* * *

Haebom let out the strongest curse he could muster and hoisted Wonho onto his back.

Though, calling it “hoisting” wasn’t entirely accurate.

He’d already noticed while standing next to him that Wonho was at least 20 centimeters taller than him and had a far more solid build.

Of course, as an Esper, his entire body was likely packed with muscle, making him significantly heavier than Haebom.

No matter how much Haebom worked out, he was still all skin and bones.

That said, the tiny but precious muscles he’d built up from doing various part-time jobs allowed him to at least carry Wonho.

Sure, his feet dragged through the sand, but that wasn’t his problem.

“…Huh? What the hell is that?”

Haebom figured this had to be the phrase he’d uttered the most since arriving in this desert.

But he couldn’t help saying it again—because things he had never seen before kept appearing right in front of him.

And now, looming behind Wonho was an enormous, pitch-black hole, flickering like a faulty lightbulb, as if it were on the verge of vanishing.

“Oh! It’s an escape gate!”

Finally, the answer clicked in his head. Just hours ago, when he first started reading this novel, he never imagined he’d end up seeing something like this with his own eyes. But there was no time to dwell on that now.

Escape gates appeared only after all the monsters inside had been wiped out. And if too much time passed, they would disappear.

Once the time ran out, the escape gate would shut. And in the entire history of these gates, not a single person left inside had ever made it out alive. No one knew how or why these gates—or the escape gates—formed in the first place.

‘Why? Because the author wrote them into existence, that’s why.’

Haebom almost muttered it out loud, but remembering the unconscious Wonho on his back, he settled for grumbling internally as he pressed forward.

The gate looked close, but it was still a considerable distance away. He had thought the cold energy radiating from Wonho would make it easier, but no matter how cold he was, he couldn’t stop the sweat from dripping down Haebom’s face. It didn’t make sense, but it almost felt like the escape gate was moving further and further away.

“Ugh… Fuck… What kind of bullshit is this…”

Should he just leave Wonho behind? Maybe he’d be fine and make it out on his own?

That thought briefly crossed Haebom’s mind before he bit his lip. Leaving a living person inside a gate was the same as sentencing them to death. Swallowing his frustration, he trudged forward. His feet sank deep into the desert sand, and Wonho’s legs dragged behind him. He wasn’t sure if this was really how it was supposed to be, but what choice did he have?

For what felt like an eternity, he walked and walked, carrying his enormous burden. And finally, he reached the escape gate.

Now that he was actually standing in front of it, he was—honestly—terrified. No, more than terrified.

Was this really the escape gate he had read about? Did it actually lead back to the outside world?

This was his first time experiencing it in real life, and Haebom couldn’t help but be scared. But he had no other options. If he didn’t go through, the only fate waiting for him and Wonho was death.

“Okay… I can do this.”

Gripping the arm slung around his neck, he took a step forward. It didn’t just look like a black hole—it actually functioned like one. The moment his foot entered, he felt himself being sucked in.

No, he wasn’t just feeling it. He was actually being pulled in.

Instinctively, he clung to Wonho even tighter. If this really was a black hole, who knew if they’d end up floating off into space…

“Ughhh…”

He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped Wonho’s arm with all his strength. Suddenly, the air changed. The next thing he heard was the sound of voices murmuring.

“Huh? Someone just came out of the gate!”

“Wait, isn’t that Esper Wonho?”

“No, I don’t think so… It’s not a monster, either. We’ve never seen a humanoid monster before, right?”

The murmuring grew louder, and the voices became clearer. Slowly, Haebom cracked his eyes open. He had been squeezing them shut so tightly that his vision was a little blurry, but it quickly adjusted.

As his focus sharpened, he saw people dressed in identical uniforms and a barrier—like a police line—preventing them from getting too close. It was a security measure, keeping everyone away whenever a gate opened.

And those people… they must be from the Center.

The moment that realization hit him, Haebom’s legs gave out.

“Hah… We made it.”

He wasn’t back at his campsite. But the overwhelming relief of being alive slammed into him like a wave. His knees buckled, and he collapsed.

The problem? He was still carrying Wonho.

So, Wonho—still slung over Haebom’s back—ended up tumbling down with him.

“Hey! Are you okay? How did you—? Wait, is that really Esper Wonho?! What happened?”

“What? No way! Seriously?!”

One person ran up and checked the unconscious figure on Haebom’s back. The moment they confirmed it was indeed Wonho, the rest of them rushed over, bombarding him with questions.

Too many questions.

Haebom barely had time to answer when, suddenly, someone let out a scream.

“Ahhh!”

“W-What’s wrong?!”

Startled, Haebom turned toward the source of the scream. The person’s hand had turned bright red—like they had frostbite.

The man, teary-eyed and panicked, whimpered as he examined his hand. He stammered out an explanation, saying that he had briefly touched Wonho while Haebom was overwhelmed by all the questions. The moment he did, an intense, freezing cold engulfed his hand. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like his hand was entirely frozen.

“I-It’s best if we move to the Center immediately.”

One of the center staff members, who had finally regained his composure, scanned Haebom from head to toe before speaking.

He explained that they had been waiting because Wonho had entered the gate alone.

They had been anticipating either Wonho walking out alive or the espers they had requested for backup to arrive.

However, Wonho had yet to reappear, and due to incidents occurring elsewhere, reinforcements had been delayed, leaving them on edge.

Since an esper with rampage potential had voluntarily isolated himself, the center had no choice but to anxiously wait.

Hearing that, Haebom let out a derisive scoff.

If they had just ensured consistent contact guidance with the female lead, Wonho wouldn’t have had to risk his life to isolate himself in the first place.

“Please come this way.”

“Like this?”

Though Wonho’s condition was unclear, they couldn’t just leave someone classified as a rampage risk alone, so they urged Haebom to head to the center with them.

Haebom didn’t like their wary gazes or the way they handled things, but he had no choice.

He tried to act nonchalant, but his legs were trembling.

It wasn’t just exhaustion—he was freezing.

Freezing to the core.

The stark contrast between Haebom, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and the center staff, fully geared against the cold, was striking.

Except for the sweatshirt he had abandoned back in the desert, he was dressed for the peak of summer.

Compared to the cool autumn breeze before entering the gate, the sudden temperature drop was shocking.

His cheeks felt numb, and his arms and legs were even colder than the rest of his body.

The only silver lining was that he no longer felt the chilling aura emanating from Wonho.

But with the cold sapping his strength, Wonho’s weight felt heavier by the second.

“You can get into this vehicle. And please bring Esper Wonho with you as well.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. Given the current situation, none of us are in a position to touch Esper Wonho. We’d appreciate your help.”

As the center staff member spoke, they also explained why Haebom had to come along.

Anyone who entered a gate needed to be examined, as the effects of such exposure on a civilian were unknown.

That part hadn’t been mentioned in the novel, but since it was a rule here, he just nodded in understanding.

In any case, Haebom had nowhere else to go.

He had entered the gate straight from a walking trail near a campsite, so if the center had extensive information on gates, maybe he could figure out a way back.

If only he didn’t have this human backpack clinging to him.

“…Haah.”

* * *