Davis, like Ian, was from the Black Mamba Guild—and he was far from happy with the current situation. Only two members had been dispatched to Korea: him and Ian. Since they’d already entered and cleared a gate together, Davis considered his job done.
Naturally, he expected to return immediately. But then, a message came from the guild. Ian was heading into another gate, and Davis was instructed to go with him. Along with the order came a reward offer too generous to ignore—part of it already transferred as an advance.
The money was satisfying, but the circumstances were not. He didn’t like the idea of entering two gates, especially in a country that wasn’t even his own. No matter how hard he worked here, who was going to recognize it? He was a member of an elite guild and confident in his overflowing talent—so he came to a simple conclusion:
‘Keep your head down. Just get through this quietly.’
With that mindset, he stood idly beside one of the Guides, half-listening as their conversation filtered into his ears. Davis was a psychic-type Esper, particularly gifted in language. After only a few days in the country, he’d already picked up the basics of conversation.
One Guide, partnered with a low-ranked Esper, was handing something over and asking for a favor.
‘An A-rank Guide.’
At a glance, Davis could tell Seo-ha and Moon Roi were A-rank. That alone made the situation clear.
They were the highest-ranking Guides here. And he already knew who they were paired with.
‘The team leader’s and Ian’s temporary partner.’
The man Ian had brought in as a temporary partner stood out—tall, especially for a Guide.
‘He’s not really my type compared to that one…’
As Davis’s gaze wandered toward someone, the Guide beside him spoke up in clumsy English, asking if he needed anything. Likely assigned to him just because he spoke English, the man was utterly unremarkable—B-rank, lacking tact, and not Davis’s type in the slightest.
‘If he were my partner, he’d need to be at least on that level.’
Davis’s gaze settled. First of all—clean, attractive face: check. A pleasant smile, a slim build that wasn’t too short—just the right size to pull close.
Even his voice hinted at the kind of moans he’d let out during Guiding.
‘And he’s A-rank… his energy must be crystal clear.’
If only he weren’t the team leader’s partner. That was the one thing getting in Davis’s way.
His eyes darkened with lecherous desire.
***
An Esper from the Recon Unit returned. Ian, who’d been scouting the area on his own, approached as well. Neither looked particularly pleased.
“Stay sharp.”
Ian gestured toward Seo-ha, warning him not to get any closer. Seo-ha quickly scanned the surroundings, then moved in the opposite direction of Ian’s line of sight. As soon as he moved, Moon Roi followed—then the other Guides adjusted their positions accordingly. From the outside, it looked like Seo-ha was leading the Guide team—but no one raised any objections.
And for good reason. Seo-ha’s matching rate might have been abysmal, but in terms of dungeon experience, he was as capable as any veteran.
Among those in the field, it was an unspoken truth: the area around Seo-ha was the safest. Imitate even half of his movements, and you could conserve half your stamina.
If not for his low matching rate, Espers would be lining up to form a pair contract with him.
“SKREEEEE!”
No sooner had the Guides gathered than a monstrous screech tore through the air. The ground shook violently, and Seo-ha tensed, pulling an electric baton from his pocket. Sure, the Espers were there to protect them—but you never knew what might happen.
Moon Roi, following suit, pulled out his own weapon— his was a gun.
“They’re not supposed to get this close…”
Moon Roi exhaled a shaky breath, muttering under his breath. Seo-ha, eyes locked ahead, responded flatly,
“There’s too many. If even one slips past the Espers, it’ll charge straight at us. Don’t blink.”
Even with Espers acting as their shield, Seo-ha had no intention of relying on them alone.
“Well, this is an S-class gate.”
Moon Roi sighed in defeat. In a place like this, anything could happen.
“These aren’t just regular bullets, you know?”
“Oh yeah?”
“Seriously, listen. I begged the Director for these. They’re normally reserved for Espers, but I convinced him I could handle them. The impact’s no joke.”
Moon Roi kept rambling, trying to shake off his nerves—but his face was still taut with tension.
“Is that so?”
Seo-ha, who’d known Moon Roi long enough, replied with dry indifference. But his eyes were just as sharp and focused as Moon Roi’s.
Watching them, Guide Jang Jin-young let out a quiet chuckle—oddly out of place in the tense atmosphere.
It wasn’t unusual for Guides to carry weapons. But with Baek Seo-ha and Moon Roi, they didn’t feel like ordinary Guides at all—they moved like seasoned Espers.
“Feels reassuring, doesn’t it?”
The more you saw of them, the more irresistible they became.
***
The real fight had begun.
The monster had a cracked, shell-like back that split open like fractured earth. It didn’t resemble any specific animal—but its body was turtle-like, and its face looked like a raging bull.
The monster charged so fiercely that getting hit by its horns would be like being slammed by a truck. It barreled forward headfirst, leaving little room to figure out where to strike. Its back didn’t look like any blade could pierce it. And that wasn’t the worst part. Each one was massive—and they moved in groups. This wasn’t going to be an easy fight.
“And that thing’s not even the boss? That’s insane.”
The biggest problem—the one nobody wanted to acknowledge—was now staring them in the face. Seo-ha steadied his breathing and fixed his attention on Han Ju-oh as he fought. Flames erupted from Han Ju-oh’s hands, carried on the wind as they surged toward the monster.
Meanwhile, Ian attacked from a completely different direction, unleashing a storm of lightning.
“Nice. That’s a solid tactic for dealing with a swarm.”
On one side, wind-fueled fire spread across the monster’s body. On the other, lightning clung to one creature and jumped to others nearby. It was an ideal strategy for taking on a horde.
Still on edge, Seo-ha let out a low whistle of admiration. Bringing Ian had been the right decision. He and Han Ju-oh didn’t exchange many words, but their coordination was seamless. Maybe it was because they were both S-class—neither side lagged behind the other.
Seo-ha’s gaze stayed locked on Han Ju-oh, pride swelling in his chest as he watched the man’s flawless combat instincts in action.
‘That guy over there—that’s my Esper.’
He wanted to shout it at the top of his lungs. He wanted the whole world to see how damn good Han Ju-oh was. That—that was how you used your abilities to their fullest.
“You do realize you’re acting seriously cringe right now, right?”
Moon Roi’s voice broke in. Seo-ha responded with a grin still tugging at his lips.
“What did I even do?”
“Remember how you used to get all grossed out when other Guides bragged about their Espers?”
“I wasn’t grossed out. I was jealous.”
“Ohhh, so now you’ve got yourself an Esper, huh?”
Moon Roi let out a disbelieving scoff. Seo-ha pointed at Han Ju-oh with no shame whatsoever.
“Just look at him. His physique alone blows everyone else out of the water. And he’s not just some meathead swinging wildly—he fights with actual finesse. Since when did he get this sharp in combat? Wait—did you see that? I swear his biceps just flexed!”
Seo-ha grabbed Moon Roi’s arm and shook it like an excited kid.
“Yeah, yeah, we get it. He’s yours. Keep going, get it all out of your system.”
Moon Roi chuckled dryly, telling him to enjoy the chance to gush while he could—now that he finally had a partner to brag about.
“How did someone like that end up paired with me? And don’t even get me started on how he eats—he finishes everything you give him without a single complaint. And every bite turns into pure muscle. Not even a speck of fat. Whoa, did you see that last hit?”
“Why didn’t you show off like this before we entered the gate? Instead of going on about grape clusters or whatever…”
Moon Roi’s jab hit its mark. Seo-ha clamped his mouth shut, realizing in hindsight why things had felt so awkward after that comment. Everyone had thought he was about to confess something—and then he hadn’t followed through.
“I just…”
Seo-ha started to mumble a half-hearted excuse, but his head suddenly jerked forward, sensing something. The sudden tension in his face made Moon Roi turn as well, following his line of sight.
The flow of battle, which had been firmly under Han Ju-oh and Ian’s control, was beginning to shift. Seo-ha narrowed his eyes—and saw it.
The monsters they thought were down… were getting back up.
Seo-ha glanced at the ground beneath him, then back at the cracked shell of the monster. The fire hadn’t scorched the earth. These creatures had some kind of affinity with it—if the flames only charred the surface, they wouldn’t be enough to destroy them from within. Now they were rising again, their bodies streaked with soot.
This second round was going to be even harder than the first.
“Their elements don’t match.”
Han Ju-oh and Ian alone wouldn’t be enough to finish them off.
