* * *
“Hamin, why are you with that guy?”
The sharp-voiced man glared at Raon and stepped in front of Hamin, like a mother bird protecting her chick.
Raon recognized the man right away.
It was Hyun Juwon, A-rank guide and the assigned guide of Alpha Team 2.
He was a man with a strong sense of responsibility—one who especially hated Han Raon.
On the flip side, he had a soft spot for Hamin, who, while lacking in skill, was polite and hardworking.
Though he was only a supporting character and didn’t play a huge role in the novel, he had created several satisfying scenes by clashing with Han Raon.
He was the one who would bluntly call out Raon on Hamin’s behalf.
Still, they were guides from the same unit.
Calling him “that guy” was a bit much, wasn’t it?
Raon hadn’t even done anything yet.
But he only thought of it as if it were someone else’s problem.
“Juwon, it’s not like that…”
“Did Guide Han Raon say something to you again? Are you okay?”
“N-No, it’s nothing like that.”
Hamin frantically waved his hands, but Juwon didn’t believe him.
He kept glaring at Raon with narrowed eyes.
“That guy will do anything to pull you away from Captain Dojin. I told you not to let your guard down around him.”
“….”
To say that kind of thing right in front of someone…
Still, he wasn’t wrong.
If Raon were still acting as Han Raon, he’d have already done something nasty to Hamin by now.
Unconsciously, he nodded.
“Juwon, why are you saying that? Raon was just trying to help me train.”
“Han Raon was?”
Juwon looked like he couldn’t believe it.
Raon let out a sigh.
Now that Juwon had shown up, he wouldn’t be able to stick with Hamin any longer.
Without hesitation, he turned to leave.
“You’ve got a great mentor now. I’ll just train alone.”
“R-Raon!”
As Raon walked off, Hamin followed behind in a panic.
“I’m sorry. Because of me, you got talked about like that…”
“It’s fine. I’ve done things in the past too.”
“But that was because you were worried about me, right?”
“…What?”
Raon stopped in his tracks.
He turned and looked at Hamin’s bright, innocent face.
“I know I’m not really suited to be a guide for Special Unit 1. I’m just a B-rank. Compared to an S-rank like you, I’m nowhere close.”
“…”
Hamin mumbled gloomily.
He looked so dejected, it was honestly confusing.
Raon hadn’t even done anything this time, but from an outsider’s perspective, it would look like he’d bullied Hamin again.
And judging by the death glares coming from behind, Juwon certainly thought so too.
“Guide Lee Hamin, I…”
“So you were being hard on me on purpose to push me, right? It really helped me get my act together. I’ve been wanting to say thank you.”
“…?”
‘He really interpreted it like that?’
How good does someone have to be to take cold, cutting words meant to hurt and twist them into something positive?
Even the real Han Raon would’ve been speechless hearing that.
If Hamin had ever said this stuff aloud, Raon might’ve finally shut up for once.
Honestly, it was a blessing he never did.
With a short sigh, Raon nodded.
“…Think whatever you want.”
“Hehe, okay.”
Hamin beamed as he added,
“Then… you’ll train with me, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Raon reluctantly agreed—and Juwon stepped forward with a thunderous look.
“I’ll join you too.”
“Be my guest.”
He really didn’t care what happened anymore.
Raon spoke indifferently.
[Multiple monsters detected ahead!]
[Use cover to protect yourself!]
The virtual training ground was uncannily similar to the inside of an actual Gate.
The only difference was the guiding voice directing the Guides during training.
It also displayed tasks to complete, like a video game.
Raon, hidden behind a rock, observed the virtual Espers fighting the monsters.
[Esper’s stats are dropping rapidly ahead!]
[Use Radiant Guiding to stabilize your assigned Esper’s condition.]
Raon raised his hand from behind the rock and began Radiant Guiding.
The energy flowed into the virtual Esper.
This space could even analyze the precision of the guiding energy to evaluate how well a Guide performed.
Raon’s Radiant Guiding was near perfect.
The Esper’s rapidly falling stats began to rise sharply.
[Beep! Warning!]
Suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded right beside him.
Raon turned his head toward it.
[Assigned Esper’s stats are plummeting!]
[Assigned Esper is at risk of going berserk!]
[Warning! Warning!]
“Damn.”
Hamin was sweating bullets as he tried to perform Radiant Guiding, but it wasn’t enough.
Raon clicked his tongue at the sight.
The simulation had been calibrated for Raon’s S-rank, so it was only natural.
Hamin had only been assigned to Alpha Team 1 because of his high matching rate with Dojin.
Raon sighed and walked toward him.
“Guide Hamin! Don’t panic.”
“R-Raon…”
Seeing Raon, Hamin turned to him, almost in tears.
The alerts kept blaring instructions, but he was clearly too overwhelmed to follow them.
“Stay calm. We can’t approach until the Espers defeat the monsters. So you have to raise the Esper’s stats as much as possible using Radiant Guiding.”
Raon placed a reassuring hand on Hamin’s shoulder.
He could take over and guide the virtual Esper himself, but that would render Hamin’s training meaningless.
Since it was a simulation anyway, it was best to let him push through on his own.
“This isn’t real. So don’t get anxious. Do your best. Even if you fail, no one’s going to die.”
“Ah… Y-Yes…”
Only then did Hamin seem to calm down.
He bit his lip and gave a small nod, then began to emit Radiant Guiding again.
The energy was weak, but little by little, the virtual Esper’s stats began to crawl back up.
“I-I did it! I really did it!”
Hamin cried out with childlike joy.
Raon looked at him with a pleased expression.
“Thank you, Raon.”
“No need.”
After the training ended, Hamin smiled brightly, his face flushed with excitement.
Raon seemed quietly satisfied by his joy.
“…”
From behind them, Juwon watched with suspicion.
Especially at how different Raon seemed now.
What the hell is he thinking?
After acting like he wanted to devour Hamin whole, now he was not only training with him but even helping him?
And without any apparent ulterior motive?
Juwon kept a close eye on the two.
If Raon made one wrong move, he was ready to step in to protect Hamin.
But in the end, there was nothing to intervene in.
Something was off.
It had already been unbelievable when Han Raon got paired with Yoon Siwoo of Alpha Team 1.
Now, seeing him getting along with Hamin only added to the confusion.
As Juwon stood there, puzzled, someone entered the training room.
“Hyung, you were here?”
“Yeah.”
It was Jung Hyunseung, an S-rank Esper from Alpha Team 2, looking for his assigned Guide, Juwon.
He walked over, looking exhausted.
“I’m totally wiped. Do some Guiding for me.”
“Alright.”
Apparently, Teams 1 and 2 had a joint Gate suppression mission today.
Hyunseung looked completely spent.
Nodding, Juwon began walking with him out of the training room toward the Guiding Room.
“…?”
But Hyunseung hadn’t come alone.
Juwon glanced toward the tall Esper standing nearby.
Well, with both Guides from Team 1 here, it was probably Dojin or Siwoo.
Taegeon rarely accepted Guiding, so it was likely Dojin, who stuck close to Hamin…
“Huh?”
But contrary to his expectations, it wasn’t Dojin who had shown up—it was Siwoo.
Come to think of it, Dojin was likely reporting to a superior as the Captain.
Still, Yoon Siwoo?
Juwon, who knew more than anyone about the relationship between Siwoo and Raon, found it unexpected.
Siwoo gave him a brief nod and walked forward indifferently.
“Oh? Siwoo!”
“….”
Hamin, spotting him first, waved brightly.
Siwoo gave him a half-hearted nod before turning his gaze.
“You’re here?”
“….”
For some reason, Siwoo couldn’t look Raon in the eye.
Running over like some trained dog the moment the mission ended—it was a scene unimaginable just days ago.
Raon stepped toward Siwoo, who had stopped midway.
Only then did Siwoo reluctantly look up at him.
“…!”
And his eyes widened.
Raon tilted his head, puzzled by Siwoo’s startled expression.
“What’s…?”
“Who the hell did this to you?”
* * *
