The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 83: Team Leader Damien Lennox

The sky was still dark, only faint streetlights seeping through the cracks in the blinds. The phone screen lit up all of a sudden, vibrating as the alarm sounded out. After just a single ring though, a hand reached up from underneath the cover, swiping the screen and shutting it off.

Rubbing his eyes, Damien got up from the bed without any delay. He glanced at his phone first... But there were no new messages.

With a heavy sigh, he proceeded with his routine, quickly changing into his workout clothes. Then, he grabbed his bag and pre-workout snack to eat on the way, and headed for the subway station.

He wasn’t a morning person, not really. After all those years of doing plenty of odd jobs though, he got used to getting up at any hour. All it took was a little discipline.

It was close to 5 AM by the time he arrived at the Association Headquarters. The place was empty, with only the people from the night shift present. And even they were gathered in the offices, leaving the rest of the place dark and deserted.

Damien’s steps echoed in the desolate hallways, as cold as lonely as his heart. There was no soul in sight, not there, and not in the Esper gym. Just Damien, alone with his wistful thoughts.

He flicked the switch, entering the gym. The lights buzzed, flickering a few times before filling the space with bright white light. It only made it look even more ghastly and eerie though, like an abandoned world. The faint scents of sanitizer and ocean breeze air freshener were the only remnant of human presence.

Something like that wouldn’t bother Damien though, he was more than used to it. He put his duffel bag on the side, took off his jacket, and started his training routine.

The machines available at the Association Headquarters hardly were of any use to him anymore. The gym wasn’t tailored to S-rankers - there were only two of them there, after all, and one of them was not even a combat type! It was hard for Damien to make progress, with the highest available resistance and weights hardly giving him any challenge... But he didn’t complain. The Association didn’t have enough money to afford to throw it into improving equipment just for his sake.

He finished his workout three hours later, and the first thing he did, before even a shower, was to check his phone again.

However, once again, there was no message from Evan... Or rather, Aidan, as the man insisted to be called. Even though they both knew who he truly was.

With a heavy sigh, Damien put his phone away, taking off his clothes and stepping into a shower. He massaged his scalp, washing his hair with his usual herbal shampoo - picked because of its dirt cheap price, although he also liked the scent - cold water flowing down his body, cooling down his muscles after training. Usually, it was one of the most relaxing moments in his day. This time, however, his thoughts were too preoccupied with Evan, not giving him even a second to enjoy himself...

To be honest, he didn’t even know why he was so hung up on the man. There was just something about the man. Perhaps it was the arrogant glint in his eyes hidden behind every smile he faked. Or maybe his playful confidence. The way he teased Damien until his mind was so mangled up he thought he was going insane. Or the way he shined whenever he jumped around on the obstacle course or swung his sword... When he wasn’t feigning his lack of ability, of course.

Damien disapproved of his reckless attitude, and yet continued to be drawn to it... No matter how hard he thought it.

Trying to push away all those thoughts, he turned off the water, reaching for the towel and wrapping it around his hips, heading back to the locker room. Although his mind was still a mess, at least his body was refreshed, so it was time to move on with his day. Damien wasn’t so free to waste so much time on pondering.

There was a lot of work waiting for him. So much so that he couldn’t even have breakfast in peace, eating it in his office, in front of his laptop instead. His team just got assigned a C-rank dungeon to clear. A rare thing for the Association, which only ever got unwanted scraps...

Not that it was any different this time. The dungeon was originally bought by one of the minor Guilds. As it turned out, they clearly overestimated their own abilities, and despite many attempts, they were unable to clear it... And now it was on the verge of a dungeon break, its monster population having reached critical limits.

Damien read carefully through the report, forming a raid plan in his mind. With the Espers under his command, and the environment and the monsters inside, the best way to deal with it would be...

Sipping his coffee, he wrote a few sketches of the action plan, before mailing it to Anthony. Although he didn’t lack education - at least when it came to everything combat and dungeon related - his experience in conducting, or even participating in, raids was far from sufficient. Therefore, he’d much rather run his ideas through someone else first, before putting them into action. Responsibility for his whole team’s safety rested on his shoulders, after all.

Once he was done, he turned off the laptop, and headed to the training hall his team used. With over half an hour still left before the training was supposed to start, most of his subordinates were still chatting in the lounge room nearby, drinking their morning coffees. Damien greeted them with a nod, and grabbed a cup of water for himself, about to head to the hall to check up on the obstacle course...

When all of a sudden, he caught a glimpse of something. Something unexpected. Unbelievable even. So much so, that his eyes widened, and he absentmindedly squeezed the paper cup, spilling the water all over his hand.

It took a moment before the initial shock that overtook him diminished. Almost holding his breath, he tossed the now empty cup in the trash, and took a step forward...