* * *
“Attack! Keep attacking!”
“Aaagh!”
The battle was a mess.
Their formation collapsed in an instant, and the members were in disarray.
It was still better than what had happened in the original story, but they had only recovered about half their strength.
And the monster, which was supposed to appear at the end of the gate, possessed overwhelming power.
“Our attacks aren’t working!”
“Damn it.”
Even Dojin, an S-rank esper with telekinetic abilities, couldn’t break through.
The monster’s defense deflected every attack like they were hitting a wall.
‘Of course. That thing has a powerful shield.’
In the original story, Alpha Team 1 had suffered countless losses before finally meeting Seokhyeon and the guides, but even then, they couldn’t stop the monster.
Seokhyeon had likely died back then.
Later, Dojin, after receiving guidance from Hamin during the second wave, had barely managed to finish it off—but not before a mountain of sacrifice.
Raon clenched his jaw.
In the novel, there had been no clear way to break the monster’s shield.
All Dojin had done was unleash telekinesis enhanced by guidance and brute-force his way through.
So in the end, they’d still have to rely on Dojin.
Raon glanced at Hamin, who was frantically dodging attacks while clinging to another esper.
“Siwoo.”
“What is it?”
Because of the monster’s sudden appearance, evacuating the guides wasn’t easy.
Plus, its attacks were so wide-reaching that the only real option was to leave the battlefield entirely.
But who knew what other monsters might appear elsewhere?
As a result, the espers were spreading themselves thin trying to protect the guides.
The formation needed to be reorganized—fast.
“Take Guide Hamin to Team Leader Dojin.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“….”
Raon entrusted Hamin to the one person he could rely on: Siwoo.
But Siwoo frowned in clear disapproval.
“I don’t want to leave you behind.”
“Siwoo.”
Siwoo shook his head, voice firm.
He was more worried about Raon than anyone.
Normally, Raon would’ve felt grateful for his concern.
But not now.
He called Siwoo’s name sternly.
Siwoo’s face twisted with pain.
The thought of leaving Raon behind was more unbearable than death.
Even now, he couldn’t shake the horrifying thoughts that had plagued him before finding Raon again.
“I’ll be fine. I’m not going to die and leave you behind. So go, quickly.”
“….”
After Raon repeated himself, Siwoo finally nodded reluctantly.
He didn’t have the will to disobey his guide’s command.
“Then wait for me—just for a little.”
“I will.”
Siwoo handed Raon off to another teammate, then dashed forward with Hamin in tow—toward the frontlines, where Dojin was battling the monster head-on.
Only then did Raon breathe a sigh of relief.
As long as Hamin could provide guidance to Dojin, his telekinesis would grow strong enough to break the monster’s shield.
Then, they could finally defeat it.
Raon stared at Siwoo’s back as he carried Hamin over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
A sub-attack lead carrying the main top in his arms like luggage—it was a bit of a mood-breaker, but Raon’s chest warmed with a sense of mission accomplished.
Now all he had to do was stay safe in the back…
“…!”
But just then, Raon met the monster’s eerie yellow eyes.
Even from far away, its murderous gaze was unmistakable.
A sinister energy wrapped around him.
Something cold slithered up his spine.
BOOM!
“Ugh!”
The monster attacked in Raon’s direction.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Despite the distance, it was clearly aiming for him.
Thanks to the nearby teammates, he narrowly dodged the blow.
But when he locked eyes with the monster again, he knew—the attacks wouldn’t stop.
‘Why me?’
His head spun with confusion.
Even if he was an S-rank guide, he hadn’t done anything yet.
Nothing that should have attracted a monster’s attention.
But it had locked onto him, unmistakably.
This had never happened in the original timeline.
The monsters always went for the espers who attacked them—or the guides actively supporting them.
This was strange.
For the first time, Raon felt truly shaken by being targeted.
“Han Raon!”
A voice called his name from afar.
Acting on pure survival instinct, Raon released his guiding energy in all directions.
The espers nearby, who had received wide-area guidance, shielded him and faced the monster head-on.
“Guh!”
“Argh!”
But for ordinary agents who couldn’t even come close to S-rank, it was simply too much.
Before they knew it, the monster’s long tail slammed down near where Raon stood, violently splitting the ground.
Rumble!
In an instant, the ground split apart, leaving no place to stand.
Raon could only stare blankly at the scene before him.
“You idiot, get your head on straight!”
“Urgh.”
Someone suddenly yanked Raon by the collar.
It was Taegun.
Blood the same color as his hair was dripping down from his forehead as he glared at Raon.
“Nam Taegun.”
“What?”
Only then did Raon manage to regain some composure in response to Taegun’s gruff tone.
This wasn’t the time to be worrying about a monster’s whims.
He stole a glance at Taegun’s face as he deftly dodged the monster’s attacks.
‘Did Hamin make it to Dojin safely?’
If anything, with the monster’s focus turned this way, wouldn’t that make it easier for the two of them?
Thinking that, Raon asked:
“Hamin, the guide and the team leader—are they okay?”
“…”
Taegun, being a psychic Esper, should have been able to gauge the battlefield even while dodging attacks.
Yet for some reason, he stayed silent.
A bad feeling crept over Raon like insects crawling under his skin. His brows furrowed.
“Lee Hamin passed out.”
“What?”
“When the monster swung its tail earlier…”
“…”
So Hamin got caught in that attack too.
Sure, Dojin must have protected him, but… passed out?
Before they even started the guiding?
It was absurd.
Whether it was fate or sheer bad luck, he thought the monster turning its attention this way would at least give the others time to regroup—but instead, it had led to the worst outcome.
Raon couldn’t wrap his head around it.
“Damn it!”
A harsh curse burst from his lips.
Were they supposed to keep running until Hamin woke up?
How many people would die in the meantime?
Before his red-stained eyes, the destruction caused by the monster spread far and wide.
The regular agents, aside from the S-rank Espers, had already collapsed across the battlefield.
If this continued, the story would follow the original plotline exactly.
Raon clenched his fist and spoke again.
“Can you get rid of that damn barrier with mind control?”
“What?”
Taegun looked at him like he was crazy, then shook his head.
“No way. I didn’t even know there was a barrier. I’ve tried mind control on it a few times already…”
His voice grew quieter with each word.
The always-confident Taegun showing weakness was a rare sight.
Raon spoke calmly.
“You’ve never tried after being guided.”
“…”
Even in the original story, Taegun rarely received guidance.
Han Raon—who wasn’t Dojin—had an almost pathological aversion to guiding Espers, and Taegun, being a psychic, had no reason to beg for it either.
There had been a time when he showed a bit of interest in Hamin and ended up being guided by him, but it wasn’t meaningful.
Getting guided by a low-compatibility B-rank guide was worse than the auto-suggestions he could place on himself.
Maybe once Hamin reawakened as an S-rank near the end of the novel—but right now, no one would expect guiding to enhance abilities.
But guiding isn’t just about reducing corruption levels.
A truly excellent guide could even enhance an Esper’s abilities to an extreme degree.
And Raon was the only S-rank guide in the country.
A guide with his level of efficiency couldn’t be found anywhere else in Korea.
“You think getting guided’s gonna change anything—”
“It will. So shut up and give me your hand.”
“…”
Raon snapped, wiggling his fingers at Taegun.
Taegun stood speechless for a moment.
Raon, impatient, grabbed Taegun’s wrist first.
‘We don’t have time for this slowpoke.’
Clicking his tongue, Raon channeled his guiding energy into Taegun.
Taegun’s red eyes widened.
“Th-this…”
Taegun trembled, visibly shaken.
“What the…?”
For the first time since becoming an Esper, Taegun experienced a whole new world.
* * *
