It was definitely the same smile he’d once found so beautiful—so why did it feel so unpleasant this time?
“Oh, Kang Rion. When did you get here?”
Ye-ju, who’d been smiling while talking with Yu-won, greeted Rion when she noticed him. As Yu-won’s smile vanished the moment he turned his head away, Rion had to force himself not to let his own expression twist.
“Just now. I told you to stick together. Why are you wandering off?”
“Oh? I guess I got a little too focused on gathering food. Still, we didn’t go that far.”
“I know it’s not far. But this isn’t just some random Gate we’ve entered—it’s an S-rank Gate. We need to be extra cautious right now.”
While it was always important to stay alert in a Gate, S-rank Gates demanded a different level of vigilance. That was probably why Rion sounded harsher than usual.
Ye-ju, who knew how protective Rion was of those around him, looked briefly flustered before nodding and calling out to Yu-won.
“Come on, Yu-won.”
“Yu-won…?”
It was true that Yu-won was the youngest among them, but most people weren’t especially close to him and still called him Yu-won-ssi.
But now she was casually calling him by name? What happened in the short time they were apart?
Rion tilted his head in confusion. Ye-ju explained.
“Oh, since we’re already halfway through the Gate, and he’s the youngest, he said there was no need to keep things so formal anymore. Right?”
“Yes. I’d be happier if everyone just spoke comfortably with me.”
Yu-won nodded as he answered.
It was a good change, of course. But Rion couldn’t help furrowing his brow at the odd, uneasy feeling it stirred in him.
So then… yesterday too… that was just… the same friendliness he shows everyone else?
There was no real reason to feel upset, but it still left him with a vague sense of betrayal.
Still, he shook his head and pushed the feeling away.
“Let’s just go. We need to keep moving.”
“Right, right. Let’s go, Yu-won.”
“Yes, noona.”
Yu-won gave a slight nod and followed after Ye-ju.
“By the way, are those berries even edible?”
“Oh, yeah. I checked with a quick scanner. Their composition’s the same as apples.”
Ye-ju proudly showed off the berries she held in both arms.
Rion gave a small nod and took the lead.
Once the two rejoined the group, the team resumed their march.
“Still, today went a bit better than before. Guess it’s true what they say—humans adapt to anything. Not that I wanted to learn it this way.”
“Yeah, but at least it’s getting easier day by day. Better than crying your way through the whole week, right?”
“You were the one crying. I didn’t cry, okay?”
“Ah, sure, sure.”
Even though the situation was still tense and they couldn’t let their guard down, the fact that they could exchange casual banter like this made things feel a little more relaxed.
It should’ve lifted Rion’s mood, too—but somehow, he found it harder to manage his expression than he had the day before.
“Still worn out, huh? Make sure to rest well tonight.”
“Huh? Oh, uh… yeah.”
“Totally. Look at that face—he’s clearly sleep-deprived. And it’s your fault.”
“I mean… I’m really exhausted too…”
Joo-chan looked sheepish, as if to say they were being too harsh.
Rion wasn’t in a bad mood because of the exhaustion—but maybe letting the others assume that wasn’t such a bad idea.
Sigh… I wonder if I’ll actually be able to sleep well tonight.
“Who’s on watch duty?”
“……Me and Jin-ha.”
Min-hyeon raised his hand reluctantly, a sour look on his face.
It was debatable whether it even made sense for a healing-type Esper like Min-hyeon to stand watch, but by that logic, the Guides shouldn’t be taking turns either—so Rion figured it didn’t matter.
“We can count on you, right, Min-hyeon?”
“I… I’m not really confident…”
“I’m confident, so it’s fine. Just trust me, okay?”
Jin-ha placed a reassuring hand on Min-hyeon’s shoulder and thumped his own chest.
Sociable as ever, Jin-ha had already grown close to most of the team.
Except, of course, for Yu-won—who only spoke in clipped phrases whenever he was around Min-hyeon and Jin-ha.
“Don’t trust me, Min-hyeon?”
“It’s not that, it’s just…”
“He’s just shy. We’ve worked together for over a year and he still finds us hard to talk to. You being so over-the-top probably makes it worse.”
“Over-the-top? That’s harsh…”
Jin-ha stuck out his lower lip, feigning a pout.
Min-hyeon shrugged, looking awkward, as if he’d snapped at the wrong person.
“It’s just teasing. He’s shy, that’s all. He gets scared easily. But if you mess with him too much, he might really end up disliking you.”
“Nah, come on—Min-hyeon loves me. Right?”
“Y-Yeah. Of course.”
Rion watched the awkward smile on Min-hyeon’s face, then turned his gaze to his own tentmate.
He said he wanted to get along better with everyone… and yet, it’s still strange seeing him chat with people like that.
He never avoided conversation before, but he was never the type to initiate it either.
“Hm.”
Jin-ha, watching Rion with a curious look, chuckled softly.
That’s when Rion noticed the eyes on him and quickly turned his gaze forward.
“Let’s pick up the pace. Sun’s going down soon. At least the nights here are short.”
“Yeah. Feels like things are getting heavier… We’re probably not far from where the boss is. We should camp somewhere convenient and start planning.”
Tae-hwan stared at the mountain ahead as he spoke.
“It’s just a hunch, but in a Gate, your gut’s one of the best tools you’ve got.”
“I feel it too. Got this nasty vibe earlier.”
“Right? Feels like we’ll be swarmed with boss-tier monsters soon. Starting tomorrow, we might not get a moment’s rest.”
Tae-hwan glanced around at the Espers.
Most were at least ten, even twenty years younger than him, but they weren’t just “kids.” They were capable comrades.
“I know this’ll probably sound like some useless old guy nagging you, and maybe it is. But I’ve been inside an S-rank Gate before. And let me tell you—just when you think you’re getting used to it, it hits you even harder.
“There’s no ‘fairness’ in here. So just because things feel familiar now, don’t start letting your guard down.”
“That’s not nagging at all. Everything you said is valuable advice.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Tae-hwan glanced at the group as he spoke.
Compared to how powerless and terrified he’d once felt, this team was holding up surprisingly well.
But it still wasn’t time to relax.
He felt a little bad for disrupting the lighter mood, but there were things that had to be said.
“Tomorrow’s going to be even tougher. So stay alert, don’t get complacent, and prepare for the worst. The goal is for everyone to make it out alive—if we can manage that, we’ve done well.
“So don’t set your hopes too high, and don’t be crushed if things don’t go perfectly.”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you scaring the kids a little too much? I mean, it’s stuff they’ll figure out on their own anyway…”
Hee-soo spoke with a worried look.
She understood what he meant, especially since it wasn’t uncommon for teams to leave an S-rank Gate with fewer members than they entered with.
“Knowing ahead of time and figuring it out the hard way are two very different things.”
“I know it’s only going to get harder. Of course we need to stay focused. We all know what could happen if we don’t finish this properly.”
Rion nodded as he spoke.
Tae-hwan was right—this wasn’t a place where anyone could afford to let their guard down, not even for a second.
Of course, if they let the anxiety crush them into inaction, that would be a different problem.
But a certain level of tension was necessary.
“If we slack off now and make it through the week too comfortably, who knows what might happen after we get out.
“We’ve made it halfway—if we fail to finish the other half, that’d be such a waste.”
“Exactly. We have to give it our all.”
“You’re the first one who collapsed, and now you’re full of advice?”
“……I’m really gonna get it together now. I swear.”
“There’s something I want to say to Rion in particular… but, nah. I’ll tell you privately later.”
Tae-hwan started to say something, then shook his head and stopped himself.
Returning to his usual tone, he continued.
“Sorry if that got a little heavy. But I figured it was better to say it while I’m in the mood to talk.”
“No, it was a necessary reminder. Yesterday was rough, and today almost felt too good. I needed something to keep me grounded—thank you.”
“Heh. Glad to hear that.”
When Hyeon-seo chimed in, Tae-hwan laughed and scratched the back of his neck.
Looking a bit embarrassed, he exaggerated his gestures as he walked.
“Alright, let’s pitch the tents first. We’ll probably hit the central zone with the boss tomorrow. Let’s also sort the berries and check our remaining food and water.”
“We’re not there yet, you know. Don’t rush so much.”
Hee-soo nagged at Tae-hwan, who was clearly getting ahead of himself.
Following behind, Rion recalled the words that had been left hanging.
Something he wants to say to me?
Did he do something wrong?
Yu-won had been pushed out of his mind without him realizing it—his head now filled with worry as he silently walked forward, running through all the possibilities.
