FG | Chapter 3.5

Even for a lower-tier Gate, if they could showcase their capabilities, they would gain recognition. Park Muntae, newly appointed as the raid leader, couldn’t suppress the twitch at the corner of his lips.

Not just him—the entire rookie raid team, experiencing their first Gate raid, was practically buzzing with excitement.

No one seemed to realize that while the two S-class Espers, Yeo Eundo and Gu Seungjae, might survive, the rest of them were walking straight into their graves.

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‘These crazy moths flying into the flames.’

I needed to stop this. Just as I was about to step forward, Seon Jiyeol moved first.

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I hesitated, then felt a faint sense of relief. Maybe, just maybe, Seon Jiyeol had caught on to the honey trap too.

He was the only S-class Guide in South Korea, after all. And let’s be honest—his words carried way more weight than a lowly D-class Guide and some bottom-tier civil servant like me. If he warned them, they might actually take it seriously.

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I waited, hoping Seon Jiyeol would put a stop to this madness.

And then—

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Like a slap to the back of my head, his words rang out.

“Esper Gu Seungjae, can you finish this raid quickly?”

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Gu Seungjae looked puzzled.

Seon Jiyeol continued.

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“I’d rather Esper Yeo Eundo not overexert himself. He hasn’t received guiding for a while now.”

“But Esper Yeo Eundo—”

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“Please. I’ll arrange a separate training Gate for the rookies.”

“But even so, that’s—”

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“I’ll guide everyone.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the entire raid party erupted into murmurs.

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It wasn’t every day they got to meet South Korea’s only S-class Guide. But now, not only were they standing in front of him—he was offering to guide them personally.

Every single one of them had stars in their eyes.

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It wasn’t an opportunity they’d ever get again. If they missed this chance, they’d likely never experience an S-class Guide’s guiding for the rest of their lives.

Even Gu Seungjae didn’t seem inclined to refuse.

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“For those below A-class, the difference in rank might make it difficult to control. Are you sure about this?”

“There won’t be any issues.”

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“Understood. I’ll take care of the boss quickly.”

They reached an agreement—Gu Seungjae would handle the boss while the raid team took care of the other monsters.

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And so, Seon Jiyeol began guiding.

The moment his guiding took effect, the raid team members’ expressions went slack, their eyes hazy with bliss.

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Even Gu Seungjae, who received the guiding himself, looked more than satisfied.

But while the entire raid team was lost in euphoric stupor, Gu Seungjae suddenly turned his head—

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And looked straight at me.

‘…What the hell?’

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I was already too preoccupied worrying about Yeo Eundo running into the Gate alone. I had no time to deal with whatever was going on with Gu Seungjae.

I turned away, pretending not to notice.

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But his gaze never left me.

»જ⁀➴

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Gu Seungjae checked the AD level the moment he caught the portable AD tester Yeo Eundo tossed at him. He was certain it had climbed to the caution zone, even if it hadn’t reached full-on rampage yet. But the result displayed on the screen was completely unexpected.

[20.2]

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It was an unbelievably stable number. Even if it was theoretically possible to lower an AD level to 20, that rule didn’t apply to an S-class Esper.

Even if guiding was poured onto them and the AD level was pushed down to 20, it would shoot past 80 within seconds.

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That was why an S-class Esper’s AD level lingering around 80 was considered a fixed value.

‘Is it broken?’

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Thinking the device must be malfunctioning, Gu Seungjae measured his own AD level with the portable tester.

[87.4]

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It was significantly higher compared to Yeo Eundo.

‘How the hell?’

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Even though his own AD level was stable, Gu Seungjae couldn’t help but feel something close to jealousy toward Yeo Eundo’s absurdly low number.

There was a rumor that Yeo Eundo’s AD level had been 0 after his last rampage. At the time, he dismissed it as a measurement error and didn’t believe it. But now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he had no choice but to accept it. At the same time, a question arose.

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How in the world did Yeo Eundo manage to lower his AD level to 20?

Just then, Seon Jiyeol stepped forward, saying he would guide him personally.

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Maybe it was actually true that Seon Jiyeol had reawakened. Gu Seungjae gladly accepted his offer.

The pain that hadn’t improved even after receiving frequent A-class guiding was slowly fading away. There was still a faint headache, but it was barely noticeable.

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There was definitely something addictive about an S-class Guide’s guiding. Even without measuring his AD again, he could feel it had dropped significantly.

However, since there wasn’t any overwhelmingly special sensation, he felt slightly disappointed and was about to turn around when someone entered his sight.

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‘That person is Esper Yeo Eundo’s exclusive…’

If that was Yeo Eundo’s exclusive Guide, wouldn’t he know the secret behind why his AD level could drop to 20?

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Their eyes met for a brief moment before the other person quickly turned away. Yet, despite the presence of an S-class Guide right beside him, his instincts kept trailing after that man.

A tall, lean figure with black hair. His features weren’t clearly visible due to the glasses, but the sharp jawline against his pale skin made it impossible to look away.

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“Raid Leader?”

It was only when a teammate called him that he finally tore his gaze away. But his mind was still on that person.

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If he wasted any more time, Yeo Eundo—who had already entered ahead of them—would end up dealing with the boss before their practical training even began.

Pushing aside his distractions, Gu Seungjae spoke.

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“…Let’s begin the raid.”

With that, he led the team into the Gate.

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The moment they stepped inside, a stench so foul it stung their noses assaulted them. The area was already covered with monster corpses.

‘We need to hurry.’

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As they advanced through the damp cave, they reached a fork in the path.

The passage ahead was pitch black, impossible to see beyond. However, the stench of blood was particularly strong from the left side, meaning Yeo Eundo had most likely gone that way.

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Park Muntae, who was acting as the temporary raid leader, looked at Gu Seungjae for direction. Since their goal wasn’t to take down the boss but to conduct live combat training, the choice was obvious. Gu Seungjae gave a subtle signal with his eyes—go right.

If the boss was anywhere, it was most likely in the direction Yeo Eundo had chosen, where the overwhelming stench of blood was coming from. But the right side also exuded an ominous presence. If not the boss, then something just as dangerous was waiting for them there.

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Understanding his intention immediately, Park Muntae announced, “We’re taking the right path.”

The entire team moved in unison.

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Relying on the faint light from a magic-type Esper, they pressed forward until their path was abruptly blocked.

“Ah.”

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Park Muntae, leading at the front, couldn’t hide his disappointment. The atmosphere among the team relaxed slightly, their focus wavering.

But Gu Seungjae was different.

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Even now, a foreboding presence was seeping through the wall ahead.

Unaware of this, Park Muntae reached out, running his hand over the surface to confirm whether it was truly a dead end.

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That’s when it happened.

A spine-chilling dread crawled over Gu Seungjae’s entire body.

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“Step back! Now!”

“Huh?”

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Just moments ago, there had been nothing but a solid wall. Now, a massive, towering door materialized out of nowhere, and from its narrow opening, a grotesque, giant hand lunged forward.

The hand shot straight for Park Muntae.

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“AAAHH!!”

Gu Seungjae was a beat too late. He severed the hand, but the creature had already grabbed hold of its torn limb—along with Park Muntae.

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Blood gushed from the wound as Park Muntae cried out in agony.

‘Shit.’

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However, Gu Seungjae had no time to check Park Muntae’s injuries. The slightly opened door had swung fully open. A suffocating pressure squeezed at his chest. The Gate, initially classified as Beta, had suddenly surged in rank.

It was a honey trap.

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Even with a healer’s aid, Park Muntae’s arm didn’t regenerate, and the bleeding wouldn’t stop. Meanwhile, beyond the door, swarming monsters poured in like a flood. Emerging from the narrow cave like an army of ants, each and every one of them was high-ranked. No matter how strong an S-class Esper was, there was a limit to fending off a tidal wave of monsters alone.

And then—

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A chilling sensation, as if his body had been pierced through.

Gu Seungjae instinctively twisted his body. A mass of Black Flame shot past him, as if it had been lying in wait.

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“Kyaghhh!”

A monster engulfed in the black fire let out an ear-piercing shriek. Had Gu Seungjae reacted even a fraction of a second slower, he would’ve been consumed by the flames as well.

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The master of that merciless fire revealed himself.

Yeo Eundo.

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With a flick of his sword, wreathed in writhing black flames, thousands of monsters before him were helplessly devoured by the inferno. His attacks burned indiscriminately, sparing neither enemy nor ally. Gu Seungjae barely managed to shield the raid team. Had he not, the entire team would have been reduced to ashes in Yeo Eundo’s fire.

How long did they endure?

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The flames finally died down. The countless monsters had all melted away, leaving no trace behind. At the same time, the energy of the Gate shifted. In the blink of an eye, the raid had been completed—without anyone even identifying which creature had been the boss.

The raid team, overwhelmed by the sheer power they had just witnessed, couldn’t move a muscle.

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Only Gu Seungjae remained on edge, his nerves taut against the residual force emanating from Yeo Eundo.

“…It’s not enough.”

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Hearing that murmur, Gu Seungjae felt his heart freeze over. It sounded as if he was saying he needed another sacrifice.

Yeo Eundo’s eyes settled on a raid member—the one who had lost an arm. His gaze was eerily similar to that of a monster tracking the scent of blood.

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“Esper Yeo Eundo, step back immediately—!”

Overcome by a chilling dread, Gu Seungjae gripped his sword tighter, ready to stop him.

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And then, something unbelievable happened.

Yeo Eundo used healing.

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In an instant, Park Muntae’s severed arm was fully restored. A healing ability of this magnitude would have been an immense burden, even for a top-tier healer.

For the first time, Gu Seungjae and his raid team realized—Yeo Eundo was a dual-ability user.

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The moment the healing was complete, Yeo Eundo became a ticking time bomb. His presence, razor-sharp like it could flay flesh from bone, sent the entire raid team collapsing to the ground, trembling in fear.

Gu Seungjae didn’t fall, but he, too, couldn’t move recklessly.

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Yeo Eundo’s lips curved into a dark, crescent smile. Without sparing another glance at the frozen Gu Seungjae, he strode past him and exited the Gate.