Honestly, he was adorable.To Raon, Siwoo’s jealous sulking was nothing but endearing. Smiling faintly through his nose, he turned to look for Taegun.“Have you picked a route yet?”“Not… really. I’m still not sure.”“Yeah?”Taegun’s expression was uneasy. Considering how confident he usually was, that meant he was being honest.Which meant they’d have to go deeper in to find where the core was likely hidden. But with the tower’s collapse, there was no clear sense ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) of direction—just endless fog.If they wasted any more time, everyone’s mental strength would run dry.“Mm… well, my levels haven’t been great lately, so I’m not too confident.”“What?”Raon had been half-lost in thought and almost missed it. When he turned, Taegun’s face had twisted into a grimace.“Forget it.”“Your levels are off? Want me to guide you?”“No…”At Raon’s offer, Taegun’s ears turned red. Raon held out his hand and wiggled his fingers teasingly.“If you want to be guided, you can just say so.”“…Shit.”“Language.”“—Tch.”Taegun’s face crumpled in frustration. He clearly wanted it but couldn’t bring himself to admit it outright; his pride must have been killing him.“It’s for Gate suppression, alright? Don’t get the wrong idea.”“Yeah, yeah.”Raon nodded absently at Taegun’s grumbling and grasped his hand.“Ugh.”The man gave a small, stifled groan; he still wasn’t used to being guided.Raon just hoped that after receiving the guidance, Taegun would locate the core quickly. His performance had spiked the last time they’d guided together in the irregular Gate—maybe it would again.“How is it?”“…Hmm.”Once Taegun’s numbers stabilized, Raon released his hand and asked. Taegun blinked, dazed for a moment, then refocused and closed his eyes to sense the surroundings.“I think I’ve found it.”“Good.”With the core’s position confirmed, the exploration sped up again. Dojin continued to insist that the combat team take point, and Raon followed behind, deep in thought.What now? The monsters guarding this Gate’s core aren’t just one.Unfortunately, there were two—identical in appearance, like mirrored beasts.At first only one showed itself, leading everyone to fight as they would in any other Gate. Then, halfway through the battle, the second appeared, striking at their flank. That ambush had caused massive casualties before Raon’s regression.Because they’d escaped the tower safely thanks to Taegun, most Espers were still a little lax. That made things even worse.Even if I tell Dojin, he won’t believe me…He hadn’t listened to any of Raon’s suggestions so far, and if Raon claimed there were two monsters, Dojin would demand to know how he knew. There was no way to explain that.It’s better to act like I don’t know.He decided to stay quiet and step in only after the second creature appeared. It was the safer play. So Raon simply fell back in line with the Guide Team.“Um, Team Leader.”“Yeah?”When he turned, Dasom was looking up at him nervously. Raon immediately understood what was bothering her—but pretended otherwise.“What’s wrong?”“Well, back when I was guiding inside the tower, something felt… strange.”“Strange how?”“Um…”Haltingly, Dasom described what she’d felt at the time. Raon listened with a grave expression.Of course it did. That wasn’t guiding—it was healing.But he couldn’t let on, so he kept his serious look and replied evenly,“Just to be safe, when we get back, you should have an evaluation along with Guide Hamin.”“An evaluation?”“It might not be a completely new ability like Hamin’s, but maybe your rank changed, which could’ve boosted your radiative guiding effect.”“Oh.”Luckily, Hamin’s case made the lie easier to spin. Unlike his wind ability, healing didn’t manifest as visibly, so Dasom still seemed unsure about what she’d done.She’d only just awakened, so she’d need training to stabilize her power. She must have used it instinctively back in the tower.Once they located the core and finished the suppression, she and Hamin could both undergo testing and be officially confirmed as reawakened Espers.Everything should go according to plan… right?For now, only Raon knew that two monsters guarded the core. Keeping that to himself made him uneasy. If things went off-script, they could face the same losses as before.“What’s wrong, hyung?”“Nothing.”Siwoo glanced over, worried. Maybe it was just because this Gate had so many variables, but Raon couldn’t shake a growing sense of dread.“I think we’ve arrived.”“…!”Cutting down the occasional monster blocking their path, they soon reached a spot where the combat team stopped moving.Raon narrowed his eyes ahead—too much fog to see clearly.“There’s something like a nest up ahead,” Hamin called out.“Ah.”With his newly enhanced sight as an Esper, Hamin served as their eyes. Raon nodded at his report.A huge nest—and inside it, a glowing egg. That egg was the Gate’s core. Taegun, especially, would have recognized it instantly.“The combat team will attack soon. Everyone, get ready.”“Yes!”Even during battle, Guides had to risk their lives to reach Espers in danger.It was the final fight, and tension ran high in every face.“Kreeeeeh!”“Ugh—!”A distant roar split the air. The combat team had begun their assault.Flashes of burning light flickered through the mist. The monster guarding the core looked like something out of legend—a phoenix-shaped beast wreathed in flame.That made the fight all the harder: it packed immense firepower and could take to the skies whenever pressed.Still, with Seo Dojin’s telekinesis, they shouldn’t struggle too much.In the original timeline—and before his regression—Dojin had slammed the flying beast into the ground with telekinetic force. He’d probably do the same now.Raon’s job was to handle the second monster when it appeared. Whether that plan would work, he didn’t know.“Kiieeee!”“Gh—”Even from afar, the monster’s pressure was staggering.Thankfully, since the core was so close, it focused on the combat team and ignored the distant Guides.Everything was proceeding smoothly—until—Whump!“Huh?”Just as Raon relaxed, the creature beat its wings powerfully, scattering the Espers’ attacks like dust, and shot upward.“Wait—why…?”Raon blinked up in alarm. Dojin, who should have pinned it down with telekinesis, wasn’t moving.Something was wrong.“Goddamn it!”Cursing under his breath, Raon looked back up just in time to see the monster inhale deeply, wings blazing.“Everyone, get down!”“Ahhh!”The instant he shouted, the beast exhaled, unleashing a torrent of fire across the ground.“Kh!”Siwoo rushed forward, throwing up a barrier. Thanks to him, the Guide Team was spared, but the combat unit was in chaos.“What the hell happened…”Raon muttered in disbelief. The problem wasn’t just with the Gate—it was with the people.A chill ran down his spine.That’s right. Dojin refused Hamin’s guiding earlier.Dojin’s contamination level had always been high thanks to Hamin’s guidance. But he’d stubbornly refused it this time—his levels must have dropped.And low levels meant difficulty using powers.That was why Siwoo, despite being S-rank, had been holding back on attacks too.Realizing this too late, Raon bit his lip.“Siwoo, let’s move up.”“But—”To fix this, they had no choice but to join the fight themselves.The moment Raon made up his mind, an eerie shriek echoed from across the field.“Kreeeeh!”“…!”From beyond where the first monster had taken off, another roar shook the ground.The second creature had appeared—earlier than expected.Despair flickered across Raon’s face.“Hyung!”“Ah—”He snapped out of it at Siwoo’s voice. The younger man’s eyes were clear and steady.“What should we do? Just tell me—I’ll follow your lead.”That simple, unwavering trust struck Raon speechless for a heartbeat.Right. There was no time to freeze up.He nodded. “We’ll take the one in the back.”“Got it.”Dojin’s condition still worried him, but for now, they had to stick to the plan—leave the first monster to the combat team.If they abandoned their post, the Guide Team might be wiped out.But first, they needed to draw the new monster’s attention.Raon turned sharply toward Hamin.“Guide Hamin!”“Yes?”“Fall over—now!”“…What?”For a moment, Hamin just blinked at him, head tilted, completely lost.

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