Today was the day of the live gate raid training.

Students of the Academy of Ability Users participated in one live gate training per semester.

Normally, when a gate emerged, the government would assess its grade and proceed with an auction, but during this season, the Academy of Ability Users had priority in the bidding.

The Academy would win gates deemed suitable for student training and then assign students according to rank.

I was assigned to the B-rank gate raid taking place in Daejeon. Naturally, my assigned Esper, Joo Seunghyuk, was coming with me.

B-rank was the highest level of gate used for training purposes at the Academy.

Since this was training conducted under the school’s supervision, safety was the top priority—raiding high-grade gates above A-rank was strictly prohibited.

In front of the KR building, a large number of high-ranking ability users were gathered: Jihee noona, Seonwoo hyung, Kang Inho—and Joo Seunghyuk as well.

It was a luxury lineup capable of handling even an A-rank gate with ease.

We were scheduled to ride the bus from here to Daejeon.

I glanced toward the black tent set up behind the KR building. That was originally where the Han Testing Center had been, but now it was hidden behind tarps.

The Academy had yet to make public the fact that Joo Seunghyuk had destroyed that building.

“Hyung.”

From morning, Joo Seunghyuk had been tightly hugging my waist. He whispered softly.

“Yeah.”

“Is the building bothering you?”

“Well... it did get destroyed....”

“It was way too weak.”

“R-right... they should’ve built it sturdier... haha.”

Yes. It was the building’s fault for being weak. If the psycho says so, then that’s what it is.

“So I decided I’ll rebuild it myself.”

Ah, so Seunghyuk decided to take care of it. That must be why the Academy hasn’t made an announcement. Since it was originally constructed by Sungan, it probably looks best for Sungan to rebuild it too....

“You’re so nice.”

“I’m nice?”

“Yeah.”

“Should I break one more?”

“Why? Why?!”

Why would you suddenly destroy another perfectly fine building?! I asked in shock, and Seunghyuk’s eyes gently crinkled.

“Because I want you to praise me again.”

...Yep. He’s fucking insane.

“Y-you can’t do that. Other people will be inconvenienced.”

“Why care about other people?”

Seunghyuk’s gaze suddenly turned cold. No way—is he getting jealous even in a moment like this...? As expected, common sense never applies to this lunatic.

“Seunghyuk, you really look good in uniform.”

I hurried to change the subject. Since it was school training, everyone was wearing uniforms, and Seunghyuk looked particularly stunning in his.

His face really was ridiculously handsome. With a face like that, no wonder I said all that nonsense when I was drunk.... Of all things, why’d it have to be a drunken confession? But regrets were pointless now.

When I complimented him, Seunghyuk’s eyes curved in an odd way.

“Only in uniform?”

“No. I think black suits you well.”

“Then I’ll only wear black from now on.”

You already only wear black.

But instead of saying the truth, I just smiled sheepishly.

“By the way, Seunghyuk, are you riding the bus too?”

“Yes.”

The original rule was to gather at school and ride the bus to the gate. But if one claimed special circumstances, it was allowed to come via personal vehicle.

I was pretty sure that last year, Seunghyuk had gone to the gate in his own car.

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

I asked, worried that he might be choosing the bus because of me. But Seunghyuk just smiled lightly.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Well, that’s a relief then....”

Seunghyuk gently patted my hair just as the bus arrived.

We boarded the bus together.

“Hyung, where do you want to sit?”

He held my hand tightly as he asked.

Wait—does he mean he wants to sit together?

“Seunghyuk, actually, the Espers are supposed to sit on the right and the Guides on the left....”

There was an unspoken rule that Guides and Espers sat separately on the bus.

I explained cautiously, and Seunghyuk smiled sweetly.

“We sat together before too, remember?”

“......”

That’s right. There was a time I rode the bus with Seunghyuk. Back then, we had sat together....

***

When I was in my first year of high school, I once participated in a national gate subjugation in Buan.

It was an event supervised by the Center, and as usual, I boarded the Center’s designated bus from my assigned location. For national gate subjugations, many people came by personal vehicle or via their affiliated guild’s transport, but that wasn’t an option for me.

But that day was different from usual.

Normally, there were separate buses for Guides and Espers, but on that day, the two were mixed.

The B-rank gate in Buan had been discovered late, and due to the rush, they apparently hadn’t had time to prepare enough buses.

Even though it was B-rank, if the gate opened because of a delay, it could become a disaster.

Though I felt uncomfortable boarding a bus with Espers, I couldn’t exactly refuse to go just because of that.

So I quietly got on the bus.

‘No one I know today...’

Usually, I’d see someone I knew—like Kang Inho, Hyeokjin hyung, or Chaea noona—but today, there was no one.

As I awkwardly took a seat by the window alone, I heard a whistle.

“Well, well. Isn’t this Lee Yeonsu? What a lucky day.”

A bulky man in his 30s stared at me with oily eyes and plopped down in the seat next to mine.

‘...Espers are supposed to sit on the right.’

Even when Guides and Espers rode together, there was an unspoken rule that we sat left and right of the center aisle respectively. When I pointed this out, the Esper leaned closer instead.

“Don’t be so cold. Espers don’t like people who act stiff. Just giving you a tip as someone older.”

“Then I’ll go sit somewhere else.”

I stood to leave. But the man grabbed my hand and forced me back into the seat.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Let go of me.”

“What’d I do? I’m just saying we could chat a bit on the way—urk!”

A grotesque groan burst from the man’s mouth as he gripped my wrist.

I was startled when I saw the boy who attacked him.

It was Joo Seunghyuk.

Why was Seunghyuk here? Technically, minors could participate in gate subjugations, but only from high school age.

Of course, I had participated since my first year of middle school—but that was because I was a Guide.

For Espers, even if they were S-rank, they couldn’t participate until they were at least a first-year in high school. But Seunghyuk was still in his third year of middle school.

“You little bastard!”

The man yelled at Seunghyuk.

There’s no way he knew me but didn’t recognize Seunghyuk. He must’ve known Seunghyuk was still a middle schooler. But that didn’t stop him—he summoned mana and swung his sword.

Other Espers rushed over, realizing how serious the situation was, but it was already too late.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Then I heard the man scream.

“AAAGH! AH!!”

Startled, I opened my eyes—his arm was grotesquely twisted.

Seunghyuk, holding the man’s arm in a lock, dragged him down the bus aisle and threw him off the steps. The man rolled out of the bus, screaming.

Seunghyuk hadn’t used any Esper powers. It was that man who had used mana. And yet Seunghyuk had completely overpowered a man twice his size.

Everyone stood frozen, speechless in the face of his strength. Then Seunghyuk turned toward the person from the Center in charge of this raid and spat coldly.

“What are you doing? Weren’t you in a hurry? Get that bastard out of here and let’s move.”

“Ah—yes, of course.”

The obviously inexperienced supervisor reported the man to the police.

While he was on the phone, Seunghyuk walked down the aisle and sat in the seat next to me.

Unlike that man earlier, it seemed like Seunghyuk genuinely didn’t know not to sit there.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to say he was supposed to sit on the right because he was an Esper.

A few minutes later, the bus departed.

Seunghyuk folded his arms and closed his eyes.

‘Did he fall asleep?’

I cautiously looked at his face. Though we’d met a few times at national events, I’d never had the chance to look at him this closely.

Whenever he was nearby, I’d always been hyper-aware, afraid our eyes might meet.

In just three years, Seunghyuk had shot up in height and surpassed me. And now, looking at him like this, I realized it wasn’t just his height—his face had changed too.

He used to look like a pretty doll. Now, he actually looked like a man. His unrealistically long eyelashes were still the same, though.

In just a few more years, he’d become the strongest in the world—an impressive and terrifying madman. Judging by what I’d just seen, he already had the skills.

As I studied his face, his eyelids twitched—and then slowly opened.

‘Gasp—he wasn’t asleep?!’

Startled, I quickly turned to look out the window.

Seunghyuk said nothing. And I didn’t have the courage to speak first.

Seunghyuk was the man who would kill me. And we’d already stacked up plenty of bad blood from me rejecting his exclusive contract. It was best to avoid him.

After a long drive, the bus stopped at a rest area.

‘The gate will open in 48 hours. Since the situation is urgent, we’ll rest for 10 minutes. If you have business, please be quick.’

The supervisor, face pale, checked his watch and asked us to return by ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) 52 minutes past the hour.

B-rank gate raids usually ended within a day. In fact, big guilds often won the bid early and then waited until the last day to clear the gate.

So 48 hours wasn’t all that urgent, really—but the supervisor’s expression was tense. He must be inexperienced. Meanwhile, the other ability users looked completely calm.

One by one, people began getting up, but Seunghyuk remained seated.

I needed to use the restroom, but it was hard to move unless Seunghyuk stood up too.

I could’ve just asked him to get up for a moment—but even that short line felt impossible to say to him.

While I was busy glancing at him, Seunghyuk suddenly stood and walked out of the bus.

I quickly got up too.