* * *
“Team Leader Inho! Get the agents out of here—now!”
“But…”
“Hurry!”
Inho looked between Siwoo, who was holding back the flood alone, and his paired Guide, Raon.
Finally, with a heavy nod, he relented.
Under his command, the Espers retreated from the rift.
As soon as he confirmed their evacuation, Raon turned back.
“Hyung, you too. Go.”
Siwoo spoke through clenched teeth.
Cold sweat streamed down his face as he held back the immense deluge pouring from the gate all by himself.
“No. I’m not leaving you behind.”
“Hyung…”
“Unless you’re coming with me, don’t say another word.”
Raon cut him off firmly and released Siwoo’s arm.
Then, without hesitation, he spread his arms wide and embraced Siwoo from behind.
This wasn’t the time for affection—Raon needed physical contact to maximize the efficiency of guiding.
He began releasing all the guiding energy stored within his body.
“Ugh…”
Raon kept checking his watch.
The rate at which Siwoo’s vitals were dropping was faster than Raon’s ability to replenish him through guiding.
The rift had now grown large enough to split the sky—and more water was pouring through.
At this rate, it was unclear how long Siwoo could hold on.
‘Where’s Hamin? And what about Park Dasom?’
By now, Dasom should have reached Hamin.
If so, Hamin should’ve flown over using his powers already—but there was still no sign of him.
Something had clearly gone wrong with the Guide Team.
“Damn it…”
Raon looked up at the rift.
Somewhere up there, the core was hidden.
Only an Esper who could fly would be able to locate it. He grit his teeth.
“Damn it, Lee Hamin!”
Frustrated, he shouted Hamin’s name.
But the voice that answered wasn’t his.
Raon turned his head in confusion.
Meanwhile…
Huff, huff—
Dasom ran, her only goal to deliver Raon’s message to Hamin.
Even an S-Rank Esper like her was out of breath from the urgency.
She finally reached the rear area where the Guide Team was stationed.
“Hamin!”
“Dasom?”
Yeojoon, who had been staring blankly up at the rift splitting the sky, was the first to spot her. He ran over.
“Dasom, what is that?”
“That’s the Blue Gate and… Ah! This isn’t the time. Where’s Hamin?”
She looked around in a panic—and spotted the Guide Team gathered in one place. Her eyes widened.
“Oh, he’s…”
“No way…”
Someone was slumped on the ground, gasping for breath.
Jamie was gently rubbing his back. Juwon and Taewon stood around them, looking troubled.
“Hamin pushed himself too hard back at the Blue Gate.
It hasn’t been long since his awakening, so… it seems like he’s overloaded.”
“No…”
Of all times, his first mission post-awakening had to be a Double Gate.
Irregular gates already took longer to suppress—but a merged Double Gate?
That demanded far more time and energy.
As a healer Esper, Dasom rarely used much energy outside of healing—but Hamin had fought beside Siwoo from the start.
Even though he had no injuries and his contamination level was low, his body was clearly failing.
And of all times… now was when the overload hit.
Dasom bit her lip in frustration.
“What’s going on? Where are Siwoo and the Team Leader? What does this have to do with that rift?”
“The Team Leader is—wait!”
“Dasom!”
She’d been about to explain to Yeojoon, but snapped out of it and rushed over to Hamin instead.
Even if he wasn’t in shape to fight, he had to hear what Raon had said.
“Hamin, are you okay?”
“Ah… Dasom.”
Hamin raised his pale face. He looked awful.
Despite being surrounded by Healer Esper Jamie and A-Rank Guides Juwon and Taehyuk, his condition hadn’t improved—it had to be psychological.
For a moment, Dasom almost felt pity.
But she steeled herself.
“The Team Leader said there’s a core inside that rift.”
“The rift…?”
She pointed to the sky.
The Guides had only just witnessed the heavens splitting and water pouring down.
But strangely, the water had stopped falling.
Only the rift kept growing, slicing the sky apart.
The cracking noise echoed through the earth.
“There’s no time. Raon said you need to find the core—only your power can do it.”
“Ah…”
Dasom was nearly hopping in place in frustration.
Hamin finally grasped the urgency.
“Okay… I—I’ll go… ugh…”
“But Hamin—”
“I’m fine. I can do this.”
He grit his teeth and forced himself to focus.
His gaze fixed on the rift.
If Raon was right, failure to locate that core meant everyone was in danger.
“Ugh…”
But his body wouldn’t move as he wished.
Like a device with a drained battery, his vision kept dimming.
Hamin clenched his jaw, struggling to stay conscious.
“Hamin, if you push yourself too hard, you might collapse—”
“It’s fine.”
Even as Dasom tried to stop him, Hamin was unrelenting.
He’d finally become useful.
Finally become the Esper Raon needed.
He couldn’t let a mere overload stop him now.
He forced his eyes open and tried to stand—but his body gave out again.
“Hamin Esper, if we take you close to the rift, can you use your powers from below?”
“Jae—!”
Jamie had slipped Hamin’s arm over his shoulder and was asking calmly.
Dasom stared, startled, then quickly grabbed Hamin’s other side at Jamie’s nod.
“Yes.”
“Then Dasom and I will move Hamin Esper. Yeojoon and Minjae, escort the other Guides to safety.”
“Understood!”
Jamie’s composed orders left Dasom and Hamin realizing, perhaps for the first time, how high his standing in the Union really was.
He was always the quiet one, the one who smiled and listened—but now…
“Dasom, let’s move!”
“Y-Yes!”
As Yeojoon and Minjae fell back with Juwon and Taehyuk, Jamie and Dasom began running, half-carrying Hamin.
It was dangerous—getting right under the rift—but no one hesitated.
But the return path wasn’t easy.
The ground near the crater had split open due to the rift, magma now rising between the cracks.
Even Espers could die if they fell into that.
“Kyaaa!”
“Dasom!”
The shaking ground made Dasom lose her footing.
Normally, she’d be able to react—but with Hamin on her shoulder, she instinctively let go to keep from falling together.
“Ugh!”
She saw the searing red magma below and shut her eyes.
She could use her healing on herself—but how long could she hold out?
Hamin’s power had to be saved for the core.
Maybe… letting herself fall was the better choice.
“…Huh?”
But the fall felt strange.
Dasom’s eyes flew open.
Someone was holding her.
“…!”
It was Jamie.
Her eyes widened as she saw him embracing her mid-fall—and then the magma came into full view, rushing up to meet them.
Whoosh—
“Ugh—!”
‘However, just before they touched the magma, an unknown force lifted the two of them into the air.’
They thought they were moments away from falling in and melting alive, but the timing was uncanny.
“Hamin?”
Dasom looked up in shock, thinking Hamin had saved them.
But a completely different figure was staring down at them, his face twisted in a frown.
“What on earth were you doing, Jay?”
“Ah… Mikhail.”
Jamie looked up at Mikhail, dazed.
It seemed Mikhail had spotted them while evacuating with the combat team. Jamie spoke again.
“Thanks for saving us, Mikhail.”
“No need.”
Mikhail replied bluntly, then shot a glance at Dasom.
His gaze was cold, clearly displeased about something.
Jamie, an Esper with healing abilities, was known for his selflessness.
But even so, he had never risked his own life like this to save someone.
If someone was injured, he’d do everything he could to heal them—but he wouldn’t choose to die alongside them.
Just what the hell was going on in this tiny country?
With a sigh, Mikhail turned around.
“What happened to that Esper?”
“Ah, that is…”
Mikhail frowned as he looked at Hamin, who was lying on the ground gasping for breath.
Jamie and that Asian female Esper must have been trying to move the wind-type Esper together.
And yet, in a situation where healer Espers with no combat ability should’ve been the first to evacuate…
After listening to Jamie’s explanation, Mikhail raised his eyebrows.
“There’s a core inside that rift?”
His gaze shifted toward the fully opened rift.
* * *
