“Ahhh!”Hamin screamed as he floated upward. The force tugging at him also pulled Raon off the ground little by little.“Hyung!”“Siwoo—ugh!”Siwoo lunged forward to grab Raon, but it wasn’t enough. In the end, even Siwoo got caught in Hamin’s ability and was lifted helplessly into the air.“What the—what’s happening…?”“Wait, isn’t that Guide Hamin?”Shouts broke out among the members as they saw Hamin and the people around him rising skyward.With everyone’s eyes on him, Hamin panicked even more.“Guide Hamin! Get a hold of yourself!”“I—I’m trying…”“Keep breathing. I’ll keep guiding—try to stabilize your ability while I do.”“Y-yes!”Raon forced himself to stay calm and tightened his grip on Hamin’s hand. Slowly, he poured guiding energy into him.Guiding while suspended in midair—this was a first even for him.Thankfully, the guiding seemed to work. Hamin’s power calmed, and the surrounding people slowly descended back to solid ground.Raon exhaled in relief the moment his feet touched down.“How the hell…? Are you saying Lee Hamin really reawakened as an Esper?”“A Guide awakening as an Esper? Is that even possible?”Yunchae and Inho came over, disbelief written all over their faces. They had always backed Raon whenever possible, but even they had been doubtful of his claim that Hamin had reawakened. Now that they’d seen it with their own eyes, there was no denying it.“We’ll have to run a proper test at the Center later, but there’s no way a normal Guide could use that kind of ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) ability.”Raon didn’t mention the term “multi-Guide” yet. Instead, his eyes drifted toward Dasom, who was staring blankly at her own hands.She’s probably reawakened too… but let’s keep that quiet for now.No one but Raon had noticed Dasom’s healing ability back in the tower. The Espers thought they’d simply been guided.If word got out that not only Hamin but Dasom had reawakened as Espers, the team would fall into chaos before they could even finish suppressing the Gate.Better to stay quiet for now.“In that case,” Inho said, glancing at Dojin, who looked sour and displeased, “we should probably start taking Team Leader Raon’s word seriously, don’t you think?”Dojin’s expression was hard; his glare toward Hamin was sharp enough to cut.“Can he even control that ability? I’d rather not have my people thrown off a cliff.”Dojin was still clearly unimpressed. And he wasn’t wrong—Hamin’s control was shaky. Just moments ago, the pressure alone had kept him from using his power at all.Looking at him now, Raon could see that Hamin’s face had gone pale again. Still holding his hand, Raon asked softly,“Guide Hamin, do you think you can handle it?”“Y-yes, I’ll try. But…”“…?”He still looked uncertain, and if he’d said no, Raon had no intention of pushing him further.But unexpectedly, Hamin nodded.“I’d like you to keep guiding me while I do.”“…Alright.”His cheeks flushed pink as he spoke, voice small. Raon paused, thinking.Well, guiding isn’t exactly hard work.He was probably just nervous—newly awakened and still unsteady.The last time he’d managed to use his power at all had been with Raon’s guiding. Maybe staying linked would help him keep it under control.“Fine. I’ll stay with you and keep holding your hand.”“O-okay!”Hamin brightened immediately. His hand, damp with sweat, squeezed tighter around Raon’s. His grip had grown stronger—probably a side effect of his reawakening.“Do you really have to do that?”Siwoo’s voice came from beside them, quiet but edged with irritation. Raon turned to soothe him.“Hamin’s still not used to his power. I’ll just help a bit, that’s all.”“Still…”“Come on, I’m counting on you to watch the others, alright?”“…Fine.”In special circumstances like this, Esper–Guide pairings didn’t take priority. After the previous irregular Gate incident, the government had tightened the alert system, effectively nullifying pairing rules inside any irregular Gate.Even so, Siwoo was special to Raon—and Raon was special to him.That might’ve been why Siwoo’s eyes followed every moment of contact between Raon and Hamin, his black irises fixed on their joined hands.“Let’s go, Guide Hamin.”“Yes!”Raon couldn’t bring himself to ignore Hamin, who was acting like a newborn chick.He felt guilty toward Siwoo but couldn’t quite pull his hand away either.“If you get tired, tell me. There are other wind users, and Team Leader Dojin’s here too.”“Okay.”They decided Hamin would lower the members first. Since he wasn’t part of the combat unit, using his ability first would conserve the other wind Espers’ and Dojin’s strength.It was best if Hamin handled as many people as possible.Raon stood at the cliff’s edge with Hamin’s hand in his, glancing down toward the route Taegun had indicated.Whoooosh—“…Mm.”The wind was brutal up here. Fog covered everything, making it difficult to even spot the path Taegun had mentioned.Raon frowned as he peered down into the hazy void.“Guide Hamin, can you find the route?”“Yes. If I clear the fog a bit, I should be able to.”The moment he said that, a strong current of wind surged from his hand, sweeping away the fog that had veiled their view.Raon blinked in surprise. The way Hamin used his ability—so natural, like breathing—showed that he’d finally stabilized.Raon’s chest loosened with relief.“Alright, line up in order.”After a quick check, they decided on groups of three—Hamin could only carry that many at once for now. Once he got used to it, he might be able to transport more.“Ugh…”Beads of sweat began to roll down Hamin’s forehead. Watching from beside him, Raon realized it was tougher than it looked.With the wind this fierce, a single mistake in control could send people plummeting off the cliff.But Hamin was handling it well—better than expected. Raon kept his guiding steady and offered quiet encouragement.“You’re doing great, Guide Hamin. Keep it up.”“Y-yes, Team Leader.”Every now and then, Hamin glanced at Raon and smiled—a bright, relieved smile, just like the one he used to make after completing a simulation successfully during training.“So, that’s the last group waiting?”“Yes, looks like it.”Inho, who had stayed until nearly everyone was down, looked around and smiled.“Thanks to you, Seo Dojin looks like a fool now.”“Haha…”Raon let out a weak laugh. So that was it—Inho was just enjoying seeing Dojin proven wrong.“See you down there.”“Yes, Team Leader.”With that, Inho and the others disappeared into the mist below. Hamin, sweating and panting, guided the last group safely down.“Huff… huff…”“Guide Hamin, are you alright?”“Y-yeah, I’m fine…”Even without a second glance, his pallor was alarming. Raon’s concern grew.Only the two of them were left now. Would they make it safely?Guiding shouldn’t have lowered his contamination level, but the mental strain of constant focus was clearly draining him.He’ll be fine.Worrying too much would only make it worse. After confirming that everyone else was safe, Raon turned back to Hamin.“Let’s go down too.”“Yes.”Hamin nodded—and then, without thinking, slipped an arm around Raon’s shoulders.“…?”Was that really necessary? Raon blinked, startled by the sudden closeness, and looked at him.Realizing what he’d done, Hamin flushed scarlet.“Ah—no, I just… I didn’t want to drop you by accident.”“…Alright.”It sounded like an excuse, but Raon let it slide. To be honest, he didn’t feel entirely confident either.Half leaning against Hamin, Raon began descending the cliff.A sudden gust made them both tilt sideways, but they managed to steady themselves and land safely below.“Hyung!”The moment they touched down, Siwoo’s sharp voice cut through the air. His eyes flashed as he stalked toward them.“Ah, Siwoo. Sorry to keep you waiting.”“…You don’t need to keep guiding him anymore, right?”“Ah.”Raon glanced down at his own hand—he was still holding Hamin’s without realizing it.He let go awkwardly. Hamin’s brows twitched faintly, as if disappointed.“So, did they find where the core is?”“I’m not sure yet.”Siwoo forced his way between them, expression sulky and transparent in his jealousy.Raon bit back a laugh, barely managing to hide his grin.

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