“Hurry! There’s no time!”“Uh—uhm…”Hamin blinked, startled by Raon’s sudden bark of urgency.Then, trusting his instincts, he moved without thinking. Raon wasn’t the type to shout orders for no reason.“Ugh!”With a loud thud, Hamin threw himself to the ground. He glanced up to see Raon watching with a satisfied grin, giving him a big thumbs-up.“Kiieeeehk!”“...!”The second monster reacted immediately.That was exactly what Raon had wanted. Telling Hamin to fall was bait—to draw the second monster’s attention.Before the regression, the second monster had appeared while the first was still being fought. It had swooped in from behind, targeting the weakest point in their formation, as if it instinctively knew where they were exposed.So Raon # Nоvеlight # had gambled that the moment Hamin collapsed, the new monster would fixate on him—and the gamble paid off. The creature’s blazing form turned sharply toward the fallen Hamin.If he were still just a Guide, I’d never have used him like this. Lucky break.Having just reawakened—and exhausted much of his strength moving the team down the cliff—Hamin was the perfect decoy.“Siwoo! Esper Yeo Jun!”“Yes, sir!”The second monster’s path was cut off by Siwoo and Yeo Jun. The two of them, already proven in past battles as a devastating pair, launched their coordinated attack.The only question was whether it would work against a core guardian.Crack!“Kyeeeh!”The creature shrieked, reeling from the blast of lightning and water. The hit had landed—but it spread its wings and shot back into the sky.The attacks worked, but flight made it nearly impossible to finish the job.“There’s no telekinetic Esper on the Guide Team…”Raon muttered, scanning for options—and then his gaze caught on Hamin, who had quietly gotten up from where he’d fallen. The reawakened Guide-turned-Esper had wind abilities.“Guide Hamin! Can you still use your power?”“Yes, but… if I attack, won’t it get in their way?”His tone was hesitant but thoughtful. Having lived as a Guide for years, Hamin knew well how Esper abilities interacted—Siwoo’s electric-charged water combined with wind would be disastrous.“Don’t attack—just ground it. Stop it from flying.”“Ah!”Hamin’s eyes lit up with understanding. That much, he could do.He took a deep breath and focused, recalling the sensation from earlier when he’d lowered the entire squad down the cliffside.A monster was heavier and stronger than any human, but he didn’t need to overpower it—only to disrupt its movement.“Krraaaagh!”A fierce gust whipped across the battlefield. Caught in the countercurrent, the monster lost balance midair, flames scattering from its half-folded wings.Boom!It crashed hard into the ground. The flames flickering along its feathers blazed hotter as it reared its head, blood-red eyes locking on Siwoo and Yeo Jun.“Yoon Siwoo! Let’s finish this and get some food!”“You first.”Even with a massive burning monster before them, Yeo Jun’s voice was full of energy; Siwoo’s dry reply came with an edge of focus.Behind them, Raon spread his guiding energy outward, bolstering the front line.He glanced sideways toward the other battle—the first monster still clashing with the combat team.“Guide Dasom!”“Y-yes?”“I’ll stay here. Take the other Guides and back up the combat team!”“Ah—yes!”Dasom nodded sharply, signaling Taehyeok and Juwon to follow her toward the main fight.Raon exhaled in relief as their figures disappeared through the mist.With Dasom there, they won’t be wiped out.With two A-rank Guides to handle the frontline and Dasom to heal, the combat team could turn the tide quickly.Raon swallowed hard, eyes fixing on the monster before him.“Ugh…”Blood streamed down from Dojin’s bowed head, dripping into the dirt.A piercing ring filled his ears, stabbing through his skull.It was a symptom he’d never experienced before, not once—not even after years of reckless combat.When an Esper’s contamination level drops too low, side effects appear: headaches, tinnitus, instability.He had always thought himself immune to such things.“Team Leader! Are you alright?”“Team Leader!”“Kh…”His team shouted in alarm, but Dojin gritted his teeth and straightened.The monster that had soared into the air wasn’t attacking yet, but once it recovered its strength, it would strike again.“How many are still fit to fight?”“Uh…”The soldier beside him looked helpless. Even at a glance, the situation was disastrous. The earlier flames had torn through the ranks; many Espers were down.Dojin himself was bleeding heavily from multiple gashes.“Damn it.”The wounds weren’t healing. Normally, an S-rank’s recovery would close cuts like these in seconds—but this monster’s flames carried something else.Poison?His vision blurred. At this rate, they’d all be dead soon.“Kiieeeek!”“Team Leader, look—!”“…!”A bone-deep screech ripped through the air from behind.The soldiers turned toward the rear—toward the Guide Team—and their faces drained of color.The second monster had appeared.Damn it. Now, of all times…Assuming there was only one guardian had been a mistake.It wasn’t common, but high-difficulty Gates sometimes had multiple protectors. Normally they appeared together, allowing teams to plan accordingly—but never like this, one sneaking up from behind.Excuses or not, the failure was his. As leader, he should’ve been ready for anything.“It’s heading straight for the Guides—we have to help them!”Yunchae’s voice cracked with panic.Guides were meant to be protected at all costs; that was why they were stationed far behind.But the second monster had appeared on their flank—right where the Guide Team was.“If they’re wiped out, we’re as good as dead!”Inho shouted, echoing the fear on everyone’s faces.For the first time in years, Guides had entered a Gate due to the irregular event. If they lost them now, the backlash would be catastrophic.Even if they managed to clear the Gate, they’d be branded forever as the team that failed to protect their Guides.Dojin bit down on his lip, silent.“Splitting the team now would be suicide,” he said at last.“What? You’re not serious.”Inho’s face twisted in disbelief. That was as good as saying they’d abandon the Guides.“You bastard—you call yourself a leader?”“It’s better than all of us dying like idiots.”“What did you just say?”Inho’s temper exploded, voice rising, his hand shooting toward Dojin’s collar—“Kiieeek!”“The Guide Team—!”The monster dove toward the rear. The shout that followed was filled with despair.But before it could strike, it recoiled violently, shrieking in pain.Everyone stared, stunned, as it shot back up into the air, wings flaring wildly.“Wait—wasn’t Colonel Yoon Siwoo with the Guide Team?”“And Esper Yeo Jun too?”“When did those two get that strong…?”The creature that had given Dojin and two other team leaders trouble had been repelled by them—by the Guides’ unit. The soldiers murmured in awe.Dojin’s jaw tightened.Yoon Siwoo. Again.The name alone made his temples throb.Without guidance, that man had been nothing special.Right now, the only reason he seemed powerful was because Dojin’s levels were low.That earlier miss—his telekinesis slipping for just a moment—was nothing but a lapse of focus. There was no reason to feel threatened.And yet, anger boiled in his chest. His gaze slid to where Raon stood, guiding Siwoo from behind.All I need is my Guide back.Once he got Raon to guide him again, his numbers would soar. He’d reclaim his power, his control, his glory. Everything would go back to how it should be.“Kiieeek!”“It’s coming again!”Dojin’s head snapped forward—the monster was diving straight at them now.“I’ll take point! Cover me!”“No, I’ll strike first—”“What? Are you out of your mind?”Yunchae, the second-strongest in firepower, stepped forward, but Dojin cut her off with a sharp glare.She stared back, incredulous.“Fall back. That’s an order.”“…Tch.”He was still the team leader. Glaring, Yunchae withdrew to his flank, summoning her power in case she needed to shield him.“Keheeeh!”The monster opened its jaws wide—and unleashed a torrent of flame straight toward them.

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