GTLTGIDES chapter 5

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“Threat level B-. No high-level monsters have been detected. The maximum is B-level. However, there are many of them, and the timing is bad. Many people are isolated and unable to escape to shelters. Quick handling is needed to prevent building collapses. Over.”

I clenched my fist tightly in secret.

98 out of 100!

As soon as Cha Junseong finished his briefing, the car we were in came to a stop.

At the scene, besides the Espers and guides from the management bureau, there were quite a few civilians.

“I managed to get out alone. I was with someone next to me… I shouldn’t have let go of their hand. Sniff.”

“My friend got their leg bitten. I should have helped them out, but I couldn’t. I was too scared…”

“My daughter is over there. Please, save her!”

The scene felt different from reading it in a book.

This is a world where even ‘S-level’, ‘SSS-level’, and ‘EX-level’ monsters rampage. To web novel readers, a ‘B-level’ image usually means ‘below average’.

So, when reading, a B-level gate would evoke the thought:

‘A B-level gate is just a passing episode.’

Leading to boring and futile feelings.

In reality, for the Special A Team, packed with S-level members, handling a B-level gate was as easy as picking up finger food.

But now, I was here in person.

It felt real.

No matter how small, a ‘gate’ was a disaster for the people living in that world. Like an earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption, it was a sudden, uncontrollable, terrifying ‘disaster’.

“What’s with that face? You look like a scared puppy on your first field visit. If you’re going to look like that, stay in the car. Don’t show off unnecessarily.”

“No, sir. Why would I be scared? This isn’t my first time on-site.”

I tore my eyes away from the civilians almost reflexively at Elliot’s voice.

I did yank away almost automatically, but hearing Elliot’s words made me wonder if it showed on my face.

My heart sank.

As I rubbed my mouth and caught my breath, Elliot gave me a sly smile. He was clearly teasing me.

“Still looking like a scared puppy?”

“No, sir.”

“Well, let’s leave it at that.”

“Enough chit-chat, get out.”

“Yes, sir.”

At Cha Junseong’s urging, Elliot was the first to get out of the car.

At that moment,

“It’s the Special A Team!”

Someone spotted Elliot and us in the car and shouted.

“Wow, my first time seeing an S-level Esper!”

“Elliot! I’m a fan!”

“I thought the Special A Team wouldn’t come for just a B-level.”

“We’re saved…!”

“Thank you, God.”

The atmosphere at the scene changed in an instant.

‘What’s going on…?’

I knew the Special A Team was popular.

There are only twelve S-level Espers worldwide.

Three of them belong to this team.

And all three have faces and heights that rival celebrities, so it’s no surprise they’re popular.

Each of them also has a unique, distinctive personality.

But this enthusiasm was not just about ‘liking’ them.

“We will rescue all your colleagues, friends, and family. Please, enter the temporary shelter without worry.”

“Anyone injured, please get first aid. If you’ve been bitten or exposed to bodily fluids, be sure to inform us.”

“The shelter is this way. Relax and have a cup of cocoa when your colleagues arrive.”

The arrival of these three changed the atmosphere in the affected area.

The shadows that had fallen over the faces of the citizens disappeared.

They were like a small sun in the dark, a guiding star for those who had lost their way.

Trust, faith, and reassurance…

The site was filled with positive energy.

‘Wow…’

It was an immense influence. Even the president couldn’t change the atmosphere this much.

Somehow, their backs seemed larger.

They were impressive.

I was so mesmerized by the sight of the three encouraging the people that I forgot what I had gone through today.

‘This is what a hero truly is…’

Someone who gives strength to the weak just by being there. Someone who brings light to the darkness. Someone who spreads fragrance in the gloomy air.

Thinking back, I didn’t re-read “The Genius Guide’s Melancholy” dozens of times just solely for the main character Eunsoo.

I loved Rex, Elliot, and Cha Junseong from the Special A Team as well.

Although they did terrible things to Eunsoo due to the #RegretfulTop, their genuine care for Eunsoo, this world, and its people was real.

They contribute to saving the world for a reason. There’s a reason Eunsoo eventually accepts their feelings.

In a world where monsters rampage, they are shining heroes who allow powerless people to live today without fear and look forward to tomorrow.

As a mere civilian A, all I could do was watch from afar…

“What are you doing?”

A finger tapped my forehead. I snapped back to reality.

It was Cha Junseong.

He was looking down at me with his characteristic unpleasant expression.

Right. I was no longer a mere civilian A, but their guide. Someone who could stand beside them, not behind.

My heart tingled. I felt oddly happy.

Cha Junseong raised his eyebrows as if asking why I was excited, but it didn’t last long.

He was always someone who put work first.

“Follow me. We’re entering the building.”

“Yes, sir!”

Unlike Rex, who would casually ask for a kiss if he saw me, or Elliot, who would handle things in bulk, Cha Junseong, being the noble heir he was, hated the ‘emotional impurities’ that built up whenever he used his abilities.

So, he always called for Yang Heewoon separately before going on-site. I appreciated him as a paying customer for that…

“But Junseong, the building we’re entering, could it be…”

“Yes.”

“Oh…”

‘Going in there? Are you out of your mind?’

I almost shouted at our 2 million won-a-day sponsor, disrespectfully.

But even if I had shouted, it would have been justified.

Because… the building Cha Junseong wanted to enter was full of monsters.

When a gate suddenly appears in a city center, and quick suppression is impossible, to minimize damage, monsters are driven into one building, barricaded, and held off until support arrives.

This was such a case, and it seemed Cha Junseong was tasked with suppressing the monsters inside…

Grrrr.

“……”

As soon as I made eye contact with one of the monsters inside, I broke out in a cold sweat.

‘This is not right, is it?’

My brain started working faster as I made sticky eye contact with the monster.

After thinking about all sorts of things, I concluded.

Wouldn’t it be better not to bring a guide into such a dangerous place full of monsters?

Couldn’t they just leave me in a safe zone and get guidance later?

Of course, Eunsoo, being not just any guide but the ‘strongest S-level guide,’ handled such situations well! But I, Yang Heewoon, don’t have such talents!

“Junseong.”

“What?”

“Do I really have to go in there? I’m sure there must be another way……”

Cha Junseong, who had been repeatedly clenching and unclenching his hand in his leather gloves, glanced over at me with just his eyes.

“I’m not going to force you.”

“Even though you’re not forcing me…… If I don’t go in, that means there won’t be any field dispatch compensation for today, right?”

“You’re going in. If you’re coming, don’t fall behind.”

Cha Junseong, now ready, took a big step toward the building, without answering my question.

I mentally cursed a hundred times and made my decision.

‘Ah, whatever! Cha Junseong wouldn’t really kill me, would he?’

A moment of fear, and if I had to choose between that and 2 million won, it’s 2 million won!

Making money is hard, damn it!

……That boldness evaporated as soon as Cha Junseong opened the door and stepped inside the building.

There were wolf-like monsters crawling around. Instead of fur, they were covered in scales, with teeth as large as a jaguar’s jutting out of their mouths.

Getting bitten once would split you in half and kill you. It’s basically the end of the world.

Even if they’re unintelligent monsters, isn’t it obvious who’s more suitable for roasting between Cha Junseong and me?