Fortunately, the other high-ranking Espers had been dispatched to A-rank Gates in Gimpo and Daegu, and the support team would take time to arrive.

If things went well, he might be able to conquer this Gate alone with Yeonsu.

“Yeonsu, stay here.”

“You’re going in alone? Let’s wait for the others to arrive.”

“Time’s short. If this opens, the whole of Seoul could be in danger.”

“But—”

“It’s a B-rank, and a micro-sized Gate at that. I can handle it on my own.”

It was a line full of righteousness and responsibility, but in truth, it wasn’t how he really felt.

If he insisted on going alone, Yeonsu’s personality meant he would absolutely insist on coming with him.

“Then I’ll be back soon, Yeonsu.”

“Geonwoo-hyung, I’m coming with you.”

Just as expected, Yeonsu followed him.

A tiny B-rank Gate like this could easily be cleared solo. There was no real reason to bring Yeonsu. But Park Geonwoo wanted to show off—to let Yeonsu see him in action.

And even if they'd known each other since childhood, they’d only ever interacted during group events or Gate raids. Rarely were they alone like this. If he played his cards right, maybe he could finally close the distance between them.

The Gate raid started smoothly. Especially gratifying was receiving Yeonsu’s guiding right after taking down monsters.

But the peace didn’t last long.

The number of monsters began increasing rapidly—and their ranks were rising too, from B-rank to A-rank.

“There’s more and more of them. And that last one—the Ash-Patterned Bear—was A-rank, right? This feels wrong. Shouldn’t we wait for support?”

Yeonsu looked uneasy. From the start, he’d wondered if the Gate had been misclassified.

“No, it’s probably just a Gate Break. Monsters gather near the entrance when that happens. And sometimes, stronger ones appear near the boss room. That just means the hard part is over. We’re close to the boss. We can’t waste time now.”

But Park Geonwoo ignored his opinion.

Truthfully, he felt uneasy too. But he’d confidently declared this a B-rank Gate at the start—he couldn’t go back on his word now. His pride wouldn’t allow it.

Besides, it was unlikely the classification was wrong. Playing it safe over a slim possibility and embarrassing himself in front of Yeonsu was not an option.

And he was right—suddenly, the flood of monsters stopped.

Yeonsu still seemed wary of the unusually high ceiling inside the Gate, but with no more enemies appearing, he began to relax.

In the calmer atmosphere, the two chatted about the Ability-User Military Academy.

“Orientation is next week, right?”

“Yeah.”

Park ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Geonwoo had decided to attend the Academy.

His father had exploded when he heard. Ranted about how he’d waste four years sitting through lectures designed for middle-tier ability users. Technically, his father wasn’t wrong. But for the first time, Geonwoo defied him.

He was an adult now. He didn’t want to be dragged around anymore. He wanted to sign an exclusive contract with Yeonsu, date him, and attend school together.

“You’re coming next year too, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’ll be fun if we go together.”

“Yeah. I think so too.”

As he listened to Yeonsu’s soft voice, Geonwoo made up his mind. He would confess now.

But first—he needed to ask about Valentine’s Day. Maybe Yeonsu had sensed the confession and avoided him that day on purpose.

“Hey, Yeonsu... about Valentine’s Day...”

“Yes?”

“Why did you leave early?”

“Huh? Leave early?”

Yeonsu looked baffled. The unexpected reaction threw Geonwoo off.

“Did you forget I asked you to wait?”

“But I did wait. Didn’t you leave first?”

“What?”

Geonwoo looked Yeonsu straight in the eyes. This wasn’t a lie to cover up awkwardness.

Was there some kind of misunderstanding?

“Hyung...”

Suddenly, something dark appeared in the sky. Geonwoo pulled Yeonsu toward him, shielding his body.

A massive fireball crashed into the spot where they had just been.

Geonwoo looked up. An S-rank monster—a Black Wyvern—was staring down at them with jet-black eyes.

Its appearance meant only one thing: this was an S-rank Gate.

His blood ran cold. Had Yeonsu been right all along? Was the Gate classification wrong?

Yeonsu recovered first.

“We have to get out! Now! We need to report this and call for backup!”

“Y-Yeah. You’re right.”

No matter how strong he was, even Park Geonwoo couldn’t handle an S-rank Gate alone. He grabbed Yeonsu’s hand and turned to escape.

But just then, the Black Wyvern swooped down and snatched Yeonsu into the sky.

“Wha—?!”

“Yeonsu!”

It all happened too fast—before he could grab him, the Wyvern had already soared upward with Yeonsu in its claws.

I have to save him. I have to. No one else will. It has to be me.

But his body wouldn’t move. The Wyvern’s gaze turned to him.

As if he were the true target all along.

Black Wyverns were among the most dangerous S-rank monsters. Even their base stats rivaled A-rank bosses. And they could fly.

There was no way Geonwoo could take it on alone.

Screeeeeech!

Then, as if to confirm his fear, the Wyvern flung Yeonsu aside and dove straight toward Park Geonwoo.

I have to save Yeonsu.

If he fell from that height, there was no surviving it. But even knowing that, Geonwoo’s body moved the opposite way.

He screamed—and ran in the opposite direction from where Yeonsu was falling.

In the face of mortal danger, the mask of “Perfect S-rank Esper Park Geonwoo” shattered.

No matter how long he had loved Yeonsu, the instinct to survive was stronger.

And then—time seemed to freeze.

Inside the Gate, the flow of time slowed, and a man stepped in.

Joo Seunghyuk.

Park Geonwoo’s legs wouldn’t move. The Wyvern, mid-dive with jaws wide open, froze in place. Even Yeonsu’s falling body hovered in the air.

It was as if everything inside the Gate had stopped—except for Seunghyuk, who moved freely.

Was that a treasure’s power? Or dark magic?

Seunghyuk had dual-attribute abilities. But in raids, he only ever used fire-type magic. His dark-type power was rarely seen—rumored to be dormant.

Had he been hiding his strength this whole time?

Seunghyuk ran forward and caught Yeonsu’s body just before it hit the ground.

At that moment, the mana freezing Geonwoo's body vanished.

Caught mid-run, Geonwoo collapsed.

“Ugh—argh!”

His arm slammed into a protruding rock, and blood trickled down his right arm. But there was no time to worry about injuries.

The Black Wyvern, momentarily stunned, started moving again.

Geonwoo scrambled to release mana—but still lying down, he misfired, missing entirely.

Even in this life-or-death moment, Seunghyuk only held Yeonsu tightly.

Geonwoo cared about Yeonsu too—but the monster right in front of him terrified him more.

“Seunghyuk! What are you doing?! Kill it—!”

“Shut up.”

Seunghyuk snapped coldly.

“Uhh...”

At that moment, Yeonsu let out a sound—whether from fear or pain, it was unclear.

“It’s okay. There’s no need to be afraid of something like that. I’m here.”

Seunghyuk comforted him.

The tenderness in his voice was so gentle, Geonwoo could hardly believe it came from him.

So... he likes Yeonsu.

Even in the chaos, that was the first thought that crossed his mind.

This wasn’t about old grudges or rivalry. It wasn’t that he was trying to block Geonwoo.

He had always liked Yeonsu. Even someone as cold-blooded as Joo Seunghyuk...

But there was no time to be shocked.

The Black Wyvern spewed flames at Geonwoo. He dodged just in time—only to hear the wind shift above him.

He looked up—pure instinct.

Five more Black Wyverns were flying toward them.

One S-rank monster had been overwhelming enough—now there were six.

No Esper could handle this alone.

But even in this emergency, Seunghyuk just held Yeonsu close.

“Seunghyuk!”

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?”

“......”

Geonwoo was silenced by Seunghyuk’s killing intent.

“Hyung, just stay right here for a moment.”

Seunghyuk gently set Yeonsu down and surrounded him with a shield.

Even as the Black Wyverns closed in, Seunghyuk moved without panic. He stepped forward with long strides and stood before them.

Was he planning to take them all on alone? That was suicide.

“What the hell are you doing?! We need a plan. Use that time-stopping magic again—while it’s frozen, I’ll freeze them—!”

Geonwoo tried to strategize. But Seunghyuk ignored him and simply extended his hand toward the Wyverns.

A searing wave of flame engulfed them.

The heat was so intense even Geonwoo, standing nearby, felt like he might melt.

Enveloped in black fire, the Wyverns screeched and plummeted.

Was Seunghyuk always this strong...?

As Geonwoo stood frozen in shock, Seunghyuk drove a long sword through a Wyvern’s neck.

As he poured mana into it, the beast’s head twisted and went limp, the fire devouring it.

He had taken down an S-rank monster alone, yet his expression hadn’t changed.

He turned and attacked the next one. Its wings shattered. Its head flew.

In the blink of an eye, Joo Seunghyuk had killed all six Black Wyverns.

And Park Geonwoo... had done nothing.

Frozen in place, he could only watch.