* * *
Anyway, he’s just too cute.
Siwoo’s jealousy-tinged behavior was nothing but adorable in Raon’s eyes.
Raon smiled slightly through his nose as he looked for Taegeon.
“Have you decided on a route?”
“Not yet… I’m still not sure.”
“Yeah?”
Taegeon wore a troubled expression.
Given how confident he usually was, he probably wasn’t lying.
That meant they’d have to go deeper into areas where the core might be.
But since the tower had collapsed, it was difficult to get their bearings—it was a real problem.
Any more wasted time, and the team’s morale would hit rock bottom.
“Hm, well, my readings haven’t been great lately, so… it’s hard to be certain.”
“What?”
Lost in thought, Raon only half-listened to Taegeon.
Taegeon frowned at the lukewarm reaction.
“Forget it.”
“You said your readings are off? Want a guiding?”
“No…”
When Raon asked, Taegeon’s face flushed red.
Raon held out his hand in front of him and motioned with his fingers.
“If you want a guiding, just say so.”
“F*ck off.”
“Can you not curse so much?”
“…Tch.”
Taegeon’s face twisted in frustration.
He clearly wanted a guiding but was too prideful to ask for it outright—it must’ve been killing him inside.
“This is for the sake of clearing the gate, got it?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Even as he barked back until the end, Raon just gave a casual nod and took Taegeon’s hand without much fuss.
“Ugh.”
Not used to being guided, Taegeon let out a muffled groan through clenched teeth, unable to fully suppress the sound.
Raon simply hoped that the guided Taegeon would now be able to locate the core more accurately.
After all, during the irregular gate incident last time, Taegeon’s abilities had noticeably improved after being guided.
This time would probably be no different.
“How is it?”
“Mmm.”
Once the energy had replenished to a certain level, Raon let go and asked.
Taegeon, who had spaced out for a moment, snapped back to focus.
“I think I’ve found it.”
“Good.”
With the core located, the exploration resumed at a brisk pace.
Dojin, as always, insisted on having the combat team lead. Raon followed behind, lost in thought.
‘This is bad. The monster guarding the core in this gate isn’t just one.’
Unluckily, the gate this time had two monsters protecting the core.
And worse, they were identical in appearance.
At first, only one would appear, and just like with other gates, the team would begin the battle.
But midway, the second one would burst in, specifically targeting weak spots.
Before Raon’s regression, this had led to serious casualties.
Because they’d managed to escape the tower safely thanks to Taegeon, most espers had let their guard down a bit—and that carelessness had cost them.
‘Even if I said something… they wouldn’t believe me.’
Raon had tried sharing his opinion with Dojin several times, but it was always ignored.
If he said there were two monsters guarding the core, he’d just get grilled on how he knew that.
And Raon wouldn’t have a believable answer.
‘Best to pretend I don’t know.’
It seemed safer to keep quiet and clean up when the second monster appeared.
With that in mind, Raon joined the guide team without further comment.
“Um, excuse me… Team Leader.”
“Hm?”
When he turned his head, Dasom was looking up at him nervously.
Raon finally noticed what was troubling her.
Pretending not to know, he asked,
“What’s the matter?”
“Well… When I was doing the guiding in the tower earlier, something felt… off.”
“Off? In what way?”
“That’s… uh…”
Dasom hesitantly explained the strange sensation she’d experienced.
Raon listened with a serious expression.
‘Of course it felt off. That wasn’t a guiding—it was a heal.’
But he couldn’t just blurt that out, so he kept the solemn face and replied,
“Just in case, once we return, let’s have you examined along with Guide Hamin.”
“An exam?”
“It might not be a completely new ability like Hamin’s, but if your rank has changed and your radiated guiding has become stronger, we should make sure.”
“Oh…”
Fortunately, Hamin had set a precedent, so it was easier to explain things away.
Unlike Hamin’s ability, healing wasn’t something that showed on the surface, so Dasom still didn’t seem to fully realize what she had done.
Since her powers had just awakened, she would need training to stabilize them anyway.
She’d probably used them unconsciously in the tower.
Now they just had to find and destroy the core to finish the gate suppression.
Once they got out, both could be tested and confirmed for reawakening.
‘Everything should go according to plan… right?’
Only Raon knew that two monsters guarded the core.
Keeping that to himself made him feel uneasy.
He was worried that if things didn’t go as planned, they might face the same tragic losses as before his regression.
“Hey, you okay, hyung?”
“It’s nothing.”
Siwoo, walking beside him, looked worried and glanced over at Raon.
Maybe because this gate had more unpredictable elements than usual, Raon couldn’t shake off a sense of foreboding.
“Looks like we’re here.”
“…!”
As they took down stray monsters blocking their path, the combat team up front came to a halt.
Raon narrowed his eyes, peering ahead.
The mist was thick—it was hard to see clearly, even with his vision.
“I think there’s a nest up ahead.”
“Ah.”
Hamin, who had reawakened and had significantly better eyesight, relayed what he saw.
Raon nodded at his words.
A large nest—and inside it, a glowing egg.
That egg was the core sustaining this gate.
Taegeon would’ve immediately recognized it as the core the moment he saw it.
“The combat team’s about to attack. Everyone get ready.”
“Yes!”
Even during combat, guides had to risk their lives to support espers when needed.
Perhaps because it was the final battle, the team’s tension was palpable.
Screeech!
“Urgh…!”
A monster’s screech echoed from a distance.
The combat team had begun their assault.
Flickers of blazing light became faintly visible.
The core’s guardian monster looked like something out of legend—a phoenix, its body wrapped in flames.
That made it especially troublesome to fight.
Its firepower was immense, and when pressured, it could simply fly away.
‘Still, with Seo Dojin’s telekinesis, it won’t escape easily.’
In both the original story and Raon’s previous life, Dojin had slammed the airborne monster into the ground using brute-force telekinesis.
The plan this time probably involved Dojin leading the charge as well.
That meant Raon only had to focus on when the second monster would make its entrance.
Whether the strategy would go smoothly was another question.
Screeeech!
“Guh.”
The monster’s pressure was so immense that even from afar, it could be felt.
Thankfully, because the core was right nearby, the monster was too occupied with the combat team to bother with Raon.
So far, everything was going according to plan.
Flap!
“Hm?”
Just as Raon felt a flicker of relief, the monster, irritated by the espers’ attacks, spread its wings wide.
Then, in one swift motion, it soared straight into the sky.
“Why…?”
Raon looked up, stunned, then glanced down in panic.
Dojin, who should’ve pinned it down with his telekinesis, wasn’t moving.
Something had clearly gone wrong.
“Goddammit!”
Cursing, Raon snapped his head back up.
The monster had spread its wings fully and was inhaling deeply.
“Everyone, get down!!”
“Aaah!”
As soon as Raon shouted, the monster let out the breath it had been holding.
In the next instant, a massive wall of flames swept across the ground.
“Gah!”
Siwoo stepped forward and raised a shield.
Thanks to him, the guide team managed to stay unharmed, but the combat team was left in total disarray.
“What the hell…?”
Raon muttered blankly, unable to believe what he was seeing.
The problem wasn’t just the Gate.
A chill ran down his spine.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t Seo Dojin refuse Hamin’s guiding?’
Dojin had always maintained high stats with Hamin’s guidance.
But now, because he’d stubbornly refused Hamin’s support, his numbers had likely dropped significantly.
And when an esper’s levels fall, they struggle to even use their abilities properly.
That explained why Siwoo, even as an S-rank esper, had been so hesitant in the fight.
Realizing this far too late, Raon bit down on his lip.
“Siwoo, let’s go up front.”
“But…”
The only way to fix this mess was for Siwoo and him to step in with the combat team.
But just as that thought crossed his mind, an ominous screech echoed through the area.
“Screeeech!”
“…!”
From across the battlefield, a piercing scream shook the ground.
The second monster had appeared—sooner than expected.
Raon turned his head, his face quickly filling with despair.
“Hyung!”
“Ah.”
Raon finally snapped out of it at Siwoo’s shout.
Siwoo was staring at him with resolute eyes.
“What should we do? I’ll follow your lead, just say the word.”
He asked naturally, as if it was the most obvious thing.
The trust in his voice left Raon momentarily speechless.
Right.
This wasn’t the time to freeze up.
Raon nodded firmly and replied,
“We’ll take down the monster in the rear.”
“Got it.”
He was still worried about Dojin’s condition, but the original plan was to leave the first monster to the combat team.
If he and Siwoo joined them now, the guide team might be wiped out.
First, they needed to draw the monster’s attention.
Raon turned to Hamin and called out.
“Hamin, Guide!”
“Yes?”
“Fall down—now!”
“…Huh?”
Hamin tilted his head, clearly confused by the strange order.
* * *
