of Guides just because of the index results. That is why Guides need to do the practicals first, demonstrating their guiding quality, limit, and compatibility with Espers. Only after the practicals will you be tested with the Nexus Guide Index and assigned your Esper teams." Henry explained.

Maelynn felt that... something was wrong.