—Gate Open.
An ominous, dark-purple energy surged in the air.
The Espers of Team 1 and Team 2 stood positioned around the tearing rift, exchanging tense glances.
It was a Level 13 Gate, a rarity even in official records.
No matter how seasoned or high-ranking the Espers were, they couldn’t help but stiffen.
Hajin, however, was stiff for a different reason.
He felt his patience fraying much faster than when Suhyeon was present as he changed his gloves.
He wanted to return to Suhyeon immediately.
His mood had been foul lately to begin with.
—I’m sorry. His whereabouts are still unknown.
—We couldn’t find him.
—We are searching the entire surrounding area, but nothing has appeared on CCTV.
The traces of Shin Seojun, whom he thought he would be able to seize by the throat easily once he entered Korea, were proving difficult to find.
He didn’t know how the man was moving; despite deploying several more people alongside his regular informant, progress wasn’t moving in the direction he desired.
He didn’t know what purpose the man had for entering the country now, but he was a ghost when it came to hiding.
The fact that the man he thought he could execute instantly was slipping through his fingers was far more irritating than expected, leaving Hajin’s nerves honed to a razor’s edge.
He felt somewhat stabilized when near Suhyeon, but right now, Suhyeon wasn’t by his side.
“Hey, Shin Hajin.”
Hajin, who had been staring toward where his lover would be, slowly turned his head at a voice he didn’t particularly want to hear.
Asher Delveron was standing there with his arms crossed, his face twisted in clear annoyance.
“I won’t get on your nerves today, so let’s just finish this quickly and go back.”
Hajin raised an eyebrow.
‘Let’s go back quickly.’
That was what Hajin wanted too, but the speaker was Asher Delveron.
To Hajin, that translated to Asher wanting to get close to Suhyeon as soon as possible.
Whoosh.
“Whoa, whoa! Hey!!”
A fireball flew toward Asher instantly.
Asher jumped to avoid it, his body trembling.
“Hey, crazy guy! Why are you so violent today? I’m not saying let’s finish up so I can mess with Suhyeon—I just want to get out of here. Not later, but right now.”
Hajin was about to wave his hand again, assuming it was more nonsense, when he paused.
“Ugh, I just hate that Oliver Rodilac is with Suhyeon!”
Asher grumbled with genuine petulance, even as he unleashed a massive bolt of electricity at a monster threatening the Espers below.
With the smell of burning flesh, the giant monster turned to ash.
However, another monster immediately emerged to fill the void, letting out a roar.
A Level 13 Gate was dangerous enough that the Association had to deploy both Team 1 and Team 2, the strongest units.
Despite their bickering, both Asher and Hajin were keeping their senses sharp on the battlefield.
“Tch, that guy was seriously weird.”
Hajin didn’t care what Asher Delveron was muttering about.
“And a friend of mine says the guys who came from Canada to support Korea are all strange. Apparently, they worship someone? Like a cult or something…….”
Canada.
The country Shin Seojun had departed from.
Asher babbled on carelessly, but for Hajin, the mere mention of that country was enough to scrape his raw nerves.
Hajin frowned and waved him off.
Sensing the unusually savage atmosphere around Hajin today, Asher finally stopped his smirking.
Instead, noticing that Hajin’s gaze had returned to the monsters, Asher nodded in satisfaction, realizing his goal of getting Hajin to focus had been achieved.
“I heard the atmosphere in Canada is very different from Korea. What’s it like there?”
“Canada is full of ‘kkondae’ (old-fashioned/preachy people)-yong.”
“Haha, your Korean is really good. It’s a bit reclusive over there, isn’t it? I was really surprised to hear support was coming from Canada.”
“Mmm, me too, me too.”
Oliver Rodilac, the Canadian Guide, was extremely cheerful.
Having blended in with the Guides of Team 1 and Team 2 in an instant, he chatted incessantly.
Thanks to him, the underlying tension among the Guides began to thaw slightly.
Today’s Gate was Level 13—only two levels away from a Level 15 Gate, which was recorded as the ultimate catastrophe.
It was a Gate so powerful that Team 1 and Team 2 had to cooperate, and a medical support team was attached just in case.
The Guides had been stiff with worry, but Oliver Rodilac loosened them up with his unique way of speaking.
“That’s right. Soohyun is that S-rank Guide, right-yong?”
Suhyeon, who had been quiet on the periphery of the boisterous conversation, looked up at the sudden mention of his name.
Oliver Rodilac was staring at him while chatting with the others.
The gazes of the other Guides followed suit.
“Ah, yes. He’s our reliable ‘chick’ Guide.”
“He might be the strongest among us.”
As if Oliver Rodilac’s eyes flashed for a second, he suddenly poked his head toward Suhyeon.
When Suhyeon reflexively stepped back, Oliver grinned and moved forward as much as Suhyeon had retreated.
“How good is your guiding-yong? I’ve never seen an S-rank-yong.”
The gaze and the distance were burdensome.
It felt as if their hands almost brushed.
It was the first time another Guide, not an Esper, had approached him so oppressively.
—Gate Clear.
Just as Suhyeon and the other Guides were blinking in confusion, a voice crackled through the pager at the perfect time.
“Um, Mr. Rodilac. It might be better if you don’t get that close to Suhyeon.”
“Hmm?”
Since it still felt like a joke, Guide Ryu Jihun spoke as he stood up with a stretch.
Suhyeon, who understood the meaning instantly, averted his gaze, and the Guides burst into laughter.
Only the confused Oliver Rodilac tilted his head.
—Casualties confirmed. Medical team, please stand by.
Immediately following that, the stiff voice of an Esper flowed through the earpieces once more.
The harmonious atmosphere shattered instantly.
The faces of everyone on standby hardened. Suhyeon was no different.
Soon after, Lee Jeonghyeon of Team 1 and a movement Esper from Team 2 appeared, drenched in monster blood.
They were each carrying an Esper.
The Espers, laid out on the makeshift mats provided by the medical team, weren’t bleeding heavily, but their arms and legs were twisted at grotesque angles.
“A monster clipped them.”
“Looks like fractures for now. Good work.”
The Espers and the medical team responded calmly.
Lee Jeonghyeon and the Team 2 Espers made several more trips, bringing in a total of six casualties.
Fortunately, no one was severely injured enough to be in critical condition, but the air turned somber in an instant.
Team 1 and Team 2 consisted of the best assets in the Korean Association.
It was extremely rare for them to sustain injuries.
Suhyeon felt a crackling tension crawl up inside him.
He was at least relieved that Hajin wasn’t among the wounded.
While the injured were being treated, the Guides scattered to provide guiding.
Just as Suhyeon was about to move toward them to help, the sound of several footsteps caught his ear.
Espers, having pulled back the tent entrance, walked inside.
Their complexions were far more exhausted than usual.
“Rowoon, where is Rowoon?”
One limp Esper clung to a Guide, almost falling into them.
As soon as the Guide caught him, Suhyeon saw the Esper press his lips against the Guide’s, sliding his tongue between them.
Usually, intense guiding wasn’t performed in public, but no one seemed to have the luxury of caring about that now.
Obscene sounds weren’t just coming from that pair.
Other Espers, one by one, were receiving guiding that went beyond simple contact.
It was a scene that would make an outsider blush, but among them, only tension circulated.
The return of the Espers meant Hajin was back as well.
When Suhyeon turned his head to find him, a solid arm wrapped around his waist much more firmly than usual.
“Suhyeon…”
Hajin rubbed his face against Suhyeon’s shoulder a few times before tapping Suhyeon’s lips with his own, as if asking for permission.
Hajin’s face didn’t look as grave as the other Espers, but fatigue was etched into his features.
Suhyeon immediately released his guiding energy and pressed his lips against Hajin’s.
As if he had been waiting, Hajin’s tongue pried open the gap and began to search Suhyeon’s mouth.
“Hn, mph.”
“Nnh…”
For a while, not a single voice was heard inside the tent.
Only the occasional wet sound and various guiding wavelengths swept through the space.
Time passed in a tangle of heavy breathing and tension.
Only after the Espers’ guiding levels returned to normal one by one could the Guides breathe a sigh of relief.
The Espers’ complexions improved, but their exhaustion had transferred to the Guides.
This time, it was the Guides who let out weary sighs.
“Nnh. Haah…”
Suhyeon also leaned into Hajin’s chest, panting after their long kiss.
Hajin had absorbed the guiding energy much more violently than usual.
A faint sense of lethargy washed over Suhyeon’s body.
