# Chapter 43
Even with a gate detector to predict when gates would appear, it wasn’t 100% accurate. Though the probability was said to be 80%, based on field experience, it seemed to be closer to 60%. So the chance that the Jeju Island gate would never materialize was… quite high.
Wind was a versatile ability in many ways, and if Lee Seungwoo frequently traveled through gates here and there… even if the Jeju Island gate didn’t open, Ko Eungyo could use Lee Seungwoo to make his temporary license official.
He stood quietly leaning against the car door, gazing at the gate entrance shimmering with blue light.
Once a certain number of people entered and the gate reached saturation, it wouldn’t allow any more access. Yet that mysterious sight had a magical quality that captured one’s attention.
Just then, Ko Eungyo’s ears caught the whispers of people standing nearby waiting for their Espers.
‘Who’s that guy?’, ‘You know, that Guide who’s supposedly the illegitimate child of some big corporation.’, ‘Ah… Is that why we’ve never seen him before?’, ‘Probably. Wonder what brought him here this time.’, ‘Oh, maybe Esper Woo Sihyun is inside.’, ‘No way, he’s not.’, ‘What then…’
“…”
‘I can hear you, you idiots.’
He stood there askew, staring at the gate entrance, then abruptly turned his head toward the direction of the voices. He could feel the Guides who met his eyes gasping and falling silent.
He wondered if it was normal for rumors about a specific Guide to spread so widely, but then again, maybe Ko Eungyo had behaved strangely enough to warrant it. Especially since the pool of ability users working in the field and belonging to the Center was quite small, so everyone knew everyone.
So when a new face appeared, people naturally wanted to know who it was. And the title of “illegitimate child” of a “big corporation” was an evergreen topic for gossip, which might explain why Ko Eungyo was somewhat of a celebrity.
But contrary to their assumptions, if Woo Sihyun had really been at this gate, he wouldn’t have come here at all. Thinking about it again, Woo Sihyun was a lunatic. He had no intention of clinging to Woo Sihyun under any circumstances.
From now on, it was only Lee Seungwoo. He was determined to use Lee Seungwoo to obtain an official license and prove his ability as a field Guide, so that no one could say anything about him anymore.
Although Lee Seungwoo didn’t have much experience, he was an S-class Esper. Ko Eungyo wouldn’t need to hover around gates trying to enter; Lee Seungwoo would deliver excellent results right to his doorstep. Also, since Lee Seungwoo would continue to receive Guiding from Ko Eungyo, he would surely cooperate.
And if he didn’t?
‘Then I’ll just go to Jeju Island.’
With his thoughts clearly organized, he waited for Lee Seungwoo to emerge from the gate.
The Spider Nest Acromantula, one of the smaller gates, was appropriately cleared by three lower-level ability users over two days. However, because the spiders were poisonous when they bit, numerous, small-bodied, and tricky to keep watch for, it was much more cost-effective to include a high-level ability user and clear it in a short time. In that case, gate clearance would take about five hours.
There was no real need to come out and stand here like this.
To avoid the glances being cast his way, he got into the car. Taking the opportunity, he sat in the driver’s seat, reclined it halfway back, and planned his next moves. While things don’t always go according to plan, having as many backup plans as possible would help resolve whatever might happen.
Since Lee Seungwoo was the only Esper he could currently deploy, he ran through a list of gates that would be suitable to clear with him.
There were many gates compatible with a wind Esper.
Gates were basically divided into material and immaterial realms. Most gates were material, but higher-grade gates occasionally included immaterial ones.
Material meant things visible to the eye and tangible to the hand. Immaterial was the opposite.
Things that clearly existed but couldn’t be touched or seen, thus unrecognizable. Ghosts and spirits fell into this immaterial category. The former were quite harmful, but the latter were not. Spirit monsters that didn’t harm living beings sometimes revealed themselves when in the mood, and they were so beautiful that some gates had been developed as resorts.
Wind Espers might seem useful only for material gates, but that wasn’t actually the case. The ability of wind existed at the boundary between material and immaterial, though even that boundary was conceptually unclear. One could only speculate that extremely powerful abilities transcended the material to affect the immaterial as well.
He had a good feeling that working with Lee Seungwoo would not only restore his previous accomplishments but also allow him to achieve even more.
That’s when it happened.
A rumbling sound echoed throughout the area. It seemed like the ability user team had only been inside for about two hours…
‘Is it over already?’
He got out of the car when he heard the sound of gate fluctuations.
This unusually short gate clearance time must have been rare, as not only the Guides but also the guards protecting the gate were buzzing while looking at the entrance.
“Was this gate particularly easy?”
“No way. I heard a high-level Esper went in…”
“I saw that kid too. Super young. Wasn’t he a rookie?”
The gate entrance, which had been blue, was now swirling with red and white. In response to signs that the gate had been cleared, Center medical teams and ambulances gathered around the entrance as a first priority to prepare for any contingencies.
The Center Guides slowly followed behind. Since ambulances needed to pass first, traveling by car was not permitted.
He joined the crowd with a slightly awkward feeling.
He could sense some people glancing at him as they looked back. It would be a lie to say such attention wasn’t uncomfortable. But if he endured a little, time would pass quickly. He maintained an indifferent expression as he waited for the gate to open completely.
When the gate opened, Center guards entered to transport samples. He watched as Espers filed out in a line. Judging by the considerable number of regular Guides waiting at the gate, it seemed that only Espers had entered.
‘Well, it’s such a low-level gate that there’s no need for Guides to enter.’
Besides, there was a general perception that Guides, having no abilities, were vulnerable—a perception based on fact. Since there were enough Espers, the Center didn’t allow regular Guides inside gates to prevent potential accidents.
Field Guides typically built their track records in higher-grade gates. In short, there were no Guides who had entered the gate with these Espers. Perhaps because of this, or because they had exhausted their abilities without receiving Guiding, the Espers looked extremely tired. The Guides who had been waiting at the gate entrance for their Espers rushed toward them, chattering noisily.
Ko Eungyo could easily spot Lee Seungwoo.
Lee Seungwoo, walking out slowly with an expressionless face at the very back, seemed to recognize him immediately as well. He stopped in his tracks as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Esper Lee Seungwoo.”
He almost called him ‘student.’
“…”
“Good work. Why didn’t you tell me in advance that you were entering a gate? I’ll drive you first, so to the car…”
He couldn’t finish what he was saying. Lee Seungwoo, who had momentarily stood still, suddenly approached and collapsed into his arms as if melting.
Ko Eungyo was greatly startled. He hadn’t expected Lee Seungwoo to suddenly embrace him like this. Was he that exhausted? He looked fine on the outside.
Could he have a serious injury?
As he tried to check Lee Seungwoo’s face again, he felt weight pressing against his body. Ko Eungyo’s body staggered greatly as he hastily caught the collapsing Lee Seungwoo.
“Um… Shouldn’t we go to a hospital?”
“…I too.”
“Pardon?”
“I missed you too.”
What does that mean…?
“Seungwoo, what do you mean…”
He was about to ask what that meant but had to close his mouth. Lee Seungwoo seemed to have fainted, letting his entire body go limp, causing Ko Eungyo to stagger again.
He was shocked that he didn’t have the strength to support just one Esper.
Of course, Ko Eungyo wasn’t the type to strictly manage strength and physical fitness like Jang Iju, and he was naturally small and slight in build. While Lee Seungwoo was tall like an Esper, Ko Eungyo didn’t think he had that much muscle…
But an Esper was an Esper indeed—the weight coming toward him was substantial. Enough to push his body backward without him realizing it.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
