“Ugh, it’s freezing…”
“Here, put this on. Geez, I’d rather it be sweltering than this…”
Yerin, the most senior Esper on the team, handed out extra layers to everyone as she muttered under her breath.
Every time they entered a Gate, she carried a few packs loaded with supplies to prepare for sudden climate shifts. Thanks to that, at least no one had to run around in just a t-shirt.
“Mark where we left the gear. We’ll want to grab it again on the way out, if we can.”
“Got it. Honestly, it’s not even the cold—it’s the damn blizzard. Can’t see a thing.”
“Don’t we have goggles or something?”
“I think there’s one…”
There were lots of essential items they had to bring, but realistically, no one could carry everything. The Espers dropped their emergency supplies near the Gate entrance and began rifling through them until one of them finally pulled out a pair of goggles.
“Rion, take these, head up, and scout the terrain. Everyone else, only pack what you need—we move out as soon as he’s back with a report.”
Yerin gave instructions with the calm efficiency of a seasoned vet.
Rion soared into the sky and scanned the area before returning to the group.
“Hard to see much with the snow, but… looks like a mountainous area. Forest over there, then mountains past that. We’ll need to check it out more closely.”
“Really? All bunched up on one side… Then that’s where we’re heading. Everyone ready? Let’s move.”
With the veteran Esper leading, the Espers pushed through the blizzard toward the forest. Whether it was the biting cold or the limited visibility, not a word was spoken as they trudged forward.
“They’re coming.”
Gwang-hyeon, with his sharp ears, suddenly perked up and assumed a defensive stance.
“Which direction?”
“One group at eleven o’clock. Another at two. No wings… but they’re coming.”
While the Espers prepared for combat, the Guides fell back with the security-assigned Espers.
Monsters were typically too single-minded to break away and attack Guides during combat, but that didn’t make watching the fights from up close any less terrifying. The Guides glanced nervously at each other, tense and silent.
“We’ll be okay… right, unnie?”
“We’ll be fine. I’ve been doing this for ten years. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened—and our Espers always pull through. We’ve got an S-rank and two A-ranks up front, remember?”
Ye-jin, the most experienced among them, tried to calm the anxious Guides as she led them farther back.
“We might get caught in some snow blasts, but eh, that’s manageable.”
She glanced around at the others—five Guides in total, including herself. Her little joke seemed to ease some of them, but others remained uneasy.
“This your first time in an A-rank Gate, Yu-won?”
“…Yes.”
“Figures. They don’t open that often. The last one we had, Ji-seo was on the team.”
Ye-jin patted Yu-won on the back. His expression was tight and tense—far different from how she’d seen him act before. Probably just nerves, she figured.
Though they’d partied together a few times, she hadn’t talked with him much at the Center. Still, the other Guides had always said he was pretty calm. Maybe he was still a bit green—just twenty, after all.
Wanting to help settle his nerves, Ye-jin struck up some light conversation.
“You’ll be okay. Rion’s with us. Sure, he’s got a fiery temper, but he’s responsible when it counts. He’ll protect us even if he gets himself hurt doing it, so don’t worry too much.”
Assuming Yu-won was just rattled by the intensity of an A-rank Gate, Ye-jin gently led him farther back.
But Yu-won’s eyes were locked on a single point.
“You’re not nervous because it’s been a while since your last A-rank, are you?”
“Not a chance.”
His gaze was fixed on Rion, who stood at the front with the other Espers, bracing for battle.
Furry monsters growled as they began to encircle the Espers.
“The tougher the Gate, the less room for distractions. I actually prefer it this way.”
“Right… Makes sense. Easier to run with two A-ranks than wrangle a bunch of Bs and Cs through a B-rank Gate.”
“They’re coming. Less chatting, more watching your fronts.”
The monster that had been growling closest leapt first, lunging at the Espers. The light banter vanished in an instant as every one of them shifted into full combat mode.
“Want me to send you up?”
“Yeah. Lee Joo-chan should have come. He’d fry the whole damn lot.”
Grumbling, Ji-seo allowed Rion to boost him into the sky.
His ability was water-based—but in this kind of cold, any water he summoned would freeze by the time it hit the ground.
SCHREEEECH!
A shriek pierced the snowfield as monsters took direct hits from ice spears.
But this was still an A-rank Gate. Even near the entrance, not every monster would go down easy.
Grrrrr…
One especially large beast shook the ice shards off its back. It stood unscathed, unlike the others, and now began to stride forward, swiping aside its fallen companions with one paw as it advanced on the Espers.
ROAAAAAR!
“Ugh, my ears…”
Ji-seo grimaced and clapped his hands over his ears as the roar echoed across the snow.
“This isn’t just noise. Something’s coming from the forest. I can hear footsteps.”
“You think it’s calling for backup?”
“Seems like it. We’ll need to take that one out first.”
Gwang-hyeon’s ears twitched. His ability let him transform parts of his body into beast traits, and in moments like this, his enhanced hearing was a godsend.
“Send me higher. Its hide’s too thick—normal attacks won’t cut it. I need to hit it with a giant water column.”
Ji-seo narrowed his eyes, sizing up the monster’s defenses. Rion nodded and sent him even higher.
“Freezing enough water might take a bit, so keep the others off me in the meantime. It’s big and slow, though—shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Got it.”
Rion shifted into full combat stance. He left the massive one to Gwang-hyeon, who was best in close-quarters combat, and started dealing with the monsters that had come in response to the call.
BANG!
Moments later, a massive ice spike formed by Ji-seo slammed down into the monster from above.
“Well, this isn’t starting easy.”
“Of course not—it’s an A-rank Gate.”
With the blizzard still raging, even finding a place to set up a checkpoint was proving difficult. The Espers returned to the Guides with troubled expressions.
“Seriously, Joo-chan should’ve been on this mission. Would’ve helped if we could see the environment before going in.”
“Right? Even if phones worked or we could go in and out of the Gate… But once you’re in, you’re stuck until either a week passes or the boss is cleared.”
“That’s why we lug all this crap in with us. Got a flashlight?”
Yerin cracked a dry joke as someone rummaged through the gear bag and handed her a portable light.
“Can you see which way to go?”
“Looks like we’ll have to head toward the mountains. Visibility’s rough, but I can make out the range over there.”
“Then let’s get guided and move out.”
At Yerin’s cue, Rion’s face twisted slightly, and he turned his head away. The Guides, seemingly waiting for this, immediately stepped toward the Espers—but no one approached Rion.
Only Yu-won, who had been standing still the entire time, began to walk toward him.
“Give me your hand.”
“…”
“You don’t want to? You’d hate it more if I did something else.”
“Why are you bringing that up now?”
Rion snapped, deliberately avoiding eye contact. The moment their eyes met, Yu-won let out a small sigh.
“Don’t be stubborn about stuff like this.”
“It’s not being stubborn. I just don’t like it. What do you want me to do about that?”
“You know what happens when you refuse guiding, don’t you? Or… are you doing this on purpose because you want that to happen again?”
Yu-won’s words made Rion glare sharply at him, face twisted with anger. He’d made it very clear he never wanted that day brought up again.
“I told you to drop it.”
“You leave me no choice.”
“What did I even do? Fine, let’s just get it over with.”
Rion slapped his hand down into Yu-won’s with a huff. He had to admit—even to himself—he was probably overreacting this time, but he couldn’t help it.
His hand was red and freezing, and he’d hesitated just a moment because he thought it might be too cold to touch. But then Yu-won had to go and push his buttons, and he just snapped.
“You two fighting again?”
“We’re not fighting.”
“Try getting along for once. You’ve already kissed, after all.”
“Sunbae!!”
Rion yanked his hand back, face pale. Yu-won immediately turned away and walked off, disappearing among the other Guides without a second glance.
“I didn’t say anything.”
Like hell that made it better. Rion flushed furiously as he turned on Gwang-hyeon.
“I told you to forget that ever happened! Don’t bring it up again!”
“Ah… right. My bad. Totally forgot.”
Gwang-hyeon apologized with a face that showed zero actual remorse.
If it were just a dumb joke, Rion could’ve ignored it. But he couldn’t. That was the problem.
Jaw clenched, Rion stared daggers at Yu-won’s back before letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
