* * *
Perhaps because it was an emergency, the team of Guides entering the Irregular Gate was assembled faster than expected.
Unlike the previous timeline, this time the team consisted of five members.
Originally, Director Seokhyeon led a team of A-Rank Guides.
But this time was different.
S-Rank Guide Raon led the team, joined by Hyun Juwon from Alpha Team 2, Kim Taehyuk from Team 3, Jang Haedam—who was no longer active but was Seokhyeon’s younger brother and secretary—and finally, Hamin.
In the past, the team had been all A-Rank: Seokhyeon, Juwon, Taehyuk, and Haedam.
But this time, Seokhyeon was out, and Raon and Hamin were in.
In truth, it had been reckless for Seokhyeon to enter the Irregular Gate as the director.
But Raon had refused to go back then, and with the government pushing for capable Guides, he’d had no choice.
“Is everyone ready?”
“……”
Raon asked calmly as he turned to face them.
Standing before the unstable, flickering gate, he alone remained composed.
“Yes!”
The only one to respond energetically was Hamin, though the tension was obvious in his voice.
The others looked at Raon with barely concealed displeasure.
Though he was an S-Rank Guide, Raon had ignored missions and raised hell for years.
That such a person would suddenly lead a Guide team for the first time in ten years?
Of course they had doubts. Even Raon wouldn’t trust himself.
‘Still, I can’t let the director die just yet.’
Many would die and be injured because of the Irregular Gate.
Thanks to the first Guide team Seokhyeon led, the Esper units avoided complete annihilation—but it still wasn’t enough to close the gate.
Later, Hamin insisted on joining the second team, allowing Dojin to recover and finally clear the gate.
Afterward, Dojin and Hamin formed a pair, and a team was officially built around them.
Raon, who once ruled the Center like a tyrant, found himself entirely excluded.
“There’s… a problem, Guide Han Raon.”
“What is it?”
“We’ve lost contact with Alpha Team 1.”
“……”
The Espers assigned to escort the Guide team had been hastily selected by the Center.
They were likely the highest-ranking available personnel, but that meant Raon was seeing many for the first time—or at least for the first time in a long while.
So many had died after the Irregular Gate event that unless you were a main character in the novel, it was nearly impossible to survive until the end.
Raon looked at the reporting Esper with a troubled expression, then turned his head away.
“It seems we’re in a location where signal transmission is impossible. Is there anyone who can communicate with Esper Nam Taegeon?”
“No, all the psychic-type Espers are back at the center…”
“Then let’s enter the gate and try to follow Team 1’s traces.”
“Understood.”
The Esper blankly stared at Raon, who issued commands like it was second nature.
It seemed even he had heard the rumors about Raon and found this odd.
‘Before regression, I did go into gates a fair number of times.’
In the original novel, Han Raon never entered Irregular Gates.
But after the emergence of the Black Gate, the difficulty of other gates skyrocketed, making refusal impossible.
Under pressure from both the government and the Center, Raon had no choice but to enter the gate with Team 1.
Of course, his role was purely as a burden, never anything good. He was merely there as a plot device to make Hamin shine.
‘Still, I’ve seen and heard enough during that time.’
Even while pretending to be the foolish Han Raon, he constantly observed his surroundings.
Forced by the system into making idiotic moves, he nevertheless kept imagining how he could improve the situation.
On top of that, he had read the original novel.
Whether it was a possession buff or thanks to the system, the story remained vividly clear in his mind, even over time.
Before regression, he’d wondered if the system was mocking him by giving him such vivid memories of a story that didn’t concern him personally.
“We’re going in. Maintain formation.”
“Yes, sir.”
Raon briefly reported the date and time into his radio, then stepped into the gate.
The ominous gray light swallowed him and the others whole.
“All clear ahead.”
Unlike the novice guides, the seasoned Espers remained composed.
With the guides in the center, the Espers formed a protective circle around them as they advanced.
The inside of the gate was unexpectedly quiet.
Traces of battle between Team 1 and the monsters were scattered throughout.
“Ugh…”
Unlike the calm Espers, the guides had a hard time just looking at the monsters’ corpses.
Simulations were one thing, but seeing it in reality was an entirely different experience.
“No time to throw up—hold it in.”
Raon, deliberately speaking coldly, scanned the area.
Despite the distance they’d covered, everything was still and uneventful.
“Strange. Team 1 was only sent for reconnaissance; they shouldn’t have gone farther than this…”
“This is an Irregular Gate. Nothing that happens here is normal.”
Raon answered the Esper who found it odd, though Raon himself already knew what had happened—thanks to the novel.
The trail of battle ended abruptly.
This spot must be the transition point to the next stage.
The problem was, even Raon hadn’t experienced what came next.
He called out to Hamin, who was standing further back.
“Guide Lee Hamin.”
“Y-Yes, Raon—uh, I mean, Captain.”
Startled as he looked around, Hamin focused on Raon.
Raon gestured for him to come closer.
“Does the device you received from Captain Seo Dojin work?”
“Oh… no, that’s not working either.”
“I see.”
Though Dojin and Hamin hadn’t officially paired yet, Dojin had taken special interest in him due to his high compatibility score.
He had even given him a personal communicator.
Raon knew it wouldn’t work either, but asked anyway.
It was simply an excuse not to separate from Hamin—the key figure in clearing this gate.
They’d soon be scattered.
“Ah, there are footprints here…”
“…!”
An Esper who had discovered Team 1’s tracks moved toward them.
Raon tensed, watching the Esper move carelessly.
“Wait—!”
He had intended to keep as many people together as possible, including Hamin.
Moving prematurely like this could ruin everything.
He tried to stop them, but the Espers were faster.
Just as they reached the footprints—
Flash!
“Urgh…!”
A blinding light burst outward. Raon instinctively shut his eyes.
‘Damn it.’
Though he knew this would happen from the novel, he hadn’t known the exact trigger point.
That’s how this mess occurred.
As the light faded, Raon reopened his eyes.
At least Hamin was still with him.
“Wh-What is this…?”
Hamin stood dazed, eyes wide as he looked around at the entirely different surroundings.
‘Not a single Esper made it?’
Regaining his composure, Raon gritted his teeth and drew his weapon.
Since all the Espers had followed the tracks, only he and Hamin were transported elsewhere.
He thought it’d be safe to stay near the protagonist, but hadn’t expected they’d be left without a single Esper.
If monsters appeared, they’d be in serious danger.
He could take out a few with guide-grade weapons, but beyond that…
Raon spoke in a firm voice to Hamin.
“Guide Lee Hamin, stay by my side at all times.”
“Y-Yes.”
Hamin nodded and drew his weapon as well, sticking close to Raon.
His hands were trembling.
“Don’t worry. We’ll regroup with the others soon enough.”
“O-Okay.”
Even Alpha Team 1, composed of top-grade S-Rank Espers, struggled with Irregular Gates for this reason:
The interior was filled with spatial displacement traps.
Team members were forcibly scattered to different zones, and those who were separated from the main force often fell prey to monsters in the confusion.
The novel didn’t detail Seokhyeon’s deployment much, but when Hamin entered, he soon ran into another Esper.
Raon figured things would play out the same way now.
Rustle.
“…!”
A sound of movement came from nearby.
Raon whipped his head around.
If it wasn’t an Esper, they’d have to fight.
He raised his weapon in that direction.
“You’re…”
But upon seeing a familiar face, Raon slowly lowered his weapon.
* * *
