"Why are you with that guy, Hamin?"The sharp voice cut through the Training Hall. The man glaring at Raon stepped forward, as if to shield Hamin from danger.Like a mother bird protecting her chick, the man wrapped himself around Hamin—someone Raon knew all too well. It was Hyun Juwon, A-rank Exclusive Guide of Alpha-2 Team.Juwon, who carried a heavy sense of responsibility, particularly disliked Han Raon. He was also one of the few who looked kindly upon Lee Hamin, who—though lacking in ability—was polite and hardworking.He might have been only a side character in the novel, but he’d made several satisfying appearances as Raon’s rival, delivering sharp truths on timid Hamin’s behalf.Still, to call a fellow Guide from the same division that guy—and when Raon hadn’t even done anything yet—wasn’t that a bit much?Raon thought so, detachedly, as if it were someone else’s business."Juwon, I—""Did Guide Han Raon say something to you again? Are you all right?""No, it’s not like that!"Hamin waved his hands in panic, but Juwon didn’t believe him. His eyes narrowed into a pointed glare at Raon."That man will do anything to pull you away from Team Leader Dojin. I told you not to let him get close so easily.""…"To say that to his face—well, it wasn’t entirely wrong.If Raon were still acting under the old villain script, he’d already have done something terrible to Hamin by now. Without meaning to, he found himself nodding slightly."Juwon, why would you say that? Raon was only trying to help me with training.""Guide Han Raon, you say?"Juwon’s eyes said he still didn’t believe it.Raon exhaled quietly. Now that Juwon had shown up, there’d be no training with Hamin anyway. He turned away without hesitation."You’ve got a good mentor now, so I’ll just train alone.""R-Raon!"As Raon walked off on his own, Hamin hurried after him, flustered."I’m sorry. Because of me, you had to hear all that.""It’s fine. I’ve done my share to deserve it.""But you said those things because you were worried about me.""What?"Raon stopped mid-step and turned, staring at Hamin’s bright, guileless face."I know I’m not really suited to be a Guide for Alpha-1. A B-rank like me—it’s ridiculous. Compared to an S-rank like you, I’m miles below.""…"His voice wilted, and his shoulders sagged. It was awkward; Raon hadn’t even done anything yet, and already it looked like he’d bullied him again. From the corner of his eye, Juwon’s suspicious glare made it worse."Guide Lee Hamin, I—""So you were just pushing me harder on purpose, right? It really woke me up. I wanted to say thank you.""…?"That’s how you took it?How kind do you have to be to twist my criticism into encouragement? Raon squinted, exhausted by the sheer optimism."I appreciate the sentiment, but maybe you should listen to Guide Hyun Juwon—""But I’m right, aren’t I?""That’s…"If the old Han Raon heard this, he’d probably faint. Who would’ve guessed Hamin thought this way all along? How much of a flower ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) garden was inside that head, to turn all those sharp barbs into something positive?Even that Han Raon would’ve lost steam hearing this. Maybe it was lucky Hamin had never said it out loud back then.Raon let out a short sigh and nodded."Fine. Think whatever you like.""Heh, okay."Hamin’s smile brightened again."Then you’ll train with me, right?""…Yeah."The moment Raon reluctantly agreed, Juwon stepped closer, face hard."I’ll join too.""Suit yourself."At this point, Raon didn’t care anymore. His tone was flat.[Multiple monsters detected ahead!][Use nearby cover to protect yourself!]The virtual training space mimicked a real Gate perfectly.A calm mechanical voice guided the Guides through their tasks, marking objectives like in a game. Raon crouched behind a rock, watching the simulated espers battle the monsters.[Warning: Esper contamination levels falling rapidly ahead!][Maintain your assigned esper’s levels through radiative guiding.]Behind cover, Raon raised a hand and released radiative guiding. The energy streamed toward the virtual esper, and the system analyzed his precision. Every pulse, every emission was measured for effectiveness.Raon’s guiding was almost flawless. The esper’s contamination level shot upward in an instant.Beep! [Warning!]A sharp alarm blared nearby. Raon turned toward the sound.[Assigned esper contamination level critically dropping!][Assigned esper at risk of rampage!][Warning! Warning!]"Damn."Hamin was sweating, struggling to keep up his own radiative guiding—but it was useless. Raon clicked his tongue.Of course it was. The simulation had calibrated to S-rank level, matching Raon’s stats. And Hamin had only been assigned to Alpha-1 because of his high match rate with Dojin.Raon approached him, still calm."Guide Hamin, don’t panic.""R-Raon…"Tears welled as Hamin looked back at him. The alerts kept flashing instructions, but he was too rattled to react."Stay calm. We can’t approach until the espers defeat the monsters anyway. Just keep the contamination level up as best you can with radiative guiding."Raon rested a steady hand on his shoulder.He could have taken over the simulation himself, but that would defeat the purpose of Hamin’s training. It was just a simulation; he’d rather let him push through it."This isn’t real. No one dies if you fail, so don’t rush. Draw out as much as you can.""Ah… okay, okay…"At last, Hamin steadied himself. He bit his lip, nodded, and resumed guiding. The weak flow of energy began to rise, inching the virtual esper’s level upward."I-I did it! I really did it!"Hamin’s face lit up like a child’s. Raon couldn’t help smiling back."Thank you, Raon.""For what?"When training ended, Hamin was still flushed with excitement. Seeing his joy was oddly satisfying."…"From behind, Juwon’s gaze stayed fixed on them, wary. Especially on Raon—whose demeanor seemed utterly different.What the hell is he up to?The same Han Raon who used to act like he couldn’t wait to devour Hamin alive was now calmly helping him, without a hint of ulterior motive.Juwon continued to watch from behind, ready to step in if Raon did anything suspicious. But nothing happened.Strange. The rumors that Raon had paired with Yoon Siwoo of Alpha-1 had been hard enough to believe, and now seeing him get along with Hamin—it was almost disorienting.As Juwon puzzled over it, someone entered the Training Hall."Hey, there you are.""Yeah."It was Jung Hyunseung, S-rank esper of Alpha-2, looking exhausted as he approached his Exclusive Guide."I’m beat. Do some guiding, will you?""Sure."So the rumor about joint Gate suppression between Teams 1 and 2 today had been true; he looked completely spent. Nodding, Juwon started toward the Guiding Room with him."…?"But Hyunseung wasn’t alone. Juwon glanced past him at the tall esper following behind.With both Alpha-1 Guides here, it was unlikely to be Nam Taegun—he avoided guiding whenever possible. That left either Seo Dojin or Yoon Siwoo. Given how often Dojin hovered around Hamin, it was probably—"Huh?"Contrary to his assumption, it wasn’t Dojin who’d shown up. It was Yoon Siwoo. Come to think of it, Dojin was likely still filing mission reports as Team Leader.Even so—Yoon Siwoo? Of all people? For Juwon, who knew their history best, it was unexpected. Siwoo merely gave him a curt nod and walked forward."Siwoo!""…"Hamin, spotting him first, waved cheerfully. Siwoo gave him a brief nod, then turned his gaze away."You came?""…"For some reason, Siwoo couldn’t meet Raon’s eyes.Running straight here like a trained dog the moment the mission ended—he couldn’t believe it himself. Just a few days ago, it would’ve been unthinkable.Raon stepped toward him instead, closing the distance. Siwoo hesitated, then finally looked at him—"…!"—and his eyes widened.Raon tilted his head slightly. "What—""Which bastard did this to you?"

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