Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Transference
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11. Transference
I spent the weekend resting.
I'd thought quitting as a Hunter would make life easier, but that was wishful thinking.
At the very least, this week's workload was several times more intense than anything I'd dealt with back in my Hunter days.
The problem was that my paycheck hadn't multiplied several times over to match.
[Luna] [PINNED]
Current Status:Stress-induced binge eating. Psychologically unstable state. However, no immediate danger detected.
Main Stance:Dreads the weekend coming to an end.
Of course, it wasn't the kind of rest where I just lounged on the sofa rolling around.
I'd been keeping a close eye on Luna, the Otherworlder from Union Guild.
Her psychological state was unstable, and if any problem cropped up—god forbid—I had to be ready to act right away.
Someone might call it meddling, but what could I do?
This was a kind of occupational hazard.
Or, to correct myself, more like a sickness born from my ability.
Anyway, Luna seemed to be stress-eating everything in sight.
I just hoped she ate a lot and slept even more.
"Phew..."
In the end, rest was just an extension of work—preparation for performing even better next time.
I'd gotten my Hunter Counselor certification and successfully completed my first session, but... I knew better.
Fundamentally, my knowledge and experience as a counselor were lacking.
I was relying heavily on my ability in various areas.
That's why I'd gathered stacks of papers written by leading authorities in psychology, piling them up in my living space like mountains.
Some came straight from the Association, others I'd printed out after scouring academic journals online all night.
Papers on Otherworlders and Hunters by this world's top psychological experts.
Still... I'd read quite a few.
I felt like I was aware enough and putting in real effort to apply it.
I reached for the untouched stack at the very bottom.
- Rustle...
"Whoa!"
The precarious tower of papers lost its balance the moment I pulled one out, collapsing in a landslide.
"Ugh."
I sighed and started sorting through the mess.
But then, amid the fresh white sheets, one stood out—yellowed with age, edges frayed, completely out of place.
'What's this?'
It must have been slyly slipped in among the official Association papers.
[Reflections on the Psychological Risks of Otherworlders and Awakened Clients]
The title was pretty ominous.
I didn't remember getting anything like this from the Association.
But I wasn't in a position to be picky about hot or cold water right now. Like I was under a spell, I picked up the worn document and started reading.
[Prior to the paper, this is an informal record born from the author's personal curiosity, and...]
The paper mainly dealt with failures in rapport-building between clients and counselors.
The pages were crammed with underlines and highlighter marks, featuring a case of an Otherworlder from the Empire.
[Case 1-A: Analysis of PTSD Escalation in an Empire Otherworlder]
[The client (estimated A-Rank, former Empire Knight Order Vice-Commander) displayed extreme hostility from the initial session.]
The session content was recorded verbatim in full dialogue transcript form.
Normally, counseling records could never be taken outside under any circumstances.
So... how the hell?
[Excerpt from Session 1 Transcript]
[Counselor]: Let's talk together about the various emotional issues Mr. A is currently feeling...
[Client]: Shut your mouth! I'm not falling for sweet talk from scum like you!
And below that, there was a scribbled annotation in red ink.
[Due to trauma from his time as a war POW, the client interprets every question from the counselor as an enemy nation's interrogation. Standard approaches only reinforce his persecutory delusions—they're pointless.]
I turned the page.
Session 2 was even worse.
[Session 2]
[Counselor]: I regret the sense of loss you've experienced...
[Client]: (Loud bang as table is slammed) Loss? You dare speak of loss? I may have been defeated, but I've never lost my pride as a knight!
[Empathetic approaches were perceived by the client as direct attacks on his psyche. Rapport formation failed. Client's hostility amplified to dangerous levels.]
As if mocking the counselor's every effort, the client's resistance grew increasingly violent. Finally, I reached the last page.
[Excerpt from Session 3 Transcript]
[Counselor]: Mr. A. This is a new world, and you must accept it. Defeat isn't the end—you can overcome that experience...
[Client]: ...Defeat?! Kyle!!! You bastard!!!
(Sound of chair scraping back)
[Counselor]: I just want to help you, Mr. A... Wait... Calm do... Aaaargh!!
(Scream followed by sound of something snapping; recording quality deteriorates afterward)
[Recording Ends. Client fully mistook counselor for enemy officer who tortured him. Fractured both arms.]
[Incident Update: Client A currently imprisoned in Hunter Association detention facility.]
"......"
What... the hell is this?
I quickly flipped to the front page. No name listed.
Is this for real?
I swallowed dryly and turned the next page with trembling hands.
As I did, a new type of warning appeared—one different from client violence, about another danger counselors might face.
'Beware of transference?'
[Awakeners and Otherworlders frequently experience emotional amplification due to unstable mana flows.]
This much I knew.
It was one of the many reasons awakeners like me existed, after all.
The text continued.
[In particular, when deep rapport forms, clients may exhibit 'transference,' projecting all their positive emotions or desires onto the counselor. If this develops into a romantic attachment, the counselor could be in danger.]
The paper described this as a unique phenomenon in awakeners and Otherworlders who undergo emotional amplification, naming it "transference-induced heterosexuality."
The case study was shocking.
[Case 4-C: Counselor Kidnapping and Imprisonment Due to Transference-Induced Heterosexuality]
[The client (B-Rank, Awakener) showed chronic affection deprivation and possessiveness, eventually perceiving her assigned counselor (male, 12 years experience) as the object of her twisted love.]
[Excerpt from Session 7 Transcript]
[Client]: Teacher... you're the only light in my life. You saved me. After you ■■ me and then ■■■■ so I can ■■ too...
[Counselor]: Calm down, Ms. B. That's probably not true love. It's far more likely just respect for your counselor...
[Client]: (Voice turns icy cold) Liar. You said you understood me. So why... why...
[Textbook response to the client's extreme love confession, but she took the counselor's rational explanation as rejection. From this point, she began showing extreme anxiety that the counselor might 'leave her' and paranoid thinking.]
And the next transcript left me stunned.
[Session 9, Final Transcript]
[Counselor]: This is for your own good, Ms. B. I can no longer serve as your counselor.
[Client]: I see. Can't be helped. Thanks for everything up till now.
[Counselor]: I wish you the best in your future. (Sound of chair being pulled back)
(Dull thud like being struck with a blunt object)
(Sound of body collapsing)
[Client]: Let's go, teacher. To my house.
[Client]: Don't come looking for us. Got it?
[Forcibly Ended by Client]
[Client struck counselor on the back of the head, knocking him out, then successfully kidnapped him.]
[Incident Update: Unable to confirm. Both client and counselor remain missing.]
This is insane.
It was even more chilling than the last one.
I checked the last page for the source.
No way something this crazy was real.
And there it was—the Association's red stamp.
[Evidence Insufficient, Scheduled for Destruction]
The moment I saw it, I let out a deep sigh of relief.
Tension drained from me as I slumped back against the chair.
Good.
There was no way this was real.
Probably just a creepy urban legend stitched together from famous incidents, fleshed out with fiction.
I could be that certain because of one absolute rule.
'Counseling content is never disclosed outside under any circumstances.'
A document with blatant transcripts circulating in violation of that ironclad rule could never be an official Association paper.
I let out a hollow chuckle and tossed the ragged bundle onto the corner of my desk.
"Well crafted, though."
I'd almost broken out in a cold sweat.
Even if... by some one-in-a-million chance, all those horrific records were true.
I had an edge over other counselors.
'Main Stance.'
If emotions spiked to dangerous levels, I could report to the Association ahead of time and handle it.
Without ever letting on, perfectly.
Wait a second.
A chilling thought crossed my mind.
What if it was someone like Jin Sea, where my ability didn't work?
My head suddenly started throbbing.
Ah, ability.
What about the new ability I'd awakened recently?
Abilities were generally superior versions of regular skills. So maybe no noise interference?
I pictured Jin Sea, probably enjoying the last peaceful moments of her weekend right about now.
'Sorry.'
She was the only one around me who caused clear noise in my readings.
This might be a matter of my own safety. She'd probably understand.
Just once, to check—I decided to impose on her.
I closed my eyes, focused on her in my mind, and activated PIN.
[Jin■■] [■I■NED?]
[Current ■tate: On va■■■ion? …?…?]
[Me■n St■nce: ■■■ ■■■ ■■]
[???!?!!?!????]
As expected. The system window was filled with unreadable characters and broken symbols.
Some even twitched in the middle.
Impossible to make out.
Even with an ability, Jin Sea was a no-go...
That's when it happened, as doubts started creeping in.
- Static crackle!
Like tuning into a radio frequency, a burst of noise rang out—and the interference in Jin Sea's status vanished.
The symbols reassembled into sentences in an instant.
[Jin Sea] [PINNED]
Current Status:Resting! Psychologically completely at peace, extremely safe, and utterly harmless!
Main Stance:Hates that the weekend is ending!
"Oh."
A short exclamation escaped me before I knew it.
It worked on Jin Sea too.
Abilities really were superior.
The moment I finished confirming, I immediately unpinned her.
I'd only wanted to test it; I had zero intention of spying.
Jin Sea wasn't my client, after all.
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