"Positions!"Dojin’s thunderous voice boomed across the area. Raon froze for a second, then tilted his head back to look up."…You’ve got to be kidding me."That thing—he recognized it instantly. The colossal monster that ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) should only appear right before reaching the stone structure, the second phase of the Gate.And yet it was here, at the entrance.No… impossible things don’t exist anymore, do they?Even the appearance of the Sector 7 Gate had come too early. At this point, any deviation was fair game.Swallowing hard, Raon quickly gathered his team."Listen up! We may have to assist the combat team directly. Stay sharp!""Yes, Team Leader!"At his command, the guides drew their weapons—handguns, designed for use against lesser monsters.Rrrrumble—Just the flap of the giant creature’s wings unleashed a storm. Siwoo’s barrier shuddered violently.Raon kept his eyes locked on the battle between the combat team and the monster. It wasn’t as strong as the core guardian at the end of a Gate, but its sheer size had made it one of the toughest hurdles in the early stages."Attack!"Fortunately, the Espers were still in good shape, so the combat team seemed to be holding their own. Raon tightened his grip on his gun, a small breath of relief escaping him.Shhhk!"…!"A sharp noise pricked his ears. He turned to see smaller creatures clawing at the barrier, their screeches slicing through the air."Skreeeek!""Damn it, more of them!"The smaller bird-type monsters they’d fought earlier had swarmed in from behind—right where the guide team was stationed.He’d rushed to find the stone structure precisely to avoid this happening. Grinding his teeth, Raon turned to Siwoo and Yeojoon."We’ll handle these ourselves.""Understood."Siwoo nodded and advanced with Yeojoon. The water barrier vanished, replaced by a wave of water shooting upward like a geyser."Keaaagh!"The monsters shrieked as the torrent hit—but it didn’t end there."Hah! Eat this!"With a cheerful shout, Yeojoon unleashed his power. Electricity arced across the drenched monsters.Bzzzzzt!The explosion of light and sound left behind smoking corpses. The destruction was far too powerful for just two Espers.Just as I thought.Siwoo’s water ability paired perfectly with Yeojoon’s lightning. Now that Siwoo’s stats had increased enough to hit fast-moving targets, their synergy was devastating."Wow, that was nuts!"Even Yeojoon gawked at the result, grinning wide. Together, they made short work of the creatures threatening the guide team."Shouldn’t we go help the combat team next?" he asked with a shrug.Raon shot him a cool look. "Stay put. It’s too risky.""Yessir."He slumped his shoulders in mock defeat—only for Taehyeok to smack him between the shoulder blades."Ow!""Try sitting still for once.""Come on, you always pick on me," Yeojoon grumbled, pouting.Ignoring their banter, Raon turned his attention back to the front lines.Yeojoon wasn’t wrong—the battle ahead wasn’t going smoothly. If things got worse, Raon was ready to move up with Siwoo and lend direct guiding support."Team Leader, doesn’t that monster’s movement look strange?""Strange?"Raon tilted his head at Hamin’s uneasy tone."Yeah. I thought it was just slow because of its size, but… it’s not attacking properly. It’s like it’s looking for something.""Looking for…?"A chill ran down Raon’s spine. The words triggered an unwelcome memory.No way. Not again.He remembered the irregular Gate—the final guardian that had suddenly targeted him across the entire arena. He’d brushed it off as coincidence.He swallowed hard. Then a familiar warmth pressed gently against his back."You okay?" Siwoo’s voice came quietly."Y-yeah. I’m fine."Raon nodded, forcing himself to focus. It wasn’t time to lose composure yet."Skreeeeeeh!""Ugh!"The monster spread its wings, letting out an ear-splitting shriek. It was wounded but still ferocious.Should he move up? He hesitated—then froze."…!"Those black eyes were staring right at him."Hold formation!""Y-yes!"The sudden change threw everyone into confusion. Then, with a roar, the monster turned its full fury on the guide team.So it wasn’t coincidence after all.Just like before—the strongest ones were targeting him."Ugh!"The guide team had trained relentlessly these past days, but mastering real combat in such a short time was impossible. Most still lacked experience."Siwoo, I’m fine. Team up with Yeojoon and fight back!""But—""Go!""…Got it."Siwoo clenched his jaw and obeyed. The two of them launched their combined assault once again."Keaaagh!"The monster convulsed. Attacks from the combat team hadn’t fazed it much, but theirs did."Everyone, focus your guiding on those two!""Yes, Team Leader!"With the guides amplifying them, the power surged even higher.Bzzzzzt!"SKRREEEE!"The smell of scorched flesh filled the air as the massive creature finally began to collapse.Thud!Its corpse hit the ground with a thunderous crash, drawing cheers from the combat team."Whoooa!"But Raon’s instincts screamed otherwise."Everyone, get away from it!""…?"Confusion flickered across their faces. Raon had no time to explain."Move! Now!""Yes!"Trained reflexes kicked in—the result of their brutal drills. The guides scattered.BOOOOM!"Ugh—!"The fallen beast exploded. The blast was massive—the very reason this monster had caused so many casualties in the original timeline."Is everyone okay?""Y-yeah, we’re f-fine!"Thanks to Siwoo maintaining the barrier to the very end, they’d all escaped injury."Good. Now let’s check on the combat team—""Uh, Team Leader…""Yeah?"Taehyeok’s uneasy voice made him turn—and he froze."What in the…"Crack. The ground itself was splitting open."AAAHHH!"With a deafening roar, the cliff gave way, collapsing in a chain reaction. The blast from the monster had taken the ledge with it—exactly where Raon’s team was standing."AAAAHH!""Yeojoon! Snap out of it!"Yeojoon, paralyzed by his fear of heights, was flailing helplessly. Raon shouted over the wind:"Are you trying to get us all killed? Grab the guides!""A-ah!"Snapping back to reality, Siwoo moved fast, wrapping water around Raon and the nearest guides to steady their fall. Yeojoon slung two more over his shoulders."Hold tight!"The Espers gritted their teeth and braced for impact.Fortunately, Minjae managed to seize control of a flying monster mid-air with his mental ability, cushioning their descent and letting them land safely on another ledge far below."Phew…""Th-that was too close.""Everyone okay?"They checked one another, sighing in relief. Raon steadied his breath and looked around.The wind roared viciously; this wasn’t the valley floor but another ledge farther down. The real ground was still impossibly far below."We’re cut off from the combat team… What now?" Juwon asked.Raon looked upward. With so few wind-type Espers up there, rescue wasn’t likely."For now, we find a way back up on our own.""Is that safe?""It’s the only option."His expression hardened. Then he turned to Minjae."Esper Minjae, try contacting Taegun again by telepathy.""Understood."Minjae nodded, closing his eyes. He opened them again almost immediately."Connection established.""Good. Tell him—""Ugh!""What’s wrong?"Raon froze at the sight of Minjae staggering.Did using mental control earlier drain him too much?He stepped closer, ready to guide him—then paused as Minjae spoke weakly."H-he’s yelling, sir. Esper Nam is… yelling really loudly.""Yelling?""Yes, he’s—ugh—still yelling right now…"Raon sighed deeply."Of course he is. That damn temper of his…"Shaking his head, Raon spoke again.

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