Chapter 16

“Wow, you’re better at shooting than me! Did you serve in the military?”

“Save the compliments for later. Focus on what’s in front of you.”

Despite looking like a regular office worker, Baek Eu-jin’s handling of the gun was impeccable, as if he’d been doing it for years. Without the slightest trace of fear, he calmly sniped the monsters. Even Park Saebyeok, amidst the chaos, exclaimed in surprise at the sound of gunfire behind her.

“Whoa! Rookie Guide-nim, you’re pretty good! By the way, Team Leader! How much longer?!”

“Just 30 more seconds!”

“Hurry up! We’re all going to die at this rate!!”

While Saebyeok yelled her frustrations, Kwon Su-ho silently continued slicing through the spiders. Still, even he seemed wearied by the endless horde.

“It’s done!”

Ahn Itaeh, who had been sitting cross-legged in deep concentration, opened his eyes and shouted. In that instant, the swarm of spiders froze mid-movement. Venom dripping from their mouths, claws extending, and even dust particles suspended in the air—everything became eerily still, as if captured in a photograph.

“Guide Yoon Ga-eul, keep going. Don’t let the guiding stop, no matter what.”

“Y-yes, I got it!”

“If you’re scared, close your eyes. It’ll be over soon.”

Ahn Itaeh remained in his meditative position like a monk. Despite her trembling arms, Yoon Ga-eul placed her hands on his shoulders, her fear evident but her resolve unwavering.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Try not to make a mess. You’re getting everything dirty.”

“Oh, shut up. Mind your own business!”

As usual, Kwon Su-ho and Park Saebyeok exchanged sharp remarks before diving into the fray. They began dismantling the immobilized spiders, their attacks relentless as they pushed further into the cave.

Baek Eu-jin watched the vivid battle unfold, swallowing hard and pressing a hand to his pounding chest. What’s wrong with me? Calm down. He tried to steady his nerves but couldn’t tear his eyes away. It had been a long time since he’d seen such combat up close, and his body instinctively twitched with the adrenaline.

Delta Team was undeniably impressive. The time-freezing ability was fascinating, and both Kwon Su-ho and Park Saebyeok’s skills were top-notch. Their seamless coordination, honed over years of working together, made them look like an unstoppable pair. Eu-jin couldn’t help but admire them.

But then—

A spider, sneaking in from outside the frozen zone, pounced on Yoon Ga-eul. The team had been so focused on the frontlines that they neglected the rear.

“Aaah!”

The creature’s sharp fangs sank into Yoon Ga-eul’s thigh, and she collapsed with a scream. With her guiding interrupted, Ahn Itaeh’s time-freezing ability faltered, and the previously immobilized spiders began to stir.

“Ga-eul-ssi!”

“Guide-nim!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Eu-jin fired repeatedly, shattering the spider’s body into pieces before it could do further harm. As Yoon Ga-eul lay injured, Yoo Tak rushed to her side, while Eu-jin immediately stepped in to take over her role.

The moment Eu-jin touched Ahn Itaeh, a surge of dense guiding energy flooded in. Itaeh’s ability, which had momentarily faltered, quickly stabilized and continued as before.

“Holy crap! What the hell just happened?!”

Park Saebyeok, who was deep in the frontlines, yelped in shock. For a second, she thought the time freeze had broken, only to realize the chaos was coming from the rear.

“Is everyone okay? What’s going on back there?!”

She shouted, but no clear response came. Kwon Su-ho, after slicing through another wave of spiders, turned back and surveyed the scene with narrowed eyes.

“Looks like the guide got injured.”

“Then who’s supporting the Team Leader?”

“There’s another one, isn’t there?”

He gestured with his glowing ice blade toward the fallen Yoon Ga-eul, Yoo Tak tending to her, and Baek Eu-jin, who was now tethered to Ahn Itaeh.

“Wow, that guide… I thought he’d be dead weight, but he’s actually a blessing in disguise. The more I see, the better he looks. What do you think, Kwon Su-ho?”

“We don’t have time for this. Let’s finish it.”

Without another word, Su-ho turned back to the fight, his frosty blade cutting cleanly through the swarm.

Kwon Su-ho turned back, urging the group onward.

The seemingly endless swarm of spiders had been cut down to about half. The floor was a mess of corpses—slimy, gelatinous fluids and shattered exoskeletons squished beneath every step.

“How much time do we have left?”

“Three minutes.”

“Damn it, can we even finish in time?”

There were still too many spiders left, and they hadn’t even reached the hidden nest of eggs deep inside. Park Saebyeok shook her tingling right hand and paused to catch her breath.

“Kwon Su-ho, how much energy do you have left?”

“I’m struggling too.”

“But you’re not dead tired yet, are you?”

Su-ho drove his ice-covered sword into the ground, leaning against it as he shifted his weight lazily to one side. His handsome face now bore heavy dark circles under his eyes.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Let’s wipe them all out in one go,” Saebyeok said, proposing they pour every last ounce of strength into a final strike.

Su-ho pushed back his sweat-drenched hair with a hand, letting out a deep sigh as his sharp eyes narrowed in frustration.

With one guide unconscious and the other tethered to Ahn Itaeh, neither he nor Saebyeok could rely on guiding support. They were left to fend for themselves with their remaining strength.

“You’re seriously suggesting that without any guiding support?”

“Come on, we won’t die. Worst case, they’ll drag us back to the center later. Let’s just hold out until the end.”

“What a damn mess.”

Despite his complaints, Su-ho picked up his sword again. His movements were reluctant, but his stance was solid and prepared.

Swinging his blade in a sweeping arc, he drove it into the ground with force. The earth cracked and froze on impact, and frost began to spread outward from where he stood. As the icy radius expanded, Su-ho poured every bit of energy he had left into the attack. The spiders in the area began freezing solid, their bodies cracking under the pressure of the cold.

“Ha… damn.”

Su-ho grunted, exhaustion catching up to him as his strength waned. His insides felt like they were being torn apart from the effort.

Park Saebyeok wasn’t faring much better. She continued crushing the frozen spiders with psychokinetic force, but her breathing grew ragged, and she could no longer muster the energy to curse.

Huff, huff, huff.

Just as they were at their breaking point, a wave of refreshing energy surged over them from behind. The burning fatigue that had been eating away at them disappeared in an instant, replaced by a revitalizing sense of life coursing through their veins.

The familiar sensation of guiding caused Kwon Su-ho to straighten his back, looking up from his hunched-over position.

Park Saebyeok, still clutching her fist tightly, raised her gaze toward the ridge above them.

There, standing alone, was Baek Eu-jin, calmly performing wide-range guiding with an unshaken expression.

Saebyeok muttered in disbelief, her voice barely audible.

“What… the hell is he?”

* * *

“Good work, everyone.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Get home safely.”

1 hour and 45 minutes.

The high-difficulty rift had been cleared faster than expected. When they emerged, the sun was still high in the sky.

Yoon Ga-eul had regained consciousness around the time the core of the rift was destroyed. While her wounds healed quickly, the venom lingering in her system had slowed her recovery.

By the end, however, she was well enough to walk out on her own. She made a point of expressing special gratitude to Yoo Tak, the Esper who had saved her life.

After the battle, everything proceeded as usual. While Rift Management Bureau staff organized the area, a cleanup crew arrived to collect the residual byproducts left inside the rift. Specialized forklifts and excavators began entering the rift one by one.

Team Leader Ahn Itaeh personally escorted the guides out, while the remaining Espers waited near the now-quiet Porta. They looked a bit restless, as though anticipating something.

Eventually, Ahn Itaeh returned. The Delta Team, as if on cue, swarmed him, encircling their team leader.

“Team Leader, that guy—uh, the male guide.”

“He’s A-rank, right? And he can do remote guiding too?”

“Hey, calm down and talk one at a time.”

“Is he really a rookie? His decision-making was insane!”

The questions came in rapid-fire succession. Even the typically reserved Yoo Tak was bouncing with excitement.

Ahn Itaeh scratched his forehead awkwardly.

“Well, I asked him about it… but he said he’s not interested in becoming a team guide.”

“People change their minds. We’ll just have to convince him.”

“So, everyone likes him? Kwon Su-ho, what about you?”

The group turned their attention to the one person who had remained quiet. Kwon Su-ho, leaning on one leg and massaging the back of his neck, responded lazily.

“I’m fine with it.”

“Finally!”

It was unanimous.

It had been ten months and fifteen days since Delta Team had last agreed on a team guide.

* * *

“Good morning!”

“Morning, Eu-jin! How was the field assignment? Did you survive?”

The next morning, Baek Eu-jin was met with a barrage of questions and greetings as soon as he arrived at the office. He gave a weary smile, clearly showing how drained he felt.

“Ugh, it was exhausting. I don’t think rift work suits me at all.”

“Well, it doesn’t suit most people. Even now, just thinking about entering a rift makes my heart race like crazy.”

“So, you saw Kwon Su-ho in person, huh? Still as handsome as ever, right?”

“Uh, yeah… I guess.”

He chuckled awkwardly, brushing off the question. Thankfully, the conversation didn’t last long.

“See? Office work is the best. Oh, by the way, can you restore the reservation system? It’s still locked, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I’ll do it right now.”

As soon as Eu-jin sat at his desk, he opened his laptop, logged into the reservation program, and reactivated the button to accept bookings.

Before starting his work, he thought of grabbing a cup of coffee. However, his previously quiet laptop suddenly began chiming with rapid notifications.

Reservation confirmed.
Reservation confirmed.
Reservation confirmed.
Reservation confirmed.

“What the…?”

Was it lagging? Eu-jin turned his half-swiveled chair back toward the desk, clicking through the notification panel.

“What the hell…?”

The words escaped before he could stop himself.

Park Sae-byeok, Ahn Itaeh, Yoo Tak, and Kwon Su-ho—one after another, their names filled up his reservation schedule, completely booked.