* * *
“You shouldn’t be getting up right now, Team Leader Han!”
“I asked—where is Siwoo?”
Raon ripped the wires off his body with a snap, demanding an answer.
He didn’t care how the medical staff panicked—his voice was resolute.
Then, a familiar figure appeared in his view.
“Team Leader Raon.”
“Director Seokyeon.”
Raon, gasping, met Seokyeon’s concerned gaze.
His head spun, and everything felt unsteady.
Breathing was difficult.
But he couldn’t lie down and do nothing.
“Calm down. Your body is in terrible shape. You overdid the guiding.”
“Where is Siwoo? Why won’t anyone answer me?”
“Team Leader Raon.”
Seokyeon called out in a composed tone, clearly trying to calm him and get him back into treatment.
But Raon couldn’t rest—not until he saw with his own eyes that Siwoo was safe.
If no one would tell him where Siwoo was, he’d find him himself.
“Team Leader Raon!”
“Let go of me!”
Raon shoved himself off the bed.
Seokyeon tried to stop him, grabbing his arm.
“If you try guiding Esper Yoon Siwoo in your condition, it could end in disaster!”
“I don’t care!”
Raon shouted, shaking off Seokyeon’s hand.
Seokyeon looked stunned but didn’t reach for him again.
Instead, he sighed and shook his head.
“Esper Yoon Siwoo is in the restricted ward right now.”
“The restricted ward…?”
“It’s underground, in the military hospital. A place where they confine high-grade Espers at risk of going berserk.”
“You mean Siwoo’s condition is that serious?”
Raon’s voice trembled in disbelief.
The last time he gave Siwoo mucosal guiding, the static from the watch had disappeared—at least temporarily.
But Raon had fainted right after, meaning Siwoo never received proper guiding.
Because of that, his condition must have deteriorated rapidly.
Raon grew more and more anxious.
“Then especially—you have to let me guide him, no matter what happens to me!”
“But he already lost control inside the Blue Gate. Even if you’re his pair guide, without an imprint, it’s dangerous.”
“That’s not true. Even in the Blue Gate, Siwoo never hurt me.”
“That’s only because he hadn’t fully lost control yet!”
Seokyeon’s voice rose.
As the Center’s director, he prioritized guides’ safety above all else.
And now Raon, severely weakened, was trying to approach an Esper on the verge of breakdown—of course he’d object.
He would have said the same to any other guide.
In the past, they used to throw guides in front of berserking Espers like sacrificial lambs, but those days were gone.
Now, even for S-Rank Espers, protocol came first: stabilize them with drugs and machines before bringing in the guide.
And Raon was the country’s only S-Rank guide.
Far rarer than the S-Rank Espers.
So letting him walk into danger like this… was out of the question.
“Please, Director…”
A desperate plea escaped Raon’s lips.
Seokyeon couldn’t respond right away.
Raon, pale and trembling, clutched his shoulders, as if barely holding on.
He spoke with a voice that sounded like it was burning up inside.
“If I don’t see Siwoo right now… I feel like I’m going to die.”
“……”
“Please… Director… please…”
Head bowed, Raon kept whispering those words.
Seokyeon looked down at him, his eyes trembling.
His fists clenched at his sides, shaking.
Rationally, he knew he should say no.
But he couldn’t get the words out.
Because once, he too had been that desperate.
Remembering those harrowing days, Seokyeon’s face twisted with emotion.
And finally… he let out a long sigh and opened his mouth to speak.
“Yoon Siwoo’s special ward will be under strict surveillance. If he shows even the slightest sign of threatening behavior toward you, he will be designated for immediate elimination. Are you really still going to meet him?”
That was the furthest Seokyeon was willing to compromise.
Looking into his resolute face, Raon slowly nodded.
“Yes.”
It was an answer he could give only because he believed—no matter what—Siwoo would never harm him.
Faced with Raon’s unwavering conviction, Seokyeon had no choice but to step aside.
“Wait a moment. The guards will accompany you.”
“Understood.”
Raon, who had been visibly shaken earlier, began to regain his composure.
With a calmer tone than before, he replied.
Seokyeon summoned the guards—high-ranking espers.
Among them was a familiar face: Inho, like Siwoo, an S-Rank esper.
As an S-Rank in the physical ability category, he would make an exceptional guard.
“Excuse me, just a moment.”
“……?”
Just as Raon was about to leave for the military hospital with the guards, a visibly uneasy doctor cautiously called out to him.
He handed Raon something.
“This is a stamina recovery tonic made from dungeon byproducts. It was originally formulated only for espers, but after guides began entering gates, we started making a version for them as well. It’s been diluted as much as possible—you should be able to take it.”
“Ah…”
Raon carefully accepted the vial filled with yellow liquid, then bowed his head to the doctor.
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you. We appreciate you subduing the gate safely again.”
The doctor smiled warmly.
Had there been many casualties, the Center Hospital would be in chaos by now.
But seeing how quiet it remained, it was clear no one had died in the recent operation.
If Siwoo hadn’t contained the final rift on his own, there would have been countless casualties this time.
Raon left the Center with a bitter smile.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long to reach the military ward.
Worried about Raon’s condition, Seokyeon had arranged for a teleportation esper in the meantime.
Just like stepping through a gate, the scenery changed in an instant, revealing a far more sterile and desolate atmosphere than the Center Hospital.
Unlike the Center, which handled guides and minor injuries, the military hospital was for isolating severely unstable espers.
Calling it a “hospital” was generous—it felt more like a detention facility.
Many of the patients were restrained, equipped with psychic suppressors due to the risk of violent outbursts.
At the lowest level were the special isolation chambers for high-ranking espers.
Each room was built with ultra-durable materials from gate byproducts—blast-proof cells capable of withstanding even the rampage of an S-Rank esper, at least for a limited time.
These were the world’s best facilities.
Knowing this, Raon headed calmly for the lowest floor.
Thanks to Seokyeon’s prior communication, identity verification wasn’t difficult, and he was able to proceed without delay.
“Team Leader Raon.”
“Yes?”
Just before entering the chamber, Inho—who had been silent until now—quietly called out.
Raon turned to him with a questioning look.
“I’m sorry. When the gate began to merge, I couldn’t do anything. I should never have run, leaving you all behind like that.”
Inho’s face showed raw guilt.
Raon regarded him steadily, then answered:
“No. It’s thanks to you that the team was evacuated in time. There were no casualties because of that. I should be the one thanking you.”
“Raon…”
But Inho only looked more burdened by Raon’s words.
Seeing that, Raon added calmly:
“I gave the order as the commander. And you followed it as a team leader. But if you keep acting like it was wrong, I’ll have no choice but to take it as your intent to disobey my next order.”
“No! Never—that’s not what I meant.”
Inho shook his head in alarm, as though the very idea was terrifying.
Raon smiled at his reaction, and only then did Inho realize he was being teased.
He gave an awkward cough.
“Ahem… Well, in any case, I still feel awful about it. And I need to apologize for something else, too. If Esper Yoon Siwoo shows any sign of hostility toward you…”
Inho trailed off, a bitter expression on his face.
Even though he clearly carried a personal sense of guilt toward Raon, he was admitting he might not act in a way Raon would want.
It was a sign of Inho’s integrity—like Seokyeon, he was someone who wouldn’t waver in doing what was necessary.
“I understand. But if it turns out Siwoo isn’t in a hostile state, will you lower your guard?”
“We’ll make that call once we’ve observed him long enough.”
“That’s enough for me.”
With a nod, Raon slowly stepped back.
Inho would enter first to ensure the environment wasn’t dangerous before letting Raon inside.
Creak.
The door slowly opened.
Designed to withstand even a nuclear blast, the chamber’s door was a complex structure—but with Inho’s S-Rank physical strength, it opened quickly.
Raon held his breath and watched Inho step into the room.
* * *
