* * *
“Mm, thanks.”
Raon offered a small smile as he looked at Siwoo, who was solemnly shaking the potion bottle to get every drop out.
Siwoo, however, was frowning, as if annoyed about something.
Raon was puzzled by his expression, and just then, Hamin, who had been hovering around with teary eyes, stepped forward and bowed deeply.
“I’m really sorry, Raon. It’s all because of me.”
“…Huh?”
“And… thank you for saving me.”
“……?”
Raon blinked at the unexpected gratitude.
But Siwoo’s the one who saved him?
Sure, Raon had shielded Hamin and rolled on the ground with him, but that had only helped them avoid a blow for a split second—they both would’ve died right after.
If Siwoo hadn’t pushed himself and rushed over, Hamin wouldn’t have made it out alive.
“I didn’t really do much. Siwoo’s the one who—”
“But you protected me.”
“Well… I guess, but still…”
Raon felt awkward. He’d just managed to calm Siwoo down, and now Hamin was the next issue.
And he couldn’t figure out why the atmosphere had shifted like this.
Hamin’s sparkling eyes started to feel burdensome, and Raon instinctively looked away.
He’d never had a particularly warm interaction with Hamin before, which somehow made this even more uncomfortable.
“Well, in any case, I was just doing my job as team lead. Don’t worry about it.”
“But still…”
Sensing Raon’s discomfort, Hamin looked a little hurt, but Raon no longer had the presence of mind to deal with him.
“Yoon Siwoo, how the hell did you get here?”
“Captain!”
Taegun and the rest of the squad, having defeated the monsters, rushed over and shouted in surprise when they spotted Siwoo.
Raon watched silently as Siwoo greeted them with calm detachment.
Right now, the top priority was to regroup with the scattered team members as quickly as possible.
If they kept getting separated and fighting monsters, they could end up like the original storyline—on the brink of annihilation before even finding the core.
To avoid that disaster, this gate needed to be handled differently than last time.
Raon’s gaze dropped to Siwoo’s hand, still connected to him through the guiding process.
“Siwoo.”
“Yes, hyung?”
Siwoo turned toward him immediately, meeting his gaze.
Raon looked up at him and asked:
“Do you think you can make it rain again, like before, to find the others?”
It would be reckless for Siwoo to attempt that alone.
He had already drained so much of his energy just locating Raon and Hamin.
But now, Raon—an S-rank guide with a 97% match rate—was with him.
As long as the guiding continued, Siwoo’s numbers would remain stable even while using his power.
As expected, Siwoo nodded readily.
“Yes, I think I can.”
“Then let’s find them quickly and regroup.”
“Okay.”
In the original story, Siwoo’s numbers had been in such bad shape that even if he’d thought of this method, he couldn’t have pulled it off.
Seokhyeon was a skilled A-rank guide, but his match rate with Siwoo was too low to keep his readings stable through dispersed guiding.
Raon confidently took both of Siwoo’s hands in his.
As Siwoo drew on his power again, rain began pouring inside the gate once more.
Shaa—
It was a breathtaking sight, no matter how many times he saw it.
Until now, Siwoo had been forced to use his powers passively.
The villainous Han Raon had refused to guide him.
So even with such incredible power, Siwoo couldn’t utilize it on a large scale.
As the cool rain drenched him, Raon smiled. It felt like he was the one who had given Siwoo his freedom.
Even if Siwoo didn’t see it that way, Raon couldn’t help feeling proud.
“I’ve located them.”
“Yeah? Who’s the closest?”
“…Team Leader Seo Dojin.”
“Hmm.”
Siwoo’s tone was less than thrilled.
But Dojin was the one they needed most right now.
Plus, Hamin—who had a good match rate with him—was here.
Raon shot him a sideways glance.
“Then let’s meet up with the team leader first.”
“Okay.”
For some reason, Siwoo didn’t seem too happy about it.
Raon thought it odd.
The two hadn’t been on bad terms, as far as he remembered.
Even with Hamin between them, they’d always been calm, like still water.
If anything, it was Taegun who’d clashed with Dojin later on.
Still, Raon didn’t think much of it. It was probably something minor.
He turned to Taegun and spoke:
“Siwoo needs to keep guiding, so you take command for now.”
“Son of a—”
Taegun scowled and turned away as if he’d just seen something unspeakable—Siwoo and Raon were still holding hands tightly.
Typical temper.
Clicking his tongue, Raon tightened his grip on Siwoo’s hand, almost as if to show off.
Thankfully, the watch didn’t sound an alarm this time, but with Siwoo using his powers so broadly, his numbers must’ve dipped again.
“Let’s go, Siwoo.”
“…Okay.”
“…?”
Siwoo nodded slowly, answering a beat late.
The hand in Raon’s grasp was burning hot.
Walking while guiding—this was a first.
When their hands loosened with a step, Siwoo instinctively squeezed tighter again.
‘Cute. Makes me want to pin him down.’
Too bad. If they were alone, he might’ve suggested a mucosal guiding session somewhere private.
That was the more effective method, anyway.
With a sly grin, Raon let his mind wander.
Siwoo’s flushed ear and the way he desperately avoided eye contact were irresistibly cute.
‘Focus. Not the time for this.’
Shaking his head, Raon snapped back to his senses.
They had nearly died a moment ago, and here he was grinning like a fool. He had to be insane.
This was an irregular gate, where anything could happen.
The events had already diverged from the original story.
Even if he knew what was supposed to happen, he’d need to stay sharp.
Raon grew alert, scanning their surroundings.
Their pace had slowed considerably now that a guide was part of the group.
“KIEEEEEK!”
Moreover, they had to fight off monsters scattered all around as they advanced.
Still, since the guides were providing guidance to the espers, the battles weren’t too difficult.
Just then, Taegun tilted his head, as if sensing something.
“Hm? I’m picking up the Captain’s energy.”
“Phew.”
Looks like they were finally getting close to Dojin.
Raon breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Hamin.
If Hamin could meet Dojin in time before his stats dropped, subjugating the gate would become significantly easier.
“Guide Hamin, once you meet Team Leader Dojin, guide him right away, okay?”
“Yes, squad leader.”
Hamin nodded firmly, his expression resolute.
In order to conserve Hamin’s energy for Dojin, Raon had been taking on nearly all the wide-area guiding for the team.
Because of that, Hamin, having nothing to do, had been feeling a growing sense of guilt.
Now that Hamin was fully prepared to guide Dojin, they might just be able to clean up this irregular gate swiftly.
Although the fate of the other squads was still unclear, at least the members gathered here were unharmed and alive—no casualties so far.
Unlike the tragic outcomes in the original story, maybe things would turn out better this time.
That thought made Raon’s chest swell strangely with emotion.
‘Maybe I can change it.’
He could prevent that horrible future from repeating, save more people—with his own hands.
It was something he’d secretly wished for ever since he possessed this body.
The excitement was undeniable.
“Captain!”
Taegun raised his voice upon spotting Dojin.
Raon saw him too.
But Dojin’s face twisted in alarm the moment he saw them.
Even from a distance, it looked like he was shouting something.
“Huh? Is he saying don’t come?”
“…!”
The espers with sharp hearing stopped in their tracks.
Raon, too, sensed something was off.
A bad feeling crept up on him.
RUMBLE.
“W-What’s that?”
The ground shook violently, like an earthquake.
Even the veteran members were shaken by the sudden chaos.
Raon was no exception.
‘Why now, of all times…!’
The earth split, and a massive arm burst out from below.
Compared to the monsters they’d faced so far, this one was absurdly massive and terrifyingly grotesque.
It was the final boss—the one that guarded the core of this irregular gate.
But why was it appearing now?
Raon stared, dumbfounded, as the unexpected timing caught him off guard.
‘Is it because things aren’t going like before?’
The irregular gate was designed to scatter teams and chip away at their strength.
But Raon had brought the guides, helped the scattered espers regroup, and used Siwoo’s power to reassemble the team.
So things didn’t unfold like in the original.
And now, the monster that had once thrown the last few surviving espers into despair was showing up early—before their power could be fully restored.
“Hyung!”
“Ugh!”
BOOM!
The monster slammed its hand down, and the sheer force devastated everything nearby.
Raon gritted his teeth as he clung to Siwoo’s arm.
* * *
