* * *
The person who led the team in place of Seo Dojin was none other than Raon.
However, it was rare for a Guide to take on the role of commander.
If he hadn’t played an active part in the Irregular Gate and hadn’t given that interview that drew people’s attention, the military would not have allowed it.
Compared to him, Seo Dojin had been stable from the start.
After all, he was a person who had walked a path smoother than anyone else.
His prominence in the military wasn’t just due to his title as an S-Class Esper with ability.
The current president leading the country was a bachelor who had not started a family.
While quite unusual, the president, instead, doted terribly on his younger sibling’s son.
That was Seo Dojin.
‘This must be the last chance the Commander-in-Chief is giving Seo Dojin.’
The Commander-in-Chief was personally close friends with the president.
They even called each other brothers in private, apparently.
Therefore, the Commander-in-Chief would naturally care for and cherish Seo Dojin.
But even so, Raon was simply dumbfounded that they continued to entrust the team commander position to Seo Dojin, who had not achieved any merits.
“What has Team Leader Seo Dojin done? He was injured and confined to bed the entire time during the last Gate.”
“I also protested, but the military was very forceful. It seems the influence of the President and the Commander-in-Chief is firmly at play.”
“Haa.”
“You might not like it, but it will be difficult for the Guide team to take the lead in the next Gate, as you have done until now.”
Raon recalled the sight of Dojin, who had ignored his opinion and acted high-handedly.
If Dojin were to lead the combat team again, countless casualties would occur, just like in the original story.
Perhaps not just Espers, but even the Guides who trusted and followed him.
Raon bit his lip and clenched his fists tightly.
“What about Siwoo’s disciplinary action?”
Furthermore, there was still one worst thing left.
It was Siwoo’s disciplinary action.
Although the injured had fully recovered thanks to Dasom’s excellent healing, it didn’t erase the fact that he had harmed the Guides.
Moreover, since Seo Dojin had returned, he would surely not let this matter slide easily.
“His participation in Gates has been suspended for the time being.”
“That’s actually good. He needs to refill the lowered Guiding value anyway.”
“I’ll try to get the disciplinary action lifted as soon as possible, so…”
“Don’t bother. And I won’t enter the Gate either until Siwoo’s disciplinary action is lifted.”
“What?”
“They say a pair is of one mind and body.”
“Team Leader Raon!”
Seokhyeon jumped up from his seat and called out Raon’s name loudly, as if asking what he was saying.
However, Raon merely shrugged his shoulders.
After a little time passed, Raon’s mind settled down. It might actually be a good opportunity.
The next appearance of an Irregular Gate would take some time, given the timing.
‘Though the next Irregular Gate might appear sooner because of me.’
In the original story, it took quite a while for the next Gate to appear.
This was because the next Irregular Gate opened right in front of the Black Gate, which was the maximum difficulty obstacle.
Perhaps because the two Gates opened almost simultaneously, it took a long time for the next one to appear after they barely suppressed the dual Gates.
‘The problem wasn’t just the Irregular Gate.’
Raon recalled a specific group that had caused a commotion in the original story.
It was the terrorist organization called Apophis.
They were composed of ability users who either never registered with the Ability Association in the first place, or left the association to voluntarily join the terrorist group.
Among them were not only Espers but also Guides.
Most of the Guides, however, were forcibly kidnapped by Apophis.
In the original story, they caused quite a large uproar.
As the damage from Irregular Gates grew, and public sentiment became volatile, criminal groups like Apophis also became rampant.
But now, due to the efforts of the Guide team that Raon created, public sentiment had been somewhat stabilized.
Since they suppressed the Gate this time without casualties, the world was peaceful beyond measure.
In such a situation, he had to watch what Apophis would do.
‘While I’m at it, I should focus on Siwoo’s Guiding and investigate various things.’
Apophis was a group shrouded in secrecy.
A collective of ability users who distrusted the Association and declared themselves outsiders.
However, their terrorist acts in the original story were quite meticulous and flawless.
Even Seo Dojin couldn’t track them down to the end, and ultimately, the top brass were never apprehended.
‘This time, I need to meet them.’
Eliminating Apophis wasn’t just about accumulating achievements.
Of course, it would be good to achieve something by eliminating Apophis while Siwoo was being disciplined, but there was a detail regarding them that had bothered him while reading the original novel.
‘Wasn’t there a person among them who called himself a prophet?’
Most of the characters in the story and the majority of readers treated him as a lunatic and laughed at him, but Raon had felt uneasy ever since reading the novel.
The things that the so-called prophet said surprisingly aligned with the direction the novel was heading.
It was difficult to see it as a simple coincidence.
Before regression, he never had the opportunity to even reach the top brass of Apophis, let alone the prophet.
The incompetent villain Raon was practically confined inside the Center unless he was entering a Gate. But this time, he could make a different choice.
“Then, I will take my leave with that understanding. Don’t look for me for the time being.”
“Team Leader Raon, are you serious? Team Leader Raon!”
Raon waved his hand toward Seokhyeon without any lingering attachment.
He felt sorry for Seokhyeon, but since Seokhyeon had been the one to discipline Siwoo first, this was an unavoidable choice for him.
The Irregular Gate would likely appear after he resolved the Apophis situation, so he would have some time.
However, if the timing speeds up again and they overlap, he would have to find a way to enter the Gate somehow.
‘For now, I need to restore Siwoo’s condition first.’
Because of the near-rampage this time, the value he had painstakingly raised instantly became useless.
After all the effort he put into raising that value, he had no choice but to start from zero again, just like months ago.
Raon let out a deep sigh that he had been holding in the moment he stepped outside.
“Whew.”
He slowly moved his steps toward the military base.
He rarely had a reason to go anywhere other than the Guide Center, but for now, he wanted to meet Siwoo quickly.
‘He’s not struggling because I haven’t Guided him in a while, is he?’
Although he had managed to extinguish the fire with emergency insertion Guiding the day before, Siwoo’s condition would still not be good.
If he could have his way, he wanted to roll around in bed for a while.
Since an opportunity for that had conveniently arrived, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to do just that. Raon felt his heart waver.
“What brings you here?”
Access to the special military unit, which was composed entirely of Espers, was especially stringent.
However, one could enter as long as they confirmed their identity and stated the purpose of their visit.
Raon was easily allowed into the base because he was Siwoo’s pair Guide.
This was also the first time Raon had come into the base in a long time.
‘I was just going to find Siwoo and leave right away.’
He had tried contacting him via terminal, but Siwoo hadn’t answered, perhaps still in a meeting with his superior.
After leaving a message saying he had arrived at the base, Raon headed for the lobby of the building right in front of him to easily meet Siwoo.
“Oh? It’s Team Leader Raon.”
“Team Leader Raon…”
“What is he doing in the military base?”
Espers who recognized Raon whispered among themselves.
Enduring their sharp gazes, Raon stoically waited for Siwoo.
“Han Raon.”
“…!”
But the person Raon met first wasn’t Siwoo.
Raon flinched momentarily at the low voice calling him.
Slowly turning his head, Raon looked up at the man who was taller than him.
And his eyes widened.
“…It’s been a while, Team Leader Seo Dojin.”
It was Dojin.
He had heard Dojin was back, but to run into him so immediately.
Coming to the military base because he wanted to see Siwoo quickly seemed like the wrong choice.
Moreover, Dojin looked a little different from before.
A ghastly scar remained on one side of his cheek.
The bluish scar, which looked like a bruise, didn’t seem like a simple wound.
‘They said he was poisoned. Did his skin get damaged during the detoxification process?’
He had heard that sometimes a poison that even an S-Class Esper’s healing ability couldn’t fully cure would leave a scar on the body like that.
It wasn’t life-threatening, but he heard that the scarred area sometimes caused searing pain.
He vaguely recalled a description in the original story where the Esper affected by that poison suffered constantly.
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
Dojin opened his mouth and answered slowly.
His cold face and voice naturally made Raon tense.
“I heard you’ve been very active since I last saw you. You even led the entire Special Team last time.”
“Yes, that’s what happened.”
Although it was something he did purely to get recognition for his achievements, for some reason, hearing it from Dojin’s mouth felt awkward.
Knowing Dojin’s personality, he wouldn’t have brought it up just to praise him.
As Raon grew tense again and stared at Dojin, Dojin opened his mouth with a sneer.
“On the other hand, Esper Yoon Siwoo seems to have become quite a troublemaker this time.”
Dojin, who had been hospitalized all this time, knew the situation of the Special Team in quite detail.
Since he had just returned, he wouldn’t have found out in such a short time; someone must have been reporting the Special Team’s every move to him all along.
It wasn’t a surprising revelation.
No matter how active the Guide team was, those who aligned with Seo Dojin wouldn’t easily change their minds.
Raon’s expression hardened, and he furrowed his brow.
“How about it? This time, abandon a brat like that and form a pair with me.”
“Ha.”
Raon ultimately let out a hollow laugh, as if utterly dumbfounded.
* * *
