While it was technically possible to channel guiding through clothing, it was inefficient. And since the gloves they were wearing were thick, winter-grade ones, it was faster to take them off and receive proper guiding, even if it left their hands a bit cold.
Rion, holding Yu-won’s large, warm hand—so contrary to his frosty attitude—exhaled a puff of white breath.
It was already their fourth day inside this Gate.
“I’ve been in desert Gates, all kinds of Gates, but snowy terrain’s still the worst.”
“Didn’t you say last time that the desert Gate was the worst?”
“No, I must’ve been wrong. This time’s real. Snowy terrain’s way tougher. You have to carry so much gear, and it’s freezing. In the desert, you just need water and rations.”
With a serious expression, Gwang-hyeon launched into a passionate monologue about the hardest Gate he’d ever entered. Maybe it was the cold or the exhaustion, but this kind of small talk seemed to provide some comfort. One by one, the others gathered around to join in the conversation.
“…….”
“…….”
Only Yu-won and Rion remained apart, not participating in the chatter. They didn’t even speak to each other, just focused on the guiding session.
I just want to get out of this Gate as fast as possible. That’s the only way to get away from Lee Yu-won.
That’s what he told himself, even though now that Jin-ha was around, he didn’t really need to get guiding from Yu-won twice a week anymore.
The essential guiding he needed could be handled by Jin-ha. As for Gate assignments, those couldn’t be helped—but if he could just grit his teeth and last a week each time, he’d be fine.
Rion swallowed his irritation. He hated even being stuck with Yu-won for just a week at a time.
“You seem to be getting along with that new Guide.”
“…What?”
He had fully intended to get through today’s session in silence, maybe jump into the useless small talk if it came to that. But for some reason, Yu-won initiated a conversation with him.
It had been so long since this guy said anything that wasn’t just to start a fight, Rion had to search his memory. Then he answered:
“Of course we get along. The matching rate’s good, and we actually communicate. Not like some Guides.”
He hadn’t even meant to be snide—it just came out that way, a knee-jerk response, since Yu-won talking to him never ended well.
Even without comparing him to Yu-won, Jin-ha was a decent person. He didn’t say things that killed the mood out of nowhere, didn’t push conversations Rion didn’t want to have.
“I mean, I don’t have to get guided by you twice a week, right?”
“…The matching rate’s decent and he’s an S-rank too, so it’s not a problem, but please—at least in the Gate, bear with it.”
“I am bearing with it. Isn’t this good enough? I’m a mature adult who knows how to separate work and personal life.”
Rion shrugged as he spoke. To be fair, Yu-won didn’t nag during battle. He was more the type to explode with complaints like he was unleashing a Spirit Bomb after the boss was down.
“You always put it off until the last possible moment.”
“Not true. I’ve been making sure to get it in early, just in case something happens again, you know how much I—”
“Hey, what’s going on over here? Don’t start fighting again. I think we’re about to get moving.”
Gwang-hyeon popped his face between the two of them, cutting Rion off mid-sentence. Startled, Rion yanked his hand away from the guiding session and shoved Gwang-hyeon back.
“Don’t stick your face in like that all of a sudden.”
“Sorry. But we should start prepping. I just heard something moving from inside the mountain.”
He twitched his ears as he spoke. That meant the boss was nearby. Rion, re-gloving his hand, turned to follow Gwang-hyeon and threw one last comment to Yu-won:
“Anyway, sorry to switch it up, but outside the Gate I’m getting my guiding from Jin-ha. So go spend your time guiding someone else. It’s not like we’re having deep, meaningful conversations or anything. Aren’t you sick of this yet?”
And with that, Rion followed Gwang-hyeon toward the source of the noise. The Esper team left the Guides by the fire and moved out, having decided it could be dangerous.
“The sound came from this way. Doesn’t seem like an ordinary size either. If the breathing’s that loud… once it starts howling—”
“KRAAAAH—!”
Before he could even finish, a roar thundered through the snowy mountains. Despite the fierce wind, the sound rang out loud and clear—it definitely wasn’t some ordinary beast.
“It’s shaking the whole damn mountain.”
“No kidding. My ears. Let’s just end this and get the hell out of here. I can’t wait to take off these fur coats.”
The Espers nodded and trudged up the snowy slope. Before long, they came face to face with a massive bear—about the size of a two-story house.
“What the fuck—it wasn’t a hill, it was a monster?!”
“These massive ones show up sometimes. That camouflage is insane though. I really thought it was just a snow-covered slope.”
“KRRRRAAAWR—!”
Almost like it was answering their idle banter, the boss let out another earth-shaking roar. It was loud enough that even the snow on the mountain trembled and began to shift.
“You all know we have to take that thing down if we want to get out, right?”
“This is exactly the kind of Gate I hate. Wind abilities in the middle of a snowstorm? I’m freezing my ass off.”
Min-cheol grumbled as he assumed a combat stance. As he said, using his powers in this environment sent cold straight into his bones. But still, suffering once and getting out beat spending several more days trapped here.
“Let’s end this quick.”
With Gwang-hyeon’s signal, the final battle began. The blizzard thickened with every strike, the wind making it nearly impossible to keep their eyes open—but the Espers pushed forward undeterred.
The boss might have been monstrous, but there were five Espers attacking at once. No matter how fierce its resistance, its defeat was inevitable.
“KRAAAAH—!”
“My eardrums are shattered…!”
As the battle neared its end, the monster let out one final, furious roar and began to move rapidly in one direction.
“GRRRNNNGH!”
“How the hell is something that big moving that fast?!”
Rion scowled and took off after it. A few remaining lesser monsters rushed in at the roar, forcing the other three to handle them while Rion and Min-cheol pursued the boss.
THUD—
Suddenly, the boss lunged at a mountain wall with everything it had. It looked like it was trying to kill itself. Rion frowned at the bizarre behavior—until he realized what was really going on and activated his power.
“The upper cliff—it’s a fucking avalanche! It’s trying to bury us all!”
“No, not this direction—the snow’s going to fall toward…”
Min-cheol’s face went pale as he saw where the snow was headed—down from a cliff further up.
Whether the boss had enough intelligence to plan it or if it was just a coincidence, no one could say. But one thing was clear:
“That’s where the Guides are—”
“Sunbae, I’m counting on you.”
Rion had already launched forward, activating his power the moment he confirmed where the avalanche would hit. If he didn’t stop it, the Guides would be crushed beneath it.
“Get the hell out of here—NOW!”
“What’s going on—?”
“Above you!”
The Guides’ surroundings suddenly darkened like dusk had fallen. But as Rion appeared and they finally looked up, their faces went ashen.
It wasn’t the setting sun.
It was a sheer wall of snow so massive it blocked out the light.
Rion managed to catch it just in time, holding it back with his powers.
“Go. Run as far as you can. I’ll find you no matter where you go, and the monsters are all distracted right now, so don’t worry about anything else—just run.”
Holding up the snow with his power wasn’t particularly difficult for Rion. The problem was that simultaneous activation—using more than one ability at once—wasn’t his strong suit.
If he focused on one task, his power was so precise that he could dismantle each individual snowflake. But compared to his other skills, multitasking was harder for him.
With allies spread out in every direction, he couldn’t just fling the snow anywhere and hope for the best.
“Once they’re far enough, I’ll head back to the boss—”
“Rion! Behind you! BEHIND YOU!”
Just as he was about to set the snow down and move, he heard Min-cheol’s panicked voice. He spun around—and saw it.
The monster, having shaken off Min-cheol, was forming a massive snowball and getting ready to launch it directly at Rion.
He could dodge it. But if he did, he’d lose control of the snow above him—and have no idea where it would fall. Worse, Yu-won, who was still behind him, hadn’t made it to safety yet.
“Goddamn it, with those long legs, why is he moving so slow…?!”
“Just drop it!”
In that split second of hesitation, Yu-won’s voice rang in his ears.
“You’re bad at simultaneous activation! If you take a hit, you’ll lose control of the snow anyway. I’ll handle myself—just worry about keeping yourself safe for once, dammit!”
Maybe it was the pure white snow, but Yu-won’s face looked almost as pale as it. Rion hesitated for one heartbeat… and then turned his back on the snow, letting it go as he charged toward the boss.
