* * *
“Team Leader Inho, why are you so happy when we’re about to enter a gate?”
Yoonchae grumbled as she walked into the meeting room.
She hated Dojin almost as much as Inho did, but the double gate seemed to be giving her a serious headache.
“Ahem. Well. It’s just a double gate—we’ll suppress it quickly. It’s not even an Irregular.”
“Still, it opened in the middle of the ocean. Something about this feels off.”
Yoonchae crossed her arms, murmuring with a sharp intuition.
By now, the entire combat team and supply squad had gathered, and the once-spacious meeting room felt crowded.
“I agree with Team Leader Yoonchae,” someone said.
“Come to think of it, wasn’t it Team Leader Raon who insisted the special unit be dispatched to this gate?”
“Yes.”
Both team leaders turned their eyes to Raon.
Since the senior staff needed to have a separate meeting, Raon joined them in a smaller conference room.
“HQ’s worried that while we’re dealing with this gate, a real Irregular might show up somewhere else.”
Inho said gravely.
Seokhyun had voiced similar concerns.
The military seemed to share those fears as well.
Still, in the end, Seokhyun had trusted Raon’s track record.
And Inho, without any complaints, had brought the combat team.
That alone told Raon that Inho would follow his lead—unlike someone else.
“It’s unlikely, but we have some off-duty personnel at the Center right now. That should buy us enough time.”
Raon thought of Hyunseung, who had been sparring with Mikhail.
Inho, who had been worrying, gave a small nod.
“Then this time, too, we’ll have to strike fast and clean.”
“Seems that way.”
“The gate opened in the middle of the ocean…”
Inho trailed off, his eyes uneasy. He hesitated.
“The guide team… They’ve done descent training, right?”
“Of course they have.”
“Whew…”
Inho exhaled in relief at Raon’s confident answer.
After all, to reach the gate in the sea, they had to fly out in a helicopter—then descend on a thin rope.
Understandably, he was worried about the fragile guides.
But with Hamin and Dasom’s reawakening, there were now only three pure guides left, including Raon himself.
If needed, espers could carry the guides in. It wouldn’t be a big issue.
“You’ll be keeping Esper Mikhail with the combat team, right?”
“Uh, yeah. He actually asked for that himself.”
At Raon’s question, Inho glanced around nervously.
Jamie, another esper from the same alliance, was assigned to the guide team.
He seemed worried Raon might complain about Mikhail being placed differently.
But Raon had no such intention.
“As long as communication works inside the gate, it’s fine. But in case the radios go out, I’ll relay instructions through Esper Minjae. Please talk to Esper Taegeon and make sure he’s on board.”
“Got it. Will do.”
Inho readily accepted, and after discussing the details with Yoonchae, the three of them parted ways.
Maybe it was because their thoughts aligned, but the meeting flowed smoothly without a hitch.
Raon left the conference room with a satisfied smile.
“Ah.”
“……”
That’s when he ran into Taegeon, who had been lingering near the door.
Raon looked up at him curiously, puzzled by how restless he seemed.
What happened between them before coming to Zone 10 suddenly came to mind.
When Mikhail had been rude to him, Taegeon had gotten upset on his behalf—only for Raon to bite back, saying aren’t you the same?
He hadn’t meant it as a harsh criticism, but Taegeon had clearly taken it to heart and had been acting flustered ever since—completely out of character.
Back then, Raon had blurted it out in a moment of frustration, but truthfully, he didn’t really hold it against Taegeon.
After all, the one who had said cruel things to him while he was dying in his past life wasn’t this Taegeon, and besides, Taegeon’s prickly attitude had partly been his fault.
Even if it had been because of the system, he had been the one to lash out first and stubbornly refuse the guiding.
To keep nitpicking Taegeon now would be ridiculous.
No one else even knew about the system, anyway.
“Hey.”
“H-Huh?”
“Don’t blow me off like last time. If Minjae the Esper sends a message, make sure you pass it on properly, got it?”
Raon, no longer intending to blame Taegeon, spoke in a gentler tone.
At that, Taegeon’s eyes widened in surprise.
“O-Oh. Yeah, okay.”
“Hmph.”
Raon was surprised to see Taegeon looking so dumbfounded.
He looked completely spaced out, nodding like a broken doll.
Was he really that shocked to hear that Raon had compared him to Mikhail, whom he thought had worse character than himself?
Seeing Taegeon acting as calm and well-behaved as when they first met stirred some complicated feelings.
“Well, see you later.”
But that was all.
Right now, subduing the gate was far more important, and Raon had no desire to dig into whatever emotions Taegeon was struggling with.
If anything, it was more comfortable now that he wasn’t being snappy like usual.
Raon decided to just leave it at that.
“W-Wait.”
“……?”
Taegeon suddenly blocked his path.
Raon looked at him again, confused.
If he was stopping someone from leaving, he must’ve had something to say—but Taegeon’s lips opened and closed several times without a word.
What is he doing?
Raon furrowed his brow, starting to lose patience.
Finally, Taegeon managed to squeeze something out.
“I, um… that is…”
But even then, he couldn’t finish.
His eyes darted around, unable to settle.
Raon had a hunch about why he was hesitating.
Maybe he wanted to apologize… or say something along those lines.
But after being at odds like enemies for so long, wasn’t it a little too late for those kinds of awkward words?
As Raon debated how to end this vague standoff—
“Hyung.”
Siwoo, who had been waiting for him, strode over. He cast a wary glance at Taegeon.
“Did the meeting wrap up?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s go. The team’s waiting.”
“Ah… right.”
Siwoo naturally placed his arm around Raon’s shoulder.
Startled, Raon let himself be led forward.
He glanced back at Taegeon, but unlike before, he didn’t try to stop him again.
He simply stepped back quietly.
Once again, Taegeon watched from behind as the two of them walked side by side.
Siwoo’s strong back, shielding Raon, felt like a clear message—’You never had a chance.’
A strange anxiety rose within Taegeon.
He bit his lip hard.
The helicopter carrying the guiding team soared back into the sky.
This time, their destination was a gate that had opened in the waters off Zone 10.
The weather was clear, and the flight smooth—until a sudden gust of wind jolted the aircraft.
Soon, they could see the massive gate, swaying violently in the rough sea.
“We’ll have to jump straight in! Stay close and follow!”
“Yes!”
Raon’s voice was drowned out by the roar of the helicopter and the sharp wind, but the team quickly nodded, understanding his intent.
Entering a sea gate was always a challenge.
Fortunately, thanks to their rigorous training—often done under various pretexts—his team was now accustomed to even jumping from helicopters.
“Hah, this is nothing now.”
Yeojoon, who had barely overcome his fear of heights, boasted.
Behind him, Taehyuk let out a quiet sigh.
Splash!
After confirming that all the team members had safely dived into the gate zone, Raon was the last to jump.
The icy water immediately swallowed him whole.
‘Tch!’
Even though he’d done this before, he still wasn’t used to the frigid seawater.
Raon didn’t dislike swimming, but underwater movement was sluggish and restrictive—it bothered him.
Still, the pull of the gate dragged his body downward.
The violent current shook him from all sides.
“Haa…!”
Finally, at a certain depth, he was able to breathe.
Raon inhaled deeply, feeling warmth envelop his body.
“Hyung.”
“Siwoo…”
“Can you hear me?”
“Yeah.”
Raon was cradled in Siwoo’s arms.
When he opened his eyes, they were still underwater.
It was pitch black, with not even a sliver of light, and everything felt surreal.
Raon glanced around, then focused on the transparent barrier around his head.
“I wasn’t sure until I tested it, but it seems to work.”
“Yeah, it does.”
This time, the gate’s entry point was deep underwater—a nightmarishly difficult starting point where even breathing was a struggle.
Before his regression, they’d barely managed a quick reconnaissance before having to evacuate.
Only after preparing for underwater combat could they return to clear it.
But now, that wasn’t necessary.
“Breathing underwater—this is wild.”
“Siwoo and Hamin are amazing!”
This was thanks to the combined efforts of Siwoo and Hamin.
Siwoo had formed water-repelling barriers around everyone’s heads, and Hamin had filled those with breathable air.
Though they had to refresh the air regularly, it was still a huge improvement.
Both were S-class, and their low contamination levels made this possible.
Raon smiled with satisfaction.
* * *
