It had been 21 years since the last S-rank Gate opened in Korea.
In the early days of Gate appearances, S-rank Gates had shown up once every few years, but after that one 21 years ago, no S-rank Gates had appeared in Korea since.
Gate occurrences were still frequent, but the absence of S-rank Gates had become such a relief that people at the Center would even joke about it—saying it was at least some silver lining.
And now, all of a sudden—an S-rank Gate?
Rion pressed a hand to his forehead with a heavy sigh, the weight of the news making his vision dim.
“Are you seriously not going to tell me what’s going on?”
“The Center Director will announce it later. I think I need to head to his office right away.”
“What happened? Did an emergency Gate pop up or something?”
“I wish it were something that simple… Anyway, I have to go.”
Leaving Joo-chan behind, Rion hurriedly rushed out of the Guiding Room.
Inside the Center Director’s office, as he waited, he nervously gnawed at his fingernails, unable to shake the feeling of unease.
“I should’ve just gone without asking and told him to explain everything face to face…”
He’d just heard something utterly devastating, and now he had to sit around and wait without any explanation—it was driving him crazy. Time crawled by as if an eternity had passed.
Eventually, the Center Director walked in, his expression just as grim.
“What do you mean there’s going to be an S-rank Gate?”
“Sigh… where do I even begin…”
Dropping his bag roughly onto the desk, the Center Director let out a long breath.
He hadn’t expected this—not in the slightest.
When he first heard that there was something to discuss, he had headed to the Busan Center without any sense of urgency.
Esper and Guide transfers between Centers were common, especially once people reached their mid-30s. After all, rather than continuing to raid Gates, many opted to use their abilities for smaller tasks, choosing a quieter second life—not that they quit being Espers entirely.
Since most large-scale Gate attacks were handled by the Central Center, Espers stationed in regional Centers mainly performed civilian support or detection duties.
Naturally, many aging Espers moved to the countryside to serve until retirement, and Centers frequently communicated to coordinate those transfers.
It was usually something handled by system records, so a direct call had seemed odd—but not alarming. He’d even brought Min-hyeon along, thinking nothing of it.
He never would’ve imagined it was because of the signs of an incoming S-rank Gate.
“There’s something really off about the energy flow. Take a look at these photos.”
But unlike the relaxed Center Director, the Busan Center Director had looked visibly distressed. He’d handed over the photos without a word, and once the Center Director grasped what they showed, his face hardened.
“How old are these?”
“These… are all from within the last week. Not from Busan. We’d dispatched people around for Gate detection, and Byung-gyeon came across these. Three days later, Yun-ha brought this one.”
“If it’s not Busan, then where is it?”
At the question, the Busan Center Director hesitated. The Center Director swallowed hard, waiting for the answer, dreading it already.
“The locations vary slightly, but all of them… are in the capital region.”
The Center Director bit down on his lip.
No matter where it appeared, a Gate was always dangerous. But an S-rank Gate showing up right in the heart of the capital? That would be catastrophic.
Of course, any S-rank Gate was a problem, regardless of location. The sheer size of it would terrify residents nearby, and if they failed to clear it within a week and monsters escaped… what followed would be a nightmare.
Even in the middle of nowhere, such a Gate would be nearly impossible to manage. But in the center of Korea’s most densely populated region—home to half the country’s population? If they failed to clear it, it would be a full-scale disaster.
“And this photo—I got it today from Joon-cheol. I was hoping it wasn’t what I thought, but at this point… it’s clear.”
Min-hyeon, who’d been silently listening beside them, also looked tense. He’d just tagged along thinking they were going to check out the ocean, but the situation had taken a very serious turn.
“Then… when do you think…”
His dry lips barely moved as Min-hyeon asked the question quietly. The Busan Center Director thought for a moment, then finally spoke.
“…The Gate will probably appear next week. And once it does, it’ll open in a matter of days—no more than a week, tops. We need to prepare immediately.”
“So at most, two weeks…”
The Center Director muttered gravely. They’d continued to conduct training simulations for S-rank Gates, but twenty-one years was a long time. Most of the current Espers had never faced anything like it. That made it all the more concerning.
“Are there any active Espers left who went into the last S-rank Gate?”
“There are a few. But just because they’re technically still active doesn’t mean they’re Gate-ready. And you can’t go in either.”
The Busan Center Director clicked his tongue.
Back in his youth, the Center Director had been one of those who entered the last S-rank Gate in Korea.
“…If I go in, there’ll be no one left to manage operations from the Center. So I can’t just waltz in. I’ll have to start reaching out to whoever we can find.”
“How many S-ranks do we have at Central right now?”
“Four. Plus a handful of capable A-ranks.”
The Center Director listed off a few faces in his mind—Rion among them. They needed to organize an effective team and begin training as quickly as possible.
“I’ll handle contacting those who’ve stepped back from frontline duty. You go straight back to the Center and form a party with the Espers we’ve got on-site. I can’t believe this is happening at the tail end of my career…”
“Just in case, let me know where the Espers we’ve dispatched are located. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I’d like to check the sites myself.”
“Right. I hope, after all this, it turns out we were wrong.”
The Center Director gave a slight bow, then left Busan and headed back to Seoul.
That night, he visited every location where unusual phenomena had been reported, checking them one by one.
He hoped—impossible as it seemed—that this was all a prank by a bored veteran pulling his leg near retirement. He wanted to be able to laugh later and say, You scared the hell out of me, sunbae.
But the signs weren’t lies. And they weren’t misread, either.
It was certain.
An S-rank Gate was going to appear.
Forgetting hunger and exhaustion, the Center Director finished his final site inspection, let out a deep sigh, and called Rion.
“As you’d expect, we can’t deploy all four S-rank Espers. We need to prepare for all possible contingencies. I’ll ask each of them and consider compatibility and ability alignment before making a final call. As for you…”
“I’m going in. No matter what.”
“Yeah, I figured. That’s why you’re the first one I called.”
The Center Director sighed, his expression heavy. He’d expected no less from Rion—who always charged forward without hesitation if it was for the sake of others.
“Then we start training tomorrow?”
“Right. We’ll form a dedicated S-rank Gate team and start running drills until the Gate opens. We might add more depending on the Gate’s readings, but right now I’m thinking about a large team—around 10 Espers and 6 Guides.”
He spun his pen in his hand as he spoke. They’d likely anchor the team with two S-rank Espers, then fill the rest with high-performing A-ranks.
From the B-ranks, Min-hyeon—being the strongest among the healing types—was a strong candidate.
“For Guides… since you’re going in, Yu-won will too. The other S-ranks already have well-matched A-rank Guides, so adding Jin-ha seems like a solid option…”
“Are the Guides participating in training too?”
“Of course. We have to simulate real combat as closely as possible.”
He’d tried to avoid even looking at Yu-won, but now they’d have to stick together, like it or not.
And this wasn’t just any Gate—it was an S-rank.
In a situation like this, personal feelings had to be pushed aside.
If they failed to clear it, countless people could die.
Spending time with Yu-won—even if it was absolute hell—was still the better outcome.
“So far, I’m locking in you, Yu-won, and Jin-ha. Don’t tell anyone else until I make an official announcement. You can tell Yu-won, but don’t say anything to people who might not go in—it’ll only make things messier.”
Opening his laptop, the Center Director reviewed the profiles of Espers and Guides in the Center. Rion nodded.
“Then I’ll assume joint training starts tomorrow.”
“Most likely in the evening. Oh, and recommend a few candidates for the team. Your judgment is more valuable than mine—you’ll actually be fighting alongside them.”
“I don’t know much about the S-ranks. I’ve never been inside a Gate with them…”
“Then focus on A-ranks.”
Rion stayed in the Center Director’s office for a long time, narrowing down the list of those who’d enter the S-rank Gate with him.
Those with high compatibility, those who balanced his fiery temperament, those who could step up and lead the team when he couldn’t.
Weighing all the factors, he thought deeply. And before he knew it, the sun had set.
“You’re starting simultaneous activation training tomorrow too, right? If we add S-rank Gate drills on top of that, it’s going to be a tight schedule. Will you be okay?”
“I’ll be fine. Consider it punishment for all the delays. And anyway, we don’t know what could happen in there—better to be overprepared.”
Rion nodded.
An S-rank Gate—the kind he’d only seen on TV or the internet—was really appearing. He couldn’t just sit around doing nothing.
Maybe training to the point of exhaustion would keep the fear at bay.
No matter what, he’d stop it.
With that resolve, Rion and the Center Director finalized the team roster.
