He couldn’t tell whether it was a joke or serious. Raon had gone through countless kinds of people, even counting his previous life, but someone like Luca was a first. Even Raon’s faint smile froze awkwardly.“What are you saying, Doctor!”At that moment, Haedam, who had been standing beside them, snapped sharply. Raon was more startled by his voice than by Luca’s words.“What? What’s wrong with asking? I can ask, can’t I?”“This is exactly why we can’t let you see examinees alone. I knew you would try something with Team Leader Raon.”“Try something? I was being sincere.”“Of course you were.”As the two of them bickered, Raon quietly slipped his hand free from the handshake and offered an awkward smile. Haedam turned toward him immediately.“Sorry, Team Leader Raon. The Doctor is always like this—please don’t mind it too much.”“Haha, it’s fine.”“I said I wasn’t trying anything!”Luca flared up at Haedam’s comment, then continued, looking serious this time.“I just ask every time I see someone handsome, just in case, alright?”“Unbelievable.”Shaking his head as though exhausted, Haedam began preparing the examination equipment alone. The room was relatively empty—this was clearly lunchtime and break hour. Espers tended to be busy and often had to undergo early checks before deployment, so it seemed the break time had been adjusted accordingly.“I must have come during the rest period.”“It’s fine. That’s why I came with you anyway.”Haedam offered a reassuring smile as he adjusted the machine. Luca, who had been doing nothing, yawned long and came over as well. Raon removed his outer jacket and attached the patch to his forearm.“Hm? You seem used to this.”“Well, I’ve had my match rate measured multiple times. And I’ve had internal toxicity screening once.”And before the regression, he had gone through several more. Raon, hiding that fact, quickly finished preparing. The large machine connected to the patch on his forearm whirred to life and rattled.“Man, are there no Espers interested in ordinary people at all?”“Maybe the problem isn’t that. Have you considered that the problem is you, Doctor?”“What do you mean me? There’s no one heavier and more serious than I am.”The two of them started arguing yet again. Luca protested as if deeply wronged by Haedam’s scolding.Raon watched them with quiet ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ fascination. The Luca he met before regression had not been like this. Back then, with the world collapsing, Luca’s face had been full of despair, always on the verge of breaking. Of course, at that time, very few people weren’t like that.So you were originally this upbeat.Watching him bicker with Haedam made Raon smile without realizing. Luca clicked his tongue when he saw Raon’s expression.“Wow, you look even better when you smile.”“Enough, please.”“What? I can’t even admire beauty?”He added that he would ask for Raon’s autograph later, joking around. Raon, watching Luca in high spirits, spoke softly.“You wrote The Fundamental Principles of Gates and Their Impact on Humanity, correct?”“Huh?”Luca blinked behind his glasses. His face lit up immediately.“You read it?”“Yes. It’s quite well-known. It’s included in the Guide training materials.”“Yeah, but not many people realize I was the one who wrote it.”For once, Luca scratched his head, embarrassed.No one really cared who the author was. There were no exams like in a school.But Raon had paid attention to that paper before regression. Though this was technically a fictional world, he had learned quite a lot from it.“Even now, plenty of experts still don’t fully understand how Gates function.”“That’s true. There are too many theories.”But the most credible theory was Luca’s.Many scholars had insisted Gates were naturally occurring phenomena—but Luca argued otherwise. Gates were incursions. Gate was simply the bridge, and beyond it existed an unknown world. If humanity failed to stop them, invasion would eventually follow.Those who opposed him had no explanation for the countless monsters inside Gates. Now, Luca’s view was the accepted standard. Raon agreed with it.“Espers awakened their abilities because of the Gate’s influence. Especially Espers.”“Then what about Guides?”“You read my paper. Are you asking on purpose?”“Haha, caught.”Luca glared at him theatrically, but rather looked pleased—someone was finally engaging his research.“Most agree that Espers awakened due to the Gate. Their bodies show wave patterns similar to Gate signatures.”“Right.”“But Guides are different. Their bodies are basically the same as ordinary humans. Their wavelength doesn’t match the Gate. And when they return from a Gate, they require separate toxicity screening.”“So Guides have nothing to do with Gates?”“No. That’s where my theory diverges from the Center’s official material. I believe Guides are affected by the Gate too. Just—by a different origin.”“Origin?”“Yes.”Luca nodded, the violet in his eyes sharp behind the glass.“I believe Guides were created by this world itself to resist the influence of the Gate.”“Like… something divine?”“I wouldn’t call it a god. More like a natural corrective response.”“Like how the ocean doesn’t remain polluted permanently?”“Exactly.”Even now, Luca’s perspective was intriguing. Before regression, back when Raon was free of the System’s restraint, he had secretly read Luca’s work. Coming from another world himself, the theory had struck him deeply.Beep.“Results are out.”The mechanical tone sounded, and Haedam checked the monitor. Raon removed the patch and pulled down his sleeve, picking up his jacket.“Hm… this is…”“There’s no issue, right?”Raon ran a hand through his hair, expecting the usual result. Even before regression, compared to other Guides, he had an extraordinarily robust constitution. Naturally, nothing should be wrong now.The conversation with Luca had been enjoyable, but he still had work to return to. While Raon was gathering his things, Luca frowned.“It’s fine. It’s too fine.”“What do you mean?”Raon lifted his gaze. Luca tapped the monitor lightly with his pen.“You’ve been through your second Gate recently, correct?”“Yes.”“Then there should be some rejection response or trace toxicity.”Luca spun his pen between his fingers. Then tapped the screen again.“But it’s spotless. Like an Esper.”“Is that really so strange?”“It’s not… normal.”Raon frowned. Each time he had been tested in the past, examiners simply said there were no issues. Luca hadn’t handled his screenings back then, so others had done it—and they had treated it like a trivial convenience.“Come on, Doctor. Being healthy is good, right?”Haedam cut in carefully. Luca tilted his head.“…Well, yes.”“You’ll be screened again after the next Gate anyway. We can observe over time.”“True. Maybe your response is just slower.”Luca finally relaxed a little. Raon bowed slightly and stepped out of the examination room.Is it because I’m a transmigrator?Even before regression, he hadn’t shown Gate contamination. He’d assumed it was simply Han Raon’s constitution. Or because he was an S-rank Guide.But after discussing Luca’s theory today, it felt unsettling.Maybe I really am an outsider unaffected by this world’s rules.Raon had always had a faint unease—being here couldn't be explained just as “I fell into a novel.”“Ugh.”But thinking about it too deeply made his head hurt. Raon stopped walking in the corridor and let out a quiet groan.

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