At the foot of the mountain, a freshly dug pit came into view. Three reconnaissance soldiers surrounded it, reaching out their hands.
A faint, wavering energy gathered in their palms. Even in the bitter cold, sweat trickled down their faces as they poured their focus into tracking abilities, but their efforts yielded no desired results. The traces left behind were not those of their target.
“Damn, this is just a Creature’s remnants.”
“With the Gate opening nearby, no matter where we search, all we pick up is the presence of these damn monsters.”
The reconnaissance soldiers hurriedly reported the unfavorable situation. Their commanding officer, Major Mateo, who had been ordered to locate the S-rank mutant Guide, gave a calm directive.
“I see. Move on to the next point.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Maintain your three-person teams, but ensure your paths don’t overlap with those of the other search squads. A-rank Espers will scan the terrain as a whole, B-rank Espers will focus on the ground and immediate surroundings, and C-rank Espers will concentrate on distant areas, including the sky and treetops. I’ll report our progress to the brigadier general and catch up.”
“Yes, sir.”
Following his orders, the reconnaissance troops dispersed. Major Mateo remained behind, pressing his goggles firmly against the bridge of his nose before switching them on.
Under normal circumstances, as the deputy commander of the 7th Special Operations Unit, he would be reporting to his direct superior, Lieutenant Colonel Shin, the unit’s commanding officer. However, the unit Mateo currently led was not a special operations force—it was a search unit.
An emergency search unit hastily assembled to track the whereabouts of the S-rank mutant Guide.
As such, Major Mateo’s superior for this mission was not Lieutenant Colonel Shin but Brigadier General Oh, the commander of Army Operations Command.
—”Oh, yeah. Go ahead.”
It took a considerable time for the transmission to connect before Brigadier General Oh finally responded.
“This is Major Mateo, commanding the emergency search unit.”
—”Listen to this young man. Your voice sounds completely drained. So, tell me, got any results?”
“We’re facing difficulties. So far, we’ve found nothing of note.”
—”Why the hell not?”
“It’s due to the Gate that opened near the incident site. Normally, we would have been able to detect the core’s signal almost immediately… but the area is so contaminated with the remnants of numerous Creatures that the signal is drowned out.”
Brigadier General Oh clicked his tongue and made a show of rebuking Major Mateo.
—”Tsk, unbelievable. You think I don’t know that? I already received the report about the Gate. I know those damn Creatures rampaged through the area. But do you think I assigned you to this mission just to hear such pathetic excuses?”
“…….”
—”Major Mateo, is this really the best you can do? Is this how you handle things? No wonder the Army’s reputation keeps sinking lower by the day.”
“…I’ll correct the situation, sir.”
Major Mateo responded with a calm expression, unfazed by the reprimand. He wasn’t the type to be shaken by a few harsh words. And besides, it was true—he hadn’t achieved any results yet. He had no choice but to take full responsibility.
“We’ll need to eliminate all the Creatures that poured out of the Gate before we can resume the search. Moreover, the troops are exhausted. They need rest.”
—”There’s already a Special Operations unit assigned to deal with the Creatures in that area. Are you saying they’re not enough?”
“Yes. Assign additional personnel to expedite the cleanup.”
—”Fine. I’ll consider it.”
Beneath the skeletal branches of a tree, icicles had formed, swaying precariously in the wind. One snapped in the middle, falling directly toward Major Mateo’s head. Without hesitation, he activated his ability, summoning a protective barrier that blocked the sharp fragment. As he lowered his hand, he added another request.
“One more thing, sir. I need confirmation on whether this land is public or privately owned. If it’s private, we might be able to obtain useful information from the landowner.”
—”Tsk, what nonsense. You have an entire squad of tracking Espers, and you’re talking about door-to-door questioning?”
“…….”
—”That’s not your concern. Just focus on the orders you’ve been given. Use the tracking abilities! Get on the ground, use your damn feet, and find that mutant’s trail. Understood?”
“……Understood, sir.”
—”The higher-ups have their own plans. We’ll do the thinking. You just focus on the search, Major Mateo. No unnecessary actions.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll follow orders.”
—”Good. That’s all.”
Click. The transmission cut off.
Major Mateo reached up to lift his goggles. As he grabbed the angular frame, a brief notification flashed across the screen.
[First Special Operations Unit will be assigned to Creature suppression. It should be resolved quickly.]
The First Special Operations Unit.
A top-tier combat squad commanded by the veteran Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san. They consisted only of the most elite Awakened individuals, and among them was the renowned Captain Seo Eui-woo—the first S-rank Esper.
Normally, such individuals wouldn’t be assigned to something as trivial as mopping up leftover Creatures. Their missions were typically far more dangerous—breaching the Gate’s deepest zones, destroying Gate Cores, or expanding the frontlines near Creature-dominated territories.
And yet, they were being deployed here.
It was a clear indication of how seriously the higher-ups were taking the search for the S-rank mutant Guide.
“At this rate… I have to find him, no matter what.”
Major Mateo removed his goggles. His dark eyes quietly scanned the eerie surroundings before settling on the upper ridge of the canyon at the mountain’s base. His gaze lingered on the area where the terrain had been bluntly sheared away, bearing the unmistakable scars of an explosion. As he stared at the devastated landscape, a figure flashed through his mind.
Kwon Jae-jin. S-rank mutant Guide, Kwon Jae-jin.
His squared fist clenched tightly, trembling ever so slightly. He couldn’t forget the moment he had gripped that man’s throat. The memory was still vivid—the sensation of pressing against his skin, forcing fingers past his lips, pushing into the delicate mucous membranes inside his mouth.
Could that even be called Guiding?
After coming into contact with Kwon Jae-jin, Major Mateo’s abilities had surged dramatically.
The strength of his barriers, their radius, even the duration he could maintain them—all had improved significantly. It was an unheard-of, almost miraculous phenomenon.
Guiding was supposed to alleviate the side effects of Esper abilities, balancing their unstable energies—it had nothing to do with enhancing an ability’s power. The mastery and growth of an ability were entirely dependent on the Esper’s own capacity. Only an Esper could refine and develop their abilities.
And yet, just a few minutes of physical contact with that S-rank mutant Guide had elevated Major Mateo’s power to an entirely new level.
To put it precisely… it was as if he had unlocked a strength within me that even I hadn’t realized existed…
But was that even possible?
Was he imagining things?
If there were a way to confirm it, he would—however, until Kwon Jae-jin was located, there was no way to prove it.
After all, Major Mateo was the only person who had ever come into direct contact with Kwon Jae-jin. He was the only one who had experienced that kind of Guiding. No one else knew what an S-rank Guide’s effects were like, nor how powerful they could be. Only he had felt it firsthand.
If that level of improvement was achieved from just a brief, accidental touch… I can’t even begin to imagine what would happen with proper, intentional Guiding…
A deep crease formed between Major Mateo’s brows. His face, which had remained impassive while speaking with Brigadier General Oh, was now twisted with emotion, openly revealing his internal turmoil.
—
—
The brigadier general’s voice rang unpleasantly in his mind, reverberating through his overheated thoughts. Beneath the weight of that persistent command, something crude and rebellious flared up within him. His instincts as an Esper screamed at him.
Capture Kwon Jae-jin. Make him Guide you.
Do not hand him over to Brigadier General Oh. Do not kill him.
Guide. You must be Guided.
“…Hah.”
A cold sigh slipped from Major Mateo’s lips.
For all he knew, Kwon Jae-jin might have already been caught in the explosion and died. If his body had been incinerated beyond recognition, then searching for him would be meaningless.
What the hell was that explosion in the first place? A light like the sun erupted, and within it… something overwhelming… something…
His already distorted expression twisted further. No matter how many times he replayed that day’s events in his mind, he couldn’t make sense of it. All he could remember was an immense, transcendent light—something far beyond comprehension—engulfing Kwon Jae-jin, as if it had swallowed him whole.
I should have used my ability. If I had deployed my barrier in time… If I had done that, I wouldn’t have lost the S-rank Guide.
If Kwon Jae-jin had truly been caught in the explosion and killed, then it was Major Mateo’s failure. His failure alone.
The first-ever S-rank Guide.
Mutant or not, he was still the first S-rank Guide…!
No. I just need to find him. He was a tough bastard. He wouldn’t have died so easily. He’s still out there—I just have to track him down.
Regret wouldn’t change anything. The only course left was to throw everything into the search, to track him down at all costs.
Find him—
And once he was found…
Once he was found…
Yeah…
Capture.
Kill.
Guide…
A thin, twisted smile spread across Major Mateo’s lips.
