* * *
Just like in a real gate, the weapons were set up near the entrance and distributed among the group.
“Phew… We’re about to go in. Everyone, stay sharp. Got it?”
The new guides clenched their fists and nodded.
Haebom, having led a few gate trainings before, was relatively composed.
The other guides — including Choi Yoonseo and Lee Yeojoon — were visibly tense, sticking close behind Wonho, who led the way, with Haebom and Taeyoung following right after as they stepped into the gate.
“Whoa…”
Gasps broke out all around.
Haebom opened his eyes slowly — only to see Wonho’s face, not the gate interior.
He frowned slightly, and Wonho responded with a quiet chuckle.
They were supposed to be in training — what was he even doing?
With a sigh, Haebom shook his head and looked around.
Just like the exterior, the interior couldn’t be manually designated either.
Sure, they could customize everything, but the randomized settings were apparently more exciting — or so the designers said.
Haebom, as a normal person, couldn’t begin to understand the eccentric minds of psychic-type espers.
“Ugh, it’s hard to breathe… This really feels like a desert…”
He’d thought it was hot, but this was a desert where the heat could actually be felt.
It was a desert-type gate, one that had never come up during any gate training before, and yet there was something strangely familiar about it.
Feeling off, Haebom glanced at Wonho, who was frowning.
It wasn’t just Haebom—Wonho seemed to feel it too.
“Don’t get separated. Stay close to the person next to you. This is just a simulation device, so even if you get lost, it’s not dangerous. But remember: in a real gate, if you lose your group, there’s a high chance you’ll end up missing for good. Even if you have a weapon, a guide without an esper has almost no chance of surviving in a gate alone.”
Haebom pushed away the strange feeling and turned to warn the rookie guides.
No matter how many times he emphasized it, it wasn’t enough.
When a guide entered a gate, the process wasn’t set in stone yet, but it was highly likely that at least two or three would enter together—even if it wasn’t as many as the espers.
So if they weren’t with espers, the guides sticking together was their absolute first rule.
“Stick together and live; scatter and die”—that phrase needed to be branded into the minds of every guide entering a gate.
Even repeated warnings weren’t enough.
The rookie guides started forming small groups, sticking to others from their own branches.
Guides who came alone had apparently grown close to others over the past few days and clung to those from nearby branches.
As expected, Lee Taeyoung was standing right next to Haebom, while Lee Yeojoon and Choi Yoonseo were glued together.
Well, more like Yeojoon—who looked visibly anxious—was clinging tightly to Choi Yoonseo.
If he’s that scared, why’d he even sign up for training…?
According to what he’d heard from Taeyoung, Yeojoon didn’t have a pair and had poor compatibility with espers, so he’d taken this opportunity to get some training while he could.
Still, it’s not like he couldn’t do regular guiding—Haebom, for one, would never put his life on the line like that.
The only reason he was doing this kind of training now was because of Wonho.
Haebom didn’t know if he could actually help, but he wanted to ease Wonho’s anxiety even just a little.
Though, honestly, it was doubtful that this would actually make a difference.
“Let me repeat myself: whatever happens, you must never be alone. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
“We’ll remember!”
Wonho, who had the most experience with gates, gave a brief explanation about what kind of monsters might appear.
Of course, he could be wrong.
But usually, the look of a gate gave clues about the kinds of monsters inside.
Forest-like gates tended to have insect or beast-type monsters, while desert-type ones spawned creatures like scorpions or cactus-like beasts.
Of course, there were always the “why is this even here?” type exceptions.
That’s why you couldn’t rely on patterns too much.
“Alright, don’t let your guard down. Let’s move.”
Haebom and Taeyoung took the lead, followed by the rookie guides, Choi Yoonseo, and Lee Yeojoon.
At the very end of the line was Wonho.
He desperately wanted to walk beside Haebom, but this was a training session for the guides, so he couldn’t do as he pleased.
Well, technically he could have insisted he’d be fine handling any monster even if he stuck to Haebom like glue—but that would only make things harder for Haebom, so he held back.
Haebom, the person he wanted attention from, only focused on the rookies, not sparing him even a glance.
The frown on Wonho’s face wouldn’t go away.
On the flip side, Choi Yoonseo—who Wonho wished would stop paying attention—kept sneaking glances at him from up ahead, as if silently begging him to start a conversation.
Suppressing his irritation, Wonho fixed his gaze on the back of Haebom’s head.
Occasionally, as Haebom checked on the rookies, Wonho caught glimpses of his profile.
His profile was just as beautiful as the back of his head.
Who even gets to call someone like that theirs…?
Screeeech—! Kiieek!
With every movement of the massive monster, it sounded like rusted metal grinding together.
It was hard to tell whether it was a bug or a snake.
Its long body resembled a snake, but with so many legs, it looked insectoid.
Then again, who cared if it was a bug or a snake?
A monster was a monster—it needed to be taken down.
“Its weak spots are the head and the legs. The part you need to avoid is the tail.”
Shuuuuk— Thwack—! Kiiek! Kkuek! Shhhh!
With a wave of Wonho’s hand, ice engulfed the monsters.
There weren’t just one or two—there were four.
Yet, he subdued them all with ease.
Immobilizing them, he calmly explained the key areas to aim for when shooting.
The rookie guides nodded with shining eyes.
“The core in these types is usually in the head or the abdomen. Try shooting and see what happens. Who wants to go first?”
Wonho swept his eyes across the group.
After some hesitation, a few rookies raised their hands.
With four monsters, they had at least four, maybe eight chances to fire.
He gave a small nod, signaling for them to go in the order they volunteered.
Bang—! Kiieeek!
The first rookie’s bullet didn’t quite hit the head—it grazed it.
Fortunately, the bullet wasn’t just ordinary; it had been infused with esper energy, and that energy exploded on contact, damaging half the monster’s head.
The beast thrashed in pain, though it was still frozen by Wonho’s power.
“Right now, Esper Wonho is holding it down, but in real combat, landing a direct hit on the weak spot is crucial. That’s why consistent shooting practice is necessary. Understood?”
“Y-Yes, sir…”
“Try again.”
Haebom gently encouraged the rookie, who had grown visibly disheartened.
The rookie bit down on his lower lip, then nodded, determination returning to his eyes.
Thankfully, the next bullet hit the core hidden within the monster’s head.
With a final, screeching wail, the monster collapsed with a massive thud.
Everything went smoothly after that—until it was Lee Yeojoon’s turn.
He’d already missed three shots, and now his fourth wasn’t even close—it didn’t hit the head or the abdomen, but just some random spot.
At this rate, he might end up shooting a teammate instead of a monster.
“Excuse me a moment, Guide Lee Yeojoon.”
“…What are you—? Hey, what are you doing?! Why are you clinging to me?!”
With a sigh, Haebom told him to stay still.
Yeojoon’s aim was too hopeless, and it didn’t seem like he’d ever hit the target on his own.
So Haebom stood behind him and took hold of the gun with him.
He had no desire to take this kind of pose with Yeojoon—anyone else, maybe.
But not someone who constantly snapped at him.
Bang!
* * *
