After climbing for quite a while, the group figured it was about time for monsters to show up. They left the Guides behind and continued up the path. And that was when Rion, who’d gone ahead on reconnaissance, accidentally provoked the monsters.
“Ah, crap.”
Guess a little tension really is necessary.
Rion, who’d let his mind wander and ended up provoking the monsters, wore a flustered expression as he fired a flare into the sky.
But it would take a little time for the others to arrive. Regaining his focus, Rion quickly sized up the oncoming monsters.
Boom—, Boom—.
“Kieeeek—!”
“Graaaah!”
Fortunately, the monsters that appeared this time were similar in type and strength to the ones they’d encountered yesterday.
While it would be tough to take them all out solo, Rion felt confident he could at least hold them off for a while. He kept up his attacks and deployed a large barrier.
If he could stop them from moving, he could block the path.
Encircling the monsters in a large, invisible wall, Rion took stock of his surroundings.
Since he was covering an area even larger than a soccer field, he didn’t have the leeway to do anything else.
“Sunbae!”
Thankfully, Seo-ha arrived shortly after and called out to him. At the sound of her voice, Rion withdrew the energy surrounding the monsters and regrouped with the rest of the party.
Though it was a defensive barrier, the monsters bashing their heads into the invisible wall had also taken damage in the process.
“They’re staggering. Should we just keep catching them like this from now on?”
“Who knows what might happen later. Don’t waste your energy—just focus on attacking properly.”
“Yessir, yessir.”
Getting nagged by Min-cheol, Rion nodded half-heartedly and resumed his attacks.
Even Seo-jin, who wasn’t a combat Esper, helped by staggering a few monsters with his sleep-based ability.
“Ugh, ack! Someone save me!”
“I told you, you’re not gonna die! Just hold on tight!”
“Sunbae! I swear I might actually die this time!”
“People don’t die that easily. Duck your head!”
The only one still whining like he couldn’t handle the Gate was Min-hyeon. As a healing-type Esper, his job was to stick close to either Tae-hwan or Hyeon-seo and heal them the moment they got injured.
But right now, he was slung over Tae-hwan’s broad back like a backpack, getting jostled around.
“Aaaack!”
“You didn’t die yesterday, or the day before. You won’t die today either! Stop worrying!”
“Today might actually be the day, though!”
“Still loud as ever over there.”
The other Espers had grown used to Min-hyeon’s high-pitched shrieking over the past few days and continued fighting with calm expressions.
He might scream like he was dying, but he never once let go, and continued to stick to his assigned person and heal them when needed.
“My ears are ringing—let’s try to wrap this up as fast as we can.”
“Yeah. Min-hyeon’s gonna lose his voice at this rate.”
Everyone was exhausted and on edge, but on a path where life and death were constantly at stake, even the luxury of suffering felt indulgent.
Seeing Rion’s swollen face had left an impression on the Espers. It reminded them of the mindset they’d had when they first entered the Gate.
Kieeeek! Guweeek! Grrrrr…
By the third day, perhaps due to accumulated experience, they were able to take down the monsters a bit faster than the day before.
They all had to admit that no one could handle everything alone.
Rion was no exception. He had to accept that, just like in any other Gate, he couldn’t be the core of the team all on his own.
But with people beside him, behind him, and in front of him offering their strength—he believed they could make it through.
And so, the Espers moved forward, a little stronger than the day before.
***
“Look at how swollen your face is. Go get some rest. You must be exhausted from barely getting any sleep.”
“I told you I was fine staying up…”
“Oh please, it’s your fault to begin with. You were dozing off, so what was our overly-responsible Rion supposed to do? He couldn’t just leave you like that. This is on you.”
“Yep. Totally my fault…”
Everyone was dead tired, but the mood was lighter than the day before.
Rion was just as exhausted, but in a much better mood overall.
He’d thought he wasn’t supposed to show when he was struggling, but seeing his teammates worry about him—and try harder because of it—just from seeing his puffy face… It brought him a strange sense of peace.
Well… my face did swell up pretty bad.
He’d figured it was just from crying, but this had been the toughest Gate he’d ever gone through—mentally and physically. It was no surprise his face was that bloated.
The swelling around his eyes was enough to draw attention on its own. Honestly, if he’d known, he wouldn’t have even bothered with cold compresses.
“Make sure to rest properly today. Oh, do you want to switch tents? As long as you get your guiding done, there’s no reason to stay in the same one… You’d probably feel more comfortable with someone you’re close to, right?”
That suggestion came from Min-hyeon, who looked downright gaunt.
The person currently sharing a tent with him was none other than Jin-ha.
Everyone knew Rion and Jin-ha were close, so the rest of the team assumed he’d agree without hesitation.
“Nah, it’s fine.”
“Okay. Then I’ll just grab my—…Wait, what?”
Min-hyeon, expecting an obvious yes, blinked in confusion when he finally processed Rion’s response.
He wasn’t the only one surprised.
“Why not?”
“You always act like you’re uncomfortable sharing a tent with him, even if you never actually say it.”
“Seriously? Sunbae, something did happen last night, didn’t it?”
It wasn’t an unreasonable reaction, but Rion felt oddly self-conscious under everyone’s scrutiny and spoke while glancing around awkwardly.
“Is it really that shocking? We’re just sleeping. No reason to make a big deal about switching.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Enough. Don’t make a fuss. Oh, the Guides just finished climbing up. Speaking of which—I saw a lake nearby during reconnaissance.”
“Really? Think we can finally get a proper wash?”
“Maybe. It’s not too far, I think. About an hour’s walk?”
“Let’s rest there for today.”
Hyeon-seo neatly wrapped up the conversation and winked at Rion.
Grateful to escape the nosy crowd, Rion gave her a small nod of thanks.
When I get back, I need to tell him I’m really okay now. I’d like to see that smile again.
Rion gathered his things, thinking to himself.
Yu-won’s smile—so rare, and yet so warm—just remembering it was enough to lift his mood.
“Is Min-hyeon actually okay? He’s so pale. Can’t he just self-heal?”
“He can treat injuries, but being tired is another story…”
The first one to approach the Espers was Jin-ha.
Seeing Min-hyeon’s soul practically leaving his body, Jin-ha smirked and poked fun.
“Your face was already pale, but now it’s like a damn sheet of paper. At this rate, you’ll disintegrate gloriously in two days.”
“Hyuuuung…”
“Quit teasing him. Just do the guiding already.”
Rion, sticking up for Min-hyeon who looked on the verge of tears, gave Jin-ha a light pat on the back.
“Alright, everyone, let’s get our guiding. Wait… why are there only four of you?”
There should’ve been five Guides and one Esper kept behind in case of emergency. So six people total should’ve come up—but only four were present.
Yu-won and Ye-ju were nowhere to be seen.
Rion belatedly realized this and started looking around.
“There were some berries that looked edible. They went to pick them.”
“You sent just the two of them?”
“It’s right there. Just behind the trees. There were a ton of apple-like fruits.”
Jin-ha pointed in a direction. Through the dense trees, something—or someone—seemed to be moving.
“Still, you should’ve sent an Esper with them. There’s a reason we left one behind.”
“Yeah. You’re the senior—why didn’t you stop them?”
Tae-hwan jumped on the opportunity to nag Hee-soo.
Looking aggrieved, Hee-soo defended herself.
“Hey, we were picking with them. We just got separated for a second while gathering, and when we saw them heading back, we followed.”
To support her claim, Hee-soo’s bag was filled with a few of the same fruits.
Rion nodded, getting a general sense of the situation.
“I’ll go get them. We need to start moving if we want to make it to the next campsite before dark. I’ll carry your bags.”
“Ugh, this is the kind of thing a big, dumb strong guy like me should be doing. Poor Rion’s doing all the hard work.”
“I may be strong, but I’ve only got two arms. Sorry about that.”
Tae-hwan grumbled while lifting one heavy bag with each hand.
Meanwhile, Rion pushed through the dense underbrush to retrieve Yu-won and Ye-ju.
Just as the others had said, the trees were thick, but the distance wasn’t far.
Before long, Rion could hear their voices.
“Really? That’s amazing. I was too scared to get tested at twenty—I didn’t even want to find out if I was a Guide or an Esper.”
It was Ye-ju’s voice.
They seemed to be chatting casually.
Rion figured Yu-won was probably replying with a stiff, “I see,” and continued pushing aside the final bush blocking his view.
“Haha. I’ve heard that kind of thing happens a lot.”
And the moment Rion parted the last of the undergrowth—he saw that smile again.
The one on Yu-won’s face.
The one he’d thought was so beautiful.
