* * *
“You heard, right? Team Leader Inho will take care of the combat unit. Let’s go with the guide team to Sector 10.”
“Got it.”
Siwoo nodded and followed Raon.
Even though this situation came out of nowhere and would normally be overwhelming, both of them moved without hesitation.
As soon as they returned to the training center, Raon gathered the guide team in one place.
“So, we’ll be entering the double gate that’s appeared in Sector 10.”
“Yes, sir!”
After briefly explaining the situation, Raon swept his eyes across the team, their gazes wide and attentive.
“Among you, the only ones with experience in double gates are… Esper Siwoo and Esper Yeojoon?”
“Ah, I’ve actually never been inside a double gate either.”
“I see.”
“Haha…”
Yeojoon scratched his head awkwardly, laughing nervously.
Raon had assumed Yeojoon had been in one before, but apparently not.
That meant Siwoo was the only one on the guide team with double gate experience.
Raon himself had entered one before returning in time—but that was a secret.
So officially, he had no experience either.
Suppressing a sigh, Raon began explaining again.
“Simply put, a double gate is a fusion of two different-colored gates.”
“This one is Blue and Red, right?”
“That’s right. What makes a double gate tricky is that the difficulty doesn’t shift in stages. The gate’s characteristics are all jumbled together.”
“Ah…”
Their expressions grew uneasy.
It sounded difficult, even in theory.
Unlike the violet gate they’d entered without knowing anything, the double gate carried an ominous, creeping sense of dread.
“No need to worry. It’s only tricky in structure. The difficulty level is about the same as standard Blue and Red gates. As long as you follow my lead, there won’t be any major issues.”
“Yes, sir!”
Raon deliberately mixed in a few white lies to reassure them.
Well-trained as they were, the team took his words to heart and responded confidently.
Raon looked at them with pride.
In truth, this double gate—befitting its irregular nature—would be brutally difficult near the end.
Unexpected variables were bound to arise.
But Raon kept that to himself.
If the team got too scared to enter, that would be a bigger problem.
Just as Raon had intended, the team was swept up in the mood and chatted lightly as they headed toward the helicopter.
“Jay, have you ever been to Sector 10?”
“No.”
“That’s the place they used to call Jeju, you know.”
Dasom, who was unfamiliar with Korea, was excitedly telling Jamie about Sector 10.
Since it happened to be the former Jeju Island, it felt almost like a trip.
‘Well, guess there’s no harm in that.’
Despite the sudden appearance of a double gate, the Union had agreed to cooperate, so Jamie and Mikhail would also be joining the mission.
Raon leaned back deeply in his seat, ignoring the warm conversation between Dasom and Jamie.
The helicopter had already flown far out of the mainland, with the deep blue sea now stretching out below.
“Wow…”
Dasom, who had been excitedly explaining things to Jamie beside her, widened her eyes in awe.
Perhaps because she’d spent most of her life confined inside the center and had never even dreamed of seeing the ocean, she seemed truly amazed.
They’d get sick of the ocean soon enough, but… maybe it was best to enjoy it while they could.
Raon smiled faintly as he watched Dasom and Jamie, who were giddy like kids.
Siwoo, on the other hand—perhaps because of his powers that involved water—remained unfazed.
The helicopter soon arrived at the surveillance outpost in Sector 10.
With multiple helicopters arriving in sequence, Espers from the outpost were already waiting to greet them.
“Are you Team Leader Han Raon?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m First Lieutenant Lee Junhui of the Sector 10 Surveillance Team.”
“Likewise.”
Raon gave him a faint smile and shook his hand.
It felt different than when they’d gone to Sector 7.
Junhui’s sparkling eyes were a bit much.
“I saw your performance during the irregular gate in Sector 7! I look forward to your success this time too!”
“I’ll do my best.”
Junhui acted like he was meeting a celebrity.
It wasn’t like he crossed any major lines—he just held the handshake a little too long and spoke in an overly enthusiastic tone—but Raon, who was more sensitive than most, found it overwhelming.
“Commander, we should get inside.”
“Ah, right.”
With other teams still arriving, the dock was quite crowded.
At his subordinate’s prompting, Junhui finally realized he’d left Raon standing out in the middle of the dock.
Wearing an embarrassed expression, he gestured toward the building.
“This way. I’ll explain everything inside.”
“Alright.”
The surveillance post in Zone 10 was smaller than those in other areas.
That was simply due to the region’s limited land space.
Compared to other zones, Zone 10 had a much lower population density, and as a result, gate appearances were rare.
It had always been something of a forgotten corner.
But now, out of nowhere, a double gate had opened in this remote place, and the surveillance post was in complete panic.
“Oh, it’s Team Leader Han Raon!”
“Han Raon!”
“No way…”
Wherever Raon went, people couldn’t help but react.
Even in the midst of a double gate emergency, the surveillance team couldn’t take their eyes off him.
Whispered conversations broke out everywhere as he passed by.
Raon walked awkwardly under the weight of their admiration and curiosity.
Strangely enough, it was the other team members who seemed completely used to this attention.
Some even looked proud.
“Ahem.”
Raon cleared his throat as he entered the meeting room.
Perhaps the guide team had arrived early, because the room was still empty.
He decided to wait for the combat team to arrive.
“Um, Team Leader Raon.”
“Yes?”
Junhui called out hesitantly.
Raon, who had just been about to sit down with his team, turned around curiously.
But Junhui didn’t speak right away.
“Please, feel free to speak.”
Raon sensed that Junhui might be one of his fans, and although slightly embarrassed, he forced himself to speak as kindly as possible.
Encouraged, Junhui finally asked, voice slightly shaking:
“D-Do you think this double gate… is an Irregular?”
Seeing the desperation in his eyes, Raon couldn’t answer right away.
But then, he gave a small nod.
“Yes. I believe it’s an Irregular.”
“I see… Right. That would explain the arrival of a special unit. Haah…”
“Are you worried?”
“Haha… Yes. I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I grew up here.”
Junhui scratched his cheek awkwardly and glanced over at the others in the room.
“Most of us here are locals like me. There used to be more outsiders, but most of them left—worried about their families inland.”
“I understand.”
Raon, who knew Zone 10’s situation well, simply nodded in response.
Junhui gave a bitter smile.
“Thanks to that—if you can call it that—things have been peaceful here compared to the mainland. And now suddenly… an Irregular gate.”
Junhui’s face was clouded with unease.
It was the kind of fear that came after years of quiet living, now shattered by something that shouldn’t have happened.
The infamous Irregular Gates were of unprecedented difficulty, and the weight of it was pressing down hard.
Would calling it “just a double gate” ease their worries?
But the arrival of a special unit had already made it clear—it was serious.
Raon chose to be honest and placed a reassuring hand on Junhui’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry. We’ll suppress it and return safely.”
“Ah…”
Unlike other gates, once an Irregular Gate was dealt with, it vanished completely without a rest phase.
That meant there would be no need to worry once it was done.
Junhui’s eyes widened at Raon’s confident words.
Smiles spread across the faces of the other anxious team members.
“Thank you so much, Team Leader! If there’s anything we can do to help, just say the word. We’ll give it our all!”
“Haha. Thank you.”
‘It’d be great if they stocked us with plenty of supplies,’ Raon thought.
Sure, both the central HQ and the military provided gear, but you could never predict how long a suppression might take.
It was better to be overprepared.
Still, he couldn’t expect too much.
This was a remote post, far from the mainland—and until now, a relatively peaceful one.
It likely wasn’t well-stocked.
Raon continued calming the nervous surveillance team as they waited for the combat team’s arrival.
Soon, the meeting room doors burst open.
“Team Leader Raon!”
“Team Leader Inho.”
Inho strode in, laughing heartily as he clapped a firm hand on Raon’s shoulder.
“Hahaha! Been doing well, have you?”
“Yes, thanks to you…”
“Hahaha! I’ve been doing great too!”
“…Haha…”
Inho had stepped in to replace Dojin as the combat team leader, and he looked absolutely thrilled.
His grin stretched from ear to ear.
Raon gave him a polite, if awkward, smile.
He was glad not to see Dojin either—but probably not this glad.
Inho really might be the true winner here, Raon thought, quietly watching familiar faces file into the room.
* * *
