Even someone as thick-skinned as Rion couldn’t help but feel hurt by this point.
As he silently lowered his head, Yu-won belatedly raised a hand to his face and said,
“I respect you, Rion-sunbae.”
But it was too little, too late—empty words that only made things worse. After so many attempts at conversation had ended the same way, even Rion couldn’t help but feel angry now.
He didn’t bother hiding his expression as he stood and walked off to his tent. Sure, he was pissed—but more than that, after getting brushed off so many times, he felt awkward and humiliated. He just didn’t want to be around them anymore.
“Um… Yu-won-ssi…”
The group, now steeped in awkwardness, exchanged glances. Even Yu-won seemed a bit startled by Rion’s reaction.
“Let me ask seriously—you don’t hate Rion-sunbae, right?”
“No.”
The answer came back without even a second’s hesitation. Of course, even if he did dislike Rion, it’s not like he’d openly admit it. But then why the hell was he acting like this?
“Maybe you’re just shy? Still kinda tense being new and all?”
Seo-ha tried to reassure him, suggesting nerves might be the reason.
Yu-won hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“…Yeah.”
“There’s no need to be so tense. Our Center has a pretty chill atmosphere, and Rion-sunbae’s a genuinely good guy. Sure, he’s probably a bit upset right now, but once he sleeps on it, he’ll totally forget.”
“Just tell him you were nervous, that it wasn’t because you dislike him or anything, and I swear he’ll be back to smiling like nothing ever happened.”
Rion was hot-tempered, sure—but just as quick to cool down.
Every one of them had been on the receiving end of his outbursts at least once, but never for petty reasons. He always made amends and smoothed things over afterward.
“I remember getting chewed out once for losing track of a monster ‘cause I got distracted… I seriously thought I was gonna cry. But then he apologized, said he’d gone too far, and it was all good right after.”
“Same here. I stepped out of base to fetch water without thinking, and it almost turned into a big mess. He gave me an earful, but later came up like nothing happened. It’ll be the same this time too.”
They took turns sharing stories of being scolded by Rion, trying to comfort Yu-won.
Yu-won listened silently. He didn’t smile or ask what he should do—he just quietly took in their stories.
That night, after assigning everyone to night watch in turns, the team finally split off to their tents, leaving only the first watch Esper behind.
***
“Sunbae, you still mad?”
“Dunno.”
Joo-seop cautiously probed as Rion made his way toward the cave to hunt the Gate boss. Rion still had his lips pushed out in a pout.
“I asked him yesterday. He said it’s just nerves. Don’t be too upset, sunbae.”
“Who says I’m upset?”
Rion shot Joo-seop a glare.
Okay, sure—he was upset. But he didn’t want to show it. Still, after being rejected over and over again, he just couldn’t hide it anymore.
That’s why he’d walked off earlier—to avoid blowing up at anyone. But not long after, he regretted it.
I should’ve held back.
He was the sunbae, after all. And the new guy had only been here a week. Acting out just because the kid was a little shy and maybe kind of rude—it was pathetic.
In the end, Rion had managed to suppress his anger. But even just leaving without a word had been enough to make it obvious to everyone there that he was pissed.
“I mean, come on. You think I’m some whiny brat? Like I’d sulk over something like that when I’ve been with the Center this long?”
Rion tried to play it off with his usual bluff.
What’s the point in being mad?
Sure, Yu-won seemed to be avoiding him, but he wasn’t actually being disrespectful. With time, things would probably smooth out.
Rion forced himself to think positively as they entered the cave. Joo-seop lit a small flame with his ability, but the place was still dark and damp.
“Still, why’s the boss hiding out in a place like this? Ugh… it’s so damp and gross.”
“Monsters don’t exactly make their lairs in cozy spots, do they? Last time we had to crawl into a damn underground dungeon.”
“Still sucks, though. Ah!”
FWOOSH!
As Joo-seop let out a startled yelp, fire flared up behind Rion. A small monster that had been lurking in the darkness burst into flames, screeching in agony.
“You’re totally distracted. I knew this was still bugging you, huh?”
“I said it’s not. Add more fire. I can’t see anything.”
“Got it.”
As Joo-seop increased the number of flames, the cave brightened slightly.
And at that moment—
“WHAT IS THAT?!” Seo-ha screamed.
“Knew it. There’s always a reason when something feels off.”
Rion readied for battle, glancing around. The cave walls they thought were just rock were actually covered in clusters of small monsters.
“Burning these things is gonna be a pain. Seo-ha, think you can handle it?”
“I can, but I’ll probably be wiped out right after…”
“Then don’t. I’ll take care of the boss—you handle them. Joo-seop, back me up.”
Rion’s commands were quick and smooth. Seo-ha and Joo-seop both nodded in sync.
“And you—watch for any stragglers Seo-ha can’t finish off.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Even the B-rank Esper got a role, and once everything was set, Rion took a steadying breath.
On any other day, just stepping into this narrow, dank, filthy space would’ve drained his stamina. But today was different—he’d received proper guiding.
“Let’s go.”
Leaving the smaller monsters to Seo-ha, Rion sprinted forward. As he moved, Seo-ha began freezing the wall-crawling creatures.
He might’ve only been six months into the job, but Seo-ha’s ability was sharp—Rion could trust his back to him without worry.
“I knew it’d be like this…”
“Caves just scream boss fights.”
They arrived at the boss’s nest. A grotesquely large bat-like creature hung upside down, and the two exchanged dry remarks.
It wasn’t a surprise—the inner world of a Gate often reflected the boss—but this one really had a face you didn’t want to meet.
“I’ll rip its wings first. Set it on fire as soon as I do.”
“Got it.”
As if understanding their words, the bat-boss’s blood-red eyes snapped open.
Rion pushed off Joo-seop’s shoulder, leaping into the air. As the monster spread its wings, he sliced through them using his wind ability.
SKREEEEEEEEECH!
An ear-splitting shriek echoed through the cave, but Joo-seop remained calm and followed orders.
With its wings gone, the monster’s mobility was crippled. That alone gave them the upper hand.
Despite the sting from earlier, Rion was in top form—he tore through the boss like a force of nature.
His flashy, aggressive use of power did leave him a bit winded, but with another round of guiding from Yu-won after this…
“Ah!”
“Sunbae!”
“I’m fine! Just focus on your side!”
Lost in thought, Rion had taken a hit—a thorn grazed his cheek. He snapped back to attention.
Let’s finish this first. Then I’ll figure out how to talk to Yu-won.
“Damn thing’s got a tough neck!”
Moments later, he severed the boss’s head.
Some monsters still moved after decapitation, so he made sure it was dead before letting out a breath.
“How long did that take?”
“A little over a day? If we hadn’t stopped to sleep, you might’ve set a new record.”
“Whatever. Records’ll break eventually.”
Wiping the blood from his cheek, Rion checked for poison—thankfully, it didn’t seem to be that kind of injury.
“You okay?”
“Seo-ha’s wiped out, but we’re good overall.”
Ye-jin, the B-rank Esper, gently patted the exhausted Seo-ha lying on the cave floor.
“I feel like I’m gonna die…”
“Let’s get out of here. We’ve got an S-rank Guide—he’ll have you back on your feet in no time.”
Rion easily scooped up the limp Seo-ha. Dangling in the air, Seo-ha mumbled,
“Yeah… he’s our savior. An S-rank Guide’s a literal blessing. So, sunbae, you should stop being mad now, okay?”
“I’m not mad. What would I even gain by getting angry at a twenty-year-old who’s been at the Center less than a week?”
“Then that’s good.”
The four of them hurried back to camp. Ji-soo, face full of concern, was the first to rush out.
“What happened to Seo-ha?”
“Trusted in our S-rank Guide and pushed his ability till he collapsed. That’s all.”
“Ah, Yu-won-ssi! Yu-won-ssi, could you come help please?”
Ji-soo darted into the tent to fetch Yu-won. Moments later, Yu-won emerged, led by her.
His eyes widened slightly, then narrowed.
“Sit him down, please.”
Yu-won took Seo-ha’s hand and began guiding. Seo-ha visibly relaxed as he experienced S-rank guiding for the first time, his body sagging in relief.
“Was it a rough situation inside?”
“Nope. Just wanted to wrap it up quickly, so I left the rear to Seo-ha. I mean, it’s our first Gate as a matched pair—I had to end it in style.”
Rion joked like nothing had happened the day before.
“Now you see why they call me Korea’s strongest Esper, right?”
His cheek still stung from the thorn, but it was nothing.
As Yu-won quietly guided Seo-ha, he glanced at Rion—then lowered his gaze again.
“…Doesn’t seem like much.”
“What?”
Did I just hear that right?
Rion blinked and looked around.
Everyone else, even Seo-ha—who was mid-guiding—was staring at Yu-won in shock. So no, he hadn’t misheard.
“If being the strongest Esper just means rushing in so fast you don’t notice you’re getting hurt, and walking back with injuries… then ‘strongest’ really doesn’t mean much, does it?”
Yu-won doubled down, and with that final blow, any last shred of hope Rion had—any effort to see Yu-won as a decent person—was shattered.
